The family and friends of an Uber driver fatally stabbed seven times during a robbery have described the sentences for his killers as “an absolute joke”.
Scott Cabrie, 47, was subjected to a “harrowing experience even before he was killed” late at night in regional Queensland on February 7, 2023, Supreme Court Justice Peter Davis said on Friday in sentencing two men who were teenagers at the time.
One of the defendants, who cannot be named as he was 17 at the time, pleaded guilty to the murder of Cabrie, as well as armed robbery in company with violence, motor vehicle theft and arson.
The defendants forced Scott Cabrie into the back of his SUV at knifepoint after hiring him through the Uber app.
Co-offender Tye Wayne Porter, 20, also faced sentencing after pleading guilty to manslaughter, as well as armed robbery, theft and arson.
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Justice Davis said the murder was “particularly heinous” and sentenced the teen to 15 years in custody with an order that he be released after serving nine years, minus 600 days already spent on remand.
Porter was sentenced to 9½ years and with time served, will be eligible for parole in August 2029.
Speaking outside court, Cabrie’s best friend and fellow Uber driver Cameron Thomas said the justice system was “broken” as it would allow both killers to be released while still in their 20s.
“It’s frustrating. It’s an absolute joke. A bloke like Scottie can be murdered in cold blood and these blokes walk in under 10 years. Surely we deserve more than this,” Thomas said.
