TIAHLEIGH Palmer's mother has welcomed a court's refusal to cut the sentence of the foster brother who sexually abused the slain schoolgirl, saying he needs to take responsibility for what he has done.
The Court of Appeal in Brisbane on Wednesday denied Trent Thorburn the chance to appeal his four-year jail sentence for incest and perjury relating to Tiahleigh, who was his foster sister.
Thorburn was sentenced last month after pleading guilty to four charges, including perjury and admitting he had sex with the 12-year-old in the days before her alleged murder in October 2015.
He is due for release on parole in January next year.
I have no sympathy for him or his family at all.
- Cindy Palmer
However, Thorburn wanted to get out of jail earlier, with his barrister Rob East arguing that the sentence was manifestly excessive.
He told the Court of Appeal the sentence should be cut by four months because the sentencing judge had not given enough weight to the time Thorburn spent in solitary confinement during pre-sentence custody.
Mr East said his client was moved to the “dehumanising” environment of solitary confinement after being assaulted in jail and spent much of this year there without mixing with other prisoners.
However, Justice David Boddice said he had clearly been placed in solitary confinement for his own protection.
The grounds for appeal angered Tiahleigh's mother, Cindy Palmer, who said outside court that Thorburn was welcome to go back to the main prison population if he was so unhappy.
“I think he's having a favour done being in solitary,” she said.
“He's asking for too much – he needs to just take some responsibility for what he's done.
“I have no sympathy for him or his family at all.”
Tiahleigh's foster father, Rick Thorburn, has been committed to stand trial for her murder.
Trent's older brother Joshua, 21, was sentenced to three months' imprisonment last month after pleading guilty to charges of perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
His mother Julene will be sentenced in the Beenleigh District Court on November 3 for the same offences.
AAP