Sarah Lavis

So because he pled guilty, he got the 25% discount.

And then his longest sentence after the discount was seven years.

And so I walked out of there and I think, when I hear families say, I can't understand how they got so little time,

I 100% understand because I think me, mum and dad walked out of there and looked at each other.

What just happened?

Like, how did that just happen?

That is not what we were prepared for.

And I think a lot of people are the same.

We don't understand what it actually means when we take that plea.

And this is the defense's job.

Like you think the defense is there to defend innocent people, but most of their job is looking at someone and saying, there's so much evidence that trial you're going to lose.

You may as well try and negotiate a lower sentence and plead guilty.

and then you'll get less time.

I think because I didn't realize they concurrent at the time, like I went in there thinking, oh, he's going to get all these charges, so he's going to serve all of them one after another.

Yeah.

And that's why I said yes, because I was so naive.

I didn't know.

And they'd ring me every lunch like I'd be crying in the car and then get myself together and have to walk back into a corporate office.

And it was really hard.

And the police were saying to mom, don't let her take the plea.