Statement from the Attorney-General

I welcome the decision of the Court of Appeal to overturn the original sentence imposed on Aidan Bean in the Beenleigh District Court on 29 May 2026.

Mr Bean was sentenced for dangerously operating a motor vehicle and causing grievous bodily harm to a 14-year-old victim.

I am pleased the Court has doubled the amount of time the offender will be required to spend in custody – from 9 to 18 months. The offender will then have to apply to be released and remain under supervision in the community for the remainder of his 5-year sentence.

As Attorney-General, I exercised my statutory discretion to direct the Director of Public Prosecutions to appeal the original sentence because I considered it to be manifestly inadequate given the seriousness of the offending and the devastating impact on the victim.

The Court of Appeal found that the sentence imposed on the offender ‘was not just extraordinarily lenient. It was unreasonable or plainly unjust in all the circumstances.’

Today's decision confirms the importance of ensuring that sentences imposed by the courts appropriately reflect the gravity of violent offending, the impact on victims and the expectations of the Queensland community.

The Crisafulli Government is committed to restoring accountability to Queensland’s justice system, ensuring offenders are met with serious consequences, and victims are put first.  

My thoughts remain with the victim and his family. 

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT: Claudia Stevenson, 0435 155 490