Australia’s youngest convicted murderer admits to possessing child abuse material after release from jail
WARNING: Disturbing content
Australia’s youngest convicted murderer admitted possessing child abuse material and breaching control orders less than a month after being released from prison.
The man, who can only be known as SLD, killed three-year-old Courtney Morley-Clarke in January 2001, when she was just 13 years old.
He stabbed the teenager in the heart after dragging her from her bed on the NSW Central Coast, dumping her body in tall grass nearby and leading her on a wild chase as police frantically searched for Courtney.
The man spent more than 20 years in prison for Courtney’s murder, but was arrested just a month after his release in 2023 for violating the terms of his release, which prohibited him from having contact with children.
The man was sentenced to a further year and a half in prison, but was arrested again less than a month after his release in 2025 for breaching a supervision order and possessing child abuse material.
The man had his hands clasped under his chin as he telephoned Campbelltown Local Court from Long Bay prison on Wednesday.
A criminal complaint was filed on his behalf on seven charges.
These include five counts of failing to comply with an extended/interim supervision order, one count of possession of child abuse material and one count of using a carriage to access child abuse material. usage is included.
The other six charges were withdrawn.
When Judge Peter Thompson asked him if he understood the plea made on his behalf, the man answered “yes”.
He will appear in person at Campbelltown District Court on March 19, where his sentencing date will be set.
Killer led police on a goose chase
In 2001, the man pulled Courtney from her bed in the middle of the night and stabbed her in the heart before dumping her body in nearby tall grass.
He was caught after he was noticed missing from his own home the morning the girl was kidnapped.
He initially lied, saying he went for a walk and played with his pet duck in the middle of the night and returned around 2.45am.
He led police on a wild chase as they frantically searched for Courtney before confessing to killing her. He led them to a part of the street where officers found a pool of blood and a steak knife.
The body of the three-year-old child was found nearby.
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