Australia's youngest killer gets more jail time

Australia's youngest convicted murderer, known as SLD, has been sentenced to an additional four years and six months in prison. The 39-year-old, who was jailed as a 13-year-old for abducting and fatally stabbing a three-year-old neighbour in 2001, pleaded guilty to five counts of breaching his supervision orders and two charges related to child abuse material. Judge Paul Johnson stated that SLD cannot remain in the community without breaching his extended supervision order.

The court heard that police found an image of a naked five-year-old girl on SLD's phone, along with 43 other images depicting women in violent or distressing situations. He had also boasted about his ability to delete internet history, use the dark web, and access dating sites, contrary to his strict release conditions. These conditions included restrictions on social media, VPN use, and the type of explicit material he could access.

Despite acknowledging SLD's childhood hardships, remorse, low IQ, and guilty plea, Judge Johnson expressed poor prospects for his rehabilitation and reoffending. The judge noted that since the age of 13, SLD had spent all but four months of his life in custody. He will be eligible for parole in March 2028.