‘s youngest-ever murderer, who stabbed a toddler through the heart, has attempted to strike a deal with a judge over the rules and regulations of his release.
SLD, who was granted lifetime anonymity following his violent crime in 2001, has demanded access to social media so he can meet unsuspecting women for sex.
The violent killer was just 13 when he crept into his neighbour’s house in Point Clare on the NSW Central Coast and found toddler Courtney Morley-Clarke sleeping in her bed.
SLD later boasted about his crime, admitting he chose her home because he wanted to steal her brother’s computer games.
After serving his 20-year sentence he was briefly released in 2023 before being thrown back in jail for breaching conditions imposed to keep the public safe.
He was then due to walk free in December last year, but grave concerns over threats to kill again and his violent behaviour behind bars made Justice Mark Ierace order two independent psychiatric evaluations.
Justice Ierace will now decide to either impose a continuing detention order, which would keep SLD behind bars for another 12 months, or grant an extended supervision order, which would see him walk free.
The NSW Supreme Court heard when SLD was last released he had become fixated on losing his virginity and approached ‘a fairly significant number of women’ in public hoping to convince them to go on a date with him.
But on Tuesday, SLD’s treating psychologist told the court that the violent murderer had offered his own solutions to safeguard the community.
Dr Richard Parker, who has been working with SLD for a number of years, said the killer wanted to negotiate access to Facebook when released so he could approach women online instead of in person.
Dr Parker also addressed the concern that, during his brief release, SLD had struck up conversations with mothers of young children at Bulli Beach in Wollongong.
He told the court that SLD was purposefully immersing himself in situations with minors to prove a point.
‘There was an element of him trying to prove to everyone he is not sexually attracted to children,’ Dr Parker said.
‘It might not make any sense to us but his logic is, “If I go up to all these children then I will prove to people I am not sexually attracted to children”.
‘It’s almost akin to the alcoholic that goes into the bar and sits there drinking orange juice for three hours to prove he doesn’t need a drink.’
SLD had been adopted as a four year old by a Point Clare family, but his murder trial heard he remained ‘disturbed’ despite his new home.
Aged 13 years and 10 months, he snatched Courtney in the middle of the night and stabbed her through the heart before leaving her body in long grass 300m from her home.
He became a suspect when it was noticed that SLD had gone missing on the morning the three-year-old vanished.
He initially lied about the crime, leading police on a wild goose chase, before later admitting he had killed her.
Psychiatric assessments of the teen determined he’d never become a functioning social adult.
He was sentenced to 20 years behind bars in August 2002 but was first released in September 2023.
Just weeks later, he was re-arrested for breaching the terms of his release when he spoke to three women with children.
On October 25, SLD went to Bulli Beach near Wollongong with a supervisor and was spotted by an off-duty prison officer who noticed his electronic monitoring anklet.
The officer witnessed SLD approach a woman with a young girl, and then approached another mother washing an infant at the beach showers.
Both women picked up their children and walked away from SLD.
He then entered the Bulli Beach Café and struck up a conversation with a woman feeding an infant.
He allegedly said to the woman: ‘I just got out of jail. Do you come here often?’, followed by: ‘I’ve only been here twice.’
Police came and arrested SLD, who told Wollongong Local Court the next day the encounters were ‘incidental’.
SLD was found guilty of one count of failing to comply with an extended supervision order which barred him from having contact with children.
He had also tried to access the internet, dating sites and encrypted chat apps.
Authorities believe SLD is a high risk of re-offending because of his obsession with starting a sexual relationship after being locked up behind bars for more than 20 years
During this week’s hearing psychiatrists noted the killer, who is also fixated with getting revenge for perceived wrongs, could act violently if he felt he was unfairly treated.
However they also agree that keeping him incarcerated would be detrimental to his mental health and ability to assimilate into the community at a later date.