Australia’s youngest murderer, who stabbed a three-year-old girl through the heart, has been put into protective custody as hardened inmates prepare to dish out some jailhouse justice for his sick crime.
‘SLD’ was just 13 when he murdered toddler Courtney Morley-Clarke in January 2001 on the NSW Central Coast after creeping into her house to steal her brother’s video games.
After serving 22 years for the murder he was released on March 15, but was thrown back behind bars on April 10 when police allegedly found child abuse material on his phone.
SLD, who has lifetime anonymity, is now living in fear of savage retribution after having previously been given a pass by prisoners.
They had granted him a jailhouse ‘exemption’ from being attacked behind bars because he had been so young when he killed the toddler.
But now all his protection has been stripped away after the latest disturbing allegations against him.
‘There is a ranking in jail – even amongst inmates who have all committed the most heinous crimes – and crimes against children are the lowest of the low,’ says our jail insider.
‘Murdering a child puts a target on your back, but given SLD was thirteen at the time he’s pretty much slipped under the radar of those who like to take matters into their own hands.’
After serving 22 years for murdering Courtney Morley-Clarke, SLD was released on March 15, but was thrown back behind bars on April 10 when police allegedly found child abuse material on his phone
Courtney Morley-Clarke was just three years old when she was murdered
‘That’s all going to change now. These are fresh charges and he is an adult. The gloves are off and he knows exactly who will be after him.’
He was previously housed at Goulburn Correctional Centre with Australia’s most depraved criminals starting with the ‘top dogs,’ lifers like Anita Cobby killers Michael and Leslie Murphy.
Next in the pecking order is rapists with adult victims, and an assortment of violent armed robbers.
SLD is no stranger to jail yard fights with one particular close call in 2007 involving rapist MSK, the oldest of the K brothers gang.
The four ‘K Brothers’, were recent Pakistani immigrants to Australia, who committed a series of brutal rapes and indecent assaults with girls as young as 14 in the western Sydney suburb of Ashfield in 2002.
SLD admitted to starting that brawl, but when the K brothers pulled knives on him he quickly yelled for help.
Back then five other inmates came to his defence.
Among them were Jay Short who was serving 20 years for the brutal murder of Lithgow beauty queen Alison Marie Lewis, who he strangled, stabbed and buried in a sandpit at a local sports oval in 1997.
MKK was one of the rape gang leaders who also can’t be named as he was 16-years-old when he committed the crimes
Matthew De Gruchy, who had murdered his mother and two younger siblings, once saved SLD in a knife fight
Sex offender Robert Hayes jumped in to the brawl for SLD
Jay Short who was serving 20 years for the brutal murder of Lithgow beauty queen Alison Marie Lewis was also came running over when SLD needed help
Another was Matthew De Gruchy, who had murdered his mother and two younger siblings at the family’s Albion Park Rail home in the Illawarra in 1996.
Also joining the attack, in which both K brothers were punched, kicked and hit with objects, were armed robber Adrian Gray and sex offender Robert Hayes.
The fifth person to come to SLD’s defence was a man who pleaded guilty to smothering his three young children on Fathers Day in 2002.
MSK was later treated for a broken arm and his brother, MAK, was taken by ambulance to Goulburn hospital for brain surgery.
According to our prison insider, SLD wont be afforded that same protection moving forward.
SLD has always vehemently denied being a ‘paedophile,’ insisting he had no sexual interest in children.
While he brutally murdered Courtney Morley-Clarke, even removing her nappy before stabbing her – he claims it was only ever to punish her brother – who he didn’t like.
He’s told authorities he only wanted to be released from jail to get a girlfriend and an Xbox.
Aged 13 years and 10 months, SLD 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 (pictured)
SLD breached the conditions of his last release in September 2023 by approaching mothers with children at Bulli Beach (pictured) near Wollongong
Yet last time he was briefly released in 2023, he was caught approaching three women who had children with them while at Bulli Beach north of Wollongong just months later.
The court heard SLD and his support officer were at the beach to fish when an off-duty correctional officer spotted SLD’s electronic ankle bracelet and reported his concerns to police.
When he was arrested for breaching his supervision orders SLD was adamant police understand he was a ‘murderer’ but ‘not a paedophile.’
When denied bail by Justice Darryl Pearce on October 25, 2023, for those breaches he offered a final chilling warning.
‘You’re basically calling me a paedophile, judge.. if I get bashed in prison I’m going to sue you dog, If I get bashed you’re f***ed,’ SLD said.
Prior to his most recent release, SLD attended a two-day hearing in the NSW Supreme Court where multiple psychologists gave evidence on their independent evaluation of the killer.
Before setting him free, the court heard SLD, now 37, had grown into a very dangerous man, who holds grudges and is obsessed with losing his virginity.
He has attacked prison staff, stabbed guards and tried to choke a nurse.
He has had years added to his sentence for repeatedly committing violent crimes with weapons he’s fashioned out of sharp metal, pens and even razor blades.
SLD, who has lifetime anonymity, is now living in fear of savage retribution after having previously been given a pass by prisoners
SLD has previously admitted he would be prepared to kill again if something ‘big’ took place.
In a chilling warning, he added: ‘If I kill someone, it won’t be a child.’
Yet despite the facts and mounting evidence he is a danger to the community, SLD was released – because keeping him locked up was not working anyway.
‘Remaining in a correctional environment is unlikely to change his risk profile, and may actually increase his risk,’ Psychologist Dr Eagle noted in her report.
This sentiment was echoed by her peers.
Justice Mark Ierace, who agreed to his release, said the situation was unusual.
‘It goes without saying this is a very challenging case,’ he said. ‘He has only been out in the community for four months since he was only 13 years old.’
SLD will was arrested and charged with five offences – four of which breached his supervision order and one possessing child abuse material.
He faced Campbelltown Local Court where he made no application for bail.
He will be held in custody until his next hearing on April 24.
A caged monster: SLD’s timeline of terror
September 2003: Aged 16, SLD was convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm after he put a female nurse in a headlock. Her screams alerted a person outside who caught SLD holing a metal instrument that he had sharpened.
October 2004: Aged 17, he stabbed a juvenile justice worker in the neck and on his ear lobe with a pen while being restrained, following a threat by him to ‘stab the first boy that comes out of his room’.
February 2007: Aged 20, he starts a prison yard brawl with notorious rape gang members.
June 2011: Aged 24, he gave a letter to his then-treating psychologist, threatening to torture and kill him. He claimed to investigating police it was written by an alter-ego named ‘Thorn’. Afterwards, he was transferred into a segregation area of the prison.
August 2011: Also at 24, he grabbed an officer’s wrist through the food hole of his cell door and slashed it with a razor in a planned attack. He had dismantled a disposable razor to make his weapon.
October 2019: Aged 32, SLD commenced the Violent Offender Therapeutic Program (VOTP). His participation in the program was suspended four months later due to intimidating behaviour by him towards a female staff member.
May 2020: Aged 33, he intimidated a female staff member and in June 2020 he refused a drug test.
May 2023: Aged 36 and out on a supervision order, a routine search of his mobile phone and tablet revealed he had breached his conditions by downloading a search engine that allowed users to search online in incognito mode.
July 2023: Aged 36, he was charged with possessing a razor blade.
October 24, 2023: He attended Bulli Beach and approached several women, one of whom was showering her 15-month-old son. SLD asked if his dad was around. An off-duty Community Corrections Officer, referred to as witness X, noticed the defendant was wearing an ankle bracelet and contacted police who arrested him.
February 23, 2024: While in custody and speaking with his Departmental Supervising Officer, SLD said he believed [witness X] was fabricating his evidence and that he intended on exacting revenge on the witness upon his release from custody.
March 13, 2024: Age 37, a jail cell search uncovered a piece of paper with handwritten notes containing witness X’s name. The court heard SLD had made various threats towards witness X and his family. He admitted to planning revenge daily, even mentioning he would get his address from an AVO once granted.
