I sat through 12 hours of horrifying evidence into ‘SLD’. Now I have the unsealed psychological report that reveals EXACTLY how Australia’s youngest murderer will kill again

It was a warm summer night in January 2001 when a 13-year-old boy crept into a house to steal computer games from a neighbourhood kid he didn’t like very much.

He instead found the boy’s three-year-old sister, Courtney Morley-Clarke, sound asleep in the NSW Central Coast home.

After removing her nappy, he carried her outside and stabbed her through the heart with a steak knife.

The crime shocked the nation: a toddler was robbed of her life, a family of their beautiful little girl, and an entire community was left traumatised.

But for the past 24 years, the twisted psychopath, known only as SLD, has maintained he doesn’t regret the murder.

In fact, he insists he will kill again and has clocked up multiple additional violent offences while behind bars.

Now a free man, SLD’s psychologists have issued a grim warning and revealed a ‘blueprint’ for his next murder: who his victim will be, his motive for the attack, and where it will take place.

With SLD’s true identity shrouded in mystery because of lifetime anonymity granted due to his age at the time of the offence, the public is forbidden from knowing his name, what he looks like or where he is living. 

Courtney Morley-Clarke was just three years old when she was murdered

Prior to his release last week, 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.

But in what was possibly the most terrifying part of the proceedings, each medical professional outlined the most likely scenarios in which he will kill again – going into shockingly specific details.

‘The most likely scenario for a serious sexual offence would involve a female who has rebuffed his overtures of a relationship,’ said his treating psychologist Dr Richard Parker, adding that the victim would likely be between 15 and 17 years old.

‘Behaviours would also suggest that he would try to strike up a relationship. In the event he forms a relationship, then his lack of empathy and lack of relationship experience is highly likely to lead to tensions.’

A second psychologist, Dr Kerri Eagle, referred to a previous test where SLD scored high for being a psychopath.

The monster known as SLD walked free from Long Bay Correctional Centre on Saturday morning. We have been forced to blur out his face for legal reasons

SLD, an angry, bitter 37-year-old virgin with a propensity for extreme violence, carried his bag of belongings to a waiting car upon his release on Saturday morning

‘Given his history of violent behaviour, which has involved the use of weapons, and planning, he is at risk of engaging in violence of high lethality which could be considered a serious violence offence,’ she stated in her report.

‘He is most likely to react violently to a perceived slight or provocation or plan violence as a revenge or retribution, and that violence could include sexual violence if the antagonist is a female.’

The court also heard evidence from Dr Patrick Sheehan, who noted his concerns around SLD’s ‘rape fantasies’, and believes SLD may attack a woman if he dislikes a man in her life.

‘His risk arises primarily through a process of paranoid ideation, grievance, righteousness, violent revenge fantasy and distorted perception that he has no other option than to proceed with violence,’ Dr Sheehan explained. 

‘His pattern of weapon use, lack of restraint and fantasies of extreme violence extend to a serious violence offence as defined in the Crimes (High Risk Offenders) Act 2006.

‘In my view, the evidence suggests that concerns about [SLD’s] potential for harmful sexual behaviour are genuine.

‘His risk also extends to sexual violence through an interest in rape fantasy. He may plan to sexually offend against a female who is connected to a person [against] whom he holds a vendetta.’

Dr Sheehan also believes the victim would be a teenager due to SLD’s poor capacity to judge if someone is over 18.

‘He has shown obsessiveness in his sexual interest and is at risk of stalking behaviours in the past. He is at risk of not recognising or responding to distress or withdrawal of consent in sexual partner relationships.’

Murderer SLD, who later boasted about the killing on the Central Coast (the crime scene is pictured in 2001), was released on Saturday

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)

Prior to his heinous crime, SLD’s childhood was marred by trauma. He was in foster placements from the age of one, state wardship from the age of three and then adopted by the age of six.

SLD had a history of disturbing behaviour, including lighting fires and cruelty to animals. He was diagnosed with a personality disorder and had a continued expression of homicidal thoughts.

He was living with his adoptive family in their quiet suburban street in Point Clare the night he cut his neighbours’ screen door open and took Courtney.

But that night was not his first attempt at an abduction.

Just months prior, while staying at a holiday resort with his family, SLD broke into a nearby holiday unit at night and abducted a six-year-old girl using the ruse that her mother wanted to speak with her.

In a recorded interview, the girl said the defendant pulled her away from the house and when she cried, he tightly covered her mouth, saying she would die if she did not keep quiet.

At one point, he agreed to take her home if she would ‘show my private’. She pulled down her pants and ‘he touched it’ and then took her home.

A detective said that when he asked the defendant about the incident, he replied: ‘It was a trial run.’

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 wasn’t working anyway.

‘Remaining in a correctional environment is unlikely to change his risk profile, and may actually increase his risk,’ Dr Eagle expanded later in her report.

This sentiment was echoed by her peers.

SLD is currently under a Supervision Order where he is forbidden from approaching anyone under the age of 18, must wear an ankle monitor, and is supposed to remain in the line of site of his support worker. 

However, after SLD was last released in September 2023, he was back behind bars just a few weeks later when he was caught approaching women with young children at Bulli Beach in Wollongong, NSW, asking them for a date.

He was spotted by an off-duty prison officer who noticed his electronic monitoring anklet and called the police.

SLD held a worrying grudge against that officer for more than a year, later threatening to harm him and his family as his revenge.

He was also found to be accessing pornography online and joining dating sites.

Psychologists have warned he has become obsessed with losing his virginity after growing up in jail.

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 breached the conditions of his last release in September 2023 by approaching mothers with children at Bulli Beach (pictured) near Wollongong

SLD is on listed and pictured on dating apps hunting for a partner

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’.

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.

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