Prison psychologists are using Kylie Minogue to defuse the murderous bloodlust of Australia's youngest-ever killer after he became obsessed with the pop icon. Known only as SLD, the murderer was granted lifelong anonymity after stabbing a three-year-old girl through the heart when he was just 13 years old.
The Daily Mail can reveal Kylie has become central to SLD's psychological treatment in jail and has finally allowed him to grasp the concepts of harm and consequence. 'He has always said he doesn't think like anyone else and that emotions are not important to him,' a prison source said. 'So that's why they have to reference Kylie to get him to understand consequences - because there is no mum, dad, girlfriend or anyone [who means anything to him].'
SLD has become so fixated on the singer he has fought fellow inmates in jailyard scuffles to defend her honour after they taunted him about his obsession. 'SLD was adopted as a young child and he doesn't really have a family,' the source said. 'He was locked up before he ever had any sort of relationship so Kylie has become the most important person in his life.'
Mass Murder Plot Foiled
Prior to his release authorities believed he was at high risk of re-offending because of his obsession with finding a girlfriend. The Daily Mail understands Kylie's name was used during psychological interviews after SLD allegedly admitted planning a mass murder during his brief period of freedom last year. He had allegedly planned to go house to house through a Sydney western suburbs neighbourhood, and allegedly planned to butcher entire families until he was caught. He allegedly revealed he had no plans of stopping until police arrived.
Investigators needed to establish whether SLD truly grasped the consequences of what he had planned. With no family, no partner and no one he cared about, there was only one name that resonated with him, when they asked: 'What if Kylie was in one of those homes?' Only then did he begin to understand the consequences of his actions and reconsidered.
The Crime and Imprisonment
SLD was barely a teenager 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. He has been behind bars for more than 20 years. Before he was freed, authorities warned he was at high risk of reoffending because of his obsession with finding a girlfriend and starting a sexual relationship.
Despite repeated expert warnings, he was released on a supervision order in March 2025. He lasted weeks. During his brief freedom he openly told supervising officers he was breaching his conditions. 'Good luck finding anything I do on the phone,' he told officers during a supervised visit to an Optus store on March 20. A week later he bragged about deleting his internet activity via the dark web and made clear he wanted to access dating sites so he could lose his virginity.
The Daily Mail understands those conversations prompted a device check, which led to an immediate search of his room. A balaclava and a knife were allegedly found hidden beneath his bed. In April, The Daily Mail revealed SLD had been arrested and charged with five offences - four allegedly breaching his supervision order and one count of possessing child abuse material.
Continued Legal Troubles
Australia's youngest-ever killer allegedly began plotting a horrific mass murder after growing 'bored' over his failure to lose his virginity. He had also become 'increasingly frustrated' that his long-running obsession with finding a girlfriend and having sex remained unfulfilled during his short stint of freedom, sources said. He had allegedly begun planning the mass murder after growing bored over his failure to lose his virginity.
The 39-year-old will be sentenced at Campbelltown District Court in June. It is not his first time back before the courts. He was previously convicted of approaching a mother and her partially undressed child at a beach in Wollongong in October 2023. He was also found to be accessing pornography online during that period. The Daily Mail also found online dating profiles he had posted using his birth name, claiming to be looking for a wife. He was handed an 18-month jail term and was released in March 2025, weeks before his latest arrest. He has sought to overturn his conviction for possessing child abuse material in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal, with a judgment expected shortly.
