Australia’s youngest-ever terrorist may give evidence to claims made to a psychologist

Unbelievable claims made by a terrorist teen have been knocked back by a judge, including that he had no interest in extremist material but enjoyed the challenge of finding it.

The court heard a homemade IS flag was found in the boy’s detention centre room. Photo: NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Australia’s youngest-ever terrorist has had several bizarre claims knocked back in court, including he didn’t want anyone to be harmed when he provided bomb-making instructions via the internet.

The boy, 16, has been told by a judge he can’t blame autism for his offending and the only inference to be drawn is he shares extremist views.

On Friday, a forensic psychologist was due to give evidence in the District Court but Judge Paul Muscat said he was not prepared to accept several of the boy’s claims to him.

“Such as his claim that him photographing himself pledging (Islamic State) allegiance was not because he was actually pledging allegiance but because he wanted others to know that they were not doing it correctly,” he said.

The court heard the boy also claimed he was not interested in the extremist material he was asked to locate but rather enjoyed the challenge of finding it.

He also told the psychologist that despite providing bomb making instructions to others via the internet he didn’t want anyone to be harmed.

Judge Muscat said the boy also spoke about a story involving terrorism plots in NSW or Canberra in “vivid detail”.

He said while the boy’s Autism Spectrum Disorder provided some context to his obsession it didn’t provide a motivation, with the psychologist even unable to get to the bottom of why the offending occurred.

“He just can’t lay the blame for what he did on that,” Judge Muscat said.
“The only inference to be drawn from all the evidence is he shares those views.”

The boy pleaded guilty to seven terrorism charges committed at South Plympton between January 14 and March 16, 2022.

After his arrest, a homemade IS flag was found in his detention centre room, and he used a knife and a sharpened toothbrush in acts of violence.

He also spoke of attacking an Anzac Day service and, despite being in detention, somehow obtained or was provided with a book about the September 11 terror attacks and drew pictures of “masked IS fighters with weapons”.

The boy’s counsel previously asked the court to sentence him as a youth to strict home detention, rather than to jail as an adult.

They argued he was not radicalised but a “fixated” person with ASD “attempting to socially connect” – a claim rejected by Judge Muscat.

Judge Muscat said while the matter needed to be finalised sooner than later he wouldn’t be prepared to accept the boy’s claims unless he gave evidence.

The charges were adjourned until December for the boy’s counsel to finalise instructions.