School threats fantasy, not real

TWO youths who threatened to kill staff and students at a South Australian high school have “well and truly done their time” and should be released immediately, a court has heard.

Defence lawyers yesterday told the Supreme Court in Adelaide the duo’s so-called massmurder plot was no more than a diary of revenge “fantasies” compiled by an “emo” teen.

They conceded their clients had access to weapons including homemade napalm but insisted the flammable liquid was being used to heat a forge, not to harm others.

Bill Boucaut SC, for the older youth, said the duo had uttered threats – while dressed, for Halloween, as “school shooters” – which they never intended to carry out.

“Threats of that nature are understandably going to cause significant concern in the community and nothing I say ought to be taken as belittling that effect,” he said.

“But it has to be understood that this was nothing that was intended to be carried out.

“The period of time he’s spent in custody is long enough … I would urge the court to fashion a sentence that would enable him to be released immediately. He has done his time – well and truly.”

The duo, now aged 20 and 17, were charged with conspiracy to commit murder but pleaded guilty to aggravated endangering life.

They were arrested in November 2017.

Mr Boucaut, for the 20year-old, said his client had been bullied since he “adopted the emo lifestyle” and began “obsessively” researching, school shootings.

“He is different to what might be considered the average teenager in a country town,” he said. “His peers simply regarded him as being weird. (The diary) was his mechanism for getting back at and dealing with a fairly entrenched

(THE DIARY) WAS HIS MECHANISM FOR GETTING BACK AT AND DEALING WITH A FAIRLY ENTRENCHED REGIME OF BULLYING LAWYER BILL BOUCAUT

regime of bullying that he was subjected to during his time at school.”

Stephen Millsteed, for the 17-year-old, said his client wanted the duo to be seen as “people to be reckoned with”.

He conceded the youth had built “crude” body armour out of shopping trolleys, many knives and a “blowpipe that fire needles” – but said that behaviour was not “furtive”.

“This has been his hobby since the age of 14,” he said.

“He should be required to serve no more time in custody … enough is enough.”

Justice Kevin Nicholson remanded the duo in custody for sentencing next month.