Will James King, 19, was sentenced in Mandurah Courthouse on Friday after pleading guilty to threatening to kill Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns. The teenager sent the ominous messages to Minns via social media on January 14, stating his intention to assassinate both leaders.
Arrest and charges
State Security Investigations Group detectives arrested King at his home in Meadow Springs, about 70km south of Perth, in the early hours of January 15. He was charged with threatening to kill and later pleaded guilty in March.
Court decision
During the sentence hearing, the magistrate acknowledged the offence was “serious enough that only imprisonment is appropriate” but spared King from serving time behind bars. The magistrate accepted that King did not actually intend to carry out the assassination, but noted the threat was made during a politically volatile period and included antisemitic hate speech. The magistrate also remarked that threats against politicians are becoming far too common.
King received a seven-month jail sentence, which was conditionally suspended for 12 months. He remained silent when questioned about the sentence outside court.
