A Victorian court has approved transferring the high-profile case of a 19-year-old man accused of an attempted plane hijacking to an adult higher court, after ruling the gravity of the alleged offending outstrips the sentencing capacity of the juvenile justice system.
The accused, who was a minor when he was arrested in March last year at Avalon Airport, has been linked to a brazen pre-planned plot to seize control of a commercial Jetstar flight bound for an domestic destination. Court documents outline that the teenager travelled from his home in Victoria’s Ballarat region to Geelong, where he cut a hole in an airport security perimeter fence, disguised himself in high-visibility work clothing to avoid detection, and boarded the aircraft carrying a disassembled shotgun, homemade molotov cocktails, and a fake explosive device.
Once on board, prosecutors allege the teen approached cabin crew and quietly told them he had bombs in his luggage, demanding immediate access to the cockpit. At the time, 173 passengers and crew were either on the plane or in the process of boarding. Before law enforcement officers could arrive, the suspect was quickly tackled and restrained by a brave passenger and members of the flight crew, ending the immediate threat to the aircraft and everyone on board.
Court testimony has revealed conflicting accounts of the accused’s mental state and motivation. Following his arrest, the teen told responding officers that the people who stopped him were “heroes”, and that he felt a profound sense of calm and relief after being restrained. His defence team, led by senior defence barrister Patrick Doyle SC, told the court the accused was experiencing severe mental distress at the time of the incident. The defence says it will argue the teen is not criminally responsible for his alleged actions on the grounds of mental impairment. According to testimony given to the court by a psychiatrist, the teen claimed he had been exposed to traumatic, violent events including an alleged abduction, which left him believing he had no option but to hijack a plane to flee Australia. The defence has also pushed back against prosecution claims of ideological or political motivation, arguing the teen’s statements about political thinking were inconsistent, incoherent, and clear signs of mental confusion.
Prosecutors, led by King’s Counsel Paul Holdenson, argued that the Children’s Court’s available penalties would be insufficient to match the severity of the alleged offending. Holdenson told the court the plot had been planned over an extended period, and that the teen held ideological and political motives for the attack, claims the defence disputes. A court suppression order remains in place, barring media from reporting on any individuals or foreign groups the teen is alleged to have had contact with. There is also disagreement among medical experts over whether the teen had any such contact, or was suffering an acute psychotic episode at the time of the incident.
In his ruling on the jurisdiction transfer request, Children’s Court President Judge Jack Vandersteen said the alleged offending was of an exceptionally serious nature. On the evidence presented, he said, the teen carried out a deliberate, pre-planned attempt to take control of a commercial passenger jet, including advance research and extensive preparation. “The risks inherent in such conduct are self-evidently extreme,” Judge Vandersteen wrote in his decision. He added that he could not be confident that penalties available under the Children’s Court could adequately address the gravity of the alleged crimes. In response to the ruling, the accused simply stated, “I understand, Your Honour.”
The teen faces eight total criminal charges, including attempted aircraft hijacking, endangering the safe operation of an aircraft, assaulting flight crew, and illegal possession of weapons. He is scheduled to reappear in court later this month, where legal teams are expected to set a timeline for the upcoming committal hearing.