Teen jailed for seven years for plotting Melbourne terrorist attack
Updated
A teenager convicted of planning a terrorist attack in Melbourne's CBD, on a train or at a police station in 2015 has been sentenced to seven years in jail.
The 18-year-old, who cannot be named, was in the process of making pipe and pressure cooker bombs when he was arrested in May last year.
In sentencing, Supreme Court Judge Lex Lasry took into account the man's youth and his prospects for rehabilitation, but said the sentence must be a deterrent to him and others.
He said if the teenager had not been arrested he could have killed a number of people.
"You were part way through the construction of several pipe bombs," Justice Lasry said.
"Your plan, until it was interrupted by police, was to build a bomb and detonate it.
"Had you not been arrested you would have killed and injured innocent people."
The accused pleaded guilty in December 2015 to one charge of preparing an act of terrorism.
The court previously heard a number of items were seized from his family home, including a pressure cooker, matches and pipes, along with a document on his computer titled, Make a Bomb in Your Mom's Kitchen.
Dreadful potential consequences
The court was told the teenager developed a strong interest in what was happening in Syria, where his family is originally from, and he had come to support the Islamic State terrorist group.
While acknowledging he was young and had a lack of prior convictions, Justice Lasry said he had "seen the error of what he was doing, but has more work to do".
"You've not come to grips with the consequences of what you were planning to do," he said.
"You are young but your conduct had the most dreadful potential consequences and was very serious indeed."
Justice Lasry said the man's guilty plea and willingness to give evidence was to his credit.
The teenager was supported in court by family members, who became emotional after he was sentenced.
He will be eligible for parole in 5 years and three months.
Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, terrorism, melbourne-3000
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