Lawyers say teen accused of trying to hijack Jetstar plane was mentally impaired
Lawyers for the 17-year-old accused of an armed boarding attempt on a Jetstar aircraft at Australia's Avalon Airport in May 2024 have told the court their client was experiencing an acute psychotic episode during the incident. The case is being heard in the children's court in Melbourne.
In the incident at Avalon Airport near Melbourne, Australia, on 2 May 2024, a 17-year-old boy attempted to board Jetstar flight JQ610 with a semi-automatic handgun shortly before take-off and was restrained by crew and passengers. At a hearing on 20 May 2026, lawyers for the defendant argued that their client was experiencing an acute episode of a previously diagnosed psychotic disorder at the time.
Two psychiatric expert reports presented to the court found that the youth had stopped taking anti-psychotic medication in the weeks before the incident and lost control around hostility and aggression. Defence lawyer Joseph Fitzpatrick said the prosecution should be considered within the framework of "diminished culpability due to mental illness". The prosecution rejected that view and alleged the youth had been planning "revenge for being discharged from a psychiatric facility" hours before the act.
The case is one of several high-profile matters under examination in Australia's children's court system since 2024. The hearing is expected to reach a determination within the next two weeks. Avalon Airport revised its boarding-gate procedures after the incident, under the influence of an update to Federal Aviation Safety guidelines.
More from Australia-Pacific
Almost 20% of New Zealand townhouses selling for a loss
According to the latest report from New Zealand's largest property data provider CoreLogic, 19.4 percent of townhouses sold in the first quarter of 2026 were sold below their original purchase price. The proportion is higher in the Auckland and Wellington regions; newer developments built after 2019 are seeing the sharpest declines.
Aspiration has changed since the Howard era. This budget is finally catching up
Treasurer Jim Chalmers's 2026-27 budget proposes a sweeping reorientation of housing, childcare and education incentives. According to ABC analysis, the budget breaks with the middle-class identity of the John Howard era and refocuses on a younger generation of renting voters.
Will drastic NDIS overhaul repeat the mistakes of the past?
Australia's planned overhaul of the National Disability Insurance Scheme is raising fears that the cuts could repeat the mistakes of the 1980s deinstitutionalisation wave. Advocates and health experts warn sudden changes could leave a serious care gap.