On 13 August 2019, lone attacker Mert Ney committed the murder of Michaela Dunn, who was alleged to have been involved in sex work in her apartment.[2] After the murder of Dunn, Ney walked onto York Street, indiscriminately stabbed Linda Bo with a kitchen knife, then proceeded to jump onto random vehicles, yelling profanities and threatening civilians. After an approximate 150 metre chase through the CBD following the stabbing of Linda Bo, Ney was restrained by civilians using assorted furniture.[3] Ney's lawyers defended the charges against him on the grounds of mental illness,[4] and he was sentenced to 44 years in prison in May 2021.[5]
| 2019 Sydney CBD stabbing | |
|---|---|
Clarence_Street_Site_001.jpg) The apartment building where Michaela Dunn was murdered by Mert Ney | |
| Location | CBD, Sydney |
| Date | 13 August 2019 |
Attack type | Stabbing |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Injured | 1 |
| Perpetrator | Mert Ney |
| Motive | Unknown[1] |
Motive
editWhile a motive for Mert Ney's attack was investigated but not determined, the link towards severe mental illness remained constant. A Sydney Court reported that 1500 pages of Ney's medical reports were collected.[6]
A USB stick was located on Ney's person, that contained information and video files involving the Christchurch mosque shootings and other similar acts of terrorism.[7][8] After the attack on 13 August, Ney was additionally charged for possessing child abuse material on a USB.[9][4] This discovery provided a link to possible terrorism organisations, additionally supported by Ney's expression of "Allahu Akbar" during the attack. Whilst the proclamation does not directly tie to terrorism, this has been defended by his lawyers as a consequence of his mental illness and viewing other terrorist attacks.[10]
Ney refers to himself as "psycho" in the Facebook post involving Michaela Dunn's murder in his apartment room.[11]
Correlations to suicide by cop were made due to the repeated statement of "shoot me" being made by Ney during the public standoff with civilians.[11]
Perpetrator
editMert Ney (born 1998) was born in Marayong, NSW.[12] He attended Blacktown Boys High School during his teenage years. Classmates described him as a quiet loner.[13]
Sentencing
editOn 14 May 2021, Justice Peter Johnson of the New South Wales Supreme Court sentenced Mert Ney to 44 years in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years.[5][14][15] The sentence took into account previous charges Ney has been found guilty of such as common assault on his sister Yazel. The sentence received a 10% discount as per Ney's guilty plea.[16][17]
Prison incidents
editOn 5 December 2022 at approximately 11:15 a.m., Ney was stabbed by another inmate whilst in the exercise yard. Ney was stabbed six times in the head and face and was repeatedly kicked. Shortly after this incident occurred, Ney was rushed to Goulburn Base Hospital.[18]
In July 2024, Ney slashed a prison guard at Goulburn Supermax with a makeshift weapon.[19]
References
edit- ^ Scheikowski, Margaret (30 March 2021). "Sydney CBD attacker Mert Ney describes moment he stabbed Michaela Dunn". 7 News. 7 News. Channel 7. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ Sas, Nick; Calderwood, Kathleen (15 August 2019). "Sydney Stabbing Accused 'Saw Victim and Other Sex Workers Before Attacks'". ABC. Archived from the original on 16 October 2019.
- ^ Chrysanthos, Natassia (13 August 2019). "Sydney Stabbing Live: One Dead, One Injured As 'Lone Actor with a Butchers Knife' Brings CBD to Standstill". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 9 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Sydney stabbing accused Mert Ney charged with possessing child abuse material". the Guardian. 15 October 2019. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ^ a b Scheikowski, Margaret (13 May 2021). "Mert Ney jailed for murder in CBD rampage". 7NEWS.com.au. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ McKinnell, Jamie (8 September 2020). "Court Told 1,500 Pages of Mental Health and Medical Reports Produced About Sydney Stabbing Accused". www.abc.net.au. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020.
- ^ Mitchell, Georgina (27 October 2020). "'I Was Laughing': Mert Ney Took Video of Woman He Murdered and Sent It on Facebook". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020.
- ^ Parkes-Hupton, Heath (27 October 2020). "'Yeah Guilty': CBD Stabber Admits Murder". NewsComAu. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020.
- ^ McKinnell, Jamie (15 October 2019). "Milk Crate Stabbing Accused Facing New Charges over Child Abuse Material, Drugs". www.abc.net.au. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019.
- ^ Cormack, Lucy; Rawsthorne, Sally; Noyes, Jenny (14 August 2019). "Sydney CBD Stabbing Suspect Had Accessed Information About Recent Mass Killings". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 14 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Mert Ney, Sydney Stabbing Attacker Pinned Down with Milk Crate, Filmed Murder Victim". The Guardian. 27 October 2020. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020.
- ^ "Meet Mert Ney: Bio, Wiki, Age, Family, Net Worth, Extra News". The Boring Magazine. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ https://www.news.com.au/national/crime/accused-sydney-stabber-was-a-loner-with-history-of-drugs-and-mental-health-issues/news-story/13a3d479e865478ef9946c028dc896af
- ^ Woolley, Summer; Denney, Andrew (14 May 2021). "Man behind fatal Sydney stabbing rampage learns fate". 7NEWS.com.au. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ Parkes-Hupton, Heath (14 May 2021). "Sydney stabber sentenced to 33 years". News.com.au. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ Mitchell, Georgina (14 May 2021). "Mert Ney jailed for 44 years over Michaela Dunn murder, Sydney stabbing". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ "Mert Ney jailed for murder and Sydney stabbing rampage". www.9news.com.au. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ Green, Eli (5 December 2022). "Notorious killer Mert Ney stabbed in jail after 44-year sentence for Michaela Dunn murder". news.com.au.
- ^ Zemek, Steve (5 July 2024). "Infamous killer Mert Ney involved in prison incident". news.com.au.