A man has been sentenced to a minimum of 24 years in prison for fatally stabbing his ex-partner during a court proceeding characterized by extreme violence. Paul Gary Turner, 43, was convicted by a Supreme Court jury of murdering Sarah Thomas, the mother of his two children, in December 2016, during a mediation session. The couple was engaged in a custody dispute over their young children, aged seven and four. The fatal incident occurred while they were in court to address Turner’s claim that Thomas owed him £1,500.
Unexpectedly, Turner brandished a kitchen knife, possibly concealed in a file, and launched a brutal attack on Thomas, stabbing her six times. One of the wounds severed an artery in her neck, leading to her death. The prosecutor highlighted Turner’s deliberate choice of a public setting for the attack, emphasizing the shocking nature of the violence displayed.
The tragic event unfolded inside the Joondalup courthouse in Perth, Australia, with a court officer present. Turner struck as the officer was opening a door. Surveillance footage captured Turner waiting to enter the meeting, then exiting and collapsing to the floor afterward.
During the trial, it was revealed that Turner had received training in lethal knife techniques years prior. Despite claiming memory loss of the incident and attributing it to post-injury seizures, the jury rejected his defense of unsound mind and found him guilty of murder. Turner was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 24 years.
In a separate incident, Michael James, 45, fatally stabbed Bradley Hollis, 35, with a kitchen knife during a confrontation at his residence in March 2025. James, who lived with his ex-girlfriend Zara Tolley, was in a jealous rage over Tolley’s relationship with Hollis. He attacked Hollis while James’s own children were asleep upstairs. James received a 14-year prison sentence after being convicted of manslaughter, possessing a bladed article in public, and assaulting Tolley.
