A man has been sentenced to a minimum of 24 years in prison for fatally stabbing his former partner in a court setting characterized by extreme violence.

Paul Gary Turner, aged 43, was convicted of murdering Sarah Thomas, a 33-year-old mother of their two children, during a mediation session in December 2016, as ruled by a jury in the Supreme Court.

The tragic incident took place amidst a custody dispute involving their seven-year-old and four-year-old children. Turner unexpectedly brandished a kitchen knife, hidden in a lever arch file, and launched a brutal attack on Thomas, inflicting six stab wounds, one of which severed her carotid artery, resulting in her death.

Prosecutor James Mactaggart emphasized Turner’s deliberate choice of a public venue to maximize the impact of his violent act, describing it as “outrageous violence in a public space with a clear intention to make a statement.”

The gruesome event unfolded at the Joondalup courthouse in Perth, Australia, in the presence of a court officer. Turner struck during a moment when the officer was occupied with opening a door.

Security footage captured Turner’s calm demeanor before the encounter, followed by his distressed reaction post-assault.

During the trial, it was revealed that Turner had received training in “commando knife skills” years prior, which included instruction on targeting major arteries for lethal effect.

Despite Turner’s claim of memory loss regarding the incident and attributing it to dissociative seizures from a previous head injury, the jury dismissed his plea of being mentally unsound during the attack and found him guilty of murder.

He was subsequently handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 24 years behind bars.

In a separate incident, Michael James, aged 45, was convicted of fatally stabbing Bradley Hollis, 35, with a kitchen knife during a confrontation at his residence in March 2025. James, who shared the house with his former partner Zara Tolley, had been in a relationship with her for a decade.

Motivated by jealousy after Hollis began a relationship with Tolley following their breakup, James attacked Hollis while his own children were asleep upstairs. James received a 14-year prison sentence for manslaughter, possession of a bladed weapon in a public place, and assault causing bodily harm to Tolley before the fatal incident.