Drug affected cafe owner jailed for threatening Police Commissioner … but could be out in two weeks

A drug induced former café owner has been jailed for threatening to kill Police Commissioner Grant Stevens. 

Lazar Karisik was in a “meth induced delusion” when he threatened to murder the state’s top cop.

He also told police he’d “be acquitted” after he was arrested by an anti-terrorism squad.

Karisik labelled himself “Lord Major Troll Hunter” and posted his threats to kill Stevens online, saying he would slit the officer’s throat.

He faced the Adelaide Magistrates court on Wednesday via audio visual link from prison after pleading guilty to aggravated assault.

Magistrate Karim Soetratma told the court that the more serious charge of assault rather than threatening to cause harm, was due to the seriousness of Karisik’s threats. 

Soetratmasaid there were “reasonable grounds to believe that (he) was in a position to carry out the threat and intended to do so.” 

“The offence arose because, at some stage, you created a video which you then posted on social media. 

“At times, during the video, you referred to yourself as Lord Major Troll Hunter, and at others, you referred to yourself as Lazar Karisik. 

“You said ‘make no mistake, share this message to everyone. I Lazar Karisik, want to murder – what’s that f***ing little white piece of s***, oh, Grant Stevens’.

“You said ‘I want to murder him, I want to slit his throat and I’ll be acquitted’.” 

Karisik added texts and images on the video with the words “I am coming to murder Grant Stevens you pedophile”. 

Police were notified of the threats after Karisik posted them on Instagram. When they searched his house, they found clothing used in the video and photos of Stevens on Karisik’s phone. 

Karisik’s anger stems from a fire in his building being, in his eyes, inadequately investigated. 

“You also suggested that the person seen in the video was Lord Major Troll Hunter and not you, despite the fact you had used your own name throughout the video,” Mr Soetratma said. 

In sentencing Karisik to a year in prison, the magistrate said: “You also told police that you would ‘legally murder’ Grant Stevens, but later you suggested that murder didn’t mean to kill anyone, but rather you were referring to a group of crows.

“(A psychologist) confirmed that you had a long history of stimulant abuse, initially cocaine, and later methamphetamine. He said you had described a bizarre paranoid delusional interpretation of events. 

“You went to some trouble to make these threats on Grant Stevens. Not only did you make the threats, but you created the accompanying video and text and posted it online.”

An early plea of guilty reduced Karisik’s sentence by 40% to seven months. However, the magistrate suspended the final two months, meaning Karisik could be out of jail on two weeks.

Jonathan Jackson, 5^th October 2023