Peter James Knight

Peter James Knight (born 1 January 1954) is an Australian criminal who murdered a security guard at an abortion clinic in Melbourne. Following his conviction at a criminal trial, Knight is serving a life sentence with a minimum non-parole period of 23 years.

Early years and background Knight was one of six children born into a Roman Catholic family in , New South Wales.

In the years leading up to the incident, he led a hermit's life in an "off-the-grid" bush camp in the Killanbutta State Forest near . He frequently attended anti-abortion rallies in Sydney and Melbourne. Knight was also opposed to smoking, smokers, tobacco companies, and the taking of oaths. including of kerosene, three lighters, torches, 30 gags, and a handwritten note that read: "We regret to advise that as a result of a fatal accident involving some members of staff, we have been forced to cancel all appointments today". He developed home-made mouth gags and door stops to imprison all patients and staff inside the clinic while he doused them with the kerosene. Knight later said that he intended to massacre the 15 staff and 26 patients at the clinic,

Choosing to not obtain legal representation, and, on 19 November 2002, he was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum non-parole period of 23 years. He is currently serving his sentence in HM Prison Barwon, near Geelong.