Turan William Salis, aka “Turan Spidey”, was livestreaming while on a ferry in Perth when he allegedly told his nearly 400,000 TikTok followers he wanted to go home and stab his mother.
Turan William Salis, aka “Turan Spidey”, was livestreaming while on a ferry in Perth when he allegedly told his nearly 400,000 TikTok followers he wanted to go home and stab his mother.
By Rebecca Peppiatt
September 24, 2025 — 3.00am
A popular TikToker has faced court in Perth after he allegedly threatened to decapitate his mother during a livestream in July.
Turan William Salis, otherwise known as “Turan Spidey” on the popular social media app, was arrested after fans who saw the video sent it to his mother, University of Western Australia medical researcher Amanda Salis, who then called police out of fears for her safety.
The 23-year-old rose to fame in 2021 for making sheep-shearing videos on TikTok, turning the hobby into a profitable business two years later after a video he shot in Japan went viral and attracted hundreds of thousands of followers.
Since then, Salis has posted regular content of himself travelling the world and Australia, with some videos commanding more than 75 million views.
But his account, which boasts almost 400,000 followers, has been quiet since July, when Salis was arrested by WA Police and charged with making threats to kill in circumstances of aggravation after a livestream during which he allegedly threatened to decapitate his mother was screen-recorded and sent to her.
During the stream, which took place while Salis was riding a ferry from Elizabeth Quay to South Perth on July 14, he allegedly told viewers he was “so angry” at his mother and wanted to go home and “beat the f— out of her”.
During a bail hearing on August 12, prosecutors told Perth Magistrates Court that Salis also said he wanted to “stab her” and “just f—ing decapitate her”.
The court was told Amanda Salis “felt threatened and believed the accused was capable of carrying out such threats” and was granted a restraining order in a separate court hearing to protect her from him.
Prosecutors told the magistrate that Salis “made full admissions to making the threats to kill his mother and then in explanation said, ‘I did it for content because I’m a content creator’.”
Salis’ turbulent relationship with his mother has played out over social media after the academic launched her own TikTok account in May this year under the title “Turan Spidey’s Mum”.
Amanda Salis told viewers she launched her own account to “connect” with her son, who she said lived with autism spectrum disorder and drug addiction, but has been accused of profiting from his success. Her account has more than 40,000 followers.
She has used the platform in recent months to discuss her son’s arrest, the legal process he is facing, and his time in Hakea Prison.
During the August 12 hearing, magistrate Ben Tyers asked why Salis wasn’t entering a plea to the charge, commenting that he was “done like a dinner”, then asking: “It’s on TikTok, isn’t it?”
Tyers told the court he was the magistrate who granted the restraining order for Salis’ mother, adding: “It’s abhorrent what he did; to post online, live, those things about decapitating his own mother. I mean, it’s extraordinary that she’s standing by him. He’s not going to have a defence.”
Salis is yet to plead to the charge and was due to appear in Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday but his lawyer, Lily Thackrah, told the court he was unable to attend as he was in hospital.
His matter was adjourned for four weeks.
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Rebecca Peppiatt – is a journalist with WAtoday, specialising in crime and courts.Connect via email.