Brisbane woman whose body was found hidden in a wall identified by police

Homicide detectives say skeletal remains partially buried at Alderley apartment block belonged to Tanya Lee Glover

The remains of a woman whose body was hidden in the wall of a Brisbane apartment block for about 13 years have been identified by police, who are investigating why anyone would target “a vulnerable single female in this way”.

Homicide detectives announced the breakthrough in the “jigsaw puzzle” investigation eight months after cleaners discovered her skeletal remains, tightly wrapped and partially buried in a locked area behind the wall in the building at Alderley.

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Sexual offence trials regularly rely on ‘rape myths’ and stereotypes of victim-survivors, NSW study finds

Analysis of trial transcripts shows prosecutors and defence still focus on conduct of victim-survivor

Prosecutors and defence lawyers regularly rely on stereotypes about how sexual violence victim-survivors should behave and “rape myths” during sexual offence trials in New South Wales, a study has found.

The study, which undertook the largest analysis of sexual offence trial transcripts in the state in 27 years, found many of the procedural reforms that started in the 1980s to improve the experience of sexual violence victim-survivors in the criminal justice system were working.

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Queensland man who says schools should reconsider the cane joins government’s youth justice group

‘If the parents of kids aren’t able to exercise discipline … then the state needs to be disciplining these kids’, says victims’ advocate

On a Toowoomba Facebook group, frustrated residents share regular updates about vehicles stolen, shops robbed and homes burgled. Some post photos of children accused of crimes; the “bleeding hearts” are shouted down.

Amid the emotion, Ken Cunliffe calls for calm and for the community to focus on solutions rather than politics.

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Melbourne shooting: man gunned down near South Yarra in apparent targeted attack

Man, 53, died in hospital after being shot multiple times while walking down Almeida Crescent, off Chapel Street

A man who police say had organised crime associations was fatally shot on Friday night in what appears to be a targeted attack near a nightlife hotspot in Melbourne’s south.

Emergency services were alerted on Friday night at about 11.40pm that multiple shots had been fired at a man walking down Almeida Crescent, a side street off South Yarra’s Chapel Street.

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Queensland woman who laced husband’s soup with pills pleads guilty to manslaughter

Court hears Judith Ann Venn was caring for her husband and was at the ‘end of the road’ when she killed him

Judith Ann Venn had reached the “end of the road” when she gave her husband of more than 40 years an overdose by lacing his favourite soup with pills and killed him, a court has been told.

The now 69-year-old was caring for Lance Hilton Venn, whose bipolar disorder had worsened significantly over the previous 18 months.

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Man shot dead in Canterbury in Sydney’s second ‘targeted shooting’ in two days

Latest victim is fifth person shot this week, fanning fears city’s underworld gang wars are escalating

A man has been shot dead in Sydney’s south-west, just hours after a high-profile criminal lawyer was shot and injured in the driveway of his home.

The latest victim is the fifth person shot this week, fanning fears the city’s underworld gang wars are escalating.

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Sydney deputy school principal jailed for sexual chats with ‘teenage girl’

Damian Wanstell was arrested after sending explicit texts to undercover police posing as 14-year-old

A former deputy principal has been jailed after sending protracted sexually explicit chats to someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl.

In sentencing Damian Scott Wanstall on Wednesday, judge Andrew Colefax asked how, as a father, he could discuss sexual acts and arrange to meet up with someone so young for that purpose.

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Greenacre shooting: three in hospital after early-morning ‘targeted attack’ in Sydney

Three people were found injured in two parked cars, NSW police said, and two are in a critical condition in hospital

Three people have been taken to hospital after an early morning shooting in Sydney.

NSW police superintendent Simon Glasser said police believed it was a targeted attack, with shots fired into two stationary vehicles. They are looking for at least one man in relation to the shooting.

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Alleged threat to kill federal MP made late at night, court told

Simon Geoffrey Raymond, 39, has been in custody since Tuesday after he was arrested over alleged threats against Anne Webster

A man accused of threatening to kill a federal MP will spend at least the weekend behind bars after a brief court hearing in Queensland.

Simon Geoffrey Raymond, 39, of no fixed address, has been in custody since being arrested by federal police at Brisbane airport on Tuesday.

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Ex-girlfriend of Australian boxer Harry Garside charged with common assault

Ashley Ruscoe arrested on Wednesday after investigation into alleged domestic violence incident at a Sydney home on 1 March

The ex-girlfriend of Australian boxer Harry Garside has been charged with assaulting him after charges of domestic violence were dropped against the Olympian.

Ashley Ruscoe, 35, was arrested and taken to Waverley police station on Wednesday, when she was charged with domestic violence-related offences.

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In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. If you or someone you know is affected by sexual assault, family or domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000. International helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org.

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Wastewater tests reveal the most popular drugs in each Australian capital city

Illicit drug use in Australia jumped over summer despite a string of high-profile drug busts

Sydneysiders consume the most cocaine, Melburnians the most heroin, Darwin ranks highest for alcohol while cannabis is most popular in Hobart, wastewater analysis reveals.

The findings from the latest national wastewater drug monitoring report from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission were based on wastewater testing at 57 treatment plants in capital cities and regional areas from December 2022 to February 2023.

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Sydney barman’s 1989 death near Bondi beach now believed to be result of gay hate attack, inquiry told

John Russell was found to have died in an accidental fall, but his case is one of three being re-examined this week in a NSW special inquiry

More than 30 years after police concluded John Russell accidentally fell to his death near Bondi beach, it’s now believed the 31-year-old was a victim of a fatal gay hate attack.

His death is one of three being examined this week by a New South Wales special inquiry into LGBTQ+ hate crimes.

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Cecília Haddad’s ex-partner sentenced to 27 years’ jail in Brazil after confessing to 2018 murder in Sydney

Mário Marcelo Santoro confessed to killing his former girlfriend in Australia only after extensive evidence was produced against him, judge says

A Brazillian federal court has sentenced engineer Mário Marcelo Santoro to 27 years in prison, after he confessed to the 2018 murder of former girlfriend Cecília Haddad in Australia.

Santoro, today in his mid-40s, was convicted of aggravated homicide, asphyxiation, femicide and concealment of a corpse.

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Police and crime researchers fear social media’s affect on crime in NSW and Victoria

Data released in both states suggest online posts may have contributed to a rise in certain types of crime

Social media platforms allowing teenagers to brag about crimes might be contributing to an increase in youth offending in Australia’s most populous states, Victorian police and New South Wales’ crime statistics agency say.

In Victoria, data from the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) released on Thursday reported that home burglaries committed by 10-to-14-year-olds increased by almost 87% in the 12 months to 31 March, compared with the prior year. This is despite youth offending being down by almost half, compared with a decade ago.

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Albanese urged to plead with Biden for Assange’s release – as it happened

This blog is now closed.

‘We shouldn’t run a running commentary on the cases,’ says Hume

Opposition finance spokeswoman Jane Hume, appearing alongside Marles on the program, said she believed clarification was still needed:

There is inconsistencies between the reports that we are getting from those text messages and what we are hearing from Labor ministers, and what happened when.

And I think unfolding that, unpacking that, making sure there is some clarification is really important here. Because misleading parliament, misleading the Senate is a big deal, particularly when you rely on the honesty and integrity of ministers and senators, and so there are some questions to be answered here.

Katy has made her position very clear earlier in the week, and she has made clear that she is very comfortable with the statements that she’s made, and that’s the end of the matter in terms of Katy’s position.

Katy is a person of enormous integrity. It is one of my great honours to work alongside her in this government. She does a great job as the finance minister.

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Innocent Queensland children pleading guilty to avoid harsh bail laws, lawyers say

Many children on remand who may be exonerated or not sentenced are pleading guilty to escape long periods of detention

Young people in Queensland are pleading guilty to offences they did not commit – or where there is little evidence to support charges – to avoid spending extreme periods on remand in the state’s buckling youth justice system, lawyers say.

Queensland has the nation’s largest youth prison population, and recent data obtained by Guardian Australia reveals 88% of children in detention centres and police watch houses were being held unsentenced.

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Yamba shooting: man found dead with son, 15, had firearms licence reinstated

NSW police minister hopes coronial investigation sheds light on ‘terrible’ circumstances that led to the deaths of Wayne Smith and son Noah

A firearms licence was reinstated to a man just months before he shot dead his teenage son and himself, in another horrific domestic violence incident that has left a small community in New South Wales reeling.

The bodies of 58-year-old Wayne Smith and 15-year-old Noah were found at their home in Yamba in the northern rivers on Thursday, in an apparent murder-suicide.

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Two men charged after police find $60m worth of cocaine in shipping container in Sydney

Police were called to a container logistics company in Port Botany after reports of a break and enter on Thursday night

Two Greek nationals have been charged with numerous offences after police allegedly found $60m worth of cocaine in the walls of a shipping container in Sydney.

Police were called to a Port Botany container logistics company after reports of a break and enter about 11pm on Thursday.

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Australian police find huge haul of Mexican meth worth $273m in hydraulic press

Federal police try to identify crime syndicate behind elaborate smuggling scheme into NSW, after drugs found at port inspection in Sydney

More than 300kg of methamphetamine concealed deep inside a steel hydraulic press has been smuggled into New South Wales from Mexico.

Australian federal police say the seized haul has an estimated value of more than $273m and could have made up 3m individual street deals.

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BHP worker found guilty of raping colleague at WA mining camp

His victim said she woke up to find Ryan John Zabaznow raping her after she passed out after drinking heavily, a court heard

A BHP worker has been found guilty of raping a colleague at a mining camp after a night of heavy drinking.

Ryan John Zabaznow, 37, was convicted on Monday of sexual penetration without consent in the town of Newman in the Pilbara region of Western Australia in 2020.

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