Category Archives: Australian police and policing

Judge throws out ‘weak’ case against driver at centre of Daylesford pub crash that left five people dead

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Court had heard William Swale had suffered a ‘severe hypoglycaemic attack’ before the November 2023 crash

A diabetic driver who ploughed into a regional Victorian beer garden, leaving three adults and two children dead, has walked free from court after a magistrate threw out the “weak” case against him.

William Swale, 66, had all 14 charges against him struck out on Thursday following a three-day committal hearing this week in Ballarat magistrates court over the November 2023 crash.

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Four teenagers arrested amid investigation into alleged homophobic attacks involving dating apps in WA

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Detectives charge boys with armed robbery offences after app allegedly used to arrange meetings

Police investigating a series of alleged homophobic assaults have accused four Western Australian teenagers of assaulting two men they separately arranged to meet via an online dating app.

The arrests came after police said they were investigating incidents in which men had agreed to meet someone they connected with on a dating app, and had then allegedly been assaulted by several males while being subjected to homophobic slurs.

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NSW police reopen two investigations after landmark gay hate crime inquiry

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Police commissioner Karen Webb hopes new technology and fresh eyes lead to breakthrough in two of state’s 854 unsolved murders

New South Wales police have reopened active investigations into two of the state’s 854 unsolved murders as part of their response to a landmark inquiry that found they failed to properly investigate dozens of potential gay hate crimes over 40 years.

The two murders are being investigated while detectives look at a further 213 case files prioritised by a special unit of the state’s police force – Taskforce Atlas - which was launched to oversee the implementation of the gay hate crime inquiry’s recommendations.

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NSW police bust alleged criminal network behind $1.8bn of Sydney cocaine sales this year

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Police allege the criminal gang, dubbed The Commission, controlled the price of cocaine in Sydney by manipulating supply

A drugs gang dubbed “The Commission” linked to the distribution of more than $1.8bn worth of cocaine across Sydney in four months has been “uprooted” by police.

The New South Wales police operation began in July, when a 21-year-old man from Guildford in the city’s west was charged with with two counts of supplying a prohibited drug in a large commercial quantity.

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‘We need justice’: Daylesford crash victims’ families call for driver to face criminal trial

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Lawyers for William Swale, who is fighting 14 charges over the crash that killed five people, are seeking to have his case thrown out

The families of five people who died in a crash outside a pub say the diabetic driver who killed them should face a criminal trial.

“It’s very simple – we need justice,” said Vikas Sharma, the brother of crash victim Pratibha Sharma, while speaking to media outside court on Tuesday.

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Nearly one in 10 NSW men have faced legal action for domestic and family violence, study finds

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According to the research, the first of its kind in Australia, 1.2% of people born in the state were responsible for more than 50% of recorded offences

Nearly 10% of men in New South Wales have had police take some form of legal action against them for domestic and family violence, according to the first Australian population study of prevalence of offending, published on Monday.

The research published by the Australian Institute of Criminology found that 6.3% of people – 9.6% of men and 3% of women – born in NSW were found to have been proceeded against by police for a family and domestic violence offence by the age of 37.

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Mother of two boys found dead in Blue Mountains home charged with murder

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The 42-year-old woman was charged with murdering the boys aged 9 and 11, in Faulconbridge will appear at Parramatta local court on Saturday

A mother of two boys who were found dead in a house in the Blue Mountains has been charged with two counts of murder.

Emergency services were called to a house in Faulconbridge on Tuesday following concerns for the welfare of a woman and two children.

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Gold Coast man found not guilty of helping murder workmate’s estranged wife

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Jury finds Bradley Bell, 27, was not responsible for Kelly Wilkinson’s April 2021 death

A man accused of helping a workmate carry out the murder of his estranged wife has been found not guilty by a jury.

Bradley Bell, of Pimpama, faced trial in Brisbane supreme court after pleading not guilty to the murder of Kelly Wilkinson, 27, on 20 April 2021.

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Injuries and arrests in Melbourne as anti-war protesters and police clash in fiery scenes

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Police accuse some protesters of throwing acid and other objects amid criticism of officers’ tactics outside Land Forces weapons expo

Dozens of police and protesters have been injured and 39 people arrested amid a series of confrontations at an anti-war protest in the Melbourne CBD in which pepper spray was deployed and horse faeces was thrown at officers.

Fires broke out while police responded to a rally outside the Land Forces exposition – an international military conference – at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Wednesday.

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Man charged after Olympic medals allegedly stolen from ‘Oarsome Foursome’ rower’s car in Melbourne

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Victoria police arrest 47-year-old after alleged theft of Drew Ginn’s medals in Docklands last week

A man has been charged after four Olympic medals – including three gold – belonging to one of the members of Australia’s popular “Oarsome Foursome” rowing team were allegedly stolen from a car in Melbourne.

Victoria police said Drew Ginn’s medals from four consecutive Olympics were in the back of a Land Rover that was parked on Cumberland Street in Docklands when they were allegedly stolen last week.

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Thousands of anti-war activists to disrupt weapons expo as Melbourne braces for biggest protest in decades

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Victoria police erect ring of steel around event, which is expected to attract up to 25,000 activists

As many as 25,000 protesters are set to cause chaos ahead of a weapons expo to be held in Melbourne on Wednesday, with some already vandalising hotels and blocking traffic.

Interstate police have been called in to bolster law and order ahead of what could be Victoria’s biggest protest since the chaos surrounding the World Economic Forum in 2000.

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Police officers accused of assaulting prisoner in Queensland watch house

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Two male senior constables suspended and charged after alleged assault of 23-year-old at Mareeba watch house in far north Queensland

Two police officers have been charged after being accused of assaulting a prisoner in far north Queensland earlier this year.

The alleged incident involved a 23-year-old man at the Mareeba watch house, near Cairns, in January.

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Duo rescued from stricken yacht off NSW coast say it ‘could have got worse’ – but one is already planning next boat trip

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Sailors enjoy meat pie and dry land after being saved following 19-hour ordeal

The two people rescued from a yacht off Sydney’s coast have said they are very glad to be back on dry land and were treated to a meat pie and cup of coffee after spending 19 hours clinging to their stricken yacht.

But one of the pair – 48-year-old Lisa – has said she will be back out on the ocean as soon as Thursday.

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Australian PM caught on camera joking with senior US official over funding of Pacific policing plan

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Anthony Albanese tells journalists to ‘chill out’ over comments filmed in the wings of Pacific Islands Forum

The Australian prime minister has been caught on camera in Tonga joking with a senior US official about going “halvies” on the cost of a newly announced Pacific policing plan.

The deputy secretary of state, Kurt Campbell, appeared to suggest in the video that the US had been planning to pursue an unspecified security-related proposal but had been encouraged by Australia not to proceed.

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Nine-month-old baby undergoes surgery after man allegedly pours hot coffee on him

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Police increase patrols near Hanlon Park in Brisbane after nine-month-old boy taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries

The mother of a baby boy hospitalised after hot coffee was allegedly poured on him by a stranger has described the experience as “torture”.

The nine-month-old underwent surgery after suffering burns to his face and chest following what police described as a “cowardly” and random attack in a Brisbane park.

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Perth man preyed on 180 children in ‘one of the worst’ sexual extortion cases in history

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The 29-year-old man pretended to be a teenage social media celebrity to get sexually explicit content from hundreds of victims

A Perth man has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for coercing 286 victims, including 180 children, into performing sexually explicit acts on camera or video.

The scale of the offending, in which he targeted victims from 20 different countries, makes it one of the worst sexual extortion cases in history, the Australian federal police assistant commissioner David McLean said.

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Queensland police officer accused of inappropriate behaviour by female colleagues now investigated for stalking

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Female senior constable alleges male officer stalked and harassed her at remote police beat

A Queensland police officer accused of inappropriate behaviour by four female colleagues over 15 years – including one case that resulted in a $1m plus payout – is being investigated over a claim he stalked a female officer.

Guardian Australia understands last month the male officer was issued with a notice barring him from attending a remote police “beat” after a female senior constable made allegations of stalking and harassment.

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Triple zero callers now able to livestream emergencies directly to NSW police

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BluLink gives emergency responders access to scene before they have even arrived

Livestreaming unfolding emergencies directly to police is now possible in New South Wales using an innovative technology system.

The statewide rollout of BluLink allows triple zero callers to provide police with GPS coordinates, live video streaming, digital media uploads and text messages via a link sent to them from emergency dispatchers.

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Mardi Gras board decision to consult queer community on police joining parade hailed as ‘massive win’

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Results of consultation will form independent report and motion will be voted on at annual general meeting later this year

The Sydney Mardi Gras board will vote on whether NSW police force members will march in its annual parade later this year.

In an email sent to members on Friday evening, the board announced three community consultation sessions – two online and one in person – would be held in September to gather feedback.

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Domestic violence victims’ addresses sent to offenders by Queensland police in major blunder

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State government apologises for data system breach as victim says it left her ‘completely defeated, broken, scared and worried’

The addresses of domestic violence victims have been shared with offenders by Queensland police, including a “vulnerable woman” who was then allegedly told to relocate by officers.

The state government apologised on Thursday after it emerged a woman felt “completely defeated” when her personal information was exposed by the serious data breach.

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