Tag Archives: oceania

Man bailed despite ‘brutal’ stomp that hospitalised police officer

A young man will walk from prison on bail, despite having been convicted of a shocking attack stomping on a policeman's head.

Koby Weaver, 21, will be released from jail after he was bailed today ahead of a sentence appeal.

On April 10 he was sentenced to two years in prison with a non-parole period of 12 months for recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm over a brawl where he stomped on the head of an off-duty police officer.

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0/04/2026 09:45Koby Weaver arrives at Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney, Friday, April 10, 2026. Three men have been charged after two off-duty police officers were injured in a brawl in Newtown. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch) NO ARCHIVING

In mobile phone footage played to Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court, a crack can be heard as the officer's head is slammed into the road and he is knocked unconscious.

Though Acting Judge Antony Townsden acknowledged the seriousness of the incident, he said he was not the judge deciding on whether Weaver's sentence would be appealed.

"(This is) a particularly serious example of this type of offence," he told the court.

"(I) take a very dim view in relation to offences of this type, that are all too prevalent in the community.

"But I'm not dealing with the appeal."

Under his latest bail conditions, Weaver will be required to report to a police station three days a week, abstain from alcohol and prescription drugs, stay with his parents, and more.

The 21-year-old, alongside Danai Deneiderhavsein, 19, and Finley Goodwin, 23, were arguing on a busy street in Newtown in Sydney's inner west on the night of January 22 on a busy street in Newtown, in Sydney's inner-west.

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They were described as worked up and aggressive by off-duty police officers Jack Steen and Lachlan Gray, who caught the trio's attention just before 11pm, according to court documents.

Deneiderhavsein aggressively approached the two officers and pushed them despite the men's attempts to de-escalate the situation and retreat.

He punched Gray, knocking him to the footpath where he continued the assault.

Meanwhile, the altercation involving the second police officer stopped traffic on busy Enmore Road when he stumbled into the middle of the road during the attack.

When Gray got up to help his friend, the agreed facts state Weaver shoved him and caused him to fall in front of a car stopped in the middle of the street.

The 21-year-old then used his right foot to stomp on Steen's face, knocking his head back onto the concrete and knocking him unconscious immediately.

Weaver ran away, leaving the police officer lying on the road with serious injuries.

An off-duty nurse and a member of the public performed CPR until paramedics arrived.

Steen was rushed to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, where he was treated for a bleed on the brain, multiple facial fractures and swelling. He has since been discharged.

Gray sustained two black eyes, lacerations and swelling during the attack.

"This matter involves a despicable act of serious violence," the crown prosecution argued today.

"(It was) a random, repeated, brutal attack on a victim that was unknown to the applicant."

Though Weaver's own lawyer admitted the footage "looks shocking", she urged the judge to consider the offence in context.

"Whilst it is a very serious offence, it does appear to be out of character … certainly not something he has a propensity to do," his lawyer said.

Weaver had no history of offending and was previously on bail from March 2025 until April without any breach of his conditions.

The 21-year-old will return to court on May 18.

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Two men arrested after police stop alleged ‘kill car’ in Sydney’s west

Two men are in custody after police in an alleged 'kill car' in Sydney's west with a shotgun, jerry cans of fuel and sledgehammers.

Police allege the pair were planning a violent crime, after also finding baseball bats, duct tape, cable ties and pillowcases in the car.

Investigations began at 2.40am yesterday after police were called to a home invasion at Karangi Road in Whalan, where they were told four men forced entry into the house, allegedly with a gun and hammer.

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Jerry cans with fuel, sledgehammers, a shotgun and duct tape were all found in the back of a Mercedes SUV.

The men left in a black Mercedes SUV before police arrived.

Later yesterday, police saw two men in the garage of a home on Issanthe Street, unloading items from a Mercedes SUV into a Hyundai hatchback.

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Police allege the car was set to be used to commit a violent crime.

When the hatchback left the house, it was stopped by police.

The two men were arrested, and a search was undertaken on the Marsden Park home by Raptor Squad, where the black Mercedes was allegedly seized.

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Both men, 22, were charged with multiple offences, including possessing unauthorised firearm[s].

They were both refused bail to appear at Mount Druitt Local Court today.

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Streaming giant Disney+ hikes plan prices for second time in just over a year

Australian Disney+ subscribers are set to pay more for their streaming plans for the second time in less than 15 months.

In an email to customers, the popular streaming platform said standard monthly subscriptions would immediately rise more than 12 per cent from $15.99 to $17.99 per month for new customers, or from the next billing date for existing customers.

For standard subscribers who pay on an annual basis, plans will rise $20, from $159.99 to $179.99.

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Disney + informed Australian customers of the price change in an email today.

Premium monthly plans will be hiked from $20.99 to $24.99 a month, or an extra $30 for yearly subscribers – rising to $249.99.

It's the second price hike the platform has passed onto Aussie customers in around 14 months.

Premium tier have increased from $17.99 to $24.99 in that time, after the plan was lifted by $4 last March to accommodate fresh ESPN and Hulu inclusions.

The price change coincides with the launch of a new budget-conscious Standard with Ads plan priced at $9.99.

Customers on promotional offers will not incur the increase, Disney+ said.

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Streaming services

Almost all Aussie adults (91 per cent) used an online service to watch video content in a given week last year, according to research by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

More than two-thirds of Australians had a paid streaming subscription last year, the research found.

Of those, 31 per cent were subscribed to Disney+, down from 34 per cent in 2024.

Currently, a standard monthly Netflix plan costs $20.99, a Paramount Plus account is priced at $12.99 and Binge charges $19 a month for a standard plan.

An Apple TV account costs $15.99 a month and a Stan standard monthly subscription will set you back $17.

Disney+ is a streaming competitor to Stan, which is owned by Nine, the publisher of this website.

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