Crows have been causing upset by stealing items from gravesites at a cemetery in Sydney's west.

The birds have been pulling flowers out of vases and picking at loose items at Penrith General Cemetery over the last few weeks.

It's prompted Penerish City Council to display signs to alert visitors that their loved ones' graves might be disturbed.

READ MORE: 'Black nor'easter' could turn day to night as heavy rain looms

It said there had been a large number of crows on the grounds that had been disturbing the site in search of food and water.

"Over the past weeks crows at Penrith Cemetery have been causing problems by pulling flowers out vases, picking at unsecured items from gravesites, and generally scavenging gravesites," a council spokesperson said.

"We have been advising visitors to firmly secure items so that the crows cannot take the items."

Crows are notoriously clever and curious birds who are known to steal shiny things.

Despite police claiming they have phone recordings of an alleged child abuse victim describing sexual acts she was forced to perform, her accused groomer has been granted bail.

Self-professed prophet William Kamm has been charged along with his wife Sandra Susan Mathison with the sexual abuse of the child since she was six years old.

While police say the 73-year-old never met his victim, they claim he phoned her, wrote her letters and sent presents intending to groom the girl to become a "queen" in his church.

READ MORE: Cult leader accused of grooming girl to be his 'queen'

On Thursday, police prosecutor Sergeant Mark Philipson told Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court the evidence consisted of intercepted telephone chats between Mathison and the alleged victim as well as over 2000 jail calls from Kamm to his wife.

In one call the complainant, who cannot be identified, told Mathison she was required to masturbate over the phone with Kamm.

"The response from Mrs Mathison was along the lines of admitting or acknowledging (the complainant) was required to do that," Sgt Philipson said.

READ MORE: 'Black nor'easter' could turn day to night as heavy rain looms

In another call, the 58-year-old told the alleged victim she had been chosen to be a "queen" for a very long time.

The court heard that while Kamm was in jail, he spoke in code words to his wife over the phone using phrases like 'number eight', 'sausage', or 'brother'.

"There was coded conversation between the accused and the co-accused Ms Mathison concerning whether or not the complainant had reached puberty," Sgt Philipson said.

Defence barrister Paul Johnson called the complainant's claims "bizarre", saying they did not match with police facts which said she disclosed the alleged masturbation to Mathison when she was 16 years old.

According to the facts sheet, Mathison told the girl she should perform that sexual act during confession with Kamm.

Johnson said while women in the church were appointed as queens, there was no evidence they were under the age of consent at the time.

Magistrate Scott Nash granted Kamm bail under strict conditions which require him to wear electronic monitoring and reside at a supervised correctional complex in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

He acknowledged that while the case against the 73-year-old was not weak, the delays in reaching a trial plus the onerous conditions Kamm already had to follow under an extended supervision order warranted his release.

READ MORE: One-punch killer Kieran Loveridge granted parole

That order was imposed after Kamm was released on parole, being convicted of the child abuse of two separate complainants.

While the cult leader's criminal history included serious offences, Nash found he did not have a history of violence nor showed a pattern of failing to comply with court orders.

The imposition of strict conditions while the 73-year-old was out on bail mitigated many of the concerns the court had, the magistrate said.

Kamm wore prison greens as he watched the hearing by video-link from Parklea Correctional Centre.

Mathison, who attended court in person, waved to her husband after he was granted bail and before the video-link was disconnected.

Under the bail conditions, Kamm will be prohibited from using a smartphone or internet-capable device, using encrypted apps, or contacting Mathison, the complainant or any prosecution witness.

He will not be released from Parklea however, until a bed has been secured for him at the correctional complex.

The 78-year-old has been charged with grooming a child under 14 years for unlawful sexual activity, grooming a child for unlawful sexual activity and an aggravated offence of inciting a person to do a sexual act.

He has also been charged with two counts of failing to comply with a supervision order.

His wife has been charged with grooming a child under 14 years for unlawful sexual activity and grooming a child for unlawful sexual activity.

No pleas have been entered at this stage.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028

Friends and family have paid tribute to the crash victims.

A 71-year-old grandfather has died in floodwaters following the discovery of his vehicle this morning at Greenbank in Brisbane's south.

Local man Peter Wells was killed when his ute was washed away at a flooded river crossing early this morning.

It is understood he was just down the road from his home.

READ MORE: Man, woman charged over two-year-old's death

Police were called to reports of a submerged car at a property on Begley Road around 5am this morning.

His car was "found submerged in water", police said.

Police will prepare a report for the coroner.

Greenbank was hit with more than 150mm in just over an hour, while 11 other areas copped more than 100mm.

Jingle Downs near Amberley recorded more than 150mm while Boonah in the Scenic Rim was hit with 101mm.

The prisoner was charged with attacking the bird, which had to be put down.

Australians should be paying upwards of $50 for a main course meal at a restaurant if the industry is to remain solvent, according to a top Melbourne chef.

Teage Ezard has this week been forced to close his popular inner Melbourne restaurant Gingerboy after 18 years in business.

Hospitality venues say they've seen their business costs soar, but customers are unwilling to see those costs reflected in their bill.

READ MORE: Why you're finding it harder than ever to get cheap petrol

"Wages have increased, power and gas, amenities have all increased – and the menus have not," Ezard told 9News.

He said the fundamentals of the business won't stack up until diners are willing to pay as much as $60 per plate.

"You pay for what you get… and I think… that's what it costs," he said.

But Australians will be hard to convince.

READ MORE: PM hints energy price relief will be included in federal budget

Recent NAB data shows dining out is the number one area Australians are reducing their spending.

The majority of those surveyed – 54 per cent – say they spent less on restaurant meals in the last three months, saving an average of $115 each.

Separate data shows food and beverage hospitality businesses are at the greatest risk of collapse.

Seven per cent are expected to fail over the next 12 months, according to CreditorWatch data.

A former Seven Network producer appointed to "babysit" Bruce Lehrmann alleges he witnessed him purchase cocaine and attempt to order sex workers to a Sydney hotel, a court has heard.

Former Spotlight producer Taylor Auerbach told the Federal Court today he was tasked with building trust and rapport with Lehrmann as a prospective interview subject.

Justice Michael Lee has been poised to deliver his final judgment as Lehrmann sues Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson for defamation over an interview with his alleged rape victim, Brittany Higgins.

READ MORE: Eastern Australia braces for heavy soaking

Instead, the court heard fresh evidence from Auerbach about the lead-up to a Spotlight interview in which the 28-year-old denied the rape allegation.

"I had been reappointed to be his babysitter, minder, looking after him," he said.

Auerbach claimed he took a taxi with Lehrmann from Franca restaurant in inner-Sydney Potts Point to the Meriton Hotel in the city centre.

"Mr Lehrmann had over dinner purchased a bag of cocaine while we were dining at Franca," he said.

"When we got upstairs to the room he pulled that out and started to put it on a plate and then started talking to me about a prospective Spotlight story and his desire to order prostitutes to the Meriton that night."

Auerbach said he told Lehrmann that he did not have the means to pay for the sex workers and that the potential interviewee should fund them himself.

In a text to his then-boss, Steve Jackson, he said he raised concerns over Lehrmann's behaviour.

"I told him that Bruce was on the warpath again and that it was no anomaly," Auerbach said.

"I think I used the words, 'this is f—–'."

READ MORE: Ute driver behind bars after triple bust on Easter long weekend

Auerbach made a claim for psychological injury against Seven following the expiration of his two-year employment contract in August, he told the court in an affidavit.

That claim was settled on confidential terms, he said.

Auerbach endured bullying and antisemitism over a significant period at Seven, his lawyer Rebekah Giles earlier told the court.

She said he would need to produce further documents to comply with a subpoena in the defamation case.

Lee said the documents might be relevant to an alleged abuse of process as well as determining the credit of witnesses, including Lehrmann.

Seven has also been told to provide a subpoena explaining why some documents had only been recently produced following further searches prompted by Auerbach's affidavit.

After a successful last-minute bid by Ten, Auerbach is expected to testify that Lehrmann leaked confidential texts from Higgins to Seven in breach of what is known as the Harman undertaking.

The former Liberal staffer gained access to the private and personal texts through the abandoned criminal case against him, but the material was not tendered into evidence.

Auerbach has claimed Lehrmann supplied Seven with material on a paid golf trip to Tasmania as well as at a property rented for the ex-staffer by the network in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

He also said Seven paid tens of thousands of dollars to Lehrmann, including reimbursing him for "illicit drugs and prostitutes" and covering costs for expensive dinners, plane flights and accommodation.

Seven has denied Auerbach's allegations, labelling them "false and misleading".

Lehrmann rejects that anything sexual happened between himself and Higgins.

His criminal trial was derailed due to juror misconduct, with prosecutors dropping the charge over fears for Higgins' mental health.

He is seeking substantial damages from Ten, claiming a report that aired on The Project in February 2021 ruined his reputation.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028

Robert Sands, who hoodwinked two businesses, claims he also was caught up in a scam.

Brace yourselves, landlubbers – Australia's east coast could be set for a weather phenomenon with a name straight out of a pirate movie.

The coast is in for a soaking in the coming days, with heavy rains forecast for Queensland and New South Wales.

Two weather systems are bringing the deluge, prompting flood warnings across several regions.

READ MORE: Ute driver behind bars after triple bust on Easter long weekend

In southern Queensland and northern NSW, a low pressure system is expected to start producing storms and rain today into tomorrow.

This will be joined by a coastal trough that will funnel moisture from the tropics down along the coastlines of both states.

It could also lead to something magnificently dubbed a "black nor-easter".

"When a cut-off low and coastal trough interact at the same time, it is often a recipe for heavy rainfall and flooding along the east coast," Weatherzone said.

"The cold upper air cools down the warmer, saturated air, forcing large amounts of moisture to fall as rain."

This can lead to the aformentioned "black nor-easter", so named because of the dark clouds that can turn the skies black during the day.

The term was first written down in a 1911 edition of the Sydney Morning Herald.

Flood warnings in place

In New South Wales, warnings are in place around Sydney, the Hawkesbury, Liverpool, Tempe and Camden.

In the regions, warnings are also in place for the Northern Rivers region, the Mid North Coast, Wollombi Brook, the South Coast and parts of the state's north-west.

Further weather warnings have been issued for the Hunter, Northern Tablelands, Illawarra, South Coast, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands, North West Slopes & Plains, Central West Slopes & Plains, South West Slopes, Riverina, Snowy Mountains and Australian Capital Territory forecast districts.

However, a thunderstorm warning for the north of the state has been cancelled.

Flood warnings are also in place on multiple Queensland rivers, including the Diamantina, Leichhardt, Flinders, and Norman.

Drivers urged to take care

New South Wales motorists have been urged to "take extreme care" on the roads as severe weather is forecast for the next few days.

An estimated 300mm could hit Sydney in the next 48 hours, causing flash flooding and dangerous road conditions.

Those travelling to or from the Illawarra and Hunter, Nepean and Blue Mountains should expect severe weather. 

"For those who need to travel, please take your time and plan ahead by checking Live Traffic NSW to see if your route is impacted by severe weather," Executive Director of Customer Journey Planning Craig Moran said.

"Drive to conditions, turn your headlights on and allow plenty of distance between you and the car in front.

"Do not drive through flooded roads. If weather conditions become too severe, find a safe place to stop and wait until it passes.

"Passengers catching public transport should plan ahead, check timetables and allow extra travel time."

READ MORE: Strongest earthquake in 25 years rocks Taiwan, killing nine people and stranding 70 workers in quarries

A powerful low-pressure system is moving towards both states, which will combine with the effects of a trough making its way down the coast.

Residents in affected areas are urged to put together their essential supplies, including important documents and medicines, in case they have to leave.

Some models suggest as much as 150mm could fall in just six hours, with severe thunderstorms also possible.

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