Tag Archives: oceania

Proof that Australians will ski on anything

You've got to admire the resilience of Australian snow lovers as the disappointing 2023 ski season winds down.

It might be tempting to mock the patchy snow coverage in our ski resorts, based on the image of Thredbo below on Friday.

But in the the Aussie spirit of having a go and not complaining, you've got to admire these skiers and snowboarders who were enjoying themselves on the beginner slopes on paper-thin ribbons of muddy snow.

READ MORE: Aussie ski areas shut in one of the 'earliest ever closures'

The 2023 Australian snow season is pretty much on its last legs now.

After several resorts closed much earlier than ever before in early September, the last few resorts look unlikely to keep lifts open beyond this weekend.

If one resort makes it through to the traditional season closure on the first weekend in October, it'll probably be Perisher in NSW, where despite the warmest September day on record of 18 degrees on Thursday, Friday afternoon's snow cam image revealed slopes that were still mostly snowy.

Meanwhile Weatherzone reports that while 2023 won't go down as the worst Australian snow season on record, it will be remembered as the season with the earliest peak depth.

In other words, the season started out OK, but after a peak depth of 131 cm on July 13, consecutive spells of record warmth in July, August, and early September melted most of the natural snow cover away.

But even if the slopes are more mud than snow, you can bet there'll still be skiers or snowboarders out there having as good a time as possible.

READ MORE: Three injured in Thredbo ski lift fall after 'freak' accident

After all, the warm months last a lot longer than the cool months in Australia.

Wife-killer Chris Dawson jailed for a further three years

Former teacher and convicted wife-killer Christopher Dawson will spend at least another year in jail for having unlawful sex with an underage student.

The now-75-year-old groomed his 16-year-old victim, leading her into sexual activity at his parents' home and taking advantage of her vulnerability, Judge Sarah Huggett found on Friday.

As Dawson watched on in silence by video link from Long Bay jail, the judge said he had a high level of moral culpability for the crime due to his role as a teacher.

READ MORE: Fire risk rises as heatwave sweeps across south-east Australia

Chris Dawson outside court in Sydney.

"The offender did not use threatening words or conduct either to commit the offence or to secure the victim's consent and silence," she said.

"There was, however, a degree of manipulation and exploitation."

Dawson was sentenced at Sydney's Downing Centre District Court after being found guilty of carnal knowledge as a teacher of a girl over 10 and under 17.

He plans to appeal the June verdict.

The former teacher has shown a lack of remorse over his illegal sexual actions, which took place while he was married to the woman he later murdered, Lynette Dawson.

He pleaded not guilty at his trial, although he did not dispute he and the student had a sexual relationship.

Dawson's public defence lawyer instead argued the sexual activity began when the student was no longer in the teacher's class.

READ MORE: Man ran screaming from pub after being set on fire

Chris Dawson enters the Supreme Court Photo Nick Moir 9 May 2022

On Friday, Judge Huggett rejected arguments by his counsel that the sentence should take place at the same time as that for his murder conviction, saying that the two crimes had different victims and occurred at different times.

In a report filed with the court, psychiatrist Olav Nielssen said Dawson had experienced cognitive decline while in prison, showing signs of the early stages of dementia.

The judge acknowledged that because of Dawson's age and mental state, he would experience a more onerous time behind bars.

She sentenced him to three years in prison with a non-parole period of two years.

However, the total sentence will be entirely subsumed by the 24-year jail period imposed for Lynette's murder.

The only practical effect will be that he will now be eligible for parole one year later, in August 2041, when he is 93.

READ MORE: Woman dies after being Tasered by police during 'axe stand-off'

The maximum jail term for the charge of unlawful carnal knowledge is eight years.

Ahead of the sentencing, crown prosecutor Emma Blizard said the teacher's offending was not a one-off but rather a course of conduct that led to his student being groomed over an extended period.

Dawson's lawyer Claire Wasley argued that the objective seriousness was lower because the victim was 16 years old and towards the maximum age of 17 set down by law for the offence.

She also said that an offence of this type by a teacher was less serious than similar conduct by a father or stepfather.

READ MORE: Feeling short of breath in summer? This is why

Last year, the NSW Supreme Court found the 75-year-old murdered his wife Lynette and disposed of her body in January 1982 to pursue an "unfettered relationship" with the teenage student.

While he was still married and living with Lynette, he groomed the girl and ultimately engaged in sexual activity with her before the end of the school year in December 1980.

The student said they first engaged in sexual activity at the Maroubra home of Dawson's parents, who were out of town.

Friday's sentence is ultimately unlikely to affect how long the 75-year-old spends in jail.

His full 24-year sentence for murdering Lynette, whose body has never been found, will expire in August 2046, after he turns 98.

Laws preventing parole before he discloses the location of her body mean he is expected to never be released.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

Stuart MacGill charged over alleged role in $330k cocaine deal

Former Australian Test cricketer Stuart MacGill has been charged over his alleged role in a cocaine deal worth more than $330,000 following a police investigation into an earlier alleged kidnapping.

NSW Police said detectives were investigating drug supply following the alleged kidnapping of MacGill in Sydney's Lower North Shore in April 2021.

Detectives allege the 52-year-old facilitated a deal of 1kg of cocaine for more than $330,000 between two people.

READ MORE: Man arrested after reporter groped on air

Police will also allege a drug debt owed by MacGill was cleared for his role in that deal.

Officers arrested MacGill at Chatswood Police Station on Tuesday.

He was charged with knowingly take part supply prohibited drug in large commercial quantity, NSW Police said.

MacGill was granted strict conditional bail to face Manly Local Court on October 26.

The investigation is continuing.

In 2021, MacGill was allegedly forced into a car, taken to a remote location, beaten and then dumped in Sydney's west.

READ MORE: Heatwave temperatures '15 degrees above average'

Six people were charged over the alleged kidnapping.

Five of the men will face a trial next month over the alleged kidnapping charges.

MacGill was a leg-spin bowler who claimed 208 wickets in his 44 Test career.

Bean bag round used to arrest 'axe-wielding' woman before her death

Tactical police officers used a Taser and a bean bag round before a woman died after a nine-hour siege near Newcastle in New South Wales overnight.

Just after 12.30pm yesterday, police were called to a block of units in Stockton after reports a woman was allegedly threatening a real estate agent with an axe.

Neighbours say the woman had just been served an eviction notice from her unit.

READ MORE: Man arrested after reporter groped on air

Stockton

"Obviously something triggered her off, which is a shame. She obviously wasn't OK and maybe she'd been crying out for help a bit recently," a neighbour said.

The 47-year-old woman allegedly also threatened officers with the axe and barricaded herself inside a unit.

"She was yelling and screaming, hitting the fence with the axe, showing she was meaning business," a neighbour said.

Police negotiators and tactical officers were called to the scene, but it was many hours before officers gained entry about 9.45pm.

"[Police] tried to talk for a few hours, she definitely wasn't going to come out," a neighbour said.

Tactical officers at the scene.

Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna said tactical officers had entered the unit, and they deployed a single bean bag round and a Taser during the arrest.

A bean bag round is fired from a regular shotgun and is designed to briefly immobilise a suspect during an arrest while being less damaging than a bullet.

The woman suffered an injury to her right shoulder, which McKenna said was believed to be from the bean bag round.

She was able to walk to an ambulance, but her condition deteriorated and she was taken to hospital, where she later died.

READ MORE: Heatwave temperatures '15 degrees above average'

A critical incident team will investigate all circumstances surrounding the incident.

The investigation will be subject to an independent review.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

McKenna said what motivated police to enter the house after the long stand-off was not known, but would form part of the investigation.

READ MORE: Man ran screaming from pub after being set on fire

Stockton

A post-mortem will establish the woman's cause of death.

McKenna said she was not "significantly" known to police.

"A minor matter from many years ago, she came under police notice," he said.

Nobody else is believed to have been in the unit at the time.

Nurse killed in head-on collision involving allegedly stolen car

A nurse has died in a crash involving a car that was allegedly stolen during an armed robbery on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

An allegedly stolen brown Mercedes hatchback collided head-on with a Nissan Micra on Windsor Road in Burnside, near Nambour about 7.23am, according to police.

A 52-year-old nurse was killed in the crash, while the alleged driver of the Mercedes, a man in his 20s, ran from the scene.

READ MORE: Man arrested after reporter groped on air

Witnesses followed the driver to a nearby home on Flinders Street, where he allegedly attempted to get away in a second vehicle, but members of the public managed to hold him there until police arrived.

Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Mansfield said the members of the public had done "an unbelievable job".

"They've somewhat taken some matters into their own hands, significantly assisted us in that investigation," he said.

The front of the Nisan and the driver's side door were crushed during the collision.

The Mercedes was allegedly stolen from a home in Landsborough during an armed robbery about 2am, before it was seen "driving recklessly" around Nambour, police have said.

Investigators are asking for any dashcam or CCTV footage of either the alleged robbery or crash to be sent to crime stoppers.

No charges have been laid.