Defendant has been remanded in custody.

Mark Griffiths was a senior Waikato Mongrel Mob leader at the time of his offending.

The jury in the trial of a West Australian MP who allegedly confessed to child sexual abuse in a note to his wife has started deliberating.

James Dorrin Hayward has pleaded not guilty to four charges relating to the alleged abuse of an eight-year-old girl during a two-year period.

The 53-year-old allegedly directed the girl to indecently touch him on three occasions and showed her how to search for pornography on the internet.

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The District Court trial in Perth has been told the former television producer would get into bed with the child when he read her bedtime stories.

In a police interview and pre-recorded evidence, the child repeated the allegations but she was vague and unsure when the alleged abuse started and had to be reminded about what she had previously said.

She also said Hayward told her to keep their alleged interactions secret and that he was like an uncle to her and had never done anything to hurt her.

The court has heard the child's family were aware he often "tucked her in" and her mother said she had not been concerned by his actions.

An older sibling found the girl watching animated Family Guy pornography on her iPad and video-recorded her alleging Hayward had shown her how to search for it and abuse her.

But she later admitted suggesting some of the elements of the allegations to the child.

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The court was also told Hayward emailed a "suicide note" to his wife after learning about the allegations, which she passed on to police amid fears for his safety.

In it, he wrote: "In the coming days, I expect to be accused of child sex assault in relation to (a child), which I have done."

He also alluded to the warning his wife had given him before the allegations surfaced about getting into bed with the girl over concerns he could be accused of abuse.

During a police interview, Hayward denied the note was a confession, saying he intended to take his life to spare his and the victim's family from media scrutiny that would follow the allegations being made public.

He also said he didn't want his wife to blame the alleged victim for his death, and the alleged confession was designed to avert this situation and maintain the two families' close relationship.

Hayward resigned from the WA Nationals after the charges were laid in 2021 and continues to sit in the state's upper house as an independent MP.

The former pastor said he was under a lot of pressure and depressed at the time over a failed former business, which owed $440,000 to the tax office.

He said: "It very quickly became too much and I thought my family would be better off without me."

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Judge Stephen Lemonis told the jury the note couldn't be used in isolation to convict Hayward due to its vague nature.

He also said it must scrutinise the child's evidence with great care due to the lack of precision in her evidence and delay in the allegations being made against Hayward, which he said impaired his ability to mount a robust defence against the allegations.

His lawyer Tom Percy KC has been critical of the prosecution's case against his client, saying there was no medical or other physical evidence.

He also questioned the girl's honesty, saying her evidence was unreliable and that she made up the allegation for fear of being punished by her parents after she was caught looking at pornography.

Prosecutor Sean Stocks said the child's evidence had been consistent, and that Hayward had been evasive and used "weasel words" when he gave evidence in a bid to minimise the extent of the pair's relationship.

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

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

A man who confronted two people with a crowbar after a heated exchange has been found guilty of unlawful striking causing death.

Michael Trevor Royce Collins, 30, told police he grabbed the crowbar to "put the wind up" two men who he believed had mocked him as they walked past on Melbourne Cup night in 2020.

Shannon Finemore was walking down the street with his friend Scott McGillivrey when they got into a "back and forth" with Collins and Harley Hoodless who were on a first-floor apartment balcony.

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After the exchange Collins grabbed a crowbar and headed down to the street with his mate Hoodless to confront the two men, Brisbane Supreme Court was told.

Hoodless allegedly punched Finemore in the head during their confrontation, causing him to fall to the ground unconscious.

Days after the incident in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley, Finemore, 37, died from injuries caused by the blow, the court heard.

Crown prosecutor David Finch told the jury Collins and Hoodless had a common intention to unlawfully assault Finemore and/or McGillivrey when they confronted them.

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Collins told police he only wanted to scare Finemore and McGillivrey.

He pleaded guilty to going armed to cause fear.

However, Collins pleaded not guilty to unlawful striking causing death at the trial before Justice Melanie Hindman.

The jury began deliberating on Thursday afternoon.

Collins will be sentenced at a later date after the jury found him guilty on Monday afternoon.

He has been granted bail on strict conditions.

It comes after the Herald revealed concerns about bailees “foiling” their bracelets.

Oriori were often composed by parents and elders of the community.

House fire causes 80-year-old man to lose everything.

Fire crews from Hastings, Havelock North, and Napier called to blaze.

Police are investigating a "disturbing" incident where a severed horse's head was left on the front doorstep of a South Australian home.

Amy Louise was home with her partner in Murray Bridge on Sunday night when the dog started growling at the door.

"It was weird as he would normally bark," she said.

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But when they stepped outside, there was a disturbing discovery: a bloodied horse head on the front step.

"There was a horse head, cut off, which is very disturbing," she said.

"We're in shock."

She said she had no idea why the animal's head was left there.

"My partner is a beautiful person and he doesn't deserve this," she added.

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"I want people to wake up and realise what they're doing, I'm fearless, I'm not scared and this needs to stop now," she added.

Police confirmed that officers were called to the Murray Bridge property and are now investigating the incident.

"Police have yet to locate the outstanding remains of the animal," police said.

Two lucky fishermen reeled in the catch of a lifetime off the coast of South Australia at the tail-end of the winter fishing season.

The monster bluefin tuna was wrestled in by Shane Hodgens and his co-worker Dan and it weighed in at a whopping 133kg.

The pair spotted the tuna after embarking from a boat ramp in Port Lincoln, and soon noticed the huge fish. 

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The two fishermen work together at Tackle World Port Lincoln, a local fishing shop.

After setting off on August 14, they soon found themselves in an ordeal lasting "over an hour of fighting to get it on board".

Shane, an experienced fisherman, said it was by far the biggest tuna he'd ever caught, although he had reeled in sharks that topped the 133kg catch before.

"I'm still up all night thinking about it," he told 9news.com.au, still basking in the glow of the monster catch.

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