Tag Archives: oceania

Six dead, 20 wounded in school shooting in Russia

A gunman has killed six people and wounded 20 others in a school in central Russia, local police said.

Governor of the Udmurtia region, Alexander Brechalov, said in a video statement tonight that the unidentified shooter got into a school in Izhevsk, the region's capital, killed a guard and some of the children there.

"There are victims among the children, there are wounded too," Brechalov said.

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1. Moscow

The school educated children between grades 1 and 11.

According to the governor and local police, the gunman shot himself. The school has been evacuated and area around it has been fenced off, the official said.

No details about the gunman or his motives have been released.

Izhevsk, a city of 640,000, is located west of the Ural mountains in central Russia, about 960 kilometres east of Moscow.

'I'm hanging from a tree': Base jumper stuck after dangerous mishap

An Australian base jumper spent hours dangling from a cliff-side tree after getting caught in a rogue gust of wind.

Rory Allen has shared a video of his brush with death after being pulled toward the rock face after hurling himself off a cliff in the adrenaline inducing sport.

Allen was left dangling for more than two hours and ended up sustaining a broken foot.

READ MORE: Phone data reveals Melissa Caddick's searches ahead of raid

An Australian base jumper has shared footage of the life-threatening moment he gets stuck in a tree.

"OK this is f—ing scary," he said in the video posted to TikTok.

An Australian base jumper has shared footage of the life-threatening moment he gets stuck in a tree.

"I'm hanging from a tree in a base jumping harness.

"Its just got windy…. if the tree breaks or my canopy breaks, I'm going to break my back and some legs."

He managed to avoid suspension trauma, where blood gets trapped, by taking turns to "release each leg and wiggle" his feet.

Allen is now trying to raise money for the rescuers who came to his aid.

The dare devil said he will be "back at it" within weeks.

READ MORE: Aussie couple film 'lucky' encounter with pod of killer whales off NSW

READ MORE: Russian nuclear threat risks 'catastrophic' gamble

Caddick investigator denies feeling responsible for her death

An investigator from the corporate watchdog has denied feeling responsible for Melissa Caddick's suspected death after it was suggested to her by the fraudster's brother.

Isabella Allen from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission said Adam Grimley asked her the loaded question in June 2021.

"How do you feel being responsible for Melissa's death?" Grimley told Allen, she said on Monday in the NSW Coroner's Court.

READ MORE: Melissa Caddick's sprawling Dover Heights mansion listed for sale

Anthony Koletti and Melissa Caddick.

"Do you feel responsible for her death?" her lawyer John Sutton asked.

"No, I was doing my job," Allen said.

She also denied the accusation that ASIC officers were "parading" around the expensive luxury items they were seizing from Caddick on November 11, 2020.

Nor did she see anyone putting on Caddick's clothing or hanging jewellery around their neck, "giggling and laughing".

The last verified sighting of Caddick was filmed when ASIC and the Australian Federal Police raided her mansion that day.

Caddick's husband, Anthony Koletti, has since made several complaints to police about Allen's behaviour during the raid.

And Caddick's mother Barbara Grimley holds ASIC responsible for her daughter's suspected death, saying she was highly distressed during the raid and was not allowed any food or water.

Allen described "as fantasy" the suggestion she was to blame for the current situation.

READ MORE: Police probe data on Caddick's phone

https://twitter.com/tiffgenders/status/1574242291132211200

The AFP's Constable Amelia Griffen shadowed Caddick for the majority of the 12-hour search and confirmed she made herself a protein smoothie in the morning.

"I recall having a conversation with her that she was free to roam around the premises if she wished to do so," Griffen said.

Allen also confirmed during the raid Caddick was observed filing her nails "from time to time," and taking a nap in the afternoon.

She did not appear anxious at all and only showed emotion, a "look of horror," when her wedding rings "clanged" as they were put into a ziplock bag, she said.

Allen led the formal investigation into the conwoman's Ponzi scheme operated under her fake company Maliver, from September 8, 2020.

About August 2020 one of her investors, Dominique Ogilvie, had a chance encounter with Jennifer Porter, whose Australian Financial Services Licence Caddick was illegally using as her own.

ASIC conducted a telephone interview with Ogilvie about the investigation on September 14.

"We said if (Ogilvie) were to run into Caddick or have subsequent phone calls or speak to her, she could speak to her freely but keep the contents of our conversation confidential," Allen said.

READ MORE: Melissa Caddick inquest hears husband 'too busy' to speak to police

Data obtained from Caddick's mobile phone indicated her searching for shredding services that evening, and a day later booked the services of Shred-X.

Allen said following the extensive search warrant her team looked closely at some of the evidence shredded.

She determined it was not the result of Caddick being "tipped off by anyone".

Meanwhile, her luxurious five-bedroom, four-bathroom eastern suburbs home has come on the market, boasting uninterrupted and expansive views of Sydney Harbour and a "stunning pool", which receivers hope will fetch at least $10 million.

Koletti reported the 49-year-old as missing some 30 hours after he says she walked out of their home for the last time on November 12 about 5.30am to "go for a jog".

In February 2021, Caddick's decomposing foot encased in an Asics shoe washed ashore at Bournda Beach on the NSW south coast, about 400km south of Sydney.

She preyed on mostly friends and family, and stole up to $30 million between 2013 and 2020, counsel assisting Jason Downing SC earlier told the court.

The inquest before Deputy State Coroner Elizabeth Ryan continues.

Cancer patient among Victorians to pay for item they've not received

A Koo Wee Rup cancer patient is among dozens of Victorians fighting to get their money back from an outdoor awning company that they say has failed to deliver.

Amy Horan bought an outdoor spa to help ease her pain from her terminal cancer care.

"I have very bad neuropathy and things because of treatments.. obviously my body's not great," the mum said.

READ MORE: Witnesses say woman fell nine metres after being hit by rollercoaster

She also paid $9500 for a motorised awning to go over the spa.

But the awning has not arrived, months after it was due to be delivered by company Shade Solutions.

"We were told in February it would be in the coming days… then they said they didn't have it in stock… then it's been back and forth for months," Horan said.

Consumer Affairs Victoria issued an online warning about Shade Solutions in recent weeks, saying it has received dozens of similar complaints saying the company has accepted payment and failed to provide goods and services.

The state's Consumer Affairs Minister, Melissa Horne, has said "Consumer Affairs Victoria takes this sort of action very seriously indeed".

9News has contacted Shade Solutions for comment.

Consumer expert Gerard Brody, who is CEO of the Consumer Action Law Centre, has said the case is a reminder "people should do their research… before they sign any sort of contract".

Young man dies after appendix surgery

A coroner will examine how a healthy, young Sydney man died after routine surgery and whether hospital staff properly kept his distraught family in the loop.

Legal clerk Lucas Peyret, 21, died a week after keyhole surgery to treat acute appendicitis at Randwick's Prince of Wales Hospital on May 26, 2019.

The uneventful surgery ended at 9.39pm but within minutes of his breathing tube being removed, Peyret's oxygen saturation rapidly dropped and his heart stopped at 9.55pm.

READ MORE: Phone data reveals Melissa Caddick's searches ahead of raid

Legal clerk Lucas Peyret, 21, died a week after keyhole surgery to treat acute appendicitis at Randwick's Prince of Wales Hospital on May 26, 2019.

READ MORE: Aussie couple film 'lucky' encounter with pod of killer whales off NSW

Five rounds of CPR successfully resuscitated him at 10.18pm but his oxygen-starved brain suffered severe damage and he was placed on life support.

The Darwin-born man was in effect declared "brain dead" on June 3, his inquest was told on Monday.

A central issue before coroner Erin Kennedy is whether the application of anaesthetic reversal agent sugammadex caused severe anaphylaxis and Peyret's sharp decline.

Medical experts giving evidence later in the week will be asked to consider whether another drug could have been used.

Peyret's family has raised concerns that the surgery occurred on a Sunday evening with an anaesthetist-in-training and without imaging to confirm the clinical diagnosis of appendicitis.

His mother was also concerned that "she was not getting the whole truth" from hospital staff about her son's treatment after his post-surgery crash, counsel assisting Simeon Beckett said.

"(She is) disappointed by the system and how she was treated by the system," he said.

However, Beckett said the hospital's discussions with the Peyret family had been given a positive assessment by an expert in open disclosure following adverse medical events.

Meanwhile, Royal Prince Alfred anaesthetic Associate Professor Paul Forrest said the surgery was well within the trainee anaesthetist's abilities and she'd done "everything possible" in the resuscitation effort.

The anaesthetist-in-training said she addressed the risks of aspiration and the roughly-1-in-4000 chance of a serious anaphylactic reaction to drugs used in surgery.

"I felt he understood and he was competent to understand," Sukhi Hegde told the inquest.

Peyret had felt unwell and in pain for about a day before his surgery and slept 12 hours the night of May 25.

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Still unwell the following morning, he went to a GP who suspected the appendix may have burst and urged him to rush to hospital.

That preliminary diagnosis – based on the man's acute right abdominal pain, right shoulder pain, fever and vomiting – was backed by an emergency doctor, blood results and surgical registrar Jakob Koestenbauer.

"The decision on whether to confirm that (diagnosis) even further could lead to delays," Dr Koestenbauer said.

"There wasn't sufficient uncertainty."

Dr Jakob Koestenbauer departs the inquest into death of Lucas Peyret at Lidcombe Coroners Court, Sydney.

Advised of the risks, Peyret rejected delaying surgery or taking a conservative course used in mild cases, Koestenbauer said.

Another surgeon who led the appendectomy said appendix removal was "the bread and butter of acute general surgery" and Peyret's high score on a diagnostic scale fit the bill for someone needing urgent attention.

His removed appendix was swollen, inflamed and had other signs of infection, she said.

When he crashed, she said she was "rather confused because the surgery was so routine".

The inquest continues.

Sydney grandmother claims she was fined for honking her horn

A Sydney grandmother who claims she honked her horn to warn someone pulling out in front of her, never expected that she would be the one fined over the near miss.

But that's exactly what happened to Alma Smith.

In June the 85-year-old was driving to work at Myer in Roselands when she got a fright driving along Belmore Road at Riverwood.

"There was cars parked and this guy just went 'flip' in front of me. I thought I was going to collide with him so I applied the brakes and the horn," she told 9News.

READ MORE: Melissa Caddick's sprawling Dover Heights mansion listed for sale

Sydney grandma Alma Smith claims she was fined for honking her horn while driving.

Moments later the grandmother was pulled over.

"Apparently there was a copper behind her counting – three seconds is okay and four seconds isn't," her son Warwick Smith said.

Smith said she was shocked when the officer handed her a $352 fine.

"He said I had used the horn excessively, unnecessarily and that's like road rage.

"I went silent for a moment and I said, 'are you kidding I have never heard of that and I have been on the road driving for over 60 years'.

"I couldn't believe it. Is this a joke? Haven't they got better things to do?"

Smith said she was shocked when the officer handed her a $352 fine.

READ MORE: Woman 'severely' injured after struck by roller coaster in Melbourne

In NSW you can only honk if you need to warn traffic users about the position of your car or get animals off the road.

You can't beep to say hello, out of anger or frustration or to get someone moving when traffic lights turn green.

"It's pretty ridiculous, someone pulled out on her, she slammed on the brakes, what do you do? You hit the horn," Smith's son said.

"In a case like that, I felt like it was necessary to blow the horn."

Lawyer Sam Macedone said he wasn't aware that the length of the beep could get drivers in trouble.

"In this case I understand she used her horn to warn someone who was cutting across so she had every right to use her horn.

"I can't see anywhere in the legislation that indicates you can only give a short beep."

The grandmother is fighting the fine but will have to wait until next May to have her day at Bankstown court.

Woman 'fell nine metres after being hit by rollercoaster'

A 26-year-old woman is fighting for life after she was hit by a roller coaster at the Melbourne Royal Show and carried nine metres into the air before falling back to the ground.

It is believed Shylah Rodden was retrieving her phone from the tracks of the Rebel Coaster ride when she was hit by the roller coaster about 5.45pm yesterday, after having dropped the phone when she was on the ride.

After the roller coaster struck the 26-year-old, it carried her nine metres up into the air before she fell back to the ground in front of crowds of people.

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She is still in a critical condition at the Royal Melbourne Hospital on Monday evening, while the ride has remained closed today as Victoria Police and WorkSafe investigate the incident.

A witness of the incident has told 9News he watched her fall to the ground after she was dragged up by the roller coaster.

"The carriage had just come to an abrupt stop at the top. I have seen the person fall just straightforward and down," he said.

The man said he had trouble sleeping after seeing the incident.

"You keep picturing it. Trying to figure out what happened and how it's happened and why."

READ MORE: Man falls five storeys to his death at Brisbane hostel

Another witness has told how "everyone went into shock" after Rodden fell.

"It was silent. Nobody was moving. Nobody knew what to do."

It is thought the roller coaster was likely travelling at a fast pace when Rodden was hit.

The roller coaster is believed to reach speeds of 70km/h.

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Speaking to 9News, Melbourne Royal Show CEO Brad Jenkins has described the incident as a "tragedy".

But he said he was "very confident" that the necessary safe protocols had been in place at the show.

"The protocols and the assessment of the ride, which is done by WorkSafe, are the tightest in Australia," Jenkins said.

Police spent the evening speaking to the many witnesses to the incident, with screams heard after it happened.

People who were on the ride at the time of the incident had to stay on the roller-coaster for hours.

It was initially believed Rodden may have fallen from the roller coaster while riding as a passenger, but the Melbourne Royal Show quickly confirmed that was not the case.

The annual Melbourne event only just returned to the city this week after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19.