OPINION: An Auckland teenager who raped and sexually violated multiple girls avoided jail at his sentencing this week and was ordered to serve 12 months’ home detention and 12 months’ supervision. One of the victim’s mothers,…

Former National MP Simon Bridges is heading to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce once he leaves Parliament next week. Bridges has been tight-lipped about his role since announcing he was leaving Parliament in March, but the Weekend…

Harrowing video has been played to a court of 92-year-old Marjorie Welsh speaking with police in the days after she was brutally bashed by her cleaner in 2019.

The recording was taken at Ms Welsh's hospital bed less than a week after the grandmother was savagely assaulted in her Ashfield home by her cleaner, Hanny Papanicolaou.

The 38-year-old hit the elderly woman with her own crockery and her walking stick before repeatedly stabbing her in her Ashbury home.

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"I wouldn't trust anyone anymore," the Ms Welsh told police.

"I'm having special gates when I'm back, I'm making it thief-proof, killer-proof."

Ms Welsh died as a result of her injuries in the weeks after giving that evidence.

Ms Welsh's daughters, Angela MacLeod and Elizabeth Welsh, watched the video for the first time today in court.

"It was very very confronting," Ms MacLeod said.

"We'd only seen little snaps. To see it all, for her to be so clear about how she felt about it and what it had done to her … she was always so concise."

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The video interview forms part of the victim impact statement which was submitted to the court in Ms Papanicolaou's sentence hearing.

"She gave evidence at her own murder trial and it really sums her up," Elizabeth Welsh told 9News.

As the video of Ms Welsh's interview was played to the court, her convicted killer wiped away tears.

Papanicolaou is facing a lengthy prison sentence, with the Crown signalling that the jail term could be in excess of 20 years.

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"Elderly people need to be taken care of. Their home is their sanctuary," Ms MacLeod said.

"She was strong, intelligent, loving, protective, everything you'd want in a mum.

"We were always very proud of her. Right to the end."

Papanicolaou's sentence will be handed down at a later date.

Details have emerged surrounding the helicopter crash that killed a 41-year-old northern Tasmanian pilot earlier this year.

The man had been fighting a blaze that had burned through more than 1600 hectares when he crashed near Pipers Brook, about 40km north of Launceston, on February 14.

A preliminary Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) report, released on Friday, noted an air crew on board a Fireboard 460 observed the pilot's chopper miss a water drop on a small hot-spot.

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"Suspecting UHX's pilot was encountering an in-flight difficulty, and wanting to avoid any potential conflict with the approaching helicopter, the air attack pilot initiated a climbing 360-degree turn," the ATSB report stated.

"After completing the turn the air attack pilot trailed UHX and observed the helicopter descend toward an open paddock where it impacted the ground."

A witness at the staging area on the ground said the helicopter missed the hot-spot when releasing its water before it started descending, entering a hover before it rapidly "yawed" twice before disappearing from view below the treeline.

The term yaw refers to an aircraft twisting or oscillating on its vertical axis.

The pilot, who was the sole occupant, was killed in the crash, with the helicopter destroyed from the impact and a fuel-fed fire, the report says.

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ATSB director of transport safety Stuart Macleod said the report detailed factual information established in the investigation's early evidence collection phase.

However, he said it did not detail analysis or findings, which will be outlined in the investigation's final report.

"As the investigation progresses, the ATSB will continue to analyse the flight profile, further examine helicopter components including the engine, transmission and tail rotor gearbox, consider witness accounts, and analyse accident imagery and video footage," Mr Macleod said.

A man has been arrested and an imitation AK47 rifle seized during police raids in Melbourne's northern suburbs.

Detectives carried out searches at two residential addresses in Reservoir and Glenroy yesterday.

The imitation assault rifle was seized, alongside quantities of various drugs, including human growth steroids and cocaine, a quantity of cash and drug paraphernalia.

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Following the arrests, a 42-year-old Reservoir man was charged with possess drug of dependence, commit indictable offence whilst on bail and two counts of contravene conduct condition of bail.

He was bailed to face Heidelberg Magistrates' Court on 23 August.

A 44-year-old Glenroy woman, an associate of the Hells Angels, was also charged with traffick drug of dependence, possess proceeds of crime, possess imitation firearm and possess drug of dependence.

She was bailed to appear at Broadmeadows Magistrates' Court on 11 October.

The investigation remains ongoing.

South Australia Police have ended a 16-hour long manhunt with the arrest of a 37-year-old man in a garden shed.

A woman was allegedly pulled from her vehicle and assaulted on Brunswick Street at around 5am before a man fled with her Holden Commodore.

The white vehicle was spotted hours later and followed by a member of the community, who phoned and updated police on its whereabouts.

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PolAir located the car on Nelson Street, before following it through Prospect, Medindie, North Adelaide, Thebarton and Torrensville before heading into Underdale.

The driver then fled on foot and was seen by police jumping several residential fences.

Officers surrounded the area and chased the man down to Douglas Street, where he was found to be locked inside a local woman's garden shed.

The woman was at home when police officers came to her door.

"They were everywhere, at all the front door, at the side gate, the garage so, yeah ten or so," she said.

"He just knocked on the door and he said we think there is someone in your backyard can you let us in, I was like yep.

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Officers were then confronted with a man holding a knife. Upon arrest, the man was tasered by police.

The Kilburn local has been charged with illegal use of motor vehicle, dangerous driving to escape police pursuit and two counts of contravene learners permit.

He did not apply for bail.

This was the second alleged carjacking incident in Adelaide in the space of days.

Australian passengers are now able to travel with their pets alongside them in aeroplane cabins according to changes in aviation safety laws, but it will be up to airlines to implement the rule change.

According to new regulations implemented by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, it is now legal for passengers to bring their pets with them while travelling under a new "carriage of animals" policy.

But whether a passenger's pet can join owners on their flights will be up to the individual airline and pilot in charge of the aircraft, who will consider the safety of those on board.

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On airlines in Australia, pets are currently required to be checked into the cargo area of a plane, unless they are authorised assistance or service dogs.

Allowing dogs and cats in cabins is already widespread in Europe and the United States with some suggesting Australian airlines could soon follow suit.

A 9News poll revealed 71 per cent of voters who took part would fly with their pets if given the chance.

But others commented the allowance of pets on planes could be a "recipe for disaster."

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One social media user commented that if aggressive dogs were allowed in passenger cabins, it could put other flyers or other service animals at risk.

Others noted passenger allergies or the potential annoyance to other people of untrained pups.

Representatives from Qantas and Jet Star have maintained they will not allow animals alongside passengers on their planes.

Virgin Australia has said it's reexamining its pets policy, while Rex airlines is yet to rule out passenger and pet flying.

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Doctors from The Alfred HospItal are pioneering an extreme form of prolonged life support to save COVID-19 patients from death.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, is the most extreme form of life support and is typically only considered for fewer than 10 days.

But Victorian specialists have stretched its use to up to 130 days, saving the lives of 50 COVID-19 patients.

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For Truganina's Stiven Taleski, ECMO saved his life.

The 33-year-old was sustained on ECMO for 84 days after his lungs disintegrated. Surgeons had to repeatedly drain his chest of blood clots due to ­severe COVID-19 complications.

"About day five, the nurse hit the emergency buzzer and all the doctors flew in in a panic," he said.

"I remember my chest breathing with big apparatus and my chest was about to explode, it was so hard to breathe."

The only option was the use of an ECMO machine.

The Alfred's head of ECMO, Associate Professor Vincent Pellegrino, said it was lifesaving treatment.

"So the lung gets what's called lung rest and the machine outside the body does the gas exchange," he said.

Associate Professor Pellegrino said the same machine is used all over the world.

The process also requires patients to go into an induced coma.

"I thought… yeah, I'll just go to sleep for a few days… it'll be alright, it's a nice rest and my chest needed a break," Mr Taleski said.

84 days later, he woke up.

"Opening my eyes and the venue had changed," Mr Taleski said.

"'When the hell did that happen?' That was my first reaction, then discovering it was a different year, it was just very scary."

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In all, 64 COVID-19 patients in Victoria have had the extreme form of prolonged life support, for an average of 41 days each.

Medical professionals were divided over the use of the ECMO machine on COVID-19 patients.

Some of them were not convinced such a dangerous life support measure would work, but patients like Mr Taleski are thankful the hospital took the chance.

"I'll forever be grateful," he said.

"For them to keep me on and the nurses to look after me… day in, day out, 24 hours a day… for 84 days. I can't thank that ICU department enough."

A traumatised Helensville man whose dogs killed a cat and a goat in “a series of unfortunate events” has been fined and ordered to destroy the animals, even though one dog has been rehomed and the other stolen.The man, whose name…

A federal election hopeful has been referred to the Australian Federal Police and is to be ruled ineligible for election after allegedly registering as a candidate in two seats for two different parties.

The Australian Electoral Commission is alleging Malcolm Heffernan had different personal details to register as a candidate in both electorates on opposite sides of the country.

The duplication was detected when all candidates in the federal election were publicly declared.

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It's alleged Mr Heffernan was nominated for One Nation for the seat of Banks in NSW and the Australian Federation Party for Brand in Perth, Western Australia, a violation banned under the Electoral Act.

"Each nomination form had differences in the listed information – including a different date of birth, and a different expression of the candidate's name," the AEC said in a statement.

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"Each nomination form had a signed declaration that the candidate did not intend to be a candidate in any other election held the same day."

The breach has been referred to the Australian Federal Police, who will determine if a crime has been committed.

Mr Heffernan and both the One Nation and Australian Federation Party have been notified of the investigation.

Mr Heffernan can no longer be elected but his name will appear on ballot papers in both seats.

"Ballot papers have been printed and some postal voters have already received their postal voting packs," the AEC said.

In a statement, One Nation said they would cooperate fully with the AFP and conduct their own internal investigation into the matter.

The spokesperson said the party became aware of the double nomination after being notified by the AEC, adding the party's candidate vetting process would be reviewed to prevent future mishaps.

"One Nation expresses its disappointment the AEC did not detect Mr Heffernan's dual nomination before the close of nominations," the statement read.

"One Nation accepted Mr Heffernan's application to be a candidate in good faith, including his statement that he was not a member of another political party.

"We will nevertheless undertake a review of our candidate vetting process to ensure this does not happen in the future."