The grandparents of missing boy Gus Lamont have released a statement through their lawyers saying they are "absolutely devastated" after the four-year-old's disappearance was yesterday declared a major crime.

Gus was reported as last seen playing on a mound of dirt about 5pm on September 27 at his family home, the Oak Park Station homestead, which is about 43 kilometres south of Yunta in South Australia.

Police yesterday declared the disappearance a major crime.

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Today, lawyers acting for the four-year-old's grandparents Josie Murray and Shannon Murray released this statement on their behalf:

"We are absolutely devastated by the media release of SAPOL Major Crime. The family has cooperated fully with the investigation and want nothing more than to find Gus and reunite him with his mum and dad."

The lawyers also indicated Josie and Shannon Murray will not be making any further comments.

There is no suggestion Josie or Shannon Murray are involved in the disappearance of Gus and it is not unusual for anyone linked to an investigation to seek out legal advice.

Police yesterday said a person who has close ties to the household, who is not one of his parents, was speaking with detectives but then "withdrew co-operation" and is now considered a suspect. No arrests have been made.

Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke also revealed the investigation had centred on three theories: whether Gus was abducted; whether someone he knows was involved in his disappearance or suspected death; and whether he wandered off from Oak Park Station.

Fielke said detectives from Taskforce Horizon have a "high level of confidence" he did not wander off.

Investigators have also found no evidence to suggest Gus was abducted.

The search for Gus

No evidence of Gus has been uncovered despite extensive searches of the property, which Fielke said has been the "largest and most intensive" missing person search ever undertaken by SA Police.

A full-scale ground and air search of the property and the surrounding area was launched after Gus went missing.

Officers returned to the area surrounding Oak Park Station to search for Gus' remains on February 2, but uncovered no evidence.

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A suspected domestic violence stabbing and a dramatic pursuit ended with a man being shot dead by police on the NSW Mid North Coast this morning.

Just before 6.40am, officers were called to a home on Heath Avenue, Tuncurry, after reports a man armed with a chainsaw and knife had broken in.

On the way, police were told the woman had been stabbed and the man had fled in a white four-wheel drive.

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At the home, police found a 28-year-old woman with serious wounds.

She was treated and airlifted to John Hunter Hospital in a serious but stable condition, where she remains.

A short time later, police saw the four-wheel drive on Stewart Parade, Tuncurry, and commenced a pursuit.

The driver allegedly then headed to a local petrol station and carjacked a second vehicle. 

"I didn't realise what was happening, I just thought it was a bit of road rage," a worker at the petrol station told 9News.

"As soon as he hit the car, I called the local police."

The driver allegedly then drove through a sportsground before crashing on the Forster Bridge, where he reportedly carjacked another vehicle, rammed a police car and injured an officer.

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The pursuit ended on Idlewood Drive in Rainbow Flat where the man allegedly drove onto a property and entered a home, still armed with a knife, and tried to steal a fourth car.

The man then left that home and confronted police.

Officers deployed a Taser multiple times as the man allegedly ran to a neighbouring property and then toward an officer, still armed with a knife.

The officer discharged his firearm, shooting the man.

Police and paramedics rendered first aid, but the man died at the scene.

The man's family told 9News he was a single father-of-three who lived with diagnosed schizophrenia.

Police believe he and the woman who was stabbed were in a relationship, and are treating the investigation as a domestic violence incident.

The man is yet to be formally identified but is believed to be 41.

A critical incident investigation is now under way.

National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

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A rideshare driver has been charged with raping a passenger in Melbourne.

Police say a woman entered a rideshare vehicle on Peel Street, Collingwood, at about 5 am on January 25.

It's alleged the driver sexually assaulted her before dropping her off at an address in South Yarra.

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The woman reported the matter to police.

Police arrested a 44-year-old Thornbury man today.

He has been charged with one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault.

He was remanded to appear in court today.

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A renewed hunt for accused police killer Dezi Freeman has concluded without search crews finding the fugitive.

More than 100 specialist police officers, volunteers and cadaver dogs spent five days combing through the Mount Buffalo National Park this week.

Police determined the search area through intelligence received about a gunshot heard in the region in the hours after the deadly police shooting.

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Detectives previously revealed they strongly believe the fugitive is dead, and his remains are in the area.

Freeman has not been seen since August 26, when he is accused of shooting dead two police officers and injuring a third.

Neal Thompson and Vadim De Waart-Hottart were killed by gunfire as a team of police executed a search warrant on Freeman's property on the morning of August 26.

Freeman, a self-declared sovereign citizen who is believed to have been the shooter, fled the property and has not been seen since.

A Victorian-first $1 million bounty has been offered for information leading to his arrest.

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Freedom feels "beautiful" for one of Australia's most notorious crime figures after his only remaining drug charge was withdrawn by prosecutors.

Tony Mokbel, 60, spent almost two decades in custody after his famous escape to Greece on a yacht before he was arrested at an Athens cafe in 2007.

A smiling Mokbel walked out of Melbourne's Supreme Court today as a free man after a lengthy battle to overturn his drug convictions in the aftermath of the Lawyer X scandal.

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Asked how he felt by awaiting media, Mokbel replied: "Beautiful. It feels really nice, and life goes on now."

He said he was most looking forward to "going overseas, of course".

"That would be great, to get on a nice plane. I used to always dream of getting on a plane when I was in jail," Mokbel said.

"That's probably the biggest mistake of my life… being in jail. I don't recommend it for no one."

He was asked if he planned to visit Greece and said "we'll see how things flow".

Mokbel was also questioned about whether he regretted drug trafficking.

"I don't regret anything," he replied, before he was followed by a media pack over the road to his lawyer's office.

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Appeal judges last year ordered he face a retrial over the remaining charge, which related to alleged incitement to import MDMA in 2005.

He had argued his drug convictions were tainted as he was represented by barrister-turned-informer Nicola Gobbo, known as Lawyer X.

The Court of Appeal delivered a split decision in October 2025 on drug trafficking and importation convictions in three of his separate cases – known as Orbital, Magnum and Quills.

Mokbel was acquitted over Quills, ordered to face a retrial on Orbital but lost his appeal on the Magnum brief, the latter relating to his trafficking of 41kg methamphetamine between 2006 and 2007.

The appeal court in November sentenced him to time served – 13 years, seven months and 15 days – for the Magnum offending.

Prosecutor David Glynn announced the final Orbital charge had been discontinued in a brief hearing today.

"On behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions, I filed a discontinuance in relation to the one remaining charge on the indictment against Antonios Sajih Mokbel," he told the court.

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Judicial Registrar Timothy Freeman discharged Mokbel's bail undertaking and told him "you are welcome to leave the dock".

A DPP spokeswoman said the director reached his decision after "careful consideration of all aspects of the matter relevant to the prospects of conviction and the public interest in a retrial".

This included "the fact that there was no actual importation", likely ongoing delays to any retrial and the age of the alleged offending.

She said the director also took into account the likely sentence that would be imposed on Mokbel, given his age, health and the lengthy term of imprisonment already served.

Mokbel declined to comment on whether he will be seeking compensation from the state of Victoria for his time in prison.

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Group insists the decision rejecting the fast-tracking application is not final.

A large-scale search for a 44-year-old man missing after his boat was found unmanned has expanded from the Gold Coast in Queensland to Byron Bay in NSW.

Police were told a black half-cabin Pleasure Craft failed to return to Runaway Bay Marina just after 7pm yesterday.

They tried to contact the vessel by radio before finding it empty in waters 25 nautical miles south-east of the seaway about seven hours later.

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Acting Senior Sergeant Shannon Gray said the keys to the boat were sitting on a seat inside but the man was nowhere to be found.

"His phone, we haven't been able to locate, but it's believed it was in the boat somewhere," he told reporters this afternoon.

"He may have it on him."

Gray said there are believed to be four life jackets on board but only three were found.

"But the information source can't 100 per cent confirm there was four so at this stage, we're unaware," he said.

"That's the best case scenario and that will give him a better chance, if he is in the water with that life jacket on." 

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Gray said the search area had been expanded from the Gold Coast towards the Byron Bay area and favourable conditions were aiding search efforts.

"Our priority at the moment is just to continue searching for the man and we'll continue through into the night and we'll continue again tomorrow morning," he said. 

"I've spoken with his wife multiple times today. It's a very difficult time for them." 

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Sund, a father of two young children, now sleeps in his sports shop out of fear.

An award-winning writer accused of child exploitation has had his strict bail conditions relaxed.

Craig Nicolas Silvey, 43, is charged with possessing and distributing child exploitation material between January 7 and 9.

He is yet to enter pleas to the allegations and was granted bail with strict conditions when he faced court last month.

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Silvey, who wrote novels Jasper Jones and Rhubarb, reappeared in Fremantle Magistrates Court today.

The father-of-three successfully applied to have his bail varied.

Silvey, who has been shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and the International Dublin Literary Award, managed to have conditions around his internet access rolled back so he can disable his social media profiles.

He also had a condition that he not be in possession of an electronic device capable of making encrypted communications, such as a mobile phone, partially lifted.

Silvey can now access a mobile phone, but not access encrypted communications applications.

He now only needs to report to Fremantle Police Station twice a week instead of three.

Police allege they caught Silvey communicating with child exploitation offenders online when they raided his Fremantle home before his arrest in January.

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Silvey is best known for his 2009 coming-of-age novel Jasper Jones, which is considered a modern Australian classic and was aimed at adults and young readers.

The global hit won the Australian Book Industry's Book of the Year Award and has been adapted for film and various stage productions.

His most recent novel, Runt and the Diabolical Dognapping, was published by Allen & Unwin in September.

Another of his books is Honeybee, which won the Australian Indie Book Award in 2021.

Most of his works were purged from reading lists across the nation after he was charged.

Allen & Unwin and Fremantle Press, which published Rhubarb, have stopped promoting his books.

Silvey is scheduled to return to court on March 16.

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

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The man accused of fatally attacking former Labor strategist Tim Picton has been slapped with a manslaughter charge, as his lawyer foreshadows a bail application.

A rowdy group of about 20 family and supporters packed Perth Magistrates Court today for Brodie Jake Dewar's appearance via video-link from Hakea Prison.

The slight 20-year-old is accused of attacking Picton, 36, outside a bar in Northbridge, in Perth's inner city, in the early hours of December 27.

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Picton, who has been lauded as a brilliant political tactician, died in hospital several weeks later after hitting his head on the pavement during the alleged altercation with Dewar.

His death triggered an outpouring of grief from his family, friends and colleagues, as tributes flowed from the prime minister, several premiers and business leaders.

Picton had advised state and federal politicians, and helped guide WA Labor to a landslide 2021 election victory.

Dewar was originally charged with grievous bodily harm over the incident that was recorded on CCTV, but this has been upgraded to unlawfully killing.

He was not required to enter a plea and only spoke to confirm his identity and that he understood the charge.

Dewar was grim-faced for most of the hearing, during which angry shouts from some of his supporters denied entry to the court could be heard from the corridor outside.

His lawyer, Simon Watters, pushed for the court to hear a bail application.

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He said Dewar was in custody for a grievous bodily harm charge stemming from an incident on Christmas Day in the Perth suburb of Kalamunda.

He said Dewar had been previously granted bail on that charge, which is yet to be discontinued by prosecutors, and he would seek to have that extended to the manslaughter offence.

Watters said the two matters were separate incidents, as he argued Dewar's bid for bail should be heard.

He also said Dewar was likely to appeal to the Supreme Court over the December 25 charge, although it was not clear why.

The police prosecutor said he wasn't prepared for a bail application and didn't have a copy of the CCTV video of the incident involving Picton to play for the court.

Magistrate Benjamin White noted that a magistrate at the Armadale court, which previously heard Dewar's December 25 charge, had stated the prosecution had a strong case due to the video footage of the alleged incident and a term of imprisonment was possible.

Watters said the Armadale magistrate had not seen full CCTV video recording of the altercation, which allegedly involved Dewar, a man and a woman.

White could not be swayed and said he would hear Dewar's bail application next Friday.

Watters said he would make submissions about Picton's interaction with Dewar's cousin on December 27, although it was not clear whether they would be oral submissions during the hearing or written.

After White adjourned the matter, several of Dewar's supporters shouted out: "We love you Brodie".

He made the sign of a heart with his hands in reply.