A British police officer pleaded guilty Friday to murdering a 33-year-old woman who was abducted as she walked home from a friend's house in south London.

Wayne Couzens previously admitted kidnapping and raping Sarah Everard, a marketing executive who went missing on March 3. Couzens entered a guilty plea to murder during a hearing at London's Central Criminal Court, appearing by video link from Belmarsh high-security prison.

A major police investigation was launched after Everhard's disappearance. Her body was found a week later in woodland more than 80 kilometres southeast of London.

The search for Everard and news of her killing caused a nationwide outcry, with women sharing experiences of being threatened, attacked or simply facing the everyday fear of violence when walking alone.

Police in the UK capital came in for criticism after some women attending a vigil for Everard were detained for breaching coronavirus restrictions.

READ MORE: Met Police chief will not resign over Sarah Everard vigil scenes

Couzens, 48, joined London's Metropolitan Police in 2018 and had most recently served in the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command, an armed unit responsible for guarding embassies in the capital and Parliament.

Prosecutor Tom Little said Couzens abducted Everard, a complete stranger, in a rented car hours after he finished a 12-hour policing shift. Her body was found in woods close to a piece of land owned by Couzens. Despite his guilty plea, prosecutors said Couzens has not revealed where he raped and killed Everard.

"We still do not know what drove him to commit this appalling crime against a stranger," said Carolyn Oakley of the Crown Prosecution Service.

"Today is not the day for hearing the facts about what happened to Sarah. Today is a day to remember Sarah, and our thoughts remain with her family and friends."

Couzens is due to be sentenced during a two-day hearing that starts September 29.

The police force has expressed shock and horror at his crime, but faces an investigation by the policing watchdog over how it handled an allegation of indecent exposure against Couzens days before Everard was abducted.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said she had told Everard's family "how very sorry I'm am for their loss, for their pain and their suffering."

"All of us in the Met are sickened, angered and devastated by this man's truly dreadful crimes," she said. "Everyone in policing feels betrayed."

A young man is lucky to be alive after a breakdown on Western Australia's Mitchell Freeway led to a fireball.

The 23-year-old's Toyota Tarago blew a tyre just before midnight on Thursday near west Leederville.

The driver stood nearby waiting for assistance when a car hit the back of the Tarago. Both vehicles exploded on impact.

READ MORE: Western Australia woman's death linked to COVID-19 vaccine

For 15 minutes fire crews fought the freeway inferno as paramedics rushed the injured Toyota driver to Royal Perth Hospital.

READ MORE: WA Premier urges 'flippant' Sydneysiders to follow lockdown rules

Cars were banked up for kilometres, as drivers were diverted and delayed for about an hour.

The driver of the car which hit the Tarago could not be found at the scene, leaving police searching for the person behind the wheel for almost an hour.

The driver, a man in his 30s, later went to the police station himself around 1.30am.

Queensland Police Senior Constable David Masters – 'Dave' – who was killed in the line of duty last month, has been honoured and farewelled today with an emotional funeral service and guard of honour.

The 53-year-old was hit and killed by an allegedly stolen car while attempting to lay tyre spikes north of Brisbane in the early hours of the morning of Saturday June 26.

Close family friend Wayne Thompson read the eulogy, speaking of his mate as a "diligent and dedicated police officer", a loyal husband and friend and a proud father, who loved his community, camping, and horses.

READ MORE: Woman accused of killing Queensland police officer charged with murder

"Dave always had a fierce sense of loyalty to his friends and family," Mr Thompson said.

"He had a strong set of values.

"He had a great sense of humour, loved a good joke and had a smile which you wouldn't forget."

His "resilience and independence" was shaped by his childhood growing up in Margate, in the Moreton Bay region north of Brisbane, Mr Thompson said, playing cricket and rugby league with friends.

"Dave was always very competitive and gave as good as he got."

Dave met his wife Sharon before becoming a police officer, when she did work experience at Village Motors, where he was working as an apprentice motor mechanic.

He was a "romantic" who once filled her room with roses and would drive her to and from work.

He became "her rock, her protector, her partner in life" and they would go on to have a son, Jack, of whom he was "immensely proud".'

"He would do anything for his family and they were always the centre of his world," Mr Thompson said.

An enthusiastic and "meticulous" camper whose "happy place was the great outdoors", he "loved nothing better than to get away camping with friends and family".

Dave decided to join the police force after a fated catch-up with a high school friend who was a serving member.

Becoming a police officer and later a member of the QPS Mounted Unit, fulfilled a lifelong ambition for Dave, who had always had an affinity with horses.

The ashes and mane of his horse, Manny, who was put down due to a leg injury, were laid on top of the coffin and will be buried with him.

"Dave loved his blue family and he was well-loved in return," Mr Thompson said.

"He looked forward to going to work every day."

Mr Thompson said he first met Dave while volunteering at the Gold Coast's Indy 600, and over the years the pair cemented a strong friendship.

"At the slightest hint of needing help I didn't have to look far and you were there," he said.

"We are all better people for having Dave a part of our lives."

Addressing the family directly, he said, "Sharon and Jack, my heart breaks when I think of how you both must be feeling.

"Please take strength in knowing there are so many who share your grief and we are all better people for having Dave part of our lives.

"You will take comfort in knowing Dave is riding high in the sky on Manny, patrolling the heavens."

Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll spoke of Dave's time in the service and gave her condolences to the family.

"The Queensland community has been well and truly served by Senior Constable Dave Masters," she said.

"He is and will continue to be greatly missed.

"He served with honour and it is we who are honoured to have known and served with him," she said.

A photo tribute, accompanied by the Jimmy Barnes anthem 'Working Class Man' and 'One More Day' by Diamond Rio, inspired more than a few laughs.

Superintendent John Hallam from Moreton District read The Final Inspection, a poem about an officer facing his God at the end of his life.

To begin the service, floral tributes were laid by Sharon and Jack, Governor of Queensland Paul de Jersey, Cameron Dick representing Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Comm Carroll, Supt Hallam as well as the officers in charge of the Moreton district including the first responders on the night Dave was killed.

Five hundred of Dave's colleagues, who would have wanted to be in attendance, instead gathered at the Moreton Bay Lions AFL grounds at Burpengary, standing, socially distanced, in the drizzling rain to watch a broadcast of the service.

Dave's coffin was accompanied out of the chapel by a commemorative guard of honour.

The motorcade included members of the Mounted Unit, including one horse without a rider, which then proceeded to the AFL grounds, followed by POLAIR, flying at low altitude.

Flags are at half-mast at all Queensland government buildings today, including police stations, as a sign of respect.

Queensland Police Service members across the state held a minute's silence at stations and workplaces around the state at 12.15pm.

READ MORE: Police change tyre spike protocols after senior officer's death

Two brothers have been convicted and fined for destroying their family property in regional Victoria because of a legal feud with their sister.

Garry and Malcolm Taylor were due to receive a third of the profits from the sale of their late mother's home in the state's north-west, but because of a will dispute with their sibling they decided to destroy the property with an excavator instead so she wouldn't receive a cent.

The brothers travelled from Queensland to Murtoa, near Horsham, in March 2019 and filmed themselves using an excavator to raze the home the day before it was meant to go to auction.

READ MORE: Victoria in the midst of a baby boom after months in COVID-19 lockdown

During the 30-minute demolition, Malcolm Taylor texted his sister Kerrie-Ann saying "renovations have begun".

Kerrie-Ann had been the carer for their mother Lois until she died in 2013, leaving Kerrie-Ann as the executor of her estate.

In trying to make sure their sister didn't benefit from the property sale, the brothers also graffitied the walls of one room making it look like a crime scene.

READ MORE: No new local cases of COVID-19 in Victoria as raft of restrictions ease

https://twitter.com/Eliza_Rugg9/status/1413305629331005443?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The house was expected to sell for $99,000 but because of the damage done by the brothers, it ended up selling for just $7500.

Judge Michael Cahill described the excavation as a "senseless rampage".

"You were laughing while you destroyed yours and your sister's inheritance," he said.

"Now the world is laughing at your stupidity."

READ MORE: Prime Minister backs Melbourne pub told not to give vaccinated patrons a free beer

Prosecutors claim Malcolm Taylor is still not remorseful for his role in the demolition.

The two brothers appeared in court on video link from their hometown in Hervey Bay, Queensland.

They looked relieved when they were told they'd be avoiding jail, instead they were both convicted of property damage and fined $10,000 each.

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Chris Dawson is making a last-ditch bid to avoid trial, asking the High Court to permanently stay the case.

The former Newtown Jets rugby league player has pleaded not guilty to killing his wife Lynette who was last seen at their Bayview home in 1982.

He has repeatedly said she is alive.

Dawson applied to the Supreme Court for a permanent stay of proceedings citing extensive pre-trial publicity through a podcast and the delay in charging him.

But last month the Court of Appeal agreed the application should be refused.

Chief Justice Tom Bathurst said while the issues were serious, they also had to consider the community's interest in bringing those charged with serious criminal offences to trial.

"…such prejudice to Mr Dawson is able to be remedied or sufficiently ameliorated by careful directions which the judge at the trial will give to the jury, as was found by the primary judge," a judgement summary read.

9News can reveal the 73-year-old this week filed papers in the High Court.

"The basis of the application is simply that both the original Judge, Justice Fullerton and the court of criminal appeal erred in their approach to the permanent stay," his lawyer Greg Walsh said.

Mr Walsh also said there was an important issue to look at in terms of the impact of new media on criminal matters, highlighted in a case which others had agreed was exceptional.  

"…this was the first occasion where the focus was on publications arising from a podcast series."

Dawson remains on bail in Queensland with his trial set down for May 2022.

"He's recovering some falls, he's very depressed, so you know he's under a lot of stress and anxiety," Mr Walsh said.

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has insisted Sydney's lockdown is "absolutely not" due to vaccine rollout delays.

At his National Cabinet media conference today, Mr Morrison was asked whether Sydney and parts of NSW were in lockdown due to the speed of the vaccination program.

Mr Morrison said it was "always known at this time of the year, in July of this year, that we would still be in the suppression phase".

READ MORE: Sydney lockdown tightened after 44 new cases

"That means that in the suppression phase, you need to keep your systems as tight as possible," he said.

"We've had breaches here, there have been breaches in other places, and when there are breaches it's about trying to contain it as quickly as possible.

"When there are breaches it's about trying to contain it as quickly as possible and move as quickly as possible to get us in that situation, which is what the New South Wales government is doing."

Mr Morrison touted the strong numbers of Australians coming forward to get vaccinated.

Yesterday was the second-highest day for vaccinations in Australia since the beginning of the rollout.

"We will be hitting that important mark of 1 million doses every week," he said.

"That puts us in a very strong place to be able to get this job done as we move towards the end of the year and indeed perhaps sooner than that."

READ MORE: Data reveals how the Delta variant has evaded the Sydney lockdown

New South Wales today recorded its highest daily COVID-19 number in the current outbreak with 44 new cases, prompting Premier Gladys Berejiklian to tighten lockdown restrictions.

Ms Berejiklian pointed to the vaccination rate as a reason why the lockdown was necessary.

"NSW – in fact, no state or nation or any country on the planet – can live with the Delta variant when our vaccination rates are so low," she said. 

"So please, do not think that the NSW Government thinks we can live with this when our rate of vaccination is only at 9 per cent. 

"Because if we chose to live with this while the rates of vaccinations are at 9 per cent, we will see thousands and thousands of hospitalisations and death."

READ MORE: Leaders dismiss 'learning to live with COVID-19' idea

Ms Berejiklian said the state was facing "the biggest challenge we have faced since the pandemic started".

From 5pm today, additional restrictions will apply for Greater Sydney, Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour.

New South Wales has recorded its highest daily COVID-19 number in the current outbreak with 44 new cases, prompting Premier Gladys Berejiklian to tighten lockdown restrictions.

Even more concerningly for health authorities, the majority of those cases have not been in isolation while infectious.

Just 10 were in isolation throughout their infectious period, eight for part of the time and 19 have been out in the community. The isolation status of the remaining seven is still under investigation.

EXPLAINER: Everything you need to know about Greater Sydney's new restrictions

LIVE UPDATES: All the latest COVID-19 news

It marks another jump from yesterday's record figure of 38 new coronavirus cases. At the time, it was the highest daily number in NSW in more than a year.

The figures have prompted a dire warning from Ms Berejiklian, who has told Sydneysiders to brace for even higher daily case numbers in the days ahead.

"The number of people that have been infectious in the community – last night it was 29 and I suspect it will grow tomorrow and the day after," Ms Berejiklian said.

"It is so transmissible, (so) obviously we're going to see higher cases moving forward."

Ms Berejiklian also echoed Prime Minister Scott Morrison's message this morning that there was no way that NSW could live with the Delta variant in the community, given its current vaccination rate.

READ MORE: When will lockdown end? NSW premier flags further extension

"When you only have nine per cent of your community vaccinated, opening up before you get as close to that zero number as possible – it means you would subject thousands and thousands to hospitalisation and death," she said.

"When we look around the world and we look at countries that are opening up, that are living freely with COVID and the Delta strain, they are able to do that because half of the population is vaccinated."

New restrictions in place for Greater Sydney

Today's figures have prompted a tightening of stay-at-home orders, with tougher rules now in place around outdoor exercise, essential shopping and funerals.

• Outdoor gatherings limited to two people (excluding members of same household)
• Exercise and outdoor recreation restricted to local government area or within 10km radius
• No browsing in shops; only one person per household per day can leave the house for shopping
• Funerals limited to 10 people (from Sunday)

Restrictions in regional New South Wales remain unchanged.

"Browsing is not allowed," Ms Berejiklian stressed.

"Whether you are in a supermarket or anywhere else buying essential items, you have to think about before you leave the home, can I get this online? Do I need to leave the house to go shopping?"

In what the premier has described as a "heartbreaking" decision, from Sunday funerals will be limited to 10 mourners.

READ MORE: PM shuts down suggestion NSW could 'learn to live with COVID-19'

Ms Berejiklian again stressed that no one should be visiting others' households, except for essential care.

"The only exception is if you are receiving care by one person, dropping off essential goods or for health reasons or exceptional circumstances," she said.

Current arrangements around childcare centres will remain, but the premier said she was unable to say what schools would look like after next week until she saw where the COVID-19 numbers were heading.

Mr Morrison expressed his "strong support" for the new restrictions issued for Greater Sydney.

"We will get through it together," he said.

"I know it is tiring, exasperating and frustrating. But we need to keep pushing through."

The Prime Minister rejected the assertion that Sydney was in lockdown because of the government's sluggish vaccine rollout.

"It was always known at this time of the year in July of this year that we would still be in the suppression phase," he said.

"We've had breaches here, there have been breaches in other places, and when there are breaches it's about trying to contain it as quickly as possible."

Sydney suburbs of most concern

NSW's Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant today issued a list of the Sydney suburbs of most concern to health authorities, where COVID-19 is circulating amongst the community.

In the city's south-east, residents in Sutherland, Kareela, Sylvania, Hurstville and Maroubra need to stay particularly vigilant and continue to come forward for testing.

READ MORE: NSW Premier, PM dismiss 'learning to live with COVID-19'

The city is also seeing a number of cases emerge in Bossley Park, Smithfield, Fairfield, Glenfield, West Hoxton, Bass Hill, Greenacre, Bonnyrigg Heights, Panania, Bankstown, Canley Vale, Casula, Chester Hill, Edensor Park, Edmondson Park, Greenfield Park, Moorebank, Narellan Vale and St Johns Park.

It comes after the local government areas of Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown and Liverpool were marked as areas of growing concern earlier in the week, as the outbreak spreads from its origins in Bondi.

Of the state's 44 new local cases, 21 infections were from south-west Sydney, eight were from the south-east and seven were from western Sydney.

Dr Chant urged Sydneysiders to assume they were coming into contact with someone with COVID-19 every time they left the house.

"Every time you leave your home, you need to assume you are coming into contact with someone who could potentially have COVID," she said.

Young people seriously ill with COVID-19

Dr Chant stressed that as cases rise, hospitals are seeing more young people becoming seriously ill with the coronavirus.

There are now 43 people in NSW hospitals being treated for the virus, with six new cases have been admitted in just the past 24 hours.

In a warning for young people, Dr Chant said an increasing number of younger people are being admitted, including seven aged less than 35.

Ten people are being treated in intensive care units, four of whom require ventilation.

One of those patients is in their 20s and another is in their 30s.

'Dramatic change' needed for lockdown to end next week

Today's figures have left the end date Greater Sydney's lockdown looking increasingly far off, just days after it was extended by a week.

Ms Berejiklian said today that the length of the lockdown will "depend on how the community responds" to restrictions.

"Unfortunately, whether it is complacency or whether it is compliance, we've seen too many people out in the community with symptoms," Ms Berejiklian said.

"Unless there is a dramatic change, unless there is a dramatic turnaround in the numbers, I can't see how we would be in a position to ease restrictions by next Friday," she said.

READ MORE: 'This is not about discrimination': Police head to south-west Sydney

The original time frame for the lockdown – which also includes the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast, Shellharbour and Wollongong – was to run for two weeks from 6pm on June 26.

Ms Berejiklian said she needed "everyone to be shocked" by the tightening of restrictions so the tide of climbing COVID-19 cases could turn for the state.

"It is really up to us how long we are in the situation for," Ms Berejiklian said.

"What I can say is that our target has to be zero or close to zero community transmission before we can live a normal life like we did prior to the lockdown."

Almost 200 extra police officers have been deployed across the three south-western local government areas of most concern to ensure compliance with the stay-at-home orders.

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the measures are not racist or discriminatory and were necessary to ensure the latest outbreak doesn't spread any further.

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