Tag Archives: oceania

Four charged with theft of 40 guns, but majority still haven’t been found

Four men have been charged after allegedly stealing 40 guns from a home on the NSW South Coast, but authorities admit most of the guns still haven't been recovered.

In the period of one week in March, the firearms were allegedly taken from a house on Seascape Close in Narrawallee, about 224 kilometres south of Sydney.

Police said the weapons were both modern firearms and collectables and were stored in various gun safes.

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A grenadeAllegedly stolen guns/firearms Sydney NSW

After months of investigations, a property in Cobbity, south-west of Sydney, was raided by multiple units, including the dog squad, about 6.15am yesterday.

Police found two loaded guns, 150 rounds of ammunition, six gel blasters and a hand grenade.

A 31-year-old man at the house was arrested and charged with aggravated break and enter, stealing items worth more than $60,000, participating in a criminal group and two counts of possessing an unauthorised firearm.

The man was refused bail to appear in court today.

It comes after three other suspects were arrested earlier this year in different parts of the state.

A 36-year-old man was arrested at a home in Macquarie Fields in Sydney's south-west in April, where he was charged with aggravated break and enter and stealing items worth more than $60,000.

On the same day, a 42-year-old man was arrested in the Southern Highlands and, following the search of a property in Bradbury near Campbelltown, was charged with multiple offences after a pistol magazine with live rounds and a stolen black trailer were found.

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Man arrested in Cobbity, Sydney, NSW by police

In early May, a car was stopped in Currans Hill in south-west Sydney, where the 41-year-old male driver was arrested.

He was charged with multiple offences and was refused bail.

Detective Acting Superintendent Richard Puffett, commander of the Drug and Firearms Squad, admitted despite the arrests, many of the allegedly stolen items still had not been recovered.

"Just because arrests have been made doesn't mean the job is done," he said.

"Recovering the outstanding firearms remains a top priority for investigators as this job continues.

"So far, four of the stolen firearms have been recovered, two from a property in Ourimbah on Friday, 11 April, 2025, and two more in Cobbitty yesterday."

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Ley accused of going ‘rogue’ with unprecedented letter to Republicans

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has been accused of going "rogue" after penning a letter to US Republicans vowing to reverse Australia's recognition of Palestinian statehood.

In an unprecedented move, Ley wrote to US Republicans to assure Congress members a Coalition government would revoke Palestinian recognition if elected.

The letter was reportedly sent to a group of Trump allies ahead of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's address to the United Nations in New York City, after he formally confirmed Australia's position on a Palestinian state.

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Opposition leader Sussan Ley during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday 3 September 2025. fedpol Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

"I write to reassure you, and the Congress, that this decision taken at this time by the Labor government does not enjoy bipartisan support here in Australia," Ley wrote in an excerpt of the letter published by the Sydney Morning Herald.

"The federal opposition opposes this decision and would reverse it should we form government."

The opposition leader said the decision "does not reflect the view of a majority of Australians" and references an August Resolve poll which said 44 per cent of voters believed the government should not recognise statehood.

Another 32 per cent said Labor should have waited until Hamas was destabilised and a further 24 per cent supported the federal government's announcement.

Ley later said she spoke with Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar to "express my disappointment" with Albanese's announcement.

"I expressed my disappointment at this break with bipartisanship and reiterated the Coalition's long-held position that recognition must only come at the end of a genuine two-state process," Ley said in a post on X.

"Now is the wrong time while Hamas holds hostages and while conflict still rages.

"I voiced concerns for Australia's Jewish community, the rise of antisemitism, and the humanitarian toll of the conflict. I also expressed my hope for the safe return of hostages and a ceasefire as soon as possible.

"The Coalition will continue to stand firmly with Israel and oppose reckless decisions that reward terrorists."

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a press conference on Australia formally recognising the State of Palestine at the UN HQ.

Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg told Today this morning that Ley wanted American politicians to "know that this is not something that's widely supported here in Australia".

Bragg also described Albanese's move as a "deeply unserious" proposal.

Communications Minister Amanda Rishworth said it was Ley simply "shoring up" her interests locally.

She said Ley was hurting Australia's reputation as a united front.

"I do think that she has misstepped here," Rishworth told Today

"I think, quite frankly, I think this is more about her shoring up her political survival than it actually is about what's in Australia's interests."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong during a press conference on Australia formally recognising the State of Palestine at the UN HQ ahead of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, United States of America on the 21th of September 2025. fedpol Photo: Dominic Lorrimer

Foreign Minister Penny Wong backed Rishworth's remarks.

She told the ABC's Radio National Breakfast that Ley was running a "rogue foreign policy" by contradicting Australia's official position on Palestine.

"It is possible to back Australia and still be an effective opposition, and really, it's time that Ms Ley and the Liberals understood that," Wong said. 

"We know we're strongest when we speak with one voice, we all understand that as Australians, and the opposition should understand that too."

Albanese addressed the UN General Assembly in New York hours after Australia formally recognised a Palestinian state.

"Working together, we can build a future where instead of children in Gaza dying in pain, living in fear, or being taught to hate – they can go to school, build a 'life in larger freedom', aspire to raise children of their own," he said earlier today.

"That future depends on recognition being followed by reconstruction and reform."

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‘Night Stalker’ admits 18 rapes against eight women

A serial rapist known as the "Night Stalker" has admitted sexually assaulting eight women after a decades-old crime spree that terrified millions of Australians.

WARNING: This story contains details and content that some readers may find distressing.

At least 10 women reported being assaulted in Sydney's Moore Park and Inner West areas between 1991 and 1993, leading media to decry the "Night Stalker" or the "Moore Park Rapist".

Court sketch of Glenn Gary Cameron

After more than three decades, breakthroughs in forensic technology led to the arrest of Glenn Gary Cameron at Sydney International Airport in February 2024. 

The 61-year-old was charged with dozens of offences related to eight of the women who were targeted after dark during the years-long crime spree.

After managing to keep his identity as the rapist secret for 30 years, Cameron appeared in the Downing Centre Local Court today to admit 18 sexual assaults and one attempted sexual assault.

The Alice Springs resident wore rectangular glasses on a clean-shaven face, with his white hair contrasting his green prison tracksuit.

He admitted raping eight women while wielding a variety of knives, which he threatened to use on the victims.

Then aged in his 20s, he indecently assaulted each of the eight women and detained one of them at knifepoint for his sexual gratification.

One of the complainants was groped and raped five times in the span of half an hour at Moore Park.

Centennial Parklands, Moore Park, Sydney, NSW

Cameron pleaded guilty to 13 charges, with another 14 to be taken into consideration when he is sentenced later in the year.

Nine charges – including that Cameron punched two women in the head, hit another in the face multiple times, and robbed two women – were withdrawn by prosecutors. 

He will face the NSW District Court on October 24 before being sentenced for his crimes. 

Cameron's arrest was made possible by a forensic review of the historical sexual assaults, which used modern DNA and fingerprint technologies.

At the time, a magistrate made suppression orders that prevented the media from identifying Cameron or publishing the charges against him.

The court order was quietly revoked in May.

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