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Archive for the ‘AUSTRALIA’ Category
Queensland Australia Police Search For Scooby-Doo
June 25th, 2008
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA - Scooby-Doo has become one of Queensland’s most wanted after giving police the slip during a reckless track invasion at the Ipswich Cup race day.
Not only did the memorably-dressed prankster evade arrest, he also failed to return the eye-catching outfit to the store from which he hired it.
Michelle Johnstone from Hidden Identity Costumes at Cleveland in Redland City said the driver’s licence the man used in the transaction turned out to be stolen.
“It was obviously a pre-meditated crime. He put a bit of planning into it,” Ms Johnstone said, pointing out he had “definitely lost his $40 bond”.
Ipswich police are also keen to hunt down Scooby-Doo following the “reckless” behaviour of the wearer.
“We’re still making enquiries into where Scooby-Doo is,” said Senior Sergeant Roger Wilson.
“We’d ask that anyone who recognises him to contact Ipswich police.”
Read MoreSenior Sydney Australian Police Officer Supt. Vivian Rex Little Blames Child Pornography Found On Family Computer On His Sons
June 24th, 2008
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - A senior Australian police officer charged with possessing child pornography has blamed his sons for the images, a court was told.
Superintendent Vivian Rex Little, 52, is facing a hearing on child pornography charges in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court.
He was charged after his former wife, Kathy Frost, turned in a number of computer disks and DVDs to the Police Integrity Commission (PIC).
Ms Frost told the court today the images, including one titled “mother and daughter”, were on disks in a cupboard in the room where her husband was sleeping in their NSW Central Coast home.
“There were some colour photographs, some blown up pictures in plastic sleeves, some vibrators, some condoms, some lubrication gel, a heap of floppy disks, some magazines, some DVDs, and some videos,” she said.
Read MoreMan Takes Overdose, Calls For Help, Gets Ignored By Ambulance Crew , Then Arrested, And Dies
June 16th, 2008
CAMPBELLTOWN, AUSTRALIA - An inquest has heard police and ambulance officers failed in their duty of care for a man who died in police custody in November 2005.
Fifty-three-year-old Michael Llewellyn called Campbelltown Hospital to tell them he had taken an overdose of the prescription medications Colgout and Progout.
When police and ambulance officers arrived at his home, he was deemed fit to be taken into custody and was arrested and charged with public mischief.
The inquest has heard Mr Llewellyn repeatedly threatened self-harm and was a habitual caller of emergency services.
He was taken to hospital after a medical assessment in custody, but died the next day.
An investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Robert Tunks, said he did not believe Mr Llewellyn’s arrest was appropriate, but he conceded the officers had acted in good faith. Appeared Here
Northern Territory Australia Police Officer Sgt. James Bourke Receives A Tiny Slap On The Wrist After Beating Handcuffed Man And Trying To Destroy Video Evidence
June 15th, 2008
NORTHERN TERRITORY, AUSTRALIA - A Northern Territory police officer convicted of kicking a drunk, handcuffed prisoner and trying to destroy evidence of the assault has been sentenced to home detention.
In November 2006, Michael James Bourke was acting sergeant at the Tennant Creek watchhouse when he kicked Graeme Kunoth in the head while the man lay handcuffed on the floor.
Bourke later tried to access a video recording of the assault.
Earlier this year, a Supreme Court jury found him guilty of assault and attempting to destroy evidence.
In sentencing today, justice Dean Mildren said he did not think Bourke’s actions were premeditated.
He said Bourke had lost control and his anger had boiled over.
The judge said Bourke had abused the trust of his position and the sentence should serve as a general deterrent.
The 35-year-old was given a nine month suspended sentence on condition of home detention.
Read MoreFormer Australian Federal Police Officer Michael Edward Hatch Claims “Depression” Made Him Download Child Pornography
June 13th, 2008
AUSTRALIA - A Canberra court has been told a former Australian Federal Police officer accessed child pornography because he was depressed.Michael Edward Hatch was one of more than 90 men arrested as part of the country’s biggest child pornography operation.
The 38-year-old is accused of accessing pornography websites thousands of times and downloading 20 images onto his hard drive.
His defence team has submitted that Hatch should not serve time in jail, as it would not be beneficial for his rehabilitation.
The case in the ACT Magistrates Court has been adjourned until next month.
Read MoreFancy Water Pouring Impliments Circumvent New Australian Laws Banning Bongs
June 10th, 2008
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - AN Adelaide business is rebadging outlawed cannabis bongs to beat tough new laws making the sale of drug implements illegal.
Attorney-General Michael Atkinson and a reformed cannabis addict say they saw illegal bongs on sale at Off Ya Tree in Hindley St, but they were labelled water-pourers.
“I’m advised that re-naming drug-use products does not protect a retailer from being subject to the new drug paraphernalia laws,” Mr Atkinson said. He said he had alerted police to Off Ya Tree’s alleged sale of illegal items.
Former addict Ryan Hidden says he was offered a bong by staff about 2.45pm on Sunday – more than 14 hours after the sale of bongs became illegal – and again yesterday.
Mr Hidden says bongs in the store were advertised as “water-pourers” but they were simply bongs by another name.
Read MoreAustralia Comes To Their Senses, Gets The Hell Out Of Criminal U.S. President Bush’s Iraq War
June 1st, 2008
AUSTRALIA - For Australian combat troops the war in Iraq is over.
The Defence Force in southern Iraq formally handed its commitment to the United States and lowered the Australian flag above Camp Terendak, at the US-run air base Tallil, at a ceremony yesterday morning.
The handover, which fulfils the Rudd Government’s election commitment to withdraw Australia’s combat troops from a deeply divisive war, was based on an agreement between Australian and US commanders.
About 550 soldiers, who have been overseeing Iraqi security forces in two southern provinces as well as training Iraqi troops and police, will begin returning to Australia.
The Government confirmed last night that the handover had occurred. AAP reported that troops from the Overwatch Battle Group had already left Iraq and landed in Brisbane yesterday.
The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, is expected to attend a ceremony for returning troops in Queensland this month.
Read MoreFormer Victoria Australia Police Officer David John Mits Pleads Guilty To Attempting To Bribe Motorist For Sex
May 31st, 2008
VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA - A former Victorian police officer has pleaded guilty to attempting to bribe a young female driver for sex.
43 year old David John Mits has pleaded guilty to one count of attempted bribery.
The court heard that in January last year, he pulled over a 20 year old woman in Bayswater who was not wearing her seatbelt.
The policeman took the woman’s number and went to her house twice, and pressured her for sexual favours in return for not giving her a ticket.
At his plea hearing the judge said it was a cold-blooded, pre-planned attempt to apply maximum pressure on a young woman.
The judge said Mits was out for his own sexual gratification.
Mits has been stood down by the police force and now works as a property maintenance manager.
He was supported in court by his wife and family. Appeared Here
Australian Union Wants Security Cameras In Ambulances After Passenger Masturbated
May 23rd, 2008
VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA - Security cameras may be needed in ambulances to protect both patients and paramedics, the ambulance union said today, after one of its members was cleared of digital rape of a drug user.
Although found not guilty, former paramedic Simon Paul Howe must now fight through arbitration to get his job back, after the Metropolitan Ambulance Service (MAS) last year sacked him for contract breaches related to the incident.
Mr Howe, 33, was yesterday acquitted in court of indecently assaulting a patient in the back of an ambulance.
Ambulance Employees Australia (AEA) state secretary Steve McGhie today said the allegations and the refusal of the MAS to support Mr Howe had paramedics worried.
“Ambulance paramedics throughout Victoria are very concerned that they could be put in a vulnerable position with a patient or a relative of a patient that might make serious allegations against them, and their employers will not support them,” Mr McGhie said.
Read MorePerth Australia Police Officer Charged And Suspended After Off-Duty Attack On Woman Motorist
May 21st, 2008
The 50-year-old sergeant was off-duty when he allegedly become involved in a confrontation with a female driver and her daughter at the Midland Gate car park on May 10.
Police said the women were not injured.
The officer was today charged by summons with two counts of aggravated common assault. He is due to appear in Midland Magistrates Court on May 27. Appeared Here
Queensland Australia Serial Sex Offender/Child Molester Found Dead In Burnt Car - DNA Matches Evidence Samples Left On His Victims
May 12th, 2008
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA - A MAN linked by his DNA to three sexual assaults and believed responsible for at least six other attacks has been found dead in a burnt-out car near Gympie in Queensland.
Police said the man’s body was found in bushland on April 4 - a day after his wife had reported him missing.
On the same day, detectives had visited his Gympie home seeking a voluntary DNA sample which he refused to provide.
He had been identified as a person of interest following an exhaustive review by police of a series of sex offences between 1995 and 2001 in the Gympie area.
They included the sodomy of a 12-year-old boy in 1995, the rape of a 14-year-old girl in 2000 and the rape and attempted rape of six other women aged from 18 to 42.
Read MorePerth Police Police Attack Free Speech, Raid Sunday Times Newspaper Office And Search Employees While Looking For Information On Source Of Leak To Newspaper
May 1st, 2008
PERTH, AUSTRALIA - RIVAL media groups have joined together to condemn police raids on a Perth newspaper, describing it as an attack on free speech.
The department of Premier Alan Carpenter, a former journalist, admitted today making a complaint that led to the raid by 16 officers on the Perth newsroom of News Ltd’s Sunday Times yesterday.
The fraud squad officers were trying to find who leaked information about a $16 million advertising bill for taxpayers to help get the WA government re-elected.
During the raid all exits at the Sunday Times building in Perth’s inner-east were blocked and staff were subjected to bag searches when they left.
The article, written by staff reporter Paul Lampathakis and published in February, quoted “government sources” as saying the money was to be spent on strategic advertising campaigns ahead of an upcoming election.
Read MoreNo Charges For Comics Who Made Fools Of Thousands Of Australian Police Officers With “Osama Bin Laden” Motorcade Prank
April 28th, 2008
Brisbane Australia Police Officer Shoots And Kills Herself At Police Complex
April 21st, 2008
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - A policewoman has died of a gunshot wound in Brisbane.
The 35-year-old officer died from a shot from a police-issue pistol early today at the Wecker Road police complex at Mansfield in Brisbane’s southside.
Police said the death was not suspicious.
Officers at the scene would not release further details until the woman’s next of kin were notified.
Other officers and staff at the complex were receiving counselling.
Appeared Here
Western Australia Police Shoot Unarmed Naked Man With Taser Weapons
April 21st, 2008
WESTERN AUSTRALIA - Police used a stun gun on a naked man who refused to come out of a roof cavity he had been hiding in at a house in Western Australia.
Police were called to the house in Hilton yesterday afternoon after a report of a man jumping a back fence.
Officers found a pair of jeans and when they searched the house, found a naked man hiding in among rafters in the roof cavity.
He refused to come down and began trying to smash through the roof to escape, police said.
Police, concerned he might be hurt if he jumped or fell the 6m to the ground, used a Taser stun gun on him.
He was brought down before being taken to Fremantle Hospital with minor injuries.
A 23-year -old Willagee man will appear in Fremantle Magistrates Court today charged with damaging property, stealing a motor vehicle; breach of bail and two counts of outstanding warrants.
Appeared Here
Sydney Australia Police Waste Taxpayer Dollars On Helicopter To Search For People With Laser Pointers, But Cops On The Ground Can’t Find Them
April 21st, 2008
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - A police helicopter searching for people using laser pointers illegally was targeted while on patrol.
The PolAir helicopter was over Guildford in Sydney about 10pm (AEST) yesterday when a green laser was pointed into the cockpit.
The officers raised the alarm with units on the ground but the offenders were not found.
The aerial search had been prompted by an attack on Sunday over Sydney’s south when an air ambulance helicopter was targeted.
The aircraft was flying over Sylvania about 2am (AEST) when a green laser was pointed at it.
No one was injured and no one arrested.
Recent laser attacks have prompted the NSW Government to move to outlaw the devices.
Under proposed legislation announced yesterday, high-powered lasers will be classed as prohibited weapons, and possessing one without a permit will be an offence punishable by up to 14 years in jail.
Read MoreNew South Wales Australia Criminalizes Laser Pointers, Classifies Them As “Firearms” - Up To 14 Years In Prison
April 21st, 2008
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - A major Australian state has banned laser pointers after a spate of incidents in which aircraft pilots have been temporarily blinded, the government said on Monday.
High-powered hand lasers, including so-called “star pointers” used by astronomers, would be listed as prohibited weapons in New South Wales state with jail terms of up to 14 years for anyone carrying them without a permit.
“It is a gutless and cowardly act that could result in an horrific outcome. It only takes a fraction of a second for a pilot to become temporarily blinded and that could have catastrophic consequences,” said state Premier Morris Iemma.
Several pilots have recently reported high-intensity lasers being shone into their cockpits during take-offs and landings, and police recently enlisted intelligence agencies to help combat what papers called “laser lunatics”.
The latest incident occurred over Sydney’s south at the weekend when an ambulance helicopter was hit by a green beam.
Read MoreToowoombia Australia Police Stole $400,000 In $10 Million Drug Bust
April 16th, 2008
TOOWOOMBA, AUSTRALIA - police stole $400,000 in drug money, part of a $10 million drug bust in December, 2006, a court heard yesterday.
Allegations of police corruption formed a major part of a Toowoomba Magistrates Court hearing of two men accused in the drug bust.
Jamie William Williamson, 27, and Shane Arthur Laurie, 28, are charged with trafficking in dangerous drugs and associated matters arising from a police raid of two Wilsonton sheds on December 4, 2006.
Police claim the sheds contained 2.5 kilograms of methylamphetamines, 8kg of cannabis, 2000 8ecstasy tablets and more than $570,000 in cash.
Neither accused has been 8required to enter pleas to the charges.
However, their committal hearing yesterday heard Williamson had told a senior Toowoomba police officer that their investigation was looking in the wrong direction.
Williamson accused police of stealing $400,000 in cash he claimed had been part of the alleged booty.
Read MoreDouble Standard: Hundreds Of South Australian Police Officers Using Work Computers To Pirate Movie DVDs Will Not Be Prosecuted - Too Many Cops To Charge…
April 15th, 2008
SOUTH AUSTRALIA - Hundreds of police officers across South Australia caught using their work computers to illegally copy movie DVDs will escape prosecution.
The activity - strictly banned under federal copyright laws - was detected during an audit conducted by the information technology branch of SA Police.
Senior police, including Commissioner Mal Hyde, have been briefed on the extent of the problem.
An internal email to police management said the audit had “identified a number of instances where commercial DVD movies have been copied to the hard-drives of police computers which potentially had been burnt to blank DVDs”.
“This practice is potentially a breach of copyright and misuse of SAPOL equipment,” it said. “Branch managers are requested to take measures to ensure this practice must not occur and to remind members (officers) of the policies relating to the use of SAPOL computer equipment.”
Read MoreDuh - Brisbane Austraila Police Lose Patrol Car To Handcuffed Man
April 15th, 2008
BRIABANE, AUSTRALIA - A handcuffed man arrested on suspicion of a crime in Brisbane drove off in a police car today as two officers inspected evidence outside the vehicle.
Mark Robert Nolan, 29, was arrested about 10.45am (AEST) today by the two officers at a residence in Spring Hill in relation to break and enter charges.
He was handcuffed and placed in the back of an unmarked police car, Deputy Commissioner Ian Stewart told reporters in Brisbane.
“Police then began examining the contents of a bag found in his possession,” Mr Stewart said.
“They did that at the rear of the police car.
“During that time, it appears Nolan has got into the front of the police car and turned the police car on and driven off in the police car.”
The police vehicle was found in Stafford, on Brisbane’s north, about an hour later, however, Nolan remains at large.
Read MoreAustralian Prison Officer Glenn David Griffen Quits And Pleads Guilty To Drug Charges
April 9th, 2008
AUSTRALIA - The Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) says a 26-year-old prison officer has been fined $5,000 for drug offences.
In the Perth Magistrates Court today, Glenn David Griffen pleaded guilty to charges including supplying and possessing amphetamines.
The CCC says Griffen has resigned from the Department of Corrective Services.
Appeared Here
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Slammed After Saluting Disgraced U.S. President George W. Bush
April 5th, 2008
AUSTRALIA - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has been criticised by opponents after greeting US President George W Bush with a playful military-style salute.
Footage of Mr Rudd meeting Mr Bush at a Nato gathering in Romania has been played repeatedly in Australia.
One broadcaster suggested Mr Rudd was acting like Mr Bush’s “deputy sheriff” while political opponents described the gesture as “unbecoming”.
Mr Rudd laughed off the criticism, saying the salute was a joke.
“I was just saying ‘hi’ to the president of the United States,” Mr Rudd told reporters.
But his political foes were less amused, with the Liberal Party’s Brendan Nelson leading the criticism.
“Mr Rudd appears to conduct himself in one manner when he thinks the television is upon him and another when it is not,” the opposition leader said.
Read MoreNew South Wales Australia Police Continue Capsicum Spray Use Despite Dangers
April 5th, 2008
NSW, AUSTRALIA - Police officers in New South Wales will continue using capsicum spray in spite of a move from police in Western Australia to withdraw the spray from about 5,000 officers.
WA police suspended the use of capsicum spray on Friday afternoon after tests by staff at the state’s Police Academy found the product was flammable.
In a statement, New South Wales police say they have received information from Western Australian police relating to the use of capsicum spray and say they will be seeking more information.
New South Wales police will not confirm whether they use the same brand of capsicum spray as police in Western Australia.
Appeared Here
Australian Police Charge UK Resident With Speeding, Demand Fine - ‘Cept Man Has Never Visited Or Driven In Australia
March 26th, 2008
AUSTRALIA - No one likes getting a speeding ticket in the post.
But when South Australian police sent one half way around the world to David Smart in northern England, the 65-year-old former surveyor was flabbergasted.
Mr Smart was fined $196 for driving 8km/hr over the speed limit in the Adelaide Hills, despite the fact he has never been to Australia.
Adding to the mystery are claims by the police that the woman who owned the car allegedly involved signed a statutory declaration claiming Mr Smart had been behind the wheel.
“I’ve never been to Australia, which is a wonderful country I’m sure, and I would love to go there one day,” Mr Smart said from his home in Scunthorpe.
“And I’ve never had a ticket in my life, I’m pleased to say.
“The woman is obviously mistaken and where she got my name and address from I have no idea.”
Read MoreWestern Australia Police Officer Arrested, Charged With Child Molestation - A Relative
March 26th, 2008
ARMADALE, AUSTRALIA - A policeman who was charged last week with molesting one of his young relatives has been suspended while the case is before the courts.
Assistant commissioner Barbara Etter said in a statement that the 31 year old officer has been stood down from operational duties.
He has been a member of the Western Australia police force for three years and eight months, she said.
Officers from the Child Protection Squad and Internal Affairs Unit arrested and charged the man on March 20 with two counts of indecent dealing of a lineal relative under 13 years of age.
He has also been charged with one count of aggravated assault occasioning bodily harm.
The man will appear in the Armadale Magistrate’s Court tomorrow.
Queensland Australia Police Officer Alan Reedy Admits To Wild Night Out, 18 Beers Before Reporting To Work To Conduct Driver Alcohol Checks - Knocked Unconscious Trying To Arrest Woman - And Is Promoted
March 23rd, 2008
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA - A police officer who admitted to drinking at least 18 beers before going on duty to carry out a breath test has not been disciplined.
Instead, Senior-Constable Alan Reedy has been promoted – despite telling a court last month about a wild night in Cunnamulla that ended with him knocked unconscious after trying to arrest a woman.
Reedy was at the Warrego Hotel about 10pm on May 14, 2005, when asked by colleagues to carry out a breath test.
After the test he drank two rums at the Club Hotel and about 12.45am declared himself on duty to arrest local woman Corrinne Mitchell, who he says spat on him, sparking a fight that ended in Reedy being flown to Toowoomba Hospital for treatment.
Three people pleaded guilty to charges over the incident but five others fought the charges, which were dropped last month when a judge ruled Reedy’s evidence unreliable.
Read MoreUpdates: Queensland Australia Police Officer Thomas James Anthony Wilson’s 8742 Child Pornography Mistakes Earns Him Just A Tiny Slap On the Wrist
March 14th, 2008
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - A Queensland police officer caught with more than 8000 child porn images on his home computer has avoided spending any time in jail.
Thomas James Anthony Wilson, 25, pleaded guilty in Brisbane’s District Court today to possessing the lewd material, including pictures of boys as young as 10 engaging in sex acts.
He was sentenced to 18 months’ jail, but the term was wholly suspended after his lawyer successfully argued Wilson had downloaded the images by mistake.
The former policeman, who has since lost his job, was one of 1717 suspects identified as part of a 2003 child porn investigation by US Customs and FBI agents.
Police traced his credit card to a child porn website titled “Sunshine Boys”, where Wilson had paid a $35 access fee.
A March 28, 2006 raid on his Shorncliffe home on Brisbane’s northside uncovered a computer loaded with pornography.
Read MoreQueensland Australia Police Officer Thomas James Anthony Wilson Receives Less Than A Slap On The Wrist For Child Pornography
March 13th, 2008
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA - A former police officer who downloaded thousands of child pornography images has walked free after being given a suspended sentence.
Thomas James Anthony Wilson, 25, pleaded guilty today in the Brisbane District Court to one count of possessing child exploitation material.
The court was told Wilson was caught during an international investigation into the production and distribution of child pornography.
In June 2003, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided a premises in New Jersey, where they found details of a large number of potential child pornography internet customers from Queensland.
The court was told Wilson’s details were among them, because he had paid for a brief subscription to a website called “Sunshine Boys”.
Police raided Wilson’s home at Shorncliffe, north of Brisbane, on March 28, 2006, and seized his computer, which was found to contain 8742 child pornography images.
Read MoreMelbourne Australian Police Hold News Conference For Missing Couple, Just As They Return From Vacation - Cops Didn’t Bother To Check With Neighbor Who Was Feeding Couple’s Dog
March 10th, 2008
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — A Melbourne couple returning home from vacation Monday were shocked to discover police about to hold a news conference at their house about their suspicious disappearance.
William and Heather Ostell’s daughter, Angela, had not seen or heard from her parents since Thursday. She went to their house in the southeast Australian city and discovered the front door unlocked, their car gone and their dog home alone.
So she called the police and reported her parents missing.
Homicide detectives were holding a press conference Monday morning at the Ostell’s home to appeal for information when the couple drove up.
Heather Ostell, 58, told reporters that they had taken a “spur of the moment” holiday and had not been able to reach their daughter to tell her.
Read MoreSydney Australia Police Leave Keys In Truck While Searching For Armed Robber - Who Steals Truck
March 10th, 2008
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - It’s easy enough to leave the keys in your car - but the consequences can be a good deal more embarrassing if you’re a police officer … especially if the suspect you’re after finds them before you.
That’s what happened in Sydney last night when two officers saw a stolen silver Toyota driving erratically on Parramatta Road in Strathfield.
The car was also suspected of being used in a nearby armed robbery about an hour before.
The chase began and the car, driven by a 23-year-old woman with the man in the passenger seat, had two collisions before smashing into a sign at a Five Dock petrol station.
The driver ran from the petrol station but was caught by a female officer.
But the male passenger got away, then doubled back to the petrol station to steal the empty police truck.
Read MoreFormer Armidale Australia Police Officer Gregory Minehan, Who Ran Police Youth Clubs, Arrested, Charged With Child Pornography - Child Porn Ring Broken
March 5th, 2008
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – A former Australian police officer who ran police clubs for young people has been charged with child pornography.
A police document filed in court recently showed that the evidence against Gregory Minehan includes text messages, e-mails and telephone conversations, including one where he allegedly asked a 14-year-old boy about his sexual experience, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Minehan was arrested in December after a national investigation into pedophile networks.
As a police officer, Minehan worked in Armidale, a country town in New South Wales, and ran police youth clubs in two other towns as well. He is now working in private security.
Investigators say that Minehan was part of a network of pedophiles. In addition to sharing pornography, the group allegedly traded tips on avoiding detection.
Prison Security Increased At Townsville Australia Prison After Theft Of Corrections Officer’s Car, KeyS, Handcuffs, And ID
March 4th, 2008
TOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA - Security at the Townsville Correctional Centre in north Queensland has been tightened after the theft of a car containing five sets of handcuffs belonging to a training officer.
A Queensland Corrective Services spokesman said the car was stolen after thieves broke into the officer’s house last night and stole his car keys.
The vehicle contained the handcuffs and their keys, used in a TAFE college training program.
Other items in the vehicle include the officer’s identification card.
The incident is being investigated.
Kids Hook Up During Valentine’s Day Orgy At Darwin Australia Juvenile Detention Center - Our Tax Dollars At Work
February 28th, 2008
DARWIN, AUSTRALIA - Juvenile delinquents had a “sex romp” at a detention centre after staff accidentally left security doors unlocked.
Boys were able to sneak into a girls’ dormitory at the Don Dale centre in Darwin after dark.
“About six inmates” - aged between 15 and 17 - took part in the Valentine’s Day orgy, the Northern Territory News was told yesterday.
Police were brought in to question the inmates.
A Territory mother said she was “furious” when her 15-year-old son - who is serving three months for a minor crime - told her he had taken part in the jailhouse sex escapade.
“He told me that they had all had sex in the one room - it was a big Valentine’s Day sex romp,” the 31-year-old mother said.
“The staff on duty that night left the doors open.
Read MoreBrisbane Australia Police Officer Sgt. Karl Anton Grundgeiger Pleads Guilty After Drunken Wreck At Three Times Legal Limit - Hides In A Courthouse Bathroom Stall For Two Hours To Escape Media And His Fans
February 27th, 2008
SANDGATE, AUSTRALIA - A veteran police officer was cheered and called a “legend” by defendants as he left court today after answering a charge of drink-driving at more than three times the legal limit.
Sergeant Karl Anton Grundgeiger pleaded guilty in the Sandgate Magistrate’s Court to driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.162 when he crashed his car on February 12.
The court was told Grundgeiger, 56, was an exemplary officer, with 36 years of unblemished service, but conceded that as a sworn officer he should have known better than anyone the severity of his actions.
Prosecutor Mike Dicken said Grundgeiger was arrested when police were called to a single-vehicle accident off Beams Rd, Carseldine, in Brisbane’s north, about 11.10pm.
Sergeant Dicken said Grundgeiger’s car had struck a fence, after failing to negotiate a roundabout, and that he later admitted to having consumed a quantity of wine.
Read MoreHeroic, Quick Thinking Australian Police Officer Uses Taser To Stun Man. Three Times. While The Man Was Locked In A Jail Cell. And Handcuffed To A Chair. Just After His Sister’s Arrest For Reporting His Beating By Arresting Officers
February 18th, 2008
CLEVELAND, AUSTRALIA - Police are investigating claims an officer tasered a handcuffed man three times in the Cleveland watchhouse last year to “shut him up”.
Three other complaints about police using the 50,000-volt stun guns inappropriately had been referred to the service’s internal investigation unit, police said.
Ethical Standards Command investigators dismissed one complaint against an officer who pulled out a Taser but did not fire it, according to a police spokeswoman.
Two matters are still under investigation and the other is subject to court proceedings, she said. Police Minister Judy Spence last month controversially announced a statewide rollout of Tasers to all frontline police despite being barely halfway through a 12-month trial.
Ms Spence released only limited trial results and immediately faced heavy criticism from lawyers and civil libertarians who feared the weapons would become the standard police response even in non-dangerous situations.
Read MoreBungled Australian Federal Police Investigation That Wrongly Charged Man Costs Taxpayers $7.5 Million - Investigation Into Investigation Begins, So Expect That To Double…
February 18th, 2008
AUSTRALIA - The bungled investigation of Indian doctor Muhammad Haneef has cost Australian taxpayers a whopping Australian $7.5 million ($$6.5 million), according to official estimates that were made public on Monday.
The revelation comes as the government plans to conduct a judicial inquiry into why Haneef was wrongly charged with supporting a terrorist organisation involved in the failed 2007 British bombings.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Mick Keelty, who has come under fire throughout the failed probe into the former Gold Coast registrar’s case, on Monday told a Senate Estimates Committee, “As at the end of December 2007, expenses for the investigation are in excess of $7.5 million. That is made up of approximately $5.5 million of employee expenses of which $1.6 accounts for overtime and approximately $1 million in supply expenses.”
Read MoreVictoria Australia Would Really Appreciate The Return Of 317 Badges, 7 Bulletproof Vests, 62 Pairs Of Handcuffs, 16 Clubs, 64 Breathalysers, Military Equipment, And Radios - Worry They Have Supplied Organised Crime Gangs
February 17th, 2008
VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA - Victorian police ID badges and other missing equipment, including handcuffs and bullet-proof vests, could have ended up with organised crime gangs.
The missing gear, either lost or stolen, includes military and radio equipment, body armour, breathalysers and police uniforms, Fairfax newspapers report.
There are no reports of stolen guns but Freedom of Information documents indicate the missing items, worth $420,000, comprise 317 police badges, seven bullet-proof vests, 62 pairs of handcuffs, 16 batons and 64 breathalysers.
Opposition police spokesman Andrew McIntosh described the loss as extraordinary and outrageous and posed a threat to the public.
Australian Government’s Massive $189 Million NetAlert Internet Filter Campaign Crashes And Burns - Cost To Taxpayers? $6,517 For Each Computer On Which It Is Still Used
February 16th, 2008
“The Internet is 92% sex, hate and violence. With NetAlarmed, you and your family are protected 100% from these dangers, even when not using the Internet”
I’m an adult. Can I opt-out?
Sure, but feedback to NetAlarmed suggests only a small amount of Australians will choose to opt-out (mainly felons). For those that do choose to opt-out, rest assured your personal details will be kept completely confidential on the NetAlarmed Watch List.
AUSTRALIA - The Rudd Government has branded as a failure the $85 million software filter scheme to protect young Australians from online pornography and will review its future.
Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy is assessing the NetAlert program, which will come under scrutiny at the Senate estimates hearings tomorrow.
Read MoreQueensland Australia Police Officer Charged After Drunken Wreck
February 13th, 2008
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA - An off-duty police officer in Brisbane has been charged with drink driving after crashing his car last night and allegedly failing a roadside breath test.
A spokesperson for Queensland Police said the 54 year old officer failed to negotiate a roundabout on Beams Road in Carseldine, in Brisbane’s north, just before 11pm last night, and crashed into a letterbox after veering off the road.
The officer has been charged with driving under the influence of liquor and will appear in the Sandgate Magistrates Court on March 4.
He will also be the subject of an internal investigation.
Surry Hills Australia Police Officers Tyrone Stacey And Brendan Ritson Charged With Privacy Law Violation After Telling Man His Girlfriend Used To Be A Man
February 5th, 2008
SURRY HILLS, AUSTRALIA - Garrick Jacobson was in custody at Surry Hills police station when he apparently discovered his girlfriend used to be a man.
Within hours of being released on bail, he went to her apartment and started “belting the hell” out of her, Downing Centre Local Court heard yesterday.
The two police officers who allegedly revealed the information about his then partner’s past are now charged with breaching privacy laws.
In a rare prosecution under the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act, Constables Tyrone Stacey and Brendan Ritson have pleaded not guilty to unlawful disclosure of information.
The offence is punishable by up to two years in jail.
The court heard Jacobson, 26, was held in custody on September 24, 2006, after being arrested for suspected theft.
Stacey allegedly used the police computer system to access information about Jacobson’s then girlfriend, Brigitte Fell, revealing her gender as male.
Read MoreAdelaide Australia Police Officer Arrested, Suspended, Charged With Rape And Theft
February 5th, 2008
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - Police have arrested and charged a serving police officer with raping a woman in the western suburbs in January.
The officer, 27, from the southern suburbs, was also charged with one count of theft.
Police allege the offences occurred between 10.23am on January 27 and 6am the next day, while the officer was off duty.
He has been suspended from duty and bailed to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court at a date to be set.
Senior Queensland Australia Police Officer Suspended, Charged With Stealing Gun
February 4th, 2008
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA - A Queensland police officer has appeared in court accused of stealing a service-issue Glock pistol which has since been recovered.
The senior constable, from Southport Police Station, faced Southport Magistrate’s Court last Thursday charged with stealing with circumstance of aggravation and tainted property.
The officer has been suspended without pay until the completion of the matter.
He is due to face a committal hearing on May 6.
D’oh! - Brisbane Australia Police Officer Shoots Himself In The Leg In Police Station
February 4th, 2008
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - A policeman was hospitalised after shooting himself in a bizarre accident at a Brisbane police station.
The 35-year-old officer was holstering his Glock pistol at the beginning of his shift at Sandgate police station about 10pm last night when the weapon fired.
The bullet grazed his thigh.
He was taken to hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.
The QPS’s ethical standards command will investigate the incident.
Sydney Australia Police Officer Catches A Bullet With His Stomach In Public Park Toilet Popular With Gay Men - Police Search For Man With “Rat Tail”
January 31st, 2008
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - Two men have been arrested following the shooting of a police officer in the stomach at Centennial Park in Sydney.
Reports indicate the shooting took place in the public toilet at the park.
The 48-year-old police officer suffered abdominal injuries and is in St Vincent’s hospital in Sydney in a stable but serious condition.
The toilets in Centennial Park have been noted for more than a century as one of Sydney’s gay beats.
Police arrested two men at Bexley North in Sydney after a police helicopter believed to have tracked a silver car without number plates to the area.
According to initial reports, police were searching for the occupiers of the car, who were described as being of middle-eastern appearance.
One of the men was described as having a “rat’s tail”.
Police have blocked off all of the entrances to the park.
Read MoreSydney Australia Authorities Call In Drug Counselors As 5 Year Old Dares Students To Eat Chalk
January 27th, 2008
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - Drug counsellors were called to a Sydney primary school because a year 5 boy was daring students to lick ground-up chalk off his palm.
The incident occurred at a public school in the eastern suburbs in term four last year.
It followed another episode at the same school involving three other students who turned in creative writing assignments featuring a fictional “drug island” and football stars Ben Cousins and Andrew Johns, who were involved in public drug battles.
A member of the school community, who asked not to be named, said counsellors were called in. But an Education Department spokesman denied the playground chalk incident was drug-related.
The spokesman said Waverley Council-funded youth workers went to the school to talk to the children about drugs as part of the curriculum.
Read MoreQueensland Australia Welfare Workers Lose Deaf Cerebral Palsy Girl With Learning Disabilities Who Contracted STD’s When Cousin Raped Her
January 23rd, 2008
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA - Queensland welfare workers were unable to find a 13-year-old indigenous multiple-rape victim, a profoundly deaf cerebral palsy sufferer whose behaviour had exhausted 43 foster carers and who had been known to the system almost her entire life.
Doctors at Cairns Base Hospital had rung the Department of Child Safety crisis line in an urgent bid to find the girl to treat her for three sexually transmitted infections - chlamydia, gonorrhoea and trichomoniasis - contracted when she was allegedly raped by her 19-year-old cousin at Weipa on Cape York in December. Crisis line staff on December 28 were “unaware” the child was under the care of DCS and had no contact details for her, say case notes provided to the Cape York Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect office and obtained by The Australian.
Read MoreVeteran Nassau County New York Detective Paul Fuina Is A Brookhaven Slumlord
January 23rd, 2008
NASSAU COUNTY, NEW YORK - A veteran Nassau County detective has been charged with a host of housing violations in Brookhaven, where town officials say he has been intimidating tenants and operating as a slumlord.
Paul Fuina, a detective assigned to the Levittown area who has worked for the Nassau Police Department since 1997, was cited for at least nine violations including having an illegal accessory apartment, building without a permit, having no certificate of occupancy for basement construction, and excessive litter in regard to a property in Mastic Beach.
Additionally, town officials said Fuina collected rent, always in cash, and, tenants said, with his gun and badge on his person. Nassau polic