Terrorism taskforce finds car linking synagogue attack with nightclub blaze
Victorian police have said that a "communal crime car" used by arsonists during a terrorist attack on a synagogue has been linked to a large fire that severely damaged a nightclub in Melbourne.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
33 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘Sterling gentleman not a monster': Sydney man found not guity of rape
A schoolboy accused of raping, choking, assaulting, and intimidating a woman has been found not guilty of all charges, after a jury accepted the 'sterling gentleman' could not have transformed into a 'horrendous monster' for a single year. Christopher Kay, now 21, stood trial in the NSW District Court after pleading not guilty to 18 charges relating to an alleged victim when they were both 17-year old school students. A jury took less than a day to find the Chatswood man not guilty of all charges. Mr Kay was accused of sexual intercourse without consent - with the Crown relying on her alleged comments 'Maybe not right now. Can we please do this later?' to show her lack of consent. He was also accused of damaging her necklace and mobile phone in fits of anger. Mr Kay's defence barrister Margaret Cunneen SC told the jury that while acknowledging the abhorrent nature of sexual assault and violence against women, false allegations are equally serious and that the complainant had fabricated a narrative to frame her client. She described Mr Kay as a 'sterling gentleman', highlighting his good character, academic achievements, and lack of prior offences - arguing it was improbable for him to suddenly transform into a 'horrendous monster'. Ms Cunneen accused the complainant of 'retrofitting' and embellishing her evidence, portraying her as an 'entitled, very spoilt actress' who had lied under oath. Evidence that Mr Kay had called the alleged victim's mother, expressing concern for her emotional state and asking her to come and get her was behaviour inconsistent with the behaviour of an abuser, Ms Cunneen told the court. Ms Cunneen questioned why the complainant and her current boyfriend had concealed their relationship, suggesting it was part of a scheme to portray the complainant as a victim. She told the jury the complainant was 'very, very keen on sex' and often initiated it and suggested that, given the explicit nature of their communications, Mr Kay had reason to believe he had. Crown Prosecutor Simon Healy said the verdicts should be a 'technical decision' based on the evidence, a yes/no answer to whether the Crown has proven the essential elements of each count, rather than an emotional decision based on personal feelings. Acknowledging the complainant could be fun and pleasant, he said she was also demanding and difficult. However, he stressed that the trial was not about her character, but about whether the Crown had proven the essential elements of each count. Ms Cunneen told Mr Kay, who had his passport seized by police, missed scholarship and exchange opportunities at overseas universities while he waited to defend the charges. She said the court heard Mr Kay's good character evidence also spanned the period in question and the three years since. The evidence included a young woman friend of both who declared herself a 'deep-rooted feminist' but that, 'to her close observation, Christopher was always calm and caring while the complainant used 'weaponised panic attacks' to get her way.' The court also heard the alleged offences were said to have occurred at Mr Kay's home, a two-bedroom apartment, yet the police did not obtain statements from his parents, who were usually home. They gave evidence that they heard nothing untoward, and heard only laughter coming from the room. Mr Kay told 'This has been an incredibly traumatic experience for my family and me. I'm glad that the truth was revealed and a new chapter of life can begin.'
News.com.au
34 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Teens charged after fire extinguisher allegedly sprayed into car with baby inside
Two teenage boys have been charged after allegedly spraying a fire extinguisher into a car injuring a father and his five-month-old baby. Police allege two boys riding an e-bike discharged a fire extinguisher into the open rear window of a Silver Suzuki Vitara at a set of traffic lights in Sippy Downs, Queensland on the evening of June 15. The car was being driven by a 29-year-old father Leon, with his baby girl Pixie sitting in the back seat. Both were taken to hospital where they were treated for minor injuries. Leon's partner, Tiffani Teasdale, told 9News the car filled with smoke leaving Leon unable to see or breathe. 'He yelled out to them 'I've got a baby in the car, I've got a baby in the car',' she said. After the incident, Pixie was rushed to hospital, where nurses flushed the chemicals from her eyes. Ms Teasdale said she heard her daughter scream and saw her with bloodshot eyes and covered with red rashes. Police allege the fire extinguisher used in the incident was stolen earlier that evening from a car park on Courage Street, Sippy Downs. A 15-year-old Buderim boy has been charged with 13 offences including three counts of wilful damage and two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm. A 14-year-old Buderim boy has been charged with six offences including two counts of wilful damage and two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm. Both teenagers will be dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act. The incident prompted a public appeal, and police have thanked the Sunshine Coast community for their assistance.
The Australian
40 minutes ago
- The Australian
AFP raids Double Bay mansion dressed in hi-vis over alleged cocaine deal
A man who was charged with allegedly trying to possess 30 kilograms of cocaine after a wild police raid in one of Sydney's most exclusive suburbs has been named. Wild footage showed 40-year-old Jonathan Lindsay Fagan being escorted away from a home on Holt Street in Double Bay on Friday afternoon by undercover police officers dressed up as tradies. He has since been charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported border controlled drugs. Police will allege in court he was the intended recipient of 30 kilograms of cocaine imported by a criminal syndicate offshore, and had travelled to a 'dead drop' in Alexandria on Friday to collect what he believed to be the drugs. Mr Fagan appeared in Parramatta Local court on Saturday, where his bail was refused. He will remain in custody on remand until his next court appearance on June 24. Wild footage has shown undercover AFP officers raiding a multimillion-dollar home in one of Sydney's most exclusive suburbs, with some dressed as tradies. Picture: NewsWire Dead drops are a secret location where items such as cash and illicit drugs are left for other people to collect. Police had intercepted the delivery however, and replaced the alleged cocaine with an inert substance, a statement from the Australian Federal Police said. The AFP will allege the man removed a sports bag containing the 30kg of the substitute material from a parked van in Alexandria and then returned to his home in Double Bay, at which point police pounced. Wild footage has shown undercover AFP officers raiding a multimillion-dollar home in one of Sydney's most exclusive suburbs, with some dressed as tradies. Picture: NewsWire A Sydney man has been charged with allegedly attempting to collect 30kg of cocaine from an Alexandria car park. Picture: AFP Officers raided the Double Bay home and a nearby unit, and arrested the man following a 'short foot pursuit' down the road. Police allege multiple encrypted mobile devices, the sports bag containing inert substitute material and an amount of anabolic steroids were seized from the two homes. It will be alleged the cocaine had an estimated street value of $9.7 million and would have equated to about 150,000 street deals. A neighbour who watched the incident unfold told NewsWire on Friday he had been working from home when 'a series of really loud bashing and crashing sounds' could be heard nearby. 'A number of cars have pulled up in a hurry and a bunch of undercover cops dressed as tradies jumped out with guns and radios and whatnot,' the neighbour said. The man was seen in a grey tracksuit with a medical paper gown over the top. Picture: AFP, , 'Some crew in substantial gear were basically just belting on the door, just ramming it trying to get access and during this time more and more police are coming out of the woodwork.' As the situation developed, the neighbour said the street became a hub of police activity. 'There's a lot of them moving around in unmarked vehicles and they're just trying to lock the whole area down,' he said. The neighbour said the lavish mansion where the raid took place rarely draws attention, although gatherings seem to take place there relatively frequently. Officers were seen inside the multimillion-dollar home on Friday. Picture: NewsWire / Jeremy Piper An officer loiters out the front of the luxury home as investigators comb through the premises. Picture: NewsWire / Jeremy Piper 'They'd host a lot of family affairs at the house, always low-key, nothing gnarly … but it was the kind of place where they'd have lot of shindigs.' Footage from the raid showed an unmarked police car had blocked off the street with its lights flashing, and armed officers were seen stationed around the area. A spokesman for the Australian Federal Police confirmed officers had executed a search warrant at the premises 'as part of an ongoing criminal investigation'. The man will face Parramatta Local Court later on Saturday. Police allegedly seized multiple encrypted mobile devices, the 30kg inert substance and anabolic steroids during raids of the Double Bay home and a nearby unit. Picture: NewsWire / Jeremy Piper
