Nurse who hid $1.7m drug money under bed spared jail
An assistant nurse caught with almost $2 million in drug money under her bed has been spared jail.
Jannine Williams, 35, pleaded guilty in Queensland Supreme Court on Thursday to one count of dealing in the proceeds of crime worth $1 million or more.
Crown prosecutor Patrick Wilson told Justice Peter Callaghan that Williams - a pediatric intensive care assistant nurse - was not accused of taking part in drug crimes herself.
"Williams possessed just over $1.7 million in a duffle bag under her bed on behalf of her (now former) partner," Mr Wilson said.
Mr Wilson said there was evidence of discussions that showed Williams had some knowledge of her former partner's involvement with shipments of cocaine up to 150kg.
"There was discussion of $2.2 million, and reference to vacuum sealing the money and storing it somewhere else," Mr Wilson said.
"They had a conversation about a very large quantity of drugs: 150kg.
"There was talk of the risk of prison, making it abundantly clear this was a serious criminal enterprise."
Police found the money on July 22, 2022 in Williams' apartment in the inner-Brisbane suburb of West End.
Justice Callaghan heard Williams initially denied knowledge of the money to police.
Williams had spoken about having to ignore the $1 million under her bed and needing to lock her apartment every time she left, Mr Wilson said.
Defence barrister Mark McCarthy said Williams was an Australian citizen who was born in the UK and had no prior criminal record.
"She has had a long career in a pediatric intensive care unit in the local hospital. She is a valued team member," he said.
"This was clearly out of character. But for her relationship she would never be involved in anything like this.
"She is extremely unlikely to be involved in anything criminal again."
Mr McCarthy said Williams had been in a "destructive relationship" and had little choice at the time but to tolerate having the money under her bed.
"She received no benefit from the cash," he said.
Justice Callaghan said it was incongruous to see someone with Williams' history of working to better the community end up in criminal court and facing the prospect of jail.
"The sentence I am about to pass will have an impact on your prospects of employment," Justice Callaghan said.
"It is to be hoped there is a discretion to be exercised by those who decide these things, and it will be exercised fairly and responsibly."
Williams was sentenced to three years' imprisonment but ordered to be immediately released on a $1000 good behaviour bond.
She broke down crying and was comforted by her parents after the sentence was handed down.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
7NEWS
9 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Victorian influencer Jordan van den Lamb, known as ‘Purple Pingers' sparks Aussie housing war
When a Victorian woman returned to her investment property in Melbourne's outer suburbs, she didn't expect to find squatters inside — or to learn that her home's address had been shared online by a Federal Senate candidate. The woman, who had been managing her late father's estate, reportedly arrived to find the locks changed, security cameras installed, and new heating fitted to the exterior. Police were called to force entry, where she discovered most of her father's belongings were missing, including sentimental items like antique furniture and family heirlooms. The damage left her about $70,000 out of pocket after her insurance claim was denied. The property had been vacant and was publicly shared by Jordan van den Lamb, known online as 'Purple Pingers', as part of his campaign encouraging people to identify and use unused homes for shelter. Mr van den Lamb has become a lightning rod in the national housing debate. But as his TikTok-fuelled activism escalates, so too do the consequences for homeowners, real estate agents, and authorities caught in the fallout. While some of his followers see occupying vacant properties as a form of protest, the legal reality is more complicated. A squatter is someone who enters and uses an abandoned or unoccupied property, often through unlocked access. While entering through an open door is not technically illegal, remaining after being asked to leave by the rightful owner constitutes trespassing, which is a criminal offence in all Australian states. The influencer rose to prominence online through his viral TikTok account and website Sh.t Rentals, where he publicly exposed unoccupied, poor-quality or overpriced rental properties. But his campaign has since evolved into something more confrontational. Mr van den Lamb said he shared the address of the Victorian property online in a bid to raise awareness and attract more submissions of vacant homes. 'Yes, that was shared by me,' he said. 'That property had been empty, off the top of my head, for like 17 years. We don't know whether the squatters moved in before or after I posted the address.' He said the situation was brought to his attention by a news organisation and confirmed, 'I had no interaction with her (the homeowner).' When asked about the impact on the Victorian woman, Mr van den Lamb told The Nightly he felt 'bad' but claimed there were bigger issues at play. 'I feel bad that her belongings were taken, especially if they had sentimental value,' he said. 'But we hear from people like this every day. We never hear from someone sleeping rough — and frankly, their voices matter more, because they're the ones who are dying.' How it works Mr van den Lamb said he personally ran the operation using a Google Form to collect submissions of empty homes and verify them through online tools. 'I call for submissions... ask people to submit an empty property, the address, how long they think it's been vacant... then I check Google Maps, street view, last sold, last rented, planning applications.' He added: 'Once someone reaches out via email, I might ask if they're alone — I prefer not to send solo people just for safety. I go through the list, send through what I know, and tell them to verify it themselves.' 'I only post very few online — just to get more submissions,' he said. 'Most properties are shared privately via email with those in need.' In one of his TikTok videos, Mr van den Lamb instructs viewers on how to detect long-term vacancies by searching real estate websites and analysing listing duration. But one real estate agent says Mr van den Lamb's actions have changed how some sellers think about signage and advertising. Victorian real estate agent manager Mark Vorstenbosch from BigginScott said, 'There's this idea that putting up a 'for sale' board might alert people that a home is empty, but I think not putting one up puts you in more danger, because you don't know when someone might turn up.' Loading TikTok Post Kelly Ryan, former chief executive officer of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV), described Mr van den Lamb's tactics as concerning. 'Encouraging people to squat in properties that aren't theirs isn't good social behaviour — it's not a good service to anybody,' she told The Nightly. Ms Ryan warned that the broader risk is a chilling effect on landlords and property providers. 'This kind of behaviour is counterproductive to tackling the housing crisis,' she said. 'If you discourage private property owners from staying in the market, you risk starving supply not just now, but five years down the track.' Ms Ryan also addressed common misconceptions about who owned investment properties. 'There's this idea that all property owners are wealthy. But the second biggest group of landlords in Australia are school teachers, often owning just one investment property. These are the people being affected.' According to Homes Victoria's Rental Report for December 2024, the number of new rental lettings, which is a key indicator of housing availability, declined statewide by 1.8 per cent in the December quarter compared to the same period the year before. Metropolitan Melbourne saw a 1.3 per cent drop, while regional Victoria experienced a sharper 4.1 per cent fall. The total number of active rental bonds held by the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority also declined by 3.6 per cent, a significant shift, given that bond volumes had averaged 1.0 per cent annual growth over the past five years. 'These early indicators suggest a contraction in the overall rental stock,' REIV noted at the time, 'reflecting a waning of investor confidence in the market.' Victoria Police declined to comment on specific incidents related to Mr van den Lamb's activism but said homelessness was 'not an offence'. 'Should an offence be detected, police will deal with that as per normal practice,' the spokesperson said. 'The priority for Victoria Police is to link people who are homeless or sleeping rough to the services available to them.' Police advised concerned property owners to report issues to their local council and referred inquiries about broader trends to the Crime Statistics Agency. Mark Donchi, manager of a Victorian homelessness program for St Mary's House of Welcome, said he doesn't encourage squatting but understands why it happens. He said his service has noticed a clear demographic shift, 'We're now seeing more families and single women coming to seek our services. The volume has definitely increased over the last five years.' Mr Donchi said that the increase is largely driven by a massive shortfall in affordable housing. 'And the process of getting into public housing is becoming longer and more complicated,' he said. However, Ms Ryan said for those on the receiving end of such activism, the consequences were anything but theoretical. If a squatter refuses to leave after being asked, the property owner must typically seek a possession order through legal channels — a process that can be lengthy and complex. Real estate agents say the process of removing unauthorised occupants from a property is far from straightforward, especially if the owner lives interstate. Mr Vorstenbosch said one of the problems was the lack of recourse for property owners if something happened to their homes. 'If the property owner is interstate, you can't even go through VCAT (Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal) anymore, you're redirected to the Magistrates Court, which can take up to six months. And that court isn't specialised in tenancy law, so mistakes happen.' But Mr van den Lamb argues that the real problem isn't scarcity, but distribution. 'At the last census, there were 30,000 people experiencing homelessness in Victoria. In metropolitan Melbourne alone, there are 100,000 empty homes... This isn't a supply issue. It's a distribution problem.' He also pushed back on criticism that his campaign might discourage landlords from renting out homes. 'These homes aren't being rented out,' he said. 'So that criticism doesn't really apply.' 'And if landlords are afraid to rent out homes that people could die in — then maybe that's a good thing, especially if we're talking about the substandard properties shown on Shit Rentals.' When asked whether he worked with homelessness services, he said there was 'informal collaboration' at times, but services were stretched. 'I think that would be unfortunately damaging to their reputations,' he said of formal partnerships, 'but I've spoken with many workers who have support and sympathy... and who've said there's literally nothing more they can do through their work.' Ms Ryan said for those on the receiving end of such activism, the consequences were anything but theoretical. 'As a society, we rely heavily on the private rental market,' Ms Ryan said. 'If we continue to make landlords feel vulnerable or vilified, we're only accelerating the very housing crisis we're trying to solve.'
Sky News AU
9 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Channel 7 journalist forced to hide between buildings as Iran launches ballistic missiles into Israel day on eight of conflict
An Australian journalist has been forced to shelter out in the open as Iranian ballistic missiles slammed into parts of Israel while others were intercepted in the sky. Channel Seven's Europe Correspondent Jacquelin Robson has been in the region covering Israel and Iran's deadly conflict, which entered its second week on Friday. While on the road in Tel Aviv, the reporter and her cameraman received a "rare" nationwide text alerting them to seek shelter as rockets had been fired by Tehran. Robson told Sunrise she was caught in the middle of the carnage. "We were forced to pull over and try to seek shelter," she said on Saturday. Viewers were shown vision of Robson and her crew running through a Tel Aviv neighbourhood as they scrambled to put on their body armour and helmets. "There were some locals who were calling us over to a bunker and we soon discovered that bunker did not exist. The final siren then sounded and we were forced to run to find shelter and found some space between buildings," the journalist said. A large explosion was then heard in the background of the clip. Robson said that was the moment a missile was intercepted by Israeli air defences. The two nations on Friday continued to launch missiles at one another on day eight of the conflict, targeting missile production sites in Iran and industrial facilities in Israel. Iran also hit the southern Israeli city of Beersheba for the second day in a row, causing serious damage to homes, businesses and leaving at least seven people injured. Israel hit dozens of military targets it claimed were involved in nuclear weapons development in Tehran, in addition to surface-to-air missile batteries in Iran's south. The Israeli city of Haifa was another location to be hit, leaving 23 people seriously injured. Among that group includes a boy, 16, and two men aged 40 and 54. Israel's military chief Eyal Zamir has warned it will likely be a "prolonged" conflict. "We have embarked on the most complex campaign in our history to remove a threat of such magnitude. The campaign is not over. Although we have made significant achievements, difficult days ahead," he said in a video statement. Peace talks were held in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday between European foreign ministers and their Iranian counterparts about a de-escalation of the conflict. The foreign ministers of Germany, Britain, France, known as the E3, plus the European Union, urged Iran to engage with the United States over its nuclear programme. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Switzerland that officials are "ready to consider diplomacy" but demanded Israel "stop the aggression". 'Iran's nuclear programme is peaceful and has always been under the IAEA safeguards and monitoring. Hence, armed attacks against safeguarded nuclear facilities by a regime which is not a party to any WMD (weapons of mass destruction) treaties is a serious crime and violation of international law," he said on Friday. 'Iran is ready to consider diplomacy once again – once the aggression is stopped and the aggressor is held accountable for the crimes committed. 'In this regard, I made it crystal clear that Iran's defence capabilities are not negotiable.' President Trump dismissed Europe's attempts to get Iran to agree to diplomacy. 'They didn't help. Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help on this one," the US commander-in-chief said. Asked about a ceasefire in the conflict, the President said he "might" support it.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
Reason behind accounting ‘mistakes'
Guy Sebastian's former manager 'made mistakes' in accounting towards the end of the pair's tumultuous relationship because his mother had become ill, the period marking the 'hardest time in (his) life'. Titus Emanuel Day is standing trial for allegedly embezzling $640,000 of Mr Sebastian's royalties and performance fees, including the alleged failure to remit $187,000 to Mr Sebastian for performance fees as a support act for Swift on her 2013 Red tour of Australia and other corporate gigs and performances. Mr Day has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of embezzlement as a clerk or servant and one count of attempting to dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception. He has denied doing anything fraudulent or dishonest. Mr Day took the stand to give evidence-in-chief on Friday, telling the court how issues had begun to 'creep in' to his management company, 6 Degrees, as a result of pressure sparked by his mother's declining health around 2016. SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire Photos JUNE 4, 2025. Titus Day (C) arrives at the Downing Centre Court on Wednesday. Guy Sebastianí•s former manager Titus Day is standing trial on allegations he embezzled money from the pop star. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire - 05 JUNE 2025: Guy Sebastian leaves the Downing Centre in Sydney. Christian Gilles / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia He told the court his mother was diagnosed with advanced Alzheimer's dementia around 2015. By the time she came to live with he and his family in 2016 she was so ill she was in a 'zombie state', prompting his wife, Courtney, to effectively step aside from her work at the company to care for his mother. The court was told his wife played a 'critical' role at 6 Degrees, with her duties ranging across creative work such as video clips, music production, songwriting production and dealing with record labels: when she left, Mr Day had to 'pick up all the slack' and delegate work to other staff. Another high level employee also had to step aside to care for Mr Day's mother at one point. 'Personally this was probably the hardest time in my life,' Mr Day told the court. He said all of his clients 'suffered' as a result, and that he'd made some accounting 'mistakes' during this period and could no longer be with clients on tours. 'Because my attention was taken away, but also spread thin, it affected all my clients - all my clients suffered,' Mr Day told the court. 'My accounting slipped, I wasn't able to send statements or invoices…I made mistakes in transactions and banking descriptions.' He spoke of one example where he accidentally paid Mr Sebastian money from another of his clients, Nigerian-Australian singer Timomatic, and then paid Timomatic money from Mr Sebastian. Titus Day told the court issues began to 'creep in' to his management company, 6 Degrees, as a result of pressure sparked by his mother's declining health. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia '(I) made a lot of mistakes on banking descriptions…a lot of issues started to creep into the company because of the pressure,' Mr Day said. Mr Day's barrister, Thomas Woods, earlier told the court that there would be 'no dispute' that on some occasions his client should have transferred money onto Mr Sebastian 'but did not'. 'For many of the charges, the real question is not going to be whether my client failed to transfer the money to Sebastian but whether his failure to do that was criminal,' Mr Woods said. The former manager's evidence-in-chief regarding the 'mistakes' mentioned on Friday is expected to continue next week. Mr Day has denied doing anything fraudulent or dishonest. In terms of business growth, Mr Day told the court 2016 was the company's busiest and most successful time, having taken on a range of clients across music, sports and media. He said it was an 'extremely busy' time and he was personally receiving more than 300 emails per day, acknowledging he had 'a lot less' time to devote to Mr Sebastian as opposed to the early years of their agreement. Guy Sebastian arrives at the Downing Centre Court. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia The 'really big shift' in the pair's relationship Mr Sebastian moved over to Mr Day's management company 6 Degrees three years after winning Australian Idol, having worked with him previously at Mr Day's former agency, 22 Management. No formal agreement was signed, but the court was told their agreement was based on Mr Sebastian's former arrangement with 22 Management. The Battle Scars singer, who was once so close with Mr Day he considered them to be a 'a family of sorts', earlier claimed he'd sent several emails to Mr Day around 2016 over concerns with their relationship, telling the court there was a 'really big shift' between them around that time. In particular Mr Sebastian claimed documents, statements and invoices 'were not being sent anymore'. 'That side of it and then some cultural issues that were happening as well and just a general shift in the service I was being provided,' Mr Sebastian previously told the court. 'I understand (6 Degrees) were getting busier as a company and that the list of clients had grown … that was starting to have some real ramifications on my business and personally as well. 'I was trying really hard to remedy these issues.' Mr Sebastian told Mr Day that he was leaving his management in 2017, the court was previously told. Mr Sebastian launched Federal Court proceedings against Mr Day the following year. He in turn filed a counterclaim.
