BREAKING NEWS Pair of childcare workers accused of assaulting a toddler at daycare centre in Sydney's west
More to come.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Scot accused of his wife's murder had joked to friend about killing her, court told
A Scot accused of murdering his wife while kayaking in Australia previously made a 'quip' about how he would 'kill her and move to Thailand ' if she left him and took half his pension, a court heard. Former Army major Graeme Davidson, who is originally from Glasgow, was charged over the 2020 death of wife Jacqueline in May. Her death at Lake Samsonvale in Queensland was initially put down to accidental drowning but a homicide investigation was launched 18 months later after detectives deemed it to be suspicious. The 56-year-old's lawyers have now applied for his bail in the Supreme Court in Brisbane, claiming the prosecution's case is 'fundamentally weak'. And yesterday the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported how his lawyer Craig Ederhardt told the court the only piece of evidence the prosecution could refer to in its case was the statement of one of Davidson's friends, relating to an alleged conversation in July 2017. It is reported that Mr Eberhardt said they were talking about another friend, whose wife had left him on the day of his retirement, took half of his pension and one of them had moved to Thailand. Davidson is alleged to have replied, saying, 'oh s*** yeah, I'd kill her and move to Thailand too'. But his lawyer told the court it was 'just a quip' and when put in context is 'not nearly as sinister as it sounds'. He is reported as saying: 'That [statement is] not recorded until eight years after the event. 'One wonders firstly whether it's reliable, secondly whether it's even admissible.' Mr Eberhardt also argued there was no evidence to suggest Mrs Davidson had told her husband she intended to leave him or take half his pension. Australian media reported that his wife had raised the 'idea' of divorce, after she learned her husband had an affair with a local woman during an army posting in Papua New Guinea, which caused 'significant matrimonial upset'. But Mr Eberhardt said this was different to her indicating that 'she was intending on leaving the marriage'. He told the court that Mrs Davidson later told friends that she intended to stay to try and make the marriage work. Police allege Davidson, who moved to Thailand several months after his wife's death and married a local resident, was involved in her drowning while they were kayaking. The court heard how bystanders at the scene allegedly asked Davidson if his wife had any diseases, to which he is said to have replied: 'Unless death is contagious'. His lawyer said his client immediately realised this statement was in 'bad taste' and he should not have said it, telling the court it was a 'distressing' incident involving the death of his wife of 35 years. In an affidavit filed as part of his bail application, Davidson is reported to have described how he began to 'show' off by standing up on his kayak when he and his wife were about 10 metres apart on the water. Mrs Davidson allegedly became 'distressed' and 'used the 'safe word' … designed to let him know that she was concerned about what he was doing'. The court was told Davidson saw his wife 'fall off the kayak' and he went into the water to find her but could not see because of the 'murky' water and grass weeds. Mr Eberhardt said: 'He managed to find her after some period of time, and he dragged her out.' Efforts were made to revive her, but she could not be saved. Davidson is also charged with fraud and attempted fraud relating to allegations he tried to claim almost £500,00 [$1million] in life insurance payouts following his wife's death. The defence is set to continue its submissions next week, when prosecutors are expected to refuse Davidson's application for bail.
The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
A settler accused of killing a Palestinian activist is to be freed. Israel still holds the body
An Israeli settler accused of killing a prominent Palestinian activist during a confrontation captured on video in the occupied West Bank will be released from house arrest, an Israeli court ruled Friday. The video shot by a Palestinian witness shows Yinon Levi brandishing a pistol and tussling with a group of unarmed Palestinians. He can be seen firing two shots, but the video does not show where the bullets hit. Witnesses said one of the shots killed Awdah Hathaleen, an English teacher and father of three, who was uninvolved and was standing nearby. The Israeli military is still holding Hathaleen's body and says it will only be returned if the family agrees to bury him in a nearby city. It said the measure was being taken to 'prevent public disorder.' The confrontation occurred on Monday in the village of Umm al-Khair, in an area of the West Bank featured in 'No Other Land,' an Oscar-winning documentary about settler violence and life under Israeli military rule. In a court decision obtained by The Associated Press, Judge Havi Toker wrote that there was 'no dispute' that Levi shot his gun in the village that day, but she said he may have been acting in self-defense and that the court could not establish that the shots killed Hathaleen. Israel's military and police did not respond to a request for comment on whether anyone else may have fired shots that day. Multiple calls placed to Levi and his lawyer have not been answered. The judge said Levi did not pose such a danger as to justify his continued house arrest but barred him from contact with the villagers for a month. Levi has been sanctioned by the United States and other Western countries over allegations of past violence toward Palestinians. President Donald Trump lifted the U.S. sanctions on Levi and other radical settlers shortly after returning to office. A total of 18 Palestinians from the village were arrested after the incident. Six remain in detention. Eitay Mack, an Israeli lawyer who has lobbied for sanctions against radical settlers, including Levi, said the court ruling did not come as a surprise. "Automatically, Palestinian victims are considered suspects, while Jewish suspects are considered victims," he said. Levi helped establish an settler outpost near Umm al-Khair that anti-settlement activists say is a bastion for violent settlers who have displaced hundreds since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. Palestinians and rights groups have long accused Israeli authorities of turning a blind eye to settler violence, which has surged since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, along with attacks by Palestinians. In a 2024 interview, Levi said he was protecting his own land and denied using violence. Some 70 women in Umm al-Khair said they were beginning a hunger strike on Friday to call for Hathaleen's body to be returned and for the right of his family to bury him in the village. Israel's military said in a statement to the AP that it would return the body if the family agrees to bury him in the 'nearest authorized cemetery." Hathaleen, 31, had written and spoke out against settler violence, and had helped produce the Oscar-winning film. Supporters have erected murals in his honor in Rome, held vigils in New York and have held signs bearing his name at anti-war protests in Tel Aviv.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Stepfather of grooming gang fantasist Eleanor Williams dies after being attacked in family home
The stepfather of grooming gang fantasist Eleanor Williams has died nearly three weeks after he was allegedly attacked inside the family home — with police now expected to launch a murder investigation. Ronnie Johnston, 57, died 20 days after suffering catastrophic injuries in an alleged assault that led to the arrest of a 54-year-old woman and a 19-year-old man. The incident took place at the end-terrace house on Walney Island, Barrow-in-Furness — the childhood home of Williams, 24, whose lies about being trafficked by an Asian grooming gang tore the Cumbrian town apart. A spokesman for Cumbria Police said: 'A police investigation is on-going after a man who suffered life-threatening injuries following an incident in Barrow, has died. 'On 12 July 2025, emergency services attended an address in Teasdale Road in Barrow following a report of two people having suffered injuries inside the address. 'A 57-year-old man was taken to hospital in a critical condition but died overnight on Tuesday (29 July) into Wednesday (30 July). 'A 19-year-old who suffered a broken arm was arrested on the evening of 12 July 2025 on suspicion of grievous bodily harm. He was subsequently released on police bail and remains on police bail whilst investigations into the incident remain on-going. 'A 54-year-old woman arrested at the same address on the same evening also remains on police bail.' Painter and decorator Mr Johnston was discovered with life-threatening injuries at the end-terrace property in Teasdale Road shortly before midnight on Saturday July 12. He is the husband of Williams' mother Allison Williams, who stood by her daughter as she falsely claimed she was trafficked and beaten by an Asian gang in Cumbria. She alleged she had been brutally raped and trafficked across the north of England and overseas in a string of Facebook posts in May 2020, shared more than 100,000 times. Her purported ordeal sparked protests and months of unrest in her home town, and prompted thousands to donate cash. Williams was later convicted of perverting the course of justice when her dramatic accounts were exposed as being completely fantastical. A trial at Preston Crown Court heard Williams inflicted the wounds herself using a hammer and she was jailed for eight-and-a-half years in March 2023. Three men falsely accused over a three-year period were driven to the brink of suicide after being targeted. One of them - Jordan Trengove - spent more than 70 days in prison, sharing a cell with a convicted sex offender after he was charged as a result of Williams' bogus claims. Ms Williams, 54, a former Labour councillor, was later accused of refusing to return £22,000 donated by well-wishers. She later said she donated the funds to two homeless charities. Williams was released from prison in January under the Government's early release scheme designed to free up space in prisons. The serial liar was revealed by Daily Mail to be making a 'new life for herself' outside of Barrow. A source said: 'She was a model prisoner and she was no threat to society at all. 'She was working during her time in jail as a receptionist for an electrical equipment company and proved to the authorities that she was suitable to be released. 'She's currently living outside Barrow and doesn't know whether she'll be able to return. 'It's an isolated town where everyone is involved in everyone else's business which would make life impossible for her at the moment.' Cumbria Police added: 'Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, referring to incident 355 of July 12. 'Alternatively you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.'
