Judge declares mistrial on one of three Harvey Weinstein rape charges
The mistrial ruling came one day after the jury convicted Weinstein on a separate sex abuse charge. It acquitted him on a second charge. Weinstein, once one of the most powerful people in Hollywood, faced a retrial that began on 23 April after a New York State appeals court overturned his 2020 conviction last year. He was accused by prosecutors of raping an aspiring and assaulting two other women. Weinstein pleaded not guilty and has denied assaulting anyone or having non-consensual sex.
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News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Shock update after Aussie doused with petrol
The man who brutally bashed 18-year-old Sydney woman Lauren Huxley about the head with fibro cutters, doused her in petrol and left her for dead could soon be out on day release. Lauren's family were notified of the frightening reality this week and are 'absolutely gutted'. Her sister Simone told Robert Black Farmer had dealt her family a life sentence but now he could be getting a chance at a new life. 'He stole beauty from her world. She has had countless operations to put her face back together, 12 hour operation after 12 hour operation. She had a five per cent chance of survival, they didn't even know how she lived, let alone learn to walk and talk and eat again,' Simone said of her little sister who is now 38. 'She spent seven months in hospital. She was 18 years old, she had a future to look forward to and he stole it. He got a minimum term of 20 years for that, a maximum of 24. We have got a life sentence.' In June 2008, Farmer — who has never admitted to his crime — was sentenced to a non-parole period of 20 years with a maximum of 24 years for the unprovoked attack on Lauren, a stranger, after a jury found him guilty. In handing the sentence down, Justice Peter Hall referred to the 39-year-old's lack of remorse and said there was no doubt he tried to kill Ms Huxley. Farmer had a long criminal history, including stealing thousands of litres of petrol just one month before the attack and had also been convicted of armed robbery with wounding. This week the Huxley family received word from the parole authority that Farmer, who is now a minimum security inmate, may soon qualify for day release even though he still has four and a half years of his minimum sentence to serve. For Simone and her parents Christine and Pat, who try to shield Lauren from reliving the nightmare, the news was gut wrenching. 'I have been feeling sick since the phone call, there've been a lot of tears, and now we are angry,' Simone said. 'This person was on bail and parole when he committed one of the most horrendous crimes our country has seen. 'He has never shown any remorse for what he did to an innocent 18 year old whom he had never laid eyes on before that dreadful day. She had her whole life ahead of her and he stole it; the emotional, psychological and physical toll of his actions is something we continue to live with everyday. 'That pain does not lessen with time, and is compounded by the knowledge that he may soon walk freely among us, even if only for part of the day. 'We strongly believe the safety, healing and dignity of victims and their families need to be prioritised, especially when the perpetrator has shown no signs of accountability for their actions. This career criminal has repeatedly been freed to commit more crimes and devastate lives. He doesn't deserve it.' Simone says she believes other Australians 'who saw what happened to Lauren when the case was so highly publicised' would feel the same. Lauren, who can now drive a car, has a job and is a 'doting aunty' is 'so positive and so grateful to be alive' despite the challenges she faces every day. 'She never once has said 'why me?' and we are completely grateful to have her here with us,' Simone said. 'She is a miracle in every sense of the world. She just deserves some peace now.'
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
God Only Knows Brian Wilson was a humble music fan, just like the rest of us
The troubled and sometimes estranged daughter of the musical genius Brian Wilson famously described her young life waking each morning to the same song being played by her father at full volume. Every single day. Carnie Wilson, herself an accomplished musician, said she would wake to the first heartbeat-like thumps of the song echoing through the house: DUM. Da-da da DUM. A familiar wall of sound would roll through the drumbeat, then the percussion would hit, and then the yearning lyrics to the Ronettes' smash hit, Be My Baby, would soar once again. The night we met I knew I/needed you so Brian Wilson, the founder of the Beach Boys, often described the 1963 classic as the greatest song he knew. "I felt like I wanted to try to do something as good as that record, and I never did. I've never stopped trying. It's the greatest record ever produced, no doubt." Listening to one great musician stand in awe of another's piece of music, sounding humble and joyous just like any other fan, is a wonderfully intimate thing. When you realise that Bruce Springsteen or Florence Welch are buying the same records you buy and are also standing in their living room with the volume up wondering, how do they do that, you understand how connected you all are as music fans. How you all attend the same church and sing the same hymns. It is a remarkable leveller when a great musician declares themselves simply another fan. Brian Wilson's enduring love of that gorgeous piece of pop makes him a kid singing at the top of his voice in the car, just like us. In the wake of Brian Wilson's death this week at the age of 82, generations of musicians have spoken about how much they loved his songs too, about how meaningful they have been in their lives as fans and musicians, and there is one song in particular that they keep coming back to. Shall I try to list them all, the artists who say that the Beach Boys, the album Pet Sounds, and that one song have been some of the most important songs in their lives? Patti Smith, Bruno Mars, Iggy Pop, Elton John, Paul Simon, Janelle Monae, Carole King, Leonard Bernstein, Smokey Robinson, the Gibb brothers, The Eagles… I'll have to stop there, but will finish of course with John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who were unabashed fans. The two bands inspired each other and competed with each other in their early days. The Beatles' Rubber Soul spurred Brian to write Pet Sounds, which in turn sparked Sergeant Peppers: the best kind of rivalry when fans get the benefits. But what of this one song — the one song that all these musicians and others reference when they say it's one of the greatest ever written? The night Brian died, the singer-songwriter Sting was on tour in Germany, and this is how he commemorated him. The simple purity of God Only Knows, and the glorious harmonies of its recorded version have become a touchstone of modern music, and a shared password of musical passion: if someone you like likes this song too, then you're going to be just fine. Paul McCartney wrote on Instagram this week: "Brian had that mysterious sense of musical genius that made his songs so achingly special. The notes he heard in his head and passed to us were simple and brilliant at the same time." I've written before about how our most beloved musicians close a door on our early, formative lives as music fans when they die. We get to keep their music, but our connection to that thrilled, younger self gets ever more distant, and they seem to take an understanding of us with them. They have the secret of us because of our love for them. For many this week Brian was that idol, and I know when another goes, we all privately review the list of those who remain and dread the inevitable news of their loss one day. I've checked my list. For now, they are all here, although so many are missing. But I can still play their songs to keep them close. This weekend, read about the Melbourne eccentric who kept the people and faces of his city alive with a photo booth that nobody thought was anything more than an amusement. The persistence of memory, again. Have a safe and happy weekend, and here is just a handful of great artists who revere that Brian Wilson song, all in perfect harmony, to celebrate the BBC's enduring love of music, just like ours. Go well. Virginia Trioli is presenter of Creative Types and a former co-host of ABC News Breakfast and Mornings on ABC Radio Melbourne.
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
Diddy trial stunned by shock appearance of Kanye West
Kanye West made a surprise appearance at Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex-trafficking trial Friday morning, entering the courtroom with one of Combs' sons. When West - who goes by Ye Ye - came to the courthouse around 11.10am, screams could be heard from bystanders, who shouted questions at him and recorded with their phones. West - wearing all white denim pants and jacket and black sunglasses - was asked, 'Are you here to support Combs?' 'Yes,' the fellow rapper responded. He did not respond to questions about whether he's been following the trial, which has been running for five weeks. He was met by Combs' son Christian 'King' Combs, who walked with the rapper inside. Once West was cleared through the courthouse security, he got in an elevator and went to the 23rd floor to watch the trial on a television screen inside a less-used secondary overflow room. Two overflow courtrooms have been available throughout trial so the public can still view the trial in case the main courtroom reaches capacity. The main courtroom, however, was not full Friday. West briefly observed inside the room, before other reporters caught wind of his surprise visit, apparently prompting him to leave. West spent about 40 minutes total inside the courthouse before leaving with Combs' son and someone who appeared to be security. West's wife, Bianca Censori, was not in attendance or seen at the courthouse. West didn't answer questions as he got into a black car and drove away. A day earlier, one of Diddy's alleged victims, former gal pal 'Jane,' gave shocking testimony about an unnamed, world-famous rap 'icon' whom she said was into a 'similar' sex-crazed, 'freak-off' lifestyle as the Bad Boy Records founder. West didn't respond to reporters' questions about whether he was the 'iconic' rapper described on Thursday. One of Sean 'Diddy' Combs' alleged victims and his one-time gal pal 'Jane' testified that she attended a January 2024 Las Vegas party hosted by a famous rapper who was throwing a birthday party for his girlfriend. Jane said she was flown on the rapper's private plane to Sin City, where a group of attendees went to a play, then to a birthday dinner, before going to a strip club and capping the night off with an afterparty in a hotel room. Jane said at the afterparty she saw an escort named Antoine having sex with a woman as the rapper, his girlfriend and others watched. Jane said she and Diddy had hired Antoine several times to join in 'freak-offs' with them. And when she saw Antoine at the party, he told her he travelled around with the mystery rapper and his girlfriend. Jane also said she recommended to the rapper another escort she and Combs hired because, similar to the 'I'll Be Missing You' rhymer, the mystery rapper was into a 'similar' sex-crazed 'lifestyle.' Jane said Combs was upset with her when he found out she went to the rapper's party and subsequent 'freak-off'. Diddy, 55, is accused of using his fame, fortune and many businesses to run a decade-long scheme in which he controlled and manipulated his longtime girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie Ventura, 38, and others including Jane using violence and threats, forcing them into 'freak-off' sex marathons that went on for days. The rapper has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He faces life in prison if convicted.
