Queensland police conduct searches under Jack's Law
Jack's Law allows police to search people for weapons at relevant places including shopping centres and train stations.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
9 hours ago
- ABC News
Police footage of man charged over firearms incident
Police have charged a 31-year-old man over an alleged burglary and firearms incident near Ghooli in WA's Wheatbelt.
ABC News
11 hours ago
- ABC News
Police helicopter captures arrest of alleged gunman in Yagoona
Police footage shows the moment officers swarmed on three young men in Yagoona after a shooting at alleged crime figure Ali Elmoubayed's home in Merrylands on Thursday morning.
ABC News
11 hours ago
- ABC News
Former NSW Police officer Jonathan Bettles sentenced over assault, domestic violence offences
A former NSW Police officer who admitted to repeatedly assaulting his former partner will not spend any further time behind bars, despite being handed a prison sentence. Jonathan Charles Bettles pleaded guilty to 14 charges, including five counts of common assault, six of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two of destroying or damaging property and one of perverting the course of justice. The 37-year-old's lawyer previously conceded the offending, which occurred over a period of 18 months to mid-2021, was "very serious", but said it was linked to his client's severe mental health issues. On Thursday, Magistrate Christopher Halburd sentenced the man to two years and nine months' jail, which was backdated to January 2024 to take into consideration time he had already spent in custody and on home detention. He became eligible for parole on the same day he was sentenced. Magistrate Halburd told Burwood Local Court the man's offending displayed controlling behaviours through sporadic acts of violence. He said Bettles's crimes ranged from "petty" acts of violence such as tipping Coca-Cola on the woman and destroying her makeup, to assaulting the victim in front of others. "This is not a situation where it's one isolated act. "Domestic violence is a blight on society and courts must do their best to stamp [it] out," Magistrate Halburd said. When handing down Bettles's sentence, Magistrate Halburd rejected claims he "wasn't an aggressive person", instead telling the court he was someone who did not "seem to be taking responsibility for his behaviour". "Throughout this relationship, he was violent and aggressive." "The other troubling aspect of this matter … [was] when the victim did reach out for help, the defendant told her to lie to police and so she wouldn't receive that help," he said. Late last month, the woman told the court she lived in a state of "constant emotional turmoil", no longer felt safe and was addicted to antidepressant medication. "Emotionally, I have been stripped of my strength and stability," she said in the statement, which was read in court by her daughter. The woman said Bettles was a violent and toxic man and she feared nobody would believe her. "The betrayal cuts deeper from that uniform he once wore," she said. Defence lawyer Bryan Wrench said his client acquired post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from his work in the police force. He said the domestic violence incidents, while "deplorable and horrible", were related to "emotional outbursts" caused by the PTSD. The Crown prosecutor accepted there was evidence Bettles had PTSD but disputed there was a causal link between the condition and his acts of violence. The court heard the former senior constable took two weeks off due to his mental health in May 2021 and was then on medical leave until he was charged in September 2023. Bettles, who is no longer employed by NSW Police, served about six months in protective custody while on remand and 14 months "effectively" on house arrest. Mr Wrench said it was "no coincidence" that the domestic violence ceased between 2021 and 2023, when Bettles began seeing a psychologist. Bettles was also handed two community corrections orders and will be ordered to serve 100 hours of community service.
