Erin Patterson murder trial live: Digital forensics expert returns to the stand in mushroom case
The triple murder trial of Erin Patterson continues from the Latrobe Valley Law Courts in Morwell.
She's charged with murdering three relatives by serving them a beef Wellington meal that contained poisonous death cap mushrooms.
Follow the trial in our live blog.
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News.com.au
22 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘Respect for you': Email read in court in Kiama MP Gareth Ward's sexual assault trial
A parliamentary associate who alleges Kiama MP Gareth Ward sexually abused him has told a court that he still respects him 'immensely', describing him as an 'incredible local member'. Mr Ward, 43, is facing a four-week criminal trial in the Downing Centre District Court on allegations he sexually abused two young men. The NSW independent MP was charged in March 2022 with three counts of assault with act of indecency, an alternative charge of common assault against an 18-year-old man at Meroo Meadow in 2013, and intercourse without consent against a 24-year-old man in Potts Point in 2015. Mr Ward arrived in court on Tuesday for the second week of the criminal trial before Judge Kara Shead SC. The complainant who was 24 at the time of the alleged assault took the stand to give evidence for a fourth day. During a cross-examination by defence solicitor David Campbell SC, an email the man sent to Mr Ward in March 2019 was read to the court. In the email the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, wrote to Mr Ward to express his interest in the hope of securing a parliamentaryrole before flourishing the state independent MP with compliments. 'You know just how committed I am to this … how loyal I am to my boss, and how hard I work … and that I would give it all to make you look good,' the man's email said. The man then wrote in bold type that he would have 'no hard feelings' if Mr Ward could not find a role for him. 'Your friendship means the world to me … and my respect for you is already as high as it can be,' the email read. Mr Campbell put to the man that it was 'hardly a sentence you would use to describe a man who you allege had previously sexually violated you'. 'I disagree … this is me auditioning for a job … sometimes you overcompensate,' the man replied, adding that he had 'embellished' the email. Mr Campbell said the man had been prepared to say something 'false' in the email, referring to his description of their friendship, to which the man agreed but added that he still held professional esteem for Mr Ward. The man told the court that he still respected Mr Ward 'immensely', adding that he is an 'incredible local member'. When he quizzed the man over his conversation with another parliamentary staffer in 2019, Mr Campbell said the man had told the staffer words to the effect that then Premier Gladys Berejiklian had selected a 'rapist', Mr Ward, as the minster for children in her cabinet. The man replied that he didn't recall the conversation, but it would be 'consistent' with what he reported to police. THE ALLEGATIONS The man had earlier told the court that he attended an event on the night of the alleged assault at NSW Parliament House in 2015 before heading back to Mr Ward's apartment. At Mr Ward's apartment, the MP poured the man a drink before allegedly attempting to kiss him on his balcony, to which the political staffer pushed him away and said 'no'. Mr Ward leaned in again a short time later and kissed the man before the 24-year-old said he wanted to go to bed, the court was told. The Crown alleges the man was shown to his room by Mr Ward, who had allegedly stripped down to his boxers. Mr Ward allegedly put an arm over the man and his hands on the man's buttocks before he was told to stop. Without warning, it's alleged Mr Ward digitally penetrated him before allegedly kissing his neck and masturbating. The two maintained a professional relationship for some time after the alleged events, the court was told. The man made a formal statement years later to police, and Mr Ward was formally charged in March 2022. In her opening address last week, Crown prosecutor Monika Knowles alleged that Mr Ward indecently assaulted another man, who had just turned 18, at his home on the South Coast in February 2013. Beginning his political career in 2011, Mr Ward was a councillor on the Shoalhaven Council before becoming the Liberal member for Kiama in 2011, a seat he has held since. The trial before a 15-person jury continues.
ABC News
31 minutes ago
- ABC News
NT chief minister rejects calls for independent investigation into death in custody, criticises senator
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the names of Indigenous people who have died, used with the permission of their families. The Northern Territory chief minister has vehemently ruled out an independent investigation into the death in custody of a young disabled Warlpiri man in an Alice Springs supermarket. Last Tuesday, 24-year-old Yuendumu man Kumanjayi White died after being restrained by plain-clothed police officers in Coles, after he allegedly assaulted a security guard in the store. Advocacy groups including Justice Not Jails, Justice for Walker and Amnesty International have been at the forefront of calls for an external inquiry, alongside Kumanjayi White's grandfather, Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves. Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy is also among those who have said it may be necessary for an inquiry to take place at arm's length from NT police, to ensure impartiality. The NT Police Force last week rejected those calls. Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro on Tuesday said she supported police conducting an internal investigation and criticised Ms McCarthy's suggestion for it to be handed to an outside body. "It is entirely appropriate [that NT police investigate] and this is exactly what happens for all deaths in custody," Ms Finocchiaro told ABC Radio Darwin. "It's consistent nationally as well. "People can have full confidence in the Northern Territory Police Force to do their job, which is investigate matters … this now needs to take its course, and I urge everyone to respect the process." Ms Finocchiaro said she had spoken to Ms McCarthy about her comments about an external investigation, which she described as "entirely unhelpful". "If she wants to support the people of Yuendumu and people concerned about this, then the best thing she can do is use her powerful voice to call for calm and confidence in the NT Police Force." Ms Finocchiaro also said it would not be appropriate for the NT Independent Commissioner Against Corruption or the NT Ombudsman to hold their own separate investigation into the death. "All of this speculation is fuelling a political debate, rather than dealing with the issue at hand," she said. Ms McCarthy's office has been contacted for comment. Speaking to the ABC on Tuesday, Mr Hargraves said Kumanjayi White's family was demanding an independent investigation into the death. "We want this police to give us the CCTV [of the incident] … we want [an] independent investigation so we can get a better understanding of what happened." In a statement earlier this week, Justice Not Jails spokesperson Natalie Hunter said the group had "no faith in the NT police force to carry out an honest and transparent investigation". "The family needs to be empowered to ask the questions they want answered on their own terms, and the police need to step out of the way and let them do that," she said. Thomas Mayo, another Justice Not Jails spokesperson, said an independent investigation was "absolutely vital", particularly given allegations of racism within the NT Police Force that emerged during the coronial investigation into the fatal 2019 police shooting of Kumanjayi Walker in Yuendumu. "A mere glimpse at the record of police investigating themselves when there are allegations of racial violence against them is enough to understand why the family and community are calling for an independent investigation," he said. Ms Finocchiaro has also defended not visiting Alice Springs since Kumanjayi White's death, and said she would not to repeat the previous Labor government's handling of past Aboriginal deaths in custody. "It's a tragic situation but it's one that needs to be moved through carefully," she said. "I'm not going to make the same stupid mistakes that Labor made when they ran in on these types of issues, and created a political situation around something that needs to be done properly." Former NT Labor chief minister Michael Gunner faced accusations of political interference after he visited Yuendumu and told community members "consequences will flow" following the shooting death of Kumanjayi Walker by a police officer in 2019.
ABC News
31 minutes ago
- ABC News
NT police bust alleged Vietnamese crime syndicate with 113kg of cannabis
Northern Territory police have seized 113 kilograms of cannabis in a bust they say "strikes at the heart" of a sophisticated, cross-border criminal syndicate responsible for trafficking large quantities of illegal drugs into the territory. In a statement released on Tuesday, the head of NT Police's Drug and Organised Crime Division, Superintendent Lee Morgan, said officers had also seized about $170,000 in cash and a small amount of cocaine on Monday. He said detectives swooped on a vehicle transporting the cannabis on Willard Road in Holtze, east of Darwin, after intelligence indicated it was transporting the cannabis for distribution in the NT through established criminal networks. Superintendent Morgan said the bust had "significantly disrupted the activities of a Vietnamese organised crime syndicate operating across state borders". "This is not a case of low-level offending," he said. He said the removal of the drugs from the supply chain would have "an immediate and significant impact on the local drug market". "The reduced availability of cannabis will interrupt the operations of street-level dealers and limit the reach of this syndicate into our community," he said. Police arrested two Victorian men, aged 27 and 56, and a local NT man, 26, with the trio expected to face court on a range of drug charges including supplying a commercial quantity of a schedule 2 drug on Tuesday and Wednesday.
