CCTV to feature in highway stabbing case
CCTV footage of a horrific alleged stabbing rampage on a busy highway in Sydney's south is being gathered by police prosecutors, a court has been told.
Police allege Antony Benson stabbed his partner with a box cutter inside his car before crashing into another car on the Princes Hwy at Engadine last August.
The 58-year-old had allegedly also turned the weapon on three others and himself by the time emergency services had arrived.
Drivers on the busy Sydney highway came to a standstill as the incident unfolded, with it alleged bystanders who witnessed the crash tried to intervene as Mr Benson stabbed his 48-year-old partner. Antony Benson is charged with stabbing his partner and several others in a violent rampage on the Princes Highway. NewsWire / Damian Shaw Credit: News Corp Australia Antony Benson had allegedly turned the weapon on himself and three others by the time emergency services arrived. Supplied Credit: Supplied
A 67-year-old man sustained a 20cm laceration to his abdomen when he ran to the woman's aid and a police officer was seriously injured after Mr Benson allegedly attempted to flee on foot. Both alleged victims required stitches.
Mr Benson has also been charged with assaulting Cronulla Sharks chairman Steve Mace, who was allegedly in a nearby car and attempted to assist the 48-year-old woman.
Police claim Mr Benson inflicted wounds on himself before he was tasered, taken into custody and rushed to hospital in a critical condition.
The 20-year-old driver of the Lancer was also taken to hospital after her wrist was broken in the crash, which police allege was caused by Mr Benson driving dangerously.
Mr Benson was arrested at the scene and charged with eight offences related to the alleged highway rampage.
He was also later charged breaching an apprehended violence order that was in place at the time of the incident.
Mr Benson did not appear in the Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday, where his matter was briefly mentioned.
Crown prosecutor Lucia Cohen said there was a 'strong crown case' involving 'extremely serious' offences relating to five separate complainants.
'The brief is exceptional and there is a large amount of CCTV footage still to be received,' she said.
The matter was adjourned until June 3, by which date Mr Benson will have spent nine months in custody on remand.
He has not yet entered any pleas to the charges.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
9 hours ago
- Perth Now
Grieving wife watches fatal punch replay
A former NRL hopeful allegedly accepted an apology from a man, only to fatally punch him moments later during a heated early morning altercation on the Gold Coast. Oshae Jackson Tuiasau, 29, has pleaded not guilty to unlawfully striking 39-year-old Toro George, claiming he acted in self-defence during an escalating street argument. The court was told the confrontation unfolded just before 4am on December 19, 2021, on View Ave in Surfers Paradise. CCTV footage played to the jury showed a group of five men and one woman walking together when Mr George leaned toward Mr Tuiasau, who then struck him once in the face. Mr George fell backwards and hit his head on the pavement. He died in hospital eight days later, on December 27. In court, Mr George's widow became visibly emotional as the moment was replayed on screen, turning away as the fatal blow was shown to the jury. Former Queensland and Gold Coast Titans player Oshae Jackson Tuiasau at the Brisbane Supreme Court where he is facing charges of one count of unlawful striking causing death. NewsWire/Tertius Pickard Credit: News Corp Australia On the second day of his Brisbane Supreme Court trial, Mr George's cousin, Junior Marsters, told the jury he saw the men shake hands and make peace shortly before the alleged punch, which left Mr George unconscious on the pavement. The court was told earlier in the night at the Havana RnB Nightclub, Mr Marsters had heard rumours that Mr George had 'touched' a woman, and confronted him about it. He said Mr George denied the allegation. Footage from inside the nightclub showed a heated confrontation involving Mr George and another man, leading to more people gathering and arguing with some pushing. The court was told the incident was sparked by the allegations that Mr George had sexually assaulted a woman from the other group on the dance floor. Mr Marsters said he was trying to keep two groups apart during the heated dispute. CCTV footage showed the altercation then led outside of the nightclub when uniformed police officers stepped in and attempted to disperse the crowd. Toro George, 39, died eight days later in hospital after the alleged punch. Facebook Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Marsters said he walked off with Mr George before meeting back up with Mr Tuiasau and their niece Lekisha Marsters. 'He (George) apologised … (Tuiasau) accepted the apology,' Mr Marsters told the court. The group began walking together, but tensions soon flared again. Several witnesses said Mr George became increasingly agitated as he insisted on returning to find his brothers. However, the others were unwilling to go back and told him to meet them at the hotel instead. Mr Marsters told the court that Mr George began 'screaming' at him in a mix of Cook Island Māori and English 'He was firm on finding his brothers,' Mr Marsters said. He said the two of them were getting 'angry' at each other. The CCTV footage, leading up to the punch, showed the group arguing with some shoving. Mr Tuiasau is shown walking on the far right side of the group, not appearing to be involved in any physical confrontation. As Mr George leaned toward him, Mr Tuiasau quickly struck him once in the face, causing him to fall backwards and hit his head on the pavement. He immediately lost consciousness. Arden George, the widow of victim Toro George, outside the Brisbane Supreme Court. NewsWire/Tertius Pickard Credit: News Corp Australia Family members of Mr George looked away each time the footage of the punch was played to the jury. During the first viewing, one relative audibly gasped at the confronting vision. The footage then showed several people rush to his aid, while Mr Tuiasau walked away. Lekisha Masters described being in disbelief, seeing her uncle fall to the ground. 'I was in shock … I tried to help him up to get him on to the chair,' Ms Marsters said. Mr Marsters also described feeling in 'shock' at seeing his cousin go down. 'I told the boys, that's enough, because I'm worried about my family now,' Mr Marsters said, Another witness, Odain Masters, said he heard Mr Tuiasau say 'that is what you get'. Ms Marsters said she didn't hear him say anything as he walked away from the scene. Under cross-examination, Ms Marsters admitted she initially told police her uncle had fallen and hit his head, and not that he had been punched. She didn't explain why she and another witness gave that version to police. Oshae Tuiasau, 2016 Gold Coast Titans headshot. Photo – NRL Photos Credit: No Source Mr Tuiasau was arrested at 4.30am and interviewed at the Southport watch house later that morning, while Mr George was still fighting for his life. He was initially charged with grievous bodily harm. In a video of the police interview played to the jury, Mr Tuiasau appeared subdued and admitted to throwing the punch. 'I looked at him and then I, I hit him … I punched him,' Mr Tuiasau told police. 'It was a good night … up until the very end.' He said he got a 'shock' when Mr George fell and admitted he had been drinking throughout the night. Mr Tuiasau told police the confrontation began while the group was leaving Havana RnB Nightclub and that Mr George had 'started swearing'. He said hearing that Mr George had allegedly assaulted a woman known to him inside the club 'triggered' him. 'We got face-to-face,' he said. Oshae Jackson Tuiasau, 29, (centre) has pleaded not guilty to unlawfully striking 39-year-old Toro George, claiming he acted in self-defence during an escalating street argument. NewsWire / John Gass Credit: News Corp Australia Crown Prosecutor Toby Corsbie told the court Mr Tuiasau had lashed out after learning of the alleged assault, but the punch was a 'single moment in time, a single choice' that caused Mr George's heart to stop. Mr Tuiasau's barrister, Craig Eberhardt KC, argued his client acted in self-defence against 'a drunk and aggressive man who had already sexually assaulted a woman that night.' 'It is tragic that he died,' Mr Eberhardt told the court. He said some of the witnesses were not being truthful in their accounts of what happened that night. Mr George's wife, Arden George, became visibly emotional during the proceedings, as the events leading to her husband's death were replayed in court. The trial is expected to last five days, with further witnesses expected to give evidence this week.
Perth Now
11 hours ago
- Perth Now
Moment that Guy Sebastian went to cops
Guy Sebastian has revealed the moment he approached police to raise allegations his former manager had embezzled money from him, telling a court that he resisted going into his local station to avoid a media circus. Mr Sebastian is on the witness stand as his former manager Titus Day stands trial in the NSW District Court accused of embezzling more than $600,000 from the Aussie pop star. It's alleged that Mr Day failed to remit performance fees and royalties that were collected by his 6 Degrees talent agency. Mr Day has denied doing anything dishonest or fraudulent and 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. Mr Sebastian appeared in the witness box for the second day on Tuesday, telling the court how his relationship with his long-time manager and friend broke down in 2017. The court was told that Mr Sebastian did not have a formal contract with 6 Degrees and when he moved over to Mr Day's company they agreed to an arrangement on the same terms that he had with his former talent agency. Titus Day is standing trial in the NSW District Court having pleaded not guilty to embezzlement. NewsWire/Nikki Short. Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Sebastian told the court that he was happy with Mr Day's management when he first moved into his stable, but tensions arose and his bookkeepers were forced to chase information and clarification on issues and payments, which ultimately led to their split. The court on Tuesday heard details of how following the dissolution of their partnership, the two men both made claims that the other owed them money. Mr Sebastian told the jury about a meeting, after they had severed ties, in which he raised queries about performance fees. According to Mr Sebastian, he told Mr Day that his former manager was entitled to his 20 per cent fee for any gigs that he had helped organise, but he wanted the money paid directly to him, rather than the usual practice of it going through a 6 Degrees account. 'At that stage there were a lot of requests for these statements,' Mr Sebastian told the court. 'At this stage I just wanted to really find out why it was so difficult to get those paperworks and how we tie up all these loose ends.' Guy Sebastian is suing his former manager. NewsWire / John Appleyard Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Day's 6 Degrees talent agency was placed into liquidation in 2019. NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia He said Mr Day then attempted to claim that he was owed 'trailing commissions' for the next five years. In the entertainment industry, trailing commissions are a slice of a performer's income that are payable to a manager for a period of time after they end their business relationship. However Mr Sebastian said he never had an agreement with Mr Day for trailing commissions, calling the suggestion 'ridiculous'. The court was told that in 2018 Mr Sebastian filed proceedings against Mr Day in the Federal Court that prompted his former manager and 6 Degrees to file a counterclaim. 6 Degrees was placed into liquidation in 2019, the court was told. After splitting with Mr Day and 6 Degrees, Mr Sebastian hired agent Jennifer Fontaine from Private Idaho Management to look after his affairs. And they began investigating signing him up for a 'neighbouring rights' deal to collect royalties generated overseas. But he said it was discovered that Mr Sebastian was already signed up to a neighbouring rights company based in Canada, Premier Muzik. 'You didn't know or recall that you were signed to Premier Muzik,' Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC asked. 'I never had any contact with Premier. At that point, this was very new to me,' Mr Sebastian said. Mr Day and Mr Sebastian before their split. Supplied. Credit: News Corp Australia He said it raised concerns that Mr Day had allegedly not remitted royalties from Premier Muzik. Mr Sebastian said about this time he was told by the people advising him that they had a duty to report the matter to police. He eventually reached out to police through Detective Senior Constable David Murphy, who was a friend of a close friend. He said he had a private meeting with Constable Murphy and purposefully avoided walking into his local police station to avoid media scrutiny. 'I wanted to keep it private, due to the nature of my job,' Mr Sebastian said. 'If I'm walking into a police station, I didn't want it to get out in the media and it to be a circus. I wanted to keep it as contained as I could.' The trial continues.
Perth Now
11 hours ago
- Perth Now
Insane speed reached during cop chase
A Perth man's early morning drive escalated quickly when he allegedly brandished a gun at police before speeding away at up to 200km/h. Police allege they tried to stop a Hyundai Tucson wagon driven by the 39-year-old about 7.25am on Monday after it was caught allegedly displaying false plates. The East Perth man failed to stop, instead allegedly brandished a gun and took off from Gibson Rd in Beechboro at speeds of up to 200km/h. The East Perth man allegedly hit speeds of up to 200km/h. WA Police Credit: NewsWire He continued through various suburbs before coming to a stop by crashing into bushland at the T-junction of Taylor and Rowley roads in Bunjup. WA Police Air Wing swiftly directed officers to his location. The gun was recovered in Beechboro. The man was charged with nine offences, including reckless driving to escape pursuit by police, unlicensed person possess firearm and drove a vehicle with forged, replica or false plates. He is due to face Midlands Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
