Latest news with #EyrePeninsula
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
John Griffin sentenced to jail for manslaughter of Port Neill man Gary Robinson
A man who inflicted "multiple blows of considerable force" before throwing birdseed, shampoo and sprinkles on the body of a man who later died has been jailed for more than nine years. Warning: This story contains details which may be distressing for some readers. John Edward Tilly Griffin, 30, was sentenced in South Australia's Supreme Court on Wednesday for the manslaughter of 65-year-old Gary Robinson on a property near Port Neill, on the Eyre Peninsula, on September 1, 2022. In sentencing, Justice Sandi McDonald said the men began fighting after Griffin approached Mr Robinson urging him to "expedite" his departure from the caravan where he lived, which was on a property owned by Griffin's uncle. She said Mr Robinson had earlier been asked to leave the property due to his involvement in a "conflict with a number of members of the community of Port Neil". Justice McDonald said the men already had a poor relationship and "tensions were running high" when they began fighting. "You threw the first punch which connected with Mr Robinson's face. That led to a fight during which you and Mr Robinson exchanged punches," she said. He then followed Mr Robinson inside the caravan. Justice McDonald said it was at that point Griffin could have walked away. "This was a critical juncture in the sequence of events," she said. "Had you walked away at this point in time, this would have been no more than a fight between two men who did not like each other. "Mr Robinson would still be alive and you would not be in custody. "However, you made the decision to follow him into the caravan." She said that once both men were inside the caravan Mr Robinson moved toward the kitchen area and threatened to stab Griffin. "You responded by punching him, and a second fight commenced," she said. She said the second fight involved both men throwing punches, and Griffin knocking Mr Robinson to the ground. When on the ground, she said Griffin had "forcefully" kicked, and stomped on Mr Robinson. During the continued fight, Justice McDonald said Mr Robinson — who was blocking the caravan door — again threatened to stab Griffin. "Mr Robinson turned and stepped towards you. He had a knife in his hand. He made a thrusting or stabbing motion towards you," she said. She said Griffin then decided it was "necessary and reasonable to attack Mr Robinson in order to avoid being stabbed", and inflicted forceful blows which again knocked Mr Robinson to the ground. "Once he was on the ground you, with considerable force, kicked him to the head, four or five times," Justice McDonald said. "You finished off by stomping on Mr Robinson's upper body and his head and face as he remained on the ground." Justice McDonald said Griffin, who was likely wearing steel cap boots at the time, then left the caravan and Mr Robinson's body was not found until two days later, on September 3, 2022. "You acknowledge and accept that you must have been responsible for leaving Mr Robinson in that condition." A post-mortem revealed Mr Robinson suffered a number of injuries including a skull fracture, while Griffin suffered "only a few minor bruises and abrasions" to his knuckles, torso and arms. She said Griffin pleaded guilty to the manslaughter charge in January 2024 which was accepted on the basis he was acting in "excessive self defence". He had initially been charged with murder. She noted Griffin had endured a difficult and dysfunctional upbringing, including exposure to violence and drug use. Justice McDonald said she had considered Griffin's cooperation with police and prosecution since his arrest, but said his offending was on the upper end of seriousness of its type. She set a head sentence of nine years, four months and one week with a non-parole period of seven years, five months and 24 days which was backdated to the day of his arrest. Griffin will be eligible to apply for parole in February 2030.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Farmer Wants A Wife's Thomas declares his feelings after emotional date: 'Could be the one!'
Things are getting real on Farmer Wants A Wife - and one smitten farmer may have already found his happily ever after. Farmer Thomas made a heart-stirring confession on Tuesday night's episode, revealing he 'believes Clarette could be the one' following an emotional one-on-one date that left both of them in tears. The couple returned to the pristine beaches of South Australia 's Eyre Peninsula for their most romantic date yet, where Thomas surprised Clarette with a touching video message featuring her friends and family from the UK. Clearly overwhelmed, Clarette struggled to hold back tears as she watched heartfelt messages from loved ones back home. 'It made me feel like I'm not alone here anymore,' she told producers, while Thomas looked on adoringly. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. But it didn't stop there. In a move that signalled just how serious things were getting, Thomas took Clarette to meet his Uncle Tom - a major milestone in the farmer's journey to love. 'My uncle's opinion and his tick of approval means a lot to me,' Thomas said. 'I believe Clarette could be the one, and I'm hoping my Uncle Tom reassures me a bit more that I'm right.' It comes just one day after Thomas made a dramatic comeback during Monday's episode, just 24 hours after blindsiding his ladies by abruptly storming off the farm. Clarette, Rachael, Jess and Laura were left visibly stunned when the farmer made a late entrance at the glitzy Country Ball, having had zero contact with them since vanishing in the heat of the moment. 'I'm really sorry about how it all ended,' Thomas said, pulling Clarette aside the moment he arrived. 'I shouldn't be storming out.' Still reeling from their argument, Clarette told Thomas she felt betrayed after discovering he'd been messaging his ex, Claire, despite insisting their connection was over. 'I was so upset because I thought Claire was no longer an issue for us,' she said. But Thomas was quick to shut down any lingering doubts. 'I mean it, I swear. The contact's deleted. No contact at all,' he insisted. His emotional plea seemed to work, with Clarette accepting his apology before the pair sealed their reconciliation with a passionate kiss. The shock reunion sent ripples through the group, with Jess later pulling Thomas aside for a serious chat. She admitted she felt like she was wasting her time competing for attention and hinted at a possible exit from the show. Despite the drama, Thomas went on to select Clarette for his next one-on-one date, proving he's all in on making their relationship work. His surprise return, heartfelt apology, and bold decision to double down on Clarette has well and truly reignited the race for love - and thrown the farm doors wide open for more drama. Thomas was previously caught out in a lie after it came to light that he was still in contact with old flame Claire, who left the show a few weeks ago on account of feeling self-conscious and overwhelmed. When a message popped up on the farmer's phone from Claire, who was dubbed one of Thomas' front-runners after securing the 24-hour date in week one, he decided to be upfront with Clarette and Rachael. However, despite his honesty, all hell broke loose on the farm, with Clarette descending into a jealous rage. 'I believed that a line had been drawn on everything, and there was no contact,' she said. 'Then I find out tonight that there has been contact since that, so I'm really upset.' When Clarette questioned Thomas over whether he wanted to pursue things with Claire, he replied: 'No, she's dead to me.' She then challenged the farmer, who was seemingly backed into a corner, asking why he was still messaging her if that was the case. Thomas stood his ground, assuring her that he didn't want anything to do with her, but Clarette was having none of it. 'You keep doing things all the time and then asking for forgiveness constantly. I'm over it!' she told the farmer. The blow up saw Clarette storm off, slam the door and close the shutters - and Thomas drove away from the farm in a frenzy - as the episode ended in a nail-biting cliffhanger 'I wouldn't put up with this outside of this experience and I'm definitely not going to lower my standards.' Things only escalated from there, when the pair went off camera to discuss the drama and Clarette asked to see Thomas' phone. What she discovered was a slew of messages between him and his former love interest in the weeks since she had left the show. 'So, when you were trying to get with me, you were still flirting with her? 'Everything has been a lie. Everything! Look how many messages there are, you f***ing prick!" she screamed. The blow up saw Clarette storm off, slam the door and close the shutters - and Thomas drove away from the farm in a frenzy - as the episode ended in a nail-biting cliffhanger.
ABC News
26-05-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Farmers say only a 'good, wet winter' will break drought conditions across SA
South Australian farmers have welcomed the rain but say a "one-hit wonder" will not break the drought, which is devastating parts of the state. Strong winds up to 107 kilometres per hour hit parts of the state's mainland on Monday, with much of the Mid North, Riverland and Murray Mallee experiencing significant dust storms before any rain hit. Dust storms were also reported at the northern ends of the Eyre and Yorke peninsulas. While higher rainfall totals were reported in coastal areas and around the Adelaide Hills, the Bureau of Meterology said more inland regions like the Mid North and Riverland had less than 5 millimetres. SA Dairyfarmers' Association president Rob Brokenshire said the industry was desperate for rain "but didn't need a storm like this". "We've had flooding on our paddocks that we've seeded — they're pretty bare so some washing occurring," he said. "What we wanted was a good, steady soaking of rain. "We had 20mm at Mount Compass in just 15 minutes and it flooded paddocks like you wouldn't believe. Now we've got wind, I just hope we don't get storm damage. "Hopefully our cows will be okay but they haven't seen weather like this for quite some time — that does have an impact on them." He said the rain from the storm will not be a "one-day fix" for the drought and could take farmers up to three years to get back on their feet. "What we need is a good, wet winter and a long, wet spring," he said. On the Eyre Peninsula, the storm brought little reprieve – locals have reported receiving between 5-10mm of rain. And in Poochera, a grain belt town some 60 kilometres north-east of Streaky Bay, as elsewhere in the region, the minimal rain has done little hold down the dry soil. Poochera local Rebecca Gosling said her home had 1.4mm of rain, and the storm had only brought wind which picked up the topsoil and threw it across the region. "It's just gone," Ms Gosling said. "The topsoil is just disappearing. There's no moisture holding anything down and everything's been so dry for so long. "I took video footage yesterday of a paddock we sowed a few days ago and even the furrows are gone in a day." Ms Gosling said she gave up vacuuming and sweeping at her home where the dust had become "too much to keep on top of". Grain Producer SA chief executive Brad Perry said grain producers were reliant on rain. "They'll take what they can get but given the amount of rain we've had [on Monday], it's been a bit of a fizzer to be honest," he said. "It's quite heartbreaking to see that top soil blowing around when they've just seeded. "They spent time and money putting those crops in hoping we would get the rainfall that was forecast and unfortunately we've had more wind than rain. "We need a lot of rain — this is not the breaking rain that we were hoping for."
ABC News
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Lisa Leong
Lisa Leong is a broadcaster, author and facilitator. Her superpowers are curiosity, creativity and delivering key messages by way of song. A former Intellectual Property, Technology and Wine lawyer (yes, there is such a thing!), Lisa caught the radio bug in 2001. She was accepted into the Australian Film Television and Radio School, where she picked up a radio degree and a boyfriend (now husband). She did a stint on commercial radio stations on the Gold Coast and Adelaide, before joining the ABC presenting the breakfast show for the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. After the birth of her daughter, Lisa returned to her hometown Melbourne. Lisa draws on her unique career experiences combined with Design Thinking and mindfulness practices to bring a fresh approach to conversations and connection. Her work has been the subject of a Harvard Law case study, received numerous awards, and inspired Lisa's TEDx Melbourne talk, "Can robots make us more human?" Lisa presents Sundays on ABC Radio Melbourne and hosts This Working Life on ABC Radio National.
ABC News
25-05-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Weather set to turn wild as strong winds and rain push across SA
As parts of South Australia undergo their first burst of wet and windy weather in months, Kangaroo Island ferry services have been cancelled because of the rough conditions. The Bureau of Meterology (BOM) has warnings in place for much of SA, while the State Emergency Service (SES) has advised of the increased risk of downed powerlines and fallen trees after months of drought. "We've got some distressed trees out there that are lacking moisture and they're more susceptible to those strong winds," the service's Ian Bonython told ABC Radio Adelaide. A severe weather warning for "damaging, locally destructive winds" has been issued for much of the state including Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas, the Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide metropolitan area, Flinders, Mid North, Kangaroo Island, Murraylands, Riverland and south-east. There are also gale and strong wind warnings — and a coastal hazard warning for abnormally high tides — for stretches of the state's coastline. Kangaroo Island ferry operator SeaLink said its early morning services from Cape Jervis and Penneshaw had been cancelled. "Unfortunately, due to weather conditions matching the current forecasts and with increasing winds and high swells predicted throughout the day, all sailings for today, 26 May will not be operating," the company posted on Facebook. "Conditions and forecasts for tomorrow, Tuesday 27 May, will be monitored throughout the day." BOM senior forecaster Simon Timcke said between six and 20 millimetres of rain were expected over Adelaide, and between 20 and 40 millimetres in the hills. "[We're expecting] certainly the wettest day we've seen for a while." Mr Timcke said while the system had "taken a little bit longer" to arrive "than we originally thought", the conditions were being caused by a low pressure system south of the state. "There's a couple of pretty vigorous fronts extending from that low," he said. "It looked like we'd probably start to see the showers very late Sunday evening or through the early hours of Monday morning but it has been a little bit slower to reach the Adelaide area." The SES said it had responded to several jobs since midnight, all of them fallen trees. "I'm sure people have seen on TV news footage and YouTube and those types of things, where trampolines have just been flying through the air, so ensure that all those loose items are secure in your yard," Mr Bonython said. "Please stay away from those fallen powerlines and be prepared for power outages."
