Latest news with #JamesRoberts
Daily Mirror
21-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Holidaymakers urged to clear one area of the home before going away
Many of us will be heading on holiday this summer, but there's one area of the house you need to clean before you go - or face a costly repair bill when you return If you're jetting off on a holiday soon, the anticipation is likely already mounting. However, planning a trip involves numerous considerations, from baggage allowances to ensuring everything is prepared for your airport arrival. Given that holiday preparations can sometimes be stressful, the last thing you need is for things to go awry at home. Yet, failing to ensure your home is neat and tidy before departure could spell disaster for your property. New research from Sanctuary Bathrooms reveals that over half of holidaymakers return to expensive home issues averaging £300 in repairs, some of which are due to improper bathroom cleaning. Overlooking a few simple checks in this area could result in more than just an unpleasant odour upon your return. The study found that 18 per cent of Brits frequently neglect regular bathroom cleaning, allowing minor problems like mould, mildew, leaks and water damage to go unnoticed and rapidly escalate into costly issues if not addressed. To assist homeowners in avoiding these problems, James Roberts, Director of Sanctuary Bathrooms, has offered some vital advice on what to do before embarking on a holiday. One of these tips is a straightforward task that takes two minutes but could prevent a lot of trouble later on, reports the Express. Essential pre-holiday bathroom cleaning tip One task you should always be sure to do before you set off for a holiday is to clear your bathroom windowsill, according to the experts. This might seem like a pointless task, but it could save you from returning home to a big mess. This is particularly pertinent if you have items such as makeup, aerosol spray cans or perfumes lying around. James warned: "Sunlight can degrade products and pressurise aerosol cans which can become dangerous so store these in a cool, shaded area." Ideal Home experts reinforced this caution, highlighting that aerosols are 'even worse' than other beauty items for being kept on window sills. They explained that the sun's rays can easily penetrate through glass, even with the window shut. The specialists alerted that due to their packaging, these products could potentially explode. Their advice was clear: "Direct sunlight can speed up the breakdown of chemicals in these products, which might not only reduce their effectiveness but also make them unstable. Over time, weakened containers might burst, causing hazards and possibly leading to health risks from inhaling toxic substances."
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Footy star James Roberts learns his fate after cops accused him of possessing drugs and stolen cash
A fêted former NRL speedster has been cleared of possessing drugs and suspected stolen cash after police withdrew the charges against him at the last minute. James Roberts, 32, who played more than 160 NRL games for five clubs during his career, pleaded not guilty to possessing a prohibited drug and suspected stolen goods. Police alleged he had 0.3 gram of cannabis and $1400 in suspected stolen cash when he was pulled over on the morning of July 30, 2024. But the charges against the 2015 Dally M centre of the year were withdrawn by police at a court hearing where he was scheduled to contest them on Monday morning. Outside court, his lawyer Najee Makhoul said there had been no evidence to link the former NRL player to the offences. Police assumed Roberts' wad of cash was illegally obtained but that was 'just not the case at all', Mr Makhoul said. The former Penrith, Souths and Broncos star (pictured outside court on a different matter in July 2024) pleaded not guilty to possessing a prohibited drug and suspected stolen goods Roberts (pictured playing for Wests Tigers in 2022) had all charges against him dropped by NSW Police on Monday morning The retired footballer received cash payments for NRL outings and appearances, and might withdraw funds from his bank, his lawyer said. 'That was the case here, and was just a wrong charge laid for the wrong reasons, and unfortunately he faced the consequences as a result,' Mr Makhoul said. The small amount of cannabis likewise couldn't be linked to Roberts because it had been found in his passenger's bag. Roberts, who did not appear in court on Monday, is looking forward to putting the ordeal behind him, Mr Makhoul said. 'It's a very fortunate outcome,' he said. '(Roberts) is relieved, relieved for it to be done. He wants to continue with his life and move on.' Nicknamed 'Jimmy the Jet' for his speed, Roberts played for the Wests Tigers, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Penrith Panthers, Gold Coast Titans and Brisbane Broncos across 12 seasons in the NRL. He appeared in all three games for NSW in the team's successful 2018 State of Origin campaign and played for the Indigenous All Stars and City Origin before retiring in 2022.
The Age
07-07-2025
- The Age
Ex-NRL star James Roberts cleared of drugs, cash charges
Former NRL star James Roberts is relieved after having his name cleared over charges of drug possession and suspected illegally obtained cash, his lawyer said outside court. In November, police charged the 2015 Dally M Centre Of The Year recipient with the prohibited possession of marijuana and suspected stolen goods, being $1400 in cash. The charges related to an incident in which he was stopped by police in Matraville on July 30 last year. On Monday morning, both charges were dismissed at Waverley Local Court, where Roberts did not appear. Speaking outside court, Roberts' lawyer Najee Makhoul said his client was relieved to put this all behind him. 'The reason that [the charges were withdrawn,] simply put, was... that having cash is not an offence, and you're allowed to have cash,' Makhoul said. 'I know there's a big push to move towards a cashless society, but it's incumbent on the prosecution to be able to prove that anything in your custody that is stolen or unlawfully obtained, and they just have no evidence that it was obtained from unlawful means, and there was no suggestion that it was nefariously obtained.' As for the drug possession charge, Makhoul said it related to 0.3 grams of cannabis leaf.
Sydney Morning Herald
07-07-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Ex-NRL star James Roberts cleared of drugs, cash charges
Former NRL star James Roberts is relieved after having his name cleared over charges of drug possession and suspected illegally obtained cash, his lawyer said outside court. In November, police charged the 2015 Dally M Centre Of The Year recipient with the prohibited possession of marijuana and suspected stolen goods, being $1400 in cash. The charges related to an incident in which he was stopped by police in Matraville on July 30 last year. On Monday morning, both charges were dismissed at Waverley Local Court, where Roberts did not appear. Speaking outside court, Roberts' lawyer Najee Makhoul said his client was relieved to put this all behind him. 'The reason that [the charges were withdrawn,] simply put, was... that having cash is not an offence, and you're allowed to have cash,' Makhoul said. 'I know there's a big push to move towards a cashless society, but it's incumbent on the prosecution to be able to prove that anything in your custody that is stolen or unlawfully obtained, and they just have no evidence that it was obtained from unlawful means, and there was no suggestion that it was nefariously obtained.' As for the drug possession charge, Makhoul said it related to 0.3 grams of cannabis leaf.
Finextra
30-06-2025
- Business
- Finextra
CommBank deploys batallion of AI-powered bot profiles to chat with scammers
Australia's CommBank is turning the table on scammers, launching a fleet of thousands of AI-generated bot profiles to engage with and disrupt criminal networks fleecing consumers. 1 The AI bots are deployed by - a cyber-intelligence firm and spin-out from Macquarie University. 'This is about flipping the script,' says James Roberts, CommBank's general manager of group fraud. 'Scammers are increasingly using AI to target Australians - we're turning the tables by using AI to fight back. Every minute a scammer is engaging with a bot, is a minute they're not targeting an Australian. The near real-time intelligence being gathered is a game-changer in how we help to protect our customers and the broader community.' When a scammer calls or texts, the bots engage them in extended conversations, gather intelligence, and feed near real-time insights directly into CommBank's scam control systems and the broader cross-sector anti-scam ecosystem. Professor Dali Kaafar, CEO & founder of says: 'Our system is based on a 'Honeypot' strategy. In collaboration with our telco partners, operates a vast and constantly growing network of dedicated telephone numbers connected to the telcos networks and designed specifically to be discovered and targeted by scammers. When a scammer dials or messages one of these numbers, they actually engage in conversations with one of our AI-powered bots and not a person. 'We've designed our bots to be difficult to detect by scammers, making them incredibly effective at gathering intelligence and disrupting scam operations. The bots are uniquely crafted with diverse identities - varying in gender, age, tone, and cultural nuance - and fine-tuned with Australian slang and humour to improve realism.' The full-scale roll out of the bot network follows a successful pilot programme with Macquarie University in late 2024. 'Since the pilot programme was announced late 2024, it has expanded in both scale and sophistication,' says Roberts. 'This has seen hundreds of thousands of scam calls diverted to bots, with intelligence gathered helping to generate near real-time alerts and blocks to protect CommBank customers."
