Latest news with #NSWSupremeCourt
The Advertiser
5 days ago
- The Advertiser
'Hope he suffers': family of pot plant killer speak out
The niece of an elderly woman murdered by her son with a pot plant hopes the jailed killer suffers for the rest of his life. David Andrew Mapp lobbed a pot plant at Colleen Wilson, 82, during an argument at her home in Tumbi Umbi on the NSW Central Coast in July 2022. The 59-year-old was experiencing heroin withdrawals when he made the rash decision to pick up the 15kg pot filled with soil and a partial brick. After Ms Wilson's death on July 28, he pawned her television and whipper snipper for $200, funds he used to buy heroin. He left his mother lying dead on the floor for about eight hours before he called triple zero. Mapp was jailed on Thursday until at least 2037 after a jury earlier found him guilty of his mother's murder. "Mum and I are very disappointed in the sentencing," Ms Wilson's niece Jenny Toohey told AAP. "It will never bring her back and we hope he suffers for the rest of his life for what he did." NSW Supreme Court Justice Ian Harrison described Mapp's difficult relationship with his mother resulting from his 45-year drug addiction. But he was not satisfied Mapp intended to kill his mother. "It was not premeditated or planned, being a spontaneous response from loss of control," he said on Thursday. "The offence arose in the emotionally fraught and troubled environment of a home where he was tolerated, but not particularly welcome." The judge also accepted Mapp's childhood was marked by domestic violence at the hands of his alcoholic father and emotional deprivation. During his trial, the jury heard Mapp told police he tried to revive his mother for about eight hours before calling triple zero. He told the operator "good morning, I'd like to report a death". When emergency services arrived, Ms Wilson was lying on the floor underneath a red blanket with blood and soil surrounding her. Mapp told police his mother had been chasing him around the house with kitchen knives during an argument and he threw the pot plant in self-defence. Ms Toohey's mother, Janice Fowler, became concerned when Ms Wilson did not return her calls on July 28. Mapp answered one of her calls in the afternoon and said his mother was "down at the shops". Ms Fowler did not know her sister was already dead. A jury found Mapp guilty of murder in October 2024, after prosecutors rejected his offer to plead guilty to manslaughter. Mapp's barrister Sarah Talbert previously argued the offence was spontaneous and impulsive, as evident in his choice of weapon. But crown prosecutor Carl Young argued Mapp was fuelled by the desire to feed his heroin addiction and intended to kill his mother. "There were ways to disable his mother that did not include a 15kg pot plant to the head," Mr Young had told the court. Justice Harrison accepted on Thursday Mapp's motivation for throwing the plant was, to some extent, driven by his intent to obtain money. But he accepted Mapp's withdrawals were exacerbated in a unique combination of his mental health issues and COVID-19 symptoms. Justice Harrison jailed Mapp for 21 years with a non-parole period of 15 years, backdated to his arrest in July 2022. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 The niece of an elderly woman murdered by her son with a pot plant hopes the jailed killer suffers for the rest of his life. David Andrew Mapp lobbed a pot plant at Colleen Wilson, 82, during an argument at her home in Tumbi Umbi on the NSW Central Coast in July 2022. The 59-year-old was experiencing heroin withdrawals when he made the rash decision to pick up the 15kg pot filled with soil and a partial brick. After Ms Wilson's death on July 28, he pawned her television and whipper snipper for $200, funds he used to buy heroin. He left his mother lying dead on the floor for about eight hours before he called triple zero. Mapp was jailed on Thursday until at least 2037 after a jury earlier found him guilty of his mother's murder. "Mum and I are very disappointed in the sentencing," Ms Wilson's niece Jenny Toohey told AAP. "It will never bring her back and we hope he suffers for the rest of his life for what he did." NSW Supreme Court Justice Ian Harrison described Mapp's difficult relationship with his mother resulting from his 45-year drug addiction. But he was not satisfied Mapp intended to kill his mother. "It was not premeditated or planned, being a spontaneous response from loss of control," he said on Thursday. "The offence arose in the emotionally fraught and troubled environment of a home where he was tolerated, but not particularly welcome." The judge also accepted Mapp's childhood was marked by domestic violence at the hands of his alcoholic father and emotional deprivation. During his trial, the jury heard Mapp told police he tried to revive his mother for about eight hours before calling triple zero. He told the operator "good morning, I'd like to report a death". When emergency services arrived, Ms Wilson was lying on the floor underneath a red blanket with blood and soil surrounding her. Mapp told police his mother had been chasing him around the house with kitchen knives during an argument and he threw the pot plant in self-defence. Ms Toohey's mother, Janice Fowler, became concerned when Ms Wilson did not return her calls on July 28. Mapp answered one of her calls in the afternoon and said his mother was "down at the shops". Ms Fowler did not know her sister was already dead. A jury found Mapp guilty of murder in October 2024, after prosecutors rejected his offer to plead guilty to manslaughter. Mapp's barrister Sarah Talbert previously argued the offence was spontaneous and impulsive, as evident in his choice of weapon. But crown prosecutor Carl Young argued Mapp was fuelled by the desire to feed his heroin addiction and intended to kill his mother. "There were ways to disable his mother that did not include a 15kg pot plant to the head," Mr Young had told the court. Justice Harrison accepted on Thursday Mapp's motivation for throwing the plant was, to some extent, driven by his intent to obtain money. But he accepted Mapp's withdrawals were exacerbated in a unique combination of his mental health issues and COVID-19 symptoms. Justice Harrison jailed Mapp for 21 years with a non-parole period of 15 years, backdated to his arrest in July 2022. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 The niece of an elderly woman murdered by her son with a pot plant hopes the jailed killer suffers for the rest of his life. David Andrew Mapp lobbed a pot plant at Colleen Wilson, 82, during an argument at her home in Tumbi Umbi on the NSW Central Coast in July 2022. The 59-year-old was experiencing heroin withdrawals when he made the rash decision to pick up the 15kg pot filled with soil and a partial brick. After Ms Wilson's death on July 28, he pawned her television and whipper snipper for $200, funds he used to buy heroin. He left his mother lying dead on the floor for about eight hours before he called triple zero. Mapp was jailed on Thursday until at least 2037 after a jury earlier found him guilty of his mother's murder. "Mum and I are very disappointed in the sentencing," Ms Wilson's niece Jenny Toohey told AAP. "It will never bring her back and we hope he suffers for the rest of his life for what he did." NSW Supreme Court Justice Ian Harrison described Mapp's difficult relationship with his mother resulting from his 45-year drug addiction. But he was not satisfied Mapp intended to kill his mother. "It was not premeditated or planned, being a spontaneous response from loss of control," he said on Thursday. "The offence arose in the emotionally fraught and troubled environment of a home where he was tolerated, but not particularly welcome." The judge also accepted Mapp's childhood was marked by domestic violence at the hands of his alcoholic father and emotional deprivation. During his trial, the jury heard Mapp told police he tried to revive his mother for about eight hours before calling triple zero. He told the operator "good morning, I'd like to report a death". When emergency services arrived, Ms Wilson was lying on the floor underneath a red blanket with blood and soil surrounding her. Mapp told police his mother had been chasing him around the house with kitchen knives during an argument and he threw the pot plant in self-defence. Ms Toohey's mother, Janice Fowler, became concerned when Ms Wilson did not return her calls on July 28. Mapp answered one of her calls in the afternoon and said his mother was "down at the shops". Ms Fowler did not know her sister was already dead. A jury found Mapp guilty of murder in October 2024, after prosecutors rejected his offer to plead guilty to manslaughter. Mapp's barrister Sarah Talbert previously argued the offence was spontaneous and impulsive, as evident in his choice of weapon. But crown prosecutor Carl Young argued Mapp was fuelled by the desire to feed his heroin addiction and intended to kill his mother. "There were ways to disable his mother that did not include a 15kg pot plant to the head," Mr Young had told the court. Justice Harrison accepted on Thursday Mapp's motivation for throwing the plant was, to some extent, driven by his intent to obtain money. But he accepted Mapp's withdrawals were exacerbated in a unique combination of his mental health issues and COVID-19 symptoms. Justice Harrison jailed Mapp for 21 years with a non-parole period of 15 years, backdated to his arrest in July 2022. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 The niece of an elderly woman murdered by her son with a pot plant hopes the jailed killer suffers for the rest of his life. David Andrew Mapp lobbed a pot plant at Colleen Wilson, 82, during an argument at her home in Tumbi Umbi on the NSW Central Coast in July 2022. The 59-year-old was experiencing heroin withdrawals when he made the rash decision to pick up the 15kg pot filled with soil and a partial brick. After Ms Wilson's death on July 28, he pawned her television and whipper snipper for $200, funds he used to buy heroin. He left his mother lying dead on the floor for about eight hours before he called triple zero. Mapp was jailed on Thursday until at least 2037 after a jury earlier found him guilty of his mother's murder. "Mum and I are very disappointed in the sentencing," Ms Wilson's niece Jenny Toohey told AAP. "It will never bring her back and we hope he suffers for the rest of his life for what he did." NSW Supreme Court Justice Ian Harrison described Mapp's difficult relationship with his mother resulting from his 45-year drug addiction. But he was not satisfied Mapp intended to kill his mother. "It was not premeditated or planned, being a spontaneous response from loss of control," he said on Thursday. "The offence arose in the emotionally fraught and troubled environment of a home where he was tolerated, but not particularly welcome." The judge also accepted Mapp's childhood was marked by domestic violence at the hands of his alcoholic father and emotional deprivation. During his trial, the jury heard Mapp told police he tried to revive his mother for about eight hours before calling triple zero. He told the operator "good morning, I'd like to report a death". When emergency services arrived, Ms Wilson was lying on the floor underneath a red blanket with blood and soil surrounding her. Mapp told police his mother had been chasing him around the house with kitchen knives during an argument and he threw the pot plant in self-defence. Ms Toohey's mother, Janice Fowler, became concerned when Ms Wilson did not return her calls on July 28. Mapp answered one of her calls in the afternoon and said his mother was "down at the shops". Ms Fowler did not know her sister was already dead. A jury found Mapp guilty of murder in October 2024, after prosecutors rejected his offer to plead guilty to manslaughter. Mapp's barrister Sarah Talbert previously argued the offence was spontaneous and impulsive, as evident in his choice of weapon. But crown prosecutor Carl Young argued Mapp was fuelled by the desire to feed his heroin addiction and intended to kill his mother. "There were ways to disable his mother that did not include a 15kg pot plant to the head," Mr Young had told the court. Justice Harrison accepted on Thursday Mapp's motivation for throwing the plant was, to some extent, driven by his intent to obtain money. But he accepted Mapp's withdrawals were exacerbated in a unique combination of his mental health issues and COVID-19 symptoms. Justice Harrison jailed Mapp for 21 years with a non-parole period of 15 years, backdated to his arrest in July 2022. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491
West Australian
5 days ago
- West Australian
Taekwondo instructor admits to shocking triple murder
A taekwondo instructor has admitted to a shocking triple murder in Sydney's west in which he killed a couple and a seven-year-old child. Kwang Kyung Yoo on Thursday pleaded guilty to three counts of murder when he appeared in the Parramatta Local Court. He admitted to murdering Min Cho, 41, and a seven-year-old child at a North Parramatta taekwondo studio, as well as Ms Cho's husband, Steven Cho, 39, at a Baulkham Hills home on February 19 last year. The North Kellyville man has been in custody since he was arrested in hospital and will now face sentencing proceedings in the NSW Supreme Court. Ms Cho and the child were killed inside the taekwondo studio where the boy was a student. Yoo, who was known to his students as Master Lion, left the bodies inside the studio before driving Ms Cho's white BMW to her Baulkham Hills home, where Mr Cho was stabbed several times. NSW Police found Mr Cho's body at the Watkins Rd, Baulkham Hills address before the bodies of his wife and the child were discovered by police two hours later. Yoo drove to Westmead Hospital with stab wounds to his chest, arms and stomach and claimed he was randomly attacked in a Woolworths carpark. However he sustained the injuries while stabbing Mr Cho to death. He will now appear in the Supreme Court in August before he is sentenced at a later date.
Perth Now
6 days ago
- Perth Now
Drug addict bashes, kills mum with pot plant
A heroin addict who killed his elderly mother by throwing a pot plant at her head before leaving her lifeless body inside her Central Coast home so he could pawn her TV for drug money has been jailed for a maximum of 21 years. David Andrew Mapp was on Thursday sentenced in the NSW Supreme Court after he murdered his mother Colleen Wilson, 82, on July 28, 2022. Ms Wilson had been dead for hours before Mapp, 59, called triple-0 at about 5.15pm, with police finding her body in a pool of blood and covered by a blanket, which he had placed on her. During the call to triple-0, Mapp told the operator that he had a 'big argument', 'things got pretty bad' and she 'fell down and I tried to revive her'. 'I, um, threw the pot plant at her and, ah, there was no response after that,' Mapp said David Andrew Mapp speaks to police in his mother's home after he killed her with a pot plant. Supplied. Credit: News Corp Australia Police footage has captured David Mapp explaining how he killed his mother inside her Central Coast home. Mapp offered to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. However, that was rejected by the Crown prosecution and the jury ultimately found him guilty of murder after he threw a 15kg pot plant at her head. Mapp had claimed to the triple-0 operator that he had 'been waiting all day … trying to revive her'; however, he was contradicted by CCTV that showed Mapp arriving at the Long Jetty Pawnbrokers at 9.36am. He was seen on CCTV selling a Homelite whipper snipper and 55-inch Hisense TV that he had taken from his mother's home. The store clerk took his identification and details, filled out the paperwork before handing over four $50 notes, which Mapp used to buy heroin. When police arrived at his mother's home, bodyworn footage captured him telling officers that he was previously on methadone but had stopped about a month prior. He said that he 'came in and she had her back to me at the table … doing, sweeping the floorboards … and she came at me again with the knife'. He then claimed that he 'protected' himself and 'she just kept trying to plunge, lunge at me with the knife'. 'Uh, I guess when I threw the plant, I guess. She hit her head on the way down,' he said before backtracking on the claim moments later. Mapp (right) killed his mother before hocking her household goods at a pawn store for $200. Supplied Credit: News Corp Australia He then said he 'sort of lunged at her with the plant' before moments later claiming 'I didn't lunge'. He then changed his story once again when he told police: 'Well … before she could turn around and pick the knife up … Um, and I just, I didn't know how hard I was throwing it.' Justice Ian Harrison on Friday sentenced Mapp to a maximum of 21 years in prison. He will be eligible for release on parole in July 2037 after serving 15 years.
The Advertiser
6 days ago
- General
- The Advertiser
'Youth' spat paves way for elite school's co-ed plans
Turning an elite private boys' school co-educational remains on foot after a court agreed a word written in a 150-year-old document was gender-neutral. Newington College in Sydney's inner west announced its intention to shift to co-education across its kindergarten-to-year 12 program in late 2023. The school, which charges fees of up to $42,200 a year, has exclusively taught boys since it was founded in 1863. While a group of parents launched street protests in January 2024, some backed a legal attack in the NSW Supreme Court. That lawsuit hit a major defeat on Wednesday with Justice Guy Parker ruling that the school's 152-year-old trust deed did not prevent girls from being admitted. "The object of such school shall be to provide an efficient course of education for youth," the trust deed reads. The parents argued that the word "youth" in this document, while ambiguous, referred solely to boys because of circumstances at the time. This stopped girls from being enrolled on the school's Stanmore land which it had acquired in 1873 months after the deed was finalised. The school's council, on the other hand, said the term was gender-neutral. Justice Parker agreed. While the original Newington School was boys-only, and the church and government at the time had only considered single-sex schools, this did not mean the term "youth" excluded girls, he said. "I have concluded that the word 'youth' in the 1873 Trust Deed was used in a gender-neutral sense, and does not mandate male-only enrolment at the College," he wrote in his judgment. "The claim for a declaration to the contrary ... fails and must be dismissed." Newington's principal welcomed the court's decision. "We have been steadfast in our position throughout these proceedings and we remain excited to build on our rich history and traditions by taking Newington into our next era," Michael Parker wrote in a letter sent to the school's community. "We look forward now to uniting around our future vision for Newington College as a respected, modern and dynamic school for boys, girls, young men and young women from next year and into the future." The court case may not be over yet, however. Justice Parker will later hear whether the parents will press claims that a male-only limitation applies to other property held by the school's council, including later-acquired lands. Newington's co-ed plans come as the NSW government adjusts public school boundaries to ensure all students have guaranteed access to a co-educational school by 2027. More than 150,000 girls and more than 130,000 boys attend single-sex schools across Australia, according to a 2023 Catholic schools discussion paper. About five-in-six of those students are in non-government schools, like Newington. Turning an elite private boys' school co-educational remains on foot after a court agreed a word written in a 150-year-old document was gender-neutral. Newington College in Sydney's inner west announced its intention to shift to co-education across its kindergarten-to-year 12 program in late 2023. The school, which charges fees of up to $42,200 a year, has exclusively taught boys since it was founded in 1863. While a group of parents launched street protests in January 2024, some backed a legal attack in the NSW Supreme Court. That lawsuit hit a major defeat on Wednesday with Justice Guy Parker ruling that the school's 152-year-old trust deed did not prevent girls from being admitted. "The object of such school shall be to provide an efficient course of education for youth," the trust deed reads. The parents argued that the word "youth" in this document, while ambiguous, referred solely to boys because of circumstances at the time. This stopped girls from being enrolled on the school's Stanmore land which it had acquired in 1873 months after the deed was finalised. The school's council, on the other hand, said the term was gender-neutral. Justice Parker agreed. While the original Newington School was boys-only, and the church and government at the time had only considered single-sex schools, this did not mean the term "youth" excluded girls, he said. "I have concluded that the word 'youth' in the 1873 Trust Deed was used in a gender-neutral sense, and does not mandate male-only enrolment at the College," he wrote in his judgment. "The claim for a declaration to the contrary ... fails and must be dismissed." Newington's principal welcomed the court's decision. "We have been steadfast in our position throughout these proceedings and we remain excited to build on our rich history and traditions by taking Newington into our next era," Michael Parker wrote in a letter sent to the school's community. "We look forward now to uniting around our future vision for Newington College as a respected, modern and dynamic school for boys, girls, young men and young women from next year and into the future." The court case may not be over yet, however. Justice Parker will later hear whether the parents will press claims that a male-only limitation applies to other property held by the school's council, including later-acquired lands. Newington's co-ed plans come as the NSW government adjusts public school boundaries to ensure all students have guaranteed access to a co-educational school by 2027. More than 150,000 girls and more than 130,000 boys attend single-sex schools across Australia, according to a 2023 Catholic schools discussion paper. About five-in-six of those students are in non-government schools, like Newington. Turning an elite private boys' school co-educational remains on foot after a court agreed a word written in a 150-year-old document was gender-neutral. Newington College in Sydney's inner west announced its intention to shift to co-education across its kindergarten-to-year 12 program in late 2023. The school, which charges fees of up to $42,200 a year, has exclusively taught boys since it was founded in 1863. While a group of parents launched street protests in January 2024, some backed a legal attack in the NSW Supreme Court. That lawsuit hit a major defeat on Wednesday with Justice Guy Parker ruling that the school's 152-year-old trust deed did not prevent girls from being admitted. "The object of such school shall be to provide an efficient course of education for youth," the trust deed reads. The parents argued that the word "youth" in this document, while ambiguous, referred solely to boys because of circumstances at the time. This stopped girls from being enrolled on the school's Stanmore land which it had acquired in 1873 months after the deed was finalised. The school's council, on the other hand, said the term was gender-neutral. Justice Parker agreed. While the original Newington School was boys-only, and the church and government at the time had only considered single-sex schools, this did not mean the term "youth" excluded girls, he said. "I have concluded that the word 'youth' in the 1873 Trust Deed was used in a gender-neutral sense, and does not mandate male-only enrolment at the College," he wrote in his judgment. "The claim for a declaration to the contrary ... fails and must be dismissed." Newington's principal welcomed the court's decision. "We have been steadfast in our position throughout these proceedings and we remain excited to build on our rich history and traditions by taking Newington into our next era," Michael Parker wrote in a letter sent to the school's community. "We look forward now to uniting around our future vision for Newington College as a respected, modern and dynamic school for boys, girls, young men and young women from next year and into the future." The court case may not be over yet, however. Justice Parker will later hear whether the parents will press claims that a male-only limitation applies to other property held by the school's council, including later-acquired lands. Newington's co-ed plans come as the NSW government adjusts public school boundaries to ensure all students have guaranteed access to a co-educational school by 2027. More than 150,000 girls and more than 130,000 boys attend single-sex schools across Australia, according to a 2023 Catholic schools discussion paper. About five-in-six of those students are in non-government schools, like Newington. Turning an elite private boys' school co-educational remains on foot after a court agreed a word written in a 150-year-old document was gender-neutral. Newington College in Sydney's inner west announced its intention to shift to co-education across its kindergarten-to-year 12 program in late 2023. The school, which charges fees of up to $42,200 a year, has exclusively taught boys since it was founded in 1863. While a group of parents launched street protests in January 2024, some backed a legal attack in the NSW Supreme Court. That lawsuit hit a major defeat on Wednesday with Justice Guy Parker ruling that the school's 152-year-old trust deed did not prevent girls from being admitted. "The object of such school shall be to provide an efficient course of education for youth," the trust deed reads. The parents argued that the word "youth" in this document, while ambiguous, referred solely to boys because of circumstances at the time. This stopped girls from being enrolled on the school's Stanmore land which it had acquired in 1873 months after the deed was finalised. The school's council, on the other hand, said the term was gender-neutral. Justice Parker agreed. While the original Newington School was boys-only, and the church and government at the time had only considered single-sex schools, this did not mean the term "youth" excluded girls, he said. "I have concluded that the word 'youth' in the 1873 Trust Deed was used in a gender-neutral sense, and does not mandate male-only enrolment at the College," he wrote in his judgment. "The claim for a declaration to the contrary ... fails and must be dismissed." Newington's principal welcomed the court's decision. "We have been steadfast in our position throughout these proceedings and we remain excited to build on our rich history and traditions by taking Newington into our next era," Michael Parker wrote in a letter sent to the school's community. "We look forward now to uniting around our future vision for Newington College as a respected, modern and dynamic school for boys, girls, young men and young women from next year and into the future." The court case may not be over yet, however. Justice Parker will later hear whether the parents will press claims that a male-only limitation applies to other property held by the school's council, including later-acquired lands. Newington's co-ed plans come as the NSW government adjusts public school boundaries to ensure all students have guaranteed access to a co-educational school by 2027. More than 150,000 girls and more than 130,000 boys attend single-sex schools across Australia, according to a 2023 Catholic schools discussion paper. About five-in-six of those students are in non-government schools, like Newington.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
New blow for disgraced real estate agent who fled Australia after $500,000 fraud
A former real estate agent director who misused half a million dollars of her company's money has been refused lost her appeal to appear before court remotely. Australian born Sarah Dougan, who lives in the US, pleaded guilty in 2020 and 2021 to fraudulent offences carried out while working as a director for Belle Property Byron Bay in far northern NSW. But last week, the NSW Supreme Court refused her appeal to appear for sentencing via an audio visual link, requiring her to return to Australia to attend in person. It follows a failure to appear in Parramatta Court in November 2023. The case followed NSW Fair Trading investigation in 2011 into the agency over complaints the business failed to 'account at settlement' when transferring ownership of a property. The court heard that Dougan provided investigators with false NAB statements for two trust accounts. They then discovered in June that year that $534,320.99 was missing from the trusts. NSW Fair Trading launched legal proceedings in 2013 over the offences, a year after Ms Dougan moved to the US. The court also heard that the former real estate agent was only made aware of the charges against her 'some time after May 2017' while applying for permanent residency. Since moving to the US, Dougan has rebuilt a new life as a chief executive of a medical testing lab, got married, raised five children, and now lives in a multimillion-dollar mansion. 'No one knew there was a warrant to issue,' Dougan's lawyer Omar Juweinat told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday. At Paramatta Local Court in 2020 and 2021, Dougan pleaded guilty to offences which included the misappropriation of client funds and the creation of false documents to conceal that misappropriation. The court also heard that she paid at least $373,917 to the Property Services Compensation Fund in 2020. But the former real estate agent did not appear for sentencing in 2023 and a magistrate refused to sentence her by audio visual link. Dougan launched a leave to appeal at NSW Supreme Court, requesting the decision stopping her from appearing remotely to be overturned The request was refused last week and she was ordered to pay court costs. The consumer watchdog is determined to bring Dougan to justice. 'It is entirely appropriate the sentencing for those offences occurs in NSW in person,' NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Natasha Mann told Daily Mail Australia. 'NSW Fair Trading has patiently waited to bring this matter to a conclusion. 'Our persistence sends a clear message to real estate agents of how seriously the regulator takes cases where there has been a complete disregard for industry rules.' Dougan's appeal to have a previous warrant issued for her arrest quashed was successful after the Supreme Court ruled that it had been made by mistake. She was not formally convicted in 2023 and, as such, the recorded warrant in the JusticeLink was 'entered erroneously', the court judgement read. 'Dougan's appeal was partly successful,' Mr Juweinat said, referencing the ruling on the mistaken warrant. 'But unfortunately the parties are now asking the High Court to determine a question of law as to whether a defendant is an absent defendant if they are appearing in court remotely.' Daily Mail Australia understands that the case to the High Court is in the process of being filed.
