Latest news with #NorthernTerritory
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Influencer Chloe Szepanowski suffers devastating family loss as she shares heartbreaking photo with her followers
Chloe Szepanowski shared a devastating family loss with her followers on Friday. The YouTube star, 26, posted a heartbreaking image to her Instagram Stories, revealing her grandfather had sadly died. Posting a picture of his coffin lying in the back of a hearse alongside a photograph of her loved one, Chloe wrote: 'Rest in peace Poppy Szepanowski.' Family members could be seen looking on in mourning. Chloe last posted about her grandparents in September 2023 when she hosted them at her home for 'tea and baked sweets'. 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. Sharing a reel of photos of the happy family together, she wrote at the time: 'We hosted a morning tea for my grandparents and sisters, nieces and nephews. 'The fam has grown so much it's so beautiful! I remember as a little girl I would go over to nanna and poppas house all the time and have tea and biscuits! 'Today I got to do that for them. Home made scones and tea (teapots passed down from my great nanna)... it's definitely in my blood to enjoy a tea and baked sweets.' The tragic news comes almost a year after Chloe and her partner Mitch Orval announced they are officially engaged. Last year, Szepanowski and Mitch Orval announced they are officially engaged. Mitch, 28, got down on one knee and proposed to the model during a getaway at Tiwi Island Retreat in the Northern Territory. A clip shared to social media shows the couple enjoyed a drink on a sandy beach before Mitch's surprise proposal. The model couldn't hide her shock and excitement as she said yes. The couple, who have been together for nine years, immediately shared a passionate kiss and embrace while their son Arti looked on. 'We're getting married @mitchellorval. Special place forever @tiwiislandretreat,' Chloe captioned the post. The romantic scene, shared to Instagram, quickly garnered a flood of congratulations from friends and fans. 'Congratulations, my smile is so big at your lil jump when he got down,' one user wrote. 'This bought tears to my eyes. Love how you two have navigated your lives, your love for each other and your beautiful boys and your faith in god,' another commented. 'I'm sooo happy for you guys, seeing your relationship since the start and to now is so beautiful. always love you guys,' a third said. Mitch and Chloe are popular social media influencers and have a combined Instagram following of close to a million. The couple share two sons, Arti, four, and Sunny, two.
ABC News
13 hours ago
- General
- ABC News
Police recover body of man who jumped from Channel Island Bridge near Darwin
Police have recovered the body of a 55-year-old man who jumped off the Channel Island bridge near Darwin on Friday night and was unable to swim back to shore. A Northern Territory Police Force spokesperson said the man — who the ABC has chosen not to name following his death — "voluntarily" jumped off the bridge "accompanied by workmates" some time after 9pm. They said the man was reportedly "laughing and active within the water", but began drifting away "despite his friends' attempts to encourage him" to return to dry land. "He was last seen in the middle of the channel, drifting toward Darwin City in strong tidal currents," the police spokesperson said. "Witnesses observed him for approximately two minutes before losing sight of him." Police launched an extensive search and rescue operation on Friday night with help from a CareFlight helicopter and the port authority, and were joined by NT Emergency Service volunteers and others when the search resumed on Saturday morning. However, a body matching the man's description was spotted in the water about 11.30am and recovered, before he was officially declared deceased. A report will be prepared for the coroner.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Fisherman's wild act at Aussie river leaves witnesses stunned: 'Absolutely dumbfounded'
At first glance, it's difficult to spot what's wrong with this photo. A man stands with his back to the camera, fishing in the shallows of a river. While it sounds innocent enough, the sight was enough to leave onlookers in disbelief. That's because the photo was taken at Shady Camp in the Northern Territory, part of the Mary River system which boasts the highest density of saltwater crocodiles in the world. 'I was absolutely dumbfounded,' witness Dave Jennings told Yahoo News. 'We first pulled up at the freshwater boat ramp, less than 100 metres away and watch a very big tail swim away.' Shortly after he spotted the man fishing from the barrage. He also watched on as a woman entered the shallows to retrieve lost lures. While most NT rivers average five crocodiles per kilometre, the Mary River is home to around 11 saltwater crocodiles per kilometre, with up to 15 per kilometre at Shady Camp. Fishing from the barrage is 'very dangerous and not recommended', the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory states, and swimming is not allowed anywhere in the Mary River National Park. Dave said there are warning signs in the area and a crocodile viewing platform that's 'there for a reason'. 'They would have to know [about the crocs] unless they live in a complete bubble,' he said. He added he was unable to approach them, as he recently snapped his achilles and is currently in a moon boot. Huge crocodiles have been known to feed on the barrage, right where the man was standing. Dave fears an attack would not only be devastating for the victim and their family, but it could also lead to dire consequences, like a culling or a shut down of the area. Unfortunately, Dave isn't the first to spot the risky activity down at Shady Camp. Charter fisherman Jeff Roscoe previously told Yahoo News he regularly sees people putting themselves and their children in danger. 'There's a crocodile viewing platform there, there's massive big signs but yet people still do it,' he said. 'We'll pull up at the Shady Camp boat ramp and there'll be people standing in the water up to their knees with their kids, every day. Every day. 'I've been abused… people just don't really care. They just think it's not going to happen to them. And it will. Eventually it will.' In September, nature expert and tour guide Damian 'Wildman' Duffy spotted another fisherman wading in the waters at Shady Camp. 'There's a fella down there with his missus and kid, and not only is he standing right on the water's edge, every now and then he's walking into the water," he said. 'If your feet are in the water, and one of them has a go at you, you're going to die!' He said he confronted the man nicely about the dangers of being near the edge of the water, but was dismissed. 'If one of these animals attempts to have a go at you, you're going to get killed in front of your missus and kid. And he was like, 'yeah mate, righto, righto'. 'You can't fix stupid.' Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
SBS Australia
17 hours ago
- General
- SBS Australia
SBS News in Filipino, Saturday 31 May 2025
A group of eight Chinese nationals have reportedly been found in the Northern Territory. Researchers say medications like paracetamol and antidepressants are contributing to an alarming number of children visiting hospital emergency wards. Australia has formally turned over a culturally significant pottery collection to the Philippines. SBS Filipino 31/05/2025 05:52 📢 Where to Catch SBS Filipino
ABC News
18 hours ago
- Business
- ABC News
How Australia's states and territories are grappling with youth crime
You'd only have to have paid passing attention to the news in the last few years to know youth crime is a hot-button issue. It's been debated on talkback radio, at community forums and by news outlets across the country, contributing to a growing sense of community fear. Most recently in Victoria it was a machete fight at a large Melbourne shopping centre, where most of the people allegedly involved were aged 18 or younger and on bail. In Queensland, it was the murder of 41-year-old mum Emma Lovell who was stabbed in the heart in front of her north Brisbane house in 2022 after a violent home invasion. The teenager who murdered her had a long involvement with the justice system before Ms Lovell's murder, having already racked up 84 convictions. And last month in the Northern Territory, an 18-year-old allegedly stabbed grocery store owner Linford Feick to death. It has led to a feeling in many parts of the country, former Queensland prison boss Keith Hamburger says, that youth crime is a significant problem, and more needs to be done by governments to address and reduce it and the harm it causes. "There is a lot of fear and concern, particularly amongst older people, particularly when there is home invasions and the traffic incidents occurring, the community is quite alarmed," he says. But figuring out just how big a problem youth crime is, what's driving it and what can be done to reduce offending and the harm it causes is complicated, and often divisive. It's why Mr Hamburger wants a broader public conversation about the drivers of youth offending, and better decision-making around policies that are most likely to reduce crime rates. Criminal lawyer Nick Jane usually has between 30 and 40 children he is representing at any one time. Most of the children he represents are facing low-level charges for things like theft and property damage, but he also represents children facing serious charges like murder. Of the children he represents, he says there are usually themes around their backgrounds and life experiences. "Namely profound disadvantage," he says. "The vast majority of the children I deal with come with some kind of trauma, whether that is familial or family abuse, abuse while they have been in residential care, some kind of cognitive disorder or intellectual disability… developmental delays, some kind of disadvantage, trauma." The Melbourne lawyer says while community understanding of family violence is growing, it doesn't always publicly appreciate the long-term impacts on children. "Those children are victims too but when we then see that trauma manifesting itself five, 10 years later in social problems, drug use… we kind of forget that the genesis of that behaviour can really be traced back to family violence," he explains. He says there is also an over-representation of First Nations children and children living in residential care. For children that police and crime statistic agency have identified as children of most concern — children who are repeat offenders and commit serious crimes — there can be profound disadvantages, explains Monash University crime researcher Susan Baidawi. "This is a fairly small group of people who usually come into contact with the justice system at a fairly young age, they are usually characterised by higher prevalence of neuro-disability and they have also typically experienced a very high level of disadvantage and potentially victimisation," Dr Baidawi explains. The statistics aren't straightforward. The Australian Bureau of Statistics measures youth crime across the country by collecting and aggregating police statistics from every state and territory. Its data shows the number of youth offenders are lower for every state and territory compared with 2008-09. The same thing can be seen when comparing the number of youth offenders per 100,000 people — the rate has gone down, although there has been a slight uptick in some states and territories since COVID pandemic. But some states, like Victoria, have recorded a significant rise in youth crime, with its agencies also highlighting the number of incidents involving young offenders — not just the number of youth offenders. Macquarie University criminology lecturer and former police officer Victor Hurley says every jurisdiction measured crime differently, partly because each had different charges and thresholds for criminal offences. "It is so complex to get an understanding… each state and territory only frames it within their own legislation," Dr Hurley says. He says the statistics were also influenced by the frequency and size of police operations, which would increase the recorded instances of crime. "Whenever a police operation is in existence, regardless of what it is, youth are going to be caught up with charges," he says. Dr Hurley says due to these factors, he did not know what the true picture of youth crime was around Australia at the moment. However, he says on the whole, the evidence showed overall crime was declining. "One thing that people overlook is that crime in Australia has been going down for decades. The perception of crime is greater than the reality of crime." While all states and territories fund youth support and crime prevention programs to varying degrees, there's been a mood for change around bail laws and sentencing. In Queensland the Crisafulli Liberal government has introduced "Adult crime, adult time" legislation — which will see offenders as young as 10 face adult sentencing for a range of serious offences including murder, assault and robbery. That legislation has been supported by some families and communities affected by horrific youth crimes, who have publicly called for harsher sentencing. But it has also faced criticism, with two UN special rapporteurs calling the adult prison sentences for young people "incompatible with basic child rights". The Queensland government has also announced an inquiry into the child safety system, with Premier David Crisafulli linking failings in out-of-home care system and youth crime. "There is no coincidence that we have a broken child safety system and a youth crime crisis in this state, and we are determined to take action on both," he said when the inquiry was announced. In Victoria, the state Labor government passed legislation in March to make the bail test tougher for serious child offenders and children who commit crimes while on bail — a shift in position under Premier Jacinta Allan, who also backflipped on a plan to increase the age children can be arrested and jailed to 14, after it was increased from 10 to 12. Last year the Northern Territory's Country Liberal Party government passed new laws to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 10 and increase police powers, and this year, the government also passed tougher bail laws after Mr Feick's death. Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff last month said "all options are on the table" to address the state's youth crime, while in NSW police in April launched Operation Soteria to target up to 100 young "ringleaders" committing violent crimes in the state's north and west. A NSW inquiry into regional youth crime has also made preliminary findings calling for more early intervention programs, while the state has plans to extend its bail reforms until 2028. In South Australia, the government has also raised concerns about the small number of children who are repeat offenders. It announced tougher bail laws for repeat offenders and increasing police powers for officers dealing with youth street gangs. In Western Australia Labor Premier Roger Cook made an election promise to toughen bail laws and expedite trials for children accused of offending while on bail. While the ACT is moving in a different direction to the states, it has announced the age of criminal responsibility will be raised for all but the most serious crimes to 14 years of age in July. The territory is also rolling out therapeutic support panels to assess and help rehabilitate young people. Just how successful tougher prison sentences are at reducing crime rates is often debated. For Dr Baidawi it depends on the time frame. If governments want an immediate drop in crime numbers, then she says they are going to invest in prisons. But she warns that is not going to contribute to long-term success, because eventually young offenders will be released from prison and the country's recidivism rates are high. In Australia 42.5 per cent of prisoners released during 2020-2021 had returned to prison within two years, with the Northern Territory recording the highest recidivism rate at 58.2 per cent. For young offenders that rate of reoffending can be even higher — a Victorian study of more than 5,000 children sentenced in that state's Children's Court in 2008-09 found 61 per cent had reoffended within six years. Dr Baidawi attributes past drops in crime rates in Australia and overseas to a greater focus on diversion programs, to keep young offenders out of prison. "We have seen research from Australia that has shown that the rates of reoffending are lower when younger people are processed by diversionary mechanisms," she says. What she wants to see is greater investment in preventative measures. "Investing in school enrichment, pre-school supports, early support and assessment with disability and mental health needs, these things will bear fruit, but they might only bear fruit five or ten years later." Australia's very high recidivism rates indicate to former prison boss Keith Hamburger that our justice systems are part of the problem with young crime. "We are not nipping this in the bud early in the offender's offending career, so they get churned through the courts and the detention centres for perhaps lesser crimes, they go out, keep repeating and they come back," he explains. "These children have had horrible circumstances that they are coming from, now when we talk tough, tough is not the answer — they have had tough. What they need is rehabilitation." But that doesn't mean he is against youth detention. He says communities still need to be kept safe from serious young offenders and these young people need a secure facility where they can be provided with life-changing supports. What he is now advocating for is a youth detention centre transformation. He wants states to move towards building small detention centres close to communities where young people are coming from, so they can be provided with individual rehabilitation plans that include the young person's family and community. He's not the only person to link current custody models with high reoffending rates. In March, retiring Northern Territory Supreme Court Judge Jenny Blokland described imprisonment, and the significant use of it, as "a wicked problem" and said it appeared to be driving repeat offending. While in WA the Police Commissioner Col Blanch said many arrests of young people could be prevented with greater support services for the children earlier in their lives. For criminologist Victor Hurley, one hurdle governments face in creating policy to address youth crime is the election cycle. "The is no general long-term plan by most governments around Australia into crime reduction. Most programs are built on an election cycle. So how can there possibly be rehabilitation based on a four-year funding cycle?" he asks. Dr Hurley says it's important to remember that there won't be one answer that is right for all young offenders. "There will always be individuals who will always break the law, and that's what jails for," he says. "Do I generally think that locking young people up is an answer? No." He says each individual will respond differently to pressure points within the policing and court system. "A bit of discretion can often be the right answer for some kids. But there are other kids that will end up living a life of crime."
