Latest news with #QueenslandUniversityofTechnology
West Australian
26-05-2025
- West Australian
‘Judicial corruption': Ex-law lecturer accused of posing as Justin Bieber to solicit explicit images makes sensational claim in court
A former law lecturer accused of posing as pop icon Justin Bieber to convince children to send him explicit images over Facebook and Skype has dropped his legal team and bizarrely claimed his case involves 'cover-ups and judicial corruption'. Gordon Douglas Chalmers was scheduled to be arraigned at Brisbane District Court on Monday on more than 200 charges, including child grooming and making child exploitation material. Chalmers, a former lecturer at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), instead went on a tangent trying to address the court, claiming there were 'exceptional circumstances' that warranted his matter being treated differently. After a brief adjournment, his legal team returned to the bar table and told Judge Deborah Richards they were withdrawing from the matter due to Mr Chalmers' grant of legal aid being terminated. Mr Chalmers claimed in court that he did not terminate the arrangement before claiming his relationship with his lawyers was not 'absolute'. He then went on a tangent, claiming the matter ended up before Judge Richards because of 'the worst case of judicial corruption' and 'cover-ups' during pre-trial proceedings. Mr Chalmers requested an adjournment so 'a fair and just consideration' could be made on how his matter would proceed. A Legal Aid representative told the court that it would take up to eight weeks for another grant of aid to be assessed. Mr Chalmers continued by claiming barristers would be 'disbarred' if they raised the matters he alleged in court, asserting his matter was considered 'career-destroying' by lawyers. 'They are more concerned about their future job prospects than standing up for not just their clients' rights but also about their duties and obligations to the court,' Mr Chalmers claimed. After Mr Chalmers claimed that Judge Richards had been handed a poisoned chalice, she wryly replied: 'That's OK, I'm used to poisoned chalices. 'So presuming there will be an application, likely a rejection, then possibly an appeal – that will be the process, won't it?' Judge Richards asked the Commonwealth Chalmers' matter was adjourned to July 21 to allow his legal aid grant to be assessed. He was remanded in custody. Mr Chalmers no longer holds a position at QUT, according to the university's website. He has been in custody on remand since 2017 following his arrest. Police allege Mr Chalmers used online platforms including Facebook and Skype to communicate with his victims, allegedly posing as Bieber while contacting children. Mr Chalmers initially faced 900 charges, but the bulk were dropped upon his committal in 2017.
Perth Now
26-05-2025
- Perth Now
‘Corruption': Alleged Bieber poser's rant
A former law lecturer accused of posing as pop icon Justin Bieber to convince children to send him explicit images over Facebook and Skype has dropped his legal team and bizarrely claimed his case involves 'cover-ups and judicial corruption'. Gordon Douglas Chalmers was scheduled to be arraigned at Brisbane District Court on Monday on more than 200 charges, including child grooming and making child exploitation material. Chalmers, a former lecturer at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), instead went on a tangent trying to address the court, claiming there were 'exceptional circumstances' that warranted his matter being treated differently. After a brief adjournment, his legal team returned to the bar table and told Judge Deborah Richards they were withdrawing from the matter due to Mr Chalmers' grant of legal aid being terminated. Former QUT law lecturer Gordon Douglas Chalmers is alleged to have convinced children to send him explicit images over platforms like Skype and Facebook. Supplied Credit: Supplied Mr Chalmers claimed in court that he did not terminate the arrangement before claiming his relationship with his lawyers was not 'absolute'. He then went on a tangent, claiming the matter ended up before Judge Richards because of 'the worst case of judicial corruption' and 'cover-ups' during pre-trial proceedings. Mr Chalmers requested an adjournment so 'a fair and just consideration' could be made on how his matter would proceed. A Legal Aid representative told the court that it would take up to eight weeks for another grant of aid to be assessed. Mr Chalmers continued by claiming barristers would be 'disbarred' if they raised the matters he alleged in court, asserting his matter was considered 'career-destroying' by lawyers. 'They are more concerned about their future job prospects than standing up for not just their clients' rights but also about their duties and obligations to the court,' Mr Chalmers claimed. During his appearance at Brisbane District Court (pictured), Mr Chalmers claimed his matter involved 'judicial corruption' and dropped his legal team. NewsWire/ Glenn Campbell Credit: News Corp Australia After Mr Chalmers claimed that Judge Richards had been handed a poisoned chalice, she wryly replied: 'That's OK, I'm used to poisoned chalices. 'So presuming there will be an application, likely a rejection, then possibly an appeal – that will be the process, won't it?' Judge Richards asked the Commonwealth Chalmers' matter was adjourned to July 21 to allow his legal aid grant to be assessed. He was remanded in custody. Mr Chalmers no longer holds a position at QUT, according to the university's website. He has been in custody on remand since 2017 following his arrest. Police allege Mr Chalmers used online platforms including Facebook and Skype to communicate with his victims, allegedly posing as Bieber while contacting children. Mr Chalmers initially faced 900 charges, but the bulk were dropped upon his committal in 2017.
Daily Mail
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Aussie swimming great Cate Campbell reveals the shattering moment that made her feel like a 'fraud, a fool and a failure'
Aussie swimming great Cate Campbell has opened up on the moment her glittering career ended in heartbreak as she failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The 32-year-old is one of Australia's most decorated swimmers and was on the cusp of making history as the first Aussie to swim at five Olympic Games. Having captained the Australian team at the Tokyo Games in 2021 - while also competing in Beijing in 2008, London in 2012 and Rio in 2016 - the four-time gold medallist had worked all her life to achieve extraordinary things. But it came crashing down when Campbell, who also holds a Bachelor's Degree in Communication from the Queensland University of Technology, failed to qualify for the Olympic swimming team in June 2024. She placed seventh in the women's 50m freestyle at Australia's Olympic selection trials in Brisbane, with Shayna Jack and Meg Harris - who went on to win silver in Paris - both being selected for the Games. Campbell had broken down in tears in the pool after missing out on qualifying. She had also missed out qualifying for the 100m freestyle final by one-hundredth of a second earlier in the week. Campbell said she was 'heartbroken' by the moment, having come so agonisingly close to making history as the first Aussie swimmer to appear at five Olympics 'I was heartbroken and I was devastated,' Campbell told the Courier Mail, reflecting on the agonising moment. 'To be honest, I felt foolish. I felt like a fraud. I felt like a failure. I felt like I had wasted the past two years of my life training to this point. 'I was ashamed, I was embarrassed, and it was all of those things because that's what happens when you're out there and you do something vulnerable and it doesn't work out. Then there was the disappointment that this is the end.' Despite the disappointment, she finished her Olympic career with eight medals, including four golds. Those titles accompany her already bursting trophy cabinet, with Campbell having also won six gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and 37 major international medals. Amid the pain she added that there was a sense of 'relief' around the moment. 'There was relief that I could let go and stop fighting,' she added. Much of her life has been devoted to training to help her strive for excellence in the pool. Campbell admitted that she now is excited about the future, and was excited to have her weekends back, she did have some regrets from her career. 'It's the full stop, the closing of the chapter in the book on a career which I'm very happy with and very proud of, but there are regrets and mistakes that you secretly hoped that you could have changed… it's the complete knowledge that part of my life is over.' One of those regrets related to missing out on winning gold in the women's 50m final Rio. Amid the disappointment of that result, she took a break from swimming the following year before bouncing back at the Commonwealth Games, winning gold while also breaking the world record for the women's 4x100m relay alongside her sister Bronte. Campbell, a former chair of the Australian Olympic Committee Athletes' Commission, is now forging a new journey and says she is enjoying the 'ordinary' things in life.
The Independent
17-04-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Red planet comes alive! Minerals found on Mars signal a water and ‘possibly life-supporting' past
Researchers say they are one step closer to finding out if life ever existed on Mars. An international team has found 'compelling evidence' of multiple mineral-forming events just below the planet's surface. 'Sulphate minerals exist with different amounts of water in most regions on Mars and allow us to understand how water moved around the planet, which is key to understanding its past habitability,' Dr. Michael Jones, of Queensland University of Technology in Australia, said in a statement. 'However, we don't yet fully understand how or when these minerals formed,' he added. 'Our team found a way to measure the internal crystal structure of these minerals directly in the rock, which had thought to be impossible on the surface of Mars.' Jones is a co-author of the findings which were published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances. To find the evidence, the study's authors used data from NASA's Perseverance rover. The rover has been exploring the Red Planet's Jezero Crater since February 2021 and picking up samples of rock — hoping to find signs of ancient microbial life. They adapted a new analytical method called 'X-ray Backscatter Diffraction Mapping' to work with the rover's Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry instrument, which helps to study the internal chemistry of Mars rocks. Diffraction mapping uses patterns to create maps of the properties of material, including where crystals are found. With this method and the rover's data, the team could determine the orientation of the crystal structures of the Martian minerals, providing a 'fingerprint' showing how and when they grew, as well as in what conditions. In part of Jezero Crater known as the Shenandoah formation, two generations of calcium sulfate minerals formed beneath the surface. Calcium sulfate is a naturally occurring mineral that is commonly found in gypsum: a mineral used in brewing beer and other products. 'This discovery highlights the diversity of environments that existed in the Shenandoah formation's history — indicating multiple potential windows when life might have been possible on Mars,' Jones said.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Incredible discovery hints at life on Mars: 'Right conditions'
Water was not only present across much of the Martian surface, it existed for a long time. Tiny crystals found just below the surface of Mars are helping scientists unravel the mystery of whether life once existed on its surface. An Aussie-led research team used data collected by NASA's Perseverance rover to examine tiny sulphate mineral deposits. Because their presence is associated with water, they are able to form a picture of how it once flowed around the planet over a prolonged period. 'Instead of just having evidence that water was there, we now have evidence that water was there for a long time,' lead researcher Dr Michael Jones of the Queensland University of Technology told Yahoo News. 'When Mars had an atmosphere, all the right conditions [for life] were there.' Life didn't take long to evolve on Earth once conditions were favourable, so it's plausible that microbial life was once present on Mars, and then became extinct after the atmosphere was destroyed. ADVERTISEMENT Previous missions to the red planet were focused on where water existed, but the current mission is focused on searching for biosignatures or 'fingerprints' associated with early life. 'We're looking for patterns that on Earth are created by biology. It's a lot harder to do on another planet,' Jones said. What was Mars like when it was covered in water? The data was gathered using a device developed at the Australian Synchrotron facility in Melbourne by a former student at QUT, Abigail Allwood. The PIXL instrument provided insights into how and when crystals grew and what it was like to be on Mars at that time. 'It would have been relatively wet. The water probably wouldn't have been what you would imagine a lake to be, it would have had a much higher salt content, almost like a Dead Sea,' Jones said. ADVERTISEMENT 'We have evidence that the inflow was quite rapid and strong. There are some big boulders that are within this sedimentary fan… But there was no vegetation, and that would be the stark difference to Earth.' The research was published in the journal Science Advances on Thursday. It highlights the team's pioneering use of a method called X-ray Backscatter Diffraction Mapping (XBDM) which produces a clearer 'fingerprint' of how and when the crystals grew. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
