Latest news with #Tenterfield
News.com.au
3 days ago
- News.com.au
‘Hunting the hunters': The terrifying true story of a crossbow attack on police in rural Australia
When someone ran into the Tenterfield Police Station on April Fool's Day, 2012, to report that someone was shooting at members of a commune with a bow and arrow at a remote property near Rocky River, Sergeant Carter Knyvett called for backup before attending the scene. The backup came in the form of his de facto partner, Sergeant Karen Peasley, who was the only other officer available. What the couple experienced when they arrived was – as former Deputy State Coroner Hugh Dillon describes it, 'nightmarish'. 'Usually when police are involved in some sort of scenario and someone dies, they've come upon a scene where someone's threatening others,' he tells Gary Jubelin on this week's episode of the former-homicide cop's I Catch Killers podcast. 'In this case, [the offender] was actually hunting the police themselves. It put me in mind of the film Deliverance.' Dillon, who presided over the coronial inquest into the case, saw more than 300 cases during his time as a coroner – and will never forget the 'terrifying' set of circumstances of the Tenterfield crossbow attack. A man in camouflage shatters the peace Earlier that afternoon, 33-year-old Ryan Pringle had posted a status on his Facebook page that read: 'going hunting be back when i have enough food for winter [sic].' He then approached the property, on which members of the 'Rainbow Family' commune had gathered for a month-long celebration of the group's values of 'peace, love and harmony,' and almost immediately became aggressive. According to reports, he then took 10 members hostage, assaulted them and threatened them with a knife and his crossbow. Because there was no phone reception at the property, it wasn't until a few campers escaped and drove into Tenterfield that police could even be notified. Jubelin, who was called to attend as a senior investigating officer on the critical incident team, describes his own recollection of the 'very brave' actions of officers Knyvett and Peaseley. '[The property] was about an hour's drive out from town in a very remote location with no communication, not just police radio, but telephones – there were black spots all over the place,' he recalls. '[Knyvett and Peaseley] get out there and Ryan's decided to start stalking them,' he continues. 'I thought they were very brave in that they went and gathered up all the people at the festival and got them all to travel out. It was like a wagon train, getting everyone to pack up their gear and get in their vans and follow the police car.' A hunt in the night 'Then, just as they're about to move off – this is late at night and pitch black out there – Ryan's come out of the shadows and started calling out to police and threatening to kill them.' This 'hunt' went on for some time, with police unable to turn on their torches to locate Pringle, lest they make themselves more of a target. 'The police were trying to protect a whole gaggle of people who were simply there for a good weekend,' agrees Dillon. 'They were ordinary country police, just decent people trying to protect members of the community. And suddenly they're being hunted for their lives.' Eventually, after Pringle approached the van where police were sheltering and there was a chase; Peasley deployed her taser, which missed, and Knyvett shot Pringle to prevent him from shooting them both with the crossbow. 'I think it gave me a lot of respect for what country cops do,' adds Jubelin. 'There wasn't any backup for them – the communications – it was an hour or two before other police came by. You've got the other people in the situation, someone's just been shot with critical injuries and they're left there dealing with all that. I think [Sgt Knyvett] told me he wasn't sure if the rest of the community were going to attack him after the shot [that killed Pringle]. Just a horrendous situation.' After a critical incident investigation that heard several eyewitness testimonies from members of the Rainbow Family, all of whom reported that officers had continually pleaded with Pringle to drop the crossbow, telling him they did not want to get hurt, both officers went on to receive bravery awards for their actions. Although, adds Jubelin, some members of the 'eclectic' group provided colourful memories with their approach to courthouse attire. 'There was this one particular person that was a witness to this situation who didn't believe in wearing clothes,' he recalls. 'Clothes just weren't his scene. And I don't think you realise, as the Deputy State Coroner, how much work we had to do behind the scenes to get that witness to appear in court with some clothes on.' A system in need of an overhaul Along with being at the coalface of human tragedy through his coronial career, Dillon's time trying to understand death has left him desperate for things to change within the system. Dillon says one major failing in the current system is that while approximately 8,000 deaths are reported annually in NSW, only about 100 inquests are held. 'Around 40 per cent of the reported deaths are due to unnatural causes,' he explains. 'We don't really investigate enough accidents, I think, to learn all the lessons that could be learned. Ideally, a coronial system should really, thoroughly investigate all the fatal accidents that occur, and try to put them into patterns or identify trends so that we can pull out lifesaving lessons.' He adds that while investment into increased coronial inquests might seem steep, the impacts could actually be economically beneficial. 'One thing that people don't often think about – and frankly, I didn't think about when I was a coroner, but I have thought about since – is the economic value of a human life,' he says. 'The Australian Government puts an economic value on Australian life, and it's called the 'value of a statistical life'. And that, in 2024, was estimated to be $5.7 million. One year of life is valued by actuaries at around $240,000 or $250,000.' Dillon argues that thoroughly investigating the causes of accidents should be regarded as an investment in lifesaving. 'If we could save more lives, if we can prevent more accidents, then it would be obviously good for the families and the community in general if this human cost wasn't spent or incurred, but there's also a value to the economy,' he says. 'If you think about it, we have 3000 unnatural deaths a year. That's possibly $15 billion. Just putting it in dollar terms, which is a very crude and unsatisfactory way to put it, is really worth looking at,' Dillon continues. 'This is not just a lot of grief and a lot of sadness. It's an enormous cost to the society that we live in.'
News.com.au
22-07-2025
- News.com.au
Urgent search for baby and two children missing from Gold Coast
A desperate search continues for two missing schoolchildren and a baby last seen on Queensland's Gold Coast on Friday. On Tuesday evening, police released photos of a 7-week-old baby girl, a 10-year-old girl and six-year-old boy. The image of 41-year-old Monique, who is described as caucasian, with dark brown hair and brown eyes, was also released. She is known to the children and is believed to be with them. Police did not share Monique's surname. Officers believe Monique is driving a white Nissan X-Trail and may be in the Tenterfield area in NSW's Northern Tablelands. The children were last seen near Mirambeena Drive in Pimpama shortly before 9am on July 18. Police and the children's family are concerned about their welfare due to their age. Anyone who may have seen the children or the Nissan, which bears the Queensland registration 992XPS, are urged to contact police.
ABC News
13-06-2025
- General
- ABC News
Dismayed buyers surrendering 'teacup' pigs weighing up to 300kg
Q: What do "teacup" pigs and unicorns have in common? A: Neither exist, even if we really want them pigs are promoted as perfect for kids and suburban these little pets can become a big problem, as Tayla Anderson knows all too well. Ms Anderson admits she may have naively bought into the mini-pig fallacy when her mother surprised her with two piglets. She said they were told the pigs would stay miniature for their whole lives. "They grew to about thigh height, and I could almost ride them like a horse." Ms Anderson said it was lucky she lived on a small farm in Victoria at the time and was able to give her bigger-than-expected pigs a home. "I've been to a lot of properties and I've never seen a small pig," she said. University of Queensland pig health expert Dakota Leschke, who works with large animals on farms and sanctuaries, said he regularly heard from owners who thought they had bought a miniature pig. "Mini pigs are an umbrella term and they are generally smaller than a commercial pig," Dr Leschke said. "The smallest pig I have ever seen is 100 kilograms, but I have seen mini pigs up to 250kg. "Teacup pigs are more of a myth, not everything is truthful online." RSPCA senior manager of animal care Georgie Casper said miniature pigs were not a recognised breed in Australia. Kathy Anderson, who is not related to Tayla, has more than 120 pigs on her rural property, just outside Tenterfield in North West NSW. The Contented Pig Inn has become a haven for pigs of all shapes and sizes. Some arrived sick or injured, others had nowhere else to go. Ms Anderson said some owners surrendered their pets after what they thought was a tiny pig turned into a 300kg hog. "I don't know what the thought process is. There are breeds of dogs like little terriers that stay small, but that's not pigs." Belly was sold as a mini pig but ended up at Ms Anderson's property after its owners realised they were drastically unprepared. "She was so skeletal, she was in pain, so thin," she said. "Belly was kept on an odd diet to keep her small, probably chicken feed. "Breeders do that to keep the pigs small." Belly now weighs in at 200kg. South Australian pig breeders Rachel and Joel Redford said they were approached regularly by buyers looking for teacup pigs. "Teacup pigs are completely false, the term shouldn't be used," Ms Redford said. Despite the breed not being recognised in Australia, the Redfords do advertise miniature pigs for sale. Ms Redford said 15to 20 years of breeding had allowed them to produce a pig that might only grow to weigh 70kg. "These pigs have been chosen for their characteristics," she said. "Some of them are 30-centimetres tall. "We don't feel there are many reputable local breeders." RSPCA NSW said its inspector had not reported any major issues from pig owners recently. But Ms Casper said misinformation about pigs was common. "You need to understand what their needs are," she said. "They are very sensitive, intelligent and curious animals. "If you're interested in owning a pig, you need to be able to provide them with adequate nutrition, shelter, transportation [and] veterinary care." According to the NSW DPI, keeping pigs — including free-range pigs — is classified as intensive livestock agriculture and is prohibited in some land-use zones.
