Latest news with #WaverleyLocalCourt
Sky News AU
a day ago
- Sky News AU
UNSW student Ali Alghamdi allegedly found with 25,000 files of child abuse material
A university student in Sydney has allegedly been caught with more than 25,000 child abuse material files on their phone. Officers arrested Ali Alghamdi, a 35-year-old Saudi Arabian national, at a Randwick university campus about 3pm on Monday. Police allegedly located over 25,000 videos and images of child abuse material, including 42 marked as 'favourites' following a search of his phone. Alghamdi was charged with use carriage etc to access child abuse material. The Sydney Morning Herald reported Alghamdi stored the material on encrypted messaging apps, Waverley Local Court heard on Tuesday. One of his three email accounts allegedly contained a shocking 650 gigabytes worth of material. 'When initially questioned why he had favourited 42 files he said he did not know they were in his possession and subsequently expanded on that (saying) he had obtained the material for the purpose of reporting child abuse material to authorities,' Commonwealth prosecutor Melanie Tam told the court. The alleged child abuse material was 'significantly depraved … including children between two and four years old and infants', Tam said. His arrest followed an investigation into the online distribution, supply and access of child abuse material by the State Crime Command's Sex Crimes Squad Child Internet Exploitation Unit. 'They searched devices which contained film which could only be said to be the most perturbing child sexual abuse,' Magistrate Michael Barko said. 'A lay person would be satisfied it's the type of offending that would have the offender serve a long term of imprisonment. He tried to tell police he had this material because he had tried to report the material to police and happened to have the material on his phone two years after the event.' Alghamdi is a part-time Uber driver and is on a student visa, completing his PhD in optometry at UNSW. His wife and children - aged four and eight - joined him in Sydney in June, the court heard. Alghamdi was unsuccessful in his bail application and is expected to front the court in September.
Sky News AU
21-07-2025
- Sky News AU
Concerning alleged find after man, 38, accusingly stalked radio host Jackie O Henderson in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs
A man charged with stalking KIIS FM radio host Jackie O Henderson was found outside her Clovelly home with a bolt in a sock, a court has heard. David Gourley was arrested in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs in early July after he allegedly stalked the radio star and would send her hundreds of Instagram messages. Police launched an investigation after receiving a complaint from Ms Henderson on July 3. The next day the 38-year-old was arrested while sitting on a bench outside her home. Police allege the 10-15cm bolt inside a sock was found when they searched Mr Gourley's satchel. David Gourley was arrested in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs in early July after allegedly stalking Jackie O Henderson. Picture: Facebook/Supplied Police launched an investigation after receiving a complaint from Jackie O Henderson on July 3. Picture: Instagram Waverley Local Court heard on Monday, the police feared the bolt inside a sock could have been used against Ms Henderson. The alleged stalker appeared via video link from prison, where he has been held on remand since his arrest. The court was told Mr Gourley sent 'hundreds if not thousands' of messages from January up until his arrest to the radio star. The 38-year-old is facing four counts of stalk/intimidate and one count each of using a carriage service to menace/harass, armed with intention to commit indictable offence and use offensive weapon to commit indictable offence. He entered not guilty pleas to all charges on Monday's hearing. Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson (right) host their morning show on KIIS FM. Picture: Instagram Mr Gourley's solicitor Trudie Cameron told the court some of the messages were sexual in nature and 'troubling'. However, she added the messages were not aggressive in tone. Ms Cameron proposed bail conditions for him to be under house arrest so he can live with his partner. Magistrate Michael Barko said the messages would have been a 'great concern' for Ms Henderson, the court heard. Mr Barko described the allegations as 'disturbing', aligning with someone suffering serious untreated mental health condition. At the time of Mr Gourlay's arrest, he was taken to a mental health facility before being charged by police. The court heard he had been unmedicated at the time from his diagnosed schizophrenia. Mr Barko refused Mr Gourley bail due to not having a proposed mental health treatment plan or regime to address his mental health condition.
Sky News AU
21-07-2025
- Sky News AU
David Gourlay: Shock alleged find after man accused of stalking radio queen
A man charged with stalking radio queen Jackie O Henderson was found outside her Sydney home with a bolt in a sock, a court has been told. David Gourlay, 38, was arrested in Sydney's east earlier this month after a police investigation into allegations he bombarded her with hundreds of Instagram messages. Police began an investigation after receiving a complaint from Ms Henderson on July 3. The following day Mr Gourlay was arrested while sitting on a bench outside her home, and police allege when they searched his satchel they found a 10-15cm bolt inside a sock. Waverley Local Court was told on Monday police feared that the improvised weapon was to be used against Ms Henderson. Mr Gourlay on Monday appeared via video link from prison, where he has been held on remand since his arrest, as he made an application to be freed on bail. The court was told that Mr Gourlay sent the KIIS FM star 'hundreds if not thousands' of messages via social media from January until his arrest earlier this month. One of the charges relates to an occasion when Mr Gourlay allegedly had flowers delivered to Ms Henderson's home. His solicitor Trudie Cameron told the court some of the messages were sexual in nature and 'troubling', however she said at no time was he aggressive or did he express dissatisfaction with Ms Henderson. He is facing four counts of stalk/intimidate and one count each of using a carriage service to menace/harass, armed with intention to commit indictable offence and use offensive weapon to commit indictable offence. He entered not guilty pleas to all charges at Monday's hearing. When he was arrested, Mr Gourlay was taken to a mental health facility before he was released into the custody of police and was charged. The court was told Mr Gourlay has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was unmedicated at the time. Ms Cameron proposed bail conditions amounting to house arrest for Mr Gourlay to live with his partner. Magistrate Michael Barko told the court the alleged messages were of a 'sexual, graphic nature' and would have raised 'great concern' for Ms Henderson. The court also heard that Mr Gourlay had convictions for violence offences including assault and was on a community corrections order at the time of the alleged offending. Mr Barko described the allegations as 'disturbing' and consistent with someone suffering a serious untreated mental health condition. He said it appeared Mr Gourlay was 'besotted and obsessed, one might say in an unremitting matter' with Ms Henderson. He refused to grant Mr Gourlay bail because he did not have a proposed mental health treatment plan or regime which would address his serious mental health problems. Originally published as Shock alleged find after man accused of stalking radio queen
Perth Now
21-07-2025
- Perth Now
Fresh detail emerges in Jackie O stalker case
A man charged with stalking radio queen Jackie O Henderson was found outside her Sydney home with a bolt in a sock, a court has been told. David Gourlay, 38, was arrested in Sydney's east earlier this month after a police investigation into allegations he bombarded her with hundreds of Instagram messages. Police began an investigation after receiving a complaint from Ms Henderson on July 3. The following day Mr Gourlay was arrested while sitting on a bench outside her home, and police allege when they searched his satchel they found a 10-15cm bolt inside a sock. Waverley Local Court was told on Monday police feared that the improvised weapon was to be used against Ms Henderson. Mr Gourlay on Monday appeared via video link from prison, where he has been held on remand since his arrest, as he made an application to be freed on bail. The court was told that Mr Gourlay sent the KIIS FM star 'hundreds if not thousands' of messages via social media from January until his arrest earlier this month. Jackie Henderson. Supplied/Instagram Credit: Supplied Alleged stalker David Gourlay. Facebook/Supplied. Credit: News Corp Australia One of the charges relates to an occasion when Mr Gourlay allegedly had flowers delivered to Ms Henderson's home. His solicitor Trudie Cameron told the court some of the messages were sexual in nature and 'troubling', however she said at no time was he aggressive or did he express dissatisfaction with Ms Henderson. He is facing four counts of stalk/intimidate and one count each of using a carriage service to menace/harass, armed with intention to commit indictable offence and use offensive weapon to commit indictable offence. He entered not guilty pleas to all charges at Monday's hearing. When he was arrested, Mr Gourlay was taken to a mental health facility before he was released into the custody of police and was charged. The court was told Mr Gourlay has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was unmedicated at the time. Ms Cameron proposed bail conditions amounting to house arrest for Mr Gourlay to live with his partner. Magistrate Michael Barko told the court the alleged messages were of a 'sexual, graphic nature' and would have raised 'great concern' for Ms Henderson. Jackie O was allegedly stalked by David Gourlay. NewsWire/John Appleyard. Credit: News Corp Australia The court also heard that Mr Gourlay had convictions for violence offences including assault and was on a community corrections order at the time of the alleged offending. Mr Barko described the allegations as 'disturbing' and consistent with someone suffering a serious untreated mental health condition. He said it appeared Mr Gourlay was 'besotted and obsessed, one might say in an unremitting matter' with Ms Henderson. He refused to grant Mr Gourlay bail because he did not have a proposed mental health treatment plan or regime which would address his serious mental health problems.
West Australian
10-07-2025
- West Australian
Man pleads guilty to using ‘pen camera' to spy on female housemates
A Chilean man who used a tiny camera to spy on his three female housemates as they showered in their suburban Sydney home has been called 'cowardly' by one of the women he spied on. Luis Alberto Cancino Mena, 39, faced Waverley Local Court in Sydney on Thursday morning after pleading guilty to three seperate charges of filming a person without their consent. Mena was living in a sharehouse in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs with three young women when police allege he began filming them without their consent in the only shared bathroom in their home. One of the women, who has elected to go by the name 'Sarah', attended the hearing on Thursday, and spoke to media outside court, labelling her former housemate a 'coward'. 'It's probably the highest violation you can have in your home... someone in private areas where you don't expect cameras to be,' she said. 'I don't want to see this person ever again, or have anything to do with him.' Sarah said being in Mena's presence in court was 'a little nerve wracking,' but that 'there's nothing to be ashamed of'. 'I want to be brave in the scenario, and speak up... not only for me, but for other women.' According to court documents, Mena's behaviour went undetected for months until the cleaners contracted by his landlord stumbled upon the device in early February. 'The cleaners... were cleaning the bathroom before locating a recording camera device which was in the shape of a pen,' police said. 'The storage device card was accessed by the cleaners and they observed recording files of the victims with no clothes on, taking a shower. They also observed files of themselves cleaning the bathroom.' The cleaners handed the device over to the landlord, who took it to the police station a few days later. Police say one recording 'clearly shows the accused setting the camera up in the bathroom'. After arresting Mena and searching the home, police seized the man's laptop where they found folders marked under the names of the victims. Footage taken from the hidden camera had been catalogued based on who it was recording, and was then placed into the folder allocated to that person. Police said Mena had confessed he 'had been recording videos in the bathroom of the house for 2-3 months'. Mena was seen leaving the courthouse with a mask obscuring his face. The matter was adjourned by the magistrate, and Mena is now expected to be sentenced on August 6th.
