Latest news with #familyviolence
ABC News
3 days ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Giulia Bertoglio
Most nights in Leonora are filled with the sound of basketballs hitting the concrete. It's the sound of a small outback town coming back from difficult times. 2h ago 2 hours ago Thu 29 May 2025 at 5:46am Kimberley man Brian John Leering, 22, will spend at least four years behind bars over the 2022 attack. Fri 16 May Fri 16 May Fri 16 May 2025 at 8:06am Police have charged a 26-year-old WA woman with the murder of a 28-year-old man in what they allege is a family violence incident. Mon 12 May Mon 12 May Mon 12 May 2025 at 4:49am The Easter weekend coincided with a rash of youth offending in Halls Creek, including car thefts and burglaries. Locals understand there is no quick fix to the ongoing issue and want community-driven action. Sat 26 Apr Sat 26 Apr Sat 26 Apr 2025 at 2:29am Emergency services say they will continue to monitor ex-cyclone Errol as it moves through the Kimberley, bringing welcome rain ahead of the busy tourist season. Sat 19 Apr Sat 19 Apr Sat 19 Apr 2025 at 12:09am An entire community helps bring to life a giant puppet show, telling ancient stories of creation, in Western Australia's northernmost town. Sat 5 Apr Sat 5 Apr Sat 5 Apr 2025 at 3:21am Police have confirmed the body of a missing man last seen swimming near Kununurra has been found. Tue 1 Apr Tue 1 Apr Tue 1 Apr 2025 at 1:24am A desperate search and rescue operation resumes for a man who went missing after swimming at a Kimberley waterhole. Mon 31 Mar Mon 31 Mar Mon 31 Mar 2025 at 7:03am Communities in Western Australia's north are on high alert for the risk of flooding as ex-Tropical Cyclone Dianne continues to move inland after crossing the coast on Saturday morning. Sat 29 Mar Sat 29 Mar Sat 29 Mar 2025 at 2:15pm WA police confirm they have found the body of a 79-year-old man who capsized while rafting in the Kimberley's Drysdale River. Fri 28 Mar Fri 28 Mar Fri 28 Mar 2025 at 8:10am The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) says Tropical Cyclone Dianne is expected to form around 8pm on Friday evening off the Kimberley coast . Fri 28 Mar Fri 28 Mar Fri 28 Mar 2025 at 7:27am The family of a boy with autism who went missing from a remote Kimberley community on the weekend have thanked everyone involved in his safe return after a community-wide search. Mon 24 Mar Mon 24 Mar Mon 24 Mar 2025 at 7:52am Just 20 per cent of high school students attend classes in WA's Fitzroy Crossing. But there's a glimmer of hope at another school which is trying to keep more kids engaged in their education. Fri 21 Mar Fri 21 Mar Fri 21 Mar 2025 at 4:02am There are hopes a new farm will provide a critical supply of both food and jobs for locals in Western Australia's remote Ngaanyatjarra Lands. Sat 15 Mar Sat 15 Mar Sat 15 Mar 2025 at 12:44am Graham Umbulgurri has to crawl to get around his home. He's among numerous people living with disability in unsuitable housing. Thu 13 Mar Thu 13 Mar Thu 13 Mar 2025 at 6:06am A woman who killed a relative in a public park in Kununurra is sentenced to eight years and six months in prison. Mon 10 Mar Mon 10 Mar Mon 10 Mar 2025 at 6:40am With regional bank branch closures, language barriers and limited technology, accessing financial institutions is tough for many remote Indigenous communities. Advocates are calling on the sector to do more. Sun 2 Mar Sun 2 Mar Sun 2 Mar 2025 at 1:45am Kimberley youth worker Tremane Baxter-Edwards says politicians are ignorant of what's happening on the ground. Fri 28 Feb Fri 28 Feb Fri 28 Feb 2025 at 11:36pm Maryanne Undalghumen was charged with murder, but her police interview admitting to the act could not be used as evidence in the trial. Thu 27 Feb Thu 27 Feb Thu 27 Feb 2025 at 11:25pm The Liberal candidate for the Kimberley is criticised after describing break-ins at his business as "Welcome to Country". Wed 19 Feb Wed 19 Feb Wed 19 Feb 2025 at 8:51am Caroline Banton and Christian Barnaby help look after gravesites in Kununurra, 3,000km north of Perth and thousands of kilometres away from their residents' loved ones. Thu 13 Feb Thu 13 Feb Thu 13 Feb 2025 at 4:58am Court has not sat in the West Australian community of Balgo for more than a year due to escalating local tensions, but residents say the ongoing suspension is limiting their access to justice. Sun 9 Feb Sun 9 Feb Sun 9 Feb 2025 at 1:09am A 40-year-old Kununurra man accused of seriously injuring a woman with his vehicle before fleeing the scene has been granted bail. Tue 4 Feb Tue 4 Feb Tue 4 Feb 2025 at 7:09am One day of heavy rain has been enough to leave the popular Kimberley tourist attraction overflowing at its earliest point in the season on record. Tue 28 Jan Tue 28 Jan Tue 28 Jan 2025 at 1:05am Community leaders in Wyndham say the Albanese government's pledge to widen trade at the Kimberley town's port and boost infrastructure is well overdue. Fri 10 Jan Fri 10 Jan Fri 10 Jan 2025 at 11:21pm
ABC News
3 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Man who murdered his elderly mother with 15kg pot plant sentenced to 21 years jail
A man who murdered his elderly mother with a pot plant before selling her belongings for drug money has been jailed for at least 21 years. David Andrew Mapp, 59, killed hits 82-year-old mother Colleen Wilson when he threw a 15-kilogram pot plant at her inside her home at Tumbi Umbi on the New South Wales Central Coast in April 2022. Mapp lived at nearby Watanobbi but had been staying with his mother because he was sick with COVID-19. The jury in his trial last October reached a guilty verdict in less than a day. In the NSW Supreme Court today, Mapp was sentenced to 21 years' jail with a non-parole period of 15 years. A victim impact statement from Ms Wilson's sister Janice Fowler was read out in court detailing the difficult relationship that her sister shared with Mapp. She described the relationship as being full of "harassment, begging, pleading, promises and lies". The trial heard Mapp had a longstanding drug addiction and regularly argued with his mother, usually as a result of him asking for money. In body cam police footage tendered in court, Mapp said he threw the pot plant in self defence, claiming his mother had threatened him with a kitchen knife. A short time after the murder, Mapp was seen on surveillance footage entering a pawn shop in nearby Long Jetty where he sold Ms Wilson's television and whipper snipper for $200, which he used to buy drugs. It was not until several hours later that Mapp called triple-0 to report a death. "I'm at mums and we had a bad argument … things got pretty bad and we had an argument … fell down, and I tried to revive her," he said to the emergency operator. He also told the operator he had been conducting CPR on his mother "all day, hoping she'd come to". In handing down Mapp's sentence Justice Ian Harrison concluded that even though Ms Wilson's death was the result of an intentional act, it was an unintended consequence of what Mapp did. "It is clear Mr Mapp lost his self-control as a result of the build-up of emotional toil associated with his longstanding anxiety," Justice Harrison said. A report prepared by psychiatrist Yvonne Skinner stated Mapp's anxiety disorder was a result of suffering from institutionalised abuse in his early years and domestic violence perpetuated by his father. Dr Skinner's opinion was that Mapp's actions were a culmination of mental health issues, stating that drug withdrawal during his bout of COVID-19 and continued arguing with his mother could be described as "the straw that broke the camel's back". Justice Harrison accepted Dr Skinner's assessment that Mapp had "a very limited risk of reoffending". Mapp will be eligible for parole in July 2037.
RNZ News
23-05-2025
- RNZ News
Hamilton woman Sharryn Ngariki jailed for brutal beatings of children
By Belinda Feek, Open Justice multimedia journalist of Sharryn Ngariki threw one child off a bed and into a wall with such force that they felt their back crack. Photo: 123RF WARNING: This story contains family violence details that may be upsetting to some readers A woman threw a child off a bed and into a wall with such force that the child felt their back crack. On another occasion, Sharryn Ngariki tied a shirt around the child's head so the child couldn't breathe. The child wasn't Ngariki's only victim. The Hamilton woman also assaulted two other young children over the course of 14 months, punching, slapping and kicking them and whacking them with a wooden spoon. The 31-year-old had previously admitted 12 charges, many representative, in the Hamilton District Court, including assault with a weapon, strangulation, assault with intent to injure, and assaulting a child. Ngariki, who failed in a bid for permanent name suppression, also admitted another charge of unlawful possession of ammunition from a separate incident. She reappeared in court today for sentencing by Judge Stephen Clark. The assaults happened between October 2022 and December 2023. The first victim was smacked "very hard" on the hands, legs, feet and shoulders several times and "punished" all over the body and mouth, court documents state. Ngariki also stood on the child's stomach and smacked them on the mouth with a wooden spoon on multiple occasions, causing the mouth to bleed. Other times, she used the wooden spoon to smack the child's bottom and feet. Ngariki also threw the child off a bed and into a wall with enough force that the child felt their back crack. Another time, she tied a shirt around the child's head, blocking their nose and mouth. The second victim was smacked on several occasions so hard that it would sting and leave bruising. The child was also punched numerous times, mostly in the face. Ngariki also stood on the victim's body. One time, she kicked the victim into a wall with enough force to create a hole. The third victim was also smacked on "numerous occasions". The charge of unlawful possession of ammunition is from 13 September, last year. Ngariki was a passenger in a car that was reported acting suspiciously, driving up driveways around the Hamilton suburb of Enderly. Police signalled the car to stop, and the occupants were taken to Hamilton police station for processing. During a search of Ngariki, police found a single round of ammunition, 2 grams of meth and a glass pipe. Counsel Hannah Cuthill said her client had attended a restorative justice conference with a representative of the victims, at which she apologised for what she'd done. Ngariki had also secured accommodation in Hamilton for when she is released on parole. "She has become very future-focused, on rehabilitation efforts and will be working in the tikanga unit once sentenced. "She also wants to do alcohol and drug counselling." A pre-sentence report found she was not likely to harm any other children and that her risk of reoffending would be determined by her "ability to maintain sobriety". That was a risk factor she was motivated to focus on, she said. Judge Stephen Clark noted that Ngariki didn't have a criminal history until "relatively recently". It was her lapse into drug abuse that led to the offending. She had grown up "around gang life", left school early and used heavy drugs from a young age. Leading up to the offending, she was "feeling mentally and emotionally unstable". "Unfortunately, your response was to get involved with drugs." After taking a starting point of four years' jail, he applied discounts for her guilty pleas and background factors, before arriving at an end point of 30 months in prison. * This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald .
ABC News
22-05-2025
- ABC News
Domestic violence comments to Bettina Arndt puts UTAS lecturer in spotlight
A university lecturer who teaches Tasmanian police recruits about domestic violence will not be involved in police training courses while comments she made in an interview with controversial men's right's commentator Bettina Arndt are reviewed. In the video published online last week, Fiona Girkin says police are seeing "just as many women as they are men in domestic violence situations as the perpetrator ". Dr Girkin is an associate lecturer in Policing and Emergency Management at the University of Tasmania and a former service manager of Launceston sexual assault support service Laurel House. She teaches Tasmania Police recruits about family and domestic violence. In the video, titled Tasmanian police resist feminist weaponisation of DV laws, she nods along as Ms Arndt explains that Dr Girkin originally approached her saying she'd be interested in talking about her teaching role. "You thanked me for being willing to protect men from women who seek to destroy their lives," Ms Arndt says. "Yeah," Dr Girkin says. Bettina Arndt was condemned for her comments following the murder of Hannah Clarke and her three children in 2020, and has also been criticised for her sympathetic interview with a twice-convicted paedophile on YouTube. In the interview with Dr Girkin, Ms Arndt says "you do teach them [police] about the international research showing in most violent homes, most males and females are violent and women often instigate violence?. Ms Arndt continues "the data's well and truly out there", to which Dr Girkin nods and says "mmm". "What I'm hearing from police that have been around for a long time … is that they're seeing just as many women as they are men in domestic violence situations as the perpetrator," Dr Girkin replies. Alina Thomas from family violence support service Engender Equality said she was concerned about that messaging. "[It] is a misrepresentation of what we know from evidence, from data and research about the causes and the impacts of family and sexual violence in the community. "When people are entering into that conversation who have a very alternative perspective to what the evidence is demonstrating, it detracts from the severity of the reality and the impacts of that. "That undermines the services who are working in that space, it undermines the change that we are trying to create… and the absolutely worst thing that happens is that victim survivors who have experienced this insidious form of violence find themselves being disbelieved, discredited." According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 1,582 offenders were proceeded against for a family or domestic violence-related offence in Tasmania last financial year, and 81 per cent of those were male. The ABS states the male family and domestic violence offender rate was about four times higher than the female offender rate, with 505 male offenders per 100,000 males, compared with 117 female offenders per 100,000 females. Chief executive of the Women's Legal Service Tasmania, Yvette Cehtel, said the interview was "disappointing on a number of fronts". "So it's inconsistent with police reporting, it's also inconsistent with the Chief Justice of the Federal and Family Court of Australia's Lighthouse Project which identifies men as perpetrators of most family violence matters, and it just doesn't accord with what we see in our work either," Ms Cehtel said. In the interview with Ms Arndt, Dr Girkin also says "stats do show that there's a gender imbalance when it comes to domestic violence", but she urges police to go into homes and look at behaviour, not gender. She also tells Ms Arndt "we refuse to see women as perpetrators" and "we make a lot excuses for women, when women can be extremely manipulative and extremely harmful both in their own social groups but also to men in relationships". Dr Girkin also expresses her views on laws around coercion and emotional abuse. Dr Girkin told Ms Arndt "women are extremely manipulative and do use coercive control on a regular basis" and she believed that women were "probably more manipulative than men in many ways". Yvette Cehtel said she was concerned a view like that may create a hierarchy of family violence offences, when Tasmania's Family Violence Act was clear that emotional and financial abuse could be standalone offences. "It really normalises a whole raft of behaviours that constitute family and sexual violence. And there is absolutely a live conversation that we need to be having about barriers that exist for men reporting family and sexual violence. In a statement, Tasmania Police said it did not have any input or awareness of Dr Girkin's interview. "The opinions stated by Dr Girkin are not in line with the principles Tasmania Police supports in dealing with family violence," the statement said. The University of Tasmania, Dr Girkin's employer, confirmed it was "aware of the interview and reviewing the issue", but would not comment further on matters concerning an individual staff member while that process was underway. The University's Chief People Officer, Kristen Derbyshire, said UTAS was committed to fostering a community where respect, safety and inclusion were paramount and its values were set out in a Gender-Based Violence Action Plan in March this year. Bree Klerck from the Tasmanian Family and Sexual Violence Alliance said the university should have a broader review of its academic and educational standards. "To ensure that any adversarial narratives are looked at and not incorporated into UTAS lectures or coursework as well," she said. Alina Thomas from Engender Equality said while Dr Girkin was still on staff at UTAS, the university was effectively endorsing her. Dr Girkin did not respond to the ABC's attempts to contact her.
ABC News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
WA upper house MPs allege spies, blackmail and Chevron exploitation in valedictory speeches
The WA Parliament's typically docile upper house has seen an eventful penultimate sitting, with one MP describing "nearly being groped" in the chamber while another said an oil and gas giant "hates Australian workers". The four-year terms of Western Australia's legislative councillors come to an end on Thursday when the 37 members chosen at the March state election are sworn in. It means the so-called house of review has largely been focused on valedictory speeches of outgoing members, rather than usual parliamentary business, for more of its last few sitting weeks. Sophia Moermond — who was elected as a Legalise Cannabis MP but was later dumped by the party — was among those giving their final speeches. "I would have thought my chances of ever being an elected member of Parliament were similar to me being on the first terraforming mission to Mars," she told the chamber at the beginning of her speech. She went on to detail "blackmail and threats of blackmail", and said she had to take out a family violence restraining order and engage a lawyer for a defamation case against "a very angry man in Tasmania". "I don't know if this is normal, but if it is, it certainly should not be." Ms Moermond said she had spent "over $18,000 being able to hear in this place" as a result of being deaf, but said the "hearing situation" in parliament had been sorted out so it would be a "much easier ride" for any future MPs with hearing impairments. Less than a year into her term, Ms Moermond was suspended from parliament for not being vaccinated against COVID-19 and described the mandate to do so as medical apartheid. "Bodily autonomy should be paramount in a democracy and I stand by my decision," she said. Later in the sitting, outgoing Labor MP Kyle McGinn used parliamentary privilege to claim oil and gas giant Chevron "hates Australian workers" and is "without doubt the pariah of the west coast oil and gas industry". Mr McGinn worked as an organiser for the Maritime Union of Australia for a decade before entering parliament. "Chevron is fixated on the bottom line, maximising short-term profits and exploiting our natural resources without putting much back into developing job opportunities or improving the lives of West Australian workers," he told the chamber. Mr McGinn claimed the company was planning to "sack hundreds of engineers who are working at [its] Elizabeth Quay headquarters … flying in the face of the Barrow Island Act 2003 which requires it to employ local workers wherever possible" but had not yet made a final decision. "Chevron comes to WA, pillages our resources, throws us a few scraps in the form of jobs and then decides, once the holes are dug, it will sack its Australian employees and replace them with foreign remote labour," he told parliament. Chevron was contacted for comment but did not respond before deadline. A Chevron spokesperson has previously told media the company was committed to meeting its local content obligations under the law. "Given our operated assets in WA, Gorgon and Wheatstone are long-term energy developments, we will continue to depend on the talent of our local workforce for decades to come," they said. Premier Roger Cook described Mr McGinn's comments as "intemperate" and said he disagreed. "I think Chevron are a great industry player," he said. "They are an important part of our economy and quite frankly, they support WA workers." Nationals-turned-independent MP Louise Kingston also made her final contribution to the chamber — although a few weeks later than intended. "My husband suffered a heart attack in my office here at Parliament House on the day I was meant to deliver my valedictory speech," she said. "All I can say is thank god, as had it happened anywhere else, I wouldn't still have him. "My husband had what is known as a silent heart attack, no symptoms and no warning. "No pain, clutching his chest, dizziness or breathlessness. "I honestly thought he was choking until his breathing and pulse stopped." Ms Kingston thanked parliamentary staff who responded, as well as Jags Krishnan — a lower house Labor MP and GP who assisted — and Minister Sabine Winton had comforted her daughter. She described the paramedics who responded as her "absolute heroes" and thanked the nurses and doctors who helped save her husband's life. Ms Kingston split from the Nationals after accusing Nationals leader Shane Love of "relentless bullying and harassment" under parliamentary privilege. Mr Love has always denied those claims. "As many have said, politics is a brutal game and my journey is testament to how brutal it can be," Ms Kingston told the chamber. "I leave stronger, more determined and educated. I will continue to use my voice for good."
