Latest news with #stabbings
The Guardian
30-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
'Trauma porn': media urged to reflect on role as victims' families speak at Bondi Junction stabbing inquest
Families of some of the victims of the Bondi Junction stabbings have told the inquest that intrusive media tactics compounded their grief and that inaccurate reporting was rife. The inquest was extended to examine media reporting in the immediate aftermath of the event and the impact on the families of the deceased, giving the public a rare insight into what it's like to be at the centre of the media spotlight. Ashley Wildey, whose partner, Dawn Singleton, was one of six victims of Joel Cauchi on Saturday 13 April 2024, said reporters gathered outside a family member's home the morning after the murders 'trying to get vision of me or my family there'. He said he was bombarded by 'highly inappropriate' messages from journalists 'lacking any genuine compassion' sent to his private social media accounts. He ignored them all. 'I feel that the media involvement to date has lacked empathy and truthfulness which has only served to exacerbate my pain and that of those who actually knew Dawn,' he told the New South Wales coroner's court. Wildey said reports that Singleton had been shopping for wedding makeup were not true. 'I am not aware of any basis for this claim,' he said. 'It is false. As far as I am aware, Dawn did not go into the Chanel store in Westfield Bondi Junction on the day.' Jade Young's mother, Elizabeth Young, said TV reporters appeared outside Jade's home the morning after the tragedy. Young, 74, said she was shocked by the graphic images of the aftermath broadcast on television. 'Images of Jade's lifeless body being worked on were cast throughout the world … including on a national channel's evening news,' she said. 'I learned a new phrase in the days after April 13: trauma porn.' Dawn's mother, Julie Singleton, said she received notes, emails, text messages and phone calls from reporters for months and she felt her privacy had been violated. And while she was forbidden by police from seeing her daughter's body inside Westfield, the media were permitted to film her daughter's body being taken out of the centre on a gurney. But Singletons's family reserved their strongest criticism for former 2GB broadcaster Ray Hadley who said her name on air while speaking to 3AW presenters Ross Stevenson and Russel Howcroft on the Monday morning before they had formally identified her body. 'I find it highly offensive that [he] appears to have capitalised on the unfathomable murder of my fiancee by immediately publicly broadcasting it on radio without even consulting her immediate family or myself,' Wildey said. Singleton: 'I felt that we as a family had a right to privacy. All this coverage distressed me and my family greatly.' Counsel assisting the coroner, Peggy Dwyer SC, said at the start of the five-week inquest 'the media will have to reflect deeply' on graphic footage shown in reports. Families are hoping the coroner will make recommendations which may protect families in the future. Young's brother, Peter Young, told the court: 'I trust you will also consider these factors when making recommendations from this inquest: Media guidelines on reporting mass casualty events. The moral injury caused by the media's monetisation of tragic events.' Hadley has been approached for comment. The 40-year extension of the North West Shelf gas project granted by the federal environment minister, Murray Watt, this week was welcomed in some media quarters, namely those owned by Western Australian billionaire Kerry Stokes. 'COOKING WITH GAS North West Shelf a goer', declared a strap on the front page on The Nightly, the West Australian's digital newspaper. Below that it featured an arresting image of the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, portrayed as a North Korean dictator with the headline ROGUE STATE. It was a reference to the Santos boss, Kevin Gallagher's comments comparing Victoria's investment climate to North Korea. Gallagher said Queensland, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and South Australia were 'very supportive jurisdictions' for onshore investment', while 'Victoria, North Korea, they're in a different category altogether'. The publication also published a banner ad from Woodside Energy along the bottom of the page: 'Produce reliable energy for today. Invest in new energy for tomorrow. Challenge accepted.' Meanwhile the West Australian's front page said 'Shelf Life', and a double page spread inside featured a large photo of a smiling Woodside chief executive, Meg O'Neill. According to the Herald Sun, Allan told a Victorian Chamber of Commerce of Industry event that Victoria had created more jobs than other states, which was 'not bad for a place apparently run like North Korea'. The premier told the Herald Sun [the comments from Santos] were driven by fear of competition. 'Victoria is growing, open for business, and investing in energy – including gas.' The Australian meanwhile chimed in with fart jokes. 'Is Victoria about to pass gas project despite discomfort with LNG?, the august organ asked on the eve of the decision. Sign up to Weekly Beast Amanda Meade's weekly diary on the latest in Australian media, free every Friday after newsletter promotion 'When it comes to gas Victoria is more likely to pass wind projects …' Comedian Kitty Flanagan told a Women in Media gala dinner on Wednesday night how delighted she was to be invited to give the second annual oration at the black tie event. The star of ABC TV hit Fisk said she thought the gig was a good fit given who had delivered the first oration in 2024. That was until she realised it was not fellow comic Kate McLennan of Katering Show fame but Kate McClymont, a 'serious investigative journalist' from the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age. Flanagan brought the house down, and McClymont, who was a 'prize' in the silent auction, did not appear offended by the name mix-up. The comedian inspired the audience by tracing her career trajectory from a failing standup performer to a regular spot on Ten's The Project which raised her profile and allowed her to tour her act successfully. 'My advice to young women, stick around,' she said. 'Work harder than you think you have to, and try not to get angry or disappointed when things fall over. And things fall over in this industry a lot.' Two of Australia's most prominent newspapers came under fire during a single session at the Sydney Writers festival last week, when Michael Gawenda, former editor-in-chief of the Age, and Philippe Sands, a British barrister and author spoke on a panel about antisemitism and xenophobia. Gawenda took aim at his former paper, saying he had not been published in the Age, the paper he had worked at for four decades, since the 7 October attacks. The comments came as Gawenda was recounting stories of Jewish Australians working in the arts who had been refused gigs because of their political stance on Israel. 'In terms of not getting gigs, I worked for The Age for 40 years, I ended up editor-in-chief of The Age. Since October the seventh, I have not been published in the Age,' he said. 'I don't know why not, I can't tell you exactly why not. But it seems to me that it has something to do with whatever I wrote in my book about my position on Israel.' Gawenda later told Weekly Beast that while he had discussions with the paper's editor since 7 October about writing for the Age, these discussions were not followed up. He said that at this point in his career he doesn't pitch individual articles, but writes when approached by editors and 'The Age has never asked, despite our conversations about it, and they've made it clear they don't want me.' He said he has never been told specifically that his views on Israel were precluding him from writing for the paper, but said: 'What other reason could there be, my work isn't good enough? I can't think of another reason.' The Age declined to comment. It was Murdoch's The Australian newspaper which came under attack from Gawenda's fellow panellist, Sands, who said an article in the broadsheet in February was 'totally ridiculous'. Sands, who is Jewish, has written extensively about the origins of the legal definition of genocide and crimes against humanity, most famously in his family memoir East West Street. 'When an article appears in the Australian and some of you would have seen it, which is how outrageous it is that the Sydney writers' festival has invited Sands to speak because he acted for the Palestinian Authority … It was just totally ridiculous. It was offensive. It was stupid.' Headlined 'Sydney Writers festival invite for barrister Philippe Sands who took on Israel' the Australian framed Sands as 'a barrister who represented Palestine in a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and argued for the immediate withdrawal of Israel from the occupied territories'. Many of the commenters expressed their fury about Sands' invitation underneath the story. He said he was part of a team that had been retained to argue for the right to self determination before the International Court of Justice and all of a sudden it was said 'he's anti-Israel, anti-Jewish, it's a nonsense'. A spokesperson for The Australian strongly rejected that the story was in any way an attempt to criticise Sands and pointed out that the author, Caroline Overington, wrote columns in which she encouraged readers to see him and said he is a brilliant mind. Additional reporting by Kate Lyons
ABC News
29-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Bondi stabbing victims' families give impact statements to inquest
The families of the six people killed at the Bondi Junction stabbings give emotional impact statements to the coronial inquest into the attacks.
The Guardian
29-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Heartbroken mother tells inquest she's ‘lost her way' after ‘stuff of nightmares' murders at Bondi Junction
The mother of Jade Young, a victim of the Bondi Junction stabbings, has described her daughter's murder as the 'stuff of nightmares' and the result of 'years of neglect' within the mental health system. Elizabeth Young told the New South Wales coroners court on Thursday that her words were 'both a distillation and a manifestation of anguish'. She said that it 'hurt terribly' that her loving, clever, compassionate, thoughtful and 'slightly goofy' daughter 'no longer has a chance to exist – to be in the future'. 'At 74, I have lost my way in life,' Young told the court. 'The moment he casually plunged that knife into Jade, our ordinary lives were shattered.' Elizabeth Young was accompanied in court by her husband, Ivan, her son, Peter, and Jade's husband, Noel. Elizabeth's dog, Teddy, was also at the inquest. Family statements were being given during the final days of the five-week coronial inquest. Schizophrenic man Joel Cauchi, 40, killed Ashlee Good, 38, Yixuan Cheng, 27, Pikria Darchia, 55, Dawn Singleton, 25, Faraz Tahir, 30 and Jade Young, 47. He injured 10 others at Westfield Bondi Junction on 13 April 2024 before he was shot and killed by police officer Amy Scott. Elizabeth Young remembered laughing with her daughter about washing a blanket, sending her a photo of a perfect fairy ring of mushrooms and her final emoji message in the days before she was murdered. Jade had been shopping with her daughter at the time of the attack. Elizabeth said her granddaughter later drew 'a plan of where mummy fell' in blue crayon. 'Pause and think on that,' she told the court. Elizabeth Young described the coronial inquest as 'harrowing' and said 'some people lost sight of the truly awful fact that six people are dead'. She said an accumulation of failures over many years led to Cauchi's murderous attack. Australia 'doesn't seem to want to acknowledge what happened was … categoric … years of neglect within our mental health system', at state and federal levels, she said. 'My daughter was murdered by an unmedicated chronic schizophrenic.' Referring to the senior counsel assisting the coroner, Peggy Dwyer SC, she said: 'Dr Dwyer referred to individuals doing their best in fallible systems.' 'I'm sorry, but it seems to me that my daughter and five others were killed by the cumulative failures … [of a] whole series of systems,' she said. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Elizabeth Young said if the inquest led to increased mental health funding and better security arrangements, 'all that would be good, but my daughter, my lovely, gentle daughter, is no more'. 'For me personally, no good will come from this inquest. She meant nothing to him, there is no comfort in closure, there is no way to make amends for what he took from me.' The coroners court heard Elizabeth Young couldn't stand loud places, flinches at noise, startles easily, no longer listens to music or has flowers at home, sleeps badly, was anxious about social occasions and 'dreads' Saturday afternoons. She also criticised how some members of the media had covered the attack. 'I learned a new phrase in the days after April 13: trauma porn,' she said. Peter Young, who lives in Hobart, said his sister was murdered by a man who was 'fuelled by his frustration [of] not finding a nice girl to marry – what a coward'. The five-week inquest, which began just over a year after the attacks, was scheduled to end on Friday. It has examined potential failings in Cauchi's healthcare, the preparedness of the shopping centre for an active armed offender and the response of the police, ambulance service and media.
Fox News
28-05-2025
- General
- Fox News
Jersey Shore boardwalk mayhem puts blue state's 'soft' crime approach under microscope
Print Close By Hanna Panreck Published May 28, 2025 New Jersey assemblywoman Vicky Flynn told "Fox and Friends" on Wednesday that "soft-on-crime policies" in the blue state were to blame after a series of brawls and stabbings occurred over Memorial Day weekend at a popular Jersey shore boardwalk, leading to dozens of arrests. "Over the last seven years, there have been numerous policies adopted and lack of enforcement that prevent law enforcement from taking action to prevent what's going on and what you're seeing at the shore," said Flynn, a Republican who represents Monmouth County, along the Jersey shore. "We have laws that prevented law enforcement from engaging with minors who might be caught drinking alcohol or smoking pot, just because of left-leaning type policies to allow these type of behaviors." POLICE SEEK 2 IN ASSAULT ON POPULAR EAST COAST BOARDWALK WEEKS AFTER MEMORIAL DAY CHAOS At least 73 people – 52 adults and 21 minors – were arrested in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, during the mayhem that began early Friday and ended around 6 a.m. on Monday, according to local reports. A string of brawls and stabbings erupted on the boardwalk, forcing authorities to temporarily shut down the tourist site. "We've taken a lot of action to reverse those policies, but it was that, plus even the COVID shutdowns. I think kids were not in school for long periods of time, their maturity levels were impacted, all of this together, but really, the soft-on-crime policies of our state are what led to what we're seeing right now on our boardwalks," Flynn added. Host Lawrence Jones noted that a lot of the people in the videos posted to social media were wearing masks. Flynn explained that both Houses of the New Jersey state legislature unanimously passed a bill that would have allowed law enforcement to crack down on the people instigating the brawls, which was blocked by Gov. Phil Murphy, D-N.J. "These people are coming to these areas, putting masks on, so that they can't get caught, so they're coming to these events, they're coming to the boardwalk, causing chaos, but covering their faces so they can't be caught later on through an investigation," Flynn said. Murphy conditionally vetoed the bill, citing concerns that it would infringe on First Amendment rights, according to NJ POLICE EYE ABSENT PARENTS AFTER YOUNG MOBS UPEND FAMILY-FRIENDLY VACATION HOT SPOTS Flynn called for the legislature to override the governor's veto, but said the "Trenton Democrats decided to motion my attempt to override the veto." Three young adults were stabbed in separate incidents, Seaside Heights Detective Steve Korman told local media, adding that the third stabbing prompted officials to temporarily shut down the boardwalk just after midnight on Monday. SWAT teams were on standby ahead of the weekend after a similar incident occurred during last year's long holiday weekend involving large groups of unruly juveniles, according to FOX 29 Philadelphia . CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE Jones asked Flynn if there was room for a common-sense Republican candidate in the blue state. "Absolutely, I do think Republicans, we're going to have a great year this year because of incidents like this. New Jerseyans are not dumb, especially the voters. They're going to come out strong because of these type of actions. They are sick and tired of their state being overrun by soft-on-crime type policies," Flynn said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News' Pilar Arias and Bonny Chu contributed to this report. Print Close URL
Fox News
27-05-2025
- General
- Fox News
Dozens arrested after Memorial Day violence rocks Jersey Shore boardwalk
Dozens of people were arrested after a string of brawls and stabbings involving young adults and juveniles erupted at a popular Jersey Shore boardwalk over Memorial Day weekend, forcing authorities to temporarily shut down the popular tourist site. At least 73 people – 52 adults and 21 minors – were arrested in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, during the mayhem that began early Friday and ended around 6 a.m. on Monday, local reports say, citing local police. Rep. Paul Kanitra, R-N.J., said in a social media post on Sunday that "40+ arrests have been made in just the past two days by the Seaside Heights Police Department." "Their strong leadership is cracking down," Kanitra continued. "If you go there with bad intentions, you will likely leave in handcuffs." Three young adults were stabbed in separate incidents, Seaside Heights Detective Steve Korman told local media, adding that the third stabbing prompted officials to temporarily shut down the boardwalk just after midnight on Monday. SWAT teams were on standby ahead of the weekend after a similar incident occurred during last year's long holiday weekend involving large groups of unruly juveniles, according to FOX 29 Philadelphia. Despite efforts to control this year's situation with a 10 p.m. curfew for minors and increased police presence, dozens of teens and young adults flooded the area and engaged in violent altercations near the boardwalk, the local station reported. "We call them gangs," visitor Michele Benangus said to FOX 29. "I don't know what they are, just groups of kids, some tougher than others, and we've seen them pushing and stuff." Kanitra blamed the surge in teen violence on the state's "lax" crime laws. "Seaside Heights, one of the great towns in the 10th Legislative District, continues to deal with the repercussions of New Jersey's lax on crime policies," Kanitra said. "But they aren't taking this sitting down. There is now a strict curfew in place to deal with the juveniles who have increasingly become more and more emboldened as a result of our weak Attorney General." The office of New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin and Seaside Heights Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
