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“Witnesses” in William Tyrrell case turned away by police

<p dir="ltr">Several potential witnesses who claim to have spotted William Tyrrell after he went missing in 2014 allege that they were dismissed by police, with phone calls to Crime Stoppers also going unanswered.</p> <p dir="ltr">One woman claims to have seen the child near Uluru one year after he was reported missing, with another four people claiming they had valuable information that was ignored by authorities. </p> <p dir="ltr">As <em><a href="http://news.com.au/">news.com.au</a></em> continues their investigative podcast into Tyrrell’s disappearance, the podcast spoke to the witnesses who were allegedly ignored by police, as one woman said she “felt sick” after being dismissed when trying to report another possible sighting of William.</p> <p dir="ltr">A third possible witness said he was “p***ed off with Crime Stoppers not taking me seriously”.</p> <p dir="ltr">After the then three-year-old disappeared from Kendall on the mid North coast of New South Wales, NSW Police were inundated with information.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the following two years, there were around 2,800 calls to Crime Stoppers, and more than 1,000 possible sightings of William, with many of these tips being followed up at the time.</p> <p dir="ltr">While speaking with the podcast, one potential witness, Lois Barry, believed she saw William travelling with a group of four adults and several young children when she was on a trip to Australia’s red centre in 2015.</p> <p dir="ltr">She said she had an encounter with a blonde woman at a petrol station in Marla, South Australia, who told Ms Barry she was from the east coast of NSW.</p> <p dir="ltr">As soon as Ms Barry went into a free cubicle, she claimed the woman said: “You can come out now, Will.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Barry said she saw the group again at a campsite later that night, and recognised one of the group from media reports of William’s disappearance.</p> <p dir="ltr">The boy was younger than the other children in the group and she felt he was being “hidden” by them, she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">One of the adults with the group was the blonde woman, as Ms Barry took a photo of the woman and noted down the registration numbers of the vehicles in which the group were travelling.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Barry told <em>news.com.au</em> she tried to report her potential sighting at the time by visiting a local police station, only to be cut off by an officer who said he was busy, and told her “don’t worry about it”.</p> <p dir="ltr">She then called Crime Stoppers “two or three times” to report what she had seen, but she said, “Crime Stoppers rang me back and said it was nothing.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Barry said she has never heard directly from police.</p> <p dir="ltr">“For all those years … that was just eating at me,” she said, breaking down as she described her fears of what might have happened to William.</p> <p dir="ltr">Another potential witness, Richard Brindle, said he contacted Crime Stoppers shortly after police appealed for information about two cars “parked strangely with the driver windows down” outside the house where William was reported missing.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite multiple reports to Crime Stoppers, Mr Brindle said he never heard back.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I had some fresh information at the time, and I rang Crime Stoppers twice. And they must have thought I was some nut job or whatever,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was a bit p***ed off with Crime Stoppers not taking me seriously. It’s very serious stuff, it’s a boy’s life. And they didn’t even bother to interview me. I thought, ‘What a joke. No one seems to care’.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: NSW Police</em></p> <p></p> <p dir="ltr"> </p> <p> </p>

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Sydneysiders witnessed horrific scenes on Saturday. How do you process and recover from such an event?

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kim-felmingham-9075">Kim Felmingham</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em></p> <p>Like many, I watched the reports of the violent attack at Bondi Junction yesterday with shock, horror and disbelief. My heart goes out to the people involved, the courageous first responders and to those who have lost loved ones in this tragic event.</p> <p>I also feel for those who witnessed the horror and will be working out how to get through the initial shock and, over time, put it behind them.</p> <p>Distress and strong emotional reactions are <a href="https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/the-psychological-and-psychiatric-effects-of-terrorism-lessons-fr">common</a> after these types of mass violent events.</p> <p>But different people will have <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/types/mass_violence_help.asp">different emotional reactions</a> – and some may experience a range of shifting emotions.</p> <h2>The first few days and weeks</h2> <p>In the days and weeks after traumatic events like these, people <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/isitptsd/common_reactions.asp#:%7E:text=All%20kinds%20of%20trauma%20create,stop%20thinking%20about%20what%20happened.">often experience</a> a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306457320308670">range of emotions</a>: from fear and anxiety, anger, sadness and grief, disbelief and numbness, guilt and worry about safety. They may be jittery, more irritable or on edge, or it may affect their sleep.</p> <p>For many, their sense of risk may be heightened, particularly as such random violence occurred during such an ordinary event – shopping on a Saturday afternoon. This <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/types/mass_violence_help.asp">can lead to</a> a heightened awareness of danger and concern for safety.</p> <h2>What’s likely to happen over time?</h2> <p>For most people, as they begin to process and make sense of what happened, these feelings will gradually reduce in intensity and people will begin to recover. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25311288/">Research shows</a> the majority of people recover from mass violent events within the initial few months.</p> <p>However, for people with more direct exposure to the trauma, these events and reactions may be more difficult to process. Some people <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26084284/">may go on</a> to develop mental health difficulties, most commonly anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).</p> <p>Understandably, those <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26084284/">more at risk</a> are people who were present during the trauma and experienced a direct threat, as well as those who witnessed the violence or aftermath, first responders (paramedics and police) and those who had loved ones injured or lost during the event.</p> <p>People who had more intense emotional responses during the trauma, or previous psychological difficulties or traumatic experiences, may also be <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26084284/">at greater risk</a>.</p> <h2>What helps – and hinders – your recovery?</h2> <p>To help process these traumatic events and promote recovery, social support is <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/types/mass_violence_help.asp">particularly important</a>.</p> <p>Spending time with trusted family and friends can help people process the events and their emotional reactions. Talking about your feelings with supportive people can help you understand and accept them. But even if you don’t want to talk about your feelings, spending time with loved ones is helpful.</p> <p>It is also fine to need some time to be alone, but try not to isolate yourself or withdraw.</p> <p>If you can’t talk about your feelings, try not to bottle them up or deal with them by using alcohol or drugs. Find <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7957853/">another way to express them</a> – whether through writing, art or music, or exercise.</p> <p>Give yourself permission and time to feel these emotions. Remind yourself you have just been through something extremely traumatic, take things day by day, and don’t expect too much of yourself. Try not to judge yourself for your actions or how you are coping.</p> <p>Keep some structure in your day, setting small goals, and increase your self-care: eat well, rest (even if you can’t sleep well), try yoga or relaxation. When you’re ready, try to get back to your normal routine.</p> <p>Seek out information from <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7957853/">trusted sources</a>, but try to <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0886260517742915">avoid</a> being saturated by images or stories about the trauma, particularly graphic footage or speculation common on social media.</p> <h2>What if children have witnessed it, too?</h2> <p>If your children have been impacted, reassure them that they are safe and loved. When they are ready, talk to them gently about the trauma, acknowledge it and answer their questions.</p> <p>Encourage them to express their feelings and spend more time together doing family activities.</p> <p>Importantly, try to limit their exposure to graphic footage and images of the events in the media, and on social media.</p> <h2>When to seek mental health care</h2> <p>Reach out for professional mental health support if you experience ongoing difficulty with your emotional reactions, or if you’re having distressing memories of the trauma, difficulty sleeping or nightmares, or you want to avoid things that remind you of the traumatic event.</p> <p>Not everyone requires professional mental health support, but if you are experiencing these types of post-traumatic stress reactions a few weeks after the trauma, it’s important to speak to your GP to seek out professional support from psychologists or counselling services.</p> <p><em>If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.</em><!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/227867/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kim-felmingham-9075">Kim Felmingham</a>, Chair of Clinical Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/sydneysiders-witnessed-horrific-scenes-on-saturday-how-do-you-process-and-recover-from-such-an-event-227867">original article</a>.</em></p>

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The secret witness who could be the key to the Madeleine McCann case

<p>A secret witness to a disturbing comment made by the main suspect in the Madeleine McCann case could be the key to seeing him charged. </p> <p>Madeleine McCann was three years old when she went missing on a family trip to Portugal in 2007, and has not been seen since. </p> <p>Christian Brueckner, a convicted rapist and paedophile, has long been named the prime suspect in Maddie's abduction, and is set to stand trial on Friday for a series of charges, none of while relate to the McCann case. </p> <p>Now, almost seventeen years since her disappearance, a secret witness has come forward about a disturbing comment Brueckner a year after Maddie's abduction. </p> <p>Helge Busching, a former friend of Brueckner, has revealed a chilling conversation he had with his former friend after they ran into each other at a music festival. </p> <p>Busching, who is currently in police protection, claims Brueckner told him Madeleine was taken without anyone noticing because she didn't make a sound. </p> <p>"He said she didn't scream. 'She didn't scream', that is what Brueckner said and then I looked at Mr Brueckner and thought 'what are you telling me now?'" said Busching on <a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/60-minutes/the-secret-witness-who-could-break-open-the-madeleine-mccann-case/3a383ca7-758a-4b46-a288-8f911ee942e5" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>60 Minutes</em></a>. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3NDFgEPudr/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3NDFgEPudr/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by 60 Minutes Australia (@60minutes9)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>In the wake of Busching's comments, the police prosecutor in Brueckner's case remains adamant he is behind the high-profile disappearance of Maddie. </p> <p>"We have evidence and we come to the conclusion that Madeleine McCann is dead and Christian B murdered her," says Hans Christian Wolters.  </p> <p>With the 46-year-old currently in jail and facing convictions for several counts of rape and sexual assault, Wolters has the luxury of time to pursue all leads, no matter how small, to build a watertight case against the suspect. </p> <p>He said, "We have only one chance and we want to go to court with the best result we could get. So we decided to investigate as much as we can and if it takes much more time than normal investigations, it's the price for the best result."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images / 60 Minutes</em></p>

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"We strongly object": Cruise line passengers witness mass whale hunt

<p dir="ltr">A cruise line has apologised to over 1,000 passengers who witnessed a gruesome whale killing while their ship was docking at a port.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ambassador Cruise Lines confirmed on Thursday that the arrival of their ship Ambition in Torshavn in the Faroe Islands - located between Scotland, Iceland and Norway in the North Atlantic - had coincided “with the culmination of a hunt of 40+ pilot whales in the port area.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“We were incredibly disappointed that this hunt occurred at the time that our ship was in port. We strongly object to this outdated practice, and have been working with our partner, ORCA, a charity dedicated to studying and protecting whales, dolphins and porpoises in UK and European waters, to encourage change since 2021,” Ambassador said following the arrival of their ship in the Torshavn port area on the southern part of the main island.</p> <p dir="ltr">Communities in the Faroe Islands have been hunting pilot whales in the area for centuries, as many partake in the cultural tradition, known as grindadráp, to harvest the whale's meat which is an integral part of the local diet.</p> <p dir="ltr">As such, the government of the Faroe Islands issued a statement in rebuttal, reiterating their clear stance on the historical practice of whale hunting.</p> <p dir="ltr">“As has been the case for centuries, whaling still occurs in the Faroe Islands today,” a statement from the government said, on behalf of the estimated 53,000 people on the island, explaining the values of the whaling hunt.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The Faroese have eaten pilot whale meat and blubber since they first settled the islands over a millenia ago. Today, as in times past, the whale drive is a community activity open to all, while also well organised on a community level and regulated by national laws.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The Faroe Island’s government said that the hunt is part of the island’s sustainability efforts and that “the meat and blubber from the hunt is distributed equally among those who have participated … Hunting and killing methods have been improved to ensure as little harm to the whales as possible. All hunters must now obtain a hunting license in order to kill a whale.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In their apology, Ambassador said that sustainability is one of the cruise line’s “core values”, and that the company fully appreciates that “witnessing this local event would have been distressing for the majority of guests onboard. Accordingly, we would like to sincerely apologise to them for any undue upset.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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New Maddie McCann theory has "electrified" investigators

<p>An important witness in the Madeleine McCann case has shared a valuable piece of information which has has "electrified" investigators, as the search for the missing child continues. </p> <p>The witness claims that Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in Maddie's disappearance, had a burglary tool kit that could unlock any security door, and boasted to friends about his lock picking skills. </p> <p>This new theory has raised fresh doubts over the official theory that ­Maddie’s kidnapper clambered in through a window of holiday apartment 5a in Praia da Luz when she was abducted. </p> <p>German police are said to be “electrified” by discovery, and are also probing the possibility that Christian B used car paint solvent to sedate Maddie.</p> <p>In an exclusive interview from a secret location, Helge B – now in German police witness protection – told filmmaker Jutta Rabe for <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/22893975/madeleine-mccann-suspect-christian-b-lock-pick-kit/"><em>The Sun on Sunday</em>,</a> “He came through the door”.</p> <p>Helge B, 52, who met his fellow German a year before Maddie vanished aged three, said he found the kit at Christian B’s Algarve home.</p> <p>The petty criminal had decided to ransack it with another friend after learning Christian B was serving time for theft.</p> <p>He said, “I knew from Christian that he uses tools to break into holiday resorts, hotels and holiday homes to steal from tourists."</p> <p>“There were passports on the table. There was all sorts of stuff lying around – cameras, suitcases, everything that tourists have with them. I also found a lock pick set.”</p> <p>Helge B, who kept the kit and told German police about it, added, “You can use it to pick any lock, including security locks.”</p> <p>Despite police long believing Maddie's abductor had snuck in through the window, when asked how Christian B might've entered the hotel room, Helge simply said, “Through the door. Easily. He can open any door”.</p> <p>Upon the discovery of the new evidence, a police source said, “The German detectives were electrified by the discovery of the tool kit with the lock picks in it. This evidence is now very important to them."</p> <p>“It confirmed a suspicion that they’d had for a long time – that Christian B entered the apartment through the door.”</p> <p>German prosecutors hope to use the lock picks evidence to nail Christian B, who is in jail for drugs crimes and appealing a seven-year sentence for raping a woman of 72.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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Mother’s car stolen with baby still inside

<p>A woman who suffered injuries while trying to stop an allegedly stolen car with a baby in the backseat said her “blood ran cold” when she realised what was happening.</p> <p>Phone Halson said she and her sister were out for a day at the zoo in Yeppoon, Queensland on April 19, 2023, when the incident occurred.</p> <p>Speaking to <em>Today</em>, Halson said, "As soon as we got out of the car we heard tyres screeching and a woman screaming, so me and my sister ran over. I had my son in my arms,”</p> <p>"At first we saw the baby's capsule laying on the ground and we were thinking, 'Oh my God, this baby has been hit’."</p> <p>She said she and her sister then saw a woman screaming, "They took my baby”.</p> <p>"We are trying to console this mother still in the loading bay where you get your groceries, and the car did, like, a turnaround," she continued.</p> <p>"It has come flying through the exit-way. Me and another woman were still standing there. We were trying to call out, 'Stop, stop, there is a baby, stop', and she wasn't stopping.”</p> <p>Halson said she turned to protect her son, who was still in her arms when she was struck by the car.</p> <p>She revealed she suffered fractured ribs and internal bleeding and went through a two-week recovery period.</p> <p>The allegedly stolen car then returned, and Halson said the mother was “absolutely hysterical”.</p> <p>"It was madness. There were people trying to jump in front of the cars. Some succeeded in getting the baby," she said.</p> <p>"But, yes, some people were just screaming in horror. Other people were crying. There were some chasing after the car. It was absolute madness.”</p> <p>She said it was one of the most terrifying experiences of her life, although added that when the mum was reunited with her baby, it was “beautiful”.</p> <p>"You could see the relief on her face as soon as the woman put that baby in her arms," Halson said.</p> <p>"She just pretty much melted holding that baby.”</p> <p>Fortunately, the baby was left unharmed as the car drove away.</p> <p>Authorities said that around 4 pm that same day, they discovered an allegedly stolen grey Nissan Patrol at Bungundarra, north of Rockhampton, and arrested a 24-year-old woman and a 36-year-old man.</p> <p>The 24-year-old Cobraball woman has been charged with one count each of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, abduction of a child, and driving without a licence.</p> <p>The 36-year-old Mount Morgan man has been charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle.</p> <p>They have both been denied bail and are due to appear in court on April 20.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Queensland Police </em></p>

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List of witnesses revealed as Brittany Higgins trial begins

<p dir="ltr">The witnesses due to testify in Brittany Higgins’ trial against her alleged rapist Bruce Lehrmann have been revealed.</p> <p dir="ltr">The former Liberal staffer’s court case began on October 4 in the ACT Supreme Court where a recording of Higgins’ police interview from February 2021 recounting the alleged rape played. </p> <p dir="ltr">Bruce Lehrmann who was also a Liberal staffer at the time of the alleged offence, has pleaded not guilty, and has said he did not have sex with Higgins. </p> <p dir="ltr">A whopping 52 witnesses will appear during the rape trial, including TV star Lisa Wilkinson, coalition senators Linda Reynolds and Michaelia Cash. </p> <p dir="ltr">Other big names include John Kunkel, the former chief of staff to Scott Morrison, and News Corp journalist Samantha Maiden.</p> <p dir="ltr">Lehrmann arrived at the court surrounded by a group of lawyers, while Higgins arrived with her supporters including lawyer Leon Zwier and boyfriend David Sharaz.</p> <p dir="ltr">She was also spotted wearing a badge featuring a feminist slogan. </p> <p dir="ltr">Chief Justice Lucy McCallum noted that the criminal trial is one of “cause celebre” due to its high-profile nature. </p> <p dir="ltr">“It is a fundamental requirement that a person accused of a serious criminal offence be tried by an impartial jury,” she told the court.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I'm asking you to consider your own state of mind (with) the issues that will arise in this case and honestly consider if you can be impartial … and give a true verdict according to the evidence.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The trial is expected to run for between four and six weeks.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Nine News</em></p>

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Man who filmed rollercoaster incident opens up

<p>A traumatised witness of the rollercoaster accident at Melbourne's Royal Show has spoken out about the moment Shylah Rodden was struck by the ride. </p> <p>Jordan was filming his sister and his partner having fun on the Rebel Coaster ride on Sunday when he captured the tragic moment the 26-year-old was hit by the rollercoaster travelling up to 70km/h.</p> <p>Jordan said he "hasn't slept since" witnessing the horrific accident, as he saw Shylah get dragged halfway up the ride's next loop before falling nine metres to the ground. </p> <p>He said he watched Shylah walk to the track and bend down to retrieve something, all without noticing the rollercoaster hurtling towards her. </p> <p>"It all happened so quickly but so slowly. All of a sudden, I saw someone getting taken up but at the same time I'm thinking 'f**k, my sister, my partner'," he told <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/vic/eyewitness-who-filmed-melbourne-show-rollercoaster-disaster-reveals-what-really-happened-c-8384953" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener"><em>7Ne</em>ws</a>.</p> <p>Ms Rodden remains in a coma with "horrific" facial injuries her family has described as "life-changing".</p> <p>However, the thing that surprised Jordan was how Ms Rodden reacted immediately after she was hit. </p> <p>"I didn't hear her scream. The screams that I heard came from onlookers, I think. It happened so fast," he said.</p> <p>Shylah's father told <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11249351/Melbourne-woman-Shylah-Rodden-26-fighting-life-mystery-rollercoaster-tragedy.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Mail Australia</a> he suspects his daughter will be in a coma for a long time, as she battles to overcome her injuries. </p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">“Obviously I can't talk to my daughter. She's going to be in a coma for quite a while,” Mr Rodden said.</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">“The injuries are horrific. Horrific. She's brain damaged. It's pelvic, her arms, legs, back, neck - there's hardly a thing that's not broken. I just can't work out how the hell so much damage has been done. Even the doctors have said they haven't seen anything as bad as this for a long time.”</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';"><em>Image credits: 7News / Facebook</em></p>

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The easiest way to witness one of nature’s most incredible natural displays

<p>With travel back on the cards for the first time in over two years, many Aussies are jumping at the chance to tick the world’s most breathtaking destinations off their bucket lists.</p> <p>For many, this includes seeing the famous Northern Lights. However, Australians can spend a small fortune to venture to the Arctic to experience these dramatic light transformations, and that’s assuming you’re lucky enough to not have bad weather or light pollution obstruct the natural show.</p> <p>But now, there is a revolutionary way for Aussies to experience the Southern Hemisphere’s equivalent, the Aurora Australis, without having to travel too far from home, thanks to the Southern Lights scenic flights with Chimu Adventures. The incredible Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights, dance across the sky in amazing colours and formations, one of nature’s most unique scenes, but are best visible from the air, away from light pollution. </p> <p>The Southern Lights occur naturally in the earth’s sky around the magnetic north and south poles, producing an ethereal and dynamic exhibition of colours that are most visible in high latitude areas. </p> <p>When we observe this electrical phenomenon, we are witnessing billions of individual collisions of energy lighting up the magnetic lines of our planet.</p> <p>The Aurora Australis has received much less attention than the Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights, due to its accessibility.</p> <p>While the Northern Lights are most visible from Scandinavian countries such as Norway, Sweden and Iceland, the Southern Lights shine brightest in one of the world’s most remote regions: the Antarctic Circle.</p> <p>While Aurora enthusiasts have been capturing rare glimpses of the Aurora Australis from Australia and New Zealand at a distance, they have been at a disadvantage due to their inaccessibility.</p> <p>But how much could we learn, and how much more could we see if we could get closer?</p> <p>Australians can now experience the Aurora Australis like never before with<a href="https://www.chimuadventures.com/blog/2021/03/southern-lights-aurora-australis-guide/"> Chimu Adventures</a>, with lucky travellers getting a front row seat to the Southern Lights.</p> <p>After boarding a private Qantas 787-9 Dreamliner with a team of expert astronomers, you will head over the Southern Ocean towards Antarctica.</p> <p>Leaving mid-evening to avoid light pollution and unpredictable weather systems, you will travel above the clouds to chase the Southern Aurora Zone.</p> <p>With flights leaving from Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane, you will witness the beauty of stars, constellations and planets unlike you’ve ever seen before.</p> <p>With Chimu Adventures being the only company to offer this extraordinary experience, the 12-14 hour flights are truly a one-of-a-kind travel adventure.</p> <p>Passengers will enjoy Qantas inflight services in both business and economy classes, as astronomers will provide expert information during the flight about how an Aurora is created.</p> <p>During the flight, travellers will witness the majestic curtains of light dancing across the sky, as the kaleidoscope of colours ignite the senses like never before.</p> <p>The colours of the Aurora differ depending on your altitude, with green the most common colour we see in both the Southern and Northern lights.</p> <p>The green in an aurora is caused by ions colliding with oxygen at lower altitudes, where reds are the result of collisions occurring at much higher altitudes, making them less common to see.</p> <p>Blue and purple lights also make an appearance in the Auroras, however our eyes are largely incapable of picking these up.</p> <p>What can help capture the wide range of colours in the natural Aurora shows is the invaluable lens of a camera.</p> <p>A modern, sophisticated camera is far more sensitive than the human eye and better at capturing the complexities of colours on display within an Aurora.</p> <p>The astrophotographers onboard will offer valuable commentary on how to photograph the Aurora, as well as capturing a series of images for your personal collection, allowing you to watch the natural light show first-hand rather than through a lens.</p> <p>With different booking classes and a seat swapping structure in place to share the best view of this amazing natural display from the large Dreamliner windows, there is an option for everyone to experience the Southern Lights in all their natural glory.</p> <p>To experience the Aurora Australis natural light show in stunning luxury, with a front-row view of the wonder of the Southern Lights, you can book your seat <a href="https://www.chimuadventures.com/en-au/antarctica/greatsouthernflights">here</a>.</p> <p>With Chimu Adventures offering rare and uninterrupted views of the Aurora Australis with the invaluable guidance of astronomy and astrophotography experts, an unforgettable trip to the Southern Lights should be on everyone’s travel bucket list.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Supplied</em></p> <p><em>This is a sponsored article produced in partnership with <a href="https://www.chimuadventures.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chimu Adventures</a>.</em></p>

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“What I say is the truth”: Chris Dawson’s sole witness takes the stand

<p dir="ltr">A man who claims to have seen Lynette Dawson after she disappeared has been called as the sole witness by Chris Dawson and his lawyers.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Dawson is accused of killing his wife so he could be with the family babysitter, in a trial that has seen the prosecution call on multiple witnesses over the past few months.</p> <p dir="ltr">Having waived his right to give evidence, Mr Dawson’s defence seems to rely on the testimony of Paul Cooper, who claims he saw the missing woman after she ran away from her husband.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Cooper told the court about the encounter, which took place 40 years ago at a Warner’s Bay hotel in Lake Macquarie, where he said he saw a woman who looked like Lynette.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She had left her husband … he had been playing up on her … I asked her was she going to go back and she said no,” Mr Cooper told the Supreme Court on Monday.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I said, ‘What about your children? It’s not fair to them’.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She didn’t have any ID … she had money because she had sold something.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She was also waiting to get a passport … she was going to go to Bali and then head off to another overseas country.”</p> <p dir="ltr">As Mr Cooper gave his evidence, Lynette’s family shook their heads in disbelief, having maintained that she would never have abandoned her daughters.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Cooper said the conversation continued and that he began to suspect the woman was trying to frame her husband.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I said to her they were going to think he knocked ya … I thought she was setting her husband up.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Cooper came forward with his story in 2018, when he saw photos of Lynnette on an episode of <em>A Current Affair</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, he didn’t go to the police with his story, telling the court that he doubted they would believe him, opting instead to contact Mr Dawson’s solicitor, Greg Walsh.</p> <p dir="ltr">Under cross-examination, Mr Cooper told the court he was “200 percent” sure the woman he met was Lynette.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You don’t forget something like that. No, it was her. 100 percent. I’ll give you 200 percent,” Mr Cooper said.</p> <p dir="ltr">He also said he would not have testified if he believed Mr Dawson had killed his wife, having witnessed his own father kill his mother as a young child.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If I thought this man was guilty, I wouldn’t be sitting here now defending him for the same sort of thing, when I sat through that as a nine-year-old boy, too scared to move off the lounge because I thought I’d get shot in the head,” Mr Cooper said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m not here to muck around, I’m here because I believe in what I say. What I say is the truth.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In court, Mr Cooper’s credibility as a witness was called into question. The court heard that Mr Cooper had been in prison for offences including drugs, theft, break and enter, and armed robbery.</p> <p dir="ltr">He also admitted to using cannabis and being arrested for possession of cannabis and heroin in the 1980s and 1990s.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, he said the use of those drugs hadn’t affected his memory.</p> <p dir="ltr">Crown prosecutor Craig Everson told Justice Harrison it was “improbable” that Lynette had walked out on her daughters and family.</p> <p dir="ltr">He argued that Mr Cooper’s evidence was unreliable, given that he couldn’t recall significant details about the woman he met, including her name, the names of her children, or anything about her husband.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The fact he had a seemingly not insignificant drug problem during that period and it was such a long time ago, to be looking at a single photo in the witness box or on the screen of a television program, there is a significant unreliability,” Mr Everson said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The trial is now entering its closing stages, with the crown beginning its closing submissions on Monday.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-f503c9c4-7fff-6a4c-c4d5-aa83ff2b1063"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: 9News</em></p>

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Bombshell move as new witnesses emerge in Chris Dawson murder trial

<p dir="ltr">Prosecutors have revealed they have new witnesses who wanted to give evidence in the middle of the murder trial against former footy star Chris Dawson on the same day his twin brother and sister-in-law gave conflicting evidence.</p> <p dir="ltr">Marilyn Dawson, the sister-in-law to Lynette and Chris Dawson, told the court of a conversation the pair had just days before Lynette went missing, per the <em><a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-nsw/chris-dawson-murder-trial-new-witnesses-want-to-give-evidence/news-story/d30f3224beef38a906159be367e8a0a4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Telegraph</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">She recalled telling Lynette to “stand up and be counted” in an effort to save her marriage after JC, a school-aged babysitter, moved in as her husband’s lover.</p> <p dir="ltr">Marilyn, who married Chris Dawson’s twin brother Paul, described Lynette as strong and worldly but said she was “not coping” with the fact <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/chris-dawson-s-former-mistress-reveals-last-words-with-lynette" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris was having an affair with JC</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“When I spoke to her in the car, I felt she was devastated and a bit flat and I think not coping,” Marilyn Dawson told the Supreme Court.</p> <p dir="ltr">She explained that Lynette was staying with relatives at times after JC moved into her and Chris’ Bayview home.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I said you need to stay at home because you don’t want this other person in your home unsupervised,” Marilyn Dawson continued.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I wanted her to stand up and be counted about her home and her children and her marriage. She was a strong girl, a very strong personality, a nurse.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I think she said in the end, I don’t know what to do. I’m bad, I’m devastated. I think she had a lot on her plate with two children and she couldn’t believe what was going on.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Chris Dawson has pleaded not guilty to murdering Lynette, who was 33 when she disappeared from their home in Sydney’s northern beaches. She was last seen on January 9, 1982.</p> <p dir="ltr">He claims Lynette had walked away from their marriage, leaving behind their two daughters.</p> <p dir="ltr">Marilyn also testified that Chris and JC had spent Christmas Day 1981 “in bed” at her and Paul’s home, which was a couple doors down from Lynette and Chris’ home.</p> <p dir="ltr">Crown prosecutor Craig Everson SC asked Marilyn: “Who was in your bed on Christmas Day 1981?”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Chris and JC I think because they asked could they stay at my home on Christmas Day,” she answered.</p> <p dir="ltr">She said she hadn’t told Lynette because “they asked me not to”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I knew I wasn’t happy about it but I am not confrontational so I didn’t say anything because I felt torn between helping Chris and helping his family,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">But, when her husband took the stand and spoke about the same day, he told the court he had never discussed Christmas Day with Chris.</p> <p dir="ltr">When asked what they knew about the state of Lynette and Chris’ marriage at the end of 1981, Marilyn and Paul also gave conflicting evidence.</p> <p dir="ltr">Paul, who testified after his wife via AVL (audio visual links), said: “It was good. Chris was being very positive towards it and when I spoke to Lyn on Christmas Day, she was very positive towards it.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Everson asked Paul who was there when he woke up on that Christmas Day, with Paul answering that it was just his wife, their three daughters, and himself.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Did you get any visitors that morning?” Mr Everson asked.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Not from my memory no,” Paul said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“What contact did you have with Chris on the day?” Mr Everson questioned.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I think he rang me to say he wouldn’t be joining us for Christmas. It’s very hard to remember a conversation from 40 years ago.”</p> <p dir="ltr">When asked how many times he had discussed the day with Chris, Paul said, “I can’t remember any at all.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In a bombshell revelation, Mr Everson told the court several people had come forward and given statements to police since <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/new-details-of-chris-dawson-trial-after-suppression-request-rejected" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the trial began on May 9</a>, foreshadowing legal arguments about whether the new evidence could be admitted while the trial was in progress.</p> <p dir="ltr">He also tendered an intercepted phone call between the brothers from March 16, 1999, which was due to be played on Thursday under Justice Ian Harrison.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-1c401bec-7fff-1bbc-3a63-da34947d6301"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: 9News (Twitter)</em></p>

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Senior soldier confirms Ben Roberts-Smith’s story, contradicts another

<p dir="ltr">A senior SAS soldier has testified in the defamation case launched by Ben Roberts-Smith, backing claims made by the veteran but contradicting another of his key witnesses.</p> <p dir="ltr">The soldier, referred to as Person 81, began his evidence in the Federal Court on Wednesday and is likely to be the last of 40 witnesses called by Mr Roberts-Smith in the year-long trial against Nine newspapers.</p> <p dir="ltr">The court heard that Person 81 was heading a patrol of a Taliban compound known as Whiskey 108 in Afghanistan’s Uruzgan province in 2009.</p> <p dir="ltr">The newspapers alleged in their defence that two men who were found in a tunnel in Whiskey 108 were killed, with one elderly man being shot by a “rookie” on Mr Roberts-Smith’s orders, and the other, who had a prosthetic leg, being shot by Mr Roberts-Smith with a machine gun.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, Mr Roberts-Smith denied the allegations as impossible and that “there were no men in the tunnel”. He said he shot and killed the man with the prosthetic leg, who was armed and running, outside the compound.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 43-year-old said the elderly man was also killed outside the compound by another soldier who was unknown to him.</p> <p dir="ltr">Person 81 backed up these claims, telling the court he heard no engagements at Whiskey 108 and wasn’t told of any insurgents being killed. He testified that he entered the compound after SAS troops stormed and secured the site, and that he saw Afghan civilians inside.</p> <p dir="ltr">He also said he saw “body parts” amongst “rocket paraphernalia” in the rubble.</p> <p dir="ltr">Defence barrister Arthur Moses SC, representing Mr Roberts-Smith, asked Person 81: “Did you see any engagements in the Whiskey 108 compound after the compound was declared cleared?”<br />“No,” Person 81 answered.</p> <p dir="ltr">Moses: “Do you recall hearing any engagements while you were in the compound?”<br />Person 81: “No.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Moses: “Do you recall reports of any engagements?”<br />Person 81: “No.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Person 81 also said he “would have reported it” when asked if any members of his troop had told him that unlawful activity had occurred that day, as reported by <em><a href="https://7news.com.au/news/crime/senior-sas-officer-backs-ben-roberts-smith-c-7017617" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7News</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though his testimony supports Mr Roberts-Smith’s claims, it contradicts evidence given by Person 5, Mr Roberts-Smith’s patrol commander, who said he heard gunshots from outside the compound during a “rendezvous (RV) meeting” with other patrol and troop commanders.</p> <p dir="ltr">Person 5 told the court he discovered Mr Roberts-Smith killing an insurgent, who was later discovered to be the man with the prosthetic leg, and returned to the meeting after he confirmed the man was killed in action (KIA).</p> <p dir="ltr">“When you went back to the RV meeting, did you say anything to Person 81 or anybody else?” Mr Moses asked Person 5 during his testimony.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I informed Person 81 there were two KIA on the north-west corner of the compound,” Person 5 said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though it is undisputed that the two men were killed during the raid on Whiskey 108, the question of whether they were legitimately killed or unlawfully killed as prisoners has become a point of contention during the trial.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Roberts-Smith and five other soldiers have said no men were found in the tunnel, while another five said there were men in the tunnel.</p> <p dir="ltr">Person 4, another soldier who is alleged to have shot the elderly men on Mr Roberts-Smith’s order, has also refused to testify on grounds of self-incrimination.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-668a94c1-7fff-8f9a-6e90-a35aed6d53e5"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Most of Person 81’s evidence was concealed behind a closed courtroom on Wednesday, and he is due to continue his testimony on Thursday before Justice Anthony Besanko.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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Witness accused of painting Chris Dawson in “most monstrous” way possible

<p dir="ltr">A witness has claimed that Chris Dawson allegedly pushed his wife Lynette against a trampoline and screamed at her before she disappeared.</p> <p dir="ltr">Lynette Dawson disappeared from the family home in Bayview in Sydney’s northern beaches, leaving behind her two children in January 1982.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 33-year-old has not been heard from since then and her remains have not yet been found.</p> <p dir="ltr">Dawson, a former professional rugby league player and teacher is accused of killing his wife Lynette. </p> <p dir="ltr">He appeared in the NSW Supreme Court on Monday where he claimed he was in fact the victim of improper police investigations following the disappearance of his wife. </p> <p dir="ltr">In the judge-alone trial, witness and former neighbour Julie Andrew alleged that Dawson was “shaking” his wife moments leading up to her death. </p> <p dir="ltr">"He was screaming at her and she was crying. He was towering over her … he was roaring at her,” she said in court, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-16/witness-tells-court-she-saw-chris-dawson-screaming-at-lynette/101069734" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC</a> reported. </p> <p dir="ltr">A few hours after the alleged incident, Julie went to check in on Lynette who informed her that Dawson was going to make room for the babysitter to move in because he was infatuated with her. </p> <p dir="ltr">Julie told the court that she tried to explain to Lynette that it was her house and she should not allow that to happen.</p> <p dir="ltr">She also recalled the moment Lynette revealed that she came home from work one day to find Dawson and the babysitter in bed together. </p> <p dir="ltr">"She said, 'I'm sure she just wasn't feeling well and he was looking after her'," Julie said.</p> <p dir="ltr">She noted that that was the last time she saw Lynette and would try calling the home phone to which no one responded.</p> <p dir="ltr">Julie only spotted Dawson, the babysitter, and the two children in the house - claiming she was too scared to go to the house and check on the situation. </p> <p dir="ltr">Defence barrister Pauline David accused Julie of painting Dawson in the "most monstrous" way possible. </p> <p dir="ltr">Julie denied the accusation saying she was there to tell the truth and said she didn’t go to the house after noticing bruises on Lynette’s arm, ABC reported.</p> <p dir="ltr">Dawson continues to claim his innocence after being arrested for the murder of Lynette. </p> <p dir="ltr">The trial continues.  </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Nine News</em></p>

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Key witness arrested in Ben Roberts-Smith trial

<p>A key witness in the defamation trial of Ben Roberts-Smith has been arrested. </p> <p>The former Special Air Service soldier, who has been known as Person X through the legal proceedings, was approached by detectives hours after he finished giving evidence on Tuesday afternoon.</p> <p>He was subsequently charged with obstructing/hindering/intimidating/resisting a Commonwealth official and causing harm to a law officer, and was granted bail the next day. </p> <p>He will be permitted to return to his home overseas until he is next required in court.</p> <p>Person X spent three days giving evidence in support of Roberts-Smith, who is suing <em>The Age</em>, <em>The Sydney Morning Herald</em> and <em>The Canberra Times</em> over articles that he claims portray him as a war criminal and murderer.</p> <p>Person X was stationed with Roberts-Smith during a 2009 mission at a village compound, when the newspapers allege that two Afghan men were pulled from a tunnel and killed by SAS troops, contrary to the rules of war that prohibit the killing of unarmed prisoners.</p> <p>Roberts-Smith is alleged to have directed a junior soldier, known as Person 4, to execute one of the men, on the orders of Person X, and to have shot the other one himself.</p> <p>One SAS soldier who testified for the newspapers, known as Person 14, said that after the mission was over, he heard Person X say, “I finally blooded the rookie”.</p> <p>Another soldier who testified for the newspapers, known as Person 24, told the court that he saw Roberts-Smith drop the other detainee to the ground and shoot him in the back, in what he interpreted as an “exhibition execution”.</p> <p>The prosecution did not oppose bail and Person X’s matter will return to court on June 21st.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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“Did we just witness an execution?”: New details in Ben Roberts-Smith trial

<p dir="ltr">A former SAS soldier <a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/court-told-roberts-smith-execution-163125145.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has told</a> a Sydney court that he saw Ben Roberts-Smith throw an unarmed Afghan prisoner on the ground before opening fire on the man’s back.</p> <p dir="ltr">The witness, codenamed Person 24, told the Federal Court that right after the event, he turned to another soldier referred to as Person 14.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Did we just witness an execution?” he recalled asking Person 14.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Roberts-Smith has strenuously denied the allegation, having said the person he killed during that 2009 mission - dubbed Whiskey 108 - was an insurgent, and that it was within the rules of engagement.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, Person 24 said the unarmed prisoner had a prosthetic leg, and that he later saw another colleague pack it into his backpack after the man was executed.</p> <p dir="ltr">He earlier told the court that he watched the Victoria Cross recipient march out of the compound carrying the man in his arms, parallel to the ground.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It appeared he had come off his feet,” Person 24 said, and was held either by his pants or the back of his shirt.</p> <p dir="ltr">“(Mr Roberts-Smith) marched approximately 15 metres, directly out from that entrance, dropped the man on the ground and immediately began with a machine gun burst into his back.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The witness recalled watching Mr Roberts-Smith shoot eight to ten rounds of ammunition into the prisoner, who was making a “grunting noise”, and that he couldn’t have missed seeing it as it was “right in my field of view”.</p> <p dir="ltr">He said he felt Mr Roberts-Smith had been treated unfairly and only agreed to testify because of what happened to his friend, referred to as Person Four.</p> <p dir="ltr">Person 24 alleged a patrol commander known as Person Five boasted that “we’re going to blood the rookie” at Australia’s base in Tarin Kowt.</p> <p dir="ltr">The court previously heard that Person Four, as a young and inexperienced soldier, was ordered to execute a prisoner to “get a kill under his name”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Person 24, who was medically discharged from the army in 2017, said the alleged killing negatively impacted Person Four over time and denied lying about evidence.</p> <p dir="ltr">Monday’s testimony was the latest in the defamation trial Mr Roberts-Smith launched against <em>The Age</em>, <em>The Sydney Morning Herald</em> and <em>The Canberra Times</em> over reports he allegedly committed war crimes while serving in Afghanistan between 2006 and 2012.</p> <p dir="ltr">It continues before Justice Anthony Besanko.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-7777256b-7fff-99ce-cfad-81abe2aadfd8"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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"Traumatised" shark attack witnesses condemned online

<p>Witnesses to Sydney's deadly shark attack on Wednesday have come under fire online for how they responded to the tragedy unfolding before them. </p> <p>Footage taken by a beachgoer of the attack has circulated on social media, sparking a furious response to both its grisly content and how witnesses reacted. </p> <p>Bond University Associate Professor of Environmental Science Dr Daryl McPhee, who specialises in the study of human-shark interactions, says this condemnation has to end. </p> <p>“Scapegoating of the witnesses who were at the scene must stop. They themselves are traumatised by what they have seen."</p> <p>Initial reactions from those on the shore seemed show a lack of remorse as the tragedy unfolded, but Dr McPhee said this emotionless response is common when in a state of shock. </p> <p>Dr McPhee also stressed that the victim and their loved ones should be considered in the conversation. </p> <p>“The victim’s family and friends should be foremost in our minds,” he said. </p> <p>“We need to let the authorities get on with their investigations."</p> <p>“I’d also urge news and social media outlets to take down videos of the attack and its immediate aftermath.”</p> <p>Following the deadly attack on Wednesday, NSW Ambulance inspector Lucky Phrachnanh said the swimmer “suffered catastrophic injuries and there was nothing paramedics could do”.</p> <p>Human remains and half of a wetsuit were later found in the water.</p> <p>Popular beaches in the area have closed since the attack, with Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders ensuring that  Primary Industries would work with other authorities to determine if the killer shark - or any others - remained in the vicinity.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Caring

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"Pure spite": Ben Roberts-Smith denies shocking witness testimony

<p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith <a style="background-image: initial;background-position: initial;background-size: initial;background-attachment: initial;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline" href="https://7news.com.au/news/court-justice/witness-alleges-ben-roberts-smith-ordered-execution-of-unarmed-man-c-5530148" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has denied</a> the claim that he was involved in the execution of an Afghan man, suggesting the “outrageous” story came out of “pure spite” that he received the prestigious medal.</p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">Person 41, a former special forces soldier, testified on Wednesday that Mr Roberts-Smith grabbed an unarmed man by the scruff of the neck, forced him to kneel, and told a colleague to “shoot him” during a raid on a Taliban compound.</p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">The soldier said he witnessed the incident in Afghanistan’s Uruzgan province in 2009, and was involved in the mission nicknamed Whiskey 108, located in the area.</p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">His testimony comes as Mr Roberts-Smith’s Federal Court case against <em style="margin: 0px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">The Age</em>, <em style="margin: 0px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">The Sydney Morning Herald</em>, and <em style="margin: 0px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">The Canberra Times</em> resumes. The 43-year-old is suing the publications over allegations he was unlawfully defamed by claims he committed war crimes in Afghanistan. The newspapers have pleaded a truth defence.</p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">Person 41 is the first Australian-based witness to testify for the media outlets.</p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">He described stepping over the rubble of a bomb-destroyed wall to enter a courtyard where Mr Roberts-Smith and other soldiers were standing.</p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">After finding opium and what he believed was bomb-making equipment in an adjoining room, he returned to the courtyard to find Mr Roberts-Smith, another soldier, and a squatting Afghan man.</p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">Mr Roberts-Smith and the other soldier, referred to as Person Four, asked to borrow his suppressor.</p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">“I thought it was a strange request but I complied … thinking he must need it because he’s going to go into the tunnel,” Person 41 told the court.</p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">But he said that thought changed when Person Four attached the suppressor to his gun before walking back to the Afghan man with Mr Roberts-Smith.</p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">Mr Roberts-Smith then grabbed the man “by the scruff” of his shirt, marched him to Person Four, and kicked his legs out, forcing him to kneel, and facing away.</p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">“RS pointed to the Afghan and said ‘shoot him’ and stepped to the side,” Person 41 said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">“I didn’t wish to witness what was about to happen,” he said, recalling that he stepped back into the opium room before hearing a single, suppressed shot from a M4 carbine rifle.</p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">He waited for another “15 or so seconds” before walking back into the courtyard, where only Person Four stood.</p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">“There was a dead Afghan at his feet.”</p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">As far as he could remember, nothing was said as Person Four returned the warm suppressor to him.</p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">Mr Roberts-Smith previously testified that the suggestion he ordered the man’s death “shocked” and upset him, saying his “professionalism was being targeted by these individuals and such an outrageous claim was being made”.</p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">An alternate claim that Person Four shot the Afghan man on the orders of another SAS operator, codenamed Person Five, was also dubbed as “completely false” by Mr Roberts-Smith.</p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">His trial against the newspapers has resumed after a six-month hiatus due to the NSW lockdown and strict border closure in WA.</p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">Though some journalists can attend a live web stream, the public are unable to view it due to concerns of any “inadvertent disclosure” of national security information by witnesses, the judge has ruled.</p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">Instead, redacted recordings of each day of the trial will be uploaded to the court’s YouTube channel within 24 hours.</p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline"><em style="margin: 0px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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Healthy humans drive the economy: we’re now witnessing one of the worst public policy failures in Australia’s history

<p>Australians are getting a stark reminder about how value is actually created in an economy, and how supply chains truly work.</p> <p>Ask chief executives where value comes from and they will credit their own smart decisions that inflate shareholder wealth. Ask logistics experts how supply chains work and they will wax eloquent about ports, terminals and trucks. Politicians, meanwhile, highlight nebulous intangibles like “investor confidence” – enhanced, presumably, by their own steady hands on the tiller.</p> <p>The reality of value-added production and supply is much more human than all of this. It is people who are the driving force behind production, distribution and supply.</p> <p>Labour – human beings getting out of bed and going to work, using their brains and brawn to produce actual goods and services – is the only thing that adds value to the “free gifts” we harvest from nature. It’s the only thing that puts food on supermarket shelves, cares for sick people and teaches our children.</p> <p>Even the technology used to enhance workers’ productivity – or sometimes even replace them – is ultimately the culmination of other human beings doing their jobs. The glorious complexity of the whole economy boils down to human beings, using raw materials extracted and tools built by other human beings, working to produce goods and services.</p> <h2>A narrow, distorted economic lens</h2> <p>The economy doesn’t work if people can’t work. So the first economic priority during a pandemic must be to keep people healthy enough to keep working, producing, delivering and buying.</p> <p>That some political and business leaders have, from the outset of COVID-19, consistently downplayed the economic costs of mass illness, reflects a narrow, distorted economic lens. We’re now seeing the result – one of the worst public policy failures in Australia’s history.</p> <p>The Omicron variant is tearing through Australia’s workforce, from <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nurses-are-in-despair-as-staffing-shortages-bite-in-nsw-hospitals-20220103-p59ljc.html?fbclid=IwAR3obDpqk7Muu2xpOA1H7MH2D2TuxPIzMQrL_NKk2QoKHA2LriWoRcmRO8o">health care</a> and <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/hundreds-of-nsw-childcare-centres-shut-due-to-covid-20220104-p59ls4.html">child care</a>, to <a href="https://www.edenmagnet.com.au/story/7575635/knock-on-effects-through-supply-chain-despite-eased-covid-rules-for-workers/">agriculture</a> and <a href="https://www.freshplaza.com/article/9388733/omicron-has-now-put-us-in-a-desperate-situation-in-regards-to-workers-shortage-and-shipping-issues/">manufacturing</a>, to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-06/supermarket-shortage-supply-chain-truck-driver-covid/100741392">transportation and logistics</a>, to <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/surf-lifesavers-and-students-fill-paramedic-shifts-as-omicron-spreads-20220108-p59mrq.html">emergency services</a>.</p> <p>The result is an unprecedented, and preventable, economic catastrophe. This catastrophe was visited upon us by leaders – NSW Premier Dom Perrotet and Prime Minister Scott Morrison in particular – on the grounds they were protecting the economy. Like a Mafia kingpin extorting money, this is the kind of “protection” that can kill you.</p> <h2>Effect as bad as lockdowns</h2> <p>On a typical day in normal times, between <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia/nov-2021/EM2b.xlsx">3% and 4% of employed Australians</a> miss work due to their own illness. Multiple reports from NSW indicate up to half of workers are now absent due to COVID: because they contracted it, were exposed to it, or must care for someone (like children barred from child care) because of it. With infections still spreading, this will get worse in the days ahead.</p> <p>Staffing shortages have left hospitals in chaos, supermarket shelves empty, supply chains paralysed. ANZ Bank data, for example, shows <a href="https://twitter.com/ANZ_Research/status/1479284711151345666?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet">economic activity in Sydney</a> has fallen to a level lower than the worst lockdowns.</p> <hr /> <p><strong>Spending in Sydney and Melbourne now near lockdown conditions</strong></p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440169/original/file-20220111-17-1jp9jpu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440169/original/file-20220111-17-1jp9jpu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="ANZ Bank data shows spending in Sydney and Melbourne has fallen to levels typical of lockdown conditions." /></a> <span class="caption"></span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">ANZ Research</span></span></p> <hr /> <p>If relaxing health restrictions in December (as Omicron was already spreading) was motivated by a desire to boost the economy, this is an own-goal for the history books.</p> <h2>Relaxing isolation rules</h2> <p>Now the response to Omicron ravaging labour supply is to relax isolation requirements for workers who have contracted, or been exposed to, COVID-19.</p> <p>The first step was to shift the goalposts on “test, trace, isolate and quarantine” arrangements by redefining “close contact”.</p> <p>On December 29 <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-kirribilli-nsw-10">the Prime Minister said</a> it was important to move to a new definition “that enables Australia to keep moving, for people to get on with their lives”. The next day National Cabinet <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/national-cabinet-statement-12">approved a definition</a> such that only individuals having spent at least four hours indoors with a COVID-infected person needed to isolate.</p> <p>Australians certainly want supply chains to keep moving. That won’t happen by simply pretending someone with three hours and 59 minutes of face-to-face indoor contact with Omicron is safe. Putting asymptomatic but exposed and potentially infected people back to work will only accelerate the spread.</p> <p>The second step has been to reduce the isolation period for those who do pass this tougher “close contact” test. At its December 30 meeting National Cabinet agreed to a standard isolation period of seven days (ten days in South Australia), <a href="https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/gp-opinion/so-you-have-been-asked-to-self-isolate-or-quaranti">down from 14 days</a>.</p> <p>For “critical workers” in essential services including food logistics, the NSW and Queensland governments <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/isolation-rules-relaxed-for-critical-workers-as-nsw-battles-supply-chain-issues/news-story/2b97ef133f6c3caff9dcd5bc548cc58b">have gone even further</a>, allowing employers to call them back to work so long as they are asymptomatic.</p> <h2>Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory</h2> <p>This follows a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s1227-isolation-quarantine-guidance.html">US precedent</a>, despite <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMc2102507?articleTools=true">scientific evidence</a> indicating contagion commonly lasts longer than 5 days.</p> <p>Employers will use this change to pressure exposed and even sick workers to return to work, risking their own health, colleagues, customers, and inevitably spreading the virus further.</p> <p>Copying US COVID protocols only guarantees US-style infection rates. In fact, since 5 January, Australia’s seven-day rolling average infections per million <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/coronavirus-data-explorer?zoomToSelection=true&amp;time=2021-03-30..latest&amp;facet=none&amp;pickerSort=desc&amp;pickerMetric=total_cases_per_million&amp;hideControls=true&amp;Metric=Confirmed+cases&amp;Interval=7-day+rolling+average&amp;Relative+to+Population=true&amp;Color+by+test+positivity=false&amp;country=USA%7EAUS">now exceed that of the US</a>.</p> <hr /> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440179/original/file-20220111-21-zzh3bj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440179/original/file-20220111-21-zzh3bj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="Daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases per million people, Australia compared to United States." /></a> <span class="caption"></span> <span class="attribution"><a href="https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/coronavirus-data-explorer?zoomToSelection=true&amp;time=2021-03-30..latest&amp;facet=none&amp;pickerSort=desc&amp;pickerMetric=total_cases_per_million&amp;hideControls=true&amp;Metric=Confirmed+cases&amp;Interval=7-day+rolling+average&amp;Relative+to+Population=true&amp;Color+by+test+positivity=false&amp;country=USA~AUS" class="source">Our Wold in Data</a>, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" class="license">CC BY</a></span></p> <hr /> <p>From one of the best COVID responses in the world to one of the worst, Australia has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.</p> <h2>It’s not too late to limit the carnage</h2> <p>The idea that health considerations <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/oct/07/its-an-economic-crisis-too-in-nsw-what-a-difference-a-new-premier-makes">had to be balanced with economic interests</a> was always a false dichotomy. A healthy economy requires healthy workers and healthy consumers.</p> <p>The Omicron surge has created an economic emergency that will be difficult to endure.</p> <p>But it’s not too late to limit further avoidable contagion. Infection prevention practices (including masks, capacity limits, prohibitions on group indoor activities, PPE and distancing in workplaces, and free and accessible rapid tests) must be restored and enforced.</p> <p>Income supports for workers who stay home must be restored. Staffing strategies need to emphasise steady, secure jobs, rather than outsourcing and gig arrangements which have facilitated contagion.</p> <p>Above all, our policy makers need to remember the economy is composed of human beings, and refocus their attention on keeping people healthy. Protecting people is the only thing that can protect the economy.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/174606/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jim-stanford-521684">Jim Stanford</a>, Economist and Director, Centre for Future Work, Australia Institute; Honorary Professor of Political Economy, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/healthy-humans-drive-the-economy-were-now-witnessing-one-of-the-worst-public-policy-failures-in-australias-history-174606">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

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"Disgusting to witness": Lisa Wilkinson discusses Karl's divorce

<p>Lisa Wilkinson has discussed her former <em>Today</em> co-host Karl Stefanovic's public divorce from Cassandra Thorburn. </p> <p>In her new memoir, <em>It Wasn't Meant To Be Like This</em>, Lisa recounts how Karl was treated by the paparazzi after finalising the split from his wife in October 2017. </p> <p>Lisa recalled a particular incident at an airport where Karl was "goaded" by a pap about the reasons he and Cassandra had parted ways after 21 years of marriage. </p> <p>"At one airport, as we came through the security doors, I heard a pap continually goading him, 'Hey Karl, why did you leave your wife?'" she wrote.</p> <p>Despite tensions between Lisa and Karl, she applauded Karl for his composure. </p> <p>"It was disgusting to witness, but Karl didn't flinch; he just kept walking. He refused to give them what they wanted – a blow-up."</p> <p>"His restraint was extraordinary."</p> <p>Lisa wanted to defend her co-host against the rude paparazzi, but Karl told her to calm down. </p> <p>"I, on the other hand, wanted to yell at them to back off, and it took every bit of strength I had in me not to."</p> <p>"Sensing my fury, Karl just mumbled under his breath next to me, 'Don't react.'"</p> <p>Karl met his current wife, shoe designer and former model Jasmine Yarbrough, just five months after his very public split from Cassandra in 2016. </p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CRgGAJRlPGB/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CRgGAJRlPGB/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Lisa Wilkinson (@lisa_wilkinson)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images / The Project</em></p>

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New witnesses in Gabby Petito homicide as FBI issue warrant

<p>As the FBI continue their investigation of the high-profile Gabby Petito case, two witnesses from Louisiana have shared valuable information from an incident they witnessed last month. </p> <p>Nina Angelo and her boyfriend Matt England were vacationing in Jackson, Wyoming, when they witnessed a "commotion" between Gabby Petito and her fiancé Brian Laundrie. </p> <p>The travelling couple were leaving The Merry Piglets Tex-Mex restaurant on August 27th, where Nina noticed that Gabby was in tears and seeming distressed. </p> <p>Brian was also visibly angry, going in and out of the restaurant serval times and being aggressive towards the eatery staff. </p> <p>The berated waitress was also visibly shaken by the incident, who told CNN that <span>she did not see any violence or physical altercation between Petito and Laundrie.</span></p> <p>Gabby was reported missing by her family on September 11th and <a rel="noopener" href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/tragedy-unfolding-body-confirmed-as-missing-woman-gabby-petito" target="_blank">her remains were found</a> in Grand Tetons National Park on September 19th. </p> <p>Following an autopsy report, FBI and the <span>Teton County Coroner ruled Petito’s death as a homicide, however the cause of death is yet to be determined, pending final autopsy results.</span></p> <p><span>Brain Laundrie remains the number one person of interest in the case, after he returned to his home in Florida in Gabby's van without her, and is refusing to cooperate with police. </span></p> <p><span>After the witnesses in Louisiana have come forward, and <a rel="noopener" href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/could-it-actually-be-him-brian-laundrie-potentially-spotted-on-the-run" target="_blank">a potential sighting of Brian in a Florida town</a>, the FBI have issues an arrest </span>warrant. </p> <p><span>According to the arrest documents issued by the FBI, the warrant is “pursuant to a Federal Grand Jury indictment related to Mr. Laundrie’s activities following the death of Gabrielle Petito.”</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">On September 22, 2021, the U.S. District Court of Wyoming issued a federal arrest warrant for Brian Christopher Laundrie pursuant to a Federal Grand Jury indictment related to Mr. Laundrie’s activities following the death of Gabrielle Petito. <a href="https://t.co/SSrBVbAeBs">pic.twitter.com/SSrBVbAeBs</a></p> — FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIDenver/status/1441155529393389568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span>“While this warrant allows law enforcement to arrest Mr Laundrie, the FBI and our partner across the country continue to investigate the facts and circumstances of Ms. Petito’s homicide,” FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider said in a statement.</span></p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram @gabspetito</em></p>

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