标签： Oceania

A recent volunteer-led search for the remains of Cheryl Grimmer, a British girl who vanished in Australia 55 years ago, has ended in disappointment. New South Wales Police confirmed that the ‘area of interest’ flagged during the search turned out to be a false alarm. The search, conducted in Balgownie, involved cadaver detection dogs and was based on a confession made by a teenage boy. However, bones discovered in the area were identified as belonging to an animal, bringing the operation to a close. Cheryl Grimmer, who emigrated from Bristol with her family, disappeared from Fairy Meadow beach in Wollongong in January 1970 at the age of three. Authorities suspect she was abducted and murdered, but the case has remained unsolved despite numerous investigations. In 2019, a trial of a suspect, known by the codename Mercury, collapsed after a judge disallowed his confession made as a minor. Prosecutors subsequently dropped the charges. Cheryl’s brother, Ricki Nash, has publicly criticized the police investigation, citing errors dating back to the day she vanished. A petition calling for a parliamentary inquiry into missing persons cases, including Cheryl’s, garnered over 10,000 signatures but has yet to result in any commitment from state authorities. A A$1 million reward remains on offer for information leading to a resolution in the case.

In a significant development in one of Australia’s most haunting cold cases, a volunteer search team using cadaver detection dogs has identified an ‘area of interest’ in the search for Cheryl Grimmer, a British child who vanished over five decades ago. The discovery, reported to New South Wales Police, could potentially provide closure to a family that has endured decades of unanswered questions and heartache. Cheryl, just three years old at the time, disappeared from Fairy Meadow beach in Wollongong in January 1970, shortly after her family emigrated from Bristol. Authorities have long suspected she was abducted. The search team, led by Chris D’Arcy of Search Dogs Sydney, believes the dogs’ behavioral changes indicate a possible breakthrough. ‘We believe we have located an area of interest and will pass the information on to the authorities,’ D’Arcy stated. The case has been marred by legal complexities, including a disallowed confession from a teenage boy in 1971 and a collapsed trial in 2019 involving a suspect known only as ‘Mercury.’ Cheryl’s brother, Ricki Nash, who was seven when she vanished, expressed mixed emotions about the search. ‘This should have been done 55 years ago,’ he lamented, questioning why the area had never been thoroughly investigated despite the detailed confession. Nash, along with his daughter Melanie Grimmer, has spent a lifetime hoping for answers, though the prospect of finding Cheryl’s remains is bittersweet. ‘We always lived with the hope that someone took her and raised her well,’ Nash said. ‘To be here looking for a body or part thereof is not a good thing.’ The search continues, with the family and investigators clinging to the slim hope of uncovering the truth after more than half a century.

Erin Patterson, the Australian woman convicted of murdering three relatives by serving them a deadly mushroom-laced beef Wellington, is preparing to appeal her life sentence, her lawyer revealed in a Melbourne court. Patterson, 51, was found guilty last month after an 11-week trial that captivated international attention. The jury concluded that she intentionally poisoned her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, during a meal at her Victoria home in 2023. Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, a local pastor, survived but continues to suffer from health complications. Patterson, who maintained her innocence throughout the trial, claiming the incident was accidental, was sentenced to life imprisonment with no possibility of parole for at least 33 years—one of the harshest sentences ever imposed on a female offender in Australia. The case has left the small town of Korumburra in shock. During the trial, Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale described Patterson’s actions as belonging to the “worst category” of offenses, involving an “elaborate cover-up” and a lack of remorse for her victims. No specific grounds for appeal were disclosed during the recent hearing, and the appeal has yet to be formally filed. Her legal team must now convince the Victoria appeal court that legal errors warrant a review of her case.

A Brisbane-based kindergarten has ignited widespread controversy after asking parents to pay A$2,200 (£1,000; $1,400) to take home their children’s art portfolios. The Craigslea Community Kindergarten and Preschool, which recently closed due to financial troubles, framed the request as a fundraiser to address mounting debts, including unpaid staff wages. The folders contained a mix of abstract creations and cherished memories, described as ‘only a parent could love.’ However, the demand has been met with fierce criticism, with Queensland’s leader labeling it ’emotional blackmail.’ The kindergarten’s management, already under scrutiny for governance issues, faced further backlash when a parent allegedly broke into the center to retrieve their child’s artwork. The incident has drawn public outrage, with thousands condemning the move on social media. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli called the request ‘un-Australian’ and ‘wrong on so many levels,’ emphasizing the sentimental value of children’s art. The Department of Education and the Creche and Kindergarten Association (C&K) later intervened, successfully recovering the portfolios and ensuring they are now free for families to collect. C&K condemned the practice of charging parents for their children’s works, reaffirming their commitment to ethical childcare practices.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has been mandated to pay A$150,000 in penalties for the unjust dismissal of presenter Antoinette Lattouf, following a controversial social media post related to the Gaza conflict. The Federal Court ruled earlier this year that Lattouf was removed from her role as a fill-in radio host in December 2023 due to her political stance and pressure from pro-Israel groups. While Lattouf had already received A$70,000 in damages, Justice Darryl Rangiah emphasized the necessity of the additional ‘substantial’ penalty to ensure the ABC learns from its mistakes. The broadcaster has since issued a public apology to Lattouf, acknowledging its failure towards both its staff and audiences. Lattouf’s dismissal sparked widespread public outrage and internal turmoil at the ABC, raising concerns about its independence and support for culturally diverse employees. Justice Rangiah criticized the ABC for surrendering employee rights to appease a lobby group, stating that the public scrutiny should have highlighted the unacceptability of its actions. Lattouf, a seasoned media contributor and activist on issues like racism and mental health, was hired for a week-long stint on ABC Radio Sydney’s Mornings show but was dismissed after three shifts. The decision to remove her was leaked to the media shortly after she shared a Human Rights Watch post accusing Israel of using starvation as a war tactic, an allegation Israel denies but which the International Criminal Court has deemed credible. The ABC claimed Lattouf violated its editorial policy by discussing the war on social media, but Justice Rangiah found no evidence she was instructed not to post. He described her Instagram story as ‘ill-advised’ but noted her dismissal was based on a mere suspicion of policy breach, with no opportunity for defense. The judge also highlighted an ‘orchestrated’ campaign by pro-Israel lobbyists to remove Lattouf from the outset, accusing ABC management of sacrificing her to mitigate criticism. He stressed that penalties should not be seen as a cost of avoiding criticism and criticized the ABC for failing to investigate the leak of Lattouf’s dismissal. The case has had ‘very significant consequences’ for Lattouf, with the court ordering the penalty to be paid within 28 days.

A 61-year-old man, Glenn Gary Cameron, has pleaded guilty to a series of sexual assaults committed in Sydney during the early 1990s, marking a significant breakthrough in a cold case that had remained unsolved for three decades. Cameron, infamously known as Sydney’s ‘Night Stalker’ and the ‘Moore Park Rapist,’ was arrested at Sydney International Airport in February 2023 after detectives utilized advanced DNA and fingerprint technologies to revisit the unsolved cases. He has admitted to more than a dozen charges, including 11 counts of aggravated sexual assault involving the use of a weapon as a threat, targeting eight women between 1991 and 1993. Cameron’s identity was initially suppressed due to a reporting ban, which was lifted three months after his arrest. On Tuesday, he appeared via video link in Downing Centre Local Court, where he pleaded guilty to 13 of the 36 charges he faced. Nine charges were withdrawn, while the remaining 14 will be considered during his sentencing next month. These include multiple counts of indecent assault, aggravated sexual assault, and detaining a person for advantage. One of the victims, who was attacked decades ago, participated in the court proceedings remotely. A 1993 Sydney Morning Herald article revealed that the victims were primarily Asian women aged 17 to 45, with the attacker using simple Cantonese phrases to lure them near train stations under the guise of offering fake jobs before assaulting them at knifepoint, usually at night. The first attack occurred in April 1991 in Strathfield, followed by others in Moore Park.