A 26-year-old woman has been charged with murder following the death of a baby near Newcastle.
About 9am today (Friday 24 July 2015), emergency services were called to a house in Curry Street, Wallsend, after a six-week-old girl was found deceased at the property.
A 26-year-old woman was arrested at the property and taken to Waratah Police Station.
She has since been charged with murder and refused bail to appear before Newcastle Local Court tomorrow (Saturday 25 July 2015).
Police have released images of two men who may be able to assist with inquiries after a man was stabbed during a home invasion in South Tamworth this week.
Just after midnight (Tuesday 21 July 2015), a 46-year-old man answered a knock at the front door of his Petra Avenue home and was confronted by a man armed with a knife.
It is alleged the armed man threatened the 46-year-old and forced his way inside, with three people following him.
The 46-year-old’s son, aged 26, was inside and ran out the back door where four people, waiting at the rear of the premises, assaulted him.
When the 46-year-old man ran to assist his son, he was allegedly stabbed in the lower back.
The group stole the man’s wallet and prescription drugs before leaving in an older-model white Commodore sedan.
Police and Ambulance Paramedics were called and the 46-year-old man was taken to Tamworth Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Police have released images of two men who may be able to assist with inquiries.
First man is about 30 years of age, has a solid build, approximately 177cm tall, with brown eyes and a receding hair line.
The second man is about 20 years of age, approximately 175cm tall, and has a small to medium build.
Both men are heavily tattooed.
A man and a woman will appear in court after police allegedly located and seized illicit drugs following a vehicle search in Albury yesterday.
Shortly before 3pm (Thursday 23 July 2015), officers attached to Albury Local Area Command stopped a Holden Commodore sedan on the Borella Road off ramp.
Police spoke to the driver and only occupant, before searching the vehicle, where they allegedly located and seized drug paraphernalia, and drugs believed to be methylamphetamine.
The 37-year-old man was arrested and taken to Albury Police Station.
A short time later, police attended and searched a home on Union Road, Lavington, allegedly locating methylamphetamine, cannabis, and cash. The items have been seized for forensic examination.
A 35-year-old woman was arrested at the home and taken to Albury Police Station.
The man was charged with supply prohibited drug (indictable quantity) and refused bail. Hi is due to appear at Albury Local Court today (Friday 24 July 2015).
The woman was charged with two counts of supply prohibited drug (indictable quantity), four counts of possess prohibited drug, and deal with proceeds of crime.
She was granted conditional bail, to appear at Albury Local Court on 25 August 2015.
There is a new festival on the scene and it is a big one! The inaugural Murwillumbah Country Roots Fest will take northern New South Wales by storm this October with an incredible line-up of some of the best country and roots artists on the Australian music scene today. Headlined by country sweetheart Kasey Chambers, with a stellar bill that includes the likes of The Audreys, Sara Storer, Shane Howard, Archie Roach, Busby Marou, Bill Chambers, Henry Wagons and Richard Clapton, to name a few, it is evident that the Murwillumbah Country Roots Fest will rapidly establish itself as a formidable force on the festival circuit.
Held across four days from October 2-5, with three stages and a massive 60 acts, there is something to delight audiences of all ages. The diversity of the musical acts will reach both ends of the country and roots spectrum, and will be mc’ed by Buddy Goode and Ben Sorensen. Other incredible artists on the line-up include The Flood, Pierce Brothers, Good Oak, The Davidson Brothers, Harry Hookey, James Blundell, Brothers 3, Greg Champion, Buddy Goode, The Wilson Pickers, Lyn Bowtell, Lou Bradley, Paul Green, A Woman’s Voice – The Ruby Hunter Project, Greg Storer, Melody Pool, Karl S. Williams and Lachlan Bryan.
To complete the incredible 60 acts, the festival also features appearances by Bob Corbett, Psycho Zydeco, Damien Howard, The Hillbilly Goats, Uncle Bob’s Jug Band, Caitlin Harnett, Warren Earl, Charm of Finches, Caitlyn Shadbolt, women in docs, Mid North, Garett Kato, Jimmy Dowling, Round Mountain Girls, Matt Cornell, Katie Brianna, Matt Henry, Jess Belle, Heartworn Highway, Sara Tindley, The Jay Seeney Band, The Company, Mustard Courage, Mr Cassidy, Gretta Ziller, Jemma Nicole, The Swamp Katz, Clelia Adams, Guy Kachel, Cadillac Rockers, The Curly Cousins, Richo’s Roundup, Caldera Country Music and more.
It is really no surprise that the Murwillumbah Country Roots Fest has such a coveted line-up for its debut event, after all, the brains behind the festival concept is a veteran of the Australian country music scene. Lou Bradley has been part of the scene for over 10 years, has released four albums and scored ARIA and Golden Guitar nominations and is fiercely passionate about the local industry. “Throughout my career as a writer and music lover, I have stood by what I believe is real music – music that has deep roots,” she says. “I’ve also been very lucky to build strong relationships with many artists along the way to share this love. That’s why I chose them to play at my festival.”
The festival embraces all kinds a great music, from mountain music, bluegrass, old time country, alt country, porch music, a bit of straight country and some old legends ‘chucked in’. It is an eclectic country roots event that leans left of the traditional festivals, set in the heart of an old school country town – in between Byron Bay, Nimbin and the Gold Coast – and surrounded by world heritage landscape.
One of the things that will set the Murwillumbah Country Roots Fest apart is that its line-up is 100 per cent proudly Australian. There are no international names on the line-up, it embraces and promotes the Australian music industry. “For such a long time now I have campaigned for and complained about how there isn’t enough scope for what I call real country music in the current country music industry in Australia,” says Lou. “I wanted to promote a festival that not only provided some of Australia’s best established and finest acts, but also catered for the acts that sit on the fringe and haven’t really fitted into the country mould. It is a festival that is about music first. All the artists that are on the bill are great singer-songwriters, they perform their own art. I want to be able to attract and provide for an audience that shares the same thing that I have been missing at festivals, then I want them to tell people for the next year when we do it all again. I want it to keep snowballing into a big warm and fuzzy festival that is all about real music and real artists.”
The Murwillumbah Country Roots Fest is held at the Murwillumbah Showgrounds in Murwillumbah NSW, 45-minutes north of Byron Bay and 45-minutes east of Nimbin. Day, weekend and four-day passes are available from www.MCRFest.com
Police are appealing for information after two teenage girls were intimidated by a man in the Lake Macquarie area yesterday.
About 3.30pm (Wednesday 22 July 2015), two schoolgirls, aged 15, were on a bus on Main Road, Glendale, when an adult passenger sitting behind them began talking to them.
Police have been told the man made a number of inappropriate comments to the girls before he got off the bus at Glendale.
Officers attached to Lake Macquarie Local Area Command were alerted and have commenced investigations.
As inquiries continue, police would like to speak to a man who may be able to assist them.
He is described as being aged about 40, of Caucasian appearance, about 178cm tall with a solid build.
At the time he was wearing a white jacket, black jeans and wearing a baseball cap.
Police are appealing for information after a woman was injured during a carjacking in Queanbeyan today.
About 12.20am (Wednesday 22 July 2015), a 21-year-old finished work at a fast food restaurant on Wanniassa Street.
She walked to the adjacent car park, and was about to get into her Honda Accord sedan, when she was pushed by a man standing behind her.
He got into the Honda and drove from the area.
Police were called and a crime scene was established.
The woman sustained a cut above her eye and hurt her chest and wrist during the incident. She was taken to hospital for treatment and has since been released.
The vehicle was recovered a short time later after colliding with a parked car in Thurralilly Street, Queanbeyan with the driver leaving the area prior to police arrival.
The man has been described to police as about 40 years of age, about 150cm tall, with a chubby build. He was wearing dark clothing, pulled tightly over his face, at the time of the incident.
NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione has welcomed the latest crime statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), showing major reductions in a number of serious crime categories in New South Wales, particularly homicide and robbery.
The report has shown the 2014 calendar year saw significant decreases in the following crime categories in NSW:
Commissioner Scipione attributed these results to the hard work and tenacity of officers, as well as extensive community co-operation and engagement.
“I welcome these results which reflect the hard work of the NSW Police Force. I am extremely proud of all my officers who deliver day in and day out to protect the community and keep it safe”.
“We are committed to proactive crime prevention to stop crime before it occurs and have worked extensively in recent times to dismantle criminal networks. But when crime does take place, I am confident we have the best trained and most efficient investigators in the country to put the offenders before a court”.
“With the continued help of our community we can continue to make this state a safer place for all,” Commissioner Scipione said.
The statistics reflected a small rise in sexual assault offences, which saw a 0.9% increase in New South Wales. This reflects a nationwide trend which could possibly be the result of increased reporting.
“We have worked hard over the years in developing and improving on our victim care, and we actively encourage all sexual assault victims to report all incidents,” Commissioner Scipione said.
A keen-eyed NSW Police Force Facebook friend has helped police locate an alleged offender travelling on a train in the state’s Riverina region.
The passenger was browsing the Wagga Wagga Local Area Command “Eyewatch” Facebook page while travelling on the Wagga Wagga to Sydney NSW TrainLink service, about 12.30am on Saturday 11 July 2015.
At that time, the page featured an appeal for public assistance to locate a teenager wanted by virtue of an arrest warrant. The post also included a photo of the teen.
When the Facebook friend looked across the carriage, he recognised the teen sitting with a female companion nearby.
He quickly took a photograph and uploaded the image with a series of messages to raise the alarm.
Officers from Wagga Wagga Local Area Command intercepted the train at Cootamundra and arrested the 18-year-old man. He was charged with the arrest warrant and refused bail.
Following further inquiries, detectives laid further charges yesterday (Tuesday 21 July 2015).
He was charged with two counts of break and enter and trespass. He has been refused bail and is due to appear at Wagga Wagga Local Court today (Wednesday 22 July 2015).
Wagga Wagga Local Area Commander, Superintendent Bob Noble, praised the passenger/Facebook friend for his clever response.
“This man’s efforts were extraordinary and his quick thinking demonstrates how police and the community are working together on social media sites to interact and solve crimes,” Supt Noble said.
“NSW Police Force has a strong presence on Facebook, with more than 475,000 friends on our main page and thousands more keeping in touch with local policing issues on individual Eyewatch pages.
“The Wagga Wagga LAC has more than 13,500 Facebook friends and it has proven to be a great way for us to connect with the community and for everyone to be involved in keeping Wagga safe.
“Across the state, we are seeing more and more cases solved through information shared on social media and the Force is very proud of its online interaction with the community,” Supt Noble said.
All crime information should be reported by calling Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, online at https://nsw.crimestopers.com.au/ or directly to local police. We remind the community to not report crime information on our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages.
A woman has been critically injured after being hit by a car in the Newcastle suburb of Lambton.
Emergency services were called to a car park in Charlton Street about 4.20pm yesterday (Tuesday 21 July 2015).
Police have been told a 61-year-old woman was standing behind a car when it reversed and struck her, knocking her to ground.
The woman was transported by ambulance to John Hunter Hospital, where she is being treated for a serious head injury. She is reported to be in a critical condition.
Police from Newcastle City Local Area Command are investigating the circumstances surrounding the collision.
A man will appear in Newcastle Local Court today charged with possessing and supplying a prohibited drug.
About 11.10am yesterday (Tuesday 21 July 2015), police noticed a vehicle in a car park on Hanbury Street, Mayfield.
Officers approached the vehicle and spoke with the two occupants – both men, and both aged 44.
After a check of the men’s details, police had cause to search the car.
In the rear of the vehicle, police allegedly located quantities of cash and prohibited drugs.
Police arrested one of the men, a Mayfield resident.
He was taken to Waratah Police Station, where he was charged with supply prohibited drug and possess prohibited drug.
The man has been refused bail to appear before Newcastle Local Court today (Wednesday 22 July 2015).