Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au
Archive for July, 2020
Dreamworld shareholder lawsuit in court
A lawsuit alleging Dreamworld’s operator misled investors about safety measures before the 2016 accident that killed four people has been mentioned in court. July 30, 2020 Dreamworld’s parent company is back in court for the second time in two days following the deaths of four tourists on the infamous Thunder River Rapids Ride four years […]
Ex-Block star alleged sex client extortion
The man reality TV contestant Suzi Taylor allegedly extorted and assaulted after a Tinder hook-up says he knew she was a prostitute but not that she was famous. July 29, 2020 The man accusing reality TV contestant and former Penthouse cover girl Suzi Taylor of beating him up and ripping him off after a late-night […]
One tonne drug bust accused granted bail
A man accused of trafficking half a billion dollars worth of MDMA from Queensland to NSW has been granted bail in a Brisbane court. July 28, 2020 A man accused of driving 1.2 tonnes of MDMA, more than Australia’s total annual consumption of the drug, from Queensland to NSW has been granted bail. Benjamin David […]
Jail for Qld dentist who raped young nurse
A retired dentist, who drugged his teenage dental nurse with laughing gas and sexually assaulted her, has been jailed for at least three-and-a-half years. July 28, 2020 A former Brisbane dental nurse drugged with laughing gas and sexually assaulted by her employer says the dentist who raped her was a monster hiding in plain sight. […]
Ex-rich lister’s alleged fraud to pay rent
Ex-Gold Coast rich lister Craig Gore has pleaded not guilty to dishonestly gaining $775,000 from a series of super funds to pay rent and his wife. July 27, 2020 A former Gold Coast rich lister allegedly swindled more than half a million dollars from clients’ superannuation funds through a series of fake investments to pay […]
Qld no-standing rule will keep pubs open
Queensland’s deputy premier says a social distancing rule that patrons must be seated when eating and drinking will help venues survive the COVID-19 pandemic. July 26, 2020 Grumpy publicans have been told to suck it up after a coronavirus social distancing ban on pub-goers standing at bars or high tables was reimposed. Health Minister Steven […]
Three charged over one-tonne meth bust
Two men from the UK and one from the US have faced court for drug trafficking after allegedly trying to import a tonne of methamphetamine from Mexico to NSW. July 25, 2020 Three men who allegedly sailed one tonne of methamphetamine from Mexico to waters off Norfolk Island during a failed drug smuggling operation have faced […]
No-standing rule will keep Qld pubs open
A Queensland social distancing rule that patrons must be seated when eating and drinking will help venues survive the downturn, the state government says. July 25. 2020 Queensland’s deputy premier has told grumpy publicans to suck it up after the state’s top health officer reimposed a ban on pub-goers standing at bars or high tables. Steven […]
Four people die in Gold Coast car crash
Four people have died after two cars collided in the Gold Coast hinterland, with experienced paramedics describing the scene as “tragic”. July 25, 2020 Four people have died in the Gold Coast hinterland after two cars collided in wet conditions. The accident happened just before 1pm on Saturday at Advancetown, about 20 kilometres inland from […]
Qld youth warned over COVID-19 dangers
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has warned young Queenslanders that they need to take the dangers posed by the coronavirus seriously or risk death. July 25, 2020 Queensland’s top health officer says she is becoming increasingly concerned about the coronavirus outbreaks in the southern states and young people should be worried too. Dr Jeannette Young […]
Qld trains probed for forced labour links
The Queensland government is reviewing what parts of the state’s new commuter trains came from Chinese companies implicated in human rights abuse. July 24, 2020 The Queensland government is investigating how many parts in the state’s new commuter trains were made by a Chinese company with alleged links to forced labour factories. Transport Minister Mark […]
Seating rule returns for Qld pub patrons
Queenslanders have been urged to come home as the state’s health officials reinstate a COVID-19 restriction banning people from standing at a bar or high table. July 24, 2020 Queenslanders have been urged to come home as authorities become increasingly worried about coronavirus outbreaks in southern states. The state’s top health officer has reinstated a social […]
Accused Qld baby killer’s texts revealed
Alleged baby murderer Kozan Samuel Thomas Ware allegedly threatened to kill his son in a text message because the boy would not stop crying. July 23, 2020 A Queensland father accused of murdering his five-month-old son allegedly threatened to kill the boy because he would not stop crying. Kozan Samuel Thomas Ware, 34, was charged […]
NZ man jailed for double toolbox killings
New Zealand man Tepuna Tupuna Mariri has been sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment for torturing and killing two drug dealers, who were locked in a toolbox. July 23, 2020 A New Zealand man who helped force two drug dealers into a toolbox that was dumped in a Queensland creek, killing them, will spend at least […]
Qld uni wins appeal over academic sacking
James Cook University has successfully appealed a finding that it unfairly dismissed a professor for criticising colleagues over their global warming research. July 22, 2020 A Queensland university did not unlawfully sack a professor for slamming colleagues over their research on the impact of global warming on the Great Barrier Reef, a court has found. […]
Charges laid over Dreamworld ride deaths
Charges have been filed against Dreamworld’s parent company, Ardent Leisure, following the deaths of four tourists on the Thunder River Rapids Ride in 2016. July 21, 2020 More than three-and-a-half years after four holidaymakers were killed on a poorly maintained Dreamworld ride, charges have been laid against the company behind the iconic Gold Coast theme […]
NRL great testifies over company collapse
Rugby league star Darren Lockyer has taken the stand in Brisbane court proceedings related to the collapse of mining labour-hire group, One Key Workforce. July 17, 2020 Former Australian rugby league captain Darren Lockyer has been grilled in a Brisbane court over a collapsed mining labour-hire company he was a director of and part-owned. The […]
Shark documentary-maker mauled in Qld
A shark documentary-maker has a serious leg injury after being mauled by a shark while swimming at far north Queensland’s Fitzroy Island. July 14, 2020 A shark documentary-maker has been mauled by a shark while swimming at a resort island during a day off in far north Queensland. The 29-year-old woman was bitten on the […]
Qld man jailed for luring lover to bashing
A Brisbane man, who lured his girlfriend to his mother’s home with an apology after a fight then violently bashed her, has been jailed. July 13, 2020 A Brisbane man lured his estranged lover to his mother’s home with an apology after a row then violently bashed her until neighbours stepped in. Tyrone Robert Cecil […]
Qld school racially discriminated against longhaired boy
A Brisbane Christian school racially discriminated against a five-year-old Cook Islands’ boy, when it threatened to expel him if he did not cut his hair. July 11, 2020 A private Christian school in Brisbane has been found to have racially discriminated against a five-year-old Cook Islands boy for threatening to expel him for having long […]
Drug trafficking grandparents avoid jail
Two Brisbane grandparents who helped their daughter sell cannabis have avoided jail after pleading guilty to drug trafficking. July 10, 2020 Two Brisbane grandparents have narrowly avoided jail for helping their daughter run a suburban drug-trafficking operation. Sharon Marie Willbatt, 49, and Charles Phillip Burns, 61, pleaded guilty to one count each of trafficking in the dangerous […]
Qld dentist guilty of raping teen nurse
A retired Brisbane dentist, who drugged a teenage dental nurse with laughing gas and sexually assaulted her 40 years ago, has been found guilty of rape. July 10, 2020 A retired Brisbane dentist has been found guilty of drugging a teenage dental nurse with laughing gas and sexually assaulting her 40 years ago. The man, now […]
Aged-care worker jailed for sex assault
A 59-year-old former aged-care worker, who sexually assaulted an intellectually disabled 31-year-old-man, has been jailed in Queensland. July 9, 2020 A former aged-care worker has been jailed for sexually assaulting his intellectually disabled neighbour after an evening of Bible studies. The 59-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting […]
Qld doctor jailed over child porn images
A doctor has been sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment after he walked into a Queensland police station and admitted possessing child exploitation material. July 8, 2020 A rural Queensland doctor has been jailed after he walked into a police station and told officers he had downloaded child exploitation videos and photos. Rajdeep Singh Sandhu, 42, […]