Blog Archives

Qld man tried to set a woman on fire

27/2/2017

A woman has escaped serious injury after a man tried to set her on fire in far north Queensland.
Police say the woman, aged in her 60s, suffered non-life threatening injuries after a 67-year-old man poured an accelerant next to her and lit a fire at a home in Cairns around 6.30pm on Sunday.
The woman was taken to Cairns hospital for treatment while the man has been charged with attempting to maim and endangering property by fire.
He will face Cairns Magistrates Court on Monday.
The pair are known to each other.

From here

0 Comments

Family of woman murdered in front of her children labels domestic violence a 'national disgrace'

24/2/2017

0 Comments

Tara Costigan was killed with an axe in front of her children.

Marcus Rappel murdered the mother of his one-week old daughter as she held the baby in her arms. And today, he leaned back in his chair as a judge recounted the harrowing details of his crime, shaking his head and murmuring "rubbish" when he disagreed with the account.
Rappel was motivated to kill by anger. Anger that his former partner had taken out a Domestic Violence Order against him.
Hours after learning of the order he went to Bunnings and bought an axe. Then he drove to Tara Costigan's home.
He drove past the house multiple times before pulling up outside. With his engine still running, he beat down her door, then - in front of her two young sons - he hit Tara in the neck with the axe.
Still holding her baby, she fell forward. The axe had severed her spinal cord and an artery. Tara died within minutes of being struck.
It was a murder Justice Burns of the ACT Supreme Court today said was in the worst category.
He called it "shameful and cowardly barbarism", and said were it not for Rappel pleading guilty and saving Tara's family the trauma of a trial, he would have sentenced him to life in jail.
In the end, Rappel got 32 years and six months for the crimes committed that day, with a non parole period of 26 years. The earliest he can be released is 2041.
Rappel wasn't in the courtroom to hear his fate. An hour earlier he'd been escorted from the building after an outburst. He yelled and swore at Justice Burns, disagreeing with his findings, shouting "it was about my daughter ... he called me a f***ing liar .. Rights for fathers!"
Outside court, there was no closure for Tara Costigan's family.
"Today does not bring me peace. Tara is still dead," her uncle Michael Costigan said.
Another uncle, Christopher Costigan, echoed the family's pain: "we received a life sentence. No parole. No get out of jail card. He deserves the same. I want him to never walk the streets again and until that happens, I won't be happy."
Tara Costigan is just one of hundreds of Australian women who have died at the hand of a partner or former partner.
In sentencing Rappel, Justice Burns said we need to take domestic violence seriously, and it's incumbent on courts to recognise the heinousness of the crime.
Michael Costigan called it a national disgrace.
"Family and domestic violence has killed more than a thousand Australians since we entered this new century," he said outside court.
"If those victims occurred as a result of terrorism, how much money would be thrown at this problem?"

by Jayne Azzopardi for 9News.com.au

from https://goo.gl/5GuRVf

0 Comments

A Victorian man who bashed his wife because she wouldn't get an abortion has been given a good behaviour bond, but no jail time.

10/2/2017

0 Comments

The 31-year-old from Brunswick, who cannot be named, allegedly hit his wife of three years, three times the morning after she announced she was pregnant with their first child.
The man had pleaded to the Melbourne Magistrates Court to be spared conviction because he could lose his visa and his job.
On Thursday, Magistrate Jonathan Klestadt acknowledged a conviction would carry a greater burden for him than other members of the community, given his migration status and job prospects.
He handed the man a one-year good behaviour bond and ordered him to continue behaviour change counselling. He also fined him $1000 without conviction on the assault related charges.
"Since this matter was last before the court you've done what you were required to, to better manage your behaviour toward your former partner and hopefully other members of the community," Mr Kledstadt said.
Police said on August 7 last year, the woman revealed she was pregnant and her husband said he didn't want the baby, then demanded she have an abortion.
She said she wanted to keep the child.
The next morning, the man called his wife into their bedroom and again demanded she abort the baby.
She refused and he became enraged. He struck her across the face, causing her spectacles to break, according to police.
It is alleged she then said, "Why did you hit me again?" and he hit her again in the same place.
She began screaming for help so he struck her a third time, this time causing her to become dizzy.
He told her to lower her voice so people wouldn't hear, police say.
When she went to the police station, he followed her, apologising via text message and asking her not to report it, the court previously heard.

From https://goo.gl/qkmUca

0 Comments

Russian paper says domestic abuse has ‘advantage’: Survivors give birth to more boys

10/2/2017

0 Comments

Komsomolskaya Pravda, a leading tabloid read by millions in Russia, published an article Tuesday in its science section with the title, “From evil men, boys born.” In the column, the author claims that abuse leads to an increased likelihood of conceiving males.
“Recent scientific studies show the wives of angry men have a reason to be proud of their bruises. Biologists say that beaten-up women have a valuable advantage: they more often give birth to boys!” the story read, per The Guardian.

Read the full story here.

0 Comments

“Hideous” family violence demands jail: magistrate

10/2/2017

0 Comments

Ballarat Magistrate Noreen Toohey on Wednesday jailed Troy Hill for 13 months with a non-parole period of six months after he pleaded guilty to eight charges despite saying it was one of the worst cases of family violence she had dealt with. Troy Hill has lodged an appeal against the sentence which will be heard in the County Court at a later date.

Read the full story here.

0 Comments