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First local monkeypox case recorded in NSW

The first case of locally-acquired monkeypox has been recorded in New South Wales, with authorities confirming that 42 people have been infected with the virus to date. Although most contracted monkeypox overseas, two people were infected in other parts of Australia. The announcement, made by NSW Health on Sunday, comes as a first for NSW a week after the JYNNEOS vaccination program was launched for those most at risk from the virus. “NSW Health is urging the community, particularly gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM), to continue to be vigilant for the symptoms of monkeypox following local transmission of the virus in NSW,” NSW Health said. Symptoms - which include a rash or lesions around the genital area, headache, body aches and fever - commonly appear between seven to 14 days after prolonged skin-to-skin contact with an infected person. Illness generally lasts for two to four weeks, with most experiencing mild symptoms that can be lessened with regular over-the-counter pain medicines and oral fluids and monitored by their GP, according to <a href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/monkeypox.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NSW Health</a>. For those with severe illness, antiviral medications are also available. “It is important that people with these symptoms avoid close contact with others, including sexual activity, as condoms are not effective at preventing the transmission of monkeypox,” NSW Health Executive Director of Health Protection Richard Broome said in a <a href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/news/Pages/20220821_00.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. NSW Health also warns that monkeypox can also be transmitted by respiratory droplets during the initial infectious period and from contact with contaminated clothing, linen and other items. The news comes after Victorian authorities reported monkeypox was spreading in Melbourne last week, which was the first widespread example of local transmission in Australia since the global outbreak began. Prior to the 2022 outbreak, cases of monkeypox have mostly been reported in Central and Western African countries, with the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2022-009838" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first human case reported</a> in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970. According to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/response/2022/world-map.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CDC</a>, 41,358 confirmed cases of monkeypox have been recorded as of publication, with 40,971 reported in locations without any historical cases of the virus, with a total of 89 in Australia and four in New Zealand. Image: Getty Images

Body

Lynette’s former colleague “saw bruises” on her throat

Lynette Dawson’s former colleague has claimed she saw bruises on the nurse's throat before she disappeared 40 years ago. Chris Dawson has pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife Lynette, who went missing from the family home in Sydney's Northern Beaches in January 1982. Annette Leary, Lynette’s former colleague, told the NSW Supreme Court that she had asked Lynette about the bruises on her neck after the pair had attended a couple’s counselling session. "She said that Chris had grabbed her throat and shook her a little and said 'if this doesn't work, I'm getting rid of you...I am only doing it once'," Leary told the court, Nine News reported. A few days after their conversation, Lynette’s contract with the hospital ended following a phone call from Dawson saying she needed time away. "Lyn had gone away, she needed some time out and he didn't know when she was coming back,” centre director Barbara Cruise recalled at court. Cruise told the judges that she was doubtful that Lynette had left on her own accord and looked up her mother’s phone number before raising the alarm. It comes as the former babysitter, who became Dawson's mistress and then his wife, has taken the stand at his murder trial. The woman, who has been known only as JC throughout the high-profile trial, first met Dawson in 1980 when he was her Year 11 sports teacher at Cromer High School. The following year, the teenager had moved in with Dawson, his wife Lynette, and their two children to work as their live-in babysitter. She told the judges that Dawson had driven her to a pub in western Sydney, claiming to have wanted to hire a hitman to kill Lynette. "I went inside to get a hitman to kill Lyn and then I decided I couldn't do it because innocent people could be hurt,” JC said. The conversation was kept private until 1990, when Dawson and JC split - she rejects claims that she made it up during the divorce and custody battle. The trial continues. Images: Nine News

Legal

Emotional scenes as NSW passes law on Voluntary Assisted Dying

The NSW parliament has legalised voluntary assisted dying (VAD), with Thursday's historic vote meaning terminally ill people can now choose the timing of their death. NSW joins the rest of Australia’s states in making VAD legal with a final vote of 23 MPs in favour and 15 opposing. Independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich, who introduced the bill to parliament late last year, told members that the “entire diversity” of parliament were involved in passing the bill, with 28 co-sponsors from all parties - the highest number in Australian parliamentary history per <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/voluntary-assisted-dying-legalised-in-nsw-20220519-p5amo0.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Sydney Mkorning Herald</a>. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> "We are celebrating this historic day" "Compassion has won" says Independent MP <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexGreenwich?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AlexGreenwich</a>, flanked by the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill's co-sponsors and advocates. It's been 20 years since the first attempt to pass a law like this in NSW. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nswpol?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nswpol</a> <a href="https://t.co/8wNpjSEZP3">pic.twitter.com/8wNpjSEZP3</a> — Sarah Navin (@SarahNavin) <a href="https://twitter.com/SarahNavin/status/1527131431163797505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2022</a></blockquote> “For those wondering what happened with the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill last night; the bill was debated till midnight and almost all amendments were dealt with,” Mr Greenwich explained on social media at 6am on Thursday morning. “There is one more amendment this morning to vote on and then a final vote in both the Upper and Lower House.” MPs debated nearly 100 amendments on Wednesday, with the sitting ending at midnight. The majority of amendments, including the push to allow aged care and residential homes to block VAD from occurring in their facilities, were voted down during the debate according to the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-19/voluntary-assisted-dying-laws-pass/101079940" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC</a>. At midday, it was announced that the bill had passed the upper house. The lower house then approved the bill approximately an hour later. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Proud to be sitting in the NSW parliament to watch the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill finally pass into law. This will make such a difference to the lives of so many, allowing people to choose to live the end of their lives as well as possible and to die with dignity. ✨❤️ — Abigail Boyd (@AbigailBoydMLC) <a href="https://twitter.com/AbigailBoydMLC/status/1527120671498588161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2022</a></blockquote> Finance Minister Damien Tudehope, an opponent of the bill, told the upper house that it was a “dark day” for the state. “It was a sad day because it was an opportunity for NSW to say ‘we can be better than this’,” Mr Tudehope said. He added that it would be judged by history as a “dreadful mistake”. However, advocate groups such as Go Gentle Australia and Dying with Dignity, as well as individual supporters of VAD, have welcomed the decision. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Voluntary assisted dying set to become law in NSW. Congratulations and thank you to all the advocates, especially those who fought for their right to die with dignity, and died waiting and the 28 MPs who co-signed the Bill, tabled by my MP, <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexGreenwich?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AlexGreenwich</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/voluntaryassisteddying?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#voluntaryassisteddying</a> — Kimberley Ramplin (@Kimbo_Ramplin) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kimbo_Ramplin/status/1527130066349481985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2022</a></blockquote> “VAD is now legal in NSW, the culmination of 50 years of advocacy. Congratulations to all involved,” Go Gentle Australia tweeted. “Congratulations to everyone involved in this campaign!” Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi wrote. “I was part of the Working Group on Assisted Dying in NSW Parliament, which introduced the first bill. I’m proud to have played a role so that people can die with dignity.” “Genuinely stoked,” Scott Phillips, the director of City Recital Hall, said. “I have no idea if my old man would have taken the option, in his final days as he battled cancer. “But I am so pleased that the choice will be available to others in NSW as a result of this bill.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> At long last. Choice & dignity for terminally ill patients in NSW. Congrats to all who fought so courageously for this change. Now legalised in every State, the Federal Government need to stop blocking the NT & ACT from debating this reform. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ausvotes?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ausvotes</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/auspol?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#auspol</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nswpol?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nswpol</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/vad?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#vad</a> <a href="https://t.co/UAwfar1O4X">https://t.co/UAwfar1O4X</a> — JillHennessyMP (@JillHennessyMP) <a href="https://twitter.com/JillHennessyMP/status/1527130639816093696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2022</a></blockquote> According to <a href="https://twitter.com/10NewsFirstSyd/status/1527133466181005312" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10 News First Sydney</a>, the bill allows for people to choose to end their life if they have suffering that can’t be relieved and are likely to die of a disease within six months, or within a year in the case of neurodegenerative disease. The news comes just days after Sara Wright, a nurse who has long advocated for VAD to be legalised, <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/terminally-ill-nurse-caught-in-desperate-waiting-game" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke out</a> about waiting for the decision to be made while being “virtually paralysed” as a result of motor neuron disease - estimating she has months left to live. “I don’t think that I will live for more than another six to eight months, as my breathing capacity is reducing very fast and I do not wish to have a tracheostomy (an operation where a breathing hole is cut into the front of the neck and windpipe),” she told 7News. “I know that all my family, my parents, my brothers, my ex-husband are all in support of voluntary assisted dying and helping me relieve my suffering. “But none of us want to break the law or risk anyone being imprisoned if they helped me.” Image: @DWDnsw (Twitter)

Caring

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

A witness has claimed that Chris Dawson allegedly pushed his wife Lynette against a trampoline and screamed at her before she disappeared. Lynette Dawson disappeared from the family home in Bayview in Sydney’s northern beaches, leaving behind her two children in January 1982. The 33-year-old has not been heard from since then and her remains have not yet been found. Dawson, a former professional rugby league player and teacher is accused of killing his wife Lynette. 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. In the judge-alone trial, witness and former neighbour Julie Andrew alleged that Dawson was “shaking” his wife moments leading up to her death. "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. 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. Julie told the court that she tried to explain to Lynette that it was her house and she should not allow that to happen. She also recalled the moment Lynette revealed that she came home from work one day to find Dawson and the babysitter in bed together. "She said, 'I'm sure she just wasn't feeling well and he was looking after her'," Julie said. She noted that that was the last time she saw Lynette and would try calling the home phone to which no one responded. 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. Defence barrister Pauline David accused Julie of painting Dawson in the "most monstrous" way possible. 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. Dawson continues to claim his innocence after being arrested for the murder of Lynette. The trial continues. Image: Nine News

Legal

New details of Chris Dawson trial after suppression request rejected

In the first day of trial, detailed allegations have emerged surrounding Chris Dawson, the footballer-turned-high-school teacher, and that he allegedly wanted to hire a hitman to murder his wife Lynnette. 73-year-old Dawson arrived in Sydney from the Sunshine Coast on Sunday night ahead of his trial in the NSW Supreme Court, where it was determined that details from the trial are not private, and can be revealed. Judge Ian Harrison rejected an application from lawyers for both the defence and crown to have the case suppressed under blanket non-publication orders. Lawyers applied to have the entire trial, including the verdict, suppressed and argued the reporting could prejudice further court proceedings in the coming months. The judge-alone trial is expected to go for six to eight weeks where Crown prosecutor Craig Everson will allege Dawson killed Lynette, who vanished in January 1982. The 33-year-old disappeared from the family’s home at Bayview, on Sydney’s northern beaches, leaving behind her two children. In his opening address, Mr Everson told the court the couple were both just 21 when they got married in 1970 but were not able to have children around the same time as Mr Dawson’s twin brother, Paul. This caused a “level of animosity” from Mr Dawson to his wife, Mr Everson said. On the way home from a trip to the Gold Coast with his teammates from the Newtown Jets in October 1975, Mr Dawson allegedly asked Robert Silkman if he “knew someone who could get rid of his wife”. Five years later, the court heard Mr Dawson developed a sexual relationship with a student at the high school where he was a teacher and he became “infatuated with her”. “He repeatedly asked her to marry him,” Mr Everson said. In December 1981, the court heard Mr Dawson valued the house he shared with Lynnette at Bayview before the next day leaving his family and moving to Queensland with the student to “start a new life”. The pair returned to Sydney four days later and the court heard the student ended the relationship in December 1981. Mr Dawson begged her to call him as she went on holiday with friends the following month. “The crown alleges that on or about the 8th of January 1982 the accused alone or with the involvement of another person murdered Lynnette Dawson,” Mr Everson told the court. “Then later he disposed of her body at an unknown location.” It is the crown case that Mr Dawson was “motivated to kill Lynnette” by his desire to have a relationship with the student. A week later he brought the student back to his house and told her “Lynette was gone and wouldn’t be coming back”, the court heard. However, Mr Dawson allegedly told friends and family his wife had left him with the children and had called him a few times, before reporting her missing six weeks later. Mr Everson told the court the student is expected to give evidence that Mr Dawson told her he contemplated getting a hitman against his wife, but “decided against it because innocent people would be hurt”. The trial continues. Image: Channel 9

News

NSW Police blasted after joining TikTok

TikTok has become the home of influencers, brands, creatives and even zoos, but the NSW Police haven’t received as warm a welcome on the platform as they might have expected. Despite gaining popularity for their law-related memes and posts on Facebook, the organisation’s debut on TikTok has seen them be called out for issues including police violence, Indigenous deaths in police custody, and the rates of domestic violence in the force. Less than a month after starting the @nswpolice TikTok account, users have been taking advantage of the platform’s ‘duet’ feature (which allows users to create videos that play next to the original video) to address these issues. Ben Vance, a 26-year-old digital marketing coordinator in Sydney, has even been blocked by the account after duetting their videos with less-than-flattering headlines involving the police. “I thought, ‘This is the perfect time to air out some bad laundry’,” he told <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stefficao/nsw-police-blocks-tiktok-duets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buzzfeed News</a>. Some of the videos show officers acting out funny skits about their law enforcement tactics, with one viral clip showing an officer responding to the question, ‘How do we keep the roads safe this long weekend?’ with a cartoon filter overlaid with text reading, “DOUBLE DEMERITS”. “Can’t say we didn’t warn you,” the caption reads. Mr Vance <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@easymoneyvancey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">duetted</a> that clip with a video of himself smiling over a screenshot from the Australian Institute of Criminology’s report that reveals there were almost 500 Indigenous deaths reported in police custody in the last 30 years. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/04/tiktok-nswpolice.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> Ben Vance has been praised for pointing out issues involving the police, who have since blocked him on the platform. Image: @easymoneyvancey (TikTok) Mr Vance has had his own takes go viral, with supportive comments telling him he is “doing god's work” flooding in and messages from people sharing their frustrations with the police. “I’ve gotten people reaching out to me in my TikTok comments and DMs (direct messages) telling me they were 16, walking into a music festival, and strip-searched because they ‘looked like a drug dealer’,” he told the outlet. Though he said he didn’t intend to start “a beef with the police”, he thought it was a good opportunity to hold them accountable. “There’s a lack of accountability reporting in this country with the news media being owned by a select few people, and this information isn’t very well publicised,” he said. The double demerits clip isn’t the only one of NSW Police’s videos to be used to criticise the force, and Mr Vance isn’t the only person to be blocked as a result of their criticisms. Taken from the perspective of two officers tapping on a computer screen, it features the text: “POV: you’re looking up someone in the system who was using their phone while driving without a licence and speeding in an unregistered vehicle with two bald tyres and no working tail lights, wondering how they thought they would get away with it”. User @<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@biglublyleanne?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">biglublyleanne</a> responded to that clip, mimicking the officers with the caption, “POV: you’re writing an incident report after killing another Black Australian”, written over the top. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/04/tiktok-cops1.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> TikTok user @biglublyleanne was also blocked shortly after pointing out the issue of Indigenous deaths in custody. Image: @biglublyleanne (TikTok) On the same day, the user revealed they had also been blocked by the account. “You can give Indigenous people the heat mercilessly but can’t take it,” they wrote in the caption. As of publication, interactive options that allow users to duet or stitch videos are no longer available - but preventing people from sharing their clips has just increased the backlash. A more recent clip about Ed, the tabby police cat that features prominently on the organisation’s Facebook page, has received comments asking for the features to be turned back on, while some joked that the page would soon prevent people from commenting too. “The police thinking they can come on tiktok and not be dragged,” one user wrote. “Don’t be shy, turn duets and stitches back on,” another said. “Imagine blocking people who are exercising freedom of speech - I thought criticism of government bodies was legal, guess not,” a third argued. Image: @easymoneyvancey (TikTok)

Legal

Teenager donates newly-bought car to flood victim

A generous teenager has helped change the life of one of NSW's flood victims by giving him a car. Harry Ledger, a 17-year-old from Kiama, had recently travelled to the flood-affected area of Lismore to help in the mammoth clean up effort from devastating floods. After doing everything he could to help the clean up, Harry decided he wanted to do more than just get his hands dirty. With the help of his family, Harry took the car he recently bought (after saving up for more than two years) and gave it to Dylan: a local who had lost everything in the flood. Natasha Shearer, who helped coordinate Harry’s generous donation, posted about the moment Harry handed over the keys at the weekend. <iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fnshearerlambert%2Fposts%2F10159694343075926&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="809" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> “Dylan was at work at the time and had no idea Harry was about to hand him a car,” Natasha wrote. <div id="ad-slot_out-of-page-mobile_section-index-1_pos-2" data-section-index="1"></div> “Dylan was in shock and really couldn’t believe that someone especially a beautiful young 17-year-old would come and hand over a car like that.” Harry had been saving over the last few years to buy the champagne-coloured Nissan, and decided to give it to the man who had lost his own home and car, and was couch-surfing for a place to stay and getting around on a pushbike. “We brought him out to the car,” Natasha told the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-12/teenager-donates-car-to-northern-nsw-flood-victim/100982504" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC</a>. “We told him we had a few things for him in the car and, the next thing, Harry handed him the keys." “He cried, he couldn’t believe it. He was very, very appreciative and in shock.” While the clean-up efforts are continuing in Northern NSW, one local's life is now a little easier. Image credits: Facebook

Caring

Landslide victim identified

The victim of the Blue Mountains landslip has been identified as Mehraab Nazir, a British Lawyer who was holidaying in Australia, and his 9-year-old son. Both bodies were recovered on Tuesday the 5th of April. Mr Nazir, 49, had been on a hike with his family in the Wentworth Pass area of the Blue Mountains, a national park west of Sydney in NSW on Monday, when the incident occurred. Mr Nazir's wife remains in a critical condition in an intensive care unit, while another son, 14, has undergone surgery and is in a stable condition. His 15-year-old daughter walked from the scene and is under observation in hospital. Mr Nazir was a partner at law firm Watson Farley & Williams and was based in its Singapore office. "It is with the greatest sadness that we must confirm that our dear friend and colleague Mehraab Nazir, a partner in our Singapore office, tragically lost his life in a landslide in Australia earlier this week alongside his young son," the company said in a statement. "We will be remembering and honouring Mehraab, however, with the surviving members of the family in serious conditions or in shock, we ask that you respect their privacy and grief at this incredibly difficult time." NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet is seeking advice as to whether the walking track should have been open given recent heavy rain in area. "Obviously, the Blue Mountains is a place where people love to go trekking. It's one of the wonders of the world but when those tragedies occur it would be remiss of any government not to act." Following the removal of the bodies, the NSW Department of Environment and Heritage announced that the area was closed to the public until further notice and a "comprehensive review" would be undertaken. The department said it had a program to assess geotechnical risks and maintain the safety of walking tracks and that the walking track was inspected in the days leading up to the landslip. Image: Nine News

News

Outraged truckie overcharged $57k in tolls

A truckie who was wrongly charged $57,000 from NSW tolls has slammed the government for offering him credit in return, rather than a refund. Jason Clenton was one of the 45,000 motorists who were charged double on tolls. He slammed Transport for NSW’s offer of credit, which meant he would actually have to use $57,000 worth of tolls to get his money back. "This is an absolute joke by Transport NSW and E-Toll," he told 2GB. "As a business owner, I'm absolutely disgusted." Jason deactivated his account stating that the credit is “absolutely no good for me”. "I don't have an account from E-Toll because of the misuse of stealing money from our business account, unauthorised." Transport for NSW’s Chief Operations Officer Howard Collins apologised for the errors and says they are working on returning people’s money. "Transport for NSW apologises unreservedly once again to all our customers affected by these unacceptable errors. We continue to do everything we can to minimise any further customer impacts," he said. Roads Minister Natalie Ward also apologised for the damning error claiming it shouldn’t have happened in the first place. Image: Shutterstock

Money & Banking

"You are the real heroes": Chris Hemworth’s wife thanks flood heroes

Chris Hemworth’s wife Elsa Pataky has <a href="https://celebrity.nine.com.au/latest/elsa-pataky-chris-hemsworth-instagram-message-floods-northern-nsw-praising-heroes/541f1150-eff4-4616-925d-3d094510c4f7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared</a> a tribute to some real-life heroes as the floods continue to devastate northern NSW and Queensland. The 45-year-old model, who lives in Byron Bay with her actor husband, took to Instagram to thank the heroes who were out saving lives. “Northern Rivers and beyond had been hit by the worst floods in history. People have spent hours waiting on rooftops to be rescued,” she wrote in a post accompanying several images depicting the devastation. <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-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Caj6nGov5la/?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/p/Caj6nGov5la/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Elsa Pataky (@elsapatakyconfidential)</a> </div> </blockquote> “Thanks to all those who are able to help save people and animals stranded by the floodwaters, you are the real heroes. “So amazing to watch how everyone pulls together in a disaster and helps the community. Our hearts go out to those affected by the floods. Stay safe!” Days earlier, Pataky shared her own experience with the flood crisis, revealing how the floodwaters had stopped her from taking her daughter to school. In a video she shared online, Pataky can be seen abandoning the car and heading to school on foot. “I don’t think [we] will make it to school today,” she captioned the clip. Her message comes as approximately 400,000 people from Lismore, Brisbane and Ballina have been forced to evacuate. On Wednesday, the national death toll from the floods stood at 10, after bodies were recovered in Lismore and Glen Esk, Queensland. Images: @elsapatakyconfidential (Instagram)

News

Pro surfer Mick Fanning’s heroic act

Surfing legend Mick Fanning braved dangerous floodwaters to assist a pharmacist to open her shop and provide residents with their much-needed medication. Forty-year-old Fanning didn’t think twice when Skye Swift – one half of local pharmacy outfit Varella and Swift – put a call out on Facebook for a ride from Tweed into Murwillumbah, in northern NSW, to help hand out medicine to members of the community. Fanning jumped onto his jet ski and made his way to Swift and was met with others ready to help. “In a collective effort she arrived at her pharmacy with the assistance of two men in a tinny, several 4WDs and also on the back of world champion Mick Fanning’s jet ski,’ Swift’s brother Anthony told <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/nsw-flood-update-mick-fanning-jet-ski-rescue-pharmacy-murwillumbah/133f1b3d-f560-42fc-9f42-cc098dd2655f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nine News</a>. “That’s community spirit for you.” Swift took to Facebook and thanked the local community for their help. “I made it to Varela & Swift Pharmacy thanks to the fb community. Open til 5 pm for urgent supplies,” she wrote. “There may be a wait so thanks for your patience. If your scripts are at another pharmacy, that’s no problem. We can help.” Image: Facebook

Caring

Potential breakthrough in Theo Hayez case

Investigators are a step closer to solving the mystery of missing backpacker Theo Hayez, after honing in on WhatsApp messages he exchanged the night he vanished, to gain an insight into what happened. The Belgian teenager disappeared in 2019 from NSW hotspot Byron Bay, with an inquest on Wednesday hearing there had been a 'potential breakthrough' in the case. The development came just hours after Theo's parents suggested 'another person' was involved in their son's disappearance and police offered a $500,000 reward for information. 'I don't want to overstate it, your honour, but we know Theo was engaged in some WhatsApp activity just before 1 am on the 31st of May,' counsel assisting the coroner, Kirsten Edwards said. This activity was prior to a five-hour window when Hayez' mobile phone ceased communicating with the nearest tower. In a bombshell revelation, Ms Edwards said the investigating team had also found a mystery person 'who was communicating with Theo on the 31st of May' but it is not yet known when the two exchanged messages. But WhatsApp messages, very commonly used as the primary messaging app in Europe, are encrypted, making it virtually impossible to find out what the texts said without one of the senders' phones. Earlier on Wednesday, it was revealed the police officer who led the initial search for Mr Hayez was inexperienced, missed vital training and would have conducted the operation 'very differently' with the benefit of hindsight. Speaking at the inquest the same day police announced a $500,000 reward for information on his case. Senior Constable Louis Papworth admitted he had only previously conducted two minor searches before the 18-year-old went missing. Due to the urgency of the search and his inexperience, Papworth told the inquest he had made 'some mistakes.' If he'd had access to location data sourced from Theo's phone on the first two days of the search, it would have looked very different, Papworth said. With the benefit of hindsight, he would also have tried to find out more about Theo's interests and behaviours, to help tailor the search. The data showed Theo had spent seven minutes near cricket nets at a local sporting field, before charting a route through the Arakwal National Park to Cosy Corner Beach. 'If you'd had that access to that information, you would have approached the search in a very different way, and with a lot more intensity?' Ms Edwards asked at the inquest. More volunteers would have been sent to those areas and he would have sent detectives to interview 'vagrants' who were staying near the sporting field. The inquest continues, and is due to hear more new 'significant' evidence in the coming days. Images: Facebook

Travel Trouble

Heart broken widow speaks following the death of her husband

A heartbroken widow has opened up about her husband dying in her warms, while the couple waited over 40 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. Stewart Grant, aged 82, suffered breathing difficulties at 12:30 pm on January 29 at his Phillip Island home in Victoria, but paramedics were not dispatched immediately despite his family calling triple-zero. His wife of more than 50 years, Carol Grant, said she was initially told no one was coming. But a short time later, Mr Grant stopped breathing. An operator called back 12 minutes after the initial conversation and counted with Ms Grant while she performed CPR on her husband. “She asked me to get him out of bed, and put him on the floor, lie him on his back and to start CPR,” she said. After the ambulance was finally dispatched, an alert system to find trained volunteers was initiated and three locals came to help. “I’d just like to thank them for everything they tried to do. I’m just so grateful for their help as I couldn’t have continued (performing CPR),” Ms Grant said. “Even though it wasn’t successful, I’m just so grateful to them for trying.” Health Minister Martin Foley said the case was tragic, and told reporters on Thursday that there were issues with how the call was prioritised by the triple-zero call service ESTA. “As I understand, the issue wasn’t so much the dispatch of the ambulance. The paramedics were there, other volunteers in the nearby community were there, once the call was distributed,” he said. State Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said the case was horrifying and demanded an explanation from the government. “If it’s the call-out and dispatch system, then it’s the government’s to manage ... It’s just not good enough to say it’s someone else’s fault. How the hell can this happen in Victoria in 2022?” he asked. Premier Daniel Andrews sent his condolences and said the coroner would examine the tragedy. “This pandemic has made the job of our ambos really tough, they’re all working as hard as they can and any time that a patient dies I know that that’s carried by our paramedics; they feel it very heavily,” he told reporters. Ambulance Victoria has also sent its sincere condolences to the Grant family and said it had undertaken a review of the case. Mr Grant’s case is not the only recent death in Victoria following a long wait for paramedics. Victorian paramedics experienced their busiest quarter on record in the last three months of 2021. Data shows ambulances were called to 91,397 code-one cases during that period, a 16% increase on the same time in 2020. Images: 7News

Caring

World first tourism ad filmed atop Sydney icon

A new advertisement from Tourism NSW has gone to new heights, featuring the first artist to film a music video on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.Australian indie musician Azure Ryder recorded her own rendition of Nina Simone’s jazzy 1965 hit, Feeling Good, which is the soundtrack for the NSW government’s latest tourism campaign, Feeling New.The ad sees Ryder traverse the Megalong Valley and Lincoln’s Rock in the Blue Mountains, before appearing at Mary’s Underground in The Rocks.The climax of both the ad and Ryder’s music video sees the artist performing on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge’s Southern Pylon.<img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/02/Azure-Ryder-Feeling-Good-2-4-screenshot.png" alt="" width="1280" height="544" />Azure Ryder took part in a world-first, filming part of her new music video atop one of the pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Image: Azure Ryder (YouTube)Stuart Ayres, who is both the Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade and the Minister for Tourism and Sport, said the clip truly showed off the diverse landscapes of NSW.“I am delighted with the music video for the soundtrack behind our Feel New campaign. It captures all the things I love about our state,” Mr Ayres <a href="https://media.destinationnsw.com.au/feeling-good-nsw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement.“We are incredibly blessed in NSW to have some of the most spectacular filming backdrops in the world and to have one of our brightest talents in Azure Ryder pay tribute to her home city and state this way highlights what incredible places Sydney and NSW are to live and visit.”<img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/02/Azure-Ryder-Feeling-Good-1-23-screenshot.png" alt="" width="1280" height="544" />Azure Ryder collaborated with Tourism NSW to go to new heights, capturing this stunning view from Lincoln’s Rock in the NSW Blue Mountains. Image: Azure Ryder (YouTube)Ryder said the experience filming the clip for Feeling Good was also quite special for her, capturing both the energy of her home state and the lyrics of the classic tune.“The experience you will see through my music video is one that I grew up my entire life believing in,” Ryder said. “The importance of what our surroundings can teach us, show us how to feel, and ultimately teach us how to be human. “The soul that Nina embodies and speaks of in Feeling Good is the soul that is all around us if we just step out, open our eyes, and look up to the beauty and the story written along mountaintops and city pavements.“We are so lucky to have such magic on our doorstep.”You can watch the new ‘Feeling New’ ad from Tourism NSW below.<blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF;border: 0;border-radius: 3px;margin: 1px;max-width: 540px;min-width: 326px;padding: 0;width: calc(100% - 2px)" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CZyNzRXFGnw/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"><div style="padding: 16px"><div style="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="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="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="flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center"><div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px"> </div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;height: 12.5px;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"> </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"> </div></div><div style="margin-left: auto"><div style="width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent"> </div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px"> </div><div style="width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent"> </div></div></div><div style="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><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/CZyNzRXFGnw/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by New South Wales (@visitnsw)</a></div></blockquote>To see Ryder’s full music video, head <a href="https://youtu.be/geAG0J820lY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.Image: Oliver Beggs & Reece McMillan (Tourism NSW)

Domestic Travel

The touching way Charlise Mutten's memory will live on

Image: Facebook Charlise Mutten's former primary school has vowed to keep her memory alive by creating a permanent memorial area in her memory. Tweed Heads Public School, in northern NSW is mourning the loss of the nine-year-old after her body was discovered last week in a barrel dumped near the Colo River, North-west of Sydney. The schoolgirl lived fulltime with her grandparents on the Gold Coast was reported missing days earlier on January 14th from Wildenstein Private Gardens at Mount Wilson, where she was spending the holidays with her mother Kallista Mutten. Principal Peter Nichols has announced the school will create a memorial site for the allegedly murdered child, using flowers, cards, and other gifts laid at the school's front gates. A makeshift shrine featuring photos, bouquets, cards, and stuffed toys has amassed at the entrance since hundreds of mourners gathered at the campus for a candlelit vigil last Wednesday. 'On behalf of the school, I sincerely thank you for all the cards, flowers and other items placed at our fence,' Mr Nichols said in a statement on Tuesday. 'Every one of them acknowledges how much we all loved Charlise and how much we will all miss her.' Mr Nichols said the Red Cross offered to collect and collate the mementos into a book for Charlise's family to create a lasting token of the 'spontaneous and thoughtful memorial' that developed outside the school. 'To allow this to happen, all the mementos left at the school fence will be collected soon,' he said. 'This includes the flowers and plant material which will be mulched and used in the creation of a memorial area for Charlise.' Mr Nichols stated the charity organisation would be offering members of the school community further opportunities to contribute to the memorial book later on. Charlise's mother's fiancé, Justin Stein, 31, has been charged with murder and remains in custody.

Caring

Charlise Mutten’s mother speaks to police

Charlise’s Mutten’s mother Kallista has spoken to the police, according to The Daily Telegraph. According to their report, she gave a statement to police on Friday last week, in which she revealed that she initially believed her fiance Justin Laurens Stein’s explanation for why Charlise was not with him on January 13. A police source told the Telegraph, “He gave a story about where the kid was and she believed him, then later on she got concerned and reports her missing.” Ms Mutten called police at 8.20 am on January 14, sparking a search for Charlise before her body was found in a barrel on the banks of the Colo River five days later, 65km from where she was first reported missing. According to Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson, police will allege in court that Mr Stein held phone conversations with Ms Mutten in the lead-up to Charlise’s body being discovered. He said, “[There were] a number of telephone conversations with the girl’s mother, to purchase a number of sandbags, 20kg sandbags from a hardware store, to fuel a boat and then try and float that boat on the water at one of the docks in inner Sydney.” Police will also allege Mr Stein drove to Sydney with Charlise’s body in the back of his boat, believing he had tried to launch it from an inner-Sydney dock. Police allege Charlise was killed by a bullet wound. Detectives say there is “no evidence” Ms Mutten was involved in her daughter’s disappearance. Charlise had been in her grandmother’s custody in Queensland, but was visiting her mother and soon-to-be-stepfather in NSW during the school holidays. Mr Stein is next due to appear in court on March 18.

News

Charlise Mutten's cause of death revealed

Image: 9News Detectives have revealed nine-year-old Charlise Mutten died from a gunshot wound. The Homicide Squad boss has called this and "unimaginable and egregious murder". The young girl was found dead in a plastic barrel on the banks of the Colo River in NSW last week. She was found an hour from where she was last seen in the Blue Mountains. Her mother's partner Justin Stein, 31, has been charged with her murder. "The cause of death of Charlise was that she suffered a fatal gunshot wound, and that's how she died," Homicide Squad Commander Danny Doherty said today. "We're disclosing this for investigative reasons but also just to clear up any ambiguity… this is the (alleged) murder of a nine-year-old girl." The family of the girl has only recently been told how she died. "It's important that they know, and it's important that the public know that this is an unimaginable and egregious (alleged) murder of a child," he said. Police are still searching the Mount Wilson property where Charlise was last seen and the surrounding areas for a gun. Detective Superintendent Doherty said the barrel Charlise was found in is believed to be from the property and police believe there is a "high probability" she died there. Charlise's mother Kallista Mutten has been reinterviewed and is being treated as a witness. Detective Superintendent Doherty said Ms Mutten was not believed to have been at the property at the time police allege Charlise was murdered. It comes as new CCTV was released, showing a ute towing a boat at multiple locations across Sydney. The CCTV footage shows the maroon coloured ute towing a covered boat at three locations on the evening of January 13. Just before 6pm, the ute pulls into a BP gas station at Marsden Park, in Sydney's north-west. At 7:17 pm the ute and boat are spotted in traffic in Drummoyne, in Sydney's inner west. Minutes later, close to the Five Dock Bay Boat Ramp near Drummoyne, the ute is captured on a home's private security system. Police believe the little girl was killed on January 11th or 12th. Charlise was visiting her mother for the school holidays from Queensland, where she lives, at the time of her death.

News

Parents of accused killer break their silence

Image: 9News Justin Stein, who grew up among Sydney’s affluent elite, had a “tortured” life, his mum says, as her son remains behind bars, charged with murdering his stepdaughter. Annemie Stein said she had not approved of her son’s turbulent relationship with Charlise’s mother, ex-ice addict Kallista Mutten. They had been together for just over a year. “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink, or choose their partners, and sometimes it ends up in a headache like this one,” Ms Stein, 56, said from her home in Sydney’s inner-west. “Justin’s had a pretty tortured life.” “It would hurt anyone (to have a child go through this), it doesn’t matter who you are it would hurt you because parents know their children and, you know, as I said, the mother is the one they need to talk to.” Kallista Mutten remains under medical supervision in hospital. Kallista's mother said that Charlise was soon to be her step-granddaughter before she was allegedly murdered and her body stuffed in a barrel. She says was: “A lovely little girl and beautiful little girl and definitely didn’t deserve this.” Meanwhile, in rural NSW, Justin Stein’s father James Stein revealed he had not seen his son for some time. James Stein Snr, who split with Annemie Stein more than a decade ago, now runs an antique shop at Mount Victoria in the Blue Mountains with his partner. It appears the family has been torn in two for a number of years. His oldest son, James Jnr, and his partner Keegan Buzza, are also understood not to have seen Justin since about 2016. Together the Steins still own the luxurious Wildenstein wedding venue where Charlise was staying for a holiday when she went missing. Having had little to do with his son in recent times, James Stein Snr said he had never met young Charlise, but was left “heartbroken” by her death: “Absolutely heartbroken. It‘s a tragedy. I’d never met her, so there you go. "I‘m a father... I hope you never have to go through circumstances like these.” Ms Mutten lost custody of Charlise in 2018 while she was serving a minimum of two years two months for dangerous driving causing death while high on ice.

News

Father’s fury over Charlise Mutten’s fate

Image: Facebook The biological father of missing girl, Charlise Mutten, whose body was found inside a barrel in NSW’s Blue Mountains overnight has paid tribute to his “beautiful” daughter. The 9-year-old was holidaying with her mother Kallista Mutten and stepfather Justin Laurens Stein at a wedding estate in Mt Wilson when she was reported missing at 8:20 am on Friday. Stein, the fiance of Ms Mutten, has since been charged with her murder. Her biological father spoke out about the situation in a Facebook post earlier on Wednesday. “Goodbye you beautiful little girl. I love you so much. I miss you every day! You have captured the hearts of the nation and the world, and now those hearts are breaking, with mine,” he wrote. “This doesn’t happen! Kids need to be safe. What is wrong with you people???? “We will get the answers for you baby, and we will honour you properly. This is not the end of you or your story.” Police, SES and RFS crews spent the past five days searching bushland around the multimillion-dollar Wildenstein wedding venue, where the girl was staying with her mum and her mum’s fiance. Charlise usually lives with her grandmother in Coolangatta, Queensland, but was spending two weeks with her mother during the school holidays. According to acting Commissioner Webb said the cause of the child’s death is yet to be determined and the investigation remains ongoing. “The search will remain ongoing to look for any clues to help us identify the cause of the death,” she said. “I encourage people to come forward with information. There are still many elements of this investigation that we have to work through to determine exactly what happened from the time the young girl was reported missing up until last night when those remains were found.” Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson said while investigators are still uncertain of exactly what happened, they were “certain” about a number of facts, sharing that police have alleged the accused placed her body in the barrel. "Things will unravel over the next week or so to find a cause of death, the purpose for a death, and try and identify exactly what happened so that the remaining family have some comfort in that,” he told reporters. He said the investigation is ongoing and that there is no evidence to support anything other than that the accused acted alone.

News

“Devastated”: More details released on Charlise Mutten as community mourns

The Gold Coast community is in mourning following the death of nine-year-old Charlise Mutten, who was allegedly murdered while staying in NSW's Blue Mountains on a family holiday. Charlise lived with her grandmother in the border town of Coolangatta, and attended the nearby Tweed Heads Public School. The school's Facebook page posted a tribute to Charlise, saying the school community is "absolutely devastated" to hear of her passing. The statement said, "Charlise was a much loved member of our school who brightened all our days, every day." <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ftweedheadspublicschool%2Fposts%2F339127968218848&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="767" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe> Floral tributes have begun to appear near the school, where Charlise was due to return next week after the holidays. The school has also organised a candlelight vigil on the school grounds to honour the nine-year-old, as police continue their investigation into her death. A man was arrested in relation to Charlise's disappearance on Tuesday night, and is due to appear in court late on Wednesday afternoon. The partner of Charlise's mother Kallista Mutten <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-19/man-charged-with-murder-over-missing-9yo-girl-in-blue-mountains/100765502">was arrested</a> in Sydney's Surry Hills, after police found the body of a child was found in a barrel near the Colo River, about an hour from the Blue Mountains. The child's body has yet to be formally identified, but NSW Police say the remains are consistent with Charlise Mutten. Image credits: Facebook / NSW Police

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