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Life behind bars for serial killer nurse

<p>British nurse Lucy Letby has been handed a life sentence for the murder of seven infants and the attempted murder of six others in a neonatal ward located in Chester, England.</p> <p>Justice James Goss, adhering to the strictest punishment allowed by British law, issued a whole-life order, ensuring that 33-year-old Letby would spend the remainder of her life incarcerated, as capital punishment is not applicable in the UK.</p> <p>In a trial that spanned ten months, Letby was found guilty of killing five male and two female infants and causing harm to other newborns within the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. This conviction ranks her among the most prolific child serial killers in the UK's history.</p> <p>Despite her absence from the sentencing proceedings, Justice Goss emphasised the calculated nature of Letby's actions, stating, "There was premeditation, calculation and cunning." He further highlighted the malevolence and absence of remorse in her demeanour, emphasising that no mitigating factors were present.</p> <p>Prosecutors detailed Letby's disturbing actions during her tenure in the neonatal unit. As the hospital witnessed an alarming increase in unexplained infant deaths and health deteriorations, Letby was consistently on duty during these incidents.</p> <p>Prosecutors painted her as a constant, ominous presence when these infants experienced collapses or fatalities, using tactics that were difficult to detect. She even deceived colleagues into believing these incidents were normal.</p> <p>The anguish and outrage from the victims' families were palpable during the sentencing, compounded by Letby's absence from the proceedings, which is permitted under British legal protocol.</p> <p>The mother of a girl identified as Child I said in a statement read in court:</p> <p>"I don’t think we will ever get over the fact that our daughter was tortured till she had no fight left in her and everything she went through over her short life was deliberately done by someone who was supposed to protect her and help her come home where she belonged."</p> <p>Because of Letby's absence at the sentencing, calls for legal reform quickly emerged, urging that prisoners should be compelled to attend their sentencings. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed his government's intention to address this matter.</p> <p>Medical professionals raised concerns about Letby's behaviour as early as 2015, but their apprehensions were not heeded by management. Some argue that had these concerns been acted upon promptly, lives could have been saved. An independent inquiry will delve into the hospital's response to the alarming rise in deaths and the actions of the staff and management.</p> <p>In conclusion, British nurse Lucy Letby's life sentence for the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of six others has sent shockwaves through the nation. Her calculated actions, lack of remorse, and absence from the sentencing have ignited discussions about legal reforms and the responsibility of institutions to heed early warning signs.</p> <p><em>Images: Cheshire Constabulary</em></p>

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Dog lovers rejoice after "greedy" serial puppy farmer handed life ban

<p dir="ltr">A serial puppy offender has faced sentencing over 17 charges of animal cruelty, with both a lifetime ban and thousands of dollars in fees included in her punishment. </p> <p dir="ltr">The 51-year-old woman from Bullsbrook, a northern suburb in Perth, had been breeding sick dogs in squalid conditions while charging their potential new owners thousands of dollars, and has now been banned from owning or breeding any more dogs for the rest of her life. </p> <p dir="ltr">For her cruel actions, the Perth Magistrates Court handed her a “10-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, $25,000 in fines and an 18-month Intensive Supervision Order.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Additionally, the repeat offender - who has been in custody since April 14 after breaching the conditions of her bail - was also ordered to pay $24,279.11 in legal costs, as well as care and treatment costs totalling $18,241.01.</p> <p dir="ltr">The charges were in relation to 23 dogs who were seized from her property in June 2020 - with sought-after breeds including the likes of Maltese, shih-tzus, poodles, and cavalier King Charles spaniels among them.</p> <p dir="ltr">It wasn’t her first offence - instead her fourth - but her most recent was in 2014 when the RSPCA found 50 dogs at her former home, with 12 of the animals “hidden in a bunker three metres underground”. </p> <p dir="ltr">This time around, she had been trying to conceal her crimes. As the court heard in December, she has been moving the dogs between three different Bullbrook addresses in a bid to avoid detection.</p> <p dir="ltr">It was a display of “callous disregard or at least wilful blindness,” Magistrate Janie Gibbs said. </p> <p dir="ltr">RSPCA WA had launched their investigation into her after a member of the public reported their concerns - they had been trying to purchase a puppy through Gumtree, and had grown suspicious when they were informed they couldn’t visit the dog at home. </p> <p dir="ltr">From there, RSPCA WA seized 32 dogs from the woman’s property - of which there were four adult males, 19 adult females, and nine puppies - with the majority of them showing signs of being “underweight, unkempt, or unwell”, and nearly all of them suffering from “ear infections and/or dental disease and … matted, overgrown hair”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Two did not survive, and five of them were pregnant, giving birth to 22 more puppies in the weeks to follow. All have been in the foster care of RSPCA WA while the case went on. </p> <p dir="ltr">As RSPCA WA Executive Manager Animal and Enforcement Operations Hannah Dreaver explained, the woman responsible had been operating a profit-driven business, and had been placing her income well above the welfare of the dogs in her care.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This included using several locations to hide this operation from both authorities and potential puppy buyers,” she added.</p> <p dir="ltr">“All were popular breeds selling for thousands of dollars. These dogs were making her a fortune and she was treating them as nothing more than money-making machines, having litter after litter without proper care.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Please, if you want to get a dog, consider adoption from the RSPCA or another reputable rescue organisation first. If you do decide to buy a puppy, never buy online and never buy sight unseen. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Always meet your new puppy and its mum in the home where it’s being raised.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: RSPCA WA</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Study reveals the star sign most likely to be serial killers

<p>Keep your friends close and your Taurus friends even closer as a new study has revealed they’re the most homicidal zodiac sign.</p> <p><em>The Mirror</em> conducted a murder astrological sign analysis and found the majority of serial killers are born between April 20 to May 20, making them a Taurus.</p> <p>“[Taurus] are devoted, patient and hard-working, traits which can make for a great personality in someone who is stable and good-natured, and an evil manipulator in someone who is not,” the paper reads.</p> <p>Several murderers share the Taurus sign, including America’s first modern serial killer H.H Holmes, Canadian child-killer Karla Homolka and London Mail Bomber David Copeland.</p> <p>Those who share the Cancer star sign were found to be the least likely to be serial killers.</p> <p>However, it's clear that killing is not exclusive to Taurses - here is a list of notable serial killers according to each sign.</p> <p>Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Lee Boyd Malvo, Joel Rifkin, Luis Alfredo Garavito</p> <p>Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): John Wayne Gacy, Aileen Wuornos</p> <p>Aries (March 21-April 19): Alexander Pichushkin, John Reginald Christie</p> <p>Taurus (April 20-May 20): H.H. Holmes, Michael Ryan, Albert Fish, David Copeland, Levi Bellfield, Robert Black, Steve Wright, Orville Lynn Majors</p> <p>Gemini (May 21-June 20): Jeffrey Dahmer, David Berkowitz, Ted Kaczynski</p> <p>Cancer (June 21-July 22): Robert Maudsley</p> <p>Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): Myra Hindley, Anatoly Onoprienko</p> <p>Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Ed Gein, Albert DeSalvo, Henry Lee Lucas</p> <p>Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Fred West, Beverley Allitt</p> <p>Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Moses Sithole, Robert Pickton, Fritz Haarman</p> <p>Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Ted Bundy, Dennis Nilsen, Rose West</p> <p>Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): John Allen Muhammad, Harold Shipman, Stephen Griffiths</p> <p>Treat your Taurus friends kindly, it’s not their fault they were born on such a “likely to be a serial killer” day!</p> <p><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p>

Mind

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“Loving grandfather” ousted as serial rapist

<p dir="ltr">A local Bondi grandfather has been ousted by police as a serial rapist - one of the worst in New South Wales.</p> <p dir="ltr">Following a long 40 years of investigations and using new technology for DNA as well as a shocking 12 crime scenes, Keith “Maggo” Simms has been identified as a serial rapist.</p> <p dir="ltr">Dubbed “The Beast of Bondi”, Simms is believed to have raped and terrorised more than 30 women in Sydney's eastern suburbs from 1986 to 2001.</p> <p dir="ltr">He died earlier this year on February 20 at the age of 66.</p> <p dir="ltr">When Simms was ready to attack a woman, he would wear a balaclava and approach them with a knife, putting a hand across their mouth and threatening to kill them.</p> <p dir="ltr">It was only in 2016, when police received a weak DNA match to a relative of Simms, that they were eventually able to tie the crimes back to him.</p> <p dir="ltr">Unfortunately for his victims, Simms died before police were able to question him and get them some form of justice.</p> <p dir="ltr">His family also had no idea and referred to him as a “loving family man”, and when his wife found out she was shocked.</p> <p dir="ltr">“His family had no idea at all … we met with his wife and she was absolutely shocked,” Detective Sergeant Shelley Johns, from Strike Force Doreen said, The Daily Telegraph reported.</p> <p dir="ltr">Sex Crimes squad boss Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty said that despite his death, it gives his victims a peace of mind knowing he’s not out there anymore.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was important for the victim survivors and that is why we persevered. We wanted to let them know we were not just guessing it was him. It also meant we are not still looking for someone that is still out there,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So those women who are walking down the street and are still wondering: Is that him? They now know that person is deceased.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: The Daily Telegraph</em></p>

Legal

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Serial conman Peter Foster arrested after six months on the run

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Serial conman Peter Foster has been uncovered hiding out in regional Victoria, bringing his six months on the run to an end. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An arrest warrant in Queensland was issued for the 59-year-old on May 20th, after Peter failed to appear that day in a Sydney court over an alleged multi-million-dollar Bitcoin scam.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His electronic monitoring device, which was a strict condition of his bail, also stopped sending out a signal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Federal police finally caught up with Foster on Tuesday </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">near the Macedon Ranges town of Gisborne, northwest of Melbourne.</span></p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">“The AFP Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team and Queensland Police have worked together for six months to find this man and some dogged detective work has allowed us to make this arrest today,” Australian Federal Police Commissioner Richard Chin said.</p> <p>Foster was initially arrested in Port Douglas in August 2020 on 15 different fraud-related charges in New South Wales. </p> <p>The series of charges were in relation to allegations that he <span>extricated 120 Bitcoin, worth more than $1.7 million at the time, from a Hong Kong man in 2019 and 2020.</span></p> <p><span>After being granted strict bail in March, he failed to show up for court appearances and started his life on the run. </span></p> <p><span>When a new arrest warrant was issued by Queensland police, Foster's lawyer told a Brisbane court that Peter would hand himself in and please not guilty. </span></p> <p><span>According to Peter's lawyer, Chris Hannay, Foster was a “charismatic crook” and a “charismatic good bloke” but “not the villain in this”.</span></p> <p><em>Image credits: Youtube - 7News</em></p>

Legal

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Serial killer too dangerous to set free

<p>Known as the ‘Cowboy killer,’ Regina Arthurell will be supervised for another two years after a Supreme Court judge found it would be far too dangerous to set her free.</p> <p>Arthurell was jailed and served almost 24 years behind bars as Reginald Arthurell but recently she’s transitioned to a woman.</p> <p>Arthurell was sentenced to jail for bashing to death her fiancée, Venet Mulhall, at Coonabarabran in 1995. At the time, Arthurell was on parole for killing her stepfather and a sailor in the 1970s and '80s.</p> <p>As Arthurell came to the end of her sentence, she underwent a hearing and Justice Richard Button ruled: "In light of the established pattern of fatal harm being repeatedly inflicted by the defendant that began approaching 50 years ago, for her to be completely at liberty in the community would simply be far too dangerous."</p> <p>The state was seeking a three-year order but was granted two years.</p> <p>This judgement was made despite the fact Arthurell is now 75 years old and in poor physical health.</p> <p>"A frail, even physically disabled, person can inflict fatal harm once armed with a weapon," Justice Button said.</p> <p>Arthurell will be subject to 47 conditions, which include electronic monitoring and alcohol rehabilitation.</p> <p>"The defendant, as I have said, is leading a very difficult, lonely life," Justice Button said, adding: "It is not unrealistic to think that she might begin to seek solace in alcohol, with potentially disastrous consequences."</p> <p><em>Image: Twitter</em></p>

Legal

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Leading crime experts claim Ivan Milat responsible for 20 more murders

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>Ivan Milat, the notorious Australian serial killer, died in 2019, but Australia's leading crime experts say he might be responsible for up to 20 unsolved murders.</p> <p>In<span> </span><em>7NEWS Presents Ivan Milat: Buried Secrets</em>, criminologist Dr Xanthe Mallett and criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro believe that Milat took other secrets to his grave.</p> <p>The pair in the show look at unsolved murders and disappearances and compare them to known locations and sightings of Milat when he was alive.</p> <p>Watson-Munro said that after their investigation, he is "sure" that Milat is responsible for six other murders and is "firm" that he was behind a range of others.</p> <p>One of Milat's potential victims was 20-year-old Keren Rowland, who was five months pregnant after her body was found in the Fairbairn Pine Plantation in Canberra in May 1971.</p> <p>Dr Mallett said “the victimology, the type of victim, the circumstances under which she was taken and perhaps most importantly, the circumstances in which she was found,” led her to believe Milat was responsible for her death.</p> <p>“It was so similar to Belanglo... it really spoke to us to have the same hallmarks of the Ivan Milat victims that we know of,” she explained.</p> <p>Watson-Munro described Milat as “a psychopath and a marauding serial killer with no remorse” who “clearly enjoyed” killing people.</p> <p>Keren Rowland is just one of a number of missing people, homeless people and runaways whose disappearances or murders are investigated in the show.</p> <p>Milat was serving seven life sentences for the seven backpackers he killed before he died from terminal stomach and esophagus cancer in 2019.</p> <p><em>Photo credits:<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/sunrise/on-the-show/chilling-claim-backpacker-murderer-ivan-milat-killed-twenty-more-victims-c-2335960" target="_blank">7NEWS</a></em></p> </div> </div> </div>

News

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Secret lover of Claremont killer’s first wife breaks silence

<p>The flatmate who is blamed for destroying Bradley Robert Edwards' marriage has spoken out and admitted he feels sickened that his actions could have been for the trigger for the Claremont killings.</p> <p>The secret lover, who has kept his identity a secret due to legal reasons, has broken his silence on his affair with Edward’s first wide.</p> <p>While appearing on the<span> </span>Nine News Perth special, the man revealed a paternity bombshell.</p> <p>He had a daughter with Edwards' ex-wife 24 years ago and now wonders if the child could be his.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838057/sscott-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/d2121c5f86f4428f80b8f45e5f992adf" /></p> <p>Edwards' ex-wife always said the man was the girl's father, but then came revelations from his former partner on the stand.</p> <p>She told the court that while she was with the new man she had also been sleeping with Edwards.</p> <p>The secret lover admitted "I can't help but think, in the back of my mind, is this child mine?”</p> <p>The 60-year-old met Edwards' first wife towards the end of 1993.</p> <p>He had been going through a divorce and she was unhappy.</p> <p>"So I moved in. And it was awkward at first. I was trying to be more friendly towards him, hoping that the attraction with her would fade," he said.</p> <p>"I miss those times, playing softball, being friends with him."</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838055/sscott-3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a07f3eda7ac1474cbd7e649879312c52" /></p> <p class="first"><em>Sarah Spiers, Ciara Glennon and Jane Rimmer all disappeared from Claremont in the 1990s.</em></p> <p class="first">A man already accused of killing Jane Rimmer</p> <p>He said the Telstra technician was unaware that his wife would sneak into his room on Sunday mornings.</p> <p>"When we got caught kissing, I thought nup, I'm not hanging around here.</p> <p>"It's the fear of what he had under the bed.”</p> <p>The rival lover revealed it was a rifle and a baseball bat.</p> <p>He said: "I just didn't want to not wake up in the morning. You just can't sleep with that kind of fear."</p> <p>Edwards told him to stay, but he moved out within weeks.</p> <p>She soon followed.</p> <p>The same night, the usually mild-mannered Edwards made an explosive phone call and it would be the last time they spoke.</p> <p>"He said, "You're having an affair with her." I said, "You're stupid. You know I am".</p> <p>“He said, I know where you live, and I'll come and kill you, he said."</p> <p>Not long after, Edward’s wife fell pregnant to her new lover.</p> <p>Prosecutors claimed Bradley Edwards attacked women he didn't know when his life was in turmoil.</p> <p>His marriage broke down around the time Sarah Spiers vanished.</p> <p>Around the time of Jane Rimmer’s murder, Edward’s ex-wife dropped her pregnancy bombshell.</p> <p>But despite that, and despite the decades old threat to kill, the 60-year-old believes Edwards is no killer.</p> <p>"I don't think so. I really, deep inside, really don't think it was him," he said.</p>

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New evidence could clear Kathleen Folbigg of killing her daughters

<p>Fresh genetic evidence which raises new questions about the conviction of Kathleen Folbigg for killing all four of her children have been unveiled.</p> <p>The new genetic findings, discovered by a team of 27 scientists from Australia, Denmark, Italy, Canada, the United States and France have been peer-reviewed and published in top international cardiology journal, Europace.</p> <p>The scientists studied a never-before reported genetic mutation found in Folbigg’s children Sarah and Laura that they inherited from her.</p> <p>Scientists in Denmark, who carried out biochemical experiments say the results show the mutation, known as the CALM2 G114R variant is “likely pathogenic” and “likely” caused the girls’ deaths.</p> <p>And despite the boys not being the focus of their experiments, the team also discovered a different genetic mutation found in Folbigg’s two sons, Patrick and Caleb, that could explain their deaths too.</p> <p>Senior author of the recent paper Professor Peter Schwartz said: "The significance of our evidence is that there is a strong possibility that the two female Folbigg children died a natural death, due to a lethal arrhythmia favoured by the presence in these two children of a disease-causing mutation inherited from the mother.</p> <p>"This mutation causes a 'Calmodulinopathy' — an extremely severe arrhythmic disease that can manifest in three main clinical variants, all predisposing to sudden cardiac death in infancy and childhood, or also later in life."</p> <p>Professor Schwartz added: "The two girls with the Calmodulin mutation fit the pattern well known in genetic disorders and — more likely than not — they both died a natural arrhythmic death due to their disease.</p> <p>"It goes without saying that this important finding does not explain the death of the two boys.</p> <p>"That's another story and I cannot comment on it."</p>

Legal

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Spot the serial killer: Fan in The Stands takes a surprisingly dark turn

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>The NRL is still finding ways to delight fans from their homes as they’re currently not allowed to attend matches due to coronavirus.</p> <p>Luckily, the NRL have been running a Fan in The Stands promotion, which gives fans the opportunity to buy a cardboard cut-out to fil out the seat in the stadiums.</p> <p>For $22, fans can pay to have their likeness or any image they send in the crowd at an NRL game.</p> <p>Naturally, some fans have been taking advantage by getting their dog in on the action.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">My dog was just on national TV. Best $22 I've ever spent <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NRLRoostersSouths?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NRLRoostersSouths</a> <a href="https://t.co/YaKXNWdATX">pic.twitter.com/YaKXNWdATX</a></p> — Matt Bungard (@TheMattBungard) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheMattBungard/status/1266312156716232704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>On Sunday’s match between the Penrith Panthers and the Newcastle Knights, fans were quick to realise that amongst the die-hard cardboard cut-out fans, there was also a serial killer.</p> <p>Reddit pointed out that Harold Fredrick Shipman made an appearance on top of a Canberra Raiders cut out.</p> <p>Shipman was an English doctor believed to be the most prolific serial killer in history, with estimates that he may have had more than 250 victims. He was found guilty of murder of 15 patients in 2000, but took his own life in 2004 after being sentenced to life in prison.</p> <p>Some saw the lighter side to it, but others thought it was disrespectful to the families of the deceased.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Dr Harold Shipman taking his dog to the <a href="https://twitter.com/NRL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NRL</a> today. Dominic Cummings was there on Thursday. Whoever is doing this is genius 😂😂😂 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Penrith?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Penrith</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/newcastleknights?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#newcastleknights</a> <a href="https://t.co/1YKolNh0v7">pic.twitter.com/1YKolNh0v7</a></p> — Steve Robins (@Robins79) <a href="https://twitter.com/Robins79/status/1267017814243708928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>NRL head of marketing Peter Jarmain still supports the cardboard cut-outs, saying it is good for the players and clubs.</p> <p>“We wanted to make sure the lifeblood of the NRL, our members and fans, had the chance to pull on their jerseys, don their club colours and support in a really fun way,”<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/05/29/cant-get-to-game-fan-in-stand-the-next-best-thing/" target="_blank">he said, according to NRL.com</a>.</p> <p>“I know the players and clubs will appreciate the support, even if the fans aren’t able to shout, celebrate and jump around for the tries and hits as they usually would.”</p> <p><em>Hero image credit:</em><a rel="noopener" href="https://twitter.com/TheMattBungard/status/1266312156716232704" target="_blank"><em><span> </span></em><em>Matt Bungard</em></a></p> </div> </div> </div>

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The hidden detail in your engagement ring you probably didn't know about

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>Shopping for an engagement ring can be stressful, especially when you learn about the cut, colour and clarity of diamonds.</p> <p>What you might not know about diamonds is that most diamonds in Australia over the last 10 years have been laser inscribed with a serial number that is like a fingerprint.</p> <p>This number makes it easier to trace in the unfortunate event that your ring is lost or stolen.</p> <p>The code on the ring makes it a “low risk” theft item as it’s easy for police to trace it.</p> <p>However, this code isn’t easy to spot. It’s inscribed directly on the girdle of the diamond, which is difficult to see when it’s in a setting. The code can’t be seen with the naked eye, as it has to be checked under a microscope.</p> <p>Roy Cohen spoke to<span> </span><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://10daily.com.au/lifestyle/a200227nqsvo/your-engagement-ring-probably-has-a-hidden-serial-number-you-didnt-know-about-20200227" target="_blank"><em>10 Daily</em></a>, whose a diamond expert from Certified Diamond Insurance, and explained why the spot was specifically chosen on the engagement ring.</p> <p>"It [the serial code] cannot be removed unless the diamond goes back to a diamond polishing factory where it is put back on the wheel and polished off. I mean, there are very few diamond polishing factories in Australia so the chances of that happening are very remote," Cohen said.</p> <p>"It’s even harder than for example, the engine number of a motor car. They could just machine it off. I mean, anyone could do that. But with a diamond? No. Only diamond cuts diamond."</p> <p>The area for the code was specifically chosen so that the code couldn’t be lost if the ring was melted down.</p> <p>According to Cohen, the diamonds with the code laser inscribed on diamonds are considered “low risk” diamonds.</p> <p>"Thieves can get caught so much easier with this type of diamond. If they go and sell that to a hock shop and it has the laser inscription on it, it is very easy to identify that that diamond has been stolen," he told<span> </span><em>10 daily.</em></p> </div> </div> </div>

Beauty & Style

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Face of mystery driver revealed in Claremont serial killer trial

<p>A mystery driver’s face who was seen creeping around a young woman the same night Sarah Spiers vanished, has been revealed to the jury in the Claremont serial killings trial.</p> <p>The never-before-seen composite was a description given to police over 21 years ago by Julie-Anne Johnstone.</p> <p>The man accused, Bradley Robert Edwards, sat just metres away from the woman during his trial after prosecutors accused the now 50-year-old of the murder of Sarah Spiers, Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon in the mid 1990’s.</p> <p>The former Telstra electrician has plead not guilty.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7833126/claremont-killer-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a0aaaab1db8a48a9b07bf13b7a2d97b5" /></p> <p>Ms Spiers was last seen after calling a taxi from a phone box in Claremont, Western Australia, just one day after Australia day in 1996.</p> <p>The 18-year-old’s body has never been found.</p> <p>Julie-Anne Johnson, now 45, was just like Ms Spiers the night before when she left Club Bayview in the early hours of the morning to find a taxi by herself.</p> <p>Ms Johnson told the court she had been waiting on Stirling Highway when a white sedan pulled up in front of her.</p> <p>She says the male driver “leaned over the passenger’s side” and stared at her for 10 to 30 minutes.</p> <p>The woman admitted she wasn’t the best with distinguishing car models but determined the vehicle the man was driving looked like a Toyota Camry sedan and had a Telstra logo on the side of the door.</p> <p>Edwards was assigned the same model of car for his Telstra job at the time. </p> <p>Ms Johnson is one of a few several apparent “living witnesses” who survived Edward’s offering of lifts in the mid 90’s, prosecutors say.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7833127/claremont-killer-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/505a82c23aa146dc995bd0d9a319c7e8" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Bradley Robert Edwards</em></p> <p>Annabel Johnson, 45, is another woman who says she was a passenger of a mystery man’s car.</p> <p>She says she had a “strong instinct” to force herself out of the vehicle after accepting a ride.</p> <p>Both she and her friends Trilby Smith hitched a ride after a night out in Cottesloe, Western Australia in December 1996, when a white station wagon approached them on Eric Street.</p> <p>She told the court they were walking home from the Ocean Beach Hotel when the white station wagon in question slowed down to them on Eric Street, and returned from the other direction sometime later.</p> <p>The court claims the driver offered them a ride which they accepted.</p> <p>Ms Bushell said the vehicle looked like a Commodore or Camry and had a large Telstra logo placed on the bonnet.</p> <p>She says she remembers approaching a traffic lights on Stirling Highway in Claremont and “just wanting to get out,” so made an excuse to quickly exit as she dragged her drunk friend out of the back seat.</p> <p>Trilby Smith’s memory differs to her friend who described the vehicle as an “electrical van” and getting out at a different part of Claremont.</p> <p>Ms Bushell said they'd had 15 to 29 middies of beer between them that evening, but her friend was more drunk than her and had fallen asleep. </p>

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Can cinema survive in a golden age of serial TV?

<p>There are many reasons you might think cinema is going the way of the dinosaurs. With the popularity of long-play TV series booming, are films “too short” now to allow the kind of plot and character development that we have become used to? In our changing world of media, does the distinction between “TV series” and “film” even make sense?</p> <p>In a recent class, when I asked my film studies students who had watched the set film for the week only a few hands went up – and my heart sank. Searching for an explanation, I asked who had watched the latest episode of the popular Netflix show <a href="https://theconversation.com/stranger-things-inventiveness-in-the-age-of-the-netflix-original-84340"><em>Stranger Things</em></a>. Nearly every hand went up.</p> <p>What does this anecdote reveal about changing viewing habits? Does the fact that even film students prefer the latest streaming series to the classic films set as coursework serve to illustrate the point that cinema is dying?</p> <p>There is no doubt of the enormous appeal of the many long-form series readily available to subscribers of streamed content providers such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, HULU, iTunes, Google Play, and NowTV. Viewers can binge-watch or pace their way through their favourite show before algorithms point them to their next favourite show, in an endless addictive cycle of entertainment and sleep deprivation.</p> <p><strong>Screen companions and virtual friends</strong></p> <p>There are many reasons for the global popularity of streamed series. For one, their characters are often more diverse and interesting than many of those in mainstream Hollywood filmic fare. This is exemplified so well by shows such as <a href="http://theconversation.com/how-orange-is-the-new-black-raised-the-bar-behind-bars-78702"><em>Orange is the New Black</em></a>, with a nearly all-female cast playing characters with diverse sexual orientations and ethnic and class backgrounds.</p> <p>Over the many hours of screen time, spanning many years in some cases, audiences become emotionally invested in characters’ stories. They become our screen companions and virtual friends. This has seen global fan bases emerge. These fans find kinship and a new kind of collective mourning when providers cancel their favourite show as seen with the devotees of the <a href="https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a28618013/the-oa-fan-petition-season-3-axe/"><em>The OA</em></a>. The size and influence of these groups has helped the success of campaigns like that of Sense8 fans, who fought for and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jun/30/your-love-has-brought-sense8-back-to-life-cancelled-netflix-show-wins-two-hour-finale">won a finale</a> of their cancelled show. Similarly, <a href="https://themuse.jezebel.com/fans-saved-one-day-at-a-time-1835924491">the fans of <em>One Day at a Time</em></a> helped it find its new home at cable network “Pop”.</p> <p>The ultra long-play format of streamed series also allows time for extreme character development. The best known character evolution is perhaps that of Breaking Bad’s Walter White who makes a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdDfhe-0JS0">dramatic moral transformation</a> from school teacher to conflicted drug kingpin over the show’s 62-hour run-time.</p> <p><strong>Hollywood cinema refuses to die</strong></p> <p>But traditional Hollywood cinema refuses to die – as evidenced by the boom in <a href="https://theconversation.com/avengers-endgame-and-the-relentless-march-of-hollywood-franchise-movies-119130">franchise event cinema</a>. <a href="https://www.mpaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MPAA-THEME-Report-2018.pdf">A recent report</a> from the Motion Picture Association of America reveals rising worldwide cinema ticket sales. The total takings at the box office topped US$41 billion – and the number of cinema screens worldwide increased by 7% (to 190,000 screens). The report states that “there is no question that in this ever complex world of media, theatres are vital to overall entertainment industry success”.</p> <p>But cinema still has its place. It allows a fantasy-filled retreat for family and friend entertainment – an immersive experience without the distraction of mobile phones, knocks on the door or family members talking over important bits. Cinemas, film societies, or open-air screenings become spaces where we can put our political divisions aside and cheer collectively for heroes overcoming odds to save screen worlds.</p> <p>Blockbuster films may be thriving, but poetic art cinema has a more precarious place in the market and needs nurturing by cinephiles. Film director <a href="https://www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9780719097591/">Alejandro G. Iñárritu</a> (of <em>The Revenant</em>,<em> Birdman</em>, and<em> Babel</em> fame) recently <a href="https://variety.com/2019/film/global/alejandro-g-inarritu-on-the-need-to-preserve-poetry-in-cinema-1203305924/">spoke to Variety</a> about how our worlds are being closed in by streaming services managed by “algorithms designed to keep feeding people what they like”. He added: “the problem is that the algorithms are very smart but they are not creative, and they don’t know what people don’t know they like.”</p> <p>We are in a golden age of streaming content and at-the-cinema-film. We just need to be guided by more than algorithms to see the treasures hiding away in this new era of excess and neglect.</p> <p><strong>TV or film – what’s the difference?</strong></p> <p>To complicate the arguments about the relative merits of TV series and film, distinctions between film and television are less clear than they ever have been. Many films (particularly those involving <a href="https://theconversation.com/will-the-superhero-films-ever-end-the-business-of-blockbuster-movie-franchises-78834">superheroes</a>) are no longer stand alone, but form part of a serial cinematic “Universe”.</p> <p>Many TV series now consist of feature-length episodes. With a run-time of 151 minutes, we could ask whether the Sense8 finale was actually a Netflix film, rather than a single episode. And, does it even matter to viewers what we call it?</p> <p>In a world where visual media is being increasingly viewed on tablets, mobile phones and laptops rather than in actual cinemas or on television sets perhaps the terms “cinema” and “television” no longer even make sense. This is an argument my co-editors and I <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/25785273.2019.1660067">make in a recent editorial</a> for the journal Transnational Screens.</p> <p>A key point is that streaming platforms such as Amazon and Netflix do not stand in opposition to cinema. Instead they have consumed cinema, repackaged it and made it available to global audiences. Powerful voices <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/mar/04/netflix-steven-spielberg-streaming-films-versus-cinema">rail against the power</a> of such platforms, but they do enhance screen culture and make cinema more available to global audiences.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/122234/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>Written by <span>Deborah Shaw, Professor of Film and Screen Studies, University of Portsmouth</span>. Republished with permission of </em><a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/can-cinema-survive-in-a-golden-age-of-serial-tv-122234" target="_blank"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>.</em></p>

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"No remorse": Ivan Milat dies aged 74

<p>Ivan Milat, Australia’s most notorious serial killer has died while serving seven life sentences for the murders of seven backpackers at 74-years-old. </p> <p>Milat was diagnosed with terminal oesophagus and stomach cancer in May and was transferred for advanced pain relief treatment to Sydney’s Prince of Wales Hospital on October 11. </p> <p>The terminally ill Milat had been under heavy guard surveillance in the intensive care unit but was returned to jail when it became clear that death was imminent. </p> <p>New South Wales Minister for Counter Terrorism and Corrections Anthony Roberts told<span> </span><a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/"><em>The Daily Telegraph</em></a><span> </span>Milat had shown no remorse for his crimes and deserved no mercy on his deathbed. </p> <p>Mr Roberts added he could “rot in hell”. </p> <p>“He was sentenced to die in jail and he was going to die in jail,” Mr Roberts said.</p> <p>“I wasn’t going to have him take up a public hospital bed. Both the commissioner and I were of that opinion.</p> <p>“We had him removed from a hospital and sent back to Long Bay Jail. He can rot in hell.</p> <p>“He showed no remorse. We ensured the sentence was carried out.”</p> <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz9lLXzAq7u/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <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> <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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz9lLXzAq7u/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by True Crime Talk (@truecrimetalk)</a> on Jul 15, 2019 at 8:15pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Milat has been in prison since being arrested in 1994 for the murders of seven backpackers whose remains  were found in Belanglo State Forest. </p> <p>He was convicted in 1996 and given seven consecutive life sentences. </p> <p>Detectives have always feared his murder tally is much higher, with up to six more victims whose bodies have never been found.</p> <p>Despite pleas from police and families of his suspected victims, Milat died with his secrets. </p> <p>A spokesperson told<span> </span><a href="https://www.news.com.au/">news.com.au</a><span> </span>the serial killer was “found dead in his cell” just after 4am.</p> <p>Milat’s victims were all hitchhikers travelling along the Hume highway, near Liverpool in Western Sydney.</p> <p>His victims included Deborah Everist and James Gibson, both 19, from Victoria, Simone Schmidl, 21, from Germany, Anja Habschied, 20, and Gabor Neugebauer, 21, a couple from Germany, and Caroline Clarke, 21, and Joanne Walters, 22, from Britain.</p> <p>Two of the victims were found shot multiple times in the head, as if though they were being used for target practice. </p> <p>Another victim had been decapitated while three others had stab wounds that would have caused paralysis. </p> <p>His other two victims had their spinal cords completely severed. </p> <p>All but one of his seven victims had been subjected to “sexual interference, either before or after death”. </p> <p>Ivan Robert Marko Milat was born on December 27, 1944 in Guildford, Western Sydney, to a Croatian father, Steven, and an Australian mother, Margaret.</p> <p>He was the fifth of 14 children, brought up in a violent and financially struggling home.</p> <p>By the time Milat reached 17-years-old, he had been sent to juvenile detention for six months on burglary charges, beginning adulthood in and out of prison for a number of theft offences. </p> <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4Gs-x0Fc8p/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <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> <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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4Gs-x0Fc8p/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Tyler Dunstan (@dunstan.tyler)</a> on Oct 26, 2019 at 7:22pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>In 1971, he was accused of abducting two 18-year-old female hitchhikers. </p> <p>He threatened them at knifepoint and raping one of them before they both escaped. </p> <p>He was acquitted of his charges in1974, after his lawyer, John Marsden, accused the two women of being lesbians. </p> <p>In 1990, Milat picked up a British hitchhiker by the name of Paul Onions, then aged 24, in Casula, near Liverpool, after introducing himself as "Bill".</p> <p>Mr Onions managed to escape after Milat pulled a gun on him and he was rescued by a passing car and taken to a police station.</p> <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BV7mhxbl9hq/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <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> <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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BV7mhxbl9hq/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by The Generation Why Podcast (@generationwhypodcast)</a> on Jun 29, 2017 at 10:07am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Onions' account was remarkably not followed up by police at the time.</p> <p>After an international appeal for information following the horrifying discovery of the bodies in theBelanglo State Forest, Mr Onions once again contacted police and was flown back to Sydney in 1994, where he identified a photo of Milat — by then of interest to police due to other tip-offs — as "Bill".</p> <p>A few weeks after Mr Onions' identification, police raided Milat's home to find multiple incriminating possessions.</p> <p>This included clothing, camping equipment and other items belonging to the dead backpackers, and various weapons and ammunition.</p> <p>Milat was found guilty in July of 1996 of the murders of the seven backpackers and of the abduction of Mr Onions.</p> <p>While it is believed Milat has a much longer list of victims, he kept his secrets closely to his chest and maintained his innocence. </p> <p>His death means some of NSW’s unsolved murders remain a mystery.</p>

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Blondie’s Debbie Harry: “I escaped serial killer Ted Bundy”

<p>Debbie Harry has made an explosive claim as she says she was once lured into a taxi by serial killer Ted Bundy in the early ‘70s.</p> <p>The 73-year-old is planning to reveal the entire story in her autobiography,<span> </span><em>Face It</em>, which is set to be released in October this year.</p> <p>In a previous interview with<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/8191211/Blondies-Debbie-Harry-claims-serial-killer-Ted-Bundy-lured-her-into-car.html" target="_blank"><em>The Sun</em></a>, the Blondie singer spoke about the unsettling encounter which occurred in New York City: “It was in the early ‘70s and I was trying to get across town at two or three o’clock in the morning.</p> <p>“This little car kept coming around and offering me a ride.”</p> <p>Harry then said she hopped inside the vehicle after many failed attempts at finding a taxi.</p> <p>“I got in the car and the windows were all rolled up, except for a tiny crack. This driver had an incredibly bad smell to him.</p> <p>“I looked down and there were no door handles. The inside of the car was stripped. The hairs on the back of my neck just stood up.</p> <p>“I wigged my arm out of the window and pulled the door handle from the outside. I don’t know how I did it, but I got out.</p> <p>“He tried to stop me by spinning the car, but it sort of helped me fling myself out. Afterwards I saw him on the news, it was Ted Bundy.”</p> <p>Once Bundy was arrested, he admitted to his lawyer that he first attempted to kidnap a woman in 1969 and implied that his first murder happened in 1972.</p> <p>He was only 27-years-old when his first recorded murder occurred in 1974.</p> <p>He went on to kill 30 women.</p> <p>But even after the serial killer was imprisoned, the nightmare wasn’t over as he managed to escape lockup twice.</p>

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Ashton Kutcher set to testify in serial killer trial

<p>Movie and TV star Ashton Kutcher could help put away an alleged serial killer accused of brutally murdering 10 women, including the actor’s girlfriend, Ashley Ellerin.</p> <p>The trial of accused murderer Michael Gargiulo will begin in Los Angeles this week and Kutcher has been called upon as one of the witnesses to take the stand. </p> <p>Kutcher will be recalling the night in 2001 when his then-girlfriend was stabbed to death in her home in the Hollywood Hills.</p> <p>In 2001, Kutcher was at the height of <em>Dude, Where’s My Car?</em> fame when he began dating Ellerin.</p> <p>Kutcher and Ellerin had plans to meet up later after he attended a party at a friend’s house to watch the Grammys. After the show was finished, Kutcher tried to call Ellerin twice, according to the statement he gave police.</p> <p>Kutcher had figured she was annoyed he didn’t invite her to his friend’s party, and he drove to her house to make peace. However, when he knocked on the door, there was no answer.</p> <p>All the lights were on in the house and his girlfriend’s car was in the driveway, so Kutcher peered in the window. He thought he saw red wine on the floor, so he assumed she had some drinks and gone to bed. Kutcher proceeded to go home.</p> <p>However, the next day, it was discovered that it was blood and not red wine. Ellerin had been stabbed 47 times and her body had been laying slumped out of view, left posed in a sexually suggestive position.</p> <p>Her killing was violent, brutal and, according to the coroner’s report, she had been stabbed so many times she was almost decapitated.</p> <p>Her flatmate found her the next morning.</p> <p>Gargiulo immediately became a suspect after Ellerin’s friends told police he had become obsessed with her when he moved in nearby.</p> <p>Ellerin had invited him to a few parties that were held within the house, despite her friends expressing their concern that he was fixated on her.</p> <p>It has been 20 years since her passing, and friends and family of Ellerin and the other victims are desperately hoping for justice. They want to see Gargiulo convicted and sentenced to a life behind bars.</p> <p>The trial begins on May 2 at the Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles.</p>

Movies

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Notorious serial killer Charles Manson has died

<p>Charles Manson, the American cult leader who sent followers known as the "Manson Family" out to commit gruesome murders during the 1960s hippie era in California, has died, CBS Los Angeles has reported.</p> <p>Manson, who was serving a life term for orchestrating one of the most notorious crimes in US history, had been imprisoned for more than 45 years at California State Prison, Corcoran.</p> <p>He had been denied parole 12 times.</p> <p><span>A spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections says Manson died of natural causes on Monday (NZ time).</span></p> <p>In the 1960s, Manson, an ex-convict, assembled a group of runaways and outcasts known as the "Manson Family". </p> <p>In the summer of 1969, he directed his mostly young, female followers to murder seven people in what prosecutors said was part of a plan to incite a race war.</p> <p>Among the victims was actress Sharon Tate, the pregnant wife of filmmaker Roman Polanski. She was stabbed 16 times by cult members. She and four other people were murdered on August 9, 1969, at her hilltop home in Beverly Hills, California.</p> <p>Supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, were killed the following night at their home in the Los Feliz neighbourhood in Los Angeles.</p> <p>Manson's devout followers Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houten and Charles "Tex" Watson were also convicted. All were sentenced to death, but were later spared execution when the US Supreme Court temporarily banned the death penalty in 1972.</p> <p>Manson had gathered a group of runaways at a Los Angeles ranch, where he proclaimed himself a Messiah leading them to a life fuelled by drugs.</p> <p>Prosecutors said that he and his followers were trying to start a race war and believed it was foretold in the Beatles song Helter Skelter.</p> <p>Manson was rushed to Mercy Hospital in Bakersfield in January for what authorities described only as a serious medical problem, the <em>Los Angeles Times</em> reported.</p> <p><em>Republished with permission of <a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank"><strong><span>Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p>

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The tops apps, movies, books, music and TV shows you’ll want to know

<p>Every year tech giant, Apple, releases its list of top apps, movies, books, music, podcasts and TV show downloads. As arguably the world’s biggest brand, their picks should sort you out for what to read, watch and play for the upcoming year. So without further ado, here are Apple’s top picks for Australia: &nbsp;</p><p><strong>Apps</strong></p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">For the iPad </span></p><p>App of the Year – <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/pixelmator/id407963104?mt=12" target="_blank">Pixelmator ($37.99, for iPad only)</a>&nbsp;</strong></span>is a popular image editor with some powerful tools. While its price might be steeper than most apps you pay for, it has been compared as a low-cost alternative to Adobe Photoshop with many of the same features.</p><p>Game of the year– <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/monument-valley/id728293409?mt=8" target="_blank">Monument Valley ($4.99 for both iPad and iPhone)</a></strong></span> is a surreal exploration through fantastical architecture and impossible geometry. Your task is to guide a princess through a stunningly beautiful world.</p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>For the iPhone</strong> </span></p><p>App of the Year – <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/elevate-brain-training/id875063456?mt=8" target="_blank">Elevate Brain Training (free)</a></strong></span>&nbsp;promises to improve mental focus, memory, maths and speaking skills through fun and challenging games.</p><p>Game of the year – <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/threes!/id779157948?mt=8" target="_blank">Threes! ($2.49)</a></strong></span> is the tiny puzzle that grows on you. The game asks you to move number around a 4 x 4 game board to combine multiples of three and create the largest number before the moves run out.</p><p><strong>Movies —</strong> Have you seen these movies from 2014 yet?</p><p>Best Director — Boyhood</p><p>Best Family Movie — The LEGO Movie</p><p>Best Blockbuster — Guardians of the Galaxy</p><p>Best Australian — Charlie’s Country</p><p>TV shows — Anyone in for a binge session of your favourite TV shows?</p><p>TV Show of the Year — Fargo Season 1</p><p>Best Performance — True Detective Season 1</p><p>Best Book Adaptation — Outlander Season 1</p><p>Best Australian Show — Please Like Me Season 2</p><p><strong>Music —</strong> Stay current and impress teenage grandkids with your knowledge of their favourite artists.</p><p>Best Artist — Sia</p><p>Best Album — Chet Faker, Built on Glass</p><p>Best Song — Sam Smith, Stay With Me</p><p>Best New Artist — 5 Seconds of Summer</p><p>Books — Looking for a good reason in the coming year?</p><p>Fiction Book of the Year —<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/lost-found/id834942651?mt=11" target="_blank"> Lost &amp; Found by Brooke Davis</a></strong></span>, is the debut for the 34-year-old Australian writer who was inspired to write the novel following her mother’s sudden death. The book follows a series of events that binds three unlikely characters together on a road trip.</p><p>Nonfiction Book of the Year — <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/hack-attack/id785431409?mt=11"><strong>Hack Attack: How the Truth Caught Up with Rupert Murdoch</strong></a></span>, a book about the New International phone hacking scandal by British investigative journalist Nick Davies.</p><p><strong>Podcasts</strong></p><p>New Podcast – <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/serial/id917918570?mt=2"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Serial</strong></span></a>, a real-life murder mystery podcast from the creators of renowned and respected NPR’s This American Life</p><p>Classic Podcast – <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/dan-carlins-hardcore-history/id173001861?mt=2"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History</strong></span></a> is a very popular podcast which explores topics throughout world history. Each episode is usually centred on a specific history event.</p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="/lifestyle/technology/2015/01/listen-to-music-online-for-free/" target="_blank"><strong>Here's how to listen to music online for free.</strong></a></span></p>

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