Michaela Whitbourn
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Legal affairs reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald. Connoisseur of fine puns. She/her mwhitbourn@smh.com.au
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Articles by Michaela Whitbourn
‘That's so savage': Accused killer allegedly broke into TV presenter's home hours after rejection
Michaela Whitbourn Accused double murderer Beau Lamarre-Condon allegedly broke into Jesse Baird's home and stole his mobile phone hours after the then TV presenter rebuffed his suggestion of a catchup, a court has heard. Lamarre-Condon, 31, is standing trial on two counts of murder over the shooting deaths of Jesse Baird, 26, a former Network Ten producer and presenter, and Luke Davies, 29, a Qantas flight attendant, in February 2024.
Teen, 13, charged as police investigate alleged sex offences on walking trails
Sarah McPhee, Michaela Whitbourn Police have charged a teenager over multiple sexual offences allegedly committed against women on walking trails in Sydney's northern beaches. “Following a public appeal, a 13-year-old boy was arrested after attending Mona Vale police station about 7.30pm,” NSW Police said in a statement on Saturday. He was charged overnight with three counts of behaving in an offensive manner near a public place and eight counts of sexually touching another person without consent.
Teen, 13, arrested as police investigate alleged sex offences on walking trails
Sarah McPhee, Michaela Whitbourn Police have arrested a teenager as investigations continue into multiple sexual offences allegedly committed against women on walking trails in Sydney's Northern Beaches. “Following a public appeal, a 13-year-old boy was arrested after attending Mona Vale Police Station about 7.30pm,” NSW Police said in a statement on Saturday.
Yacht gutted by fierce blaze off Double Bay
Michaela Whitbourn A yacht has burst into flames off Sydney's eastern suburbs, sending clouds of black smoke billowing across the harbour and prompting a co-ordinated emergency response. The Port Authority of NSW said in a statement that it had responded on Saturday to “a fire onboard a recreational vessel moored at Double Bay”.
Lamarre-Condon's celebrity-chasing friend tells trial about concerning phone request
Michaela Whitbourn Beau Lamarre-Condon asked a friend he met through their shared interest in celebrity-chasing to dispose of a mobile phone after he allegedly murdered Sydney couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, a court has heard. Lamarre-Condon, 31, is standing trial in the NSW Supreme Court on two counts of murder over the shooting deaths of Baird, 26, a former TV presenter, and Davies, 29, a Qantas flight attendant, on February 19, 2024.
Lamarre-Condon captured on CCTV after alleged double murder
Michaela Whitbourn Beau Lamarre-Condon was captured on CCTV returning to the alleged crime scene hours after he is accused of murdering former Sydney couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, a court has heard. The footage was released by the NSW Supreme Court after it was played in the former police officer's trial over the shooting deaths of Baird, 26, a former TV presenter, and Qantas flight attendant Luke Davies, 29.
CCTV from date, an alleged break-in: Exhibits in ex-cop's murder trial
Michaela Whitbourn, Megan Gorrey Accused double-murderer Beau Lamarre-Condon allegedly used his position as a NSW Police officer to obtain CCTV footage of ex-partner Jesse Baird on a date the year before he killed him, a Sydney court has heard. Lamarre-Condon, 31, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder over the shooting deaths of Baird, 26, and Luke Davies, 29, in Paddington on February 19, 2024.
CCTV and the $85 surfboard cover: Video played in ex-cop's murder trial
Michaela Whitbourn, Megan Gorrey Accused double-murderer Beau Lamarre-Condon allegedly asked a friend if he would fit inside a surfboard bag as he planned the murder of a former romantic partner, a Sydney court has heard. Lamarre-Condon, 31, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder over the shooting deaths of Jesse Baird, 26, his former casual romantic partner, and Luke Davies, 29, in Paddington on February 19, 2024.
Alleged double murderer Lamarre-Condon acted in self-defence, court told
Michaela Whitbourn, Perry Duffin, Megan Gorrey A former police officer accused of murdering Sydney couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies acted in self-defence after entering Baird's home in disguise, his defence barrister has told a court. Beau Lamarre-Condon, 31, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder over the shooting deaths of Baird, 26, his former casual romantic partner, and Davies, 29, in Paddington on February 19, 2024.
‘Almost proudly' anti-Alan Jones: Peter FitzSimons gives evidence in Sydney court
Michaela Whitbourn, Clare Sibthorpe Warning: Graphic content Author and journalist Peter FitzSimons told a court he is “almost proudly” anti-Alan Jones as he gave evidence in the former 2GB heavyweight's indecent assault and sexual touching trial in Sydney. FitzSimons, a columnist at The Sydney Morning Herald , testified in the Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday that he had a phone call in 2019 with a then-unidentified man who is now a central complainant in Jones' criminal trial.
Peter FitzSimons gives evidence in Sydney court
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Accuser looked shocked at lunch when Jones put hand under table, court told
Clare Sibthorpe, Michaela Whitbourn Warning: Graphic content A man who has accused Alan Jones of touching him inappropriately under the table at a lunch in Sydney looked distraught and in shock at the event, a guest at the lunch has told a court. Jones, 85, has pleaded not guilty to 20 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching relating to six male complainants between 2003 and 2020. He is standing trial in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court.
The Sydney school where children prepare to survive a terrorist attack
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Cyclone Alfred update: Brisbane, NSW flooding; power outages widespread; Northern Rivers, Northern Tablelands, Mid North Coast North West Slopes, Plains, Wide Bay-Burnett, Darling Downs severe weather warnings issued
Pinned post from Here’s where we are as ex-tropical cyclone Alfred continues to bring wind, rain and flooding to South East Queensland and northern NSW this morning. Parts of Brisbane and the Gold Coast experienced intense and heavy rain early on Monday, leading to flash flooding and shelter-in-place emergency warnings for many residents in these areas.
‘Something silly’ like OnlyFans: Lehrmann out of options
Australian News 2 hours ago Sis, Are We Dating The Same Guy?
Brisbane News Live: Qld public transport trips to cost 50c; Unreliable Brisbane CBD lift; Origin surprises
Pinned post from Police are investigating a bizarre crime spree after 17 vehicles were damaged in Annerley, in Brisbane’s inner-south overnight. Vehicles around Victoria Terrace, Prince Street and Duke Street were found with significant damage, including smashed windows. Police could not shed more light on the vandalism this morning other than to say that investigations are continuing.
McDonald’s Australia loses legal bun fight with Hungry Jack’s
McDonald’s Australia has lost a whopper of a court battle against Hungry Jack’s over its Big Jack trademark but won a related misleading and deceptive conduct claim against the chain, after a costly three-year bun fight. McDonald’s Asia Pacific alleged in a Federal Court case filed in August 2020 that Hungry Jack’s infringed its Big Mac trademark by promoting a limited-edition burger in Australia under the “substantially identical … or deceptively similar” Big Jack trademark.
Stokes forced to reveal communications with Roberts-Smith’s lawyers
Ben Roberts-Smith’s key supporters at Seven West Media have been forced to hand over thousands of documents showing their involvement in the former soldier’s failed defamation case as the Nine-owned newspapers at the centre of his lawsuit pursue his wealthy backers for legal costs.
ABC soldiers on in defamation fight with ex-commando
The ABC’s Media Watch host Paul Barry didn’t pull any punches. It was “hard to disagree” that former special forces soldier Heston Russell’s defamation fight with the broadcaster over reports suggesting he was involved in killing an Afghan prisoner was “becoming extremely damaging for the ABC and unbelievably expensive”, Barry said on Monday.
Five key reasons why Berejiklian thought the ICAC should back off
Rarely has a corruption finding in NSW led to an upswell of bipartisan support for the target of the investigation, but so it was in the case of former premier Gladys Berejiklian. The former Liberal leader had been in a relationship with “a bum”, was federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s blunt assessment of corrupt former Wagga Wagga Liberal MP Daryl Maguire.
Why Gladys Berejiklian won’t face criminal charges
Former NSW treasurer Matt Kean appeared to betray some confusion about the role of the state’s corruption watchdog on Thursday when he tweeted disparagingly that it had taken “two years” for it “to tell us that Gladys Berejiklian has not broken the law”. The implication seemed to be that the Independent Commission Against Corruption had no work to do unless it ultimately recommended the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions consider criminal charges against targets of its investigation.
Teenager says Latrell exchange wasn’t racially motivated mogaznewsen
A teenage boy is expected to dispute allegations that an exchange with the Rabbitohs star on Friday night was racially motivated, with Mitchell keen ...
Australia news LIVE: Historic censure motion passed against Scott Morrison; Dutton questions Labor over Voice to parliament
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Before question time concluded, Government Services Minister Bill Shorten accused Liberal frontbencher Stuart Robert of pressuring public servants about allegations over his friendship with the joint heads of a consulting firm. This masthead reported today that Synergy 360 claimed in leaked internal documents that Robert attended meetings to discuss potentially lucrative government projects after becoming a minister.
By Caitlin Fitzsimmons Verified, Michaela Whitbourn Verified, Matt Dennien Verified, Angus Thompson Verified
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Peter Dutton, political defamation and the rise of social media lawsuits
Peter Dutton, political defamation and the rise of social media lawsuits We’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later. Skip to sections navigationSkip to contentSkip to footer Australian politicians have never been particularly shy about suing for defamation, and the rise of social media has led to an explosion in the number of potentially defamatory comments published each day about political leaders.
Mass vaccination hub to open as restrictions in Greater Sydney stay
Thousands of healthcare workers have booked in for a COVID-19 jab at NSW's mass vaccination hub as social restrictions across Sydney are extended, including mandatory masks on public transport. © Getty The government will open its new mass vaccination hub at 8am on Monday. It will operate six days a week with the capacity to administer up to 30,000 vaccines a week.
COVID-19 restrictions in Sydney extended in bid to avoid ‘superspreading event'
Social restrictions imposed in Greater Sydney in the wake of two locally acquired cases of COVID-19 will be extended by a week as NSW adopts a cautious approach to stamping out further new cases. © (Photo by Brook Mitchell/Getty Images) A nurse collects COVID-19 test samples at the Bondi drive-through testing clinic on May 05, 2021 in Sydney, Australia.
Christian Porter wants ABC's ‘entire defence' thrown out, court told
Christian Porter has asked the Federal Court to throw out the bulk of the ABC's defence to his defamation claim, the broadcaster's barrister said as the parties locked horns in court. © AAP The ABC's hotly-anticipated defence to his defamation claim was filed in the Federal Court on Tuesday night, but has yet to be released publicly. The ABC's hotly-anticipated defence to Mr Porter's defamation claim was filed in the Federal Court on Tuesday night but has yet to be released publicly.
Ben Roberts-Smith threatens to sue ex-wife if she speaks to media's lawyers
© AAP Ben Roberts-Smith threatens to sue ex-wife if she speaks to media's lawyers Ben Roberts-Smith told his former wife he would sue her and seek to overturn a property settlement if she disclosed to lawyers acting against him in a defamation case any information she had agreed to keep confidential, the Federal Court has heard.
John Sidoti denies ‘exploding, making threats' in tense day at ICAC
Drummoyne MP John Sidoti has denied threatening a local councillor in a bid to pressure her to support planning decisions to benefit his family's property interests in Five Dock, telling a corruption inquiry he was a "gentle" and "considerate" person.
Google misled customers about use of location data, court rules
Google misled some consumers about the digital giant's collection and use of their location data, the Federal Court has ruled in a decision touted as a world-first by the consumer watchdog.
Former solicitor-general to defend ABC in fight with Christian Porter
© AAP Former Commonwealth solicitor-general Justin Gleeson, SC, will head the legal team defending the ABC against a Federal Court defamation suit filed against it by Attorney-General Christian Porter, in a major coup for the broadcaster.
Mercury drops as heavy rain hits Sydney, with more wet weather ahead
© Associated Press A rain band crossing NSW was expected to produce heavy falls in the morning in Sydney before easing in the late afternoon. Heavy rain and gloomy skies greeted Sydneysiders on Sunday morning, bringing a welcome drop in temperatures - and the prospect of more showers in the days ahead. A rain band crossing NSW was expected to produce heavy falls in the morning in Sydney before easing in the late afternoon.
Attorney-General criticised over ‘apartheid' comments on Indigenous court
© AAP Mr Speakman told a budget estimates hearing last week that "you have to be careful that people do not think there is a kind of apartheid justice system where people who go through this stream are getting preferential treatment". NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman has claimed a specialist Indigenous court sitting inside the District Court might be viewed in some quarters as a form of "apartheid", in comments criticised by prominent backers of the plan.
Peter Dutton sues refugee advocate over ‘rape apologist' tweet
Defence Minister Peter Dutton has filed Federal Court defamation proceedings against a refugee advocate over a tweet labelling him a "rape apologist", making good on his threat to take legal action over social media posts.
Jurors urged to ‘put emotion aside' in police officer trial over crash
© AAP A police officer whose highway patrol vehicle crashed into a car driven by a Sydney grandmother had a "faulty memory" of the collision and his evidence about activating flashing lights before the impact should be rejected, the Crown has submitted in his trial. Senior Constable Harry Thomas Little is standing trial in the NSW District Court on a charge of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm over the incident at Cronulla in Sydney's south on September 5, 2018.
Wife takes court action after discovering husband already married
© Angela Wylie Family Court A woman who discovered her husband was already married after their 2018 nuptials in Queensland has successfully applied to the Family Court for a declaration that their marriage was void. The court heard the woman became suspicious her husband had not divorced his first wife, as he had assured her before their relationship began, after he returned from a five-week overseas trip.
Blake Davis found guilty of manslaughter over samurai sword killing
© AAP Blake Davis and Hannah Quinn leave the NSW Supreme Court A Sydney man who killed a home intruder with a samurai sword has been found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. A NSW Supreme Court jury started their deliberations at about 1.30 pm on Monday before delivering the verdicts at about 3.20 pm on Tuesday. Blake Davis, 31, stood trial for the murder of home invader Jett McKee on August 10, 2018, following a botched robbery attempt by Mr McKee.
Blake Davis in 'terrible state mentally' after samurai sword killing, court told
© AAP Blake Davis and Hannah Quinn leave the NSW Supreme Court in Darlinghurst The mother of a Sydney man accused of murdering a home intruder with a samurai sword has told the NSW Supreme Court "the burden of taking someone's life" weighed heavily on him and she feared he would take his own life before the trial.
Medical examination on cards in lawyer Chris Murphy's defamation case
© AAP Chris Murphy High-profile Sydney criminal lawyer Chris Murphy may be required to submit to a medical examination as he sues The Daily Telegraph for defamation over a column he alleges portrays him as "so ravaged by age" he is unfit to practise. Mr Murphy filed Federal Court proceedings last month over the October 10 column, in which Telegraph columnist Annette Sharp reported chiefly on the breakdown of his 25-year marriage to artist Agnes Bruck.
'Don't play games': Judge issues warning in ex-Seven star's lawsuit
© AAP Simon Reeve The judge presiding over former Seven Network presenter Simon Reeve's lawsuit against the broadcaster has warned both sides not to "play games" in court, as the network returns fire with its own claim against the ex-TV host. Reeve filed Federal Court proceedings against Seven in September, alleging the network breached the Fair Work Act including by failing to pay him annual leave and redundancy pay.
'Weak powers' to expose federal MPs: former judge blasts corruption watchdog plan
© AAP Former judge NSW Court of Appeal Anthony Whealy A former top NSW judge who presided over a corruption inquiry that led to the jailing of Eddie Obeid says the Morrison government's proposed anti-corruption commission has "weak" powers to expose federal politicians and is an expensive exercise in doing very little.
Johnson & Johnson to pay $2.6 million for faulty pelvic mesh implants
Johnson & Johnson to pay $2.6 million for faulty pelvic mesh implants Skip to sections navigationSkip to contentSkip to footer The Federal Court has ordered pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson and two affiliated companies to pay $2.6 million in damages to three women at the centre of a landmark class action on faulty pelvic mesh implants.
Court scraps $238,000 payout to childcare worker over defamatory email
The state's highest court has overturned a District Court decision awarding a childcare worker almost $238,000 for a defamatory email sent to 35 people and pointed to a potential need to clarify the law to rein-in payouts in future cases.
Court scraps $238,000 payout to childcare worker over defamatory email
The state's highest court has overturned a District Court decision awarding a childcare worker almost $238,000 for a defamatory email sent to 35 people and pointed to a potential need to clarify the law to rein in payouts in future cases.
Woman assaulted, held captive by her husband awarded $243,000 damages
A HUNTER woman who was assaulted and held captive by her husband in a terrifying four-hour ordeal has been awarded more than $243,000 in damages, including for psychiatric counselling and medication. Naomi, not her real name, was 40 years old and had been with her then-husband for 20 years when he grabbed her by the throat as she was preparing dinner on July 4, 2015, and attacked her with a knife.
Meet Australia's next royal commissioner
Kenneth Hayne is not known to dwell on a point, his colleagues say. It's is a good thing, too, because he doesn't have much time. The man charged withthe royal commission into banking and financial services - the largest investigation in the history of Australia's biggest industry - has just 12 months to get to the bottom of a sector that has spent the last decade defending allegations of unconscionable conduct.
Meet Australia's next royal commissioner
Kenneth Hayne is not known to dwell on a point, his colleagues say. It's is a good thing, too, because he doesn't have much time. The man charged withthe royal commission into banking and financial services - the largest investigation in the history of Australia's biggest industry - has just 12 months to get to the bottom of a sector that has spent the last decade defending allegations of unconscionable conduct.
'Anti-white racism': Latham claims lawsuit trying to 'break' him
Junkee's Osman Faruqi, a former Greens staffer and candidate, filed documents in the Federal Court in October seeking damages and legal costs from Latham for accusing him of encouraging terrorism. The comments were made on Latham's YouTube program, Mark Latham's Outsiders, which was set up by the former ALP leader after he was sacked by Sky News in March.
'Anti-white racism': Latham claims lawsuit trying to 'break' him
Junkee's Osman Faruqi, a former Greens staffer and candidate, filed documents in the Federal Court in October seeking damages and legal costs from Latham for accusing him of encouraging terrorism. The comments were made on Latham's YouTube program, Mark Latham's Outsiders, which was set up by the former ALP leader after he was sacked by Sky News in March.
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