Convicted baby killer Keli Lane is suing the New South Wales government for $2 million. She says a prison guard sexually abused her and that prison authorities knew but did nothing. Lane made her case in person at Sydney's Supreme Court while wearing a tracking device, after being granted day release. Prison guard Wayne Astill was sentenced to 23 years in jail for abusing his position and assaulting 14 female inmates, including Lane. The civil matter returns to court next month.
New Mexico has filed a civil lawsuit against Jeffrey Epstein's former lawyer, Darren Indyke, and accountant, Richard Kahn. The state seeks to block payments from Epstein's estate and recover damages for survivors of his alleged sexual abuse. The suit alleges the two men helped finance and conceal Epstein's sex trafficking operation, including at Zorro Ranch. It also names the estate and seeks to stop his private trust from spending more than $US100 million. Lawyers for the men deny they knowingly facilitated the abuse, saying they were not present when the crimes occurred.
Former child detainees in Western Australia allege sexual abuse in state custody. Victorian Coalition MPs criticise a conservative lobby group's pre-election campaign, warning it may harm their election prospects. French authorities face pressure after violent unrest left public buildings burned, shops looted, and over 2,000 people arrested. Japan plans to launch a spacecraft to collect samples from Mars' moon Phobos.
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Sunbury will mark National Survivors’ Day with a morning tea and community gathering on Wednesday 28 October. Hosted by Just4Causes, the event from 11am to 3pm at the Hume Global Learning Centre will bring survivors, advocates, support organisations and community representatives together. Six guest speakers will address attendees, including National Survivors’ Foundation chief executive Clare Leaney and Sunbury local Paul Levey, who will share his experience of surviving abuse by a paedophile priest. Organiser Tracie M Oldham said sexual abuse remains a deeply taboo subject, particularly in regional communities.
Former detainees at Canberra's Quamby and Bimberi youth detention centres allege they were sexually abused by guard Brett Dennis, who died by suicide in 2017. At least 12 former detainees between 2003 and 2013 make similar allegations. Some have lodged civil claims naming the ACT government as a defendant. Lawyers say the government has been slow to provide records. The government says it denies knowing of any risk posed by Dennis and says it is working to provide records as quickly as possible.
A second man has been charged following a police investigation into alleged sexual abuse incidents. In December 2025, police seized 120 electronic storage devices from a home in Tumbi Umbi.
A 39-year-old man has been charged with more than 150 offences linked to secretly filming the sexual abuse of three women on the Central Coast. The offences are alleged to have occurred over a seven-year period.
A woman has pleaded guilty in the ACT Supreme Court to persistently sexually abusing a young teenage boy over about five months in 2025. Jessica May Nakkan, now 31, entered the plea on Tuesday, 13 October, to a single charge. Her other charges will no longer proceed. The prosecution and defence have yet to agree on the facts of the case. Justice Jon White ordered a pre-sentence report and continued her bail. Sentencing is set to begin on 6 April 2027.
A 39-year-old man will face court on Tuesday charged with more than 100 offences after police allege he sexually abused and filmed three women over seven years. NSW Police arrested him on the Central Coast on Monday, following a domestic violence investigation in December 2025. Detectives allegedly seized 120 drives from a home in Tumbi Umbi. A further investigation allegedly uncovered 2.5 million files, containing sexual and physical abuse of the women, aged between 29 and 31. The man faces charges including recording intimate images without consent, aggravated sex assault and domestic violence.
A 39-year-old man will appear in court accused of filming the sexual and physical abuse of three women over seven years. Police first attended a home in Tumbi Umbi, on the NSW Central Coast, in December 2025 during an investigation into alleged domestic violence. Police allege a search found 120 storage devices containing covertly filmed sexual content, including 2.5 million files. The man was arrested at a property in Wellington on Monday and charged with more than 200 alleged offences, including 10 counts of rape. He is expected to appear before the Bail Division Court on Tuesday.
Former Broome bishop Christopher Saunders, 76, has been sentenced to six years and six months in prison for sexually abusing young Aboriginal men in the Kimberley between 2010 and 2019. A jury found him guilty of one count of rape and 12 counts of indecent assault involving two men, and acquitted him of three counts relating to a third complainant. Judge Martin Flynn said Saunders exploited the victims' vulnerability after supplying them with alcohol. Saunders, who was eligible for parole in 2031, is the highest-ranking Catholic jailed in Australia over historical sexual abuse.
Former Broome bishop Christopher Saunders has been sentenced to more than six years in prison for sexually assaulting two young men. A three-week trial heard the evidence. Community leader Albert Wiggan, who knew Saunders since childhood, urged people to speak out against sexual abuse. Current Broome Bishop Tim Norton said the Catholic Church has been too slow to act and needs to move faster. Saunders has not been defrocked and keeps his honorary titles and a retirement package negotiated in 2021. The church plans healing and reconciliation sessions in Broome open to the whole community.
A Sydney dentist has been jailed for at least three years after sexually abusing three young women over five years. Maged Fouad Farag, 62, used skin checks and massages to convince the women to undress and sexually touch them, a judge said. Judge John Pickering called him evil in his sentencing remarks at Sydney's Downing Centre District Court on Friday. Farag pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual touching and received a 25 per cent discount for the early plea. He will be eligible for parole in October 2029.
A woman has won a $461,046 civil case against her childhood abuser after cross-examining him in court. Judge Gregory Sirtles found Rex Thomas Osbourne sexually assaulted her in Parkes between 1986 and 1987. The woman represented herself and was awarded damages for psychiatric injuries, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. She also settled a separate claim against the NSW government for $150,000.
A former Buddhist leader, Naotunne Vijitha, has been sentenced to 13 years and two months in prison for sexually abusing six young girls. The 71-year-old was found guilty of 17 charges related to the abuse of children under 16, which occurred between 1994 and 2002 at temples in Springvale and Keysborough. Judge Pardeep Tiwana described Vijitha's actions as a betrayal of trust, noting that the victims were as young as five or six years old. Vijitha, who arrived in Australia in 1994, will be eligible for parole after serving nine years and four months.
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A Buddhist monk has been sentenced to 13 years and two months in prison for sexually abusing six young girls at his Melbourne temple. Naotunne Vijitha, 71, was the chief monk at the Dhamma Sarana temple in Springvale and Keysborough. Judge Pardeep Tiwana described his crimes as a betrayal of trust, noting the abuse occurred in a place of worship where victims should have felt safe. Vijitha must serve a minimum of nine years and four months before being eligible for parole.
Former Broome Bishop Christopher Saunders, 76, has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison for sexually abusing two young Aboriginal men. The offences occurred while he was Bishop of Broome, with assaults taking place at various locations, including his church-owned residence. Saunders, the highest-ranking Catholic cleric convicted of sex crimes, was found guilty of 13 offences in August. The victims' statements revealed profound emotional distress, with one describing the abuse as feeling like a 'toy'. Saunders will be eligible for parole in 2031.
A 34-year-old man has been jailed for at least seven years after raping a four-year-old girl in a Darwin town camp. Nathaniel Farrell lured the child away with watermelon while she played in a front yard, then assaulted her in a house. The court heard Farrell had a history of violence against women and posed a continuing danger to the community. Chief Justice Michael Grant described the attack as brazen and toward the upper end of seriousness, with the child being very young and vulnerable.
A former bishop of Broome, Christopher Alan Saunders, has been sentenced to six years and six months in prison for sexually abusing two young Aboriginal men. The 76-year-old was found guilty of 13 sex offences, including sexual penetration without consent and indecent assault. Judge Martin Flynn noted that Saunders exploited his victims' trust and caused significant trauma. Saunders will be eligible for parole after serving four and a half years. The victims were praised for their courage in coming forward.
Former Broome bishop Christopher Alan Saunders has been sentenced to six years and six months in prison for sexually abusing two Aboriginal boys. The 76-year-old was found guilty of 13 sex offences, including sexual penetration without consent and unlawful assaults between 2008 and 2019. Saunders, known as 'Brother B' to his victims, will be eligible for parole after serving four years and six months. A church investigation into his activities, which was suspended during the police probe, will now resume.
