Sexual assault complainants could face less distressing questioning in court under proposed changes. Wollongong District Court is one of three NSW courts chosen to trial new rules on how long questioning can last and what topics can be covered. The trial would run from 2027 to 2030 if passed by NSW Parliament. The Illawarra Women's Trauma Recovery Centre has welcomed the reforms, backed by $4.8 million in government funding. Attorney General Michael Daley said the changes would minimise trauma for complainants.
Sisituutuumata Fulivai, 47, was found guilty of 20 charges at the ACT Supreme Court, including sexual intercourse without consent and unlawful confinement. His victim told the court he had held her captive for two days at his Lyneham home in June 2024. She escaped naked and was found by police. Prosecutors said he posed a significant risk to women and called for a significant prison term. His barrister argued rehabilitation should still be considered. Justice Belinda Baker reserved her decision and will sentence Fulivai, who remains in custody, at a later date.
Codie Bell, who alleges she was sexually assaulted at university in 2015, says restorative justice can offer victim-survivors a path to repair beyond prison. She never reported the alleged assault, and she says she did not want to pursue a court case. Restorative justice in the ACT is available only after a guilty plea and only if the victim-survivor wants it. Bell says it can be a powerful way to change behaviour. She believes the option should be opened up further, and she says the ACT Government has committed to a review of sentencing laws.
AU Now app
Your suburb’s news, alerts and Shorts — in one app
Alerts, Shorts and your saved stories — free on Google Play.
A third suspect, aged 27, has been detained in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl in Parramatta in 2015. Strike Force Dwarda investigators arrested the man at a Granville residence yesterday morning. He faces charges of aggravated sexual assault and appeared in court today. Two other 27-year-old men, previously charged in the case, remain before the courts. The arrests followed a lengthy investigation into the incident at a Parramatta unit.
Comedian Russell Brand is on trial at Southwark Crown Court in London, facing rape and sexual assault charges. He denies the allegations. A woman known as Ms E told the court that Brand raped her at his Hampstead home after they met at a 2009 show. She said the sex began consensually but became non-consensual. Brand's barrister challenged her account and argued she had consented. The defence is expected to open its case next week.
A now-17-year-old boy has received a partially suspended six-and-a-half-year sentence for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in Canberra's centre and attacking a 60-year-old woman on a bushwalk. Justice Louise Taylor said he brutally violated both victims. The court heard he had a neurological development disorder, but she found it did not significantly reduce his moral culpability. She ruled prison was the only option. The sentence is backdated to 26 May 2025 and suspended after two years, followed by a good behaviour order until November 2031.
A teenage boy who sexually assaulted a jogger in Canberra's north has been jailed for more than six years. The attack happened in Bonner in May last year, when the boy was 15. He strangled the 60-year-old woman, struck her head and assaulted her before she pushed him off. He had been on bail for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl. He pleaded guilty to multiple charges. Justice Louise Taylor said the offending was brazen and that the victims had suffered irrevocable harm.
Former out-of-home care manager Damian Ellis Spohr has pleaded not guilty to 30 charges relating to five women he previously worked with. The charges include alleged sexual offences and choking between 2020 and 2025 at several New South Wales locations. Spohr denies all charges. Speaking at Newcastle District Court, Crown prosecutor Adele Banks described the case as extensive, citing a large body of text message evidence. The judge adjourned the matter to November 5 to decide whether the trial will be held in Newcastle or moved to Sydney.
A woman has told a London jury that comedian Russell Brand raped her at his home in 2009 and treated her like an animal. Brand, 51, faces three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault involving six women. He has denied all the charges. The woman, who was 21 at the time, said she went to his home expecting consensual sex and that it turned non-consensual. Under cross-examination, she said she did not consent and that she did not report the alleged assault to police at the time. The trial continues.
A woman told police that comedian Russell Brand anally raped her after she had gone to his home for sex, and that she had asked him to stop. The interview was played to a London court on Tuesday, where Brand is on trial. He faces charges including rape and sexual assault involving six women between 1999 and 2009. Brand, who is 51, denies the allegations. Another complainant told the court that Brand molested her at a radio station, and a sixth woman alleged he assaulted her while she worked at a Channel 4 studio. The trial continues on Wednesday.
A fourth woman has told a London court that Russell Brand sexually assaulted her at the radio station where she worked, in front of his entourage. She told the jury Brand kissed her and touched her without consent, and that the men with him did nothing. Brand, 51, has pleaded not guilty to seven charges covering six women between 1999 and 2009. Evidence from a Channel 4 employee and a sixth woman was also heard, and the trial continues.
A woman has told a London court that Russell Brand pinned her against a wall and kissed her at a radio station in the mid-2000s. The woman, who gave evidence at Southwark Crown Court, said Brand laughed afterwards and that others present did not intervene. Brand, 51, denies three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault and one allegation of indecent assault. He says the encounters were consensual. The trial continues.
Mary Anne Franks, a law professor who leads the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, says online attempts to identify a woman who accused seven Cornell fraternity members of sexual assault are common. Franks argues that sexual abuse silences victims and should be treated as a free speech issue. She says people who publicly name accusers face harassment, and she criticises the use of free speech arguments to excuse such conduct. Her comments come as the woman's lawsuit describes an explicit image shared on Snapchat before the alleged assault. The lawsuit's claims remain unproven.
A mother has told a Sydney court she was comfortable with her 17-year-old son spending a weekend with broadcaster Alan Jones before he allegedly indecently assaulted the teenager. The boy had been invited to Jones's property after years of correspondence, and the mother said Jones had supported the family with money and contacts. She said her son later showed signs of distress and gave her a note. Jones denies the charges against him, which include one count of indecent assault involving the teenager and 20 charges involving four other men.
A mother has told a trial she trusted broadcaster Alan Jones as a mentor to her son, who was 17 at the time. Mr Jones, 85, has pleaded not guilty to 21 counts of indecent assault and sexual touching against five males between 2003 and 2020. One complainant alleges the radio host kissed him and touched his buttocks during a visit to Mr Jones's farm in the Southern Highlands. The mother broke down in the witness box while reading her son's letter, which said something had happened at the farm.
AU Now app
Your suburb’s news, alerts and Shorts — in one app
Alerts, Shorts and your saved stories — free on Google Play.
A man charged over the alleged sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl has been refused bail at Ipswich Magistrates Court. Police allege Ethan Bell, 41, assaulted the girl in bushland at Blackstone, near Ipswich, and drove off before officers arrived. Bell was found at a Bundamba home two days later and charged with indecent treatment of a child under 16 and supplying dangerous drugs to a minor. Magistrate Grace Kalhert said she could not be satisfied that any bail condition would reduce the risk of reoffending. Bell has been remanded in custody and will reappear in court tomorrow.
A woman has told a London court that actor and comedian Russell Brand grabbed her breasts and then dragged her into a toilet at a bar, where she alleges he orally raped her. Brand, who is on trial for three counts of rape and other offences against six women between 1999 and 2009, denies the allegations. The woman said the assault happened in 2004, shortly after she met him at a party, and told police she froze. Brand's lawyer, Ian Winter, said the alleged incident did not happen. The trial is expected to last around six weeks.
A woman has told a London court that actor and comedian Russell Brand grabbed her breasts and then dragged her into a bar toilet, where she alleges he raped her. Brand, 51, is on trial at Southwark Crown Court facing charges of rape, sexual assault and indecent assault against six women between 1999 and 2009. He denies the allegations. The woman, who worked for MTV, told police the assault happened less than a minute after they met at a London bar in 2004. Brand's lawyer said the alleged incident was physically impossible and did not happen.
A woman has told a London court that former comedian Russell Brand sexually assaulted her during a 2004 birthday party at a Soho bar. In a recorded police interview played at Southwark Crown Court, she said Brand grabbed her breasts and then forced her into a toilet cubicle. Brand, now 51, is on trial accused of three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. He denies all charges and says the sexual encounters were consensual. The trial continues.
Glenn Gary Cameron, dubbed the night stalker, broke down in tears while appearing before the Sydney District Court via audiovisual link on Monday. He previously pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting eight women around Moore Park and the inner west between 1991 and 1993. Cameron was arrested at Sydney International Airport in February 2024 after forensic technology advances. One victim told the court the attack had permanently changed her life. Cameron will return to court to learn his sentence on December 7.
