A man accused of brutally murdering an aged-care worker and dumping her body in a Windale park has raised a defence of substantial impairment, claiming he couldn’t control himself at the time of the woman’s death. There is no dispute that Graham Anthony George Sloane, now 68, was the man who took Renee Mitchell, 38, from her kitchen while she was cooking dinner for her family on November 11, 2014, Newcastle Supreme Court has heard. There is also no question that Mr Sloane took Ms Mitchell to nearby Bangalay Reserve and stabbed her four times in the chest and once in the neck. And it’s not disputed that those injuries caused her death and that Mr Sloane intended to kill Ms Mitchell. But what a jury will be asked to decide is whether Mr Sloane was suffering from an “abnormality of the mind” at the time of the killing, meaning his capacity to understand events, judge right from wrong or control himself was substantially impaired by mental illness.
February 1, 2017
A man and woman who went missing from a Blue Mountains nursing home over the weekend have both been found safe and well. Juliette Broome, 70, left the Leura home on Saturday, believed to be heading to Sydney’s inner city suburbs. A day later 55-year-old Michael Owen attended a church service on Sunday morning in Leura before he too went missing. Mr Owen returned to the nursing home at some point before 11pm on Monday. But Ms Broome was only found by a community member near a caravan park in Blackheath about 10.30am on Tuesday. They took her back to Leura, with police meeting her at the train station and then escorting her to the aged care home.
February 1, 2017
An application by Health Services Union (s.240 – Application to deal with a bargaining dispute) will be heard by Commissioner Cribb in the Fair Work Commission 11 Exhibition Street Melbourne at 4.30pm today.
February 1, 2017
Eldercare Inc is to face a s.394 (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) instigated by an ex-staffer (Quiah).
February 1, 2017
The Salvation Army is alleged via a s.394 (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) to have illegally sidelined a staff member (Nakasone).
February 1, 2017
Australian Clinical Labs is facing a s.394 (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) instigated by Lumagbas.
February 1, 2017
Government housing tenants are running riot and threatening nearby residents with shovels and molotov cocktails, a Grovedale man claims. Allan, who’s surname has been withheld to protect his safety, said he’s been forced to live with the chaos for seven years despite repeated calls to for help to the Department of Health and Human Services and police seemingly falling on deaf ears.
February 1, 2017
An Aboriginal interpreter has refused to take part in a court hearing for the man accused of abducting and murdering outback nurse Gayle Woodford. Dudley David Davey was scheduled to enter a plea today over Ms Woodford’s murder and the theft of an ambulance she used at Fregon in the APY Lands in March last year. However, the matter had to be adjourned after the court heard the Director of Public Prosecutions had laid fresh information which included a new charge relating to Ms Woodford’s death.
