Port Stephens Teacher Charged With Alleged Sexual Grooming

BY JESSICA ROUSE

An employee at a school in Port Stephens has been charged over alleged child grooming offences.

Investigations under Strike Force Minnamorra started in June to investigate a number of explicit messages and phone calls being exchanged between a female teacher and a male student in 2015.

Police will allege a number of phone calls and messages were sent between a 50-year-old employee and a 15-year-old male student.

Detectives also discovered a second student, aged 16, was involved in sending and receiving messages and phone calls with the same woman.

At about 3:30pm yesterday the 50-year-old was interviewed and later charged at Raymond Terrace Police Station with groom child for unlawful sexual activity, use carriage service to groom child under 16 years for sex and use carriage service to menace/harass/offend.

She was given conditional bail and will front Raymond Terrace Local Court on November 6.

The woman is no longer employed by the school.

Man headed to court over animal cruelty to a kookaburra

BY JESSICA ROUSE

A man will face court in October accused of aggravated cruelty to a kookaburra in Port Stephens in July.

It's alleged the 32-year-old man used an aluminium chair at a licensed premises in Soldiers Point to strike the kookaburra causing it to fall to the ground - he then allegedly kicked the bird and it died at the scene.

Police launched an investigation which led them to the man at a home in Anna Bay on Saturday (2nd September 2017) - he was issued a court attendance notice for the offence of aggravated cruelty to animals.

He's due to appear at Raymond Terrace Local Court on Monday 16th October.

The maximum penalty for aggravated animal cruelty for a native animal is three years imprisonment.

Image natureaustralia.org.au

UPDATE: One of Australia's most wanted men arrested in the Hunter

BY JESSICA ROUSE and IAN CROUCH

After more than two years on the run, one of the Australia's most wanted men will face Raymond Terrace Local Court today.

Police say 42-year-old Darren Rispen disappeared after being granted bail in 2014 over his involvement in a drug syndicate.

He'd assumed a new identity in that time growing a Ned Kelly-style beard and was dating a woman who had no idea of his past life. He was taken by surprise when police arrested him in Nelson Bay yesterday.


EARLIER

One of Australia's most wanted men has been arrested in Nelson Bay this morning.

The 42-year-old was arrested by police from the Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad at about 11:30am.

He was placed on Crime Stoppers most wanted list in 2016 after he was granted bail in 2014 charged with alleged drug-related offences and allegedly directing a criminal group, but failed to comply with the bail conditions. A warrant was subsequently issued for his arrest.

Following extensive inquiries since 2014, he was arrested this morning and taken to Raymond Terrace Police Station where he's expected to be charged with the arrest warrant and will most likely appear at court later today.

The man is one of 19 people on Crime Stoppers most wanted list throughout Australia which was compiled in 2016.

In response, the NSW Police Force teamed up with Crime Stoppers Australia for Operation Roam, a nationwide campaign that promotes the exchange of information, regarding wanted people, between policing jurisdictions across the country.

Man charged after police pursuit earlier this week

BY JESSICA ROUSE

A man has been charged after evading police during a pursuit and ramming a police car on Monday night.

Just after 2am on Monday night a Mazda 3 was pursued twice travelling well over the speed limit through New Lambton, Adamstown and Cooks Hill.

Police attempted to stop the vehicle on both occasions but terminated the chase after the Mazda 3 ran a red light.

A short time later at about 2:30am, another police car came across the Mazda 3 in a cul-de-sac in Adamstown. When the driver saw police, the driver reversed into the rear passenger side door of the police car.

The Mazda sped away and was later found abandoned in bushland at Raymond Terrace.

Following police investigations, a 20-year-old man was arrested in Raymond Terrace yesterday and charged with eight offences including police pursuit, drive whilst disqualified use offensive weapon to prevent lawfully detention.

He was refused bail and faces court today.

Alleged ice dealer doesn't learn his lesson

BY SARAH BARONOWSKI AND JESSICA ROUSE

An accused ice dealer who was arrested twice in three days and granted bail on both occasions has again been arrested on drug charges in the Hunter.

46-year-old, Jason Young is in custody for the third time after police allegedly seized a stash of ice, cannabis and ecstasy at his Anna Bay home on Thursday.

Prohibited weapons, drug paraphernalia and a large sum of cash was also found.

The arrest comes just 15 days after he was first charged with supplying a prohibited drug and granted bail.

He was then arrested two days later when he was found with more ice and was again released on bail, leaving police seething.

But this time round, the man has been refused bail and is due to front Raymond Terrace Local Court today.

Raymond Terrace Local Court [Image: Newcastle Herald] 

Olympic shooter found guilty

BY IAN CROUCH and JESSICA ROUSE

Olympic shooter Michael Diamond's career is all but over after being found guilty of firearms and drink driving offences.

The six time Olympian appeared in Raymond Terrace Court yesterday and was banned from holding a gun license for ten years as well as charged with other offences.

Last May, the 44-year-old returned a high range blood alcohol reading when he was spotted next to his car at Shoal Bay - he was also found to have a shotgun and loose ammunition in the car following a domestic incident.

The sentence has put paid to any future hopes of representing his country again.

Diamond has been placed on a 12 month good behaviour bond.

Image au.news.yahoo.com.au

Drugs found in car at Anna Bay

BY JESSICA ROUSE

A man is due to face Raymond Terrace Local Court today after he was found to have an amount of drugs in his car.

Police stopped the car yesterday evening at Anna Bay where they commenced a search and found a large amount of methamphetamine believed to be the drug ice.

The 45 year olf was arrested at the scene and refused bail.

He was charged with possession of an indictable quantity of drugs.