BREAKING! 21-year-old Lily Maree Ridgeway Refused Bail Over Alleged Stabbing Murder in Raymond Terrace

BY ISABEL EVERETT

21-year-old Lily Maree Ridgeway has been refused bail in Port Macquarie Local Court on Tuesday over the alleged stabbing murder of Jason Adams, who was found in Raymond Terrace with a fatal stab wound to his torso on Saturday morning.

The 27-year-old man was found at the corner of Payton and Watt Streets, it's believed he'd been living in a nearby house after recently being released from gaol on parole.

Police arrested the Taree woman at a North Haven motel south of Port Macquarie early on Monday morning.

Police say the alleged victim, Mr Adams and Ms Ridgeway were not in a relationship but were known to each other.

The matter has been referred to Newcastle Local Court for the 29th of April, where Ms Ridgeway will appear via video link for an update on the brief of evidence in the case.

                                   Alleged Offender, Lily Maree Ridgeway      Photo: Facebook 

BREAKING! Hamilton South Man Arrested Over Alleged Break and Enter of Jesmond Stores

BY ISABEL EVERETT

A 29-year-old Hamilton South man is facing court after being arrested in Waratah on Tuesday morning, over a number of alleged break and enter offences from Jesmond stores in January.

When arrested by officers this morning he was in possession of stolen items from a vehicle. 

He was taken to Waratah Police Station and charged with two counts of aggravated break and enter, goods in custody, driving whilst disqualified and malicious damage. 

The man who is on parole was refused bail to face Newcastle Local Court on Tuesday the 3rd of March. 

New Survey Aims to Find Out How Much Time Hunter Residents Spend in GP Waiting Rooms

BY ISABEL EVERETT 

Hunter residents are being urged to fill out a survey released today, the next time they find themselves in a GP waiting room, to find out where the longest wait times are being experienced. 

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia has launched the National Waiting Time Survey, which will ask patients how long it took them to get an appointment, how long they sat in the waiting room, which suburb their appointment was in and the healthcare provider.  

“We know Australian families find it hard to get in to see their GP, and when they finally get an appointment, they almost always get stuck in the waiting room,” said the National President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, George Tambassis.

"We know our health system is already under pressure and isn’t adapting to our aging and growing population," he said. 

The National Waiting Time Survey will quantify where patients are spending the longest time sitting in a waiting room, and where patients have the shortest wait to see a doctor.

"We want to understand the full extent of, and geography of the bottlenecks so we can address them at the source,” Mr Tambassias said.

According to the ABS, almost 1 in 5 people in Emergency Departments could have been treated by a GP.

Figures also show 20 percent, or 33.3 million of Australia’s 158.3 million GP visits could be diverted to a pharmacy for treatment instead.

“We already know Australians are waiting too long to be seen by a GP. When patients can’t get an appointment, they are left with the choice to either go without an appointment and ignore their ailment, diagnose themselves on the internet or present to an ED," Mr Tambassis said. 

"These are all bad outcomes for patients and our health system."

“Next time patients are sitting in a GP’s waiting room they need to fill out the survey to help us understand where the bottlenecks are so we can fix the system,” said Mr Tambassis.

The National Waiting Time Survey can be found at the fixthesystem.com.au/survey website. 

BREAKING! Lake Macquarie Police Investigate Fatal Crash at Mandalong

BY IAN CROUCH

A report is being prepared for the Coroner after a fatal crash at Mandalong on Monday night.

Emergency services were called to Mandalong Road just after 6.15pm where a southbound motorcycle had left the road and crashed into trees.

The male rider was treated by passers-by and paramedics but sadly died at the scene.

The victim is yet to be formally identified but is believed to be a 36-year-old man.

Woman Charged With Murder Over Raymond Terrace Death

BY IAN CROUCH

A woman has been charged with murder over the alleged stabbing death of a man at Raymond Terrace at the weekend.

27-year-old Jason Adams from Medowie was found at the corner of Payton and Watt Streets early Saturday with a stab wound to his torso - he died at the scene.

It's believed he'd been living in a nearby house after recently being released from gaol on parole.

Police arrested a 21-year-old woman at a North Haven motel south of Port Macquarie early Monday morning.

The Taree woman was last night charged with murder and is expected to front Port Macquarie Local Court today (Tuesday 3 March 2020).

Police say the alleged victim and offender were not in a relationship but were known to each other.

Investigations are continuing and it's likely further arrests will be made.

Alleged murder victim Jason Adams Picture: Facebook

 

BREAKING! Unlicensed Driver in the Hunter in Court Over 29 Traffic Offences

BY ISABEL EVERETT

An unlicensed driver will face court today charged with 29 offences, following a police pursuit in the Hunter on Sunday. 

The 27-year-old woman was arrested after officers patrolling on the New England Highway at Blandford, about 60km north of Muswellbrook, attempted to stop her Great Wall X240 utility vehicle, at around 6pm.

When the utility failed to stop, a police pursuit was initiated but was terminated a short time later due to safety concerns.

The vehicle was later located parked in a car park in Little Street at Murrurundi, with the woman arrested nearby.

She allegedly refused to undergo a roadside breath test and was taken to Muswellbrook Police Station.

The woman was charged with 29 offences, including:

• four counts of dishonestly obtain property by deception,
• five counts of use unregistrable motor vehicle on road,
• five counts of use uninsured motor vehicle,
• five counts of licence expired 2 years or more before,
• two counts of use vehicle displaying misleading number plate,
• two counts of use vehicle displaying altered number plate,
• police pursuit – not stop – drive dangerously,
• drive recklessly/furiously or speed/manner dangerous,
• motor vehicle exceed speed > 30 km/h,
• overtake vehicle when unsafe,
• refuse or fail to submit to breath test, and
• goods in personal custody suspected of being stolen.

Police will allege the woman had altered her number plates by attaching mailbox stickers, purchased from a hardware store.

The Broken Hill woman was refused bail to appear at Muswellbrook Local Court on Monday the 2nd of March.

Investigations are continuing.

Detectives Investigate Stabbing Murder At Raymond Terrace

BY IAN CROUCH

Homicide detectives are still piecing together the circumstances leading to the stabbing murder of a man at Raymond Terrace.

27-year-old Jason Adams was found slumped in the middle of the road at the intersection of Watt and Payton Streets early Saturday morning.

He died at the scene from stab wounds despite the frantic efforts of paramedics.

Neighbours have described hearing a number of volatile arguments coming from a nearby home in the lead-up to the man's death.

Police are yet to make any arrests.