Follow our live coverage here.
Follow our live coverage here.
Back to the ongoing trial into the death of Indigenous teenager Cassius Turvey, who died in 2022 after allegedly being bashed with the handle of a shopping trolley east of Perth.
The jury overseeing the Supreme Court trial has just returned from a visit to inspect the area where the alleged attack took place in the suburb of Middle Swan.
The group was taken by bus to where the alleged altercation between Cassius and his friends began with his accused killers, Jack Brearley, Aleesha Gilmore, Brodie Palmer and Mitchell Forth on October 13, two years ago.
They were then shown different vantage points that have been repeatedly discussed throughout the trial, before walking across a grassy area to bushland where the alleged assault took place.
Cassius arrived at Patterson Drive on a bus with a large group of people after school, who were there to allegedly watch a fight, before the accused confronted them about rumours they were there to “run through” his house and damage property.
Brearley has admitted he confronted the group but denies he delivered fatal blows to the 15-year-old’s head, causing his death 10 days later.
He has instead pointed the finger at co-accused Palmer, who in turn denies being responsible.
Brearley also claims Cassius used a knife to slash his leg three or four times during a scuffle after he chased him towards a creek bed.
In court this week, a police interview was shown to the jury the day after the alleged assault, in which Brearley admitted punching and stepping on the boy’s head but claimed “no trolley poles were involved”.
Confronting images of Cassius’s head wounds were shown to the jury on Wednesday causing his mum, Mechelle Turvey, to leave the courtroom in tears.
The trial will resume today after the jury’s site visit, to hear more evidence from detectives who investigated the incident.
Disquiet is growing over South32’s approval to clear 39 square kilometres of jarrah forest near Boddington – and the campaign against the miner has just received some serious star backing.
Leonardo DiCaprio – yes, he of Titanic, The Wolf of Wall Street and The Great Gatsby fame – posted to his 60.5 million Instagram followers earlier this week to rally against the decision.
“While native forest logging was banned in Western Australia in 2024, clearance of native forests for mining is still allowed due to separate government policies that prioritize mining development over environmental protection,” DiCaprio wrote, alongside a series of pictures and videos from the region including a shot of two amorous red-tail black cockatoos.
As of time of publishing, the post had attracted more than 55,800 likes, drawing global attention to the mining activities across WA’s south-west.
To politics news now, and Labor cabinet minister Simone McGurk looks likely to hold on to her seat of Fremantle, but only by the slimmest of margins.
Counting continues over at the WA Electoral Commission, with the latest putting independent Kate Hulett at 10,870 votes to McGurk’s 11,212 votes on a two-candidate preferred basis.
So far, about 75 per cent of the votes have been counted.
McGurk told Nine’s Today she hoped the WAEC was prioritising the Fremantle count, not just for her peace of mind, but also so Premier Roger Cook can get on with swearing in his new cabinet, which he is holding off on until the port city electorate is decided.
Meanwhile, Climate 200 founder Simon Holmes a Court – who tipped tens of thousands of dollars into Hulett’s campaign – has floated the possibility of the Fremantle results being disputed.
Holmes a Court told the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday the race was “neck and neck”.
“There’s probably even going to be discussions with the Court of Disputed Returns but that’s a very interesting seat to watch,” he said.
Bringing you back to a story from yesterday, when it was revealed two men were rescued by a Rottnest ferry after being left behind by a diving tour boat in Hillarys earlier this month.
You can read the full details here.
One of those divers – who only gave his name as Ian – has just provided a statement to ABC Perth confirming the pair were left behind, but urging everyone to “withhold judgement”.
“Despite the strict headcount and roll-call protocols taught by dive training organisations, incidents like this still happen. Human error, miscommunication or procedural failures can all play a role,” he said.
“That being said, negligence is not an excuse. When divers entrust their safety to a dive operator, they have a right to expect that proper procedures will be followed.
“Failing to account for every diver before leaving a site is unacceptable and lessons must be learned from this.”
Ian said the experience had reinforced the fact that every diver, no matter their experience level, should always carry essential emergency gear.
“Until the official report is released, let’s focus on lessons learned and reinforcing safety awareness within the diving community,” he said.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has confirmed it is investigating the incident.
To some breaking news now, and the organisers of public art event Sculpture by the Sea have announced the exhibition will return to Cottesloe in 2026 and 2027 after securing financial support to the tune of $750,000 per year through Austrade.
Sculpture by the Sea was due to open this month, but organisers pulled the pin towards the end of last year due to a lack of funding.
It emerged later that local governments had offered to fund the event if it were moved to a different beach, but were told that wasn’t an option.
In a statement released Thursday morning, Sculpture by the Sea founding chief executive officer and artistic director David Handley said there had been bipartisan federal support for the event.
“We are very sorry that we are unable to present the exhibition this March,” he said.
“We would like to thank the many people from across Perth for letting the politicians and media know just how upset they were about the exhibition not receiving the funding it needs to continue.”
As part of the Austrade funding, each Australian artist in the event will receive at least $4500 to go towards their exhibition costs. The organisers said each artist spent on average $15,000 to create and move their sculptures to the location.
Olga Cironis, an artist in the 2024 exhibition, said she couldn’t help but reflect on how wonderful this time of year usually was in Cottesloe.
“Sculptors from WA and overseas could have been exhibiting their works for people to enjoy and experience,” she said.
“I am very happy the 2026 exhibition will be going ahead and hopefully government funding will be secured for many years to come to support this free cultural experience.”
WA Police have made a breakthrough in the cold case murder of 22-year-old Kerryn Tate, who was found dead in bushland in Karragullen 45 years ago.
Testing on an unknown male DNA profile recovered from the crime scene by an investigative genetic genealogy team has finally led detectives to a suspect: Perth man Terence John Fisher, who died in 2000.
And police have also linked Fisher to two other killings, believing that if he were alive today he would be able to help police with their investigations into the deaths of Barbara Anne Western in 1986 and Kerry Suzanne Turner in 1991.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul Coombes said the news sent a clear message that WA Police never gave up.
“Unfortunately, we may never know the motivations for this horrific crime but with the public’s help we may be able to finally bring some comfort to the Tate family,” he said.
“The use of investigative genetic genealogy is allowing us to solve more cold cases than ever. It’s a resource-intensive process, but it’s one the major crime team is committed to.
“It’s still a relatively new investigative technique but with time and as new technology becomes available, these methods will only further compliment traditional detective work.”
Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Dion Selby, the lead investigator on the case, said information from the public could be the final key to the puzzle.
“We are trying to build a picture of Mr Fisher’s regular movements, of his routine. For example, we know he regularly attended a sailing club in Fremantle,” he said.
“We know he had served in the army and was a carpenter by trade. We know he lived in Rivervale and Manning areas at the time of Ms Tate’s murder.
“There is much we know about him but we want to know more.”
Kerryn Tate was found dead when forestry workers investigated a small bushfire in Karagullen the day after she was last seen alive in Mount Lawley on Saturday, December 29, 1979.
An autopsy found she had severe head and facial injuries, with a large piece of wood found at the scene identified as the murder weapon.
Here’s what’s making headlines around the country this morning.
Here comes the rain! We’re in for heavy showers today, with a top of 26 degrees.
Good morning readers. Welcome to our live news blog for Thursday, March 13.
Making headlines today, a new report has revealed young people across the country are feeling the squeeze from the rising cost of living and HECS debts, have worsening mental health and are grappling with a declining trust in politics.
The Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre’s Youth in Focus: Navigating Wellbeing in a Changing World report, which surveyed those between the ages of 14 to 25, found young people were suffering stress and uncertainty about their future on multiple fronts.
It also labelled the impact of social media on mental health remained a growing concern.
Read our education reporter Holly Thompson’s full report here.
Meanwhile, a Perth council’s decision to use “hostile architecture” to prevent rough sleepers occupying Fremantle’s popular Cappuccino Strip has drawn the ire of locals, homelessness advocates and a prominent politician.
You can read Sarah Brookes’ story here.
Thank you for joining us. Be sure to stay tuned as we bring you more news you need to know.
Discover more from World Byte News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
