Legal marathon
The reason for the operation is said to have been the discovery of a newborn child in a plastic bag in the airport waiting room. Extensive investigations were ordered in order to find the mother. Attorney Dr. Wolfgang Babeck, who reported the incident to this program at the time, was also on board the Qatar Airlines flight to Sydney.
It has now taken years before the Australian plaintiffs were finally granted the right to sue Qatar Airways, although it should be noted that this was only possible after another court overturned an earlier decision that had dismissed the case. And we must recognize that the Australian Federal Court's ruling is only a partial victory for women, because although the airline can be prosecuted, not the state of Qatar, which entrenches itself behind its sovereignty. Dr. Wolfgang Babeck says that the women still have a long legal journey ahead of them. Disclaimer: We would like to point out that the opinions expressed in this article represent the personal views of the interviewed/interlocutor.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
11 minutes ago
- ABC News
Inquest hears police did not adequately supervise man who fatally ingested cocaine in custody
An inquest into the death of a southern NSW man has heard he likely died of cocaine poisoning after ingesting bags believed to contain large quantities of the drug while in police custody. Griffith man Hugo Diaz Knox, 25, died just hours after his arrest by NSW Highway Patrol officers along Burley Griffin Way at Stockinbingal in the Riverina on September 30, 2022. Police pulled Mr Diaz Knox over shortly after 6pm and after testing positive to cocaine he was arrested and taken to Cootamundra police station. Once there his condition deteriorated and he suffered seizures before he was taken by ambulance to Cootamundra Hospital. He suffered a cardiac arrest soon after arrival and despite a prolonged effort to administer CPR he could not be revived and died at 9:39pm. An expert later found his cause of death was likely due to acute cocaine toxicity. On Monday the inquest into his death began in the Wagga Wagga Courthouse. It heard Mr Diaz Knox was found to have ingested two bags of what likely contained "large quantities" of cocaine. Officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Sergeant Julia Bradley, said she believed Mr Diaz Knox had ingested the bags while he was in police custody. "It's my opinion the possibility, the opportunity, to ingest the bags of cocaine happened either during the search of … [Mr Diaz Knox's] vehicle or on … the 15 to 20 minute journey from Stockinbingal to the Cootamundra Police Station," she told the inquest. The court heard concerns Mr Diaz Knox was not adequately supervised following his arrest — contrary to police procedure which required officers to maintain constant face to face contact with persons in custody. Shortly after his arrival at Cootamundra Police Station police suspected he had taken an illicit substance in his cell. Taking the witness stand, on-duty Sergeant Hannah Bloomfield recalled colleague Constable Adam Dunford say Mr Diaz Knox had just done a "line" in the dock. The court heard that according to a police manual at the time that they were required to seek medical attention immediately when suspected persons swallowed drugs or ingested a harmful substance. However, Sergeant Bloomfield told the court there was no discussion between officers at the time whether medical attention should be sought. Counsel Assisting Matthew McAuliffe told the inquest a call was only made to police some 22 minutes later after an officer observed blood on Mr Diaz Knox's nose. During proceedings Deputy State Coroner Joan Baptie paid tribute to Mr Diaz Knox. "He was a much loved father, partner, brother and friend," she said. Mr Diaz Knox's parents, brothers and sister were in court for the first day of the inquest. "I would like to extend my personal condolences to each of you for the loss of Hugo," Ms Baptie said. "I hope this inquest will assist you in providing the answers to the many questions I'm sure you will have."
ABC News
11 minutes ago
- ABC News
WA man who shared child pornography on encrypted app gets time served
A registered sex offender who pleaded guilty to distributing sexually explicit photos and a video of children has avoided a hefty jail sentence after his sentence was backdated to time served. David William Crossley, 52, appeared before the District Court in Albany on Monday on one count of distributing child exploitation materials, including photos and a video of children all under the age of 13. Prosecutor Gary Huggins told the court the images were shared online between Crossley and another man after the two connected on an online buy-and-sell website. Mr Huggins said after responding to an advertisement on the trading site, the two men briefly discussed their interest in young children before switching to the encrypted chat application Signal. In one exchange between the two men, the chat read: Do you have any pics to share? How young do you like them? Six, you? Same, maybe four. A number of images were shared between the two men, including a photo of a girl believed to be three and a graphic video of a four-year-old girl. Crossley, who faced a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, was given a 10-month jail term, backdated to reflect time served since his arrest last year. A psychological report presented to the court indicated Crossley suffered from depression and anxiety and had himself been sexually assaulted by an unknown man when he was about 11 years old. In a letter to the court, Crossley, who had previously been convicted of offences relating to child exploitation in 2016 and 2021, expressed remorse and shame for his part in sharing the images. In sentencing, Judge Charlotte Wallace described Crossley's actions as serving a "selfish sexual gratification" that propagated the likelihood of further child abuse. "It feeds the demand — the material for children is therefore exported and used to meet that demand. "Even though you are not physically directly abusing these children, they are being abused to feed the demand." Crossley's defence lawyer Bruno Illari told the court his client expected to go to jail, but asked Judge Wallace to make the sentence as short as appropriate. "He pleaded guilty early," Mr Illari said. "He accepts the facts as they have been read out, he doesn't dispute that. Judge Wallace said the psychological report, letters of support and Crossley's own letter to the court were all mitigating factors, but that her sentence needed to deter others. "Sometimes people write letters because they are motivated by their own self-interests; they want the court to be gentler in sentencing," she said. "I didn't get that sense from your letter, I felt that it was very candid, I thought it was very open and transparent, I think you did take full accountability. "We have to send a message to other people in the community that serious consequences will flow from offending of this nature." Crossley is due to before Albany Magistrates Court on August 14 on three charges of failing to comply with his reporting obligations, having already pleaded guilty to the charges.
The Australian
42 minutes ago
- The Australian
Chinese national charged with reckless foreign interference by AFP
A woman has been charged by the Australian Federal Police with reckless foreign interference after allegedly being tasked by China to spy on a Canberra Buddhist group. The Chinese national was arrested under the Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce (CFITF) and charged with reckless foreign interference, contrary to section 92.3 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth). The crime carries a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment. A number of search warrants were executed in Canberra by Strike Force Operation Autumn Shield, after receiving information from ASIO. The AFP alleges the woman, who is also an Australian permanent resident, was tasked by China's Public Security Bureau to covertly gather information about the Canberra branch of Guan Yin Citta, a Buddhist association. Assistant Commissioner Stephen Nutt of the AFP Counter Terrorism and Special Investigations addressed the media on Monday afternoon. 'Australia is not immune to foreign interference,' he told the press. The activity was to support intelligence objectives of the China's Public Security Bureau, the AFP alleges. 'This is the first time the AFP has charged a person with foreign interference that allegedly involves targeting members of the Australian community,' Commissioner Nutt said. 'We should not expect that this arrest will prevent further attempts to target our diaspora communities. 'However, it is important to note that one of the best defences for foreign interference is increased community awareness to the threat and the reporting of suspicious activity to the authorities.' ASIO director general Mike Burgess said he was proud of the significant contribution ASIO has made to this matter. 'Foreign interference of the kind alleged is an appalling assault on Australian values, freedoms and sovereignty,' Mr Burgess said. 'In this year's annual threat assessment, I called out these types of activities and put perpetrators on notice by stating, 'we are watching, and we have zero tolerance'. 'Anyone who thinks it is acceptable to monitor, intimidate and potentially repatriate members of our diaspora communities should never underestimate our capabilities and resolve.' A fact sheet on foreign interference is available in more than 40 languages on the AFP website. Read related topics: China Ties Rhiannon Lewin Court Reporter Rhiannon is a Sydney-based court reporter with NewsWire. Formerly the NSW Editor at she is now on the ground covering some of the state's most high-profile criminal cases. NewsWire After a 'tough' 2024-25 season in Italy, Ajdin Hrustic is confident a return to the Dutch top-flight can aid his chances of being recalled to the Socceroos squad. Business Breaking News One of the country's key water agencies is axing nearly a quarter of its workforce, blindsiding employees and drawing union backlash.
