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1News
a day ago
- 1News
Inquest hears tragic details of Kiwi surfer's death in WA shark attack
An inquest has been held following the death of a Kiwi-born surfer who was mauled by a shark in Western Australia earlier this year. Steven Payne, 37, was attacked by a great white shark "between 3.2m and 3.5m in length" at Wharton Beach, east of Esperance in Western Australia on March 10. Drone footage from a witness who happened to be filming at the time of the attack showed the shark swimming away from a large cloud of blood close to the shore. Payne's body was never recovered, but parts of his wetsuit and "distinctive surf hat" were. The Kiwi was living in Geelong, Victoria and his partner and dog were five weeks into a six-month caravan trip around the western half of Australia when the incident happened, according to his family. ADVERTISEMENT The devastating circumstances surrounding his death have now been revealed at a mandatory coronial inquest. The coroner heard Payne was a keen surfer, who had previously been cautious about the possibility of shark attacks and used deterrent devices while in the water, WA Today reported. The inquest heard he was not wearing the device on the day, because he thought it was not needed after leaving South Australia. "[The couple] had discussed wearing [shark deterrents] prior to their visit to Granites Beach," Senior Constable Assisting the Coroner Craig Robertson told the court. "Unfortunately, they thought after leaving South Australian waters it would be safe to enter the water without them." Payne and his partner had also made the decision not to surf at South Australia's Granites Beach after locals warned them about a fatal shark attack there in January. "They were aware of a fatal shark attack at the location on January 2, 2025 and following speaking with locals they ultimately decided not to enter the water," Robertson said. ADVERTISEMENT Perth Now also reported that Payne had been in remission for testicular cancer for three years when he died. Coroner Sarah Linton indicated she would likely determine he died accidentally, and was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt he was deceased. She would hand down her findings at a later date.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
House values break ceiling in almost half of suburbs
Housing market values in almost half of all Australian suburbs are at all-time highs - and plenty more are expected to join them. In a sure sign the housing market has recovered, property platform Cotality, formerly known as CoreLogic, released data on Friday showing record values in almost 45 per cent of suburbs. Queensland's market is booming with almost four-in-five (78 per cent) suburbs in Brisbane at peak dwelling values and regional markets in the state about the same mark. Three-quarters of Perth's suburbs have hit record values, as have 61 per cent of Adelaide's. "While national indices provide a macro view, suburb-level data shows how widespread this growth phase really is," Cotality economist Kaytlin Ezzy said. "The fact that so many suburbs are either at or just shy of their peak shows not only the diverse recovery in markets like Sydney and Melbourne, but also the continued resilience of recent hotspots including Brisbane, Perth and regional Australia." The property data firm has predicted the proportion of suburbs at peak value will rise to 50 per cent in the coming months on the back of national dwelling value growth in June. In Australia's most expensive housing market, 37 per cent of Sydney suburbs were at record highs, while just 13 per cent of Melbourne's reached new highs. At the other end of the spectrum, only one suburb in Hobart and eight per cent of suburbs in Canberra reached peak prices. Almost six in 10 regional South Australian suburbs and 54 per cent of regional Western Australian suburbs climbed to all-time dwelling value marks. Referencing the recent upward trend in Melbourne, Hobart and Canberra, Ms Ezzy noted they were each well below 2022 peaks. "While this might be received as bad news for homeowners, prospective buyers in these markets are in the position to access housing at prices lower than they were three years ago," she said. National housing values jumped 1.4 per cent in the second quarter of 2025 - which featured long-awaited interest rate cuts - compared with 0.9 per cent growth in the first quarter. Darwin had the largest quarterly growth at 4.9 per cent, followed by Perth at 2.1 per cent. "Market dynamics across Darwin's housing market have undergone a remarkable transformation," Ms Ezzy said "After years of subdued conditions following the end of the mining infrastructure boom, we're now seeing demand and supply rebalancing in a way that supports further value growth." Cotality estimated there were about 531,000 dwelling sales in the 2024/25 financial year, up 2.7 per cent from the previous term.
West Australian
2 days ago
- West Australian
Wife killer Colin Arthur Case sentenced to prison for sexually abusing a teen girl
A wife killer is back in prison for sexually abusing a teenage girl while tutoring her in mathematics. Colin Arthur Case, 85, was on parole for the murder of his first wife when he abused the girl during the tutoring sessions at his Port Lincoln home from June 2023 to October 2024. The octogenarian has now been sentenced to another nine years in prison. Judge Anne Barnett, in her sentencing remarks, said his offending involved 'a serious breach of trust', referencing an impact statement from the victim's mother. 'She spoke of how you would buy gifts and that you did so to manipulate the victim,' Judge Barnett said. 'She feels guilt for letting you into her daughter's life.' The victim was in her early teens during the period of offending. 'You say the offending did not begin sexually and that you became close and cared for her which eventually slipped into sexual abuse,' the judge said. Case shot and killed his first wife, Margaret, in 1992, and he was sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 20 years. He was released in July 2016 and married his second wife nine months later. His second wife developed suspicions about Case's offending and used an iPad to catch him out. 'Your offending came to light due to suspicions held by your wife who observed gifts that you had bought for the victim and that you had spent lots of time together,' Judge Barnett said. 'She also noticed that you had started taking Viagra. 'As a result of these suspicions she recorded the audio of an interaction between you and the victim on her iPad where you discussed sexual acts and that there were sounds consistent with the occurrence of sexual acts. 'She provided the police with the iPad and the recording.' Case was born in Kenya to British parents, who were serving there in the British army, Judge Barnett said. He immigrated to Australia in 1971 and became a teacher. He murdered his first wife in public, shooting her with a firearm wrapped in a blanket at short range, as she left her solicitor's office in Adelaide on March 23, 1992. He was arrested two days later and he pleaded guilty to the murder. Judge Barnett declined to fix a non-parole period for Case's offending and referred his matter to the South Australian Supreme Court, which she said would be the 'most appropriate forum' for dealing with terms of life imprisonment for murder and the subsequent commission of serious offences while on parole. 'I also take into account in declining to fix a non-parole period, the observations of the Parole Board in their letter to me that more up-to-date material may be of assistance in understanding the motivation for your offending, in turn, informing the length of any non-parole period to be fixed,' she said.
