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ABC News
7 minutes ago
- ABC News
Former Australia female indoor hockey team coach Lauren Austin admits sexual offence charges
The former coach of Australia's female indoor hockey team has admitted kissing a teenage girl who was under her supervision and pleaded guilty to sexual offences. Lauren Nicole Austin, 39, was last charged last year with four counts of indecent dealing with a child over 16. Appearing in Perth Magistrates Court on Wednesday, Austin admitted to those charges, with the magistrate describing each offence as "namely kissing" when reading them out. The offences occurred in three Perth suburbs last year and involved a child under her supervision. No other details of the offences were revealed in court. Two charges of sexual penetration without consent were dropped. When she was charged last year, WA Police said the allegations related to one victim. Austin had been banned by the court from supervising children in sports activities at any level as a condition of her bail. She said nothing to the media after the hearing and will return to court in September.
ABC News
37 minutes ago
- ABC News
Russian couple accused of money laundering scheme to face Qld Supreme Court
A Russian couple accused of masterminding a multimillion-dollar money laundering operation have been committed to stand trial in the Queensland Supreme Court. Alexandra Bugrova, 47, and Dmitry Rimskiy, 50, who moved to Australia in 2015, have been charged with dealing with the proceeds of crime worth $1,000,000. An Australian Federal Police (AFP) investigation was launched after a tip-off from Austrac that the Gold Coast pair had deposited more than $4 million into ATMs across 576 transactions, which were structured to avoid the financial crime watchdog's $10,000 reporting threshold. Police allege the cash was laundered at banks and ATMs in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia between July 2022 and September 2023. The funds were allegedly used to purchase or rapidly repay mortgages for waterfront mansions in Hope Island, Broadbeach Waters and Runaway Bay, houses in Labrador, Alexandra Hills and Mount Gravatt, and a high-rise unit at Milton. The AFP seized $15.6 million in assets, including seven properties in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, $514,000 worth of cryptocurrency and more than $1.95 million in cash found in a suitcase during a raid on the couple's Hope Island home in December 2023. While defence barrister Angus Edwards KC acknowledged the transactions were deliberately designed to evade detection, he said the charges should be thrown out because there was no evidence the money was the proceeds of crime. Mr Edwards told a committal hearing at the Southport Magistrates Court the couple were wealthy business owners who were trying to move their money out of Russia and were afraid of political persecution from the Putin administration. "We certainly accept that we have engaged in conduct designed to hide the money being deposited," Mr Edwards said. "Russia is not a democracy. [The government] is engaged in a war in Ukraine and it is well-known they are prone to seizing assets. "They were afraid of sticking their heads up above the parapet and having their assets and their businesses stripped from them in Russia." Crown prosecutor Dylan Kerr conceded the Commonwealth's case was circumstantial but told the court the "irresistible inference" was the money was the proceeds of crime. "It is not uncommon in a money laundering case that authorities do not know where the money came from," he said. "If it is the case that all this money came from Russia, why was it deposited in Australian dollars and not in rubles?" Magistrate Kerry Magee said the cash deposited "exceeded their reported earnings by a significant amount". "In essence, the defendants are asking me to find that … the defendants' conduct was for the purposes of avoiding seizure of their assets by Russian authorities," Ms Magee said. "I have no means of assessing the reasonableness or otherwise of that hypothesis. "I am of the opinion that the evidence is sufficient to put you on trial." The couple do not speak English and a Russian translator had to be used for the arraignment. They did not enter a plea and were released on bail. The maximum penalty for the charges is 25 years in jail. The pair will face Brisbane Supreme Court at a date yet to be set.
News.com.au
37 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Woman, 40, charged with murder of 18yo man at home in Daisy Hill, Queensland
A woman has been charged with the murder of a teen after the pair were found together 'semi-conscious' at a home in suburban Brisbane. The 40-year-old woman and the 18-year-old man were found at a Marbura Court home in Daisy Hill - about 26km south of the city's CBD - at about 3pm on May 30. 'The 18-year-old man was transported to hospital, where he remained in an induced coma before passing away on June 4,' the Queensland Police Service (QPS) said in a statement. 'The woman was also transported to hospital, where she remained in an induced coma before recovering on June 1.' The woman and the man were known to each other, police have confirmed. Homicide detectives established a crime scene at the residence. The woman was initially charged with attempted murder, but the charge was upgraded to murder on Wednesday. The woman, from Daisy Hill, was due to appear at Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Wednesday. Detective Senior Sergeant Daniel Cunningham said the investigation involved close collaboration between specialist units. 'This is an incredibly tragic case that has had a devastating impact on all involved,' he said. 'Our investigators have worked methodically to gather evidence and support the (alleged) victim's extended family through this complex and confronting investigation. 'Our thoughts are with the young man's loved ones and those in the community who continue to grieve this loss.'
