Latest news with #Saper
The Advertiser
26-06-2025
- The Advertiser
11-year-old boy dies in serious two-car crash north of Scone
A young boy has died after a serious two-car crash on the New England Highway, about 25 kilometres north of Scone. In the remote area of Murulla, emergency services were called at about 7.45am on Wednesday June 25 to reports of a collision between a Holden Barina and a Nissan Elgrand. The driver of the Barina, an 85-year-old man, had minor injuries and was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to John Hunter Hospital for mandatory testing, NSW Police said. An 11-year-old boy was airlifted to John Hunter Hospital with critical injuries, but later died in hospital. Upper Hunter NSW Ambulance inspector Jason Saper said the 11-year-old was in a vehicle with five other people. The other occupants of the van included two women, 38 and 60; a 13-year-old girl; a 16-year-old boy, and a 19-year-old man. They were taken to John Hunter Hospital with injuries that authorities said were not considered life-threatening. "It is quite a remote area, it is difficult getting people and our paramedics out there," Mr Saper said. "There were multiple patients trapped." A witness told the Newcastle Herald that they saw the roof of the van being cut open by rescue crews in order to extricate at least one person. Mr Saper said NSW Ambulance had seven vehicles on the scene, two helicopters with medical teams and three supervisors. "It was quite a serious accident, it is quite emotional when you have a young child who is deteriorating and later passes," he said. Mr Saper said all drivers needed to be careful when travelling on the region's roads. "We all need to wear seatbelts and there is no such thing as safe speeding," he said. "On this occasion, it was likely more people would have died if they had not been wearing seatbelts." NSW Police have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash and a report will be prepared for the information of the coroner. Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or The Hunter Region had seen several horror crashes in the last week, including the death of a 55-year-old woman and a 28-year-old woman who lost her baby in a two-car collision in North Lambton on Sunday, June 22. Local legend Lenny Wilton died after being hit by a car outside his Awaba home, and in a separate incident, a 38-year-old woman died in a two-car crash in Fennell Bay. A young boy has died after a serious two-car crash on the New England Highway, about 25 kilometres north of Scone. In the remote area of Murulla, emergency services were called at about 7.45am on Wednesday June 25 to reports of a collision between a Holden Barina and a Nissan Elgrand. The driver of the Barina, an 85-year-old man, had minor injuries and was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to John Hunter Hospital for mandatory testing, NSW Police said. An 11-year-old boy was airlifted to John Hunter Hospital with critical injuries, but later died in hospital. Upper Hunter NSW Ambulance inspector Jason Saper said the 11-year-old was in a vehicle with five other people. The other occupants of the van included two women, 38 and 60; a 13-year-old girl; a 16-year-old boy, and a 19-year-old man. They were taken to John Hunter Hospital with injuries that authorities said were not considered life-threatening. "It is quite a remote area, it is difficult getting people and our paramedics out there," Mr Saper said. "There were multiple patients trapped." A witness told the Newcastle Herald that they saw the roof of the van being cut open by rescue crews in order to extricate at least one person. Mr Saper said NSW Ambulance had seven vehicles on the scene, two helicopters with medical teams and three supervisors. "It was quite a serious accident, it is quite emotional when you have a young child who is deteriorating and later passes," he said. Mr Saper said all drivers needed to be careful when travelling on the region's roads. "We all need to wear seatbelts and there is no such thing as safe speeding," he said. "On this occasion, it was likely more people would have died if they had not been wearing seatbelts." NSW Police have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash and a report will be prepared for the information of the coroner. Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or The Hunter Region had seen several horror crashes in the last week, including the death of a 55-year-old woman and a 28-year-old woman who lost her baby in a two-car collision in North Lambton on Sunday, June 22. Local legend Lenny Wilton died after being hit by a car outside his Awaba home, and in a separate incident, a 38-year-old woman died in a two-car crash in Fennell Bay. A young boy has died after a serious two-car crash on the New England Highway, about 25 kilometres north of Scone. In the remote area of Murulla, emergency services were called at about 7.45am on Wednesday June 25 to reports of a collision between a Holden Barina and a Nissan Elgrand. The driver of the Barina, an 85-year-old man, had minor injuries and was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to John Hunter Hospital for mandatory testing, NSW Police said. An 11-year-old boy was airlifted to John Hunter Hospital with critical injuries, but later died in hospital. Upper Hunter NSW Ambulance inspector Jason Saper said the 11-year-old was in a vehicle with five other people. The other occupants of the van included two women, 38 and 60; a 13-year-old girl; a 16-year-old boy, and a 19-year-old man. They were taken to John Hunter Hospital with injuries that authorities said were not considered life-threatening. "It is quite a remote area, it is difficult getting people and our paramedics out there," Mr Saper said. "There were multiple patients trapped." A witness told the Newcastle Herald that they saw the roof of the van being cut open by rescue crews in order to extricate at least one person. Mr Saper said NSW Ambulance had seven vehicles on the scene, two helicopters with medical teams and three supervisors. "It was quite a serious accident, it is quite emotional when you have a young child who is deteriorating and later passes," he said. Mr Saper said all drivers needed to be careful when travelling on the region's roads. "We all need to wear seatbelts and there is no such thing as safe speeding," he said. "On this occasion, it was likely more people would have died if they had not been wearing seatbelts." NSW Police have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash and a report will be prepared for the information of the coroner. Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or The Hunter Region had seen several horror crashes in the last week, including the death of a 55-year-old woman and a 28-year-old woman who lost her baby in a two-car collision in North Lambton on Sunday, June 22. Local legend Lenny Wilton died after being hit by a car outside his Awaba home, and in a separate incident, a 38-year-old woman died in a two-car crash in Fennell Bay. A young boy has died after a serious two-car crash on the New England Highway, about 25 kilometres north of Scone. In the remote area of Murulla, emergency services were called at about 7.45am on Wednesday June 25 to reports of a collision between a Holden Barina and a Nissan Elgrand. The driver of the Barina, an 85-year-old man, had minor injuries and was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to John Hunter Hospital for mandatory testing, NSW Police said. An 11-year-old boy was airlifted to John Hunter Hospital with critical injuries, but later died in hospital. Upper Hunter NSW Ambulance inspector Jason Saper said the 11-year-old was in a vehicle with five other people. The other occupants of the van included two women, 38 and 60; a 13-year-old girl; a 16-year-old boy, and a 19-year-old man. They were taken to John Hunter Hospital with injuries that authorities said were not considered life-threatening. "It is quite a remote area, it is difficult getting people and our paramedics out there," Mr Saper said. "There were multiple patients trapped." A witness told the Newcastle Herald that they saw the roof of the van being cut open by rescue crews in order to extricate at least one person. Mr Saper said NSW Ambulance had seven vehicles on the scene, two helicopters with medical teams and three supervisors. "It was quite a serious accident, it is quite emotional when you have a young child who is deteriorating and later passes," he said. Mr Saper said all drivers needed to be careful when travelling on the region's roads. "We all need to wear seatbelts and there is no such thing as safe speeding," he said. "On this occasion, it was likely more people would have died if they had not been wearing seatbelts." NSW Police have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash and a report will be prepared for the information of the coroner. Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or The Hunter Region had seen several horror crashes in the last week, including the death of a 55-year-old woman and a 28-year-old woman who lost her baby in a two-car collision in North Lambton on Sunday, June 22. Local legend Lenny Wilton died after being hit by a car outside his Awaba home, and in a separate incident, a 38-year-old woman died in a two-car crash in Fennell Bay.
Business Insider
12-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
A consultant who helps law firms decide which software to buy explains why legal tech is in trouble
The legal tech boom is reaching new heights. And just like that, a few investors and consultants are starting to whisper, "Bubble." With a rush of funding deals, two unicorns born since ChatGPT's pivotal launch, and a rare Big Law acquisition of a startup, legal tech is undergoing a transformation. Once dismissed to back-office use, it's now grabbing the attention of top tech talent and investors, eager to capitalize on the potential of generative artificial intelligence in the legal field. This has raised some concern among industry watchers, like Zach Abramowitz, a former lawyer and entrepreneur, who now runs Killer Whale Strategies, a consulting boutique that helps law firms and legal departments decide which software products to buy. He's among those warning that a surge in legal tech revenue may be a sign of an impending bubble. He says nearly every law firm is testing out competing legal tech products. This spree of paid trials is boosting the revenues of legal software companies, which in turn is driving up their valuations from venture capitalists. Abramowitz said the question is how "sticky" that revenue is. "It's getting booked like recurring revenue," he said, "but the reality is it's still mostly pilot programs." He knows of law firms that have shelled out for hundreds of licenses to products like Harvey and others. In some cases, Harvey is emerging as a winner, but Abramowitz isn't convinced it's locked in as reliable, long-term revenue. In the next 12 to 18 months, law firms will decide which vendors to commit to long-term, meaning they'll roll out solutions across their entire organization or sign multi-year contracts, Abramowitz said. He said the legal industry will rally around the top tech performers, while other vendors will watch their revenues decline. A "reckoning" on the horizon Fears of a legal tech bubble are echoing across the venture industry. This past February, Rick Zullo, a seasoned software investor, shared a conversation he had with another investor about legal tech on Turner Novak's podcast, "The Peel." "They said, 'Rick, every single one of these companies is working.' If every single company in a category is working, that's probably the scariest thing that could happen," Zullo told Novak, "because that just means that there's no alpha in the company that you're generating." Jake Saper, a general partner at Emergence Capital, described an exciting yet unsettling landscape. On the "Pearls Off, Gloves Off" podcast hosted by Goodwin's chief operating officer, Mary O'Carroll, Saper said that with the rapid adoption of legal tech, law firms are starting to realize that some products aren't living up to expectations. In some cases, only a small percentage of firm users are engaging with the tools. Other times, the tools aren't delivering their promised value. Saper warned that a frothy legal tech industry is heading toward a "reckoning," which he expects to intensify later this year. 800-pound gorilla Long sales cycles and customer churn already put a significant strain on the legal tech market. Add in the constant looming threat of getting steamrolled by OpenAI, as Abramowitz puts it, and the conditions spell trouble for the industry. Barely a month goes by without another story of a lawyer citing fake case law generated by ChatGPT. Yet, many lawyers are choosing the chatbot over specialized tools from legal software vendors, survey data shows. Law360 Pulse asked 390 lawyers between November 2024 and January 2025 which generative AI tools they used at work, for either legal or other tasks, excluding e-discovery. Sixty-two percent of respondents answered ChatGPT, more than twice the share of respondents who said LexisNexis or Microsoft Copilot. Abramowitz said the "single best legal research tool on the market" isn't a legal tech tool at all: it's ChatGPT's deep research mode, a web-based research capability utilizing advanced automation. He shared a conversation with one attorney who believed many associates at their firm are likely using the chatbot, even though the firm doesn't pay for it. The attorney noticed their writing improved, seemingly without explanation. "My guess is that more lawyers have probably saved nights and weekends by being able to use these tools," Abramowitz said. "It doesn't require putting in any secure, confidential information: you're just doing research." "How is the firm supposed to stop you from using deep research?" he asked. The future of the legal tech market may depend on it.
New York Post
15-05-2025
- New York Post
Influencer claims police used her as ‘bait' to catch a stalker in Bali: ‘Hunted like prey'
An American travel influencer living in Bali has claimed she felt 'hunted like prey' and was used by local police as 'bait' to trap a British stalker, who arrived on the popular Indonesian island after forming an infatuation with her. An English court has heard how British man, Rob Keating, allegedly sent 'incessant and constant' emails and video messages to popular travel influencer Alexandra Saper, 33, for a year. It is also alleged Saper received continuous harassment by Keating in the months before he flew to Bali from the UK in January 2023. Jurors during the court hearing at Portsmouth crown court heard the 39-year-old man booked a one-way ticket to Bali, telling Saper: 'Flights booked baby girl.' He then allegedly told the influencer 'you're never getting rid of me' after landing, as reported by The Sun. The man, who allegedly travelled with rope in his luggage, called Saper his 'queen' and warned her that he was practicing his disguises and that 'I will see you when you agree to meet me, or I have a suitcase for you to fit in,' the court heard. Saper, a former lawyer turned influencer who now earns a living from her 100,000-follower page called 'The Wayfaress,' told the jury that she was forced to flee Bali in fear of Keating finding her and went to Laos to distance herself. 'He sent me a photo of a body in a suitcase and said he was going to kidnap me,' she claimed of the mountains of emails she would receive. 4 American travel influencer Alexandra Saper claims that police in Bali used her as 'bait' to trap a stalker. Instagram/@thewayfaress 4 Rob Keating is on trial in the UK for allegedly stalking Saper. 'I blocked him on everything and never responded, so that was a pretty clear indication of not wanting contact. 'I was aware that he was talking about coming to Bali, but I didn't think it would actually happen.' Saper said that when Keating arrived in Bali, she informed local police of the situation and booked herself into a hotel. The Times reported local authorities forced her to act as 'bait' to meet him in public. According to the publication, Saper sent Keating an email — which a friend wrote from her account — saying that while she did not want contact, she would meet in a public place. 4 Saper has 100,000 followers on her 'The Wayfaress' Instagram page. Instagram/@thewayfaress Saper claims the 'bait' email was a desperate bid to get police to help, but claims that they ultimately did nothing to assist and she instead fled to Laos so that she was no longer in the same country as Keating. The travel influencer said she saw pictures on Keating's Instagram page that showed he had visited one of her regular bars in Bali, and that he also went to a cafe just 50 yards from her house. Along with informing local police, Saper said she spoke to the US and the UK embassies in the country. Keating was arrested on his arrival back to the UK in March 2023 where police found 'black rope' in his suitcase, the court heard. Prosecutor Alexandra Bull said Keating first got in touch with Saper in 2022 by sending her a 'weird and creepy' message on Instagram. She replied, asking, 'Dude, why are you following me if you don't like my content' before blocking him. But Keating, who was living in his sister's garage at the time, found her business email and began bombarding her, jurors heard. The messages turned 'intense' and 'sexual in nature' later in 2022, it was said. In September that year, Keating described having sex with Saper 'to some length' in a video of himself talking to the camera. 'He was speaking to her as though they were in a relationship, like he was in love with her and she with him,' Bull added. In one email, Keating allegedly said he loved her and would do 'whatever it takes' to be together. 'If that involves kidnapping then so be it,' he allegedly added. 4 Saper claims that Keating threatened to kidnap her. Instagram/@thewayfaress In January 2023, Keating said he would quit his traffic job and 'come and find her' in Bali. At this point, he had sent her around 30 videos of himself talking to the camera alongside 'hundreds' of emails, jurors heard. In her video evidence, Saper said he thought she was sending him secret messages through her Instagram posts. 'His interpretation of these posts was that they were secret coded messages about my love for him, or me asking him to come to Bali because I wanted to see him,' she added. 'He was convinced that I had asked him to come to Bali.' As a result, Saper said she stopped posting on Instagram and had to cancel work projects. She also told the court she became 'depressed' and stopped leaving the house because of Keating's actions. In his police interview, Keating claimed he was not sexually attracted to the influencer but accused her of showing an 'interest' in him. He allegedly continued the stalking campaign between September and November 2024 and posted a picture of a plane ticket from London to Bali with the caption 'round 2' on his Instagram. The trial is still underway, and Keating denies two counts of stalking involving serious alarm or distress. – with The Sun
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Stalker shared Fifty Shades of Grey extracts with travel influencer
A 'delusional' British stalker who share racy extracts from Fifty Shades of Grey with an American travel influencer has been found guilty of threatening to kidnap her. Rob Keating, 39, faces jail after he was convicted of two counts of stalking involving serious harm or distress following a six-day trial at at Portsmouth Crown Court The court heard Keating went 'from follower to stalker' after becoming obsessed with her posts on Instagram, booking a one-way ticket to the tropical Indonesian island of Bali while warning her to 'get kidnap insurance'. He visited bars and restaurants close to her home and continued to message her while she was in Bali, telling her: 'You're never getting rid of me.' Alexandra Saper – a former lawyer who now makes money from her Instagram page The Wayfarer, which has more than 100,000 followers – told the court she fled the country because she was so 'terrified' he would find her. She blocked Keating on the social media platform after he shared extracts from the erotic S&M novel Fifty Shades of Grey. However, he then began bombarding her with videos and messages over email and used another profile to continue viewing her posts, which he believed were secret messages to him. Ms Saper tried to block his emails too but that just sent them to her spam folder. In a video about her ordeal, posted at the time, Ms Saper also said she felt she was being 'hunted like prey'. On his return to the UK in March 2023, Keating was arrested by police who found black rope and a tie in his suitcase. Keating told police in an interview that he was not sexually attracted to Ms Saper, but said that 'she had shown an interest in him and there could be something there' between the two. In videos he often referred to the influencer as his 'Spartan Queen'. He continued to stalk Ms Saper from September to November 2024, when he lived in Horsham, West Sussex. Keating posted a picture of a plane ticket from London to Bali with the caption 'round 2' on Instagram in November. He was subsequently arrested. At the Portsmouth court, the jury deliberated for just two hours and, when reading the guilty verdict to Keating, Judge Michael Bowes KC said a prison sentence was 'inevitable'. Closing the case, Alexandra Bull, prosecuting, described Keating as 'indulging in a wilful self-delusion' involving a 'one-dimensional' version of the influencer as he 'moved from follower to stalker'. 'He began to indulge in wilful self-delusion, all those genuine emotions he felt from following was not enough,' she said. 'The person he started fantasising about was entirely one-dimensional, they are a character he has never met. 'It is her job to make people feel better about themselves but that is just one part of Ms Saper. 'When Ms Saper's generic posts were not enough for him, he wanted to take it to the next level. What he wanted was her attention on him.' Keating, a traffic worker who lived in his sister's garage in Havant, Hants, first contacted Ms Saper on Instagram in July 2022 with a 'weird and creepy' message to which the influencer responded: 'Dude, why are you following me if you don't like my content?' The court was shown over an hour of footage from these videos in which Keating told Ms Saper to get 'kidnap insurance' and that he was going to 'spank' her. He told her she was 'allowing him to run with it' regarding his contact with her, but added: 'Either that, or you're not interested and not watching these videos and I've lost my mind or something.' In a video from December 2022, Keating said: 'You're going to have to reply to me eventually – there's talk about coming to Bali to get you.' In February 2023, he did travel to Bali, posting a picture of the plane he was about to board with the caption 'Let the games begin'. Ms Saper was so concerned that she fled to Laos to put distance between her and Keating. Giving evidence at court, the influencer said she 'didn't think' he would actually make the trip to the tropical island. 'I blocked him on everything and never responded, so that was a pretty clear indication of not wanting contact,' Ms Saper added. 'I was aware that he was talking about coming to Bali, but I didn't think it would actually happen. 'I shared because I wanted my life back, there was nothing I could do staying in hiding,' she said. 'I was sick, I couldn't eat, I was depressed.' In his own evidence, Keating had tried to claim the kidnap threats were just 'playful ridiculousness' and that the ordeal had had 'no adverse effect' on Ms Saper. He tried to tell the court that because of the 'Anchorman' memes on his Instagram profile there was no way she would take him seriously. Keating will be sentenced at a later date. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Daily Mirror
15-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Stalker came to influencer's home with rope and horror '50 Shades of Grey' plan
A court found sinister Rob Keating targeted Alexandra Saper with a plot to abduct and 'go 50 Shades of Grey' on the American social media influencer after he became obsessed A 'delusional' British stalker faces jail after being found guilty of threatening to kidnap an American travel influencer and then travelling to her home in Bali with rope in his suitcase. Rob Keating sent 'incessant and constant' messages to Alexandra Saper in which he shared his graphic sexual fantasies including that he would 'go 50 Shades of Grey' on her and wanted to abduct her. The 39-year-old went 'from follower to stalker' after becoming obsessed with her posts on Instagram, booking a one way ticket to the tropical Indonesian paradise while warning her to 'get kidnapp insurance'. He visited bars and restaurants just metres from her home and continued to message her whilst she was in Bali, telling her 'you're never getting rid of me'. Ms Saper - a former lawyer who now makes money from her Instagram page 'The Wayfarer' which has more than 100,000 followers - told the court she fled the country because she was so 'terrified' he would find her. In a video about her ordeal, posted at the time, Ms Saper also said she felt she was being 'hunted like prey'. On his return to the UK in March 2023, Keating was arrested by police who found black rope and a tie in his suitcase. Keating told police in an interview that he was not sexually attracted to Ms Saper, but said that 'she had shown an interest in him and there could be something there' between the two. In videos he often referred to the influencer as his 'Spartan Queen'. He continued to stalk Ms Saper between September and November 2024, at which point he lived in Horsham in West Sussex. Keating posted a picture of a plane ticket from London to Bali with the caption 'round 2' on his Instagram in November. Keating was subsequently arrested. Now, at Portsmouth Crown Court, Hants, he has been found guilty of two counts of stalking involving serious harm or distress following a 6 day trial. The jury deliberated for just two hours and, when reading the verdict to Keating, Judge Michael Bowes KC said a prison sentence was 'inevitable'. Closing the case, prosecutor Alexandra Bull described Keating as 'indulging' in a 'wilful self delusion' involving a 'one dimensional' version of the influencer as he 'moved from follower to stalker'. "He began to indulge in wilful self-delusion, all those genuine emotions he felt from following was not enough," she said. "The person he started fantasising about was entirely one dimensional, they are a character he has never met... "It is her job to make people feel better about themselves but that is just one part of Ms Saper... When Ms Saper's generic posts were not enough for him he wanted to take it to the next level. "What he wanted was her attention on him." She continued: "Her job is to appeal to a wider audience and he knows that, this is a wilful delusion. "Does this justify his behaviour, he provides himself with an excuse, he tries to convince himself Ms Saper is trying to contact him, it is just his fantasy." The traffic worker, who lived in his sister's garage in Havant, Hants, first contacted Ms Saper on Instagram in July 2022 with a ' weird and creepy' message to which the influencer responded 'dude, why are you following me if you don't like my content'. She blocked Keating on the social media platform after he shared extracts from the erotic S&M novel 50 Shades of Grey. However, he then began bombarding her with videos and messages over email and used another profile to continue viewing her posts, which he believed were secret messages to him. Ms Saper tried to block his emails too but that just sent them to her spam folder. The court was shown over an hour of footage from these videos in which Keating told Ms Saper to get 'kidnap insurance' and that he was going to 'spank' her. He told her she was 'allowing him' to 'run with it' regarding his contact with her, but added: "Either that, or you're not interested and not watching these videos and I've lost my mind or something." In a video from December 2022, Keating said: "You're going to have to reply to me eventually - there's talk about coming to Bali to get you." In February 2023 he did travel to Bali, posting a picture of the plane he was about to board with the caption 'let the games begin'. Ms Saper was so concerned that she fled to the nearby Southeast Asian country of Laos to put distance between her and Keating. Giving evidence at court, the influencer said she 'didn't think' he would actually make the trip to the tropical island. "I blocked him on everything and never responded, so that was a pretty clear indication of not wanting contact," Ms Saper added. "I was aware that he was talking about coming to Bali, but I didn't think it would actually happen. shared because I wanted my life back, there was nothing I could do staying in hiding," she said. "I was sick, I couldn't eat, I was depressed." In his own evidence Keating had tried to claim the kidnap threats were just 'playful ridiculousness' and that the ordeal had had 'no adverse effect' on Ms Saper. He tried to tell the court that because of the Anchorman memes on his Instagram profile there was no way she would take him seriously. He will be sentenced at a later date.
