Category: Newcastle News

A man has died, and another man is in police custody after an incident in Belmont today.
Police have been told a Holden Commodore and a 4WD utility were involved in a crash on the Pacific Highway, near Beach Street, about 1.30pm (Wednesday 19 December 2018).
Officers from Lake Macquarie Police District attended and found a 50-year-old male driver suffering stab wounds to his neck.
The injured man was treated at the scene before being taken to John Hunter Hospital, where he later died.
A 32-year-old man was arrested nearby and taken to Belmont Police Station where he will be spoken to by detectives.
The pair are known to each other.
Detectives from the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad are assisting officers from Lake Macquarie Police District to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Inquiries are continuing.

The City of Newcastle will slash the hourly cost of on-street parking by 25 per cent for users of its pay-by-phone parking app, in preparation for Australian-first technology that guides drivers to vacant parking spaces.
The discount will automatically apply to the EasyPark app, which allows drivers to pay only for the time they use and remotely top-up payments after receiving SMS notifications 15 minutes before their meter expires.
The City is currently working with the app’s developers to deliver the ‘Find and Park’ auxiliary solution to help motorists find vacant parks.

“From 1 January, the City will automatically apply a 25 per cent discount on the hourly parking rate on a six-month trial basis as a reward to drivers who use our parking app,” City of Newcastle CEO Jeremy Bath said.
“We will also absorb the 10 per cent surcharge that drivers currently have to pay on top of the hourly rate when using the parking app.
“With light rail construction behind us and the city set for an exciting 2019, we know that parking ease is important to many people who shop in the CBD. That’s why we’re incentivising use of the app to make parking cheaper and easier.
“The release of the ‘Find and Park’ add-on has been planned for almost 12 months but we opted to wait and learn from the roll out of the technology in Sweden earlier this year.
“By July next year, the app will have the ability to point out to drivers the most likely place to find a park, based on sophisticated parking algorithms.”
As part of the EasyPark revolution, the free 15-minute paper ticket will also go digital.
“The ticket-based system has been increasingly abused since it was introduced in 2015 by motorists, putting machines out of order,” Mr Bath said. “When drivers come across a faulty parking meter, they often they incorrectly assume they can’t park in the area for fear of receiving a ticket.
“And with 88 per cent of adult Australians now owning a smart phone, the time is right to move to digital.”
In other parking changes, the trial of a morning and afternoon rate on all 1P and 2P parking meters will finish at the end of December.
A flat rate of $4/hr between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday will return in the New Year.
The move follows feedback that variable pricing was confusing for drivers and led to unnecessary parking fines.
Although a flat rate of $4 an hour will appear on meters in 1P and 2P zones, motorists paying via the EasyPark app will only be charged $3/ hr.
“This is a significant reduction in the price of parking in the city during the peak time of the day from 11am to 2pm,” Mr Bath said.
“By offering such a significant discount on the hourly parking rate, there is of course a risk to parking revenue. To manage this risk we will review the discount in time for the 2019/20 budget.”
Under the changes:

• The discounted tariffs of $2.50/hr from 9am-11am and $3/hr from 2pm-5pm will no longer exist. EasyPark users will be eligible for an hourly rate of $3/hr all day.
• The price of all-day (8P) parking will also drop by $1 through EasyPark, reducing the price of the all-day No.2 carpark to just $5.
• The 25 per cent discount for drivers using the EasyPark app will also apply to 4P zones.
• The Saturday hourly rate will increase from $2.50 to $3 if using a meter but decrease 25c/hr when paid with EasyPark.
• The hourly rate for 4P and 8P zones will also be brought into line with 1P and 2P zones.

The EasyPark app can be downloaded via the Apple app store by typing EasyPark or at Google Play for Android users.
Just look for the logo of a white ‘e’ set in a pink square. Motorists can also call EasyPark on 1300 734 070 for assistance with use of the app.

An investigation is underway after a man was shot in the Hunter overnight.
About 6.45pm on Tuesday 18 December 2018, officers from Hunter Valley Police District were called to Cessnock Hospital after a man presented to emergency with a gunshot wound to his abdomen.
It’s believed the man was shot at a home on Comerford Close, Aberdare between 6pm and 6.30pm.
The 30-year-old man was stabilised, before being taken to John Hunter Hospital in a serious but stable condition; police have been told he will undergo surgery.
Detectives from Hunter Valley Police District are investigating the circumstances surrounding the man’s injuries.

A man has been charged with murder after a body was found at a house in Scone yesterday.
About 6.30am (Tuesday 18 December 2018), a 20-year-old man attended Muswellbrook Police Station and provided information which led officers to a house on Parker Street where they found the body of a 41-year-old man.
Officers from Hunter Valley Police District established a crime scene and an investigation was initiated by detectives.
The 20-year-old man was arrested, but then taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment for minor lacerations to his fingers.
He was released back into the custody of detectives and has now been charged with murder.
He has been refused bail to appear at Muswellbrook Local Court later today (Wednesday 19 December 2018).

School holidays are a time for family and friends to focus on socialising, travel and time together – but their arrival also means maintaining greater vigilance when walking near, or driving on, Newcastle’s busy roads.
That’s the message that the City of Newcastle will be spreading this summer as part of a holiday road safety and awareness campaign targeted at holiday makers and the local community.

The It’s Holiday Time campaign is the brainchild of Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation CEO Michelle McLaughlin, who tragically lost her son Tom at age four to a roadside accident near Macmasters Beach on the Central Coast. Mrs McLaughlin now spends her days proactively partnering with organisations like City of Newcastle to prevent further tragedies from occurring on NSW roads.
“The It’s Holiday Time campaign incorporates brightly coloured billboard signage with simple messaging to instruct and remind drivers to slow down, and for children and families to remain alert and attentive,” Mrs McLaughlin said.
“The boards are positioned in highly visible public spaces, such as beaches and parks, so that we can best maximise our road safety message.”
“Holiday destinations are most often a new and unfamiliar environment for children and their families, and it’s important that parents have a conversation with their children and go through how they’re expected to behave when they’re in this new environment.”

These conversations are already well and truly being had around the family dinner table and in the school classroom of 11-year-old Alice Bradley, a year-five student at Mayfield West Demonstration School.
As part of her school’s PDHPE curriculum, students at Mayfield West Demonstration School learn necessary skills, attitudes and behaviours needed to stay safe as pedestrians, passengers and wheelchair users.

“Holidays are always the best time of the year, but when they come around we need to take extra care when crossing roads and watching for cars,” 11-year-old Alice said.
“These lessons teach us to be extra cautious and careful.”
The City of Newcastle, as the responsible authority for governing the state of roads and footpaths in Newcastle, is making improvements to its existing infrastructure to help ensure safety is a priority for pedestrians and motorists.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said enhancements were continuously being made to roads and footpaths to help prevent tragedies and accidents from occurring.
“It’s incumbent on us to ensure that we do everything we can to not only provide safe and suitable access points for pedestrians, but to also upgrade our roads for the benefit of motorists to help prevent further tragedies like the one experienced by Michelle and her family,” Cr Nelmes said.
“We’re improving existing pedestrian and road infrastructure by rolling out new raised pedestrian crossings – knowns as Wombat Crossings – at particular points of the City that experience high pedestrian and traffic volumes.
“Recent installations include Platt Street at Waratah, Joslin Street at Kotara and King Street, Newcastle West – all areas which are located close to schools, parks and public transport.
Cr Nelmes said while holidays are an important time to reinforce road safety messages, the City will continue to work year-round to ensure that roads and footpaths are maintained to an appropriate standard.
The It’s Holiday Time signs will start appearing in public from today. To read more about Michelle’s story, or the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation, visit http://www.littlebluedinosaur.org.

A man is assisting police after a body was found at a house in Scone today.
About 6.30am (Tuesday 18 December 2018), a 20-year-old man attended Muswellbrook Police Station and provided information to police.
Officers from Hunter Valley Police District attended a house on Parker Street, Scone, where they located the body of a 41-year-old man.
A crime scene has been established and investigations continue.
The 20-year-old man was arrested and taken to Muswellbrook Police Station.
A report will be prepared for the Coroner.

A man will face court today charged over alleged historical sexual assault, kidnapping and domestic violence-related offences committed against four women.
Detectives from the State Crime Command’s Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad commenced investigations under Strike Force Cilento in June 2018, following reports four women had been sexually assaulted and held against their will over a period of time by a man known to them.
Following inquiries, a 28-year-old man was arrested and charged at Gosford Police Station with 54 domestic violence-related offences, including:

• assault occasioning actual bodily harm (x10);
• take/detain person with intent to obtain advantage occasioning actual bodily harm (x3);
• common assault (x19);
• sexual intercourse without consent (x8);
• use offensive weapon with intent to commit serious indictable offence (x2);
• aggravated sexual assault – deprive liberty;
• stalk/intimate intend fear of physical/mental harm;
• aggravated sexual assault – inflict actual bodily harm (x2);
• intentional choke person with recklessness (x6);
• dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm;
• pervert the course of justice.

Police will allege in court that the man was a high-risk domestic violence offender and allegedly sexually assaulted the four women on numerous occasions in Sydney’s west between 2009 and 2017.
The man was refused bail and is due to appear at Central Local Court today (Tuesday 18 December 2018).
Investigations under Strike Force Cilento continue.

Almost seven months after the members of the Newcastle Maritime Museum Society (NMMS) unanimously voted to wind up, the future of the 7,500 piece collection remains up in the air.
The decision to wind up followed an earlier decision by the Board of the NMMS not to extend its lease on its former building on Honeysuckle Drive.
The timelines committed to by NMMS for winding up have lapsed including an agreed deadline to provide City of Newcastle with key financial information.
The NMMS through its lawyers Peter Evans and Associates wrote to City of Newcastle’s (CN) CEO Jeremy Bath on 22 August 2018 demanding that a list of items “be disposed of in order to discharge the liabilities”.
The NMMS lawyers subsequently wrote to CN on 13 September 2018 that it would “be necessary for us to advise our client to activate Rule 29 of the Constitution and place the Society into voluntary liquidation”. To date the NMMS Board has not done this.
City of Newcastle CEO Jeremy Bath said the most important outcome being sought by Council is that the city’s maritime history is preserved in Newcastle.
“The Board of the Maritime Museum emailed me a list of their creditors in June with debts totalling $212,000.
“The Board of the Newcastle Maritime Museum Society have proposed to pay debts by selling items from the collection. However, to date the Board have failed to produce financial records to substantiate any of these debts. This is especially critical given more than $144,000 of this debt is listed in the NMMS’s email as being owed to a number of the Museum’s directors and their former General Manager.
“I met with three of the Newcastle Maritime Museum’s directors on the third of October. At that meeting they assured me that evidence validating all financial claims would be produced within two weeks.  A final deadline issued to NMMS for producing the information lapsed on Friday.
“As the trustee of the Maritime Museum’s collection, Council is responsible for disposing of items (whether by sale other otherwise).  In disposing of items, Council is committed to ensuring the disposal is in keeping with the Museum’s Collection Management Policy and Procedures.
“The Museum’s Collection Management Policy makes clear that the monies from disposal can only be used in limited and appropriate circumstances. Specifically, it states: Any monies received by the governing body from the disposal of objects should be applied solely for the upgrading of the collection either by purchase or by conservation.
“It is for this reason that City of Newcastle is calling on the Board of the Newcastle Maritime Museum Society to abandon its seven month push to sell items of the collection. Further, with no way of raising monies to clear debts they claim are owed to them, we further call upon them to waive any personal claims so that the Maritime Museum can be voluntarily wound up as their members voted on the 21^st of May.
“Right now, the collection is safe. When HDC and Property NSW instructed the Maritime Museum to vacate their museum and storage properties, Council secured a temporary storage site for the collection at Carrington courtesy of a generous offer from Thales. However, this agreement runs only to September 2020 and as of right now, the collection remains under the control of the Newcastle Maritime Museum Society.
“Until the Maritime Museum Society formally winds up and transfers ownership of the collection to Council, City of Newcastle cannot begin the process of reviewing the 7,500 items and creating a new exhibition space. The Newcastle Museum stands ready to become the new permanent home of the collection. Newcastle Museum has the capacity to allocate a significant exhibition space which will ensure the Maritime Museum collection remains permanently accessible to the people of Newcastle and its visitors.
“The City of Newcastle calls on the NMMS to act and eliminate the risk that at some point, a creditor will appoint a liquidator and a fire sale will send the collection into private hands. This would be an unnecessary and tragic outcome for our city’s maritime history,” Jeremy Bath said.

City of Newcastle welcomes the news of a record number of passengers travelling into Newcastle Airport on the first day of this year’s Newcastle 500 Supercars event.
Newcastle Airport has reported more than 5,200 passengers on Friday 23 November, an 11 per cent increase on last year and a new record – despite bushfires that impacted flights.

More than 2 million people watched on TV as the 2018 Virgin Australia Supercars champion was crowned in our city and Supercars also recently reported a record breaking year thanks to significant increases in viewing audiences across television and digital platforms for the Newcastle 500.
These excellent results speak to the success of the event and position us as a destination city with a growing reputation for hosting great events, said Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes.
“It’s been a massive year for growth in the Newcastle tourism industry,” said the Lord Mayor.
“Following on the incredible success of our second Supercars race, the City this week announced a landmark deal bringing the first five-star hotel to Newcastle by 2020.
“Our City’s revitalisation is tantalisingly close to completion and by early next year the new light rail transport system will be up and running.
“We are clearly firing on all cylinders in attracting visitors to Newcastle, with incredibly popular major events, a greater selection of flights in to our airport, high quality accommodation and improved public transport in the CBD.
“The powerful combination indicates we are a destination city poised for significant economic growth in our tourism sector.”

A man has died after he was attacked in his home at Lake Macquarie this morning.
Emergency services were called to the home on Lonus Avenue at Whitebridge about 2.30am (Monday 17 December 2018), and found a 60-year-old man with a serious injury to his arm.
The man was treated at the scene by paramedics; however, he died at John Hunter Hospital a short time later.
Officers from Lake Macquarie Police District have established a crime scene and initiated inquiries.
They’ve been told three people – with their faces covered and armed with baseball bats and knives – broke into the home and attacked the man in his bedroom.
The man’s two brothers were home at the time but were not injured.
Inquiries are now underway by detectives from Lake Macquarie Police District, assisted by the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad.
Police are investigating if this was a targeted attack.