Could Nigella Lawson be a drug addict?

Two Italian sisters who have been working for Nigella Lawson for years, have turned on their employer to try and save their own skins. They've accused her of having a serious drug habit which started many years ago, a shock accusation yet to be proved.

Elisabetta and Francesca Grillo must have decided if they were going down for theft, they would take Nigella and her career with them. Not much loyalty there, which is strange because Elisabetta began working for Nigella as a nanny fourteen years ago and Francesca started out as a 'housemate.'

They are accused of using Charles Saatchi's company credit card to fund their extravagant lifestyle, clocking up $1.2 million over 4 years and according to them, they had every right to do it.

The news comes as a complete shock because Nigela Lawson doesn't fit the profile of a drug addict - she's beautiful, wholesome, a devoted mother and a fabulous cook, envied and admired by women everywhere. But it gets worse - the accusations by the Italian sisters don't just involve Nigella, they say her daughter has a drug habit too.

Chales Saatchi told the court yesterday he had never seen his wife take drugs so he had no proof, but he did admit to sending her an email that said she was "off her head."  He said he was very fond of the Grillo sisters but feared they would use their allegations that Nigella took drugs as a defence in their trial.

In that email he refers to his wife as "Higella" at one point.  "I can only laugh at your sorry depravity" the email read.  "Of course now the Grillos will get off on the basis that you ...... were so off your head on drugs that you allowed the sisters to spend whatever they liked and yes, I believe every word the Grillos have said, who afterall, only stole money."

When the theft was discovered, the sisters got off lightly and it's hard to understand why they decided to look a gift horse in the mouth. They weren't sacked but allowed to continue on their current salaries and repay the money in monthly installments. They could also live rent-free in a flat owned by Nigella in central London.  Yet the sisters weren't happy and said it tied them to the company for the rest of their lives.

Did the sisters feel confident their employers would never take them to court because the drug addiction accusation would be out in the open? Unfortunately for them, Charles Saatchi had other ideas. He would have known it would ruin Nigela's reputation and her career.

Anthony Metzer QC, defending Elisabetta, said it was common practice for PA's to spend money on luxury items for themselves, paid for by their employer.

Nigella's other PAs - Anzelle Wasserman, Zoe Wales and Alice Binks all used their employers' credit cards to buy personal items and they were allowed to run up bills at Annabell's, a private club popular with the royal family, and spend weekends at Babington House, a boutique hotel in Somerset.  These employees weren't asked to repay any money and there's a good reason why.

Francesca racked up an average of 48,000 pounds a month, Elisabetta 28,000 a month and the other PA's a maximum of 8,000 pounds per month.  

Elisabetta (left) and Francesca Grillo

Nigella is expected to give evidence at a later date but doesn't seem too phased by the fallout. Yesterday she tweeted a recipe for Butternut Squash with pecans and blue cheese.

The trial continues.

Simon Gittany's girlfriend

Rachelle Louise in a clip from a music video in 2011

It didn't take long for Simon Gittany to replace Lisa Harnum with another beautiful woman.  It wasn't a good look and gave the impression he recovered from his fiance's death rather quickly. What isn't clear is why his new girlfriend, who uses the stage name Rachelle-Louise, and her mother, never doubted his innocence.

Her real name is Rachelle Louise Welcome.  She's a model, an aspiring actress and hopes to write a book about her love affair with Gittany. Yesterday her mother said her daughter is a strong, smart woman, in love with an "innocent man" and she had no concerns about her safety while she was with him.  "He's a kind and considerate man" she said.

Did they not hear Lisa's mother tell the court how in her final days, Gittany forced her to kneel before him and "submit" to him?

Rachael Louise grew up in Sydney and worked for the Commonwealth Bank before heading overseas.  She worked for a while at the Spearmint Rhino gentleman's club in Vegas and as a masseuse in London.

You would expect Rachael's mother to be thankful  her daughter has had a narrow escape.  Now that Gittany is in prison, she's been spared a dangerous future with a controlling, violent man.  "I'm not relieved he's gone to jail, I feel desolate, I feel empty, I woke up this morning and felt physically ill" she said.

Someone suggested to Mrs Welcome that her daughter being filmed with Gittany coming to and from court was a stunt.  "Why would we all be upset and losing sleep and putting ourselves through this if it were all an act?" she said.

So there we have it, even with all the evidence against him, Simon Gittany still has the power to convince two women he's innocent.

Yesterday, Lisa Harnum's mother and her brother Jason took the first plane back to Canada, their shocking ordeal finally over.  They arrived at Sydney airport with detectives who worked on the case and gave each one an emotional hug goodbye.

Mrs Harnum was wearing a white ribbon, symbol of the campaign to stop violence against women.

Krystal Muhieddine 14, missing

Krystal Muhieddine is missing.  Police think she met a mystery man online and ran away with him.  And if this mystery man/boy has an ounce of common sense, he will send her home today. 

Mrs Muhieddine last saw her daughter on Tuesday morning at 5.30am, sitting in the passenger seat of a silver hatchback with red P-plates as it sped off from outside their house in Mount Street, Hunters Hill. "Someone was waiting for her" she said.  Krystal's mobile has been switched off ever since.

Parents 

Because Krystal is only 14 and has never dated or had a boyfriend, she is naive and extremely vulnerable. She is described as being of Mediterranian/Middle Eastern appearance, tall, almost 6ft, thin build, shoulder length brown curly hair and black-framed reading glasses.

Last Friday night, her parents found out she had lied to her sisters. She told them she had permission to go to the movies to see The Hunger Games with a school friend, but she didn't.  We can only guess what took place that night, but it's likely there was a huge row.

Her mother said she "reprimanded" her daughter and confiscated her phone, which is enough in itself to send most teenagers into a total meltdown.  Mrs Muhieddine said she and her husband didn't allow social media in the house but thinks Krystal was using the Smartphone messaging app Kik.

There's a lot going on in Krystal's life.  Her mother said she was picked on and bullied at her old school and has just started at a new one.  "She just didn't fit in with the clique there" she said. Seven weeks ago, when she started at Santa Sabina College at Strathfield, her parents were under the impression she was much happier.

Detective Inspector Richard Puffett said police were exhausting every possible avenue to find her.  Anyone with information should phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Edit 5pm 29 November 2013:  Krystal was found safe and well in a small country town in Victoria at lunchtime today.  Her parents are on their way to collect her. 

Simon Gittany guilty of murdering Lisa Harnum

It's just as well Justice Lucy McCallum found Simon Gittany guilty of murdering Lisa Harnum, because an innocent verdict was out of the question. The general public decided he was guilty, right from the start.

And this time, police got it right.  They didn't slip up and do anything that might give the judge cause to disregard evidence because it was prejudged against the accused.  Police had to make sure the media didn't find out that Gittany was a violent man who had spent time in prison and a suspected drug dealer.  He had to be presented to the court as an innocent man, with every opportunity to prove his innocence, and he was. 

In 1993, when he was unemployed, he was questioned by police for receiving $10,000 worth of stolen goods but it wasn't until 1994 that two police went to his home in Merrylands to arrest him. That's when Gittany and his mother physically attacked both men and as her brother wrestled on the floor with police, his sister looked on, hurling abuse. He bit the ear of one officer and both men had to attend Westmead Hospital.  Gittany was sentenced to 30 months for the assault and receiving stolen goods.

Police are currently investigating Gittany's involvement into his business dealings with two convicted methamphetamine dealers who ran a secret drug lab in Sydney. He was also convicted of selling cocaine and sentenced to periodic detention so we now know where the money came from to pay for his expensive suits and the $1000-a-week rent on his Sydney apartment overlooking the beautiful Hyde Park.

Gittany became known to police when he was 18.  He was found guilty of bashing a man while one of his friends held him down. The man had tried to stop Gittany from harassing his ex girlfriend but he got off with a good behaviour bond.

Joan Harnum

Lisa's broken-hearted mother Joan Harnum issued a warning to all other beautiful young women who are being slowly weaned away from their family and friends by their lover/husband.  "If your significant other always knows where you are and what you're doing, you need to take a serious look at what's going on.

Mrs Harnum was asked if she thought Gittany was a suitable partner for her daughter, as if she could do anything about it anyway.  If your child is in love with someone you don't like, there is no way they can be talked into leaving them, the parent must grin and bear it or risk alienation.  Joan Harnum had to stand by and watch as things gradually got worse and when Lisa finally woke up, it was too late.

Rachelle Louise

And it could have been too late for Gittany's current girlfriend Rachelle Louise, had fate not intervened.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that Gittany was assaulted by Downing Centre inmates.  He is now in protective custody.

Jonathan Trott heads home

Jonathan Trott

This Ashes tour is brutal with Australians deliberately using every dirty trick in the book.  England batsman Jonathan Trott has withdrawn from the series after England lost the first Test in Brisbane.  Knowing that his departure would cause huge controversy, he made the brave decision to put his health first and go home. Nobody knew he had a "stress-related illness" and he copped his fair share of on-field abuse.

David Warner

David Warner admits the Aussies went too far.  "I made those comments for a reason" he said at Brisbane airport.  "Look, yesterday, the bounce and pace got to them again, it's Ashes cricket..... probably went a little bit too far with the comments but it's cricket, and now it's in the back of their mind."

English TV commentator David Lloyd said Warner's sledging was "nasty, horrible stuff." Although we didn't get to hear everything that was said on field, we can guess.  In a press conference after day 3, Warner said Trott was "weak" and had "scared eyes."

Michael Vaughan (left)

Former English captain Michael Vaughan's comments didn't help. He didn't like Trott's technique against quick-arm bowler Mitchell Johnson and in his Telegraph column on Saturday he said "Jonathan Trott's second innings at the Gabba was among the worst I have seen from an England No 3."  And then "You do not play shots like the ones he did on Saturday without something being seriously wrong in your mind."

Vaughan later tweeted "I do feel guilty for criticising Trott this week....I wasn't to know what he was going through, I can only comment on what I see.

The English Cricket Board said that Trott 32, would take an indefinite break from cricket and would not be returning to the five-Test tour.

Beyond Blue Chairman Jeff Kennett criticized coverage in some Australian newspapers following Trott's decision to leave.  "If Jonathan Trott had broken his arm, nobody would have criticized him or inferred (as the papers are doing) that he's taken his bat and ball and gone home" he told Sydney radio.  "But because it's an illness you can't see, people like to take cheap shots."

South African cricketer Gulam Bodi tweeted "Trott to go home from Ashes due to stress illness!  Bloody man up and take the heat! Stop running for cover."  The tweet has since been deleted.

The tragic death of Harry Dunn

It must have been a shock for truck driver Daniel Hennessy to hear the judge say he was going to jail for a minimum of three years for a traffic offence.  The 34-year-old was charged with dangerous driving occasioning death, negligent driving occasioning death, and driving with an illicit drug in his system.

Police alleged that Hennessy was at the wheel of a McCarthy's Transport prime mover, taking a back street to avoid traffic, when he failed to give way at a stop sign in a quiet suburban street and ploughed into a school bus.  Nine year old Harry Dunn was thrown through the windscreen and died at the scene.  

From Hennessy's point of view, it was a tragic accident, he didn't plan on killing anyone, he just took his eyes off the road for a second to check his mobile phone.

Heartbroken parents, Dean and Sarah Dunn

"I placed the phone back in the cup holder in the centre of the dash...I looked up... and realized I was coming up to an intersection....I remember seeing that the intersection had stop signs my way" he said.  "I started to brake and saw the bus coming from the left on Church Street, I turned to the right to try and avoid the bus." 

Daniel Hennessy

Judge Peter Berman sent a clear message to us all -  if you still think it's okay to chat or text while driving, and you cause an accident where someone is killed, it's likely you will go to prison.

Harry's father condemned Hennessy's driving record - 26 speeding offences in three states and banned from driving in NSW twice due to loss of demerit points.  The second ban ended just three months before Harry's death.

The average person doesn't have a shocking driving record like Hennessy, but most of us are guilty of using a mobile phone while driving.

Someone suggested the best way to stay out of trouble is by throwing the mobile into the boot of your car before heading off to work each morning.  There's only one problem with that - most people find this suggestion so alarming, being separated from their mobile, even for a short time, is unthinkable.

Our phones have become an extension of us, and are such a vital part of our daily life, if a call or text comes in, human nature being what it is, we feel compelled to respond, even if we're driving.

Police are doing their best, trying to catch us, but the thought of missing an important call, still keeps the phone within easy reach when we drive.  But it never is an important call, it's just some mundane, trivial matter that could easily wait to be answered.

Meanwhile, while people continue to chat and text on their mobiles every day while they drive, Harry Dunn's heartbroken parents must try to carry on without him.

Australian ABC chief and The Guardian treachery

Mark Scott

On Tuesday in Canberra, ABC Managing Director Mark Scott was questioned at a Senate Estimates Hearing about releasing sensitive information that would harm Australia's relationship with Indonesia. 

He said it was in the "public interest" to reveal that in 2009, Australia tapped the phones of Indonesian leaders and the ABC was right to join The Guardian Australia in publishing secret intelligence stolen from the US National Security Agency by Edward Snowden.

Mr Scott said "Yes, I appreciate that the release of some of this material might ....... cause some difficulties with Australian-Indonesian relationship in the short term."  

Well Mr Scott, releasing sensitive information that will harm your country is called treason and it's clear that you don't have Australia's best interests at heart.  

The phone tapping took place during Labor's watch and it's been suggested that Mr Scott and The Guardian "sat" on the documents and waited until Tony Abbott was elected before releasing the information they knew would destroy his relationship with Indonesia.

Not true says Mr Scott, he said he received the documents "a matter of days before the broadcast."  The leaked documents to The Guardian were massive, he said, and took a long time to examine and they only "had access to this material 24 hours before the ABC was alerted to it."  Let's hope he can prove it.

When Liberal Senator Anne Ruston asked Mr Scott why he published documents that were marked "top secret" he said he believed it was in the public interest to do so.  But what about the national interest Mr Scott?

When The Guardian got hold of the documents, they approached the ABC about working together.  They knew how much the ABC hates the conservatives, and boy does it show.  Labor continually complain about the Murdoch press being responsible for anti-Labor articles, yet seem oblivious to the bias shown to Labor by the ABC.

So now we have three identities working against our country's best interest - Edward Snowden, the boss of the ABC and The Guardian. May you all get what you deserve.

Indonesia thinks Australia is arrogant

Commentary: Indonesia:
A reluctant good neighbor
to Australia

Kornelius Purba, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Commentary | Thu, July 04 2013, 7:55 AM

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

Julia Gillard

Bambang Yudhoyono

Bj Habibie

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Many Indonesians find it hard to control their temper each time they read or hear any kind of “provocative” remark or statement from the Australian media, military, politicians or celebrities. The country is perceived as an arrogant neighbor that has a strong sense of superiority toward us, and which has no more important agenda than to destroy the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).

To us, Australia is a nation that has little respect for Indonesia, while we do not believe that we deserve such treatment as a great nation. We would like Australians to learn more about Indonesia because of its pivotal role in the global community. While at the same time we often ignore the principle “to know thy neighbor”. We are apparently reluctant to learn more about our neighbors and instead focus on forcing them to deepen their knowledge about us.

A poll conducted this year by the Lowy Institute found that 84 percent of Australians believe that their country “acts as a good neighbor to Indonesia”, while only 54 percent agree that Indonesia acts as a good neighbor to Australia and only 30 percent of them believe that “Indonesia helps Australia combat people smuggling”.

Who among Indonesians would not feel angry at the perception that a majority (54 percent) agree that “Australia is right to worry about Indonesia as a military threat” and that “Indonesia is a dangerous source of Islamic terrorism”? One thing we need to remember is that perception does not always reflect reality.

Perhaps most of us will never forgive the continent state for “masterminding” the independence of East Timor (now Timor Leste), although we often forget that it was then president BJ Habibie who initiated an independence referendum for the former Indonesian colony.

It is also no exaggeration to say that most of us are strongly suspicious that Australia will, again, be the main supporter of the Papuan people in establishing their own state despite repeated denials from Australian government officials, including Foreign Minister Bob Carr during a meeting with a group of visiting Indonesian journalists, because Australia was among the first countries that endorsed Indonesia’s annexation of East Timor in the 1970s. The presence of a strong US military presence in Darwin only strengthens the suspicion that Papua’s independence is high on the neighbor’s agenda.

 During the Soeharto era, the then president was outraged when an Australian newspaper reported the corrupt practices of his children, although we found later that the reports were not totally wrong (if not totally right).

Today (Thursday), Prime Minister Kevin Rudd arrives in Jakarta to meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Indonesia will opt to remain neutral regarding the September general election in Australia no matter who emerges as the winner (Labor or the Coalition), although Yudhoyono probably has a personal preference for Rudd. Rudd’s visit itself was not at his own initiative because it was his predecessor, Julia Gillard, who tabled the visit.

I remember visiting parliament in Canberra last month. Rudd was sitting in the back row when Gillard responded sternly to a statement by an opposition legislator who teased her about an economic issue. Rudd received little attention from the media or even his colleagues because most of the Australian media was confident that Rudd would not get enough of the vote to exact revenge against Gillard to secure the Labor Party’s helm.

Gillard had called for an early general election in September, while the opposition party was leading in several opinion polls. Opposition leader Tony Abbott, who promised to take a much tougher stance against boat people, including the possible deployment of naval ships to chase away the boats carrying them, was outraged at Gillard’s announcement that she would meet with Yudhoyono in Jakarta in August.

Gillard clearly wanted to get a major concession from the Indonesian government concerning boat people. I personally met with Gillard along with other Indonesian journalists as a part of an Australian Foreign Ministry program to organize a dialogue with their Australian counterparts. For Indonesia, Labor’s approach is more sensible because the burden is shared. Indonesia cannot control the flow of the boat people because of the vastness of the archipelago, and also because of the corrupt mentality of Indonesian officials who have direct contact with the migrants. The root of the problem lies not only with Indonesia but much more with the countries of origin.

Rudd’s visit would be much more meaningful were he to visit again after winning the September election, and if it were more of a courtesy visit.

In every way Indonesia is a major state and it is only right that it holds an honorable position among the international community. But we also need to behave as a great nation, one for which its people have high respect. There are 1,000 reasons to hate Australia, but we must also be ready when the same reasons are applied to us.

Indonesia spoiling for a fight

Indonesia is spoiling for a fight, determined to milk the phone-tapping scandal for all its worth.  They are so outraged by Australia's behaviour, a group is planning a demonstration outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta today.  If something happens to a member of staff at the embassy, all hell will break loose.  As Tony Abbott takes precautions to ensure their safety, the Department of Foreign Affairs has updated its travel advice.

The protest has been organized by a group called the People's Coalition for Defence and Security (KMPH) and Australians already on holiday in Indonesia are being told to monitor local media.

Yesterday Indonesia announced they had cut off all co-operation with Australia, including people smuggling.  President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he will send a letter to Tony Abbott demanding an apology.

John Kerry and Julie Bishop on November 20 in Washington

When John Kerry was asked if the US had asked Australia to tap the phones of the Indonesian President, his wife and their inner circle, he said "We just don't talk about intelligence matters in public and we're not going to begin now."

So the standoff continues to deteriorate with no apology forthcoming from Tony Abbott.

Indonesia's fury over Australia's phone tapping

It's just as well Edward Snowden is hiding somewhere in Russia because there are a lot of people all over the world who would love to get their hands on him.  Courtesy of Snowden, Australia is now in Indonesia's bad books for tapping the Indonesian President and his wife's private phones.

When President Obama reassured Angela Merkle and the French President their phones hadn't been tapped, we didn't believe him, but whatever promises were made, at least they are still talking, albeit only just.

But when the Indonesian President expressed his fury to Prime Minister Tony Abbott, instead of calming the waters be reassuring him it wouldn't happen again, Abbott said it was in our country's best interests to eavesdrop on anyone we damn well liked. "Importantly, in Australia's case, we use all our resources, including information to help our friends and allies, not to harm them" he said.

Indonesian Foreign Minister

So we now have a standoff and we've been threatened with dire consequences.  Last night, the Indonesian President met with several of his ministers, including the Agriculture Minister who handles beef exports, the Minister in charge of asylum seekers, and our friend, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa. 

But we can't forget the elephant in the room, something high minded people would never mention - Australia's aid to Indonesia, our largest aid program.  Does Indonesia have the right to throw its weight around when Australia's assistance to Indonesia was worth an estimated $541.6 million in 2011-12?  We have a history of being nothing but a friend to Indonesia.

Yesterday Abbott said "all governments gather information" and the Indonesian Foreign Minister said "Well, I have news for you, we don't." Oh really?  Well we have news for you.

On the weekend, ex Indonesian intelligence chief General Abdullah Hendropriyono said that in 2004, his agency tapped Australian civil and military communications and politicians' phone calls.  They also made unsuccessful attempts to recruit Australian spies.  The General said that under President Megawati Soekarnoputri's government, it was well known both sides tapped each other's communications during the East Timor crisis.

So Tony Abbott now has two choices.  He can settle things down by acknowledging tapping took place and promise it won't happen again, or continue to dig his toes in and stand firm.

Indonesia has recalled its diplomat from Australia and is reviewing all co-operation between our two countries.  Thanks a bunch Edward Snowden.

Broken heart syndrome

Science has now proved what we knew all along - you really can die of a broken heart. When a husband or wife dies, scientists in the US found that the remaining spouse has a 66 per cent chance of dying within the first three months of their death.

But it doesn't just happen to married couples, it can happen to anyone. Last year, Marcus Ringrose, the grieving husband of Doctor Who actress Mary Tamm who died of cancer, gave an impressive 20 minute eulogy at her funeral and died the next day. Although he was fit and healthy, his death was officially called Sudden Adult Death Syndrome, a cardiac condition triggered by emotional stress.

Marcus Ringrose and his wife Mary Tamm

The correct medical term is Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy, first recognised by Japanese doctors in the 1990s who named it after noticing a resemblance between a Japanese octopus trap and the elongated shape of the affected heart on an X-ray.  Broken Heart Syndrome is actually a temporary inflammatory heart condition that affects the heart muscle.

Peter Joyce is a fit, healthy, 34 year old Australian engineer.  He and his girlfriend Heidi had been together for five years and had plans to buy a house together when they returned from a summer holiday in the US.  But not long after coming home, Heidi suddenly left him. 

"It was like my world ended" he said.  "She said she didn't want to be with me anymore, I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, I didn't want to go to work or hang out with my friends.  My chest hurt so badly, sometimes my heart would start beating really fast and felt like it would explode." Then one day at the office he blacked out.

He was rushed to hospital and after a series of tests, the doctor asked him if he had lost someone close to him or been through a traumatic experience recently.  When he told him his girlfriend had left him, the doctor told him he had stress cardiomyopathy or broken heart syndrome.  Symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue, lethargy, heart palpitations, fainting episodes and chest pain. During an extremely stressful event, the body releases hormones that cause the heart to become elongated and pumping efficiency is great reduced.

So it's true, you can die of  broken heart.

Can we get over it?  Of course we can, it just takes time.  It's an unavoidable truth, if you love enough to have your heart broken, you will suffer.  It's the price we pay for loving too much.

Canadian police smash child porn ring

Former detective Lynton John Moore (left) and his lawyer

Sixty-six Australians out of 320 people have been arrested after Canadian police cracked what they said was the most horrific child abuse ring they have ever seen.  Among them were teachers, police, doctors and priests.  Canadian police expect more arrests will be made as the investigations continue.

Brian Way, a 42 year old Toronto man paid others to film children being subjected to despicable sexual acts, some as young as two years old.  Most were from eastern European countries but five children came from Western Australia and one child lived in the ACT.

So what will happen to these vermin?  Judges have a reputation for going soft on these men and it's hard to understand why. Convictions rarely include jail time and sentences are often converted to probation for first-time offenders.

Lynton John Moore from WA is a 30 year old former detective. His lawyer Mark Andrews said his client was from a deeply religious family and had already suffered enough.  He had lost his reputation, his standing in the community and prison would be very hard for a former policeman to endure.

The judge said he would have to watch the material before passing sentence but let's see what happens, he's due to be sentenced in Perth Court next Friday and if he does give him jail time, judges must have had a serious change of heart.

NSW Bureau of Statistics and Research figures show it has been five times easier to go to prison for stealing a car than it is for looking at a small child being sexually debased. Only 15 out of 100 NSW men charged in Australia's biggest child pornography crackdown are in jail, even though they were found guilty.

Police documents show prosecutors won 79 of the 102 cases - 11 were sentenced to jail but most had them suspended and others were given fines and bonds.

Once again, our Judiciary has let us down badly and there's not a damn thing we can do about it.  As the world gets sicker and sicker, judges get softer and softer on these men who are the lowest form of human life.

Bitcoins and drugs

Yesterday, top drug agents from the US, The Netherlands, New Zealand and Australia met in Cairns to discuss the latest state of play. They have uncovered a virtual supermarket of illegal drugs on the internet that arrive via the postman in discrete packaging from overseas.

Since the US shut down Silk Road a month ago, at least seven new online sites have sprung up known as "eBays of vice."  They sell marijuana (still the most sought after drug worldwide) cocaine, ecstacy and other illegal products, using Bitcoin digital currency.

Silk Road mastermind Ross Williams Ulbricht allegedly built a $1.2 billion empire in San Francisco before he was arrested and the new websites are quickly filling the hole left in the marketplace.

When Silk Road closed down, there were 26,000 Bitcoins, worth $3 million, sitting in users' accounts. "I am devastated that Silk Road is permanently down and what happens to the amount of Bitcoins I have in my wallet? Where the fuck did they go?" one user said. "They can't just take everyone's coins, can they?" another wanted to know.

A teenage Australian trading as TradeFortress says his Bitcoin website has been hacked and more than one million Australian dollars worth of bitcoins stolen.  They didn't belong to him, they were owned by the users of his website who trusted them to him. His clients gave them willingly, not knowing who he was, or what he stood for, they simply trusted him to do the right thing. He's now worried about his personal safety as his identity is about to be blown.  Because Bitcoins are not government-backed, there is nothing police can do and he's not even bothering to report the theft to police.

Computer criminals now know that stealing Bitcoins is easy. A Chinese Bitcoin exchange that held up to $US4 million in users' accounts has gone offline and everyone involved has disappeared. The company was launched in May 2013, with its domain btc.glb.com registered on 9th May.

Once you are in possession of a Bitcoin, there is no way of telling where it came from, so it's attractive for all the wrong reasons.  In the past it's been used to buy drugs, guns and other illegal items, you could even hire a contract killer.

At today's rate, each Bitcoin is now worth around $400.  In January they were selling for just $30, a good indication of where the new e-currency is going.

Kevin Rudd's shock resignation

Nobody knew Kevin Rudd was going to announce his resignation last night.  It only took two days into the new Parliament for him to see the writing on the wall and finally understand what both sides of politics already knew, that he had reached his use-by date and it was time to go.

It was hard not to feel sorry for this man who couldn't get on with his peers.  He managed to defeat John Howard in 2007 yet he will go into the history books as the first Australian Prime Minister to be sacked by his own party while still in office.

It was interesting to watch some of the people responsible for his demise offering him their congratulations. Julia Gillard even tweeted her best wishes.

Kevin and son Marcus

He said it was a privilege to be asked to return as Prime Minister just before the election to "save the furniture." And it's true, he did, there is more than one Labor MP in Canberra today because of Kevin Rudd's popularity with the public.

The Labor Party can now breathe a sigh of relief.  Half of his colleagues recognized his worth and remained totally loyal, but others hated him with a passion hard to understand.  But now the elephant in the room has left the building.

Thank for all you kindness and support. http://t.co/nyMVFh9ld1 KRudd

Anorexia ruined her life

Jacqueline Kemp

Anorexia Nervosa is a serious mental illness that doctors can't cure. British woman Jacqueline Kemp 64, says it ruined her health, her happiness and the chance of having a family and hopes her story will save others from living a life of misery.

Jacqueline has spent most of her life in a constant state of panic and fear, unable to hold down a full time job and the thought of weight gain through pregnancy was out of the question.  Now she's a lonely old lady with few close friends.  Socializing usually involves food at some point and the thought of being offered a simple cup of tea with a biscuit would terrify her, so she kept away from people.

She's very concerned about the pro-Anorexia websites and wants them shut down. "I have no idea why people would try to influence others to lose weight when they are already so thin" she said.

A study done last year said one million Australians have an eating disorder, a 40-fold increase since 2003.  As society is now overwhelmed by the importance of body image, mothers of teenagers across the country are starting to worry about their child's gradual reluctance to eat, and the pro-anorexic websites aren't helping - they encourage them to lie, cheat, and keep on going.

But there won't be much help for parents who come to realize they have a problem, Australia doesn't have a high priority for treating people with eating disorders.  There are just two public hospital beds available in NSW, five in Queensland and 19 in Victoria.

For support visit thebutterflyfoundation.org.au or call the Bufferfly Foundation on 1800 33 4673

Australia's first suicide bomber

An Australian citizen has blown himself up fighting for a cause that has nothing to do with Australia.  In a video published by an al Qaeda-linked group, he is farewelled by his fellow rebels and lauded a hero, about to die for the cause in an attack on Deir al-Zour military airport in Syria. The man responsible for killing 35 Syrian soldiers identified himself as Australia's first suicide bomber.

Although his face is blurred in the video, officials believe he's an Australian citizen from Brisbane.  Intelligence agencies are trying to figure out how a family man living in a peaceful Brisbane suburb ends up as a suicide bomber in the Syrian civil war.

In the video, he says goodbye to his fellow jihadists and asks for more foreigners to join the fight.  

"This is a message to all my brothers in the world.  Today jihad is a duty of every Muslim, to carry a weapon and come to the land of jihad....today jihad is a duty imposed on every Muslim, so rise up Muslims.  This is a duty imposed on us and the best of people are those who fight for the sake of God.  So if you are afraid, why are you afraid?  For your wives and children?  Trust in God.  In the west or in any country, you think you are men, or that you are living a good life?  Today, real men are living in the land of jihad, they are our brothers, they are the Muslims who defend the religion of God."

When a shocking video was released earlier this year, showing a Syrian rebel commander, Abu Sakkar, cutting out the heart and lungs of his enemy and eating it in front of his cheering men, the world suddenly had second thoughts about arming the rebels.

When Free Syrian Army's chief of staff Gen Salim Idris was asked why Sakkar wasn't arrested he said "We condemn what he did but why do our friends in the west focus on this when thousands are dying?  We are a revolution, not a structured army.  If we were, we would have expelled Abu Sakkar, but he commands his own battalion which he raised with his own money.  Is the west asking me now to fight Abu Sakkar and force him out of the revolution?  I beg for some understanding here."

Authorities believe there are over 200 Australians participating in the Syrian conflict and an estimated 6000 foreigners are fighting with the rebels.  But out of all western countries, Australians are the most enthusiastic supporters and the Australian flag now flies with the rest. 

Blake Ferguson converts to Islam

Thanks to Anthony Mundine's influence, Blake Ferguson has converted to Islam in the hope of turning his life around.  From now on, his new life will be vastly different from his old one - no drinking, no drugs and no parties. "Alcohol is completely forbidden in Islam and that's been my problem for the last five years, I've had enough, I really have" he said.

Blake Ferguson

Last Friday afternoon, Ferguson made his "declaration of faith" at a Sydney mosque where he and Tony Mundine were photographed praying together.

Sacked by the Raiders and suspended by the NRL for drunken behaviour issues, this talented young sportsman needed a change in direction.  Sonny Bill Williams also converted to Islam five years ago after being mentored by Mundine, and his football career is well and truly back on track.

Sonny Bill Williams

Ferguson is going to try his hand at boxing and was supposed to have his first professional fight at the aborted Mosley/Mundine clash on October 23 which has been re-scheduled for later this month.

Just in case you missed it, Mundine was supposed to fight American Shane Mosley on October 23 but the fighter flew home the day before. Mosley said promoter Vlad Warton breached his contract by failing to pay the remainder of his $1 million purse in advance. Mundine and his manager Khoder Nasser have since paid the money and the match is set to take place on November 27.

One sports writer said that when Mundine has a fight coming up, he always manages to attract media attention over some event, and a cynic might say that Ferguson's conversion to Islam helped put Mundine's photo on the front page of the Sunday Telegraph yesterday.

Mosley and Mundine

To say that Mundine isn't popular with the Australian public would be an understatement, and it's all his own doing. He holds on passionately to the injustices our ancestors inflicted on the Aboriginal people, and won't let go.  He has refused to be present while the National Anthem is played, he hates our flag, and after 9/11, he said some things about America that kept corporate sponsors like Nike away in droves. 

Mosley has a credible reputation that should attract fight fans to the event, although there were only 1500 tickets sold for the first fight. Mosley is expected to arrive in Sydney later this week.

Thomas Kelly killer sentence outrage

Kieran Loveridge

Once again, our justice system has let us down badly.  Kieran Loveridge king-hit Thomas Kelly so hard, his heartbroken parents had to turn off his life support two days later.  Thomas wasn't looking for trouble, he was just walking along the street holding hands with his girlfriend.  Loveridge on the other hand, was looking for trouble, he went out that night with the intention of bashing as many people as he could, just for fun, and Thomas was just one of five other assaults he committed that night.

The circumstances of this case would lead most people to conclude that Loveridge murdered Thomas Kelly, but the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) didn't agree. All he had to do was plead guilty and he would be charged with manslaughter and receive a much lighter sentence.

Thomas Kelly

And that's exactly what happened in the Sydney Supreme Court yesterday.  Loveridge was sentenced to a maximum of six years in jail for manslaughter plus another 18 months for four other assaults he committed on the same night and will be eligible for parole in November 2017 after serving five years and two months.

Justice Stephen Campbell said ".......I have formed the impression that Thomas must have been a wonderful young man full of promise for the future and of whom his parents were justly proud." But when the judge saw Loveridge weep when the Kelly family read out their victim impact statement, he took it as a sign of remorse.  He said that because Loveridge was drunk, he was unable or unwilling to control his aggressive urges and he thought it unlikely that he would re-offend - he had "well and truly learnt his lesson."

Parents in shock

To me, that sounds like a lot of sympathy for the perpetrator and none for the victim.  I wonder what the judge would have said to Loveridge if it had been his son lying in that hospital bed dying from massive head injuries.  The legal system seems to be saying to the parents it was just an unfortunate incident but there are good prospects for the killer to be rehabilitated.  Who cares if he's rehabilitated?  He needs to be held to account for killing an innocent young man for no reason. 

New South Wales Attorney General Greg Smith will ask the Director of the DPP to appeal against the sentence and if there was ever a good reason for appeal - this is it.