Police investigate WA GP over euthanasia
A Perth doctor who admitted giving a lethal injection to an elderly woman dying of emphysema has criticised detectives for visiting her clinic and telling her the death was being investigated as a possible murder.
Dr Alida Lancee refused to be questioned by police on the advice of her lawyer.
Dr Lancee – an advocate with Doctors for Voluntary Euthanasia Choice – said she administered painkilling medication that hastened the death of the woman, who had attempted suicide several times in her 80s, five years ago. Police have confirmed to media they are investigating Dr Lancee.
Currently, medical practitioners who hastened somebody’s death are at risk of being found guilty of either murder or manslaughter.
Man on most wanted list arrested
Another of Australia’s most wanted has been arrested a week after police nationwide launched a new campaign.
The 41-year-old wanted man was arrested at a property in Pinjarra, Western Australia on Monday and has been extradited to Sydney. He’ll appear in Waverley Local Court later today to face charges over a series of assaults.
The man is the fifth target – the first for NSW – to be arrested as part of the national Operation Roam which is using social media to track down the 20 fugitives on its list.
‘Allahu Akbar’ stab victim remembered
Tributes have begun flowing in for a young British woman killed in a stabbing attack at a north Queensland hostel.
Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, was stabbed to death by a 29-year-old French man who yelled “Allahu Akbar” [AH-LA-HU ARK-BAR] during the attack at Shelley’s Backpackers in Home Hill near Townsville on Tuesday night. Police say they do not know the alleged attacker’s motivations, however there are no known links to terrorism.
A 30-year-old British man remains in a critical condition in Townsville hospital following the attack, while a dog was also killed and a local man had minor injuries.
Greyhound industry reeling over NSW ban
The greyhound racing community in NSW is holding out hope of a legal challenge after a controversial bill to ban the sport in NSW from July 1 next year finally cleared parliament.
After weeks of intense public debate, the legislation finally passed early yesterday morning following a marathon 12-hour debate in which three Nationals MPs broke ranks with the government.
The greyhound racing industry says the move will financially ruin hundreds of people who have devoted their lives to the industry, with its hopes now lying in a Supreme Court legal challenge.
Search resumes for man lost in NSW floods
Rescue crews are preparing to re-launch a search this morning for a man who went missing in floodwaters on the NSW far north coast yesterday when heavy rains lashed parts of the state.
The 72-year-old climbed from his car and clung to a tree after it was swept into Leycester Creek, near Kyogle, around 3.45pm.
Witnesses saw the man being pushed downstream shortly afterwards and he has not been seen since.
QLD woman dies after being thrown from car
A Queensland woman has died following a collision which pushed her car into oncoming traffic on the Sunshine Coast.
The woman was driving north on Eumundi Noosa Road last night when she either stopped or slowed down to turn right and was hit from behind. The 49-year-old woman died at the scene.
Young Aussies seek ‘dodgy’ health advice
Almost four out of five young Australians turn to “Dr Google” for advice about their health and medicines, according to a new survey, leading to warnings people need to be a more wise about online health sites.
The research, commissioned by health advocacy group NPS MedicineWise, has found the majority of people aged 18-34 go online to source health-related information.
Almost 80 per cent of the survey’s participants admitted they will sometimes or always look up information about their health conditions on the internet to avoid seeing a health professional. This is an increase on the last NPS MedicineWise survey conducted in 2012.
