Showing posts with label maroochydore-4558. Show all posts
Showing posts with label maroochydore-4558. Show all posts

Thursday, 9 October 2008

Woman sues over watch-house sexual assault

A woman is suing the Queensland Government and two police officers for nearly $1 million after she was sexually assaulted in a Maroochydore watch-house in 2005.

The 27-year-old woman is seeking $300,000 each from Peter Anthony Buxton, Zane Anthony Slingsby and the State Government.

The claim, which was lodged in the Supreme Court in Brisbane, states Queensland Police and Corrective Services officers failed in their duty of care to the woman.

Both men were sent to jail over the offences.

Tuesday, 23 September 2008

Two jailed over Customs fine default

Two Queensland men will serve four-year jail terms after failing to pay a $13.8 million fine for Customs and excise duty frauds.

In 2006, Jeffrey Andrew Bryce of Pelican Waters in Caloundra and Lawrence Eric Wright of Kenmore Hills in Brisbane were found guilty of 45 breaches of the Customs and Excise Acts.

The two were principals of Brisbane-based firm Labrador Liquor Wholesale.

In the year to May 1996, they exported seven shipping containers, informing Customs the containers held duty-free alcohol and cigarettes.

But the containers held only a small amount of alcohol and cigarettes as most of the duty-free goods had already been sold in Australia.

Friday, 8 August 2008

Woman jailed over bondage death

A woman will spend a year behind bars after being found guilty of the manslaughter of her husband, who died during a kinky bondage session.

A Supreme Court jury in Brisbane took less than a day to find Jean Margaret Meiers, 58, guilty of manslaughter.

During the three-day trial the court was told 47-year-old Geoffrey Braunack died at the couple's secluded home at Beerburrum on the Sunshine Coast on November 1, 2004.

The court was told Meiers failed in her duty of care after taping Mr Braunack's mouth and using rope, tape and a dog chain tied him to a concrete post on the patio.

She then left him tied up while she took a shower.

When she returned, Mr Braunack was not breathing.

Attempts to revive him failed, and it was found he had died of asphyxiation.

Meiers gave evidence in her own trial, telling the court her husband had been obsessed with bondage and that he would beg to be tied up, boasting that he could escape from any situation.

She said she had tied him up hundreds of times before the final fateful occasion.

On the day Mr Braunack died, Meiers said he had been hassling her to be tied up since the early afternoon.

She eventually agreed so he would stop annoying her.

Meiers told the court there was nothing different about the way she tied him up on that occasion, and that she had no reason to harm Mr Braunack.

"I expected him to escape while I was in having a shower," she said.

Meiers told the court she had previously tied Mr Braunack up and then left him alone for extended periods of time - on one occasion she went to work and remained away from the house for 10 hours - and that he had always escaped.

Justice Ann Lyons said it was clear Meiers had not intended to kill her husband, but that she should have foreseen the possible consequences of her behaviour.

"You engaged in a dangerous practice and he was clearly bound too tightly and he was not supervised," she said.

Justice Lyons sentenced Meiers to three years jail, to be suspended after one year.