'Labelled me' thief sentenced

The woman [labled] the 'catch me if you can' thief, who used fake identities and stolen bank cards to dishonestly obtain almost $150,000, has been jailed for five years and nine months.

Jody Harris, 30, lived a life of luxury over a four-month period in 2006, dressing in Louis Vuitton clothes, wearing expensive jewellery and taking holidays.

Sentencing Harris on Friday, Victorian County Court Judge Felicity Hampel described her offending as "professional, calculated and highly organised".

Harris has been serving time for similar offences in NSW since September 2006.

Judge Hampel added nine months to Harris' minimum term for the NSW offences, giving her a new minimum term of four years and three months.

Harris will be eligible for parole in December 2010.

Lawyer jailed for stealing

JOHN AVERY, lawyer has been jailed in Hobart. The art-collecting former barrister was sentenced to 4½ years' imprisonment after pleading guilty to one count of misappropriation and 129 counts of stealing.

The 60-year-old, who practised in the suburb of Moonah, appeared on remand yesterday.

The Chief Justice, Ewan Crawford, told the Supreme Court that Avery's crimes appeared to result from him living far beyond the means of a $150,000-a-year income, and spending on excesses including art.

He misappropriated from his legal firm or stole from clients a total of $512,000 over six years before being detected by the firm's financial manager and Avery's partner in March 2006.

Avery kept records of much of what he took. The court heard he wishfully thought that one day he would reimburse those who had suffered from his crimes.

Now struck off the role of legal practitioners, he had to sell his family's house to pay its mortgage, and was likely to be bankrupt.

"His fall has been a considerable one," Justice Crawford said. "Crimes of this kind shake the security and confidence of the public and cause considerable harm to the reputation of the legal profession on whom the public should be able to rely."

Justice Crawford said Avery had a reputation as a hard-working lawyer with a practical, non-nonsense approach to his tasks, who worked pro bono if his clients required. Testimonials of good character were put before the court.

Unable to determine exactly who had suffered, or the extent of most of the losses, Justice Crawford ordered the repayment of four amounts totalling $80,000.

Avery claimed to have $350,000 work in progress at his firm before his forced retirement, and paintings and sculptures valued at $120,000 were retained.

He will be eligible for parole half-way through his sentence.

Aussie jailed for satanic goat sacrifice

A man has been jailed for stealing a pet goat and killing it during a satanic ritual on a church altar.

Scott Peter Romano, 28, of the Brisbane suburb of Runcorn, will spend the next four months behind bars for what Brisbane District Court Judge Kerry O'Brien today described as a "completely senseless" act.

The court was told the offence took place on Friday, October 13, 2006, after Romano and a group of friends had been drinking heavily at a party in Bellbowrie, in Brisbane's west.

Prosecutor Jacob Robson said the group drove to a nearby property and abducted a goat, which they loaded into the boot of a car and took to the Bellbowrie Community Church.

The court was told the group broke into the church and led the goat - which had been bought as a pet for a 15-year-old girl - to the altar, where they slit its throat in a satanic ritual.

The court was told Romano then decapitated the goat, later telling police it was because he could no longer bear to watch it suffer.

The group took the head and drove to a nearby convenience store to buy a disposable camera, which they used to take photos of themselves performing lewd acts with the head.

Police later found the camera at co-offender Tracey Lee Arnold's home, as well as the head which had been stored in her kitchen freezer.

Arnold was sentenced to two years probation last year for her role in the offence.

Romano today also pleaded guilty to one count each of stealing stock, breaking and entering premises, and injuring an animal.

Defence barrister Steve Kissick told the court his client's behaviour was "entirely out of character", and that he had volunteered to buy a new goat for the owner.

Judge O'Brien said the offence warranted actual jail time as Romano was of an age where he "ought to have sufficient maturity and common sense to know that this sort of conduct is unacceptable".

Judge O'Brien sentenced Romano to 12 months jail but fixed an August 10 parole release date.

Firemen read riot act over heavy-handed police

Missing in action … the banner belonging to the Fire Brigade Employees Union at the demonstration in Hyde Park during the APEC summit last year.

IT BEGAN with two firefighters demonstrating against George Bush's visit to Sydney during the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit.

Now a feud over the confiscation by riot police of a fire brigade union banner during the protest march has escalated, with a complaint to the Police Integrity Commission, a referral to the NSW Ombudsman and the last-minute intervention of the Police Minister, David Campbell, with a promise to return the missing article.

On September 8 last year the two firefighters, Jeremy Fewtrell and Luke Unsworth, were taking part in the peaceful demonstration in Hyde Park, outside the officially declared APEC zone, carrying the banner while their colleagues carried five union flags.

According to a statement prepared for the integrity commission by Mr Fewtrell, three riot squad officers snatched the banner and flags.

"Luke Unsworth and I were walking quietly away from the area at the time of this encounter and were doing nothing to provoke this attack or draw attention to ourselves," he wrote.

"As we were walking, three police officers set upon us from our rear and surrounded us. Without any introduction or explanation they aggressively demanded the [Fire Brigade Employees Union] banner and flags from me.

"I asked them why this was necessary and the three of them then violently reefed [the banner and flags] from my hands. I was told that if I asked any further questions, they would arrest me. One of the police officers … then took the banners away from the immediate area."

None of the officers was wearing name tags.

The officers told Mr Fewtrell he could collect the banner and flags later that day from the Sydney Police Centre, but they were not available.

The secretary of the NSW Fire Brigade Employees Union, Simon Flynn, speculated that police may have taken the banner as a souvenir. "This is exceptionally bad for the relationship between police and firefighters, who

have historically worked well together in the interests of the public."

Mr Flynn says the head of police internal affairs told him the police "had no case to answer" but had acknowledged the officers had taken the banner and recommended reimbursing the union.

Mr Fewtrell, who was based in several inner-city fire stations at the time of the incident and is now based in Dubbo, said he and his colleagues had been wearing T-shirts that clearly identified them to police as fellow emergency service workers.

"The police seemed pumped up on the day and were clearly spoiling for a fight," he said. "They were disappointed that it did not happen. This incident has made me more wary of dealing with the police."

Mr Campbell, in a letter sent to Mr Fewtrell, praised police for their handling of the APEC demonstrations, but did not answer the question about the whereabouts of the missing banner and flags.

But late yesterday, Mr Campbell said the banner and flags had been found and would be returned next week. "It is unacceptable. There is no doubt the flag should have been located and returned earlier."