WA news LIVE: Perth teen arrested after accidentally fleeing straight toward police dog
Rebelo’s mum did not approve of her son’s social media career, court told
By Rebecca Peppiatt
To the Supreme Court of Western Australia now, where the murder trial of Andre Rebelo – the boyfriend of Instagram social media mogul Grace Piscopo – has entered its third day.
Rebelo is accused of killing his mother Colleen Rebelo inside her Bicton home in May 2020 to cash in over a million dollars in life insurance policies he took out in her name just days before she was found dead.
The ensuite shower where Colleen Rebelo was found dead by her youngest son in May 2020.Credit: WA Supreme Court
Today, Ms Rebelo’s best friend told the jury she did not approve of Andre’s girlfriend’s social media career as she was worried about the work eventually drying up.
She also told the court her friend was a “wonderful mother” who was devoted to her children and proud of their achievements.
Ms Rebelo had been a single parent for much of her four children’s lives after she had an acrimonious divorce from their father, but put herself through university.
Two weeks before her death she began a new job with the Health Department after years of working in night fill and cafés to make ends meet.
“She was excited about it,” her friend told the court about her job.
“Nervous, but really excited.”
Ms Rebelo was found dead in her ensuite shower by her youngest son Fabian with a coroner’s inquiry failing to ascertain a cause of death.
State prosecutors have told the jury her second son, 28-year-old Andre, was at the house the morning she died and had opportunity to kill her and then put her in the shower to create the impression she died of natural causes.
Ms Rebelo admits the life insurance forgery, but denies the murder.
The trial continues.
Transport minister defends Metronet’s third rebrand
By Hamish Hastie
And following on from our story about the Metronet rebrand this morning, Transport Minister Rita Saffioti has provided a more fulsome defence of the move during a press conference in Byford today.
The opposition accused the state of politicising the rail network with the rebrand, which Saffioti denied.
“If we wanted to do that, we would have rebranded everything now, but we’re not. We’re doing it as we open those train lines,” she said.
“This is not something that will be done in six months or 12 months. This will be done over the next four to five years.”
The Metronet name and concept was devised the Labor party ahead of the 2013 election.
Asked whether the government had considered changing the rebrand to something that wasn’t closely aligned to an election promise, Saffioti said election promises had ended up as recognisable government brands in the past.
“Royalties for Regions, for example, was a brand that was taken to an election. I think Medicare was taken to an election,” she said.
“Basically, you’re an elected government, and then you deliver those election commitments, including Metronet.”
Saffioti said the rebrand would cost “in the tens of thousands” which was included in operational budgets anyway.
Stop being distracted by silly ideologies: Cook to Pilbara council
Returning to the news we brought you earlier today that a Pilbara council had voted to condemn COVID-19 vaccinations (see 8.28am post). Here is what Premier Roger Cook has had to say in response during a press conference just now:
One, the vaccines are not dangerous, they are important for saving lives and keeping the community safe. Two, the The Town of Port Hedland should stick to its knitting, it should stay focused on the services to the people in that community.
This is another example of that particular council going completely off the rails.We know that there are people on that council who are travelling overseas at the invitation of Vladimir Putin to monitor elections in Russia.
This current decision is another example of that council lacking focus on the issues that matter to their constituents, making sure they provide great services to the people of Port Hedland, making sure that they look after the people and not get distracted by these silly ideological debates.
Perth teen arrested after accidentally fleeing straight towards police dog
WA Police has just released vision of its air wing and canine teams assisting in the arrests of two males in Como and Huntingdale last week.
In the first incident, the aerial vision shows two men, allegedly involved in a burglary earlier that day, driving down Riseley Street in Booragoon in a Mitsubishi Pajero.
The car travels into Como before it stopped, and the two occupants flee the scene. However, the men don’t get far with police air wing directing the canine team to where the men are hiding.
A search of the area later revealed a tomahawk, a round of ammunition and capsicum spray.
In the second incident, the canine section attended a home to speak with a 16-year-old boy in relation to a number of ongoing investigations.
A short time later, a police drone, which was monitoring the home, spotted the teen running through the backyard, jumping multiple fences in an attempt to escape police.
He jumped into an alleyway just as a canine team was walking by, and was arrested.
He has been charged with home burglary, car theft and stealing offences.
More flights on cards for Perth to South Africa, as direct flights to Japan resume
South African Airways will put on extra direct flights between Perth and Johannesburg to deal with increased demand for travel over summer.
The service, which was relaunched in April after a four-year hiatus due to COVID-19 and airport biosecurity disputes, will go from three flights a week to four in December, and five in January.
South African Airways will increase its direct flights from Perth to Johannesburg. Credit: Bloomberg
Perth is also preparing to welcome back direct flights between Guangzhou and Perth next month, while direct flights to Toyko resumed today.
Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti said there were now 20 international destinations that had direct flights from Perth including Paris, London and Rome.
“It’s exciting to welcome back the direct flight between Tokyo and Perth, given Japan is one of our top 10 tourism markets for visitation and spend,” she said.
“Equally, it’s fantastic to see such huge demand for the services between Johannesburg and Perth, particularly given South Africa is one of our biggest inbound markets for travellers visiting their friends and relatives.”
Gary Adshead wins prestigious prize for podcast series The Reporter: True Stories
Perth journalist Gary Adshead was on the weekend honoured with a prestigious Australian Commercial Radio Awards (ACRAs), winning the ‘Best Podcast by a Radio Show’ prize for The Reporter: True Stories.
Published alongside in-depth features on WAtoday and other Nine mastheads, and available wherever you get your podcasts, The Reporter took listeners on a journey inspired by Adshead’s 40 year career in news.
It tackles a vast array of Western Australia’s most notorious stories, from murder investigations and national espionage to heroic rescues and missing person cases.
Port Hedland mayor ‘disappointed’ after council passes anti-COVID vaccine motion
The Town of Port Hedland has called for the immediate suspension of COVID-19 Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
Councillor Adrian McRae, who publicly endorsed Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this year, brought the motion forward during a special council meeting on Friday, following claims by a Canadian virologist last month that the vaccines could alter human DNA.
Port Hedland mayor Peter Carter (left) voted against the motion, with councillor Camilo Blanco (right) among five who voted in favour.
Despite the council highlighting the decision would likely lead to a loss of trust in the council, and impact its relationships with state and federal government agencies, councillors voted 5-2 in favour of the motion.
It will now notify all councils Australia-wide of its decision, and will be contacting all local practitioners to urge them to share the council’s stance with their patients to ensure they are informed before they give consent to have the vaccine.
Mayor Peter Carter said it was disappointing the motion was passed.
“It’s not the role of council … this is something that we shouldn’t be entertaining at all,” he told Radio 6PR this morning.
Mount Lawley protesters form ‘breakfast blockade’ to stop tree loppers
There’s a standoff underway this morning between protesters and developers as a group of residents fight to save 10 trees in Mount Lawley.
The group claim a new social housing development in the area will see Moreton Bay fig and gum trees, including two believed to be more than 100 years old, chopped down at the corner of Guildford Road and East Parade.
The ‘breakfast blockade’ is waiting for scheduled tree loppers to arrive at the site today. One protester is currently up in one of the trees.
Protesters in Mount Lawley this morning. Credit: 9 News Perth
The locals claim they’ve received little community consultation, and want the development to be redesigned to be built around the trees.
According to a Nearmap analysis, Perth is Australia’s least-vegetated capital, with just 22 per cent suburbs having more than one fifth tree canopy cover.
Up to 80 per cent of the trees felled in WA are on private land.
Listen to WA Tree Canopy Advocates co-founder Nick Cook speaking with Radio 6PR from the protest this morning.
WA Liberals pledge to increase stamp duty exemption to $550,000
The WA Liberals are targeting first home buyers as the state’s housing crisis shapes up as a key battleground for next year’s election.
If elected, the party promises to increase stamp duty exemptions to $550,000, which is $100,000 more than Labor’s current policy.
“We want to make sure that West Australians have a fair shot of getting into the property market,” opposition housing spokesman Steve Martin said.
The average house price in Perth is $705,000.
However, Premier Roger Cook says the Liberals are mimicking the same policy that he brought in in the last budget when the state government increased the threshold from $430,000 to $450,000.
Ballajura local wins Bathurst 1000
Ballajura local Brodie Kostecki has become the second West Australian in history to claim the Bathurst 1000, behind Garth Tander.
Kostecki, 26, partnered with co-driver Todd Hazelwood to win the Mount Panorama motorsport race yesterday, continuing the rise from WA go-kart tracks to the world stage.
Leading start to finish, it was the biggest win of his career.
“Just glad to get this one ticked off the bucket list … I can’t believe it,” he said.
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