Split ends in Perth woman locked up in Bali jail

Sandra Cindy Sheed is being held in Denpasar Jail. Picture: PerthNow Source: PerthNow

A PERTH woman faces up to seven years in a Bali jail for stealing her ex-boyfriend's car and emptying his apartment, police in Indonesia said today.

Sandra Cindy Sheed, 42, is being held in Denpasar Jail after confessing to the theft of the car, a bed, and electrical items including a large-screen TV, DVD player and five speakers, said Denpasar Police Commissioner Ambariyadi Wijaya.

Ms Sheed was charged on Sunday after her Australian ex-boyfriend, Stephen Blackwell, returned to his Bali villa from a trip home to find it gutted.

"The victim was just coming back from Australia and he found his car and some electronic items were stolen," he said.

Police said they immediately suspected Ms Sheed when they realised the thief had used a key to steal the belongings.

"The victim and suspect have live together (sic) but now they have split," Commissioner Ambariyadi said.

Among Ms Sheed’s alleged booty was a Toyota Hardtop, the appliances, water dispenser, food warmers and a TV antenna.

Police said they had notified the Australian consulate in Bali.

Bali locals said Ms Sheed sometimes worked as a nightclub promoter and had been visiting the party strip in Denpasar "for years".

"She is a pretty colourful character,” said one nightclub operator who worked with Ms Sheed on launch last December.

The car allegedly stolen by Australian Sandra Sheed from her ex-boyfriend. Steed faces up to seven years in jail. Picture: Lukman

Goods allegedly stolen by Australian Sandra Sheed from her ex-boyfriend at Denpasar Police Station in Bali. Picture: Lukman

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High-tech drinking fountain trial in Perth

TRIAL: Perth will trial a hi-tech water fountain that charges for both still and sparkling water. Source: PerthNow

IN an Australian first, a water fountain which charges citizens via a smart card and can dish out both still and sparkling refreshment is to be trialled in Perth.

The upmarket ProAcqua drinking fountain, which is already popular in Europe, has been approved for a three-month trial in the Perth CBD.

The high-tech water fountain also features LED technology to show adverts, and can be solar powered to reduce the power needed to chill the water contained.

Perth mayor Lisa Scaffidi said there were many advantages to the drinking fountain, and the council hoped it would reduce the amount of water bottles consumed and discarded in Perth.

``It is going eliminate bottles and it is reliant on smart card technology,'' said Perth mayor Lisa Scaffidi.

``The price per litre is very low and over time ... it can become a small revenue stream.''

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Perth houses more expensive than ever

TOP END: Perth house prices have hit a record median price of $510,000, but mansions in Peppermint Grove are selling for many millions. Picture: Marie Nirme Source: PerthNow

PROPERTY prices in Perth have reached record highs, with the average house in the West Australian capital now selling for $510,000.

David Airey, president of the Real Estate Institute of WA (REIWA), said there had been a two per cent increase on the median price from the December quarter, beating the previous record of $505,000 set in March 2010.

Data for the March quarter indicated while the proportion of house sales in Perth under $500,000 had fallen there was a marked increase in sales between $500,000 and $1 million.

The state's Office of State Revenue revealed in February the median purchase price for first home buyers was $425,000.

Last week, Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showed Perth had four of Australia's five most advantaged suburbs, with people flocking to the booming state in record numbers.

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Perth husband betrayed by Chinese wife

A Perth man was betrayed by his Chinese wife who left him weeks after gaining permanent residency. Picture: AFP Source: PerthNow

A PERTH man, left betrayed and with sexually transmitted diseases, is warning others not to fall for the same tricks he did.

In April 2010, someone he now knows as the “madam” of a brothel introduced him to a Chinese woman, whom he married later that year.

On New Year’s Eve in 2012, less than three weeks after she gained permanent Australian residency, she left him - with genital warts and herpes.

It was then the signs fell into place: her ready cash, her late nights “at the casino” , her two mobile phones and her “friendship” with the madam, who once lent her $2700 for one visa application.

“I obviously had feelings for the woman, and turned a blind eye to a lot of things,” he said.

The man’s screens for other diseases came back clear, but the HIV test result will take several weeks.

Read more about this story at inmycommunity.com.au

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Perth punters worst for "pre-drinking"

A national study has found that alcohol remains the significant factor for most harm experienced at entertainment areas.  Picture: Thinkstock Source: Supplied

TRADING hours at pubs and clubs should be reduced to curb alcohol-fuelled violence, a major national study has concluded.

Alcohol remains the significant factor for most harm experienced at entertainment areas and responsible serving-of-alcohol measures are insufficient, the study led by Deakin University found.

The study of more than 6800 people in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Geelong and Wollongong was conducted fortnightly between November 2011 and June last year.

Those taking part were breathalyser tested and asked questions about their drinking behaviours, energy drink and illicit drug use and feelings and experiences of aggression.

Pre-drinking before going out is the strongest predictor of harm and intoxication, and almost two-thirds of study participants said they consumed alcohol before going out.

The study found West Australians are the biggest "pre-loaders," with 80 per cent having an average of six drinks before going out, compared to the national average of 65 per cent who have an average of five drinks.

It also found of 1200 people picked randomly in Northbridge and Perth between 10pm and 5am, the average blood alcohol content was 0.066. That figure is double that of Sydneysiders who blew 0.033. Melbourne drinkers recorded an average of 0.048.

The consumption of energy drinks and illicit drugs were also found to contribute to harm and offending behaviour.

Recommendations arising from the study include a levy on bottle shops sales and the banning of multi-buy drink promotions.

The study's lead researcher, Associate Professor Peter Miller, said advertisements promoting alcohol should be followed by health advertisements warning of the dangers of excessive drinking.

"It is time we are all held to account for the risky drinking practices in this country,'' he said.

"Governments, the alcohol industry, bar and nightclub owners and the public all have a responsibility to address this major issue and challenge our culture of condoning and celebrating drunkenness.

"From what has been found with this and previous research we need to seriously consider a number of measures including reduced trading hours, a levy on bottle shop sales and banning multi-buy promotions.''

Assoc Prof Miller said trading restrictions should be imposed consistently across regions to ensure businesses compete on a level playing field.

Prohibiting alcohol sales one hour before closing should also be considered, he said.

Assoc Prof Miller said the best way to reduce alcohol consumption was by increasing the price through taxation.
Comment is being sought from the alcohol industry.

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Officials rush to aid Perth man in Sudan

Manyang Maker Tulba at his graduation from Edith Cowan University in 2011. Source: Supplied

AUSTRALIAN consular officials are on their way to visit an Australian citizen locked up in a South Sudan military prison after being arrested during ethnic clashes.

Manyang Maker Tulba, 21, was jailed in Rumbek, in South Sudan's north last month after clashes in which more than 100 young men were taken to a military prison in Langcok.

Mr Tulba, who graduated from Edith Cowan University in 2011 with a bachelor of criminology and justice, was visiting family at the time.

His supporters say he was a bystander rather than a participant in the violent clashes, which left six people dead, the South Sudan Tribune has reported.

It is claimed Mr Tulba did not take part in the fighting, but was swept up in the mass arrests by the local state security service.

Magang Chol Mathei, the chairman of the Rumbek Youth Union in Australia, has claimed Mr Tulba had also been mistreated in jail, with reports of beatings and whippings.

Mr Tulba is an Australian citizen who was born in South Sudan, but has lived in Perth since 2003.

A spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr said Australian consular officials in Nairobi had made contact with local authorities in Rumbek, and had confirmed Mr Tulba was in jail.

They had also confirmed through Mr Tulba's family that he had been visited by his sister.

"They are on their way to Rumbek, and will speak to the Australian and offer any consular assistance that is required,'' the spokesman said.

The spokesman confirmed no charges had been laid against Mr Tulba, and if that remained the case, then efforts to have him released would be stepped up.

The consular official is expected to arrive in Rumbek, via Juba, in the next 24 hours.

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Perth Zoo's baby echidnas looking sharp

Babbin baby echidna in December. Picture: Supplied Source: PerthNow

Babbin the baby echidna at Perth Zoo today. Picture: Supplied Source: PerthNow

THEY weighed less than a gram when they hatched, but Perth Zoo's two baby echidnas are growing into their spikes.

The baby short-beaked echidnas now tip the scales at more than a kilogram but they have plenty more growing to do and could reach up to seven kilograms, zoo keepers say.

Babbin and Nyingarn gained world attention late last year as the first young - or puggles - successfully bred from zoo-born echidnas. Their four-year-old mothers, Mila and Chindi, were also born at Perth Zoo.

The puggles spent their first two months in their mothers' pouches before nestling into their nursery burrows and are just starting to venture out to explore their surroundings.

The zoo has 15 echidnas, eight of them born at the facility.

Echidnas have no major predators in the wild due to their spines, but dingoes sometimes eat them.

Perth Zoo Australian fauna supervisor Belinda Turner said the zoo's successful echidna breeding program was helping experts learn more about echidna behaviour and breeding.

An international echidna workshop is currently being held at Perth Zoo to discuss their reproductive behaviour and increase their breeding success at other zoos.

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Perth Zoo's baby echidnas looking sharp

Babbin baby echidna in December. Picture: Supplied Source: PerthNow

Babbin the baby echidna at Perth Zoo today. Picture: Supplied Source: PerthNow

THEY weighed less than a gram when they hatched, but Perth Zoo's two baby echidnas are growing into their spikes.

The baby short-beaked echidnas now tip the scales at more than a kilogram but they have plenty more growing to do and could reach up to seven kilograms, zoo keepers say.

Babbin and Nyingarn gained world attention late last year as the first young - or puggles - successfully bred from zoo-born echidnas. Their four-year-old mothers, Mila and Chindi, were also born at Perth Zoo.

The puggles spent their first two months in their mothers' pouches before nestling into their nursery burrows and are just starting to venture out to explore their surroundings.

The zoo has 15 echidnas, eight of them born at the facility.

Echidnas have no major predators in the wild due to their spines, but dingoes sometimes eat them.

Perth Zoo Australian fauna supervisor Belinda Turner said the zoo's successful echidna breeding program was helping experts learn more about echidna behaviour and breeding.

An international echidna workshop is currently being held at Perth Zoo to discuss their reproductive behaviour and increase their breeding success at other zoos.

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Perth wakes to first rain for 4 months

WELCOME RELIEF: Perth recorded 18mm overnight, the first significant fall for more than four months. Source: PerthNow

PERTH had its first significant rainfall for more four months with nearly 20mm recorded in the Mt Lawley gauge overnight.

After one of the hottest summers on record the sound and smell of rain this morning was blessed relief for many across the metropolitan area.

Perth recorded the wettest night of anywhere across the city with 18mm, while Champion Lakes near Armadale got 17mm to 7am. Perth Airport recorded 10mm, Rottnest 8mm, but Mandurah had just 2.6mm.

Bickley in the Hills east of Perth had 10mm.

Perth is in for more rain during the day with morning showers and the chance of a storm, with a forecast top of 24C.

The Bureau is predicting an 80 per cent chance of rain with the prospect of 4-10mm for the day.

The rain caused minor flooding on Mitchell Freeway which is causing problems near Hutton Street, Osborne Park this morning.

The left lane remains closed northbound near the Hutton Street exit ramp due to overnight flooding. Drivers are asked to observe road safety signage and to take care through the area.

Falls were widespread across the southern half of the state with some heavy falls in the Central Wheatbelt and Central West with Geraldton (Airport) getting 32.6mm; Morawa 18mm, Dalwallinu 17mm and further inland, Southern Cross had 21mm.

In the Great Southern, Wandering had 15mm to 7am and down south Albany recorded 12.6mm and Manjimup in the South West got 14mm.

Forecast for the rest of Monday
    Max 24C
    A few showers. Morning storm.
    Chance of any rain: 80%
    Rainfall amount: 4 to 10 mm
Cloudy. Scattered showers, easing during the afternoon and clearing in the evening. The chance of a thunderstorm this morning. Winds west to southwesterly 15 to 20 km/h tending south to southwesterly 25 to 40 km/h in the late morning.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Tuesday 12 March
    Min 9C
    Max 22C
    Partly cloudy.
Partly cloudy. Winds southerly 15 to 25 km/h turning southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h in the morning.

Wednesday 13 March
    Min 10C
    Max 27C
    Sunny.
Sunny. Winds southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h turning easterly 15 to 25 km/h during the morning.

Thursday 14 March
    Min 16C
    Max 29C
    Showers and chance of a storm.
Partly cloudy. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms. Winds easterly 15 to 20 km/h.

Friday 15 March
    Min 18C
    Max 32C
    Morning shower or two.
Partly cloudy. Isolated showers during the morning. Winds easterly 15 to 20 km/h turning southeasterly 20 to 30 km/h during the morning.

Saturday 16 March
    Min 19C
    Max 34C
    Partly cloudy.
Partly cloudy. Winds easterly 25 to 35 km/h.

Sunday 17 March
    Min 22C
    Max 31C
    Partly cloudy.
Partly cloudy. Isolated showers about the hills. Isolated thunderstorms. Winds east to northeasterly 20 to 25 km/h shifting northwesterly 15 to 25 km/h during the day.

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