7News Just In

Criminal gangs are using artificial intelligence and social media platforms to solicit intimate photos from young people and then blackmail them in a trend called sextortion. eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant reports that platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, Apple iMessage and Snapchat lack appropriate detection tools and reporting pathways, with over 2,000 complaints received between July and December last year.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Victorian Coalition has pledged to increase the speed limit on the Princes Highway and Freeway between Melbourne and Geelong to 110 kilometres per hour if elected in November, potentially saving 10 minutes on the return trip. A new Resolve poll shows Labor and the Coalition tied in voter support, both up 1% from the previous month, while One Nation has fallen 5% behind.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Veteran broadcaster Alan Jones, 85, will face trial next month on 22 charges including two counts of sexual touching after four charges were withdrawn when two accusers pulled out of the proceedings. The total number of alleged victims now stands at six. The indecent assault trial is scheduled to begin next month.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Four additional arrests have been made in connection with the alleged murder and kidnapping of 85-year-old North Ryde grandfather Chris Baghsarian, who was taken from his home on February 13th in a case of mistaken identity and found dead near a golf course in Pitt Town. Police have charged 32-year-old Alesana Schaaf, believed to be the coordinator who physically kidnapped Baghsarian, along with three other men including 19-year-old amateur boxer Julius Pula. The kidnapping was allegedly ordered by a criminal network overseas that police continue to investigate.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A deadly fire at a Bangkok pub has killed at least 28 people and injured 73 others. Initial investigations suggest the blaze was caused by a short circuit in a ceiling-mounted air conditioning unit, with blocked emergency exits potentially contributing to the high casualty toll. The Department of Foreign Affairs is working to determine if any Australians were among the victims.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two Victoria Police officers, James Fitzgerald and Alexander Papanastasis, are facing a four-day committal hearing over negligent manslaughter charges following the death of 35-year-old Luke Briggs. Briggs died in hospital eight days after an early morning arrest at a Hoppers Crossing 7-Eleven in 2024. The court heard evidence that Briggs had a toxic level of methamphetamine in his system, with his cause of death believed to be brain damage resulting from cardiorespiratory arrest, though what caused the heart and lungs to fail remains undetermined.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sydney childcare worker Hamish Tait has been charged with more than 300 child sex offences, with police identifying 136 alleged victims after examining 2.4 million files from his devices. The Australian Federal Police have received dozens of calls from families since publicly revealing his identity, and are still working to identify 22 additional potential victims. Investigators spent a year analysing evidence before requesting his name be made public to help trace remaining children.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sydney childcare worker Hamish Tait has been charged with more than 300 child sex offences, with police identifying 136 alleged victims after examining 2.4 million files from his devices. The Australian Federal Police have received dozens of calls from families since publicly revealing his identity, and are still working to identify 22 additional potential victims. Investigators spent a year analysing evidence before requesting his name be made public to help trace remaining children.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A 20-year-old man has been arrested in Essendon, alleged to be a high-ranking lieutenant in Melbourne's underworld criminal syndicate known as 'The Commission'. The suspect, who operated under the encrypted app handle 'ComBank', is accused of recruiting children and teenagers to carry out firebombings, aggravated burglaries and kidnapping across Victoria on behalf of criminal figures operating from the Middle East. Police believe Melbourne's underworld wars are being directed by former crime kingpin Kaz Hamad from a prison cell in Iraq, with another man now also calling shots from the region.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A man has been arrested following a dramatic police operation in Newtown where he jumped across roofs of cars and houses near Denison and Darley Street while attempting to evade officers. Multiple ambulances and cars had their windscreens smashed when he allegedly crashed into them. The man was taken to hospital under police guard.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.