Cruise worker's death not suspicious

Passengers disembarking the cruise ship in Darwin. Picture: Daniel Hartley-Allen Source: News Limited

THE DEATH of a 24-year-old singer on a cruise ship in Darwin is no longer considered suspicious by police.

The American woman, believed to be the lead singer and dancer on board the Regent cruise ship Seven Seas Voyager, was found dead on Sunday morning in the ship, which was docked in Darwin.

Police initially treated the death as suspicious and an autopsy was carried out.

"The crime division are no longer treating the death as suspicious. However, a full brief will be provided to the coroner in due course," Detective Superintendent James O'Brien said in a statement.

"Further toxicology results will be analysed in due course to determine the exact cause of death," Supt O'Brien said.

A 24-year-old woman has been found dead in her cabin on board a cruise ship moored in Darwin Harbour.

Police said the US consulate had been told of the incident and the woman's next of kin had been notified.

Prior to the ship's departure today some passengers said they were shocked the woman, believed to have been from a dance group that boarded in Sydney, had died.

"It is a shame and you have to feel for the crew because they are the unfortunate ones," said John Harrold, a passenger from Los Angeles.

"They aren't letting any of them off the cruise ship. They are the ones being held captive," he said.

Fellow passenger Sue Depp, from New York, said it was rumoured that the dead woman had been scheduled to have a workout in the ship's gymnasium yesterday, but did not turn up.

"They sent someone to her cabin to see why, and they found her," Ms Depp said.

For more go to the NT News

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Shackleton explorers reach icy landfall

Six heavily bearded, exhausted but jubilant adventurers took advantage of 15-20 knot winds and a 2 metre swell to help land their boat, Alexandra Shackleton on the beach at Peggotty Bluff, South Georgia island. Picture: Jo Stewart Source: adelaidenow

Six heavily bearded, exhausted but jubilant adventurers took advantage of 15-20 knot winds and a 2 metre swell to help land their boat, Alexandra Shackleton on the beach at Peggotty Bluff, South Georgia island. Picture: Jo Stewart Source: adelaidenow

Six heavily bearded, exhausted but jubilant adventurers took advantage of 15-20 knot winds and a 2 metre swell to help land their boat, Alexandra Shackleton on the beach at Peggotty Bluff, South Georgia island. Picture: Jo Stewart Source: adelaidenow

Six heavily bearded, exhausted but jubilant adventurers took advantage of 15-20 knot winds and a 2 metre swell to help land their boat, Alexandra Shackleton on the beach at Peggotty Bluff, South Georgia island. Picture: Jo Stewart Source: adelaidenow

ADELAIDE adventurer Tim Jarvis is now preparing to traverse the mountainous interior of South Georgia Island after yesterday making landfall following an 800 nautical mile sea voyage.

Landing at South Georgia was the most significant milestone yet in Jarvis' mission to recreate the epic survival voyage of Sir Ernest Shackleton in 1916.

It took Jarvis and his crew of five 12 days to make the journey from Elephant Island in a 7m lifeboat. The next step will be for Jarvis and two of the crew to scale the mountains and reach the whaling station at Stromness in a journey which should take two days.

"I'm immensely proud of this crew," Jarvis said from South Georgia.

"They all performed incredibly well under such dire circumstances and the fact that we managed to sail 800 nautical miles in such a small vessel really shows how solid they are individually and how well we worked together as a team.

"There was just no way to keep dry.

"On a few occasions a big wave washed over the deck and down the hatch soaking everything down below."

Crew member Ed Wardle, who has twice reached the summit of Mt Everest, said it "was the hardest thing I have ever done."

"When that storm hit we were riding really huge waves it was terrifying," he said.

Back in Adelaide, Tim's wife Liz and two children, William and Jack, have been following the expedition's progress on www.shackletonepic.com

The site is updated daily by crew on a nearby support vessel and Liz said that had made life less stressful as she has had no direct contact with her husband.

"It is wonderful to see Tim's bearded, but smiling face, in those photographs and to hear all is going well," she said. .

She said while 19-month old Jack was too young to understand what his father was doing, three-year old William was excited by his father's adventure.

"William has missed his father a lot but has been looking at the photographs and understands his father is on a boat on an exciting journey, although he doesn't have any understanding of the danger," she said.

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Esperance fire destroys homes, machinery

This photo of the Esperance bushfire was taken by PerthNow reader Matt Wood, from a lookout looking towards Pink Lake, where he headed after being sent an evacuation notice. Source: PerthNow

AT least one home has been damaged by a bushfire burning out of control in Esperance, with 500 hectares destroyed and machinery damaged.

In its latest alert at 5.35pm, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said a bushfire emergency warning applied to people between Eleven Mile Beach Road, Spencer Road and Keenan Road in Pink Lake.

Homes on Spencer Road were under threat, the DFES said, urging residents to act immediately to survive, saying there was a threat to lives and homes.

The bushfire is moving in a north easterly direction at 300 metres per hour.

Esperance shire president Malcolm Heasman said one property had suffered internal damage to its roof.

"And obviously there will be internal damage from water and one thing or another, but essentially, the house is standing,'' Mr Heasman said.

"That's good news. It's the only one we've come across so far.

"There have been damaged outbuildings and loss of some machinery and what have you, but I must say it is a very bleak sight looking out over the undulating scrub.''

Mr Heasman said Eleven Mille Beach Road, where the fire commenced, "looks like a devastation zone''.

So far about 500 hectares have burnt since the fire was reported at 12.30pm.

Email your bushfire pictures to PerthNow: readerpics@perthnow.com.au

Kalgoorlie resident Matt Wood had been visiting Esperance with his girlfriend and said they were at the beach when they noticed the smoke.

The couple went into the Esperance town centre to avoid getting caught up in the fire.

"We were parked at the car park at the beach and within 10 minutes it was full," Mr Wood said.

The couple then went to a lookout and saw their accommodation on the other side of Pink Lake was out of the fire's path so they returned.

"It's smoky from where we are, you can't see flames," he said.

"The whole south coast is just smoke."

ALERT FOR BODDINGTON BLAZE

A BUSHFIRE is approaching the town of Ranford and the Golden Hills Estate near Boddington in the Peel region.

A "watch and act'' warning for the area was issued by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services at 3.10pm.

The warning includes Mitchell Crescent, Sherry Close and Littleton Rise.

There is a possible threat to lives and homes as the fire is out of control and unpredictable.

The blaze is moving fast in a north easterly direction and spot fires are starting ahead of the main fire.

Residents have been warned that it isn't safe to stay and defend their homes, so they should leave now if the way is clear.

People who aren't at home are warned against trying to return as conditions in the area could be very dangerous.

Motorists should avoid the area. Fire crews are on the scene and are being assisted by aerial support.

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Sex slave claims labelled a 'sham'

SIX women on student visas who barely spoke English were forced to work nearly 20 hours a day in a Sydney brothel as sex slaves, a District Court jury was told yesterday.

But the lawyer for their alleged madam, Chee Mei Wong, 39, claimed the whole case was a "sham" - designed to allow the Malaysian women to remain in Australia.

The court heard the women had been recruited to work for a lady named "Yoko" in the Diamonds brothel at Willoughby.

They were enrolled in courses to obtain student visas and allegedly given "show money" to fool officials into believing they could afford to live in Australia.

Crown prosecutor Carolyn Davenport SC said Wong - the madam who was using the name Yoko - told each of the women when they arrived they had a debt of about $5000 to repay.

"They were also told when they arrived the list of services they must provide," she said.

"They were told they must - that they didn't have a choice."

The women allegedly serviced customers seven days a week until the early hours of each morning. The trial continues.

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Grand Prix hits Great Ocean Road

This picture has been digitally altered to represent the upcoming advertising campaign promoting Victoria and the Grand Prix to the world by showing an F1 race car cruising along Great Ocean Rd. Source: Herald Sun

A FORMULA One race car will thunder along the Great Ocean Rd in a world-first stunt designed to sell Victoria and the Melbourne Grand Prix to the world.

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation and Tourism Victoria will partner in an international ad campaign using Victoria's famous coastal route.

The road is expected to be closed for filming of the campaign in the lead-up to next month's Albert Park race.

The F1 car capable of 300km/h will be filmed by air and land near landmarks such as the Twelve Apostles, with footage used to "sell" Victoria as a major events and nature destination.

But the car will travel no faster than 80km/h as the driver will adhere to the road rules.

The date, time and exact location of the F1 run is to be kept under wraps in a bid to stop spectators flocking to catch a glimpse and potentially jeopardising safety.

But the run, to be staged in several parts of the 243km tourist drive, will be filmed from above by at least two helicopters, stationary roadside crews and a "GoPro" camera strapped inside the car.

With billionaire Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Management owning all on-track rights to images of Melbourne's race, an industry insider said the shoot was a chance for the State Government and Melbourne GP chiefs to source their own unique vision.

"It will go around the world to different outlets, it will get global coverage," the source said.

"To showcase the pinnacle of motorsport with our most natural wonder is going to be pretty breathtaking."

The Ocean Rd drive-by is the latest bid by race organisers to boost the event's profile and popularity amid perennial debate over its viability in Melbourne.

Aussie Mark Webber drove his Red Bull racer across the Bolte Bridge in 2011 and a Williams-BMW F1 car across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 2005.

The advertising campaign comes after the Herald Sun last month revealed that Victorians are paying millions to host the Grand Prix.

Next month's race will be officially launched in Melbourne this morning.

peter.rolfe@news.com.au

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Councils back Newman: Rebuild it better

Premier Campbell Newman attends a disaster co-ordination meeting in Bundaberg last week. Picture: Mark Calleja Source: The Courier-Mail

LOCAL government leaders have backed Premier Campbell Newman's call for flooded roads and other infrastructure to be rebuilt to higher standards after seeing recently completed projects torn apart in last week's deluge.

The Courier-Mail yesterday reported Mr Newman's concern that National Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements had limited scope for improvement and mostly allowed only for infrastructure to be rebuilt to the same standard.

He described it as "insanity" to do the "same wrong thing time and time again".

"We will save money in the longer term if we build things in a different way in these areas that continue to get hit," the Premier said yesterday.

"I think the logic is absolutely compelling."

Gympie Mayor Ron Dines said he shared the Premier's frustration after seeing $38 million worth of repairs made after the 2011 floods all but washed away over the Australia Day long weekend.

"We're wasting our time in this country if we don't have that betterment rather than just constantly making repairs," Cr Dines said.

"It's a false investment to be repairing roads to their original standard," Cr Dines said.

In Gayndah, the town's water pump was rebuilt on the banks of the Burnett River last year, despite being washed away in 2011.

Last week, it was destroyed again - just four weeks after it was commissioned - robbing the 2000 residents of a clean water supply.

Two bridges taken out by floodwaters in Monto have left residents with a two-hour diversion into the town.

Local councillor Paul Lobegeier said the community had sought to improve those connections after the last floods but was told there was no funding.

"You have to replace same with same," he said.

Fraser Coast Mayor Gerard O'Connell said 10 roads rebuilt after the 2011 floods were now destroyed or damaged.

"For my money, there is now an opportunity to improve much-needed and important infrastructure, and the discussion on how that happens, and how it's funded, should happen," he said.

"There would be a significant cost to flood-proofing some rural and coastal roads, and we need to be practical about what we spend ratepayers' and taxpayers' money on."

Rockhampton Regional Council CEO Evan Pardon said the funding provided to the city after the 2010-11 floods "restricted the replacement of assets and there was no opportunity to replace services or infrastructure at a different location or to relocate them to higher ground level".

Despite the concerns raised about the limitations of the National Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements, federal Minister for Queensland's Flood Recovery Joe Ludwig said the guidelines were not set in stone.

"There has been and always will be guidelines for betterment," Senator Ludwig said.

"What we did in the National Partnerships Agreement was shift an entire town (Grantham) to better protect the residents. We spent a significant amount of money to do that, but we did that."

He said he was awaiting a call from Mr Newman about establishing a new NPA for the 2013 flood.

"We provided $6 billion in total to rebuild Queensland after the 2010-11 event, and we will stand shoulder to shoulder with them again to ensure Queensland is recovered," Senator Ludwig said.

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Morecombe witness fails to back up kill alibi

MOTIVATED: Denise and Bruce Morcombe speak to the media outside court yesterday. Picture: Liam Kidston Source: The Courier-Mail

AFTER years of police questioning, an "alibi witness" for Daniel Morcombe's accused killer remains no closer to shedding light on his movements.

Sandra Drummond yesterday admitted in court she had smoked cannabis with Brett Peter Cowan and, at times, sold him the illicit drug.

But she was unable to say if she saw Cowan on Sunday, December 7, 2003, the day he allegedly lured Daniel away from a bus stop.

"I didn't really know where I was. I still don't know where I was," Ms Drummond said under questioning from defence lawyer Tim Meehan.

Ms Drummond has lived at Beerwah in the Sunshine Coast hinterland for 20 years and met Cowan, who lived nearby, when she bought fireworks from him.

They met regularly over a period of up to two years before Daniel's disappearance, Ms Drummond said.

Since officers first approached wanting "to talk to me about Brett", she had provided five statements to police between September 2006 and August 2011.

Mr Meehan told the court Cowan claimed to be at Ms Drummond's home around the time Daniel disappeared.

"She is seen as being an alibi witness of the accused," Mr Meehan said.

"The accused says that at the relevant time, being the disappearance of Master Morcombe, that he was relevantly at the address of this witness.

"Her initial statement is neither here nor there. She doesn't provide any evidence supporting or opposing that particular view."

Ms Drummond told the court she normally went to an RSL club on Sundays as one of her daughters worked there.

She "assumed" she was at the RSL on the day Daniel went missing and insisted she had told police this from the start.

She could not rule out seeing Cowan on the day as the visit may have been "more significant" to him.

The court was told Ms Drummond's RSL membership card was used on the afternoon of December 7, 2003, shortly after Daniel went missing.

Cowan, 43, is facing a Brisbane Magistrates Court committal hearing on charges of murder, child stealing, deprivation of liberty, indecent treatment of a child and interfering with a corpse.

Following Ms Drummond's appearance, Chief Magistrate Brendan Butler closed the hearing to the public to allow six police officers to give evidence in private.

The hearing will be reopened to the public for the evidence of two other police officers.

Outside court, Daniel's dad Bruce, with wife Denise by his side, said he was disappointed to miss evidence but was "fully motivated" to see through the court process.

"On the way here this morning we drove past the cemetery where Daniel was laid to rest. We drove past the abduction site. The blood's flowing on the way here," he said.

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david.murray@news.com.au

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Gold Coast 'sniper' gun not seen

SES volunteers help police comb the Esplanade at Surfers Paradise for clues the morning after Hylton Miller was shot in December 2012. Picture: Glenn Hampson/Gold Coast Bulletin Source: Gold Coast Bulletin

THE star witness in the so-called Surfers Paradise highrise sniper shooting never saw the gun, which has never been found, a court has been told.

More than two years after businessman Hylton Miller was shot and badly wounded as he strolled along the beachfront with his family, a committal hearing against the accused gunman - former strip club bouncer Rick El Masri - finally began yesterday.

The proceedings followed more than a dozen adjournments as police and defence lawyers wrangled over how the case should proceed.

Mr Miller has blasted the delays, saying they had prolonged his suffering as he continued to receive treatment for his shocking injuries which left him on life support for four months.

Police have previously alleged El Masri shot Mr Miller from a unit in the Circle on Cavill highrise in December 2010 while taking aim at the Hollywood Showgirls strip club, where he had worked security.

El Masri, 35, has been charged with grievous bodily harm, illegal possession of a weapon, and two counts of dangerous conduct with a weapon.

Yesterday, Southport Magistrates Court heard three people who were in the Circle on Cavill apartment would give evidence against El Masri despite the threat that they themselves could be charged with offences.

The court was told a possible deal to give the three witnesses indemnity from prosecution had fallen through, with police deciding not to seek indemnities from Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie.

One of the witnesses, Hakan "Harry" Altinoglu, allegedly heard El Masri fire the gun from a balcony on the highrise building.

The court heard Altinoglu heard the gunshot, turned around, and told El Masri: "What did you do that for? You may have shot someone."

Surfers Paradise detective Lynton Bradbury, under cross-examination, said that Altinoglu described seeing El Masri patting his hip before the shooting - he never actually saw a gun.

"At no point does he actually see the firearm in his hand," detective Senior Constable Bradbury said.

He also said the gun, which police believed was a .45-calibre revolver, had not been recovered.

The officer rejected suggestions from defence barrister Tony Kimmins that police had pressured Altinoglu and his girlfriend to give evidence against El Masri during four separate interviews.

"We were trying to get him to tell us the truth," Sen-Constable Bradbury said.

"We had to work extremely hard to get information out of him."

The hearing continues today at Southport Magistrates Court, when Altinoglu and his partner are expected to give evidence.

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