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Manhunt underway over the suspected murder of teacher Dannielle Finlay-Jones.
A manhunt is underway over the suspected murder of a 31-year-old woman found dead in a western Sydney home.
Ashley Gaddie, 33, is wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant over the murder of Dannielle Finlay-Jones, police said on Tuesday. Ms Finlay-Jones was found with serious injuries at the Cranebook home on Sunday afternoon and could not be revived.
Gaddie is described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 180cm tall and of muscular build with blue eyes and a bald head.
Both of his arms are heavily tattooed and he is known to frequent the areas of Five Dock, Penrith and Mt Druitt.
There are now reports that a police operation is underway in the Blue Mountains, which is believed to be connected to Gaddie.
Police believe Ms Finlay-Jones and Gaddie were known to one another, saying there were no signs of forced entry and they did not believe it was a case of arbitrary violence. Police have since said they believe Ms Finlay-Jones and Gaddie had recently met via a dating app.
"We don't believe that this is a random act," Acting Commander for Nepean, Chief Inspector John Nelson said on Monday.
Ms Finlay-Jones worked as a teacher and a student learning support officer for the NSW Department of Education.
If this has raised any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.
With AAP.
Harry, Meghan and a fake apology from Jeremy Clarkson.
In movie news, the first trailer for Christopher Nolan's next film Oppenheimer is here. The film is highly anticipated with a stacked cast, but we're very excited about the box office showdown it's promising.
Plus, Amber Heard has announced she has agreed to a legal settlement of her multimillion-dollar US defamation case with former husband Johnny Depp. Here's everything you need to know.
And you will have heard the name 'Jeremy Clarkson' a lot recently, regarding a very disturbing column about Meghan Markle. Now, Clarkson has issued a weak apology, but the whole story has vindicated Prince Harry and Meghan's concerns and is an example of a much wider issue involving men building media careers out of tearing people down.
Listen to today’s episode of The Spill below:
Breaking: Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape at second criminal trial.
Content warning: This story mentions sexual assault and may be distressing to some readers.
Disgraced former film producer Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty of rape at a Los Angeles trial in another #MeToo moment of reckoning, five years after he became a magnet for the movement.
After deliberating for nine days spanning more than two weeks, the jury of eight men and four women reached the verdict at the second criminal trial of the 70-year-old, who is two years into a 23-year sentence for a rape and sexual assault conviction in New York.
Weinstein was found guilty of rape, forced oral copulation and another sexual misconduct count involving a woman known as Jane Doe 1. The jury hung on several counts, notably charges involving Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The jury reported it was unable to reach verdicts in her allegations and the allegations of another woman. A mistrial was declared on those counts. He was also acquitted of a sexual battery allegation made by another woman.
Weinstein faces up to 24 years in prison when he is sentenced.
Breaking News: A Los Angeles jury found Harvey Weinstein guilty of raping one woman, but found him not guilty or could not decide on other charges.https://t.co/vZoEZF4ChV
— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 20, 2022
Lacking any forensic evidence or eyewitness accounts of assaults Weinstein's accusers said happened from 2005 to 2013, the case hinged heavily on the stories and credibility of the four women at the centre of the charges.
The women's stories echoed the allegations of dozens of others who have emerged since Weinstein became a #MeToo lightning rod starting with stories in the New York Times in 2017.
Weinstein beat four other felony charges before the trial even ended when prosecutors said a woman he was charged with raping twice and sexually assaulting twice would not appear to testify. They declined to give a reason. Judge Lisa Lench dismissed those charges.
Weinstein's latest conviction hands a victory to victims of sexual misconduct of famous men in the wake of some legal setbacks, including the dismissal of Bill Cosby's conviction last year.
Weinstein's New York conviction survived an initial appeal, but the case is set to be heard by the state's highest court next year. The California conviction, also likely to be appealed, means he will not walk free even if the East Coast conviction is thrown out.
If this has raised any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.
- With AAP.
Man charged with murder of woman in NSW unit.
A man has been charged with the murder of a 37-year-old woman in a New South Wales unit.
Emergency services were called to a unit complex in Albion Park Rail just after 11pm on Sunday, following concerns for the woman’s welfare.
The woman was found seriously injured inside the unit but despite the efforts of police and paramedics, she died at the scene.
A 28-year-old man was later arrested at the property and taken to Lake Illawarra Police Station, where he was charged with murder.
The man was refused bail and will appear in court today.
A man will face court today, charged with murder, following the death of a woman at Albion Park Rail.
— NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) December 19, 2022
More information: https://t.co/L59vibv3tQ pic.twitter.com/ptG2ETiBkf
The woman's death comes as a 31-year-old woman was found dead in a home in Cranebrook in Sydney's west on Sunday afternoon.
Police believe the victim and the perpetrator may be known to one another, saying there was no signs of forced entry and they do not believe the incident was a case of arbitrary violence.
"We don't believe that this is a random act," Acting Commander for Nepean, Chief Inspector John Nelson said Monday.
Police have been told the woman did not live at the home but was known to the occupants, who made the emergency call.
If this has raised any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.
- With AAP.
Amber Heard settles defamation case against Johnny Depp.
Amber Heard has made the "very difficult decision" to settle her multimillion-dollar US defamation case with former husband Johnny Depp.
The Aquaman star said the decision was "not an act of concession" but an opportunity to resolve the situation "on terms I can agree to".
It comes less than a month after Heard sought to appeal against the verdict in her legal battle against Depp, arguing that it will have a "chilling" effect on other women.
The actress was sued by Depp over a 2018 article she wrote for The Washington Post about her experiences as a survivor of domestic abuse, which his lawyers said falsely accused him of being an abuser.
In June this year, a jury at Fairfax County Court returned a verdict in Depp's favour and he was awarded $US10.3 million ($A15.3 million) dollars for damage to his reputation.
In a statement on Instagram, posted on Monday, Heard wrote: "After a great deal of deliberation I have made a very difficult decision to settle the defamation case brought against me by my ex-husband in Virginia.
"It's important for me to say that I never chose this. I defended my truth and in doing so my life as I knew it was destroyed."
"Now I finally have an opportunity to emancipate myself from something I attempted to leave over six years ago and on terms I can agree to. I have made no admission. This is not an act of concession. There are no restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward."
- With AAP.
Jeremy Clarkson responds to criticism following column on Meghan Markle.
Jeremy Clarkson says he 'put his foot in it' when he wrote a column stating he dreamed of the day Meghan Markle faced a humiliating public punishment straight out of Game of Thrones.
In his Sunday column for The Sun newspaper, the former Top Gear host wrote that he "hates" the Duchess of Sussex and lay awake at night dreaming of her facing a punishment straight out of Game of Thrones.
"Not like I hate (Scottish First Minister) Nicola Sturgeon or (serial killer) Rose West. I hate her on a cellular level," he wrote.
"At night, I'm unable to sleep as I lie there, grinding my teeth and dreaming of the day when she is made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while the crowds chant 'Shame!' and throw lumps of excrement at her."
Now, Clarkson has responded to the criticism he has faced over this on Twitter.
"Oh dear. I’ve rather put my foot in it. In a column I wrote about Meghan, I made a clumsy reference to a scene in Game of Thrones and this has gone down badly with a great many people," Clarkson tweeted.
"I'm horrified to have caused so much hurt and I shall be more careful in future."
Oh dear. I’ve rather put my foot in it. In a column I wrote about Meghan, I made a clumsy reference to a scene in Game of Thrones and this has gone down badly with a great many people. I’m horrified to have caused so much hurt and I shall be more careful in future.
— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) December 19, 2022
It comes after Clarkson's daughter, Emily, called out her father's column in a statement shared on her Instagram story.
"My views are and have always been clear when it comes to misogyny, bullying and the treatment of women by the media," she wrote.
"I want to make it very clear that I stand against everything that my dad wrote about Meghan Markle and I remain standing in support of those that are targeted with online hatred."
Jeremy Clarkson.His wonderful daughter Emily has just put out a statement on her instagram account. "I stand against everything that my Dad wrote about Meghan Markle". FYI Emily has spoken many times about how she suffered very badly from online abuse when she was younger. 💪🏼👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/pcVUgvlQQ0
— Carol Vorderman (@carolvorders) December 18, 2022
Britain's press standards regulator, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), said it had so far received "over 6000 complaints about the article in question".
The statement comes as Netflix announced Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will appear in a new documentary series on the streaming service.
The couple will present the upcoming documentary Live To Lead, which they say is inspired Nelson Mandela, and premiers on December 31.
Their voices give us hope.
— Netflix (@netflix) December 19, 2022
Their actions shape our world.
Their leadership inspires our future.
Live To Lead — a documentary series presented by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex — premieres December 31 pic.twitter.com/zhhxChEi3Y
- With AAP.
Mackenzie won't be home for Christmas, Australia's shame is why.
Despite the tireless efforts of thousands of people across the country, 47 women have died at the hands of a violent man in Australia this year; one more than in 2021.
That's 47 women who will not be joining their families these holidays, 45 families who will be grieving instead of celebrating.
Today, we meet the mother of one of those women as we learn the names of many more who won’t be with their families this Christmas.
Feature Image: NSW Police.