-With AAP
1. Vic man who ran off with baby yet to speak.
A man who allegedly fled with his 10-month-old baby after assaulting his pregnant partner and led police on a chase across Melbourne’s southeast is yet to speak to officers.
The Wodonga man is accused of assaulting his partner and the baby in Mentone before leaving in a Toyota Yaris with the infant, claiming he would harm the child and himself.
The woman was taken to hospital with injuries suffered during the assault.
Officers were alerted to the Toyota allegedly being driven erratically on the Monash Freeway about 12.30pm and pursued the sedan before calling off the chase for safety reasons shortly after 1pm. Police say the man later changed vehicles.
The 25-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday evening at a service station on the Hume Highway near Donnybrook. He was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Police said the baby was found “safe and well”.
Two police officers suffered non-life threatening injuries during the arrest.
A 20-year-old Skye man and a Langwarrin man, 22, who were also arrested at the service station are assisting police with their inquiries.
2. Heavy rain, flooding to hit NSW coast.
Intense rain and flash flooding are expected to wreak havoc with commuters in and around Sydney.
Businesses have been warned to expect workers to arrive late on Wednesday morning and drivers told to stay off the roads if possible as a low-pressure system reaches the coast around Sydney, the Hunter and the Illawarra.
Bureau of Meteorology severe weather manager Simon Louis said the rain wasn’t expected to last long but “quite intense” falls would develop in the morning and persist through the afternoon.
He expects many areas to receive 50 to 100mm with some localised parts exceeding 150mm.
Sydney’s average rainfall for November is 84mm.
“It’s not that unusual to have weather event give you a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours … but it is always associated with risks such as creeks coming up and roads being awash,” Mr Louis said.
Minor to moderate flash flooding is possible along the Hawkesbury, Nepean, Cooks and Georges rivers, the bureau says.
It has warned road users to take extreme care as reduced visibility in heavy rain will make road conditions dangerous in all suburbs around the state.
NSW Police said drivers, riders, cyclists and pedestrians needed to take extra care, increase their visibility with headlights and bright clothing and increase braking distances.
“We’re asking all road users to perhaps reconsider the need to be on the road through what will be a severe rain event,” Chief Inspector Phillip Brooks told reporters on Tuesday.
SES Assistant Commissioner Scott Hanckel even advised people try to arrange to work from home if possible.
He was hopeful the SES would have thousands of volunteers available to call on across the South Coast, Hunter and Sydney metro areas, should people need help with fallen trees or flooding.
Ausgrid Chief Operating Officer Trevor Armstrong said people should prepare for the rain and wind before they arrive by doing a quick check on yards and putting away loose items.
Once offshore, the weather system is expected to deliver damaging winds to coastal areas and provide hazardous surf into Thursday and is expected to ease from mid-morning.
3. Man, 90, dies after reported fight in care.
A 90-year-old man has died after a fight reportedly broke out in a dementia ward in Wollongong, south of Sydney.
The elderly man suffered serious injuries in the assault involving another patient in the high-dependency ward at a nursing home in Woonona on Tuesday night, police were told. The second man, aged 77, is also a resident of the ward.
Local police and officers from the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad are investigating.
4. Belle Gibson faces jail time if she doesn’t pay her fine.
Belle Gibson has been warned she will face jail time if she fails to pay the $410,000 fine issued for misleading customers.
The 27-year-old claimed she had brain cancer, healed herself with natural remedies and lied to consumers about donating to charities from the sales of her The Whole Pantry app.
In the Federal Court in Melbourne last September, Justice Debbie Mortimer ordered she pay a total of $410,000 for five contraventions of Australian consumer law.
Mortimer issued a warning to Gibson on Tuesday that if she failed to pay the fine, she will face consequences.
“You will be liable to imprisonment, sequestration of property or other punishment,” the penal notice said, according to news.com.au.
It also states that anyone else who is aware of the order and helps or allows Ms Gibson to breach it may be punished in a similar way.
The action against Gibson was taken in July after it was revealed she had not paid any of the $410,000 fine.
Consumer Affairs Victoria took Gibson to court in 2016 alleging she had lied about a 2009 brain cancer diagnosis and subsequent recovery.
Gibson had faced a maximum penalty of $1.1 million.