Our Journalists

Luke Williams is a police and crime reporter for The Advertiser. He previously covered courts for the Cairns Post.

Latest

‘Creepy’ stalking was just ‘cultural misunderstanding’, court told

A 39-year-old Cairns man who sent 319 unanswered text messages and followed the woman in his car, came to believe he and the woman were going to get married.

Cairns

‘Do you want to die today?’: Bad trip builder bailed over alleged knife threat

A retired builder with no violent criminal history allegedly threatened a stranger with a knife in Gordonvale after taking an LSD trip.

Cairns

Holly Winta Brown (middle left) and her family, brother William (far left), father Warren (middle right and mother Elle (far right). The 17-year-old died on June 27, 2015 at the Laura Races and Rodeo. An inquest is being held into the circumstances surrounding and medical response to her death.

Parents of beloved Julatten teen settle legal battle over tragic death

The grieving family of a young woman who died in “inhumane” circumstances at the Laura Races and Rodeo in 2015 have settled their legal battle with event organisers and the local health service.

VIDEONews

Two teenagers are arrested by the Cairns Police dog squad after a wild alleged police chase on Thursday night.

WATCH: Police dog catches alleged car thieves after night of mayhem

A 19-year-old Edmonton woman who was already on bail when she and three other teens were allegedly involved in a wild stolen car police chase around Cairns has made a bid for bail.

Cairns

Elizabeth Anne Sheean (middle) leaving court after she was sentenced for stalking and common assault.

Rotting fish, The Conjuring nun: Neighbour sentenced for stalking

A Cairns woman hung a bucket of rotting fish near her neighbours’ kitchen window as part of a series of aggressions “unlike anything” seen by a magistrate. See the confronting pictures.

Cairns

Andrew Maddrell has owned Maddrell's Panel Beating and Spray Painting for 40 years, and over that time has employed 25 apprentices. He says that wayward youth that are committing crimes should be given the opportunity to learn a trade to help them with their behaviour issues. Picture: Brendan Radke

Criminologist on how to stop teens stealing cars

A leading criminologist behind a pilot program to rehabilitate car-thieving teens has said they might have found the answer to reducing youth car crime across the state.

Cairns

Members of a group of young people who have allegedly been committing offences in and around businesses on Pease Street.

Gang of children threaten woman with rape, assault

A woman in her late 60s is among a strip of business traders in Manoora being terrorised by a group of children who have repeatedly threatened to bash and rape her.

Illness