The Snitch: Local courthouse in Newcastle requires deep clean
A local courthouse in Newcastle is feeling the impact of COVID-19, while A Current Affair appoints its youngest ever chief of staff, The Snitch reveals in its crime and court news column.
NSW
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Did you hear the one about the two judges who ate at Potts Point restaurant Apollo only for one of them to be diagnosed with COVID-19 days later?
The result was the judge had to stay home, the courtroom they inhabited was given a deep clean and everyone they had come across had to be contacted by NSW Health. So, is it true? It looks very likely if you consider the following.
Given that it appears the diagnosis was the result of misfortune, and the privacy issues that surround revealing a person’s medical condition, we’ll keep their identities secret.
But there’s also a public’s right to know if they might have been exposed to the judge, so we’ll keep it at the fact that the court’s media team told us the person diagnosed worked at Toronto Court, near Newcastle.
From our years on the job, we have learnt that anything other than a firm denial generally means your information is either partially or completely correct.
A spokeswoman from the Department of Communities and Justice responded with: “A member of the court at Toronto tested positive to COVID-19. The person last attended (the) courthouse on July 27 and the positive result was received on the evening 1 August.”
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A deep clean of the court took place on August 2. The spokeswoman also added: “The person was likely infected at the Apollo restaurant in Potts Point. All close contacts were identified and contacted by NSW Health. As a precaution, anyone who was in attendance at the Toronto Courthouse between 7am and 2pm on July 27 should watch for any symptoms.”
It was all a bit vague, so we contacted the judge. He gave a “I don’t want to discuss it” before hanging up the phone.
What we can say for sure is that the judge with the suspected COVID case is currently working remotely while the other judge has also been working remotely and is due to return to the office on Monday.
Case not closed.
A FAMILY AFFAIR
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree for NSW Police’s chief gatekeeper.
Before ex-cop Grant Williams became the force’s public affairs executive director, he was the executive producer at Nine’s A Current Affair.
Now his daughter is following in his footsteps.
Twenty-one-year-old Gemma Williams has taken over as the show’s chief of staff — one of the youngest appointments in the show’s history.
SHOCK VIDEO
The rank and file were collectively repulsed this week by allegations two of their own attempted to sexually assault a teenage girl after chatting her up at a railway station.
And we’re hearing it was only by chance that police came across evidence of the alleged crime.
Senior Constables Angelo Franco Dellosa and James Delinicolis were arrested in dawn raids by the Professional Standards Command on Wednesday. The duo — both married — are accused of the attempted rape of a 17-year-old schoolgirl at a hotel in March. According to the police allegations, Delinicolis, while on duty, met the girl at a train station before they exchanged numbers.
Delinicolis, 29, and Dellosa, 30, then arranged to meet the girl at a hotel where the attempted sex assault allegedly occurred. The Police Transport Command officers allegedly filmed the sex acts.
According to sources with knowledge of the investigation, police came across the video in June while searching through another man’s seized mobile phone.
Investigators then set out to track down the alleged victim in the footage before charging the two police officers last week with attempted sex assault and produce child abuse material.
The pair remain in custody and are due in court again next month.
* GOT A SNITCH? Contact ava.benny-morrison@news.com.au or brenden.hills@news.com.au
Originally published as The Snitch: Local courthouse in Newcastle requires deep clean