Man allegedly flips buggy on Hamilton Island while grossly intoxicated
Police have allegedly nabbed yet another buggy driver under the influence on Hamilton Island while trying to deal with gale force winds and Tropical Cyclone Kirrily.
Police & Courts
Mackay, Whitsundays warned of 120km/h winds, dangerous storm surge
Residents in low-lying areas near the shoreline are warned to take measures to protect their property as much as possible and be prepared to follow instructions regarding evacuation. FREE STORY
Cash, cocaine, firearms: Detectives bust alleged trafficking network
Detectives charge 27 people on 90 offences following a seven month operation targeting drug trafficking with massive raids in two days in north Qld. Full details.
‘I was having a bad day’: Man tries to run down fireys with car
A man has attempted to run down a group of firefighters with his vehicle in North Queensland, with the male using a bizarre excuse as to why.
Golf buggy blitz targets island’s drink drivers
A magistrate who was surprised at the amount of drink drivers on Hamilton Island appearing in court, was told police officers have to target the island following tragic outcomes with golf buggies. Read about the latest drink drivers who faced court.
‘No reason he would not do it again’: Alleged rapist, 27, makes bid for bail
A Queensland man previously sentenced for assaulting his partner in the Whitsundays offered to live seven hours away from the alleged victim to gain his freedom. See why the address wasn’t suitable.
‘Last resort’: Carpenter’s severe sentence for drug driving
A father’s shocking driving history was laid bare in court, along with what caused him to spiral. See what made the ‘wheels come off the wagon’.
Father falls back into shady business, selling stolen mine parts
A father-of-four has faced court after selling more than 100kg worth of copper parts stolen from a mine site. See why his solicitor said he was influenced by his family.
Teacher, resort worker, parents: 14 Mackay Isaac Whitsunday sex offenders
From a teacher who molested multiple boys to a man who paid foreign mothers to sexually abuse their children these are 14 men jailed in 2023 for sex related offences.
50,000 a month: Shock statistics expose depth of state’s crime crisis
Assaults, break-ins and car thefts are on the rise in Queensland, contributing to the state’s highest crime rate in more than 20 years.
‘Next time, you will be going to jail’: court warns seven-time DV offender
A man was told he would go to jail next time he breached a domestic violence order after offending for the seventh time.
Man evades police, drives through barbed-wire fence
A Whitsundays man who was ordered to pull over, evaded police by dangerously overtaking other cars and driving through a barbed wire fence.
Euthanasia drug inquest to probe elderly widower’s death
Euthanasia drugs and how they are dispensed will be the focus of an inquest following the death of an elderly Queensland widower who took a lethal dose prescribed for their terminally ill partner.
Meth and dope: Woman faces court for fifth time for drug driving
A Queensland woman was caught drug driving on a probationary licence while on a suspended sentence for other drug-related offending. Police asked that she go to jail but a magistrate gave her ‘one last chance’. See why
The players behind Mackay, Isaac, Whitsunday’s seedy drug scene
More than a dozen faces and names behind some of the region’s big busts and dark deals can be revealed. Here are 20 drug offenders who faced court in 2023.
Woman allegedly assaults police, smashes camera in roadside breath test
A roadside breath test went horribly wrong when a woman allegedly resisted arrest by assaulting two police officers and smashing a body-worn camera.
Mackay and Whitsunday parents behaving badly
From serious drug crimes, to serious assault to causing fatal or serious crashes, meet the Mackay and Whitsunday parents whose bad behaviour landed them in court in 2023.
KILLER DRIVERS: 10 people who caused fatal crashes across Mackay Whitsunday
Their dangerous or reckless behaviour on the road has claimed 11 lives – mothers, fathers, brothers – and left families broken and grieving.
‘Just unacceptable’: Injury crash toll hits second worst total
Booze and drugs are playing a huge role in crashes on the Bruce Highway as the number of road related injuries in the Mackay district climbs to its worst toll in almost a decade.
‘God, Satan and killing animals’: How ex Navy man stalked ‘funeral girl’
A former Navy officer who developed a ‘fascination’ for a ‘funeral girl’ he met at a gym, found out where she lived and looked at her through her bedroom window while telling others of bizarre conversations involving God, Satan and killing animals.
Seven charged with promoting hooning on social media
Social media influencers with 12,000 followers were among seven people charged with promoting hooning activity as part of new laws in Queensland, including a beach party that led to a teenager being flown to hospital with critical injuries. One said ‘bring beers, be a menace’.
Sex worker armed robbery accused seeks Christmas freedom
A man accused of robbing two Queensland sex workers at gun and knifepoint has tried to push for bail release with his lawyer arguing the evidence was ‘not particularly strong’. See what the local magistrate had to say.
‘Extremely evil’: Teen died after carer sparked deadly game with opioid drugs
A Queensland teen died after a woman gave him and other children at her home opioid pain medication saying it would ‘make them high’. But she will be out of prison next year with the teen’s family blasting her sentence as “no kind of justice”.
‘Should have just left’: Woman lashes out at town bar over racial slur
A young single mother was ‘yelling, swearing and pushing chairs’ at a popular regional pub after someone made racist slurs. DETAILS
Hotel wheel thief ‘revenge’ caught on CCTV
A chippie who thought he was giving someone a taste of their own medicine, after his vehicle’s wheels were pinched, took revenge on the wrong car.
‘No excuse’: Drunk dad smashes through multiple front yards
A single dad was told there was ‘no excuse’ after he crashed his car through three front yards after getting behind the wheel while more than three and a half times the legal alcohol limit.
Whitsunday teenager’s ‘stupidity’ revealed in court
An 18-year-old Whitsundays’ man has broken the law twice in one week with his actions described as ‘drunken stupidity’. Find out what he did.
Central Qld mine worker notches 34th DV conviction
A mine worker who notched up his 34th domestic violence conviction has been described by a magistrate as having a “blatant disregard” for court orders.
‘I robbed a shop worker at knife-point when I was nine’
A young reformed criminal who robbed a shop at knife-point at nine and was shanked with a toothbrush in detention, says kids should spend a day in adult jail to stop them reoffending.
Twist in sacked mine worker’s ‘windscreen smashing’ probe
A disgruntled ex-supervisor captured on CCTV smashing a staffer’s window outside a Bowen Basin worksite will not be charged as police reveal new details.
‘Panicked’: Whitsundays’ driver turns herself in after evading police
A woman that had barely stepped out of jail after burglary and stealing was back before the courts after evading police when they caught her speeding.
Drug-driving stepdad faces court after flipping car at Bunnings
A stepdad with meth in his system flipped his car at a busy roundabout and sent it tumbling down a 2m drop in a dramatic crash in the Whitsundays.
Coke, cashed up ‘bad boys’: TikTok queen’s life of luxury to lock-up
A glamorous lash tech’s love of “tatted criminals with moolah” lured her into the underworld. Now, she’s swapping high-end threads for prison greens. SPECIAL REPORT.
Driver charged with biker’s death in horror Bruce Hwy crash
A young man has been officially charged with causing the death of a motorcyclist in a terrible crash on the Bruce Highway.
Arrest warrant issued for driver over horror hwy fatal crash
Police have revealed they plan to charge a Hungarian national who allegedly caused a Bruce Highway crash that claimed the life of his girlfriend between Mackay and Rockhampton.
‘I won’t be spoken to like that’: Woman tells judge in $1.2m case
A former Whitsunday businesswoman who once ran for a seat at a council election scored a victory in her fight to get a $1.2m compensation payout. But she’s also been left with some costly expenses.
Yachtsman who obstructed police denied he was driving golf buggy
A professional yachtsman who says he wasn’t aware Hamilton Island golf buggies were considered like any other vehicle obstructed police officers as they asked for a breath test.
Boozed up buggy drivers nabbed on island paradise
A senior director, doctor and yachtsman are among the latest boozed up golf buggy drivers to be fined following a police blitz on Hamilton Island.
Perverted monster paid to watch and direct children being abused
A “truly horrendous” online monster paid to watch and direct little children being sexually abused to sate the depths of his depravity, a Queensland court has heard. Warning: Disturbing content
‘I just heard this massive bang’: Rider dies in Bruce Hwy crash
Police have confirmed a Mackay region man died on the way to hospital after the motorbike he was riding and a hatchback collided at Yalboroo. DETAILS
Lawyer for alleged killer pilot accuses police of lying
The lawyer for an alleged killer pilot accused of causing the death of his passenger during a Christmas Eve joy flight has been forced to apologise during a heated courtroom discussion. DETAILS
18,000 pages: Alleged Bogie murderer’s case changes hands
The latest lawyer for a Queensland grazier accused of gunning down three family members at the fence line of his rural property has pushed for a lengthy court adjournment.
Snake bite victim died in front of family at school function
A 69-year-old grandfather who died after he had removed a snake coiled around a friend’s ankle at a Queensland park was attending a school’s 100-year anniversary with family at the time.
Father, 23, arrested over alleged assault on seven-week-old baby
A Queensland father has been arrested and will face court over an alleged shocking assault on his newborn child. DETAILS
‘One of the best’: Beloved husband, father killed in horror mine road crash
Loved ones are mourning the death of a husband and dad in a tragic Father’s Day collision on a major roadway linking two Queensland mining towns.
Fourth legal change for alleged triple killer
There has been a new twist in the case against a Queensland grazier charged with allegedly shooting dead three family members on a rural property.
Whitsundays woman charged over crash that killed ‘wonderful man’
A woman was intoxicated when her ute crossed onto the wrong side of the road and killed a Whitsundays man in a horror crash near Airlie Beach, police will allege.
Pioneer Valley man dead in horror Father’s Day crash
A Mackay region man has died from his injuries following a horror smash-up between his 4WD and a truck and trailer in the Bowen Basin. LATEST
‘Erratic’ driver blamed medication, fog for drink-driving crash
A young woman was told she could have easily become the seventh death in a matter of weeks on Mackay Whitsunday region’s roads after she flipped her car while drink-driving.
NAMED: Whitsunday drivers caught drink or drug-driving
From a woman who was arrested for drink-driving twice in 24 hours to a man who openly admitted he drug-drove for decades, here are the stories of Whitsundays’ bad drivers.
Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/whitsunday/police-courts/page/5