RUSH HOUR: The stories you need to know today
A FATHER and his teenage daughter have faced court after allegedly having sex in their backyard. The pair claimed it was a one-off incident.
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ON news.com.au today, a father and his teenage daughter have faced court on incest charges after allegedly having sex, child killer Jon Venables doesn’t want to leave prison and Vikki Campion’s ex-fiance denies he is the father of her unborn child.
7.50am
France sets 15 as age of consent
France plans to make 15 the age of sexual consent following a public outcry over two cases of sex involving 11-year-old girls.
The issue was brought to the fore after critics and politicians said French laws had allowed two men to escape rape charges when they were accused of sex with underage girls.
But prosecutors hoping to charge an offender with rape must prove the sex was forced, a more complicated question when pre-teens are involved.
Any sexual act by an adult with a child younger than 15 can be prosecuted as a sexual offence under current French law.
In November, a 30-year-old man was acquitted of the rape of an 11-year-old girl after the court determined she had not been subjected to “constraint, threat, violence or surprise”.
In another case involving an 11-year-old girl, a 28-year-old man had faced charges of sexual relations with a minor, rather than rape — a decision that enraged the girl’s family.
— AFP
7.30am
Big wet soaks Queensland
The Sunshine State has become the drenched state with more than 100mm of rain falling in the space of just 90 minutes as severe storms swept through the southeast.
The downpour caused flash flooding in some areas with several drivers seen on the Gold Coast and Brisbane attempting to drive across flooded roads, the Courier-Mail reported.
It comes as forecasters warn the deluge is likely to continue throughout the week.
7.10am
Man arrested, accused of stealing Oscars trophy
Police have arrested a man who is accused of stealing Frances McDormand’s Oscars trophy.
Police spokeswoman Rosario Herrera said Terry Bryant, 47, was arrested on suspicion of felony grand theft.
McDormand received the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
McDormand’s publicist, Simon Halls, told the Associated Press that statue and actor are happily together once again.
“After some brief time apart, Frances and her Oscar were happily reunited. They celebrated the reunion with a double cheeseburger from In-N-Out Burger,” Mr Halls said.
6.40am
Kim meets South officials in historic meeting
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has met with South Korean officials for the first time since taking power seven years ago.
The South Korean envoys, led by President Moon Jae-in’s top security adviser Chung Eui Yong, have been sent to Pyongyang to lay the groundwork for potential peace talks between the neighbours, AAP reported.
The 10-member South Korean delegation, led by National Security Office head Chung Eui-young, arrived in Pyongyang overnight.
Before leaving Mr Chung said: “We will deliver President Moon Jae-in’s wish to bring about denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and permanent peace by extending the goodwill and better inter-Korean relations created by the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.”
6:30am
Vikki’s ex ‘not the father’
Vikki Campion’s ex fiance has denied he is the father of her child saying the pair haven’t seen each other in months.
John Bergin, who was engaged to be married to Ms Campion told the Daily Telegraph that “any suggestion that I am the father of Vikki’s child is incorrect”.
Mr Bergin was due to marry Ms Campion in 2016 but the couple split before the nuptials took place.
Ms Campion’s pregnancy and revelation about her affair with former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce led to his resignation from cabinet.
6:15am
Jon Venables doesn’t want to be released
Convicted child killer Jon Venables has told his lawyer he does not want to be released from custody because he feels safer where he is.
Lawyer Laurence Lee said Venables knows people are out to kill him in revenge for torturing and murdering toddler James Bulger in 1993, The Sun reported.
Venables has been given a new name — but reportedly moved jails after inmates found out his real identity.
Venables had scalding water thrown over his face and he is now guarded round the clock by six guards.
The now 35-year-old was sent back to jail for 40 months after being caught with more than 1000 abuse images and a manual on how to rape young children.
6:00am
Father and daughter arrested for having sex
A father and daughter have been arrested after they were allegedly caught having sex in their backyard.
Justin Bunn, 39, and daughter Taylor 19, were taken into custody after witnesses told Panama City police they spotted them engaged in a sex act, the Northwest Florida Daily News reported.
Father and daughter confessed to having consensual sex but claimed it was an isolated incident.
The pair have appeared in court facing incest charges and a judge ordered them to stay away from each other.