Cygnet house fire: Resident treated for smoke inhalation
An early-morning house fire was started after people broke in, removed a sofa bed from the property and set it alight outside the front door, police said. LATEST >>
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LATEST, Sunday December 5, 12.30pm: A fire at a house in Cygnet was started after people broke into the house, pulled a sofa out of the building and set it alight outside the front door, police have alleged.
Tasmania Police said unknown people unlawfully entered the property at Winns Road about 2am on Sunday and removed the sofa bed from the house before putting it outside the door and setting it on fire.
The resident was woken by the smoke alarm and managed to put out the fire.
The Tasmania Fire Service and Tasmania Police attended the scene.
Damage was contained to the front door and surrounding area.
Police are seeking any information from anyone who may have been in the area at the time and seen any suspicious behaviour or may have dash cam footage.
Information can be provided by calling police on 131 444, or anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at crimestoppers.com.au
EARLIER, Sunday December 5, 10.35am: A resident is being treated for smoke inhalation after their house caught fire in Cygnet in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Firefighters rushed to extinguish the house fire on Winns Road after receiving calls for help at about 2.20am in the morning.
The fire is believed to have started in the kitchen, however investigations are ongoing.
The resident of the house was treated by Ambulance Tasmania for smoke inhalation, however there does not appear to be any serious injuries.
A Tasmania Fire Service spokesman said the fire had been quickly brought under control.
“We first got a call for a house on fire at around 2.20am this morning. We got there and the fire was put out pretty quick,” the spokesman said.
“Police did fire watch last night, and fire investigators are on their way now to carry out investigations.”
DECEMBER 3: POLICE are seeking information to locate a BMX bike potentially connected to a stabbing murder in Ravenswood.
As part of the ongoing investigation into the incident on November 25, police are seeking public assistance to locate a BMX with white wall tyres that may have been used in the incident.
Anyone who can help police the bike, which may be abandoned or left in a location out of the ordinary, is asked to contact police on 131 444 or provide information anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
UPDATE, Friday December 3, 11.45am: A Launceston man has been charged with murder following a fatal stabbing and serious wounding in Ravenswood last week.
The 44-year-old remains in custody and will face the Launceston Magistrates Court this afternoon facing murder, attempted murder and aggravated burglary charges.
Thursday, December 2: A WOMAN critically wounded in a fatal stabbing at a house in Ravenswood last week has been released from hospital and her two teenage children are excited to be reunited with her.
Just hours after Tasmania Police offered a $50,000 reward for solid information, officers swooped on a house in the Launceston suburb of Waverley late on Wednesday night.
Inside the house was a man they had been looking for since November 25 in connection with the alleged murder.
Kerry Whiting, of Waverley, is accused of stabbing another to death in a house in Ravenswood last week.
The 44-year-old is also accused of stabbing a woman at the same house and leaving her with critical injuries.
The alleged violent episode was reported to police by two teenagers who were also home at the time.
The woman, the children’s mother, has now been released from hospital.
“We have maintained contact with the children on a daily basis and they are relieved and excited to be reunited with their mother,” Inspector Mel Groves said.
“It is reassuring to tell the victim we have the person we suspect was involved in custody.
“We are also comfortable that now we have this man in custody we can progress other areas of the investigation.
“We cannot reveal how he came into custody.
“One of the fundamental behind Crime Stoppers is the right to provide information anonymously. I cannot disclose if information from the public led to his arrest.”
It is understood Mr Whiting has not yet been formally interviewed by police.
“We can reassure the community they can feel safe. We are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident,” Insp Groves said.
Man wanted for murder arrested
A man has been arrested in Launceston over a deadly frenzied stabbing attack witnessed by two teenagers, ending a week-long manhunt.
It comes after police put up a $50,000 reward for information less than 24 hours ago.
The 44-year-old Launceston man was found during a police check of a Waverley property at 11:45pm last night and safely taken into custody without incident.
Police investigations are continuing and a press conference is expected to be held later today.
More to come.
$50,000 reward for information on man wanted for murder
POLICE have put up a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a man wanted for murder as the extensive search continues.
The 44-year-old is wanted in relation to a fatal stabbing and a wounding in Ravenswood last Thursday.
Commander Wilkinson said rewards were an important investigative tool that may entice people with crucial information to come forward and provide information to police.
“Fifty thousand dollars is a life-changing amount of money that we believe could entice a person to change their allegiances and be the motivation they need to come forward.
“The reward will not be payable to anyone involved in the commission of the crime or associated crimes.”
Police said they would not let up in their search for the Waverley resident.
Search enters sixth day
The intensive police search for a man wanted in relation to a fatal stabbing and wounding in Launceston last week continues six days after what they say was a targeted incident.
Police searched the Waverley area of Launceston on Tuesday in a bid to find the offender but he is still at large.
A 44-year-old man has been named as a person of interest in the investigation into the fatal stabbing of a man in his 30s and the wounding of a woman at a house in Prosser Forest Rd in Ravenswood last Thursday.
The woman who was critically wounded is now in a stable condition and police have spoken to her.
The incident was reported to police by her teenage children who were in the house at the time.
Inspector Groves said the search was now a statewide operation.
“He has been on the run for five days now and police are working on it 24/7,” she said on Tuesday.
‘Any information we will follow through. If you see him ring Triple Zero immediately.”
“We will not stop till we find him.”
New look for man being sought after fatal stabbing
POLICE have released CCTV images of a man they believe may be able to assist their investigation into a stabbing murder that rocked the Launceston suburb of Ravenswood on Thursday.
The search for a 44-year-old continues, with Tasmania Police releasing still images from CCTV that were recorded the night before the incident in the hope the public might recognise him.
In a picture of the man previously published by police, he is shown with a long, shoulder-length mullet haircut, while the new images “indicate he has altered his appearance by shaving his head”.
Officers were called to a Ravenswood address just after 3.30am on November 25, where they found a man in his 30s dead after another man had entered the home and went on a violent rampage. A woman, also aged in her 30s, was taken to the Launceston General Hospital, where she remains in a critical condition.
Police ‘piecing together jigsaw’ of man still on run after stabbing
UPDATE, 5pm Friday, November 26:
POLICE have issued a stern warning to the man they want to speak to in connection with a murder and serious wounding incident in Launceston on Thursday morning: “We will not stop till we find you.”
Police are also appealing to anyone with information to come forward and for anyone who might be the offender to do the right thing and tell authorities where he is.
A man was stabbed to death at a house in Prossers Forest Rd in Ravenswood in the early hours of Thursday morning.
A woman was also stabbed but she has so far survived her injuries and remains in a critical condition in the Launceston General Hospital.
The woman’s two teenage children who rang police to notify them of the alleged murder and wounding are being cared for and are in contact with the police.
A police command bus will be stationed at Ravenswood Shopping Centre over the weekend to allow community members to talk to police.
“We will not stop till we find him,” Inspector Mel Groves said on Friday.
While police have had some tip offs about the man’s whereabouts there have been no confirmed sightings.
“We are concerned for his state of mind and for his safety,” Inspector Grove said.
“We are following every line of inquiry and the search will continue over the weekend.
“We want to bring this to a safe resolution.”
The knife the offender is alleged to have used in the incident has not been found.
“You may think your information is irrelevant but it could be the missing piece in the jigsaw puzzle. If you are aiding him you have the option of reporting where he is anonymously or if he is there with you can ring triple-0.”
UPDATE: The search for a 44-year-old continues into a second day after a double stabbing in Tasmania’s North on Thursday.
Police believe he may be able to assist with inquiries into a murder and wounding incident in Ravenswood.
A Police command bus has been set up at the Ravenswood Shopping Centre for anyone with information.
3:20pm Thursday November 25: Police release photo of man
Police are appealing to the man they want to talk to in relation to the murder of a man and the serious wounding of a woman in Launceston to hand himself him.
Police are looking for a 44-year-old man in relation to the incident they were alerted to by two teenagers at the scene in Ravenswood.
A man was found stabbed to death at the scene and the mother of the two teenagers is undergoing surgery for her wounds at the LGH. Her condition is listed as critical.
A vehicle police were looking for has been found and it has been determined there is no link between it and the fatal stabbing.
The wounded woman has not yet been interviewed by police.
12:48pm Thursday November 25: One dead, one critical and a man at large after stabbing
One man is dead, a woman is in a critical condition and a man is at large after a double stabbing in Ravenswood overnight.
Tasmania Police remain on the scene of a stabbing on Prossers Forest Road at Ravenswood where a man in his 30s was killed, and a woman was critically injured.
Police were called to the house about 3:30am after a report that a man entered the house and inflicted stab wounds on the man and woman.
He was known to the victims.
A helicopter and police drone are looking for a man accused of murdering another and critically injuring a woman in the Launceston suburb of Ravenswood early Thursday.
It is understood the victims had lived in their Housing Tasmania property in Prosser Forest Rd for just a few months.
Forensic officers are now working inside the house as the hunt for the wanted man continues.
While the immediate neighbours appear to be bunkered down after an incident one described as “frightening” others in the street are going about their usual business.
Two teenagers were home at the time of the incident and are physically unharmed.
According to police, The two teenagers are in the care of others and are receiving support services.
The woman, in her 30s, is in a critical condition at the Launceston General Hospital.
Police believe the alleged offender is not a threat to the wider community.
From the scene:
The hunt for an alleged murderer continues as neighbours of a man and woman stabbed early this morning react with surprise they did not hear anything.
John Kemperle who lives next door and shares a driveway with the people at number 36 said he did not hear any commotion and the first he knew something major had happened was when police knocked on his door at 4.30am.
“It is pretty frightening to learn someone has been stabbed to death and another injured so close by,” he said.
“I am surprised I didn’t hear anything. There was a car with Victorian plates on the grass behind the house but that had gone this morning.”
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