5 minute read
Police News
Anyone recognise this bloke?
Alleged Crimes of the East
Words Gary Larson
Knife-wielding robber
A man armed with a knife threatened a young female supermarket employee in a late night robbery on Anzac Parade, Kingsford.
The robber (above), fled with the cash register. Out in the street he threatened two members of the public. He is described as a heavyset Caucasian man around 170 centimetres tall. The robbery took place around midnight on Wednesday, October 28. Eastern Beaches Police Area Command established a crime scene. Anyone with information is urged to phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Grand prick on Syd Enfield Drive
Police clocked a Lamborghini racing through rush hour traffic on Syd Enfield Drive, Bondi Junction, at 170 kmph - that’s 90 kmph over the speed limit! The high performance car was seen weaving in and out of traffic lanes, causing another driver to brake suddenly, at 6pm on a weekday.
The driver, a 27 year-old from Sylvania, had his licence suspended on the spot by officers from Eastern Suburbs Highway Patrol. The man was not the owner of the Lamborghini Huracán (which has a top speed of 325 kmph), so the vehicle was not impounded.
It’s my party and I’ll spread COVID if I want to
A party in a Bondi Beach unit block was “crashed” by police because there was more than the 20-person limit imposed under public health restrictions.
The 1.30am visit by officers from Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command followed several complaints about the gathering.
Police say there were more than 30 people in attendance. They issued $1,000 penalty infringement notices to 17 attendees who were able to be identified.
The COVID raid is one of a number that have taken place around the Eastern Suburbs in recent weeks. A gathering in a home in Oxford Street (near York Road), Bondi Junction attracted complaints about an excessive crowd plus loud music. Police dropped round and 24 of those $1,000 penalties were handed out, with 20 going to guests and the remainder to the four young flatmates hosting the party.
Police hunt Peeping Tom
Eastern Beaches Police are on the trail of a pervert who entered the back of a North Maroubra unit block and pulled open a bathroom window to look at a teenage girl in the shower.
The man ran off after the girl alerted her parents. He is described as being between 20 and 30, Caucasian and wearing an Adidas shirt. Police were called and forensic samples taken. If you have any information, call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Magistrate’s cutting remarks to tree lopper
An Eastern Suburbs arborist has been fined $3,000 plus $1,500 costs after illegally removing a tree.
Bondi-based Branch Out Tree Specialists admitted removing a Crepe Myrtle in Onslow Street, Rose Bay, without a permit.
Waverley Court was told the tree was eight to nine metres high and that trees can only be removed without a permit when they are five metres high or less. The prosecution was brought by Waverley Council following complaints from a number of locals.
The owner of Branch Out Tree Specialists, James Vineall, said he had removed the tree at the request of the elderly owner of the adjacent house, who said fallen leaves “were making the path slippery for his wife”.
Magistrate Jennifer Giles told Vineall, “People feel very strongly about trees in the Eastern Suburbs. You hungrily took business that you shouldn’t have taken.”
The court heard that Vineall was a qualified arborist who had worked for other companies for more than ten years before branching out on his own.
Tradies warned about thefts from utes
Eastern Beaches Police have noticed an increase of thefts from utes parked in local streets.
“An assortment of power tools have been taken from the lock boxes in the trays of the vehicles,” tradies were warned in a Facebook posting.
“Please do not leave your power tools in your vehicles, these are your livelihood. Engrave your tools with your company details. Keep a lookout for persons lingering around vehicles in the street, contact the Police on 131 444.”
Ghosts from man’s past
A man’s past has come back to haunt him. Bradley Albert (aka Bradley Bennet or Jan Bradley) has a District Court warrant out for him over an assault and robbery he allegedly committed in the Eastern Suburbs in April 1988.
Albert is now 50, meaning he was around 18 at the time of the offences. His case has been brought up as part of ongoing inquiries into unsolved and unresolved crime in the local area by Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command.
Waverley Council Update
Mayor’s Message Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah
As we bid farewell to what has been one of the world’s most challenging years in living history, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Waverley community for their resilience and the kindness they have shown to one another in 2020.
Our Council is continuing to support our community during these challenging times, and it has been great to see so many projects progress in spite of the challenges presented by COVID-19.
We will continue to beautify our public places, protect our local neighbourhood centres and villages and fully engage with the community in continuing to make our suburbs liveable and safe.
We will continue to support our local businesses through our Business Relief Package and keep our most vulnerable residents connected as we work together into the new year. The next few months will be challenging but an exciting time for Waverley, and I would like to remind residents and visitors Help shape the direction of culture in Waverley
to continue to use our public places safely and adhere to the current Public Health Orders and health advice. Don’t forget to socially distance, and if on the beach, that means keeping a towel-length apart, and keep up the hand hygiene. Remember to get tested if you have any flulike symptoms such as sneezing, coughing or a sore throat. On behalf of my fellow Councillors and everyone at Waverley Council, I wish you a safe and happy festive season, and above all, good health. HeadOn photo festival
Australia’s leading annual international photography event returns to Bondi Beach on Friday 6 November until Sunday 6 December with an installation of photographic displays along the southern end of the beach promenade. For more, visit
headon.com.au
Bondi Surf Club upgrade
Waverley Council unanimously voted to progress the draft concept design for the Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club upgrade to detailed design stage. Council Officers will then report back to Council with the final design prior to lodging a development application. The draft concept design was guided by a detailed Conservation Management Plan for the site and is formally supported by The Heritage Council of NSW. It preserves the 1934 clubhouse, with modern lightweight additions that showcase the original heritage building. The footprint of the overall clubhouse remains the same, and the design will increase useable public parkland.
