TRANSCRIPT
- Multiple people stabbed at a church in Sydney's west
- Network Ten celebrates its win in a defamation case launched by Bruce Lehrmann
- The French president says he's prepared to move the Olympics opening ceremony if security risk proves too high
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A Christian bishop and multiple churchgoers have been stabbed during a televised service in western Sydney.
More than a hundred police attended the Orthodox Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd Church at Wakeley where hundreds of people converged after Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and one other clergymen were attacked during the evening mass.
The stabbing victims are reported to have non-life threatening injuries.
A 15 year-old boy is alleged to have lunged at the bishop before he was subdued.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland says the crowd's behaviour was unacceptable.
"A number of houses have been damaged. They've broken into a number of houses to gain weapons to throw at the police. They've thrown weapons and items at the church itself. There was obviously people who wanted to get access to the young person who caused the injuries to the clergy people. One of the things they needed to understand is they need police to do their jobs."
Premier Chris Minns immediately called a meeting of religious leaders in Western Sydney who "endorsed and supported a unanimous condemnation of violence in any form".
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A lawyer for Channel 10 says the failure of Bruce Lehrmann's defamation case is a "vindication" for the network and journalist Lisa Wilkinson.
Federal Court Justice Michael Lee has dismissed the case after finding on the balance of probabilities - a lower threshold than in criminal trials - that Mr Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins.
The former Liberal staffer sued following a February 2021 report on The Project, claiming he had been identified as the man that allegedly raped Ms Higgins in Parliament House in March 2019.
In his judgement, Justice Lee said Channel Ten's legal counsel had shown a serious lack of judgement in approving a speech given mentioning the report by Ms Wilkinson at the 2021 Logies, which led to criminal proceedings against Mr Lehrmann being postponed.
Network 10 lawyer Justin Quill says he disagrees with those findings.
"This is an unmitigated disaster for Bruce Lehrmann. And I've got to say, it's a warning to all other potential applicants or plaintiffs who might want to try reinvent history or make a quick buck, who might want to come to court and con the court as to their version of events. You can come up with a con that might get you through a TV interview, or an interview with your bosses, or down at the pub with your mates. But when you come to the court and you are cross-examined, and forensically examined, you can't get away with it."
The criminal case against Mr Lehrmann was dropped in 2022 following juror misconduct at a reconvened trial, with no findings made against him.
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The Ceo of the group that owns Bondi Junction Westfield shopping centre says "detailed reviews" will examine its security response to Saturday's stabbing attack.
Elliott Rusanow says Centre Group is continuing to work closely with police as they investigate how Joel Cauchi was able to kill six people - including security guard Faraz Tahir - and wound multiple others.
He explained the group's security guards maintain close contact with law enforcement, but couldn't say exactly how many guards were on site during the attack.
"There were a significant number working. The exact number will be part of - in time - will be part of findings of detailed reviews. But I can say there were a significant number of security (guards) and I can also say since those events security has been increased throughout the entire portfolio, throughout Australia and New Zealand."
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The parents of the Bondi stabbing attacker have expressed their devastation and sorrow for the six people he killed.
Andrew and Michele Cauchi spoke directly to media outside their Toowoomba home in Queensland.
Mr Cauchi described his 40-year-old son Joel Cauchi - who was killed by an officer at the scene - as a "very sick boy" who had lived with mental illness since adolescence.
Michele Cauchi said did not know what motivated her son's attack, saying he was "brought up in love".
"My heart goes out to the people our son has hurt. If he was in his right mind, he would be devastated at what he had done. He was absolutely not in his right mind. He had somehow been triggered into psychosis, and he had lost touch of reality. And it's not a joke, it’s not a joke. It’s difficult for all these poor people who have lost their loved ones."
The family had only had periodic contact with Joel Cauchi in recent times, and contacted authorities after seeing his image in T-V reports about Saturday's attack.
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In sport, french president Emmanuel Macron says the Paris Olympics opening ceremony planned to take place on the River Seine could be shifted to a stadium because of security risks.
France is on high security alert ahead of the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, which are expected to draw millions of visitors to the country.
Particular focus is on the planned opening ceremony on July 26, which involves boats carrying athletes along the Seine with crowds watching from the bank.
Mr Macron told local media alternatives are being prepared, to be used if that plan is deemed too risky.
"We're not being naive at all. We are being very lucid about it. We are sharing all the (security) intelligence, we have considerable resources, and we know a lot. But we will give ourselves the means to have a great opening ceremony. If, after analysis of the context, we think there will be risks, we have other scenarios, we have a plan B and even a plan C, to be perfectly clear, and they are being prepared also."
