Crash a close call for Girrawheen mum-to-be

Nicole Bresser, who is 18 weeks pregnant, surveys the damage after a car crashed into her bedroom on Hainsworth Ave, Girrawheen. Picture: Kerris Berrington Source: PerthNow

A car crashed into the bedroom that Nicole Bresser was sleeping in on Hainsworth Avenue, Girrawheen. Picture: Supplied. Source: PerthNow

SOME might say it was an Easter miracle which prevented a pregnant woman from injury after a car crashed through her bedroom in Girrawheen this morning.

Nicole Bresser, 28, was asleep in her mother's Hainsworth Avenue home when a car smashed through a wall at about 7.30am.

Ms Bresser, who is 18 weeks pregnant, said she opened her eyes to find that a wardrobe had fallen over her and saw the car's front bumper next to her bed.

"The way the wardrobe fell protected me from any debris hitting me,'' she said.

"The passenger got out and helped me out of bed.''

Ms Bresser said the passenger was a man aged in his twenties and his father was the driver of the vehicle.

"The father was learning to drive and accidentally put his foot on the accelerator instead of the brake,'' she said.

"We live in front of a roundabout and the man just went right through it.'

Paramedics attended to Ms Bresser who was taken to Joondalup Health Campus to be checked.

"My (unborn) baby and I are fine, everything is ok,'' she said.

"It's been a very lucky Easter Sunday.''

The driver and his son were also uninjured.

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Single, smart, over 40 - and frustrated

Eligible: Tanya Durham, Nicki Williams and Kerryn Lambert agree that the over-40s dating scene is dismal. PICTURE: Will Russell Source: PerthNow

THEY'RE single, smart and successful, but these over-40 Perth women can't find a decent man.

East Perth hairdresser Tanya Durham, 46, says she's been on so many dud dates she's stopped trying.

And events manager Kerryn Lambert was stood up on Monday night after waiting 45 minutes at a bar for a date to show up. To make it worse, it was the eve of her 40th birthday.

Ms Durham, who has never married, said being in her mid-40s limited the range of eligible men.

"I don't mind going out with younger guys, but they want children, so that market is out, and a lot of guys over 40 are going for girls under-30, because they don't think they're 40," she said.

Part of the problem was that men didn't want independent women.

"We're looking for guys because we want to have them in our life, not because we need to have them," she said. "But there are a lot of guys who want to feel needed. And they're the guys that we won't possibly attract."

Most men who registered for online dating websites were creeps, she said.

"One guy had a 10-year-old photo of himself on his online profile. When I met up with him, he was morbidly obese," she said. Ms Lambert said online dating had given men too much choice.

"It's just one big, easy fishing pond," she said.

Public relations professional Nicki Williams, 45, said there was definitely a shortage of eligible men in their 40s and 50s in Perth.

"If you're serious about settling down with someone, you're not looking at the 35-year-olds for long-term prospects. You're looking at somebody who is more settled and has possibly been married, so they're in the same situation as you," the twice-married mother of two said.

"If you want to settle down, it needs to be with someone over 40 and there aren't that many of them out there."

Ms Williams said that though she'd love to meet someone, she didn't need a man to provide for her because she was financially stable.

"I don't want to end up old and alone, but I'm not desperate and dateless, so to speak," she said.

Debbie Rivers, who runs Dare to Date, which organises social events for singles, said it was a challenge to get men over 40 to attend her events.They were often hurt by previous relationships and unwilling to give anything a go.

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Marriage misery hits our under-25s

Young divorcee Courtney Furness at home in Yanchep. PICTURE : Ross Swanborough Source: PerthNow

A GENERATION of young adults who no longer view marriage as a lifelong commitment has produced a big rise in the number of couples under 25 filing for divorce.

Latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveal the divorce rate for those married at 24 and under has reached the highest levels since the mid-1970s, while marriage rates for young people have continued to fall.

In the past five years, the number of men divorcing aged 24 and under increased 40 per cent, and there was nearly a 30 per cent rise for women.

Curtin University cultural studies professor Jon Stratton said young couples rushing to the altar were influenced by romantic tales of celebrities marrying spontaneously.

"Marriage has once again taken on that aura of being something really romantic that you'd like to do and is associated with a better life," he said.

"But given the complexities of life today, the difficulty of buying a house, the need to have two incomes and the way that complicates having children, getting married that young means a much greater chance the marriage will break up when those stresses come."

Social demographer Bernard Salt attributed the rise in divorces to a shift in thinking by those in their early 20s who believed "if you're unhappy, get out".

"We now have a wave of young people who are more driven by 21st century values, which are around organising your personal life to suit your circumstances at the time, whereas the 20th century notion was through thick and thin, in sickness and in health, if you were happy or unhappy, you just stuck at it," he said.

Mr Salt said the older members of Gen Y, now in their late-20s and early 30s, had delayed commitment until later in life after being affected by the high divorce rate in the 1980s through their parents or friends' parents, and were now quite stable in their relationships.

American blogger Joelle Caputa has tapped into the zeitgeist with a website and online support group for young divorcees called Trash the Dress.

"Women divorced in their 20s initially view themselves as failures because all their friends are getting married and having babies while they are starting their lives over from scratch," she told The Sunday Times.

"Once they get past the hurt and embarrassment, they reach rejuvenation. These young divorcees may just be the most motivated group of women in the world. They travel, trash their wedding dress, have divorce parties, go back to school, quit the jobs they hate and apply for new ones, go out on dates, celebrate their new lives and inspire others to follow suit."

Having divorced in her 20s, Ms Caputa is now writing a book about the experiences she and other young divorcees went through and said she discovered many women were marrying at a young age because of pressure from family members or religious groups.

"You would think that mindset would become extinct in this day and age," she said.

Relationships Australia WA branch manager Kylie Dunjey said they counselled many 20-somethings going through divorces.

"Divorce is grief and loss, and counselling can be a good place to go or there are a lot of books out there that can help people," she said.

'Happy family' dreams dashed at 21

COURTNEY Furness was married at 18, a mother at 19 and divorced by 21.

"We thought we were in love and were meant to be," the Yanchep mother said.

"It was the whole picture of a happy family, so getting married was like the icing on the cake."

But nine months into the marriage Ms Furness, who admits falling pregnant with her daughter was one of the reasons she married, separated from her husband, who was several years older than her.

She signed the divorce papers just after her 21st birthday.

"You don't realise what a person is really like until you live with them and marry them, and then it's for ever," Ms Furness said.

"That bad habit of theirs it's forever now. It's just a whole lot of work, and I thought it would get better."

Now 23, Ms Furness has gone back to university and is building a house for herself and her daughter.

"I sometimes feel like I've done everything because I've already been married and divorced," she said.

"Now my life is all about my daughter it's not about me anymore."

She said she was often judged for her decision.

"Men don't like it. Older people don't like it," she said. "I once had a doctor who said the reason I was having medical problems was because I was being punished (for being divorced)."

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'We were so proud of our children'

Momentos left at the scene of Thursday's freak wall collapse which claimed the lives of Bridget and Alexander Jones. Main picture: Andrew Brownbill Source: Herald Sun

A WOMAN who held the hand of a teenager critically injured in a freak city wall collapse, begging her to "hang in there", is devastated the girl has died.

Bridget Jones, 18, became the third victim of last week's tragedy, losing her fight for life three days after her brother, Alexander, was killed.

Brielle Chapman confirmed that in his last moments, a heroic Alexander had tried to save his sister.

"It all happened so quickly," she said.

"Alex yelled out 'watch out' and shielded his sister - and then the whole wall just collapsed, and they were gone."

Ms Chapman, 27, fought back tears as she told of the next "horrific" minutes as she and her four sisters dug through the rubble in a desperate bid to find the pair.

"Nothing could prepare us for what we were going to find," she said.

Friends leave flowers for Bridget Jones after hearing of her death. Picture: Andrew Brownbill

"(Alex) had taken the full extent of the collapse. Bridget was underneath him.

"We knew Alex had already gone. I grabbed Bridget's hand and I was saying to her 'Hang in there. You'll be OK'.

"She wasn't conscious, but I know she knew I was there, as she clung to my hand."

Ms Chapman was on holiday from NSW with sisters Bianca, 24, Olivia, 21, Jessica, 20, and Shayla, 15.

"We were following not even a metre behind them. It could've been us," she said.

"It's a complete tragedy."

Eighteen-year-old Bridget Jones has died, becoming the third person killed by a Melbourne wall collapse.

Tributes flowed for the siblings - both arts students from Melbourne University - as it emerged that Bridget had succumbed to severe head injuries in Royal Melbourne Hospital at 6.30am.

Devastated parents Ian and Sue Jones, both 57, from Montmorency, released a statement about their "kind-hearted and respectful" children.

"We were so very proud of both of our children," the couple said.

"They were always kind-hearted and respectful. They had a wide network of friends and yet were both very close to each other."

Mr and Mrs Jones said Alexander had been planning to study law and aspired to go into politics.

Bridget had been considering a teaching career.

Friends of Alexander and Bridget Jones chalked tributes on the footpath and left flowers and momentos at a makeshift shrine on Swanston St. Picture: Andrew Brownbill

"They loved sport - particularly tennis, which they played since they were five - and all different genres of music," the grief-stricken parents said.

They said Alexander and Bridget were keen Blues supporters who had been on their way to meet their father for the first Carlton game of the season.

Friends gathered at the scene of the tragedy at the former CUB brewery in Swanston St for the second consecutive day, chalking tributes to their lost mates on the footpath.

Fresh flowers, pictures and other mementos, including a Carlton teddy bear, were left at a makeshift shrine.

Friend Maddie inscribed in a card: "Two amazing people have been taken from us far too soon. You were both going to change the world! You are both going to be missed more than ever."

Monika Vulevu Cushe posted on a Facebook tribute page: "R.I.P Bridget Jones - heaven has a new angel, together with your loving brother."

Bridget and Alexander with parents Ian and Susan.

Others described the pair as "inseparable".

Another woman killed in the wall collapse remains unidentified.

Police said they were awaiting formal identification of the victim, believed to be a Mount Waverley woman aged in her 30s.

Royal Melbourne Hospital intensive care specialist Dr Thomas Rechnitzer has expressed "heartfelt sympathy" to the Jones family.

"Despite every effort by multiple teams of dedicated doctors and nurses, who did all they could for Bridget over the past three days, Bridget has died as a result of severe head injuries," he said.

The University of Melbourne said it would offer to hold a memorial service for the family.

Friends of Alexander and Bridget Jones and the unnamed woman who died in the Carlton wall collapse pay their respects at the site. Picture: Chris Scott

"The University of Melbourne community is deeply saddened and distressed at the tragic events of last Thursday," it posted on Facebook.

"Our thoughts are with the Jones family and friends. We will continue to offer Alexander and Bridget's friends, and those affected by the accident, counselling and all other necessary support."

Victorian Premier Dr Denis Napthine also sent his condolences.

"This is a terrible tragedy and our thoughts and prayers are with the family," he said.

"This incident will be fully investigated by the coroner and other relevant authorities."

WorkSafe, the State Coroner, Victoria Police and Grocon, which owns the site, have all launched investigations.

Touchingly, a neighbour saw Bridget kiss her mother goodbye the day before the tragic event: "Sue and Ian were just totally devoted to their children. Not so long ago Ian was here speaking for an hour about how well they were both doing at uni - he was so proud of them."

Alexander, who was nicknamed Zander by his friends, had aspirations to become prime minister of Australia.

One friend called Alexander, known as "Prime Minister Giggles", "a prince among men".

Montmorency Secondary College principal Allan Robinson said of the former school captain: "He was an incredible young man, thoroughly respected and admired by every student and every member of staff at Montmorency Secondary College."

Many said they would miss the arts student's cheeky grin and "that laugh".

"I can't describe my pain in words," a friend, Riley, wrote in a tribute.

"You were our light and glue that held us together."

Gillian Goldsworthy wrote on a Facebook tribute page: "Absolutely devastated to hear that Bridget lost her fight for life. Words cannot express my sadness at Ian and Sue's loss. Our thoughts are with you."

Monika Vulevu Cushe posted: "R.I.P Bridget Jones - heaven has a new angel. Together with your loving brother."

Friend Eric Goon called Alex an "amazing man". "He and Bridget were really close. It was typical Zander to be walking her to class."

Former teacher George Ghobrial said the "gifted" student was destined for great things.

"I taught him science and he was just perfect. He did very well academically; but not only that, he was a wonderful person with lots of friends.

"I taught Bridget the year after and she was the same - a lovely person.

"It is so sad."

rebekah.cavanagh@news.com.au

- with James Dowling, Jon Kaila

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Single, smart, over 40 - and frustrated

Eligible: Tanya Durham, Nicki Williams and Kerryn Lambert agree that the over-40s dating scene is dismal. PICTURE: Will Russell Source: PerthNow

THEY'RE single, smart and successful, but these over-40 Perth women can't find a decent man.

East Perth hairdresser Tanya Durham, 46, says she's been on so many dud dates she's stopped trying.

And events manager Kerryn Lambert was stood up on Monday night after waiting 45 minutes at a bar for a date to show up. To make it worse, it was the eve of her 40th birthday.

Ms Durham, who has never married, said being in her mid-40s limited the range of eligible men.

"I don't mind going out with younger guys, but they want children, so that market is out, and a lot of guys over 40 are going for girls under-30, because they don't think they're 40," she said.

Part of the problem was that men didn't want independent women.

"We're looking for guys because we want to have them in our life, not because we need to have them," she said. "But there are a lot of guys who want to feel needed. And they're the guys that we won't possibly attract."

Most men who registered for online dating websites were creeps, she said.

"One guy had a 10-year-old photo of himself on his online profile. When I met up with him, he was morbidly obese," she said. Ms Lambert said online dating had given men too much choice.

"It's just one big, easy fishing pond," she said.

Public relations professional Nicki Williams, 45, said there was definitely a shortage of eligible men in their 40s and 50s in Perth.

"If you're serious about settling down with someone, you're not looking at the 35-year-olds for long-term prospects. You're looking at somebody who is more settled and has possibly been married, so they're in the same situation as you," the twice-married mother of two said.

"If you want to settle down, it needs to be with someone over 40 and there aren't that many of them out there."

Ms Williams said that though she'd love to meet someone, she didn't need a man to provide for her because she was financially stable.

"I don't want to end up old and alone, but I'm not desperate and dateless, so to speak," she said.

Debbie Rivers, who runs Dare to Date, which organises social events for singles, said it was a challenge to get men over 40 to attend her events.They were often hurt by previous relationships and unwilling to give anything a go.

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Marriage misery hits our under-25s

Young divorcee Courtney Furness at home in Yanchep. PICTURE : Ross Swanborough Source: PerthNow

A GENERATION of young adults who no longer view marriage as a lifelong commitment has produced a big rise in the number of couples under 25 filing for divorce.

Latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveal the divorce rate for those married at 24 and under has reached the highest levels since the mid-1970s, while marriage rates for young people have continued to fall.

In the past five years, the number of men divorcing aged 24 and under increased 40 per cent, and there was nearly a 30 per cent rise for women.

Curtin University cultural studies professor Jon Stratton said young couples rushing to the altar were influenced by romantic tales of celebrities marrying spontaneously.

"Marriage has once again taken on that aura of being something really romantic that you'd like to do and is associated with a better life," he said.

"But given the complexities of life today, the difficulty of buying a house, the need to have two incomes and the way that complicates having children, getting married that young means a much greater chance the marriage will break up when those stresses come."

Social demographer Bernard Salt attributed the rise in divorces to a shift in thinking by those in their early 20s who believed "if you're unhappy, get out".

"We now have a wave of young people who are more driven by 21st century values, which are around organising your personal life to suit your circumstances at the time, whereas the 20th century notion was through thick and thin, in sickness and in health, if you were happy or unhappy, you just stuck at it," he said.

Mr Salt said the older members of Gen Y, now in their late-20s and early 30s, had delayed commitment until later in life after being affected by the high divorce rate in the 1980s through their parents or friends' parents, and were now quite stable in their relationships.

American blogger Joelle Caputa has tapped into the zeitgeist with a website and online support group for young divorcees called Trash the Dress.

"Women divorced in their 20s initially view themselves as failures because all their friends are getting married and having babies while they are starting their lives over from scratch," she told The Sunday Times.

"Once they get past the hurt and embarrassment, they reach rejuvenation. These young divorcees may just be the most motivated group of women in the world. They travel, trash their wedding dress, have divorce parties, go back to school, quit the jobs they hate and apply for new ones, go out on dates, celebrate their new lives and inspire others to follow suit."

Having divorced in her 20s, Ms Caputa is now writing a book about the experiences she and other young divorcees went through and said she discovered many women were marrying at a young age because of pressure from family members or religious groups.

"You would think that mindset would become extinct in this day and age," she said.

Relationships Australia WA branch manager Kylie Dunjey said they counselled many 20-somethings going through divorces.

"Divorce is grief and loss, and counselling can be a good place to go or there are a lot of books out there that can help people," she said.

'Happy family' dreams dashed at 21

COURTNEY Furness was married at 18, a mother at 19 and divorced by 21.

"We thought we were in love and were meant to be," the Yanchep mother said.

"It was the whole picture of a happy family, so getting married was like the icing on the cake."

But nine months into the marriage Ms Furness, who admits falling pregnant with her daughter was one of the reasons she married, separated from her husband, who was several years older than her.

She signed the divorce papers just after her 21st birthday.

"You don't realise what a person is really like until you live with them and marry them, and then it's for ever," Ms Furness said.

"That bad habit of theirs it's forever now. It's just a whole lot of work, and I thought it would get better."

Now 23, Ms Furness has gone back to university and is building a house for herself and her daughter.

"I sometimes feel like I've done everything because I've already been married and divorced," she said.

"Now my life is all about my daughter it's not about me anymore."

She said she was often judged for her decision.

"Men don't like it. Older people don't like it," she said. "I once had a doctor who said the reason I was having medical problems was because I was being punished (for being divorced)."

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Perth leads land sales across the nation

The land market in Perth is off to a strong start in 2013 with February sales volumes at their highest level since early 2006 / File

PERTH boasts the suburb which sold the most land of any area in Australia in 2012, according to figures from RP Data.

Southern first-homebuyer mecca Baldivis recorded 936 land sales last year, far outstripping land markets in Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland and Tasmania.

The booming 'burb was well ahead of nearest rival Craigieburn, north of Melbourne, with 568 sales.
Piara Waters, another southern Perth suburb just past Jandakot Airport, was the fourth most active land market (433 sales), just behind The Ponds in Sydney (466).

Urban Development Institute of Australia WA division chief executive Debra Goostrey said last year was the start of the perfect storm for Perth land markets.

Ms Goostrey said tight rental markets, low interest rates and long term pent up demand had pushed first-home buyers into the market at levels not seen for years.

She said while the northern corridor was a major area for land development in Perth, the southern corridor was gaining prominence.

"In Perth's south west, land sales in 2012 increased 39 per cent on 2011 levels driven by activity in the City of Rockingham,'' she said.

"Young families are increasingly attracted to the range of affordable products available in the southern corridor with residents aged 0-4 and 25-34 the fastest growing age groups in the region, according to the latest Census figures.''

"There are three reasons for that: access to transport, affordable lots close to the beach and a slightly higher average lot size.''

Ms Goostrey said blocks in Baldivis were larger than most developments in Perth and the high levels of competition (there are more than ten land developments in the Baldivis region) had pushed average block prices below $185,000 in the second half of 2012.

She said the land market in Perth was also off to a strong start in 2013 with February sales volumes at their highest level since early 2006.
 

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Rachael finds a silver lining after darkest day

Mervyn McDonald and fiancee Rachael Sprigg-McKinnie together. PICTURES: www.talinacphotography.com Source: PerthNow

Mervyn in Afghanistan. Source: PerthNow

Mervyn McDonald and fiancee Rachael Sprigg-McKinnie together. Source: PerthNow

RACHAEL Sprigg-McKinnie was meant to wake up this morning as Mrs Rachael McDonald a blissful newly wed, embarking on her first day of marriage to the man she adored and wanted to grow old with.

The church, reception and honeymoon in Thailand had all been planned. Even starting a family had been discussed.

But Rachael, 32, wasn't a bride yesterday. And Easter Saturday wasn't the dream wedding day she had waited her whole life for.

She was surrounded by close friends, though, who kept her busy and comforted after the death of her fiance, WA soldier Mervyn McDonald, in a helicopter crash while serving in Afghanistan last year.

The special forces soldier, who served with the 2nd Commando Regiment, was on his sixth tour of the treacherous country.

Speaking on the eve of what was meant to be her wedding day, Rachael said she would spend it "celebrating" the best 18 months of her life after Lance-Cpl McDonald swept her off her feet.

Incredibly, she said she felt like she was one of the "lucky people".

"I cry a lot, but I also know that I'm one of the lucky people," she said.

"Not everyone gets to experience love like that so I'm just thankful that I did, even if it was for only 18 months."

The pair met at a Melbourne bar when Merv introduced himself with a "terrible" pick up line.

"He came up to my girlfriend and I asked if we were sisters," Rachael said. "We just cacked ourselves laughing."

It took five months for the soldier to get a first date, but they then became inseparable.

Rachael said she nearly "stuffed up" his proposal last year when he placed a ring at the bottom of the ocean and her novice snorkelling skills weren't up to finding it.

"He kept telling me to dive down because there was something special to see," she said.

Rachael said her late fiance had incredible positive energy.

"He was such an amazing and encouraging person," she said.

"He wasn't about sitting around and feeling miserable. He was always about looking for the silver lining."

Rachael, who lives in Sydney, wants to ensure Merv's legacy along with those of the other 38 Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan is never forgotten.

With the announcement this week that the nation will pull most of its troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year, it's a wish Merv's family shares.

"People forget about things like his death after three weeks, unless you have a direct link to it," his stepfather, Bernie Walker, said. "The pain for us is still as raw today as it was when it happened. We will never forget."

His mother, Myrna Walker, said Merv and his younger brother Percy had always wanted to join the army.

"They would sit and watch war movies for hours and hours when they were young," she said.

Merv was born in Carnarvon in 1982, but grew up in the South-West town of Australind.

"He was shy when he was little, but once you got to know him he would open up," Mrs Walker said.

"He was a clown. A very funny boy to be around."

He grew up to be a keen athlete, a "gentle giant" who won numerous football awards in Aussie rules and could have played professionally.

At the age of 17 he enlisted in the army and by the time he was 25 he had already completed four tours of East Timor. He got his first deployment to Afghanistan in early 2009. Percy followed him into the army and was sent to Iraq.

Merv was one of two special forces soldiers who died in the night-time helicopter crash.

In 2010, Merv had escorted home from Afghanistan the bodies of three close friends who died in a similar helicopter crash. The tragedy didn't jolt his resolve.

Rachael said she would always remember Merv for his huge heart, infectious smile, loyalty to family and friends and his love of the Outback.

"After 2010, I couldn't understand how he could go back," she said.

"It's a type of courage I can't explain."

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Charged Jurrah locked up for Easter

Liam Jurrah pictured during a break in his court proceedings in Alice Springs earlier this month. Picture: Justin Brierty Source: adelaidenow

TROUBLED footballer Liam Jurrah will spend the Easter weekend in custody after being charged with four counts of assault in Alice Springs.

The charges come after the footballer's arrest in Alice Springs when three women were allegedly assaulted at a 24-hour store in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Jurrah, 24, and another man, 32, were arrested.

Without naming Jurrah, Senior Sergeant Darrell Kerr from Alice Springs confirmed that two men arrested over the incident at the store had been charged on Thursday night.

He said a bail application was heard before a magistrate in an over-the-phone hearing today and was refused.

"Police opposed bail due to the seriousness of the charges," said Snr Sgt Kerr.

The news means Jurrah will be locked up over Easter until the court resumes sitting on Tuesday.

Last week he walked free from the Alice Springs Supreme Court after being acquitted of attacking his cousin with a machete.

Twice this week he has failed to appear in court in South Australia, where he faces separate charges of aggravated assault and drink driving.

Jurrah made his AFL debut in 2009 and played 36 games for Melbourne.

The club delisted him at the end of last season but he has since signed on to play for the Alice Springs South Kangaroos Football Club.

His grandmother, Cecily Granites, said she did not understand why Jurrah had ended up in custody.

"He went over to the 24-hour shop on Gap Road and bought something to eat, like a sandwich," she said.

"There was a group of (people that) saw Liam going in and when he came out there was a couple of people standing there and they started talking to him in a really angry way."

Ms Granites said she received a phone call about 4am saying Jurrah was in trouble and that he was in police custody.

Superintendent Brent Warren said police attended the incident after 3am and identified three women who allegedly had been assaulted.

"Police subsequently arrested two men, aged 24 and 32, in relation to the alleged incident," he said.

In Adelaide yesterday, Magistrate David McLeod said a warrant for Jurrah's arrest would lie on the file after he failed to appear in Elizabeth Magistrates Court to answer a charge of aggravated assault.

Jurrah's lawyer told the court her client had stayed in Alice Springs for his grandfather's funeral, but Mr McLeod said he wanted corroboration the funeral was taking place.

The hearing proceeded without Jurrah, but prosecutors said the charge against him was likely to be withdrawn because the alleged victim had signed a form saying she did not wish to proceed.

Defence lawyer Joanna Caracoussis told the court Jurrah's grandfather died late last year and the funeral was scheduled for last week but had been postponed.

The funeral had been planned for last Thursday - the day a jury returned its not guilty verdict in Jurrah's case of alleged assault against cousin Basil Jurrah.

The matter was adjourned to May.

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Birnie parole bid rejected

REJECTED: Catherine Birnie has again lost a bid for freedom. Source: PerthNow

SERIAL killer Catherine Birnie has again been denied parole.

The Prisoners Review Board began the review in January and the final decision was made this week by Attorney-General Michael Mischin.

"The Attorney-General has accepted a recommendation from the Prisoners Review Board that Catherine Birnie not be released on parole,'' a spokeswoman said.

Under law, Birnie's life sentence is reviewed every three years, so her next statutory review will be in 2016.

Former Attorney-General Christian Porter, who last year left state politics for a tilt at the federal arena, in March 2010 decided Birnie would not be placed on parole or put into a re-socialisation program.

WA's attorney-general in 2007, Jim McGinty, said Birnie should never be freed from jail.

Birnie and her late partner David Birnie raped, stabbed, strangled and clubbed to death four victims in their Willagee house, in Perth's southern suburbs, in 1986.

They were caught only when a fifth intended victim escaped after they abducted her at knifepoint.

The pair were handed strict-security life sentences for the murders.

David Birnie hanged himself in his protective custody Casuarina Prison cell in 2005. She wasn't allowed to attend his funeral.

A 2007 review of Birnie, who is serving her sentence at Bandyup Women's Prison on Perth's north-eastern outskirts, found she was at low risk of reoffending but her release was rejected because of the extreme nature of her crimes.

Birnie, now 62, left her husband and six children in 1985 to live with David Birnie.

She did not marry him but took his surname.

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