Westpac's Failed Claim: Customers Have Signed Away Their Rights To Privacy
February 20, 2017 | Other
The privacy of banking information is in the spotlight after Westpac told the Privacy Commission it did not need any legal order before handing over customers' personal banking details to police. Westpac claimed it got the power to do so when customers signed the bank's "terms and conditions" - a move it claimed voided customers' rights. It was an argument unsuccessfully made by the bank in its attempt to defend itself over the disclosure of Nicky Hager's details to police investigating his Dirty Politics book. In a decision released ...
10 Signs You Are a Victim of Gaslighting
February 2, 2017 | Other
“You’re crazy, that never happened." “You’re too sensitive.” “You’re making things up” Are these phrases that you constantly hear from your partner that cause you to question yourself? If so, your partner might be using something called “gaslighting” — a form of emotional abuse that causes a victim to question their own feelings, instincts and sanity, giving the abusive partner power and control. The term “gaslighting” comes from a 1938 stage play called Gaslight, in which a husband attempts to drive his wife crazy by dimming the lig...
Embarrassing Photos Of Man Put In Letter Boxes
January 26, 2017 | Other
Don't let anyone take nude photos of you. That is the advice of truck driver Peter Black after he was the naked subject of embarrassing photos spread throughout his neighbourhood. The 51-year-old had personal photos of himself, with his name, phone number, address and a list of sexual services with prices distributed around the Islington area where he lives. "I'm pretty sure I know who has done it and I have passed that information onto police," he said yesterday. On Friday he received a call from a neighbour, extremely upset she had ...
Eye On The Spies: Hamilton City Council On Pervert Alert
August 12, 2016 | Other
Hamilton toilets and public changing rooms will be routinely swept for spy cameras. City council staff and cleaning contractors will be trained on how to spot clandestine cameras in an effort to protect people from peeping toms and online perverts. It follows similar moves by councils nationwide. In North Canterbury, council staff check pool-changing rooms every three hours for hidden cameras after concerns were raised about covert filming. In the past three years, five people have been convicted in the Waikato for making secret re...
Uncle's Influence Pays Off For Provincial Prosecutor
August 6, 2016 | Other
Refereeing rugby from his teens at Auckland Grammar and dealing with stroppy sideline rowdies helped Tauranga Crown Counsel and dusty saxophonist Richard Jenson develop a thick skin and an eye for decision making under pressure. Recently made an associate at Hollister-Jones Lellman, in Tauranga, Richard says refereeing – which he did up to premier level - is good for physical fitness, managing skills in conflict resolution and "dealing with people who may not be agreeing with everything you do…" Richard William (Richard) Jenson Born ...
Meet The Latest Weapon Against Child Porn: A Rescued Black Labrador
June 23, 2016 | Other
On a Tuesday morning in July 2015, a swarm of FBI investigators and state officials combed through a large white-brick house in suburban Indiana. After they finished their initial sweep, a new detective was brought in. He was an altogether different species of investigator: A black Labrador retriever named Bear, who set about sniffing in corners of the house. The dog had previously spent some 8 months training to smell electronics, specifically USB thumb drives, memory sticks, SD cards or other small storage systems that could hide di...
Man Faces Blackmail Allegations Involving Sex Videos
June 21, 2016 | Other
A man has been charged with blackmailing his ex-partner by threatening to post explicit videos of her. Levi Vincent Johnstone, living in Blenheim, has been charged with blackmail and two counts of posting a video with intent to cause harm. Police alleged he posted two sex videos of the woman on social media after she refused to pay him $1000. Johnstone, of Australia, was remanded on bail with conditions not to leave Marlborough and to surrender his passport. He was also forbidden from using the internet, using a cellphone or any devic...
The Accused Cyberbullies: Our List Of Shame
June 14, 2016 | Other
Nearly 40 people across the country have been charged under the new Harmful Digital Communications Act since it passed in July last year. Cases have come before the courts from Invercargill to Auckland and Justice Minister Amy Adams is hailing the act a success with 38 people prosecuted as of last Thursday. Here are the cases charged under the new law: Auckland 3 cases• A 36-year-old man who allegedly beat his partner over several years is also accused of posting a photo of himself with two firearms in a threatening message to her. He...
Unlucky Criminals Tried To Rob A McDonald's Filled With Special Forces
June 13, 2016 | Other
Two robbery suspects allegedly burst into a McDonald's in eastern France and definitely got served. Investigators said the men fired a shotgun in the air Sunday night at the fast food restaurant in Besancon, threatening guests and ordering the staff to open a register that contained $2,300 in cash, The Telegraph reports. Little did the suspects know – among the 40 customers eating their burgers and fries were 11 off-duty members of France’s paramilitary special forces who decided to take a break in their meal to save the day. “During ...
REVEALED: The Sinister Apps Your Teenage Children Are Hiding
May 24, 2016 | Other
Waking suddenly as her phone alarm went off for school at 7.30am, 16-year-old Princess Thomas-Wellington immediately spotted a message via teen chat app Kik: “You are so ugly, it’s no wonder no one likes you.” “My stomach lurched,” says Princess from Nottingham. “I’d originally downloaded it to make new friends, but within weeks I was receiving nasty anonymous messages like this one.” Princess, now 17 and studying for her A levels, knew she should have confided in her parents, but desperate to keep her social media life private, she h...