A driver has been charged with six counts of murder in a fiery crash that killed five people last week near Los Angeles.
A pregnant woman was killed, and her fetus did not survive.
Nicole Lorraine Linton, 37, of Houston, is also charged with five counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said Monday afternoon.
Security video shows a Mercedes Benz E-Class Coupe going through a red light Thursday before it plows into multiple vehicles in Windsor Hills, about 10 miles southwest of downtown Los Angeles.
The California Highway Patrol said in a statement that Linton drove the Mercedes at a “high rate of speed.” The investigation continues.
Highway patrol officials did not immediately respond to a request for an update Monday.
“This is a case that will always be remembered for the senseless loss of so many innocent lives as they simply went about their daily routines,” Gascón said in a statement Monday.
It was not clear whether Linton has a lawyer, and the Los Angeles County public defender’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Linton was hospitalized with moderate injuries, but the district attorney’s office said Monday she was expected in court for arraignment before the end of the day Monday.
Ashley Ryan, 23, was on her way to an appointment with an obstetrician when her vehicle was struck, family members have said. Her boyfriend de ella, whom the coroner has not publicly identified, and her 11-month-old boy, Alonzo Quintero, were also killed.
Family said Ryan and her boyfriend planned to name their unborn child Armani Lester.
Two women in another vehicle also died in the crash; they have not been publicly identified.
Dennis Romero
Dennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
The core of her proposal is that an international price cap of between $US40 and $US60 a barrel – a level just above Russia’s break-even productions costs of between $US30 and $US40 a barrel – would be imposed on Russian oil shipments.
Those importers that could demonstrate that they had observed the cap would be able to get access to insurance coverage and financing.
The thesis underpinning the plan is that Russia would keep producing oil because it would rather receive some, albeit far lesser, revenue from oil sales than none. It would also face significant and lasting damage to its wells as other oil industry infrastructure if there were a prolonged shutdown of production.
For the buyers, the carrot would be very low oil prices. While China and India have taken advantage of existing sanctions on Russia to gorge on purchases of Russian oil at discounts of about $US30 a barrel to international prices, they could get even cheaper oil if they signed up to Yellen’s plan. The current oil price is about $US96 a barrel.
The US is relying on the self-interest of China and India and other buyers of Russia’s oil to outweigh any relationships with Russia. Russia and China, of course, signed a pact – a “friendship with no limits” – just ahead of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. China has been listening to Yellen but has made no commitments.
Russia has, predictably, threatened to simply cut off all its oil sales if the price cap is imposed. That would send the oil price soaring dramatically – it isn’t possible to replace 10 per cent of the world’s supply – and cause shortages and spikes in already unpalatable inflation rates in the major economies.
Yellen is relying on Vladimir Putin to act rationally in Russia’s economic self-interest, just as the plan really needs China and India and others to do the same.
It could also use myriad sanctions-busting techniques to try to circumvent or at least blunt the impact of the plan.
The West buys about 70 per cent of Russia’s oil and there is a big question mark on whether there is sufficient demand elsewhere to absorb that even if the logistical issues of getting it to prospective buyers could be resolved.
The US believes that Russia, while perhaps briefly carrying out its threat to halt production, will want to produce as much as it can even at prices modestly above its break-even to maintain at least some flows of revenue to fund a war in Ukraine than has so far been largely funded by oil sales that, even with the big discounts and reduced sales, have been hugely profitable at the current prices. The higher prices have more than offset the losses of volume.
If the American assessment were to be proven correct, the flow of Russian oil into the market at prices way below the current market could have a halo effect, helping to bring prices down generally and contributing to a lowering of global inflation rates.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has been touring the world trying to convince countries, insurers, banks and shipping companies that a price cap could work to crimp Russia’s oil revenues.Credit:Bloomberg
How OPEC might respond to the creation of a buyers’ cartel isn’t clear. Russia is a key OPEC affiliate and the producers’ cartel has been reluctant to co-operate with US efforts to increase oil production to bring prices down. It begrudgingly agreed to a meager 100,000 barrels a day increase – about 0.1 per cent of the current production – after Joe Biden’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia.
It isn’t going to be happy about the prospect of a significant fall in oil prices if the Yellen plan is implemented effectively, nor will it be keen to promote a buyers’ cartel that could subsequently be used to counter its influence over the oil market .
The price cap proposal is complex and it is unclear whether, even if they wanted to, the shipping and insurance companies could ensure compliance in practice.
loading
Much of the recent work being done on the plan, with input from the shipping, banking and insurance companies, has been on trying to simplify the compliance regime so that it is workable and the companies can identify which charges have been sold within the cap and which haven’t.
Time is running out for Yellen to lock the complex pieces that would support the price cap regime in place. If the EU sanctions go live without some compensatory measures the oil price will take off. Even if those measures are in place, Russia’s response could still cause prices to soar.
Yellen is relying on Vladimir Putin to act rationally in Russia’s economic self-interest, just as the plan really needs China and India and others to do the same.
A putative class action lawsuit has been filed against Google in California by early adopters who are unhappy about the ads company’s decision to demand fees for its Workspace productivity suite.
At the $5 million suit’s core is an allegation that Google promised early adopters of what would later become Google Workspace that they would get to use a free version of the service for as long as the search giant offered it.
Google Apps first arrived in 2006, was rebranded G Suite in 2016 and, in 2020, the rebranding-wand was waved once again to give customers the Google Workspace of today.
The complaint [PDF]filed on August 5 in a San Jose district court, alleges: “From 2006 until 2012, in order to convince potential users to leave well-developed suites of services offered by Google’s competitors (eg, Microsoft Office), Google made a promise to early adopters of Google Workspace. Google promised that such users would always be provided a free version of Workspace (including at least the features that the service had when these customers signed up) as long as Google offered the Workspace service.”
As far as Workspace is concerned, after being referred to as a legacy service, the freebie G-Suite apps were discontinued in favor of Workspace this year, although one could continue to use the tools for personal use.
Key to the complaint is an allegation that the workplace apps that first emerged in 2006 were refined with the assistance of feedback from those early adopters, resulting in something that was professional enough to actually charge for by 2012.
As well as punishing Google for dropping its “don’t be evil” slogan (“Google’s abandonment of the creed “don’t be evil” is well-illustrated in this case,” the lawyers claimed), the complaint reproduced statements from the search giant at the time, including:
“…organizations that sign up during the beta period will not ever have to pay for users accepted during that period (provided Google continues to offer the service).”
The Register asked Google for its reaction to the complaint, and we will update this piece should a response be forthcoming. ®
Cameron Percy has lifted the lid on Cameron Smith’s intentions, revealing the Open champion is “gone” and will join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series.
Smith, 28, was irate when he was asked about his future in the moments following his extraordinary one-shot victory at St Andrew’s last month.
“I just won the British Open and you’re asking about that? I think that’s pretty- not that good,” Smith said.
Pressed on the matter, the Australian was coy.
“I don’t know, mate. My team around me worries about all that stuff, I’m here to win golf tournaments,” he said.
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Donald Trump backs LIV Golf Series | 00:46
But Percy, a top-10 finisher at the Wyndham Championship, said his Australian compatriots Smith and Marc Leishman were “gone” and had signed with the financially lucrative LIV Golf Series.
The extraordinary revelation comes ahead of this week’s FedEx Cup playoff opener, which is expected to see Smith take to the tee amid a court’s hearing into whether three LIV golfers should be permitted to play after defecting to the rebel league.
Percy said the PGA Tour had known for years that a rebel tour was being formed.
“I had a long conversation with (2013 Masters champion) Adam Scott and he was very interesting talking to about it, just where it is,” he said.
“He said he met with these guys (LIV) in 2017 (and) they were ready (to) do all this. So, the tour has known for a long time that this stuff’s in the works.”
Scott has previously been on the record speaking about LIV Golf, saying in April “the schedule that they’re proposing is very appealing to probably most golfers” and he would “consider” making a move too.
Cameron Percy has revealed his Australian compatriots Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman have signed with LIV Golf Series. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: AFP
Percy, meanwhile, delivered a not-so-subtle dig at those taking the money and defecting, raising the ethical questions around where the money is coming from.
“The more and more you look into it, some people don’t care, some people have got a conscience and do care,’ he said.
“It really comes down to, you know, ‘they just executed 80 people this week, just chopped their heads off’. They’re not the nicest people in the world.
“Do you just look past that and go, ‘Oh well, I’m rich I don’t really care’. It’s a tough one, it really is.”
Smith, the world No.2, was reportedly offered more than $100 million to join the LIV Golf Series.
Should he indeed accept the offer, he will be the highest ranked player to defect.
MORE COVERAGE
‘S***ting their pants’: LIV Golf texts between Greg Norman and ex-Masters champ revealed
Aussie golf’s ‘special’ $3.4m move earns big boost … but Smith wait goes on amid LIV link
‘I found three brothers’: Golf legend reduced to blubbering mess in stirring live TV farewell
Smith reflects on Open celebrations | 08:18
Former major winner Ian Baker-Finch last month to ignore the offers and create a legacy in the game by staying in the PGA Tour – something currently he would struggle to achieve in LIV Golf, where tournaments are 54 holes and don’t contain the player strength nor history.
“I know that they are talking to him and many others,” Baker-Finch, who won the Claret Jug in 1991, told SEN radio.
“I hope he doesn’t because I think he can leave a great legacy by winning major championships and becoming the best player in the world.
“I don’t think I need the money. I don’t think it is going to be something that he should do.
“He will be a $100m guy or more now. Does he want to win more majors or does he want the money? I am hoping he stays and leaves a great legacy like a Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy … which he could do. I think Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy and a lot of those guys that still compete and play well in majors, and want to leave a legacy, they’re the guys I would be following.”
A 47-year-old man has died while waiting more than 40 minutes for an ambulance in Adelaide.
Key points:
A man called triple zero while suffering chest pain, but the ambulance arrived half an hour later
He died from cardiac arrest
The SA Premier has described the death as ‘tragic’
The man, who was suffering chest pain, called triple zero at 5:19 pm on Monday, after pulling over on Anzac Highway at Plympton.
The state’s Ambulance Employees Association said 35 minutes later, bystanders noticed the man was unresponsive and began giving him CPR.
The union said the case was upgraded to a priority one, and the first paramedic arrived at 6:01pm, 42 minutes after the initial triple zero call.
The patient was unable to be resuscitated.
The SA Ambulance Service (SAAS) has been contacted for comment and is expected to release a statement about the case.
The union said at the time of the case, the SAAS had declared an “Opstat White” – with 20 urgent cases left uncovered across the metropolitan area.
It said ambulance crews had been ramped for three hours at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and for six hours at the Flinders Medical Centre.
Chady Hamra, who witnessed the man’s death say something needs to be done. (ABC News: Lincoln Rothall )
Witness Chady Hamra was working across the road when he saw the man going into cardiac arrest.
“We couldn’t really see what was happening… we could see people standing around someone,” Mr Hamra said.
“I think something needs to be done about it, someone’s life just got taken.
“It’s pretty tragic to wait that long, and it’s not far [ambulance units] from here.
“We’re not out in the country, we are in the city… you’d expect within five or ten minutes if that.
“It was terrible, my wife was in tears when we heard.”
Premier says death is ‘beyond tragic’
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said the circumstances of the case were “beyond tragic”, and that an investigation would be conducted.
“A man, a relatively young man, has tragically lost their life under circumstances that might have been preventable,” Mr Malinauskas said.
The Premier Peter Malinauskas said the circumstances of the case were “beyond tragic”.(ABC News: Ben Pettit)
“I think every South Australian knows that my government has made it clear that addressing ambulance ramping, which has consequences in terms of ambulance response times, is a priority of ours which is why literally as we speak, we are dramatically ramping up the resources within the ambulance service so they don’t spend their time ramped up and spend their time responding to call-outs as quickly as possible.
“We saw over the course of the last four years ambulance response times collapse. In no small part, that was a function of ramping, which is why we’ve got a policy to reduce ramping.”
LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A nurse who was allegedly driving 90 mph when she ran a red light and slammed into traffic in Windsor Hills, killing six people, is being charged with murder and could face a 90-year sentence, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said Monday.
Nicole Linton, 37, has been charged with six counts of murder and five counts of gross vehicular manslaughter, Gascón said.
If convicted of all charges, she faces a potential sentence of 90 years to life in prison.
Linton was hospitalized after the crash, but was booked into jail over the weekend. She was initially being held on $2 million bail but that amount was increased to $9 million.
At Linton’s first court appearance Monday, a judge ordered her held without bail, but a hearing will be held next Monday to review bail.
Authorities say Linton was speeding in a Mercedes when she ran a red light at the intersection of La Brea and Slauson avenues on Thursday. She slammed into multiple vehicles, and three of them were engulfed by flames.
Linton is a traveling nurse from Houston who was working in the Los Angeles area. Police are looking into whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash.
On Monday, Gascón said so far police have not developed evidence of alcohol use but they are continuing to investigate.
RELATED: Woman was heading to prenatal checkup with infant son, boyfriend before deadly Windsor Hills crash
During Monday’s bail hearing, Linton’s defense attorney claimed there was no evidence of drugs or alcohol in her system and alluded to “profound mental health issues” as a potential reason behind the crash.
A prosecutor said she had been involved in “a number of prior collisions throughout the United States” including a 2020 crash in which two vehicles were totaled and people were injured.
Among the dead from the Windsor Hills crash were Asherey Ryan, who was more than eight months pregnant, along with her boyfriend Reynold Lester and their unborn baby, named Armani Lester.
Asherey’s 11-month old son Alonzo Quintero was also killed. They were heading to a prenatal doctor’s appointment at the time of the crash.
“A young family was destroyed in the blink of an eye,” Gascón said.
Gascón said the six murder charges include Asherey’s unborn child, but the charge of manslaughter cannot legally apply.
The father of Alonzo Quintero told Eyewitness News he wants to see justice for his son.
“The smile. He had a smile that would brighten up your day, no matter what,” Luis Quintero said, fighting back tears. “He was full of joy, very excited. I loved when he gripped his hands from him. When he would kick his legs from excitement.”
“I want to see that justice is made. Something for her, payback for what she’s done. Maybe then I can forgive her. But not now. She took my son away from me. And I will never see him.”
After hitting Asherey and Reynold’s car, Linton’s Mercedes then collided with a Nissan Altima and killed two women inside, who have not been publicly identified.
She also careened into an SUV carrying a family of seven. They all incurred minor injuries. Several other vehicles were also struck.
Family members and community members gathered at the intersection Sunday to remember the lives lost.
“She was such a beautiful lady,” said Jean Martin of Windsor Hills, who attended the vigil. “You know she was a good mom. To her family de ella, be sure to take the life and time you had and cherish that.”
A growing memorial of flowers, photos and candles was placed at the intersection in memory of the victims.
Family members and community activists also called for safety improvements at the intersection, which they say has seen other serious crashes.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Asherey’s family with funeral expenses.
The Reserve Bank of Australia will trial a digital currency in a “ring-fenced” pilot program as part of a collaborative research project into how it could be used by consumers and businesses that is set to last about a year.
Australia’s central bank has previously declared its interest in digital currency, which could be a digital equivalent of the dollar and rival privately minted cryptocurrencies, but the research project announced by the bank on Tuesday with the Digital Finance Cooperative Research Center would focus on how such an asset could actually be used.
The RBA is collaborating on a research project into the use of a central bank digital currency.Credit:Louie Douvis
The research center’s chief executive Andreas Furche, whose organization is a product of industry, university and government collaboration, said it had already been proven that a central bank digital currency was technically feasible. “The key research questions now are what economic benefits a CBDC (central bank digital currency) could enable, and how it could be designed to maximize those benefits,” Furche said.
In a media release, the Reserve Bank said previous research from central banks around the world had gone into questions such as how the distributed ledger technology that is a hallmark of cryptocurrencies could be used for an RBA-backed currency.
But Michele Bullock, the RBA’s deputy governor, said Tuesday’s project was the next step in its research. “We are looking forward to engaging with a wide range of industry participants to better understand the potential benefits a CBDC could bring to Australia,” Bullock said.
The project would involve a “ring-fenced environment” in which a pilot digital currency would be used that had a real claim on the Reserve Bank. Participants selected by the bank and research center will develop projects that demonstrate how the digital currency could be used to assist businesses and households within that framework. A report will be published at the end.
China has explored the use of a digital currency, with the use of the e-CNY being gradually expanded.Credit:AP
RBA Governor Philip Lowe has previously warned that a risk of a central bank digital currency is that it could cause bank runs if jittery consumers use it to withdraw wealth from commercial banks and park it with the RBA in a crisis.
Privately minted cryptocurrencies have fared poorly this year, with even some that are intended to be pegged stably to the US dollar being wiped out.
Apple’s devices and App Store are generally considered more secure compared to competitors like Android or Windows. Apple has greater control and curation over the software it allows on the App Store, making malware much less common than on, say, Google Play. However, as the last few weeks have shown, even reputable-seeming, frequently downloaded apps can secretly be malware — yes, even on Apple platforms.
Most recently, security research Alex Kleber discovered seven malware apps hiding in plain sight on the Mac App Store. All seven apps were apparently made by separate publishers according to the App Store listings, but Kleber discovered they were actually made by a single group based in China.
The apps in question include:
PDF Reader for Adobe PDF Files (Sunnet Technology Inc.)
Word Writer Pro (Netozo Limited)
Screen Recorder (Safeharbour Technology L Ltd.)
Webcam Expert (Wildfire Technology Inc.)
Streaming Browser Video Player (Boulevard Technology Ltd.)
PDF Editor for Adobe Files (Polarnet Limited)
PDF Reader (Xu Lu, apparently associated with Sunnet Technology Inc.)
While Apple has scrubbed these apps from the macOS App Store, they won’t be removed from any devices that downloaded them. If you have any of these apps on your Mac, delete them as soon as possible.
All of these apps ranked among the top 100 most-downloaded apps in the US App Store ranks, some of which climbed within the top 10, and PDF Reader for Adobe PDF Files ranked number 1 in the Education category.
Uploading malware to Apple’s App Store is difficult, but clearly not impossible. The developers behind the seven malware apps submitted “benign” versions of apps that hid dangerous code in its encrypted database. Once the app passed certification and was available on the App Store, it essentially “morphed” and activated the hidden malware. Many Android malware apps use a similar strategy to circumvent the Play Store’s security checks.
Apple removed all seven apps following Kleber’s disclosure, but their existence shows how easy it is for malware to appear anywhere, even on seemingly secure platforms like Apple’s App Store.
In fact, last week MacRumors reported on a high-ranking third-party Facebook Ad management app that was stealing user data, taking over their accounts, and using the account owner’s ad budget to promote ads for the malicious app developer’s software. Apple also removed the unnamed fraudulent app from the iOS App Store, but it apparently racked up over 250,000 downloads before it was disabled.
While you’re safe from this recently-identified App Store malware, let this serve as a warning against downloading unknown apps from any platform. No platform is completely safe, and if fake apps can climb the rankings like this, it’s likely there’s other malware hiding on the App Store right now.
Malicious app developers go to great lengths to appear legitimate. Some apps will imitate, or outright steal, the interfaces and features of other software. They will normally work as intended, too, while hiding scams or invasive data-stealing functions. These intrusive features usually — though not always — require high privilege permissions that are unrelated to the app’s advertised use.
Many hackers even create fake companies, including fake websites and privacy policies (which are requirements for submitting an app to Apple). We’ve seen other fraudulent apps use fake privacy policies on the App Store, but they’re easy to spot if you look closely. Many appear on random domains unrelated to the app or its publisher — the seven apps found by Kleber all used a single GoDaddy domain, for example. Similarly, the apps will often feature suspiciously high ratings and glowing user reviews, which is why it’s important to read more than just the highest-rated or top-listed user comments.
Still, even if you’re hyper-vigilant, the best way to keep you and your devices safe is to only download well-known apps from trusted publishers.
West Ham have been slammed for charging AU$13 for a pint of lager.
The Hammers were in action at London Stadium for the first time this season as they fell 2-0 to Manchester City over the weekend.
Football fans arriving at the match were left bemused by the astonishing costs of refreshments, The Sun reports.
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Twitter account Football Away Days warned: “If you’re off to West Ham this season, you’ll need to remortgage your house for a few pints.”
Pints of Amstel, Birra Moretti and Heineken were all priced at £7.60 ($13), while even a half was £3.70 ($6.40) for the former and £3.85 ($6.65) for the latter two.
Even a bottle of Coca-Cola was priced at an astonishing £4.50 ($7.80), with a packet of crisps setting fans back £2.50 ($4.30).
Is this too much for beer?Source: Twitter
Football Away Days’ post gained plenty of traction among irate fans, with one responding: “That tastes like bankruptcy.”
A second blasted: “Absolutely dreadful club.”
While a third smoked: “Ripping off their own fans during a cost of living crisis. Stay classy West Ham.”
Another added: “£4.50 for a bottle of coke!!! S*** the bed! That’s absolutely scandalous! They’re probably buying them in at less than a £1 a bottle.”
A further supporter called on fans to boycott, writing: “The only retaliation is to not buy a thing. (Maxwel) Cornet wasn’t worth it if the fans have to pay his wages weekly. Disgusting.”
A recent survey found that Man City was home to the cheapest pint in the Premier League.
According to Top10Casinos, you can pick one up from Etihad Stadium for just £3.40.
Fans smoked last year about the cost of a burger and chips at Arsenal.
The greedy Gunners charged fans $31 for a burger and chips at Emirates Stadium.
Erling Haland of Manchester City. Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Erling Haaland scored twice on his Premier League debut as Manchester City opened their title defense with a 2-0 win at West Ham.
Haaland lived up to the hype since his transfer from Borussia Dortmund to give the reigning champions a perfect start to the season in the searing heat of East London.
West Ham nearly derailed City’s title chances when they led 2-0 at halftime in the penultimate game of last season before Pep Guardiola’s men battled back for the point that ultimately edged out Liverpool at the top of the table.
But they were no match this time as Haaland immediately provided the value of City adding a proven goalscorer to their arsenal.
The Norwegian has been signed as the long-term successor to Sergio Aguero and started his City career just like the club’s all-time record goalscorer with a double on his league debut.
Haaland had missed chances in City’s 3-1 defeat to Liverpool in the Community Shield, but Guardiola’s warning that the goals would soon flow proved to be correct.
City’s patient possession game wore the Hammers down as temperatures in the English capital soared above 30 degrees Celsius on Sunday.
Haaland took responsibility from the penalty spot to open his Premier League account after he had been brought down by Alphonse Areola.
West Ham started the second half with more attacking intent but that simply played into the hands of City’s new weapon as Kevin De Bruyne split open their defense with one pass on the counter-attack for Haaland to gallop clear on goal and slot low past Areola.
– with AFP
This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission
There are serious fears for the health of an Australian man languishing in an overcrowded Baghdad jail, with doctors arguing he needs urgent surgery to treat multiple suspected skin cancers.
Key points:
Robert Pether’s doctors say he need seven potential cancers cut out
Pether’s wife says there is a “marked difference” in the new government’s approach to his case
Labor’s Peter Khalil says he holds out hope the Iraqi government will grant Pether clemency
Robert Pether, 47, has been behind bars in Iraq since April last year, found guilty of what his family and legal team described as trumped-up fraud charges.
United Nations investigators have raised concerns Pether, and his Egyptian colleague, Khalid Zaghloul, have been exposed to torture techniques while imprisoned.
Pether’s family spent nine months trying to get him access to medical experts in Iraq, after a photo of injuries on his back was sent to a doctor in Italy.
“His doctor was absolutely appalled at the state of him,” Pether’s wife Desree told the ABC.
“He’s got so many new moles on his back, he’s got a new mole on the same ear that he had a melanoma before, and it has changed significantly in the last few months.
“It’s displaying the same aggressive behavior as the melanoma that he had.”
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
Australian engineer Robert Pether’s wife Desree says she fears he won’t live another six months
He now needs to have seven potential cancers cut out but there is no guarantee he can access the care he needs in Iraq.
“Our doctors stated that he looks 74, not 47, and he looks very frail, like a frail old man,” she said.
“He’s completely grey, and his skin tone is grey.
“There’s also [the risk of] post-operative infection when he’s in a 14-foot cell with 22 other men.”
Pether’s firm was managing the construction of the Central Bank of Iraq’s $1 billion new headquarters.(Zaha Hadid Architects)
Pether’s doctor has gone so far as to write to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Ms Pether said her husband was “absolutely terrified” about the situation, and his mental health was deteriorating.
“He’s in a really dark place,” she said.
“It’s really, really hard to be in a position where you have to talk him off of a ledge quite frequently.
“And for our 19-year-old son to get off the phone and be in tears because of the way his dad’s talking, and thinking that his father’s going to do something drastic, it’s really difficult.”
Pair face further charges
Pether, an engineer, had been working on the construction of the new $1 billion Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) headquarters in Baghdad, when he was arrested alongside his colleague Zaghloul.
In August last year, an Iraqi court found the pair guilty of deception charges which carried a $16 million fine and five years in jail.
Since then, the two men have been hit with further charges as CBI has tried to enforce further ends for delays in the project.
The case has been put off until later this month.
Ms Pether had been highly critical of the Morrison government’s approach to her husband’s case, saying her family felt abandoned.
She said there had been a “marked difference” in the approach of the new government.
“It’s chalk and cheese,” Ms Pether said.
“I’m hoping that they’re able to do something a little bit more significant … in respect to trying to get him out.”
Peter Khalil is hopeful the Iraqi government might grant Robert Pether clemency due to his ill health.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
In June, Mr Albanese spoke to his Iraqi counterpart, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.
An official transcript of the conversation from the Iraqi government did not mention Pether’s case but sources have told the ABC the matter was raised.
The ABC has contacted Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s office for comment.
Diplomats working ‘around the clock’
Last week, Labor MP Peter Khalil took to his feet in federal parliament to raise Pether’s situation.
“The strain on Robert is terrible, but so is the pain of his family — the pain they’ve had to endure for over 16 months — his wife, Desree, and his children, Nala, Oscar and Flynn,” he told the House of Representatives.
“The Pether family have sold a property to help pay for Robert’s legal fees, and, I think, a car as well. All they want is Robert to return home safely.
“His daughter, Nala, draws pictures of what she plans to do with Dad when he gets out and is back home. Desree tells me it’s hard to keep the kids’ and Robert’s hopes up.”
Mr Khalil said diplomats were working “around the clock” on the case, and hoped the Iraqi government might grant him clemency based on his deteriorating health.
