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Businessmen on trial for alleged role in scheme to steal crash victims' details

Two businessmen have gone on trial accused of being involved in a conspiracy to steal the private details of drivers who had been in crashes.

Thomas Daly and Craig Cornick, both from Macclesfield, have gone on trial for their alleged roles in the operation.

Daly, 35, of London Road, Macclesfield, and and Cornick, 39, of Heybridge Lane, have been charged with two counts for alleged offences dating between December 1 2014 and November 30 2017.

Both defendants deny the first charge of conspiracy to access computer systems without authority, with Cornick also denying a second count of conspiracy to unlawfully obtain personal data.

Two businessmen accused of being involved in a sophisticated data theft operation targeting traffic accident victims have gone on trial, facing multiple charges related to conspiracy and data misuse.

The case, which is being heard in a UK court, centres around allegations that Thomas Daly, 35, and Craig Cornick, 39, both residents of Macclesfield, took part in a three-year scheme to illegally access confidential computer systems and extract personal information belonging to crash victims. Prosecutors allege that the information was obtained without permission and may have been used for financial gain.

The alleged offences occurred between December 1, 2014, and November 30, 2017—a period during which the defendants are said to have conspired with others to breach secure databases containing sensitive personal details.

The data in question is believed to include:

Names and contact details of individuals involved in recent road traffic accidents

Details of the accident itself (dates, locations, vehicle information)

Insurance or claims data, potentially held by recovery services, insurers, or law firms

Prosecutors claim the men were part of a wider network aimed at unlawfully acquiring this information, potentially for resale to personal injury firms, claims management companies, or repair service providers who actively target accident victims.

It is a practice that has drawn increasing scrutiny from regulators and privacy advocates, often linked to the "claims farming" industry — where firms exploit accident data to pursue compensation claims on behalf of clients, often with aggressive or unsolicited contact.

The two defendants are facing the following charges:

Thomas Daly and Craig Cornick: Both have been charged with conspiracy to access computer systems without authority, which falls under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. This charge alleges that the pair conspired with others to unlawfully enter or retrieve data from protected systems.

Craig Cornick: In addition to the first charge, Cornick faces a second count of conspiracy to unlawfully obtain personal data, likely under provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998, which was in force during the alleged period of the offences.

Both men have pleaded not guilty to the charges and deny any involvement in the alleged conspiracy.

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Man accused of $755k fraud enters plea in first Wagga court appearance

A Riverina man accused of defrauding a woman more than $750,000 over a six-year period will fight the charges.

Euberta resident Thomas William Hurst, 34, pleaded not guilty to taking more than $755,000 from the woman on several occasions as he represented himself in Wagga Local Court on Wednesday, January 8.

Hurst was arrested by strike force investigators in November 2024 and charged with 11counts of fraud.

Police allege the man defrauded a woman of more than $755,000 at an undisclosed Wagga location several times between April 2016 and January 2022.

Officers from the Riverina Police District launched an investigation in November 2022, following reports money had been withdrawn from multiple bank accounts.

In March 2024, police established Strike Force Kunzea to investigate alleged fraudulent transactions over a six-year period.

Following extensive inquiries, at about 10am on November 11, 2024, investigators arrested Hurst on Old Narranderra Road at Gobbagombalin.

He was taken to Wagga police station and charged, before being granted bail.

In Wagga Local Court on Wednesday, Hurst asked if the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions would be "taking over the case".

Sergeant Jasmine Carr said the ODPP declined to do so, but agreed to inquire further into the possibility.

Magistrate Gareth Christofi granted Hurst leave to remain out on bail and adjourned the matter to February 19.

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Davie County Library Director Hit by Car After Confronting Patron, Deputies Say

A Triad library director was struck by a car in a hit-and-run, according to deputies with the Davie County Sheriff’s Office.

On Monday, just after 11:15 a.m., deputies responded to the Davie County Library, located at 371 North Main St. in Mocksville, after a report of a disturbance and assault.

Deputies arrived and found the library director in the parking lot. The director told deputies that a black BMW had hit him in the legs, but he was OK. Deputies also learned that the BMW had fled before they could get there.

The director told deputies that the suspect had been in the library on June 6 and was moving and hiding books, which are violations of library policy.

The same suspect came in again on Monday. The director and two other library employees approached the suspect and asked him about his activities. The suspect then left the library and got into the BMW.

The director followed the suspect outside, trying to continue the conversations about his library violations. The suspect then drove out of the parking lot, hitting the director in the process.

While deputies were in the parking lot reviewing surveillance video, the suspect circled through the parking lot and left again. Deputies found the vehicle and the suspect on Carriage Cove Circle in Mocksville.

The suspect, identified as John Tarolli, had put a car cover over the vehicle and was switching out license plates. Tarolli, 53, chose not to speak with deputies about his involvement in the incident.

Tarolli was then arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. He received a $1,500 secured bond and is due in court on July 18.

Mocksville, NC — A seemingly routine policy enforcement at the Davie County Public Library took a dangerous turn Monday morning when the library’s director was struck by a car in the parking lot during a hit-and-run incident.

According to the Davie County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the library—located at 371 North Main Street—just after 11:15 a.m. following reports of a disturbance and assault. Upon arrival, they found the library director in the parking lot, reporting that he had been hit in the legs by a black BMW.

While shaken, the director declined immediate medical attention and informed deputies that the vehicle had fled the scene.

The situation reportedly began with a returning patron, later identified as John Tarolli, 53, of Mocksville. Library staff recognized Tarolli from a previous visit on June 6, when he was allegedly observed moving and hiding books—an act that violates library use policies.

When Tarolli returned on Monday, the director and two other employees approached him inside the library to discuss his behavior.

“Staff just wanted to have a conversation and ensure library policies were respected,” a source familiar with the situation said. “No one expected what happened next.”

Tarolli allegedly left the building and got into his vehicle. The director followed him outside to continue the discussion, but as Tarolli exited the lot, he struck the director with his car and drove off.

[therecordpress]

Qld ED doctor accused of choking, serious assault is suspended

An emergency doctor who has worked for Queensland Health and a major private hospital has been suspended by the health watchdog after he was charged with choking and serious assault.

A Queensland emergency doctor has been suspended by the health watchdog after he was charged with choking and serious assault.

Timothy Wilson Haina, 47, from Deebing Heights, south of Ipswich, was suspended by the state’s health ombudsman on Monday January 9.

“The suspension of registration means that Dr Timothy Wilson Haina is prohibited from practising as a Medical Practitioner for the duration of the suspension,” the health ombudsman says in a statement published on its website.

The health ombudsman included a link to Dr Haina’s suspended registration on the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency website, which states that Dr Haina is an emergency medicine specialist from Deebing Heights and was first registered in the profession in April 2004.

AHPRA states that Dr Haina became a fellow of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine in 2012, has his AMC Certificate from the Australian Medical Council and completed his medical degree at the University of Papua New Guinea in 1999.

Dr Haina has been charged with three counts of choking, suffocation or strangulation in a domestic relationship, one count of assault occasioning bodily harm and one count of assault.

He is due in Ipswich Magistrates Court for a committal on January 20, court records state.

His case was earlier mentioned in court on December 30, ten days before his suspension by the health ombudsman.

On his LinkedIn profile Dr Haina states he is an “experienced emergency consultant with a broad range of experience in major surgical, medical, obstetric and paediatric specialties with specific expertise in acute care (emergency department and intensive care unit)”.

He states he was most recently an emergency physician at the Mater hospital from September 2018 to present, and previously worked as an emergency consultant at the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital in Brisbane from 2012 to 2018.

He also states that he worked as a senior medical officer for Queensland Health from 2004 to 2012, with rotations to paediatric emergency, paediatric ICU including retrievals and adult ICU.

Dr Haina has two companies Brookwater Medical Practice Pty Ltd and he owns half of Panmedic Pty Ltd.

[therecordpress]

It was a bad year to be a criminal in Australia, $250m in seized assets

A lavish, towering, double-storey home in one of Sydney’s most affluent suburbs sits empty now after it was seized by Australian Federal Police as part of a haul of $250 million in criminal assets in the past 12 months.

Pictures of the Dover Heights home, complete with a white sports car in the driveway, were shared by the AFP today during an announcement detailing the crackdown on criminal activity in the last financial year.

Items restrained by the AFP’s Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce in courts across Australia and overseas include “residential and commercial properties, rural land, luxury cars and boats, bank accounts, cash, cryptocurrency, high end jewellery and other luxury goods”, a statement from the AFP reads.

“Offences linked to the restrained assets include money laundering, drug trafficking, illicit tobacco, identity crime, tax and corporations offences and various types of fraud.”

AFP Criminal Assets Confiscation acting national manager Stefan Jerga said the aim of the Taskforce’s work was to “deprive offenders of the proceeds and benefits of their crimes, and to punish and deter them from breaching the law”.

“The AFP is depriving organised crime of the benefits derived from their offending and this undermines the profitability of criminal enterprises,’’ Mr Jerga said.

“We come after all their assets. Whether it be the roof over their heads, their modes of transport and recreational toys, monies in their possession or bank accounts, or the watches, bags and shoes they parade, we target it all.

“Targeting the criminal economy by confiscating criminal assets, and removing the profit from crime, is one of a number of strategies deployed by the AFP and its partners to disrupt organised criminal activity and deliver maximum damage to the criminal environment.

“Whether it takes us several years or 17 years of hard fought litigation, as was a case in a successful 2018 matter before the High Court, the AFP and our partners will not let go until every asset we have restrained has been confiscated.

[therecordpress]

Steward Bank Manager In Court Over $180 000 Fraud

A manager with Steward Bank allegedly defrauded the bank of over $180 000 by creating fictitious credit accounts that he used to purchase air tickets, withdraw cash as well as buy goods in foreign countries.

It is alleged Albert Chinamano (35) fraudulently applied for credit cards using the names of non-existing people before using the cards to buy goodies and other services.

Upon his arrest, Chinamano of Borrowdale in Harare was found in possession of 150 credit cards.

He appeared before magistrate Mr Milton Serima yesterday charged with fraud.

With the consent from the Prosecutor-General’s Office, Mr Serima granted him $300 bail coupled with some stringent conditions.

As part of his bail conditions, Chinamano was ordered to surrender his passport, report at CID Homicide three times a week and reside at his given address until the matter is finalised.

He is being represented by Mr Admire Rubaya of Rubaya and Chatambudza Legal Practitioners.

Appearing for the State, Miss Sharon Mashavira alleged that Chinamano committed the offence between March last year and January this year.

It is the State’s case that Chinamano unlawfully and intentionally applied for credit cards in the names of non-existing account holders.

The court heard that he allegedly used the cards to withdraw cash, paying for air tickets and purchasing goods in foreign countries.

The offence came to light when the bank was conducting routine checks with its clients.

The officials discovered that several credit cardholders were fake and a report was made to the police, the court heard.

Investigations led to Chinamano’s arrest.