The best and worst jobs of 2015

Taxi drivers are unhappy with their jobs. Source: News Limited

It turns out, if you want to be happy in your career, you should study maths.

US jobs website CareerCast has released its annual Jobs Rated report, which analyses and ranks 200 professions from best to worst.

Four of the top 10 jobs in the list, which ranks professions based on a combination of income, work environment, stress and hiring outlook, focused on mathematics.

The number one job? An actuary — someone who uses mathematics, statistics and financial theory to assess the risk that an event will occur. Mathematician came in at number three, statistician was fourth, followed by data scientist at number six.

"Jobs in mathematics rank among the nation's best because they are financially lucrative, offer abundant opportunities for advancement and provide the opportunity to do great work in a supportive environment," CareerCast.com publisher Tony Lee said.

IT and healthcare jobs also did well, with high salaries and positive growth outlook for audiologists, biomedical engineers, dental hygienists, software engineers, occupational therapists and computer systems analysts.

The worst job? Newspaper reporter, which beat out lumberjack for the bottom position on this year's list due to its "negative growth outlook" and average annual salary of just $US36,267.

Other media jobs, including broadcaster and photojournalist, also ranked right down the bottom of the list. CareerCast.com noted, however, that those with good writing skills can often find new employment in public relations, marketing, advertising and social media, where the outlook may be brighter.

Taxi driver, soldier and firefighter also ranked among the worst jobs. "Although you might not be suited for the rigours of firefighting, serving in the military or working in the logging industry, some thrive in these dangerous and risky careers," Mr Lee said.

Thanks to declining letter volumes and cost-cutting measures, postman dropped into the 10 worst jobs for the first time this year with a growth outlook of -28.32.

The methodology for the rankings, which have been running for 20 years, includes a large number of variables. Environment — one of the four key criteria — takes into account both physical factors such as necessary energy, and emotional ones such as competitiveness.

BEST JOBS OF 2015*

1. Actuary (+3) $US94,209

2. Audiologist (+3) $US71,133

3. Mathematician (-2) $US102,182

4. Statistician (-1) $US79,191

5. Biomedical Engineer (+7) $US89,165

6. Data Scientist (N/A) $US124,149

7. Dental Hygienist (-1) $US71,102

8. Software Engineer (-1) $US9U3,113

9. Occupational Therapist (no change) $US77,114

10. Computer Systems Analyst (-2) $US81,150

WORST JOBS OF 2015*

200. Newspaper Reporter (-1) $US36,267

199. Lumberjack (+1) $US34,110

198. Enlisted Military Personnel (no change) $US28,840

197. Cook (-2) $US42,208

196. Broadcaster (no change) $US55,380

195. Photojournalist (-9) $US29,267

194. Corrections Officer (-3) $US39,163

193. Taxi Driver (+4) $US23,118

192. Firefighter (no change) $US45,264

191. Mail Carrier (-7) $US41,068

*Versus How They Fared in 2014 (With Midlevel Income)

(Source: CareerCast.com)

23.26 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cops’ excuse for ramming man

Mowed down ... This speeding police car is a second away from slamming into Mario Valencia in Arizona. Picture: AP Source: AP

Marana Police in the US released video Tuesday of an incident on February 19 in which a police officer used his patrol vehicle to end a crosstown crime spree. Courtesy Liveleak/dcmfox. Police say the suspect, Mario Valencia, confronted them with a stolen gun and fired one shot in the 5600 block of West Coca Cola Place before being struck by the cruiser. Valencia is accused of a series of crimes in Tucson and Marana.

DRAMATIC footage shows a police car mow down a suspect who goes flying. But police in Arizona have claimed that they were trying to save the man's life.

An officer in the Arizona town of Marana, near Tuscon, used his patrol car to end a crime spree — by ramming a suspect on the footpath.

Footage of the February 19 incident was captured on the car's dashboard cam and Mario Valencia being dramatically mowed down, CBS news said.

Valencia is seen on the video walking down the street when a gunshot is heard. Then — in a decision police Chief Terry Rozema claims probably saved Valencia's life — officer Michael Rapiejko drives his cruiser onto the footpath directly at Valencia.

Mario Valencia ... Was run over by police. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

The alternative was to shoot him to try and stop the incident from escalating.

According to Marana police, Valencia had fled a Walmart where he had allegedly stolen a rifle. He had already been intercepted by police near a post office, where he pointed the rifle at his head multiple times and threatened suicide before firing the gun in another direction and fleeing.

It wasn't clear if he intended to target police, and no one was hit by the bullet.

The pursuit ended outside a self-storage facility when Mr Rapiejko hit the suspect with his cruiser.

"This was a dangerous felon who had been on a crime spree throughout the morning," another police official Marana Police Sgt. Chris Warren told KOLD-TV in February.

Lifesaver? .... Marana police officer Michael Rapiejko. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

"He'd just stolen a weapon, loaded it, was not obeying commands from officers and was walking toward occupied businesses. It's a busy time of morning, a lot of employees at work, a lot getting ready to come out for breaks, he's walking toward those businesses. So we had to take immediate action and make sure he didn't get inside those businesses."

Valencia was taken to University of Arizona Medical Centre in serious condition. He stayed there two days before he was jailed.

Police are investigating whether Valencia was connected to the three earlier incidents in Tucson, including a convenience store robbery, a break-in and fire at a church and a home invasion and car theft.

23.26 | 0 komentar | Read More

‘It was funny to decorate my vagina’

Censorship ... Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi has been charged with obscenity for distributing 3D scans of her vagina. Picture: AFP/Yoshikazu Tsuno Source: AFP

A JAPANESE artist faces up to two years jail for distributing instructions for building a kayak shaped like her vagina.

In a case that has sparked accusations of censorship, Megumi Igarashi told a court she had done nothing wrong in giving 30 people the 3D printing code to produce their own "p***y boat".

"I am innocent because neither the data for female genitals nor my artworks shaped like female genitals are obscene," she told Tokyo District Court.

The feminist made international headlines last year for making a vagina-shaped teddy bear and figurines in a bid to fight Japan's vagina taboo.

Creative construction ... Megumi Igarashi made a 3D printed canoe from a selfie of her vagina. Picture; Facebook/Rokude Nashiko Source: Supplied

Igarashi, who goes by the name Rokude Nashiko, a slang term meaning "bad girl", was first arrested in July.

She was freed several days later following a legal appeal and after thousands of people signed a petition demanding her release.

Tokyo police arrested her again in December on three counts of distributing "obscene" data — namely CDs containing computer code make a vagina-shaped kayak.

The 43-year-old was held in custody for around a month before being granted bail.

"I have been arguing that it is strange to single out one part of a human body that every woman has [and treat it as obscene]," she told journalists and supporters after the hearing.

"Some people say my works are cheap and not even art, but that should not justify police moves to arrest me."

Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi is fighting obscenity charges. Picture: AFP/Yoshikazu Tsuno Source: AFP

Artist Megumi Igarashi holds a large mascot shaped like a vagina. Picture: AFP/Yoshikazu Tsuno Source: AFP

One of her lawyers, Takashi Yamaguchi, called the charges against Igarashi "outrageous".

"It is extremely outrageous that anybody can be arrested and forced to stand before judges because of making artworks or working as an artist," he said.

If convicted of distributing or possessing obscene materials for the purpose of selling, Igarashi could face up to two years in jail and/or a fine of as much as 2.5 million yen ($27,500).

Though Japan has a prolific pornography industry that caters to many diverse tastes, rigid obscenity laws ban the depiction of actual genitalia, which normally appear pixelated or behind black spots.

Igarashi has defended her work on her website: "I make art pieces with my vagina, which I would rather call Manko(MK). I thought it was just funny to decorate my vagina and make into a diorama, but I was very surprised to see how upset people get when they see my works or even hear me say the word Manko.

Feminist ... Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi with her tiny vagina figurines. Picture: AFP/Yoshikazu Tsuno Source: AFP

She continued: "Even when a TV station asked me to be on their show, they wouldn't dare let me say DECO-MAN because 'MAN' is from the taboo word 'Manko'. Why did I start making these kind of art pieces? It's because I had never seen the vagina of others and I was too selfconscious of mine. I did not know what a vagina should look like at the same time, so I thought mine was abnormal.

"Manko and vagina, have been such a taboo in Japanese society. Penis, on the other hand, has been used in illustrations and has become a part of pop culture. But vagina has never been so cute. Vagina has been thought to be obscene because its been overly hidden; although it is just a part of a woman's body."

23.26 | 0 komentar | Read More

He almost rigged $14m lottery

Lottery worker ... Eddie Tipton allegedly used his position as a lottery security official to try and rig a $14 million win for himself. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

A US man will stand trial over an intricate scheme to rig a $14 million lottery win for himself which has forced officials to revamp security systems.

Eddie Raymond Tipton, 51, of Iowa, an information security director of the Multi-State Lottery Association, was originally arrested and charged with fraud in January when he was caught buying a ticket and getting a friend to try and collect his prize. (Lottery officials are banned from playing the lottery).

But now prosecutors allege his plot was much more intricate and that Tipton installed a selfdestructing hack program to make sure the Random Number Generator picked his number in the December 2010 lottery.

Prosecutors say Tipton tampered with security cameras in the building so he would not be caught installing the program.

"There is sufficient evidence for a jury to reasonably conclude from the evidence that Defendant tampered with lottery equipment," prosecutors wrote in their filing according to Lottery Post.

Tipton allegedly waited more than a year before he sent New York lawyer Crawford Shaw to claim his prize.

However authorities released a surveillance video which purports to shows the mystery winner buying the ticket, a man who a lottery co-worker identified as Tipton.

The man's lawyer has denied the charges.

However lottery officials say they are in the process of revamping the system's security to ensure no one ever rigs the game.

"I have confidence that the games we offer today are fair," Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich said in a statement. "Our lottery has strong layers of security in place to protect lottery players, lottery games and lottery prizes."

Iowa's lottery officials now say they've spaced out security responsibilities among more employees and replaced internal cameras, which Tipton allegedly tampered with while staging his big win.

23.26 | 0 komentar | Read More

Football star found guilty of murder

Guilty ... Former New England Patriots NFL football player Aaron Hernandez, seen here on April 1, has been found guilty of killing Odin Lloyd. Picture: AP Source: AP

FORMER New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez has been found guilty of murder in a deadly late-night shooting.

Hernandez, 25, looked to his right and pursed his lips after the jury forewoman read the verdict overnight.

Killed ... Odin Lloyd, 27, whose body was found in June 2013 in an industrial park in Massachusetts. Picture: AP Source: AP

The murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole in the slaying of Odin Lloyd, a 27-year-old who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancee.

Hernandez's mother, Terri, and his fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins, cried and gasped when they heard the verdict.

Testified ... Shayanna Jenkins, fiancee of former New England Patriots football player Aaron Hernandez. Picture: AP Source: AP

The former NFL player was also found guilty on firearm and ammunition charges.

Prosecutors presented a wealth of evidence that Hernandez was with Lloyd at the time he was killed, including home security video from Hernandez's mansion, witness testimony and mobile phone records that tracked Lloyd's movements.

Playing days ... Aaron Hernandez as a New England Patriot. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

Hernandez's lawyer, James Sultan, acknowledged for the first time during closing arguments that Hernandez was there when Lloyd was killed.

But the lawyer pinned the shooting on two of Hernandez's friends, Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz, saying his client was a "23-year-old kid" who witnessed a shocking crime and didn't know what to do.

Wallace and Ortiz will stand trial later.

Football star ... Aaron Hernandez talks to New England Patriots player Deion Branch. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

Prosecutors have suggested Lloyd may have been killed because he knew too much about Hernandez's alleged involvement in a deadly 2012 drive-by shooting in Boston. But they were not allowed to tell the jury that because the judge said it was speculation.

As a result, they never offered a motive beyond saying Hernandez appeared angry with Lloyd at a nightclub two nights before the killing.

Guilty ... Former New England Patriots football player Aaron Hernandez's first picture after being arrested. Picture: AP Source: AP

Hernandez faces further legal trouble: He is awaiting trial on murder charges in the drive-by shooting. He is accused of gunning down two men over a spilt drink at a nightclub.

Hernandez was an All-American out of the University of Florida who was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round in 2010.

23.26 | 0 komentar | Read More

‘Don’t use a sharp weapon to kill him’

The alleged killers of Australian businessman Bob Ellis, including his Indonesian wife Noor, have fronted prosecutors, who today took possession of the police case against the six accused.

Murder trial ... Noor Ellis faces charges of premeditated murder over the death of her husband of 25-years, Robert Ellis. Picture: Lukman S Bintoro Source: Supplied

THE violent details of an Australian businessman's murder in his own Bali villa have been aired in the trial of his wife, who is accused of ordering the hit.

Noor Ellis faces charges of premeditated murder over the death of her husband of 25 years, Robert Ellis, whose body was found in a rice field last October.

Also known as Julaikah Noor Aini, Ellis could face the death penalty.

In her defence she claims she only asked her maid's boyfriend to take care of her problems with her husband, not kill him.

But the trial has already heard from the maid and a second maid, that the order was given to kill Mr Ellis.

In the past ... Noor Ellis is accused of having her husband Robert Ellis killed. Picture: Facebook Source: Supplied

On Wednesday, the man who cut Mr Ellis' throat, 23-year-old Urbanus Yohanes Ghoghi, told the court in graphic detail of the roles he and four other men played in the killing.

Ellis had given one of the men, Martin, a towel and pillow, and the men first tried to suffocate him, Urbanus said.

When their victim fought back, Martin handed him the kitchen knife he used to slash his throat.

Afterwards, Ellis handed Martin the plastic to wrap her husband's body in, Urbanus' co-accused, Yohanes Sairokudu, said.

"That night, Mrs Noor gave Rp 50 million ($5000) to Martin. It was then split, Rp 10 million each," he said.

"Martin also said to us that tomorrow, there will be more."

Police escort Noor Ellis from Bali Police headquarters. Picture: Supplied Source: News Corp Australia

Noor Ellis was arrested following the murder of her husband in October 2014. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

Yohanes was also asked about a meeting Ellis called prior to the murder, where other witnesses say she gave the order to kill her husband.

"Mrs Noor said that when killing Mr Bob, don't use a sharp weapon," he said.

"Close his nose and mouth with a pillow only. To be neat, basically."

Ellis later took the stand as a witness in the trials of the two men, who are also charged with premeditated murder.

Asked by Judge Beslin Sihombing where Mr Ellis was now, she replied: "In heaven".

Asked who gave the order to have him murdered she said: "Probably me".

Findings ... investigators look at evidence from the crime scene. Picture: Lukman S Bintoro Source: Supplied

The judge replied: "Probably? Or did you order them?"

She replied: "Because of the order from me. I asked Martin's help to teach a lesson".

Judge Hadi Masruri asked Ellis why she gave the order.

"For a long time he hadn't given me sufficient (money), (he) even took the money for my kids' schooling," she replied.

"Because his attitude didn't change, I couldn't stand it anymore. Once I asked for divorce but he didn't want to. He said we should just go on, in our own way."

The trial continues next week with Ellis' defence.

23.26 | 0 komentar | Read More

The tiny island about to be changed forever

St Helena is a remote island that's about to be changed forever Source: Getty Images

THE tiny South Atlantic island of Saint Helena — where Napoleon died in exile — dreams of becoming a tourist draw when its first airport opens next year despite fears it cannot accommodate an influx of visitors.

For years only accessible by boat, St Helena has just one bank, no cash machine and no mobile telephone reception.

Sailing out to St Helena from Cape Town every three weeks, the boat journey takes five long days. Because the island is so remote, only 1500 tourists visit each year.

But the tourism office hopes the weekly 4.5-hour passenger flights scheduled to start from Johannesburg in February 2016 will change that — and the island's economy — forever.

Its director Cathy Alberts says she expects 30,000 tourists a year, and voices hope that the change will help St Helena become self-sufficient.

Jamestown is the capital of Saint Helena. Source: AFP

Perched in the Atlantic halfway between Africa and South America, the island relies on Britain for most of its income — £60 million ($116m) a year — but has its sights set on financial independence.

"We talk about 600 people per week. So it's not that much," Alberts said. "It is doable, absolutely. As the demand increases, people will start providing the services." Visitors will have several days in St Helena, ample time to see the local sights, including the house where Napoleon, France's greatest military hero, died on May 5, 1821.

Napoleon Bonaparte's tomb. Source: AFP

But not everyone is happy with the change.

The idea of crowds of camera-wielding tourists worries many of the island's 4200 residents, who worry the island cannot meet such a demand.

"You can imagine the chaos on the roads," said Niall O'Keefe, who heads local development company Enterprise St Helena.

A statue of Napoleon is seen at the Consulate hotel in Jamestown. Source: AFP

Island life threatened?

Local officials say change would not come instantaneously.

"In 10 years, I see St Helena livelier, with more people, more restaurants, more shops," the island's governor Mark Capes said.

"But it will not be a big bang, it will not happen overnight." Hoteliers are lobbying for a second flight to Britain, home to most of the island's tourists.

A copy of the register inscribed with Napoleon Bonaparte's death notice. Source: AFP

"To have two flights a week, we will need to double our hotel capacity," finance official Dax Richards said, adding that a surge in demand would swamp St Helena's meagre facilities.

Currently, the island offers just 85 tourists beds for tourists and a few self-catering units.

Beds are just part of the problem. Because of its remoteness and dependence on funding, the island's infrastructure is lacking.

A public swimming pool on the island. Source: AFP

Some in the tourism industry worry that well-heeled visitors will be disappointed by unprofessional service — or problems like garbage in the Jamestown moat — and vent their disappointment on influential travel websites.

Others fear something worse: that the island could lose its soul. "I hope we don't lose our cohesion, our sense of solidarity," tour guide Basil George said. "That's my fear with the airport, not the airport itself." Building the airport has already disturbed the island, which is framed by craggy volcanic cliffs soaring hundreds of metres above sea level and enjoys a mild climate despite being located near the equator.

A construction crew of 600 has had a big impact during the four-year project, which included chipping away at a mountain and backfilling an entire valley.

It has quite a mild climate. Source: Getty Images

Today the runway, 1950 metres long and 45m wide, ends just before the cliff drops a dramatic 300 metres into the Atlantic Ocean.

Funded by the British government and built by a South African construction company, the airport cost $486m.

Airport heralds revolution

When South African airline Comair's Boeing 737-800 flights begin, up to 138 passengers will travel into St Helena each week — roughly the same number of people who arrive every three weeks by boat.

But the runway being built at the island's eastern tip is not long enough to accommodate larger aircraft flying from Europe.

The runway of the future airport is under construction. Source: AFP

The airport project also includes the construction of a 14-kilometre access road, which leads into a valley near the capital Jamestown, where a new wharf is being built for £20 million (38 million).

Before the first plane lifts off, cell phone service is expected to start — another major upheaval.

Whatever locals think, they must soon accept the inevitable reality that after years in isolation, St Helena is joining the rest of the world.

It's set to open next year. Source: AFP

23.26 | 0 komentar | Read More

How smugglers accessed this drug tunnel

Mexican security interrupts construction of a suspected drug tunnel being built under a house near the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

The entrance of a tunnel found by soldiers of the Mexican army in the border city of Tijuana and apparently used to smuggle drugs into the United States on April 7, 2015. Picture: Said Betanzo Source: AFP

NINE people in Mexico were caught red-handed digging a tunnel that was apparently to be used to sneak drugs into California, officials said.

The detainees had been digging from inside a house in the northwest border town of Tijuana and tried in vain to flee, the National Defense secretariat said.

The entrance to a tunnel found by soldiers of the Mexican army in the border city of Tijuana and apparently used to smuggle drugs into the United States on April 7, 2015. Picture: Said Betanzo Source: AFP

The tunnel was about 20 meters (66 feet) underground and reachable by climbing down a ladder through a closet in the house.

Army troops also seized a truck that the detainees had been using to take away soil from the digging operations.

During the military operation the army captured nine people inside the tunnel that according to authorities had electric power and was built near a base of the Mexican air force. Picture: Said Betanzo Source: AFP

The tunnel was about 20 meters (66 feet) underground and reachable by climbing down a ladder through a closet in the house. Picture: Said Betanzo Source: AFP

Mexican drug traffickers use a variety of techniques to try to smuggle drugs into the United States, from undocumented migrants carrying it in backpacks to catapults to sophisticated tunnels.

On January 22, a US-bound drone carrying three kilos of an unspecified drug crashed at a shopping centre in Tijuana.

The detainees had been digging from inside a house in the northwest border town of Tijuana and tried in vain to flee. Picture: Said Betanzo Source: AFP

23.26 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fiance pleads: ‘I just want her to be here’

Home video footage of missing bride-to-be Stephanie Scott

• Fears missing bride Stephanie Scott may be trapped or lost in remote region
• Bride was due to walk down the aisle on Saturday
• Mother Merrilyn: "There is no way she had cold feet. Something has happened to her"
• Police appeal for sightings of red Mazda 3 sedan, family pay for helicopter search

THE fiance of a missing bride-to-be said on the night she vanished he texted friends and drove past the restaurant where the pair had a reservation.

Aaron ­Leeson-Woolley reported Stephanie Scott, 26, whom he is due to marry on Saturday, missing the following afternoon, Easter Monday.

Ms Scott, a popular ­teacher at Leeton High School in the state's southwest, was last seen at 11am on Easter Sunday by a colleague as she finished lesson plans to be used while she was on her honeymoon in Tahiti.

Stephanie Scott, with her mother. Picture: Facebook Source: Facebook

Aaron Woolley, Stephanie Scott's fiance / Picture: Chris McKeen Source: News Corp Australia

She emailed a bus company at 12.59pm about the wedding but has not been seen or heard from since.

Mr Leeson-Woolley, a local abattoir worker, said he had been at a friend's farewell party in their home town of Canowindra on Sunday but, when he returned home that afternoon, Ms Scott was missing. He drove past The Village restaurant, where they were to have dinner, but could not see her car.

SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE

It wasn't until about 11am on Monday that he phoned Ms Scott's parents to see if she had gone to visit them, before reporting her missing.

Stephanie (right), pictured at a wedding. Picture: Facebook Source: Facebook

Facebook image of Ms Scott, and husband-to-be Aaron Woolley. Source: Facebook

Last night, Mr Leeson-Woolley pleaded for Ms Scott to come home, saying: "Three days, bad things (thoughts) are coming in."

"I drove past a couple of times, then I rang The Village at five to eight to cancel. Then I kept looking 'til about nine," he said. "I was looking around and I messaged a couple of friends to see if they had seen her. At the time there wasn't a big concern, I was just checking if anyone had heard from her."

After his fiancee failed to return home on Sunday night, Mr Leeson-Woolley contacted Ms Scott's family in Canowindra. He said her disappearance was out of character.

"This is out of place, it's not what she does. Even if she went an hour without talking to me, she'll eventually message me. It's not ­normal for her to do this," Mr Leeson-Woolley said.

"This is shocking. It's just out of the blue, she's never done this before. I just don't know what to do or where to look. Where else do you go?"

Stephanie Scott was last seen at Leeton High School where she teaches English and drama. Source: Supplied

Mr Leeson-Woolley described his fiance as a "bubbly, happy" person and said they were both "over the moon to be getting married". He urged her to "pick up the phone ... ring the police or ring me".

Ms Scott spent most of the long weekend preparing for her wedding. Suggestions the 26-year-old was having "cold feet'' were shot down yesterday by her mother, ­sister and fiance.

Aaron Woolley, Stephanie Scott's fiance / Picture: Chris McKeen Source: News Corp Australia

"She was looking forward to the wedding,'' her mother Merrilyn said. "All her actions on the weekend, and ­before, were of someone ­excited about the wedding, planning for the wedding and looking forward to it,'' she said from the family home in Canowindra.

Ms Scott may be travelling in a red Mazda 3 sedan. Picture supplied by NSW Police Source: Supplied

The family has hired a helicopter and family and friends have descended on Leeton to help the search.

"Sometime between 12 and 1pm on Easter Sunday something has happened. She would not just disappear,'' her mother said. The last time Ms Scott accessed money was on Saturday when she drove 60km to Griffith and bought cuff links with her key card. Her red Mazda3 sedan with registration BZ-19-CD is also missing.

Aaron Woolley, Stephanie Scott's fiance / Picture: Chris McKeen Source: News Corp Australia

Police are still treating the disappearance as a missing persons case, though details of her case have been forwarded to the NSW Homicide Squad, which is routinely done in such cases.

Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or Griffith Police on 6969 4310.

Originally published as Fiance pleads: 'I just want her to be here'

23.26 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mum: ‘No way she had cold feet’

Home video footage of missing bride-to-be Stephanie Scott

THE fiance of a missing bride-to-be said on the night she vanished he texted friends and drove past the restaurant where the pair had a reservation.

Aaron ­Leeson-Woolley reported Stephanie Scott, 26, whom he is due to marry on Saturday, missing the following afternoon, Easter Monday.

Ms Scott, a popular ­teacher at Leeton High School in the state's southwest, was last seen at 11am on Easter Sunday by a colleague as she finished lesson plans to be used while she was on her honeymoon in Tahiti.

Stephanie Scott, with her mother. Picture: Facebook Source: Facebook

Aaron Leeson-Woolley, Stephanie Scott's fiance / Picture: Chris McKeen Source: News Corp Australia

She emailed a bus company at 12.59pm about the wedding but has not been seen or heard from since.

Mr Leeson-Woolley, a local abattoir worker, said he had been at a friend's farewell party in their home town of Canowindra on Sunday but, when he returned home that afternoon, Ms Scott was missing. He drove past The Village restaurant, where they were to have dinner, but could not see her car.

SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE

It wasn't until about 11am on Monday that he phoned Ms Scott's parents to see if she had gone to visit them, before reporting her missing.

Stephanie (right), pictured at a wedding. Picture: Facebook Source: Facebook

Facebook image of Ms Scott, and husband-to-be Aaron Leeson-Woolley. Source: Facebook

Last night, Mr Leeson-Woolley pleaded for Ms Scott to come home, saying: "Three days, bad things (thoughts) are coming in."

"I drove past a couple of times, then I rang The Village at five to eight to cancel. Then I kept looking 'til about nine," he said. "I was looking around and I messaged a couple of friends to see if they had seen her. At the time there wasn't a big concern, I was just checking if anyone had heard from her."

After his fiancee failed to return home on Sunday night, Mr Leeson-Woolley contacted Ms Scott's family in Canowindra. He said her disappearance was out of character.

"This is out of place, it's not what she does. Even if she went an hour without talking to me, she'll eventually message me. It's not ­normal for her to do this," Mr Leeson-Woolley said.

"This is shocking. It's just out of the blue, she's never done this before. I just don't know what to do or where to look. Where else do you go?"

Stephanie Scott was last seen at Leeton High School where she teaches English and drama. Source: Supplied

Mr Leeson-Woolley described his fiance as a "bubbly, happy" person and said they were both "over the moon to be getting married". He urged her to "pick up the phone ... ring the police or ring me".

Ms Scott spent most of the long weekend preparing for her wedding. Suggestions the 26-year-old was having "cold feet'' were shot down yesterday by her mother, ­sister and fiance.

Aaron Leeson-Woolley, Stephanie Scott's fiance / Picture: Chris McKeen Source: News Corp Australia

"She was looking forward to the wedding,'' her mother Merrilyn said. "All her actions on the weekend, and ­before, were of someone ­excited about the wedding, planning for the wedding and looking forward to it,'' she said from the family home in Canowindra.

Ms Scott may be travelling in a red Mazda 3 sedan. Picture supplied by NSW Police Source: Supplied

The family has hired a helicopter and family and friends have descended on Leeton to help the search.

"Sometime between 12 and 1pm on Easter Sunday something has happened. She would not just disappear,'' her mother said. The last time Ms Scott accessed money was on Saturday when she drove 60km to Griffith and bought cuff links with her key card. Her red Mazda3 sedan with registration BZ-19-CD is also missing.

Aaron Leeson-Woolley, Stephanie Scott's fiance / Picture: Chris McKeen Source: News Corp Australia

Police are still treating the disappearance as a missing persons case, though details of her case have been forwarded to the NSW Homicide Squad, which is routinely done in such cases.

Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or Griffith Police on 6969 4310.

Originally published as Mum: 'No way she had cold feet'

23.26 | 0 komentar | Read More