A man who lost his 92-year-old mother due to an outbreak at a Melbourne aged-care facility has been the first to take legal action with a top-tier personal injury law firm.

Sebastian Agnello will be the lead plaintiff in a class action being brought by Carbone Lawyers, which is representing about 30 families with relatives who have either died at the home or who were living there until recently.

Sebastian’s mother, Carmela Agnello, moved to Epping Gardens in September 2018. During her residence, she was exposed to a COVID-19 positive staff member. Carmela tragically lost her life on July 28 after suffering severe Covid symptoms.

Read More: Nursing home CEO expects ‘Golden Age’ to be over for Epping Gardens co-owners

The Epping Gardens aged-care facility has so far been responsible for 205 infections and multiple deaths.

Jack Karantzis, head of personal injury law and litigation for Carbone Lawyers, said: “We fight for the rights of the vulnerable who have been affected by mismanagement, greed and incompetence. Such conduct is abhorrent and unacceptable in a civilised society.”

Mr Agnello claimed in his writ that Epping Gardens had allowed staff and residents to not wear personal protective equipment even though aware there was a pandemic.

The aged care home had also allowed workers and residents to “move freely within Epping Gardens when there was a risk of spreading contamination and contracting a COVID-19 infection”.

John Karantzis said the families his company represented had suffered “stress and anxiety as a result of the actions of the management of Epping Gardens. This should not happen again,” Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Epping Gardens’ parent company, Heritage Care Pty Ltd, which has nine for-profit aged-care homes across Sydney and Melbourne, is directed and owned by multi-millionaire aged-care moguls Tony Antonopoulos and Peter Arvanitis.

Heritage Care chief executive Greg Reeve previously insisted that Epping Gardens had been “absolutely, categorically prepared” for the pandemic, with enough training and equipment.

Federal Member for Adelaide Steve Georganas has urged Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to take a stance in the ongoing Eastern Mediterranean dispute between Greece and Turkey.

Below is Georganas’ full letter to the Australian Prime Minister.

Dear Prime Minister,

Through recent media reports, and the discussions I have had with community representatives, it is evident that tensions are escalating in the waters of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Turkey has become increasingly active in the Eastern Mediterranean in its efforts to explore for oil and gas, which has resulted in apparent violations of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). In another provocative move, Turkey has attempted to establish its own EEZ between the Libyan and Turkish coasts; a move that is illegal as it ignores already established EEZs in the area.

I feel tat, as a member of the international community, Australia cannot stay silent on this matter. We should play our part to ensure that the delicate peace and stability in the region is preserved along with the agreed sovereignty of all the nations involved.

In addition, it is in Australia’s interest that we join the international community to defend the territorial rights according to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which grants a continental shelf and EEZ to the islands within territorial waters of the Eastern Mediterranean.

This is of particular importance because, if a precedence is set as a result of the territorial dispute in the Eastern Mediterrenaean, this may have unintended consequences of other nations, including Australia.

I, therefore respectfully urge you to join other world leaders, including many in the European Union and the United States to encourage the countries involved to respect the current EEZs and maintain a peaceful coexistence for all the nations in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Yours Sincerely,

Steve Georganas MP

A Greek Australian man has been labelled a ‘hero’ by the media and local residents after he assisted in rescuing an elderly resident from a house fire in the Sydney suburb of Kingsgrove.

The elderly man, who was fighting for life last night, was believed to have been caught in his bedroom when the flames broke out.

His flatmate, Matthew Hemphill, carried him out of the house after he had already suffered serious burns. Greek Australian neighbour Peter Skoutelis then arrived at the scene with a hose, spraying water in the house and on the elderly man.

Both men have been labelled as local hero’s.

“I saw a big blaze of fire and I thought ‘I’ve got to do something’, I’ve got to help my neighbours,” Peter told 7 News.

Saving the man’s life, Matthew insisted that he’s not a hero, rather a it was simply a “normal person thing”. Matthew’s neighbour, Mr Skoutelis, thinks differently.

“He’s a very brave man and he’s the hero out of this,” Peter said.

Police are still investigating the cause of the accident, trying to determine if it had possibly been sparked from a cigarette. The elderly man suffered critical injuries from the accident and is to remain in hospital.

“I just hope the man gets better,” Peter concluded.

An aspiring western Sydney nurse has left court with a criminal record after she acted as a driver for her alleged drug-dealing friend on a MDMA run around the eastern suburbs.

Pamela Tsolakki, 22, who works casually as a beautician, was sentenced over two counts of knowingly taking part in drug supply from October 11 last year, which her lawyer said was a one-off.

In the car Tsolakki was driving, police found steroids and MDMA, and an alleged plethora of drugs and cash in her passenger and co-accused’s underwear.

The Condell Park woman was also charged with being in possession of $3650 in proceeds of crime – the amount of cash found in the car.

Lawyer Zemarai Khatiz told the court Tsolakki was “hanging around with the wrong crowd” at the time and has “made changes in her life” since then.

“(She has) disassociated from persons using drugs … (and is) continuing her nursing degree,” Mr Khatiz added.

At around 11pm on the night she was caught, Tsolakki was behind the wheel of a grey Suzuki Swift, with her co-accused in the passenger seat.

Tsolakki’s iPhone was on the dash with a maps app open, the court heard.

Police became suspicious of a potential drug deal when a man ran out of Bondi’s Royal Hotel and hopped in the back of the car, which was parked across the road.

Thirty seconds later, he jumped back out and was apprehended by police walking back towards the hotel, just after the Suzuki drove off.

On him, they found one bag of cocaine.

Police soon stopped the car and asked the pair what they had been doing.

Tsolakki told police she was “dropping off my friend’s wallet that he left in the car.”

Police asked the pair if there was anything they wanted to disclose and the co-accused allegedly told police “I have steroids in the car. They’re mine. I take them.”

When asked if there were any other drugs, he allegedly said “I have more down my pants” and they were both arrested.

Her co-accused was searched and $2800 in $50 notes was allegedly located in his underwear, as well as a Nokia “burner” phone, and a container of “lollies” which contained a bag of eight MDMA capsules, a bag of crystalline MDMA and two resealable bags of cocaine.

Nothing was found on Tsolakki.

In the car, police found Tsolakki’s wallet in the driver-side door with $600 cash in it and the co-accused’s wallet on the passenger-side door with $250 cash.

In a Louis Vuitton bag on the passenger side footwall, police found two vials of steroids, two resealable plastic bags with MDMA capsules, and two bags of crystalline MDMA.

Police allege Tsolakki had full knowledge of he co-accused’s involvement in the supply of prohibited drugs, according to the police facts.

Police also found cannabis in the front passenger side door handle, an Apple iPhone in the glove box and one allegedly in her co-accused’s pants, according to the police fact sheet.

After Mr Khatiz asked for a non-conviction for her “minimal role” in the operation, Magistrate Jacqueline Milledge said “to suggest she was a minor player would be “somewhat fanciful.”

“You drove him around, helped him be where he needed to be so he could supply the drugs,” she said.

“(You were) participating in dissemination of drugs in the community,” she continued.

Magistrate Milledge sentenced Tsolakki to a 12-month and 18-month Conditional Corrections Order for the two drug supply charges.

She will also need to pay a $1000 fine.

Source: The Daily Telegraph.

Motivational speaker and Commonwealth Games baton bearer, John Coutis, has been sentenced to five years jail for welfare fraud, but was immediately released on parole.

John Coutis, who was convicted of defrauding taxpayers, was sentenced on Monday at Southport Court in Queensland.

Coutis had failed to declare almost $1.5 million he earned as a motivational speaker for more than a decade while receiving a disability support pension.

He received more than $130,000 in welfare benefits, when he was entitled to only about $30,000.

Coutis, who admitted lying to Centrelink, was caught out after authorities identified him as a frequent international traveller.

He’s made at least 37 international speaking trips and has spoken to more than six million people at events that have included attendees such as Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela.

More than a dozen good character references were tendered to the court, including references from Alan Jones, Dawn Fraser and Phil Gould.

Judge Porter said while he respected the referees’ opinions, he disagreed with some.

“A number of references indicate this was not an act of dishonesty, but this was,” the judge said.

“I am conscious of the disability support pension not being enough to support people on disability but thousands of others have been able to comply … very few would have been able to earn $1.5 million like you have.

“The welfare system depends on the honesty of claimants and this type of offending undermines the welfare system.”

Parts of his autobiography was also used as evidence in court, including how he was born with spina bifida and had both legs amputated at the age of 17.

Judge Porter said part of the reason for immediate parole was that the prison was unable to cater to Coutis’ disability.

Outside of court, Coutis apologised for his actions and asked for his privacy.