Snowden extradition could take years

ATTEMPTS to extradite ex-intelligence technician Edward Snowden, charged with espionage by US authorities, will result in a protracted legal battle in Hong Kong that could last years, experts said.

Hong Kong, a former British colony that retained a separate legal system when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997, has a long-standing extradition treaty with the US, but Beijing has the potential to veto any ruling.

However Beijing has appeared to distance itself from any decision on the possible extradition of Snowden, who is in hiding in the southern Chinese city after blowing the lid on vast US surveillance programs targetting phone calls and internet traffic.

Hong Kong officials remained tight-lipped on Saturday as to whether they will hold Snowden a day after Washington charged the former CIA contractor with espionage, theft and "conversion of government property".

Hong Kong lawmaker Alan Leong said that if local authorities proceed with extradition, it could result in a lengthy legal battle.

"If every appeal opportunity is taken, I suppose the process will last between three and five years" at the very least, he told AFP.

The case could possibly drag "through at least the magistrates' court, the Court of Appeal and the Court of Final Appeal. So, at least three levels of (Hong Kong) courts," he said.

Snowden can claim fears of political persecution and ask for political asylum, which will buy him time, said Christopher Gane, the dean of law school of Chinese University of Hong Kong.

"If the court decides this man cannot be sent back, this is the end of it. He can't be sent back," he told AFP.

"But if the court decides he could be sent back, it is still up to the Hong Kong chief executive to decide whether to do so. This is when all kinds of possible considerations can come in," Gane said.

Experts have claimed that Snowden is testing Hong Kong's civil liberties under its "one country, two systems" framework by retreating to the former British colony.

Snowden has exposed details on vast US surveillance operations, leaking documents that appear to show huge quantities of private telephone and internet data -- such as emails and call records -- have been scooped up with little or no judicial oversight.

The revelations have embarrassed US President Barack Obama's administration.

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Snowden charge 'intimidation': Assange

THE United States has charged leaker Edward Snowden with espionage in an attempt to bully other countries into abandoning him, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says.

US authorities have filed espionage charges against rogue intelligence technician Snowden and asked Hong Kong to detain him.

Assange criticised the move on Saturday in a speech the Australian had planned to deliver from the balcony of the Ecuadorean embassy in London where he's been holed up for over a year.

But WikiLeaks said via Twitter the appearance was postponed "due to a security situation" and instead released a copy of the speech.

Police weren't commenting and a response was being sought from the Ecuadorean embassy.

In the speech Assange says he's been able to work in relative safety from a US espionage investigation only because he sought asylum in the diplomatic mission.

"The charging of Edward Snowden is intended to intimidate any country that might be considering standing up for his rights," Assange said in the written speech.

"That tactic must not be allowed to work.

"The effort to find asylum for Edward Snowden must be intensified. What brave country will stand up for him and recognise his service to humanity?"

Assange this week revealed he'd been in contact with representatives of Snowden to discuss his possible bid for asylum in Iceland following his disclosure of US surveillance programs.

The 41-year-old on Saturday said the US government was spying "on each and every one of us" but it was Snowden who'd been charged with espionage.

"It is getting to the point where the mark of international distinction and service to humanity is no longer the Nobel Peace Prize but an espionage indictment from the US Department of Justice," Assange said.

"Edward Snowden is the eighth leaker to be charged with espionage under this president."

Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino earlier this week revealed Assange had told him he was strong enough to remain in the embassy "for five years ... rather than face legal proceedings in the US".

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UK fugitive killer arrested in Queensland

A BRITISH killer who escaped prison after being jailed for a frenzied knife attack on his aunt has been captured on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

Simon Hennessey, 49, has been on the run since he walked out of an English prison in December 1998.

In 1978 aged just 14 Hennessey mutilated his aunt Mary Webber, 72, in a brutal knife attack at her home on the English south coast city of Plymouth, stabbing her 70 times.

He admitted killing his aunt but pleaded mental illness and was jailed for life in the same year.

He served 20 years of that sentence before disappearing 15 years ago, but had escaped from a number of prisons before that.

Queensland police have confirmed that a man they have charged with a series of fraud offences is Hennessey.

A spokeswoman for Queensland Police said he had been arrested earlier this month in Maroochydore.

He appeared before Maroochydore Magistrates' Court on June 17 and is currently in custody pending his next hearing in July.

"There is not much more we can say because of the court situation but we are aware that he is a wanted criminal in the UK," she said.

Hennessey's arrest is understood to be related to a sophisticated credit card scam running to tens of thousands of dollars.

He could face a lengthy prison sentence if convicted in Australia but UK police have already contacted Australian authorities to discuss his extradition.

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British teacher jailed for abduction

A BRITISH teacher was sentenced to five years and six months in jail for having sex with a 15-year-old pupil and running off with her to France, sparking an international manhunt.

Jeremy Forrest, a married 30-year-old maths teacher, was convicted of abducting the girl, and pleaded guilty to five further counts of sexual activity with a child.

He was not originally charged with sex offences for legal reasons linked to his extradition from France, but he admitted the new charges when they were put to him at Lewes Crown Court in southeast England.

Judge Michael Lawson, sentencing Forrest to four and a half years for the charges of sexual activity with a child and one year for the abduction charge, told him his behaviour had inflicted great damage.

He said: "Your behaviour in this period has been motivated by self-interest and has hurt and damaged many people -- her family, your family, staff and pupils at the school and respect for teachers everywhere.

"It has damaged you too but that was something you were prepared to risk. You now have to pay that price."

The judge added: "It was your duty as a teacher to stop her infatuation, not to fuel it.

"Your research into what might happen to you if you were caught is proof of the deliberate nature of your behaviour."

When Forrest was convicted of abduction on Thursday after a two-week trial, he had told the girl "I love you" as he was led from the court.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, burst into tears and told him: "I'm sorry."

The British press reported the girl, who is now 16, has vowed to wait for Forrest to serve his sentence so they can resume their relationship.

Prosecutors had labelled him a pedophile who had groomed a vulnerable girl, first kissing her when she was 14. They said he "grossly abused" the trust placed in him as her teacher.

The court heard that Forrest, a keen musician, confessed to the girl that he was unhappy in his marriage and poured out his feelings in angst-ridden Twitter messages.

The couple sent explicit images to each other's mobile phones and soon began a sexual relationship. She said in evidence she had encouraged the affair.

They had sex in his car, in hotel rooms and at the marital home when his wife was away visiting her parents.

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Govt to launch discrimination inquiry

THE federal government will set up an inquiry into the treatment of women in the Australian workplace.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard told Fairfax Media the inquiry would assess the problems women faced in the workforce and what action could be taken to correct any problems.

"It's very concerning that there are even anecdotal report that people, particularly women, feel discriminated against when they are caring for young children," she said.

The inquiry, by the Australian Human Rights Commission, will examine concerns women are demoted, sacked or have work hours altered to unfavourable times while on maternity leave or on their return to work.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions said one in three women left the workplace while pregnant or after giving birth.

A national survey on the prominence, nature and consequences of discrimination will be undertaken as part of the inquiry.

It will also take evidence from industry, unions, victims of discrimination and employers.

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Govt won't release spin doctor documents

PRIME Minister's Julia Gillard's office is being accused of blocking attempts by media to look at documents relating to the hiring of a Scottish spin doctor.

Labor strategist John McTernan is working in Australia on a 457 visa.

The Weekend Australian was told by the Office of the Information Commissioner it had rejected the prime minister's office's request for an extension to process the documents which are being sought under the Freedom of Information act.

Two extensions had previously been granted.

The Prime Minister, the Weekend Australian says, is "flouting freedom of information rules and refusing to hand over (the) documents."

Ms Gillard has raised concerns about widespread rorting of the 457 visa scheme and announced a crackdown on the issue.

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Aust painter Smart was 'larger than life'

AUSTRALIAN artist Jeffrey Smart was a larger than life personality and an outgoing presence, unlike his eerie urban landscapes.

Best known for his structured cityscapes and precisionist painting style, Smart died in Italy on Friday (AEST), aged 91.

Unlike his still urban scenes, Smart was a "force of nature" in person, according to close friend and agent Philip Bacon.

"He was amusing and witty and determined," he said.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said with Smart's death the country had lost "one of its most original and brilliant creative voices".

Friend and National Gallery of Australia director Ron Radford said Smart was an opinionated man whose strong views could be polarising.

"He was always never backward in coming forward," he said.

"He had a biting wit and loved to gossip."

Smart was born in Adelaide in 1921 but permanently relocated to Italy in 1963.

He had a strict approach to his craft inspired by the discipline of the old masters.

"He was meticulous in his work ethic, and every day would be a routine," said Mr Radford.

Although he eventually settled in Tuscany, Smart considered himself an Australian living abroad and made regular visits back to his homeland.

Smart was with his partner Ermes De Zan when he died.

A funeral will be held in Italy next week.

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