Saturday's news in under 5 minutes.

We’ve rounded up all the latest stories from Australia and around the world – so you don’t have to go searching.

1. Gerard Baden-Clay’s lawyers allege Allison’s death was ‘unintentional’.

Gerard Baden-Clay was last year sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of murdering his wife, Allison, in April 2012 and is now appealing his conviction, with lawyers suggesting his wife’s death may have been accidental.

Despite the justy verdict against him, Gerard Baden-Clay maintained his innocence throughout his trial in Queensland’s Supreme Court last year.

Evidence of an affair with his colleague Toni McHugh and multiple cuts to Gerard Baden-Clay’s face were among the key pieces of evidence presented by the prosecution over the month long trial.

Now, lawyers appealing his conviction are suggesting it is possible that Gerard accidentally killed his wife, saying it is plausible that Allison’s death resulted from a confrontation between the couple.

“The hypothesis that’s suggested… is this: that there was an unintended killing resulting from a confrontation and the confrontation arose out of an argument,” barrister Michael Copley QC told The Court of Appeal on Friday, suggesting the argument then escalated to violence, resulting in the cuts to Gerard Baden-Clay’s face

Copley, who is representing Baden-Clay alongside solicitor Peter Shields, also told the court that “There’s no injuries on the body consistent with an intentional killing.”

The Court of Appeal will hand down its decision at a later date.

2. Families SA social worker to spend at least 28 years behind bars for the sexual abuse of young children.

A former social worker with Families SA has been sentenced to a minimum of 28 years after pleading guilty to the sexual abuse of seven young children – including an 18-month-old and a child with disabilities- in his care.

District Court Judge Paul Rice described 33-year-old Shannon Grant McCoole as “evil and depraved”.

“You have no moral compass. You were excited and sought sexual satisfaction, not just from touching young children but also having sexual intercourse with infants. What would incline you to do such a thing is far beyond my comprehension. It engenders feelings of outrage and revulsion among right-thinking people.” Judge Rice said.

Following McCoole’s arrest, South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill launched a Royal Commission into the safety and welfare of ‘at risk children’ to address legislation governing South Australia’s child protection system.

3. A couple has destroyed their own home and labelled it a ‘hate crime’ in an attempt to collect insurance money.

In 2010, Carol Ann and Laura Jean Stutte’s Tennessee home was destroyed by a fire, with the couple blaming a neighbour for the damage.

In a lawsuit filed against Janice Millsaps in the Monroe County Chancery Court, the Stuttes claimed their neighbour repeatedly threatened their lives and threatened to burn down the home, alleging that Millsaps had said to them “do you know what is better than one dead queer? Two dead queers.”

Millsap – who was subjected to investigation by local investigators, the FBI, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation – denied any role in the blaze.

Now, the Knoxville News Sentinal has reported that a jury in the US District Court has found in favour of the Stuttes insurer, finding that the fire was not the result of a hate crime, and the Stuttes themselves torched the property.

Their insurer, the American National Property and Casualty Company, will not have to compensate the Stuttes for the damage.

4. Brisbane school student ‘dragged on ground’, put in immigration detention for eight months after spending two years in the community.

The ABC has reported that Mojgan Shamsalipoor – an Iranian asylum seeker and Brisbane high school student – has been removed from her community and returned to detention for eight months.

After speaking to the ABC, Shamsalipoor, who has spent over two years within the community and is married to an Australian resident, has been moved from the Brisbane Immigration Transit Accommodation to detention in Darwin.

Her husband, Milad Jafari, said that he did not understand why his wife was removed from the community and that he was not allowed to say goodbye.

“They were dragging her on the ground and taking her to the interview room, telling her she’s going to be deported and separated from the husband and she’s not going to be able to study anymore.”

Although the Immigration Department has denied that the reason for Shamsalipoor’s relocation  was because she discussed the matter with the ABC, Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has described the government’s behaviour as inhumane.

“Picking people up out of the community, locking them up, moving them to remote locations such as Wickham Point, is all about forcing people to choose between the hell of Iran or the hell of detention.” she said.

5. A woman has been touched by the heartwarming kindness of a stranger when attempting to buy a Nutribullet for her sick mother.

After her mother Kim was diagnosed with stage 4 oesophageal cancer last year, Cara Grace Duggan and her family realised that their mother was struggling to receive high-density nutrition.

The solution was a Nutribullet, but when the Duggan’s realised they couldn’t afford the price tag they attempted to buy a juicer online.

After contacting a man selling a second hand Nutribullet and explaining Kim’s situation to him, the kind stranger told Duggan that he had purchased her a new model and that she could collect it from a local shopping centre.

“The cynic in me didn’t really believe the Nutribullet would be there until the woman actually handed it across the counter.” Duggan told BuzzFeed.

Since the story went viral, the Duggan’s have experienced an outpouring or public support.

“Our mum has been given a huge boost by all this, and is feeling much more positive, so thank you. We are truly humbled by the kindness of strangers!” Cara wrote on Facebook.

For more information on the Duggan family, you can visit their Go Fund Me page.

Do you have a news tip? Email us at news@mamamia.com.au.
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