Childhood friends in Melbourne crash desperately tried to kick their way out, & more in News in 5.

-With AAP.

1. Childhood friends whose car crashed into Melbourne wetlands desperately tried to kick their way out.

Two childhood friends who died after their luxury car veered off the road and into water in Melbourne’s southwest tried to kick their way out of the vehicle.

Sunshine and Hoppers Crossing duo Jason Gilham and Bradley Dobney, both aged 27, were found dead inside the Mercedes-Benz after it was pulled from the water.

They had tried to force their way out through the sunroof and back window.

News.com.au reported a police officer and paramedic jumped in to try and free the men but were unable to do so.

It is understood the vehicle veered off the Western Ring Road at Altona North about 8.45pm on Saturday before entering the wetlands below.

Speed may have been a possible a factor with police still to determine the cause.

The day after his death, Jason Gilham’s girlfriend Carla Rainone shared a photo of her partner on social media. The caption read: “Please come back to me, I love you”.

Friends and family have left flowers at the scene.

2. Man sentenced after sexually assaulting a woman on a plane, while he sat beside his wife.

A man convicted of sexually assaulting a sleeping woman on an overnight flight from Las Vegas to Detroit has been sentenced to nine years in prison. https://t.co/OLeECUYZ8f

— KSAT 12 (@ksatnews) December 14, 2018

A man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for sexually assaulting a sleeping woman during an overnight flight in the US.

Prabhu Ramamoorthy, 34, who was living in the US on a work visa, was sitting in the middle seat between his wife and the 23-year-old victim during a flight from Las Vegas to Detroit last January.

The victim said he unzipped her pants, unbuttoned her shirt and molested her with his hands.

Ramamoorthy was convicted by a jury in August and will be deported to India after serving his sentence.

At the trial, his victim testified that she woke up during the flight and “saw his hands inside me”, saying she felt “petrified and frozen”.

“Everyone has the right to be secure and safe when they travel on aeroplanes. We will not tolerate the behaviour of anyone, who takes advantage of victims who are in a vulnerable position. We appreciate the victim in this case for her courage to speak out,” lawyer Matthew Schneider said, according to NDTV.

Ramamoorthy said he did not want to make a statement before his sentencing.

3. Chris Dawson to learn if he’ll get bail.

Chris Dawson will face a bail hearing at Sydney’s Central Court this afternoon on charges of murdering his wife Lyn, 37 years ago. #9News pic.twitter.com/VXNayaol5r

— Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) December 16, 2018

Chris Dawson will soon learn if he will be released on bail after he was charged with murdering his wife Lynette decades ago.

The former rugby league player, who intends to plead not guilty, faced court via video link for a bail application on Friday.

Magistrate Robert Williams will make his bail decision on Monday afternoon.

Dawson’s wife was 33 when she disappeared from Sydney’s northern beaches in 1982, and her body has never been found.

Prosecutor Craig Everson on Friday said the case against Dawson “was based upon a number of strong circumstances” and the conclusion that his wife died in January 1982 was “irresistible” based on the evidence.

He told the court that Dawson, now 70, allegedly asked a man with criminal connections about how he might get rid of his wife, and told her at a counselling session that “If this doesn’t work, I’m getting rid of you”.

But Dawson’s lawyer Greg Walsh said the Crown’s “entirely circumstantial” case was far from strong and there was evidence Ms Dawson had been seen alive following her alleged murder.

He said his client could offer total security worth $1.5 million and would reside in Queensland if granted bail.

4. SNL’s final Trump slam spoofs Xmas movie.

SNL asks ‘What if Trump were never elected?’ in a star-studded ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ spoof https://t.co/TYuRnJHvdy

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) December 16, 2018

The gang was all there for the final 2018 Saturday Night Live cold open.

Alec Baldwin returned as Donald Trump, Ben Stiller returned as Michael Cohen, Robert De Niro returned as Robert Mueller and episode host Matt Damon returned as Brett Kavanaugh for a look at what the world would have been like had Trump never been elected in It’s a Wonderful Trump.

Kenan Thompson joined Baldwin in the sketch, playing an angel named Clarence who guides Trump through the scenario, including pointing out that all of the things on people’s faces were “smiles”.

Aidy Bryant also appeared as Sarah Huckabee Sanders, laughing and saying it was a “good one” when Baldwin’s Trump asked her to address him as “president”.

“I just want to thank you for suggesting I go into PR. I make so much money working for so many awesome companies like Facebook and Ashley Madison and the romaine lettuce association,” she says.

Baldwin’s Trump also comments on how “healthy and vibrant” Kellyanne Conway (Kate McKinnon) looks.

“That’s because I’m no longer eaten within by lies,” she says, adding that after they didn’t win the presidential election, the devil gave her her soul back.

In this version of the world, Eric Trump (Alex Moffat) is also smart, speaking Italian and Spanish and finishing a Rubik’s Cube. Meanwhile, Melania (Cecily Strong) lost her accent after she divorced Trump.

“They said being around you was hurting my language skills,” she tells him.

“Well, you’re still smocking hot,” Baldwin’s Trump replies, referencing the real-life Trump’s recent Twitter typo.

Even Trump himself is better off in this version of the world. Without his Muslim ban, a young woman (Ego Nwodim) is able to come to America and discover a cure for hair loss, which means that his hair was now “all real”.

And episode host Matt Damon even gets in on the action, appearing as Brett Kavanaugh and bringing Baldwin’s Trump a calendar in which “every day was a different beer” — because in this world when he tells people he likes beer, “they find it charming” rather than threatening, he says.

Finally, De Niro appears as Mueller right after Baldwin’s Trump posits it must be a world without Mueller if things were so good.

“I have something for you,” he said. “It’s a picture of my grandson. I’ve been spending so much more time with him since I don’t have to investigate some idiot for treason.”

Yes, that’s right, De Niro’s Mueller knew Baldwin’s Trump used to be president — because he knows everything, he said.

This gives Baldwin’s Trump perspective, and he has the epiphany that the world does need him to be president, which Clarence says was “not the message at all” but it still worked, and he returns to the real world.

5. Toddler drowns in NSW backyard pool.

A toddler has drowned in a backyard pool in Port Stephens in NSW.

The 19-month-old boy was found unconscious in the pool at a home in Bobs Farm on Sunday evening. Paramedics performed CPR but the little boy died at the scene.

Initial investigations suggest there were no suspicious circumstances, police say. A report will be prepared for the Coroner.