Darwin, 09 December: A Tiwi Islander man has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 20 years for the brutal murder of Bangladeshi international student Md “Sifat” Isfakur Rahman in Darwin.
Brendon Cantilla, 31, was found guilty after a jury rejected his defence argument of significant cognitive impairment. Rahman, 23, had arrived in Australia only three months earlier and was living in an overcrowded share house in Milner with 13 other students.
Prosecutors told the court that on 3 May 2023, after a verbal dispute, Cantilla returned to the house, entered through the back door and attacked the sleeping Rahman. He was struck first with a paver and then beaten with a fire extinguisher, causing catastrophic head injuries. Rahman died in hospital after 30 hours on life support.
While the defence argued for a manslaughter conviction due to Cantilla’s IQ of 62, prosecutors said the attack was deliberate and that he understood his actions.
The case has also highlighted serious concerns about unsafe and overcrowded accommodation for international students in Darwin, where Rahman paid $100 a week to share a severely congested three-bedroom house amid rising rents and a shortage of proper student housing.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led alliance is on track to form the next government after securing a decisive majority in the national parliamentary elections, according…
নির্বাচনী সহিংসতা বন্ধে নির্বাচন কমিশন ও রাজনৈতিক দলগুলোর কার্যকর পদক্ষেপ চাইলেন সুনামগঞ্জ-২ আসনের জামায়াত প্রার্থী অ্যাডভোকেট শিশির মনির।
At least 12 people, including one of the two alleged gunmen, have been killed in a mass shooting at Bondi Beach, with NSW Police declaring…
Darwin, NT — Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina has intensified to a Category 3 system, bringing destructive winds exceeding 200–205km/h as it tracks dangerously close to…
Darwin, 17 November- Hasina Sentenced to Death for Crimes Against Humanity The International Crimes Tribunal has sentenced ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death for…
Darwin, 17 November – The fate of ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina now rests with the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), which is set to…
Darwin, 13 November – The Russian government on Wednesday lost a legal case in Australia’s High Court over its bid to build a new embassy…
Federal and state police seize devices at Melbourne home, charging the controversial former union leader with seven counts of using a communications device to menace and offend a CFMEU administrator.
