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Student wrongly named as Bondi killer sues Seven Network

<p>A 20-year-old university student who was wrongly named as the Bondi Junction killer has made moves to sue the Seven Network for defamation. </p> <p>As the terrifying rampage at the eastern suburbs Westfield unfolded on Saturday which resulted in the deaths of six people, Ben Cohen was named by the Seven Network as the knife-wielding man. </p> <p>Mr Cohen’s name was wrongly linked to the attack by <em>Sunrise</em> co-host Matt Shirvington shortly after 6am on Sunday and again by journalist Lucy McLeod just 10 minutes later.</p> <p>It wasn't until hours later that Seven identified the right man, Joel Cauchi, as the killer as journalist Sarah Jane Bell issued an on-air apology to Mr Cohen during the evening news bulletin. </p> <p>“Earlier this morning, reports of the incident incorrectly named the perpetrator as 40-year-old Benjamin Cohen,” she said on air.</p> <p>“It was later confirmed that the name of the 40-year-old is Joel Cauchi from Queensland. Seven apologises for any distress caused by our earlier reports.”</p> <p>Mr Cohen is still reeling from the incident, saying he has been targeted by online trolls on social media ever since he was wrongly named by the network. </p> <p>His name was one of the most trending topics on X in Australia the day of the mass stabbing, with many people quick to point out Mr Cohen's Jewish identity, claiming the stabbings were an act of violence in support of the war in Israel against Palestine. </p> <p>The university student has taken the first steps in launching legal action against the network, engaging with two of Australia’s foremost defamation lawyers in Patrick George of Giles George as his solicitor, and Sue Chrysanthou SC as barrister.</p> <p>Mr George confirmed he had sent a concerns notice to Seven, the first step in defamation proceedings.</p> <p>“We await a response from Seven,” Mr George told NCA NewsWire.</p> <p>Mr Cohen told <em><a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/courts-law/student-wrongly-named-as-westfield-bondi-junction-killer-moves-to-sue-seven/news-story/f4c67b123e19cbf3d5a6a6bf39708ea8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a></em> earlier this week that he had been inundated with friend requests and messages on social media after being named by Seven, with the unwanted attention taking a toll on his mental health. </p> <p>“It’s just gone crazy, it’s like ‘look, you’ve got the wrong guy’,” Mr Cohen, a first year computer science student, told news.com.au.</p> <p>“People don’t really think too hard about what they’re posting and how it might affect someone. It’s very dangerous how people could just make stuff up and destroy people’s lives.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: news.com.au</em></p>

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New details shed light on Rebel Wilson's allegations against actor

<p>New details have emerged of Rebel Wilson's allegations against Sacha Baron-Cohen, with the Aussie actress claiming he acted inappropriately towards her while filming a movie in 2014. </p> <p>In the days after Rebel took to Instagram to expose Baron-Cohen for allegedly "<a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/rebel-wilson-exposes-a-lister-who-threatened-her-over-book-release" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threatening</a>" her about the publishing of her tell-all memoir, excerpts of Rebel Rising have been published to further detail when the actors worked together on the film <em>Grimsby</em>. </p> <p>The pair both starred in the comedy film 10 years ago, with Rebel detailing in her book how the Hollywood actor, known for his controversial roles as Borat and Ali G, acted inappropriately towards her on set. </p> <p>Once filming began for the movie, Wilson claims that Cohen (SBC) would keep requesting her to go “naked” in a scene, according excerpts of the book obtained by <em><a href="https://people.com/rebel-wilson-details-allegations-about-sacha-baron-cohen-he-calls-false-exclusive-8620597" target="_blank" rel="noopener">People</a></em> magazine. </p> <p>She wrote, “It felt like every time I’d speak to SBC, he’d mention that he wanted me to go naked in a future scene. I was like, ‘Ha, I don’t do nudity, Sacha.’ ”</p> <p>Wilson alleges that Baron-Cohen's behaviour and strange requests only intensified throughout the shoot, coming to a head while they were filming a scene in Cape Town at a soccer stadium. </p> <p>“SBC summons me via a production assistant saying that I’m needed to film an additional scene. ‘Okay, well, we’re gonna film this extra scene,’ SBC says. Then he pulls his pants down … SBC says very matter-of-factly: ‘Okay, now I want you to stick your finger up my a**.’ And I’m like, ‘What?? … No!'”</p> <p>Wilson then continues to allege in the book, “I was now scared. I wanted to get out of there, so I finally compromised: I slapped him on the ass and improvised a few lines as the character.”</p> <p>Sacha Baron-Cohen released a statement via his representatives saying the claims are "demonstrably false", denying the pair had any tension while working together. </p> <p>“While we appreciate the importance of speaking out, these demonstrably false claims are directly contradicted by extensive detailed evidence, including contemporaneous documents, film footage and eyewitness accounts from those present before, during and after the production of The Brothers Grimsby,” a statement from Cohen’s team said in response to Wilson’s allegations.</p> <p>On Tuesday, Rebel took to Instagram to say she was being "threatened" by Baron-Cohen over the release of such information in her book, which is set for release on April 2nd. </p> <p>Rebel named and shamed the actor, writing, “I will not be bullied or silenced with high priced lawyer or PR crisis managers. The ‘a**hole’ that I am talking about in ONE CHAPTER of my book is Sacha Baron Cohen.”</p> <p>"Now the a**hole is trying to threaten me. He’s trying to stop press coming out about my new book. But the book WILL come out and you will all know the truth.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

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Rebel Wilson exposes A-lister who "threatened" her over book release

<p>Rebel Wilson has slammed a Hollywood A-lister for allegedly threatening her over the release of her new memoir. </p> <p>The Aussie actress is set to release her autobiography <em>Rebel Rising</em> on April 2nd, which details her rise to stardom from Australia to the US. </p> <p>In the book, she has dedicated a chapter to one particular actor who she had an unfortunate experience with on the set of a movie in 2014. </p> <p>Now, Rebel claims Sacha Baron-Cohen, husband of Aussie actress Isla Fisher, has "threatened" her about the release of such information in the upcoming book. </p> <p>Taking to her Instagram, Rebel named and shamed the actor, writing, “I will not be bullied or silenced with high priced lawyer or PR crisis managers. The ‘a**hole’ that I am talking about in ONE CHAPTER of my book is Sacha Baron Cohen.”</p> <p>"Now the a**hole is trying to threaten me. He’s trying to stop press coming out about my new book. But the book WILL come out and you will all know the truth.”</p> <p>Sacha Baron-Cohen was quick to release a statement in response to the allegations, with his representative sharing the statement with <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2024/03/25/rebel-wilson-calls-out-sacha-baron-cohen-book-memoir/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>TMZ</em></a>. </p> <p>“While we appreciate the importance of speaking out, these demonstrably false claims are directly contradicted by extensive detailed evidence, including contemporaneous documents, film footage, and eyewitness accounts from those present before, during and after the production of The Brothers Grimsby,” the statement said. </p> <p>Wilson and Baron-Cohen worked on the comedy film <em>The Brothers Grimsby</em> in 2014, where Rebel alleges that Baron-Cohen acted sexually inappropriate towards her for the duration of the shoot. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p> </p> <p> </p>

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Is this the most heart-warming video you have ever seen?

<p>An eight-month-old baby hearing the sound of their parents for the first time has been captured in a heart-warming video.</p> <p>Little Cohen Gorman was born deaf in March of 2020.</p> <p>Mum Tamara Nevin told<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/heartwarming-moment-baby-born-profoundly-deaf-hears-mum-and-dad-for-the-first-time--c-2291170" target="_blank">7News </a>there was no family history of hearing loss, saying: “When Cohen was born, it was this instant overwhelming feeling of love, he felt like our missing piece.</p> <p>“My pregnancy with Cohen was pretty uneventful, in fact I would say that I really enjoyed being pregnant.</p> <p>“All his scans showed a healthy little baby.</p> <p>“We had no idea that there would be anything wrong with his hearing.”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLq-rdZDMMZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLq-rdZDMMZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Mummy and Me (@mummy.and.me)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>After failing newborn hearing screenings three times, Cohen would go on to see an audiologist where they would tell the parents the surprising news.</p> <p>“The week between his tests felt like forever and we would do our own tests at home, playing music into his ear, or making loud sounds to see if he reacted,” Tamara said.</p> <p>“Sometimes he would react and we thought he was ok, other times he didn’t.”</p> <p>“I blamed myself a lot for his hearing loss, thinking it was something I did while I was pregnant,” she added.</p> <p>“My partner then had to support me and our baby and adjust to parenthood.</p> <p>“It was a very different feeling than what you would expect when you welcome a baby into the world.</p> <p>“And that’s hard because that’s a time we can’t get back with Cohen.”</p> <p>Cohen’s diagnosis was confronting for the family, who believed their little boy would never be able to hear the voice of his parents.</p> <p>“One of the first things I said to our audiologist was, ‘so our son will never hear us say we love him’.</p> <p>“It was heartbreaking to think of.</p> <p>“We grieved, in a sense, because we thought he would miss out on things, that he wouldn’t get to experience everything we hoped he would.”</p> <p>However, hope was restored when Cohen had cochlear implants put in at eight months old.</p> <p>“Cochlear implants have given Cohen the gift of sound and for that, we couldn’t be more grateful,” Tamara said.</p> <p>“Now he turns to us when we call him, he sways when he hears music.</p> <p>“The implants will allow him to access sound, so that with the help of listening and spoken language therapy, he will listen and talk like a ‘typical hearing’ child.”</p> <p>The wonderful moment where Cohen heard his parents for the first time was recorded and shared online with the world.</p> <p>Mark Fitzpatrick, Chair of First Voice – an organisation that helps children with who suffer from hearing loss – told<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/heartwarming-moment-baby-born-profoundly-deaf-hears-mum-and-dad-for-the-first-time--c-2291170" target="_blank">7NEWS</a><br />he wants Australians to be more aware about the support that is available to babies with hearing conditions.</p> <p>“Most critically, 84 per cent of Australians don’t know where to turn to for support if their child is born with or develops hearing loss.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CI5UcKSjQGk/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CI5UcKSjQGk/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Mummy and Me (@mummy.and.me)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“The possibilities for deaf children are endless.</p> <p>“With early identification, excellent technology, and world-leading therapy and support in the early stages of life (and beyond), anything is possible for these children.</p> <p>“99.9 per cent of all Australians have an oral language, despite one in six Australians having a hearing loss.</p> <p>“Supporting children to develop their own speech early in life opens up all kinds of possibilities for them later in life, including the way they want to communicate.</p> <p>“Most importantly, it will provide them the opportunity to engage in the community that they want in the way they want to.”</p>

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Isla Fisher shares heartfelt post and rare throwback photo

<p><span>Isla Fisher has made a heartfelt post for her husband Sacha Baron Cohen.</span><br /><br /><span>The pair is easily one of Hollywood’s favourite success stories, and to celebrate Valentine's Day, Fisher shared an extremely rare photo dedicated to the actor.</span><br /><br /><span>This week, Fisher shared the throwback photo of her and Baron Cohen from when they were only dating.</span><br /><br /><span>The 45-year-old moved to America shortly after her stint on Australia’s biggest soap, <em>Home And Away.</em></span><br /><br /><span>“19 Valentine Day’s later,” she captioned the photo.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839920/daily-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/6eb7bef4e69d462e9d04e9f94af8fa78" /></p> <p><em>IMAGE: Instagram </em><br /><br /><span>The two actors met each other in 2002, and got engaged two years later in 2004.</span><br /><br /><span>The pair weren’t married until six years later, in a ceremony in stunning Paris after Isla converted to Judaism.</span><br /><br /><span>It’s not the first time the actress has shared a throwback of her and her husband, with Fisher taking to Instagram back in October of last year to celebrate her husband’s birthday.</span><br /><br /><span>“Happy Birthday boo,” she wrote.</span><br /><br /><span>“You have had an amazing year as an activist, actor, father and husband. Thank you for trying as hard as you can to make the world a better place.”</span><br /><br /><span>The couple have been living in Sydney during the COVID-19 pandemic.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839921/daily.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/14632b8345e54a39a44d7cda433f38b5" /></p> <p><em>IMAGE: Instagram </em><br /><br /><span>For the occasion, Isla reunited with her Home And Away co-star and long-time friend Kate Ritchie for her 45th birthday in the Balmain, Sydney.</span><br /><br /><span>Ritchie took to social media to share an adorable selfie that delighted Aussie fans.</span><br /><br /><span>Kate, 42, co-host of a popular radio drivetime show on Nova FM, wrote in the caption, “Still making me giggle like a naughty teenager after all these years … Thank you, Isla.</span><br /><br /><span>“You are one of the best.”</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839922/new-project.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/edf7cd2fba4d409cbf184390bde6d580" /></p> <p><em>IMAGE: Instagram </em><br /><br /><span>Isla kickstarted her acting career when she starred on<em> Home And Away</em> from 1994 to 1997.</span><br /><br /><span>She then moved to America where she has become one of the world’s favourite Hollywood actresses.</span><br /><br /><span>She got her big break in 2005 when she starred in the romantic comedy <em>Wedding Crashers</em>, alongside Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn.</span><br /><br /><span>She has since gone and starred in <em>Confessions of a Shopaholic, Now You See Me </em>and <em>Keeping Up With The Joneses.</em></span></p>

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