Accused killer's name change a mystery

Daniel Morcombe. Picture: Supplied. Source: The Courier-Mail

Daniel's parents Denise and Bruce Morcombe arrive at court for day one of the committal hearing. Picture: Philip Norrish. Source: news.com.au

Daniel Morcombe touched the heart of a nation. Picture: Supplied.
Source: The Courier-Mail

• Brett Peter Cowan changed his name to Shadoo Nunya Hunter
• The meaning of Cowan's new name remains a mystery
• Cowan to be addressed by his natural name at trial

DEFENCE lawyers for the man accused of Daniel Morcombe's murder do not know why their client changed his name prior to his arrest.

Brett Peter Cowan changed his name to Shadoo (pronounced Shadow) Nunya Hunter in the years between Daniel's disappearance and the 2010 inquest into his suspected murder, at which Cowan was a person of interest.

Within months of the inquest being adjourned in 2011, Cowan was charged with murder, child stealing, deprivation of liberty, indecent treatment of a child and interfering with a corpse.

The 43-year-old's odd name change was revealed during the cross-examination of a lead investigator at his committal hearing in February.

At the committal, defence lawyer Michael Bosscher asked Detective Senior Sergeant Stephen Blanchfield whether the accused had legally changed his name to Shadoo Nunya Hunter.

''My understanding is that is now his legal name,'' the detective said.

Tim Meehan, of Bosscher Lawyers, told news.com.au that the defence team became aware of the name change upon taking on their client.

"He hasn't (provided an explanation for the name change) and it's not something we've pushed with him," he said.

"I can't guess as to what the motivation was or whether there's any special meaning or whether it attaches to anything in popular culture or whether it's just a name.

"People change their names all the time - it's not anything unusual. People do it often and for any number of different reasons."

Mr Meehan said the defence team addressed Cowan by his natural name and that his client had never insisted on being called Shadoo.

It is understood police were aware of the name change at the time of Cowan's arrest but charged him under his natural name anyway.

Mr Meehan said he was unsure what name Cowan's family used to address him.

"I don't talk about his family with him," he said.

"(Our communication) is just solely related to us defending him."

While the meaning of Shadoo Nunya Hunter is unknown, the name has a range of popular culture inferences.

Shadow Hunters is a survival board game set in a forest in which three groups of characters - the Shadows, creatures of the night; the Hunters, humans who try to destroy supernatural creatures; and the Neutrals, civilians caught in the middle of this ancient battle - struggle against each other to survive. 

The key to winning is to identify allies and enemies because once a players' identity is revealed, their enemies will attack with impunity.

There is a series of Shadowhunter novels in which shadowhunters, a magical race of beings that are half angel and half human, endeavour to protect the world from demons and other supernatural forces.

There is a Shadow Hunter comic book series by Virgin Comics and porn star Jenna Jameson.

There is also a 13-episode documentary television series about the paranormal called Shadow Hunter.

The only known meaning for "Nunya" is that it is slang for "none of your business".

It is believed Cowan probably changed his name in his home state of Western Australia.

The WA Department of the Attorney General said police checks were not performed against every name-change application but that the Registry ran police checks "in certain circumstances".

A trial date for Cowan, who remains segregated from other inmates at Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre in Queensland, is expected to soon be set for as early as this year. 

Mr Meehan said the defence team were ready.

"It just needs to be done," he said.

"We're happy to just get in and do it really.

"(A trial this year would be good) for absolutely everyone involved."

News.com.au understands Cowan will be addressed by his natural name at his trial.

However, University of Adelaide Advocacy and Justice Unit director David Caruso said this would change if Cowan was found guilty.

"If he's convicted he has to be sentenced and so forth as the law recognises him and the law recognises him by his legal name," he said.

Follow @itsKShort or email kristin.shorten@news.com.au

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Did your wedding change friendships?

HERE comes the bride .. but does the best man stay as a mate?

Does marriage change friendships with the bridal party? Is the best man still your wingman or the maid of honour still your closest confidante?

Fill in our survey and help lift the lid on wedding friendships.

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Forests will 'survive' climate change

NEW research has challenged "catastrophic" climate change forecasts for the world's tropical rainforests, instead predicting that they will survive even if greenhouse gas emissions aren't cut.

An international team of computer climate modelling experts found rainforests in Asia, Africa and the Americas would not dramatically shrink, in contrast to warnings, including those from Australia's Chief Climate Commissioner Professor Tim Flannery, that global warming was a catastrophe for tropical rainforests.

The new research says the ability for rainforest plants to adapt to climate change has been underestimated.

Professor Flannery last year said "rainforests are also being stressed by the warming, with many species at their limits of temperature tolerance and facing increased risk of extinction," as the Climate Commission unveiled its 14th report on global warming.

But the new research, led by the UK's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, used 22 climate modelling computer systems and programs incorporating plant biology to explore the response of tropical forests in the Americas, Africa and Asia to greenhouse-gas-induced climate change.

"A number of previous analyses have investigated potential vulnerability of tropical forests under climate change. Some ... suggest that anthropogenically induced climate change across Amazonia could cause catastrophic losses of forest cover and biomass - die-back," the centre's peer-reviewed report, published in Nature Geoscience, said.

"We find the possibility of climate-induced damage to tropical rainforests in the period to year 2100 ... might be lower than some earlier studies."

"There is also increasing evidence that the long-term temperature response of respiration (in plants) is dynamic, capable of thermal acclimation (adaption to changing temperatures).

"Generally, acclimation, again not yet included in any major land surface model, is believed to mitigate the rate of increase in respiration rates (the amount plants breathe) in the event of a transition to warmer temperatures.

"There are suggestions that photosynthesis can also acclimate to rising temperatures, although the extent to which this might occur in tropical forest species remains unknown."

The research said rainforests would not be destroyed by 2100 even in a "business-as-usual" scenario where industry does not cut emissions.

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Judge rules boy, 12, can change sex

A 12-YEAR-old child who was born a boy but raised as a girl since "early in life" will be given puberty-blocking drugs.

The Family Court of Australia has granted approval for the mother of "Jodie" to start urgent but reversible "Stage 1" quarterly injections to suppress male puberty after doctors warned the child was at risk of "self harm".

The ruling is likely to spark further debate over changing the gender of children in Australia as the legal system grapples over whether oestrogen treatment should be given to a child when they turn 16.

It is only the fourth case in Australia involving a child so young, with the other cases involving two pre-pubescent children changing their gender from female to male, most recently an 11-year-old child known as "Jamie".

The decision over whether to start "Jodie" on the "Stage 2" drugs hinges on a Full Court appeal currently under way involving "Jamie" whose parents want her to undergo oestrogen treatment to become female at the age of 16.

In the current case, Justice Christine Dawe declared the "evidence is compelling and clearly indicates that the child is likely to suffer significant, detrimental, psychological and emotional effects" if stage 1 treatment is not commenced.

Her ruling means Jodie, who has been known as a girl since mid-2007, will receive injections every three months to prevent her voice deepening and facial hair growth.

According to the judgment, she has undergone psychiatric treatment for a decade and was diagnosed by an infant child psychiatrist in 2008 as having Gender Identity Disorder.

Three other doctors backed up the psychiatric disorder diagnosis, declaring treatment with puberty-blocking drugs was the only option because she had lived as a "girl for a significant period".

Her mother, step-father, extended family, teachers and doctors had all acknowledged her as a girl.

A paediatric endocrinologist told the court the drugs can be stopped at any time and any long-term effects are completely reversible. The doctor also warned that without the treatment Jodie would suffer "significant depression".

"It is also likely to undermine her personal dreams and ambitions," he said.

Australian Transgender Support Association of Australia Queensland president Gina Mather said up to 6000 Queensland transgendering adults and children had sought help in the past 20 years.

"We get them as young as five and six years old," Ms Mather said.

The doctor also warned Jodie would suffer "significant depression" and was likely to "feel despairing and hopeless", putting her at risk of "self harm. It is also likely to undermine her personal dreams and ambitions," the doctor said.

He added she had "demonstrated capacity to seriously think about issues such as the possibility of adopting or fostering children of her own (and) definitely agrees to the procedure".

"Jodie is likely to experience increasing distress with puberty and should be considered for the use of puberty blocking hormones," the expert said.

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Judge clears child to start sex change

A 12-YEAR-old child who was born a boy but raised as a girl since "early in life" will be given puberty-blocking drugs.

The Family Court of Australia has granted approval for the mother of "Jodie" to start urgent but reversible "Stage 1" quarterly injections to suppress male puberty after doctors warned the child was at risk of "self harm".

The ruling is likely to spark further debate over changing the gender of children in Australia as the legal system grapples over whether oestrogen treatment should be given to a child when they turn 16.

It is only the fourth case in Australia involving a child so young, with the other cases involving two pre-pubescent children changing their gender from female to male, most recently an 11-year-old child known as "Jamie".

The decision over whether to start "Jodie" on the "Stage 2" drugs hinges on a Full Court appeal currently under way involving "Jamie" whose parents want her to undergo oestrogen treatment to become female at the age of 16.

In the current case, Justice Christine Dawe declared the "evidence is compelling and clearly indicates that the child is likely to suffer significant, detrimental, psychological and emotional effects" if stage 1 treatment is not commenced.

Her ruling means Jodie, who has been known as a girl since mid-2007, will receive injections every three months to prevent her voice deepening and facial hair growth.

According to the judgment, she has undergone psychiatric treatment for a decade and was diagnosed by an infant child psychiatrist in 2008 as having Gender Identity Disorder.

Three other doctors backed up the psychiatric disorder diagnosis, declaring treatment with puberty-blocking drugs was the only option because she had lived as a "girl for a significant period".

Her mother, step-father, extended family, teachers and doctors had all acknowledged her as a girl.

A paediatric endocrinologist told the court the drugs can be stopped at any time and any long-term effects are completely reversible. The doctor also warned that without the treatment Jodie would suffer "significant depression".

"It is also likely to undermine her personal dreams and ambitions," he said.

Australian Transgender Support Association of Australia Queensland president Gina Mather said up to 6000 Queensland transgendering adults and children had sought help in the past 20 years.

"We get them as young as five and six years old," Ms Mather said.

The doctor also warned Jodie would suffer "significant depression" and was likely to "feel despairing and hopeless", putting her at risk of "self harm. It is also likely to undermine her personal dreams and ambitions," the doctor said.

He added she had "demonstrated capacity to seriously think about issues such as the possibility of adopting or fostering children of her own (and) definitely agrees to the procedure".

"Jodie is likely to experience increasing distress with puberty and should be considered for the use of puberty blocking hormones," the expert said.

View the original article here

Media exempt from NSW phone change

PROPOSED restrictions on phones and tablet computers in courts won't prevent journalists and lawyers from using them to do their jobs, the NSW government says.

The government introduced the law late last year to address recent "security incidents" which had endangered the integrity of the court process.

There had been fears the legislation would restrict journalists from live tweeting or blogging from inside courtrooms.

But journalists and lawyers working on media reports of court proceedings will be exempt from the restrictions under a new regulation, the Attorney-General Greg Smith says.

"This proposed regulation effectively maintains the status quo," Mr Smith said.

"Recognised journalists will continue to be able to use their mobile phone or tablet computer to transmit information, unless otherwise ordered by a judge or magistrate."

Mr Smith said the legislation aimed to cover new technology which could "transmit" proceedings without recording them.

"The intention is not to disadvantage journalists or lawyers who are just doing their jobs. The prohibition is aimed at stopping people with malicious intentions from disrupting the work of our courts and prejudicing the orderly administration of justice," he said.

The legislation will not be enacted until consultation on the regulation is complete.

The journalists' union, the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, had already indicated it is comfortable with the proposed exemptions, Mr Smith said.

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