Bashing Charge
Illawarra Mercury
Thursday December 2, 1999
A 28-year-old Surry Hills man has been charged with Monday's brutal bashing of a man at Thirroul.
Wollongong detectives travelled to a Sydney detox centre yesterday to interview the man after he contacted police.
He was charged with one count of malicious wounding and one count of maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm.
He was refused bail to appear in Wollongong Local Court today.
The 30-year-old victim remains in a satisfactory condition in Wollongong Hospital after undergoing 41/2 hours of surgery to his fractured skull, jaw and other facial injuries.
Narooma fire
A fire caused $250,000 damage to a convention centre at Narooma yesterday.
The blaze, which destroyed the Lasallian Centre Motel's convention facilities, kitchen and dining room, began about 6pm.
Police evacuated neighbouring residents and closed off the Princes Hwy until 8.30pm.
The fire was extinguished at 7pm.
No-one was injured in the incident.
Sparky burned
An electrician suffered burns to his face and arms during an explosion in a trench in West Dapto yesterday.
The accident happened about 11.40am in Ashbury Ave, where the man was working to set up a residential power supply.
The flame from a blowtorch he was using to heat-shrink plastic sleeves on electrical cable ignited gas leaking from an underground pipeline.
``He was possibly trying to splice some lines in the underground supply when the gas supply ignited," a Fire Brigade spokesman said.
The man was taken to Wollongong Hospital where he was treated for burns and discharged.
© 1999 Illawarra Mercury