Trial hears accused told police he wasn’t ‘avoiding them’ in three-minute call before he turned himself in after allegedly murdering Jesse Baird and Luke Davies

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A police officer accused of a double murder told police he was not avoiding them despite vanishing for days after the incident, a Sydney court has heard.

The court heard police attempted to contact Beau Lamarre-Condon after the alleged murders, with a colleague messaging him on Instagram: “Hey hun … can you please contact the crime manager at eastern suburbs asap when you get a chance?”

NSW government imposes water restrictions after Menindee water volumes fall below 2021 levels

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Water levels at the Menindee Lakes in western New South Wales have fallen to their lowest point in five years, prompting the state government to impose upstream water use restrictions as experts warn of potential mass fish deaths over summer.

Combined volume at the Menindee Lakes fell below 480 gigalitres earlier this month, the first time since 2021.