BRISBANE: Editor of News Crap Australia’s Brisbane daily turdbloid, Chris Jones, says he has no regrets about his role in the arrest early this morning of columnist Peter Gleeson.

Gleeson was taken into custody at the Bowen Hills headquarters of News Crap Australia (main picture) where he had been holed up in the building’s LNP wing since being accused late last month of plagiarising editorial copy printed under his byline in a 12-page wraparound attacking Queensland’s Labor Party government.

He is expected to be charged later this morning with a number of stealing offences which each carry a penalty of up to five years’ imprisonment under Queensland law.

“Sadly, since the wraparound was published Peter has faced further allegations of plagiarism and this morning The Guardian reported on another alleged example,” Mr Jones said.

“That gave me no choice other than to contact police and advise them of Peter’s whereabouts – he recently took personal leave and was spending that time in his office here.

“He was under strict orders not to file anything. He promised us he was only collecting background source material from various media outlets just in case we allowed him to write for us down the track again.

“I think he has been true to his word and, sure, while this new plagiarism claim was historical, I have stated clearly that plagiarism is theft and as editor I set the standards I expect my staff to meet,” Mr Jones said. “I did what I had to do and called the cops in.”

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SYDNEY: Investigating police are expected to need intensive counselling and therapy for years for what they witnessed when they attended a home invasion in inner-city Tempe overnight.

Senior officers who thought they had seen it all wept openly outside the 1920s terrace house after they rescued a family of four who had been systematically tortured for close to 48 hours in, as one of the shattered officers described it, “an unbelievably sadistic, inhuman way”.

NSW Police told The Bug this morning: “Two masked male persons forced their way into the family’s home from a westerly direction about 6.56pm AEST on Sunday night and tied the parents and two sons, aged 9 and 12, to lounge room chairs and made them watch Hamish Blake’s Lego Masters Bricksmas Special.

“But worse than that, before they left, they rigged up the TV to repeat the program non-stop. It’s estimated the family had watched the show almost 44 times before our officers stormed the house and cut them free around 6.45pm AEDT last night after neighbours reported ‘pitiful, hideous, animal-like screams’ coming from next door.

“Mark my words. We will hunt down these cruel sadistic animals and make them pay for their despicable actions that have no place in Australian society. I’d shoot them on the spot if I could.”

The family members are all being treated at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and are not expected to make a full recovery.

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MELBOURNE: The Herald Sun has been short-listed for the Booker prize for fiction for a recent story on the Victorian state election (below).

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MELBOURNE: The Herald Sun is reporting this morning that voters are largely undecided as to who won last night’s Victorian state election debate between Premier Daniel Andrews and Opposition Leader Matthew Guy.

The paper based this view on responses it sought from residents at an aged care facility for the deaf and the blind in suburban Box Hill where last night’s debate was held.