The prosecution's case against Gordon Wood was like a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle, the jury at his murder trial has been told. Crown Prosecutor Mark Tedeschi, QC, said that, despite three or four pieces of the puzzle missing, the picture was still clear. "This thousand-piece puzzle clearly shows this accused was responsible for the murder of Caroline Byrne," he said. Wood, 45, has denied throwing his 24-year-old girlfriend to her death at The Gap in June 1995. In his closing address today, Mr Tedeschi said that the scream three witnesses heard about 11.30pm on the night of Ms Byrne's death was most likely "Caroline being rendered unconscious or incapacitated ... her death was not a suicide but murder". The jury heard that the most colourful part of the trial centred around Andrew Blanchette, a former boyfriend of Ms Byrne. Mr Tedeschi said that Mr Blanchette was more concerned about details coming out about an intimate relationship with a schoolgirl while he was a police officer than he was about being a suspect in a murder case. But Mr Blanchette had "an iron-clad alibi" said Mr Tedeschi "whereas the accused has no alibi at all". The trial before Justice Graham Barr continues today.

The prosecution's case against Gordon Wood was like a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle, the jury at his murder trial has been told. Crown Prosecutor Mark Tedeschi, QC, said that, despite three or four pieces of the puzzle missing, the picture was still clear. "This thousand-piece puzzle clearly shows this accused was responsible for the murder of Caroline Byrne," he said. Wood, 45, has denied throwing his 24-year-old girlfriend to her death at The Gap in June 1995. In his closing address today, Mr Tedeschi said that the scream three witnesses heard about 11.30pm on the night of Ms Byrne's death was most likely "Caroline being rendered unconscious or incapacitated ... her death was not a suicide but murder". The jury heard that the most colourful part of the trial centred around Andrew Blanchette, a former boyfriend of Ms Byrne. Mr Tedeschi said that Mr Blanchette was more concerned about details coming out about an intimate relationship with a schoolgirl while he was a police officer than he was about being a suspect in a murder case. But Mr Blanchette had "an iron-clad alibi" said Mr Tedeschi "whereas the accused has no alibi at all". The trial before Justice Graham Barr continues today.

Residents of a small town in the New South Wales Riverina are shocked by a dog attack this morning that killed a toddler and seriously injured her baby sister. A three-year-old girl was found dead and her 15-month-old sister is in Wagga Base Hospital with serious injuries after being attacked by four dogs at Whitton near Leeton. The female neighbour who was looking after the girls was also injured in the attack. The attack happened some time before 11:00am AEDT and neighbours were among those trying to rescue the injured. Whitton has a population of about 350 and police Inspector Tony Reneker says it is very bad news for the town. "Whitton is a small community and I'm sure that it'll affect a lot of people in that community," he said. "It's a very, very sad occurrence and I feel for the family involved." Police originally said the dogs were family pets but they have now confirmed that the girls' parents had left them in the care of a friend at Whitton. Police describe the dogs as large cross-breeds and will apply to have the animals put down. Inspector Reneker says the dogs' owner is still in shock. "Police haven't been able to speak to the owner of the dogs; she's still being treated at hospital," he said. The dead girl's name will be released when relatives are informed and police are preparing a report for the coroner.

Police in Melbourne have praised the actions of an adult book store owner who fought off two armed robbers, but have cautioned others not to follow his lead. Two men held a store attendant at gun point at a milk bar on Wattle Tree Road in Ferntree Gully before making off with the cash register shortly before 6:00pm AEDT on Monday. Later the pair attempted to rob an adult store on Molan street in Ringwood, but the owner hit the gunman on the arm with his shop's cash register before chasing the men out. Senior Constable Danny Taylor says although the owner's actions were brave, police urge the public to comply with the wishes of armed offenders to avoid getting hurt. "They were brave but certainly from a police point of view we would certainly say that for the safety of the victim and other people involved that it's best to comply with the requests of the offenders," he said. "However I would dare say that on this occasion it's certainly a brave action, what he's done." Police are hunting three for men involved in the robberies. Senior Constable Taylor says police believe the men were helped by an accomplice. "We believe there's a third person involved who was driving the vehicle on both occasions, and certainly from the witness at both scenes, that's the indication we've got," he said.

Thirteen people at Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital have tested positive to an infectious disease that is resistant to antibiotics. The patients who have tested positive to the superbug VRE have been isolated and the nurses who are treating them will not care for anyone else to ensure the bug does not spread any further. Staff at the hospital say ward rooms and bathrooms that the infected patients were using are also undergoing additional cleaning. The hospital has acknowledged that superbugs can be the result of poor hygiene but a spokeswoman says it is not yet known how the patients came into contact with VRE. A spokesman for the hospital, doctor Andrew Montague, says it is not an outbreak. "None of these patients are actually showing any symptoms or signs of them having an infection as such, it is just them actually carrying the bug," he said. The State Opposition says the superbug's presence demonstrates how dangerously under-resourced New South Wales hospitals are. The Opposition's spokeswoman for health, Jillian Skinner, says the incident shows the hospital is under stress. "This hospital is well past its use-by date, as everyone would know," she said. She says proper hygiene standards can easily prevent bugs like VRE from spreading and this incident would not happen in a hospital that had enough staff.

The secret is out. The man who kept US president-elect Barack Obama out of Blair House - the security home near the White House - was none other than former Australian prime minister John Howard. Last month the Obamas asked the Bush administration if they could move into Blair House a fortnight early to get their daughters settled at their new schools. But the word came back that it was not possible because foreign dignitaries had been booked in. Now the Washington Post has revealed that the only dignitary staying overnight on January 12 is Mr Howard. The following day Mr Howard - Bush's ally and "man of steel" - will, with former British PM Tony Blair and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the outgoing US President. Meanwhile, the Obamas are staying at the Hay-Adams Hotel at Lafayette Park while they wait to move to Blair House. Mr Blair and Mr Uribe were invited to stay at Blair House, but declined the invitation, a second White House official told the Post today. Blair traditionally stays at the British Embassy and Uribe apparently found other accommodations, the official told the Post.