Jano Gibson
December 21, 2007
IT WAS the great white lie.
Scott Lawrence Wright, the man who claimed to have been attacked by a shark at Bondi Beach last weekend, is now in jail, and his story, which was gobbled up by media outlets around the world, has been shattered.
The revelation came to light on the same day a 2.8 metre grey nurse shark was pulled from a shark net a few hundred metres off Bondi Beach. "At first we thought it was a dead body. Then we realised it was a big shark," said Martin Baker, a producer on the TV show Bondi Rescue, which filmed the shark's removal.
A spokesman for the NSW Department of Primary Industries described its death as an "unfortunate" incident.
The sharks are classified as critically endangered under federal legislation and endangered under NSW laws. Wright, 34, an itinerant who had been sleeping in a cave at the beach before the supposed attack last Friday night, had proudly detailed to reporters his brush with death.
"The shark attacked me, grabbed hold of my arm and wouldn't let go. So I ended up punching him in the nose and trying to fight him off," he said, displaying the gash marks on his arm. "I thought I was a goner. I thought I was going to die."
It would have been the first shark attack at the beach since Colin Stewart, 14, was savaged there in 1929.
But sources have told the Herald that Wright's wounds, which required dozens of stitches and a night at a Sydney hospital, were not caused by a vicious shark, or even by a relatively docile wobbegong, as was reported yesterday.
Rather, they were the result of Wright's arm going through a pane of glass - an incident that occurred several days before the supposed shark attack.
It is understood it was only on Saturday morning, after a woman on the beach asked Wright how he had cut his arm, that the shark attack story was concocted.
But by Tuesday night Wright was no longer basking in the glory of his new found fame. He was busy answering questions from police after being arrested outside Redfern RSL.
He was charged with various theft-related offences and faced Central Local Court on Wednesday.
Police alleged that sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning Wright entered room 507 at Noah's Backpackers in Campbell Parade, Bondi, and stole two wallets and a set of keys, before driving away in someone else's Holden Rodeo.
Wright also faced charges relating to an outstanding arrest warrant issued in 2004 after he failed to appear in court over assault and trespass charges.
He did not apply for bail and will remain in custody until February 14, when he is due to face court again.
Detective Inspector Jason Smith of Waverley police said the alleged shark attack had not been reported to police.
"We don't know how he sustained those injuries at this point in time."
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national...st-a-fishy-line/2007/12/20/1197740472481.html
December 21, 2007
IT WAS the great white lie.
Scott Lawrence Wright, the man who claimed to have been attacked by a shark at Bondi Beach last weekend, is now in jail, and his story, which was gobbled up by media outlets around the world, has been shattered.
The revelation came to light on the same day a 2.8 metre grey nurse shark was pulled from a shark net a few hundred metres off Bondi Beach. "At first we thought it was a dead body. Then we realised it was a big shark," said Martin Baker, a producer on the TV show Bondi Rescue, which filmed the shark's removal.
A spokesman for the NSW Department of Primary Industries described its death as an "unfortunate" incident.
The sharks are classified as critically endangered under federal legislation and endangered under NSW laws. Wright, 34, an itinerant who had been sleeping in a cave at the beach before the supposed attack last Friday night, had proudly detailed to reporters his brush with death.
"The shark attacked me, grabbed hold of my arm and wouldn't let go. So I ended up punching him in the nose and trying to fight him off," he said, displaying the gash marks on his arm. "I thought I was a goner. I thought I was going to die."
It would have been the first shark attack at the beach since Colin Stewart, 14, was savaged there in 1929.
But sources have told the Herald that Wright's wounds, which required dozens of stitches and a night at a Sydney hospital, were not caused by a vicious shark, or even by a relatively docile wobbegong, as was reported yesterday.
Rather, they were the result of Wright's arm going through a pane of glass - an incident that occurred several days before the supposed shark attack.
It is understood it was only on Saturday morning, after a woman on the beach asked Wright how he had cut his arm, that the shark attack story was concocted.
But by Tuesday night Wright was no longer basking in the glory of his new found fame. He was busy answering questions from police after being arrested outside Redfern RSL.
He was charged with various theft-related offences and faced Central Local Court on Wednesday.
Police alleged that sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning Wright entered room 507 at Noah's Backpackers in Campbell Parade, Bondi, and stole two wallets and a set of keys, before driving away in someone else's Holden Rodeo.
Wright also faced charges relating to an outstanding arrest warrant issued in 2004 after he failed to appear in court over assault and trespass charges.
He did not apply for bail and will remain in custody until February 14, when he is due to face court again.
Detective Inspector Jason Smith of Waverley police said the alleged shark attack had not been reported to police.
"We don't know how he sustained those injuries at this point in time."
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national...st-a-fishy-line/2007/12/20/1197740472481.html
