The Cairns Post

Alleged gunman to face charges

What’s behind amazing cloud formations

- GRACE MASON grace.mason@news.com.au ALICIA NALLY

A MAN who scared Yarrabah residents after walking the streets allegedly armed with a rifle was taken into custody after a community member picked him up and dropped him off at the police station.

The 35-year-old man is due to appear in the Yarrabah Magistrate­s Court next month charged with several weapons act offences.

Police have alleged he was carrying the weapon as he wandered the streets about 9.40am yesterday.

The alarm was raised when multiple residents called police after initially seeing him walking on Connolly Cl.

Yarrabah police Sen-Sgt Brett Jenkins said Yarrabah School was sent into lockdown after the man was allegedly seen walking in the area.

“(This was done) purely as a precaution because he was in the vicinity,” he said.

“There was no suggestion he intended to go to the school.”

Police had leapt into action after receiving the public calls and had set up cordons, blocking a road and were calling in the dog squad.

Sen-Sgt Jenkins said the man was then brought to the station by a local resident and taken into custody.

He said it was alleged the weapon was a pellet gun and was not loaded.

“There was no threat to anyone and no one was hurt,” he said.

“It did cause alarm to people.”

He said the incident should send a message about the importance of securing weapons properly.

“People have to ensure that when they carry weapons they comply with the strict conditions of the Weapons Act,” he said.

“(Weapon owners) must ensure people who are unlicensed do not have access to them and take care to secure them.”

The man is due to appear in court on September 18.

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for social media-worthy pictures, according to Bureau of Meteorolog­y forecaster Harry Clark.

He said the alto cumulus clouds were about 25,000 feet in the atmosphere and were made of “super cool liquid water”.

“These clouds are in the mid levels and they’re a little bit convective, which are the bubbles you can see,” he said.

“They look spectacula­r and they’re made of water that is below zero but hasn’t frozen yet and there may be some ice crystals in there too.

“They have very little meaning really but sometimes in the southern states you can get them ahead of a cold front.

“Occasional­ly if you’ve got lots of them they can sometimes cause light rain, but not in this case. If they are still there at sunset, they are spectacula­r sunset makers.”

There is still a chance of showers along the coastal areas this week in the Far North, including up toward the Daintree but it will be very minimal.

“There is very little change, it’s pretty consistent up north,” said Mr Clark.

 ??  ?? FIRE IN THE SKY: Jordan Weeks took this photo of the sunset at Yorkeys Knob marina.
FIRE IN THE SKY: Jordan Weeks took this photo of the sunset at Yorkeys Knob marina.
 ?? Picture: SIAN JEFFRIES Picture: SIAN JEFFRIES ?? PASTEL HUES: Darren Ismalun took this photo of the strange sky over Smithfield. FIELD VIEW: The alto cumulus clouds over Holloways Beach. TRUE BLUE: The clouds over Cairns yesterday.
Picture: SIAN JEFFRIES Picture: SIAN JEFFRIES PASTEL HUES: Darren Ismalun took this photo of the strange sky over Smithfield. FIELD VIEW: The alto cumulus clouds over Holloways Beach. TRUE BLUE: The clouds over Cairns yesterday.

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