Rachel Olding

Rachel Olding is a Reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.

Safer Sydney: Alcohol link to young hoons

Nicole Hasham, Rachel Olding About 70 per cent of young people in custody in NSW were drunk when they committed their crime, juvenile justice officials say, adding weight to calls for tougher government action to tackle...

Sydney alcohol violence: I'm just a victim of someone else's problems, Greg Griffin says

Rachel Olding As he looked across from his hospital bed to see 23 year-old Michael McEwen lying in a coma, Greg Griffin started questioning what was happening in Sydney.

Violent streets: family of king hit victim push for sentencing reforms

Rachel Olding, Louise Hall The Attorney-General has shown tentative support for sentencing reforms proposed by the family of king hit victim Thomas Kelly despite a former Director of Public Prosecutions' doubts over the...

New charge against Shaun McNeil accused of punching Daniel Christie

Rachel Olding Police have laid a fresh charge against the man accused of punching Daniel Christie on New Year's Eve, leaving him in a coma with a fractured skull.

Michael McEwen's alleged attacker Jamie Ennis freed on bail

Rachel Olding On the same day that Michael McEwen walked unsteadily from St Vincent's Hospital, his alleged attacker walked from Silverwater remand centre on bail.

Macquarie Street siege accused Abdula Ganiji refused bail

Rachel Olding A man accused of threatening to blow himself up outside State Parliament last month has been kept behind bars even though his barrister has argued he showed no intention of harming anyone in the...

Teenager suffers fractured skull after Penrith assault

Rachel Olding A second teenager was in a coma on Sunday after his skull was fractured in another one-punch attack on Sydney’s streets.

Sydney police chief says pub lockouts could hurt city's international image

Rachel Olding, Kirsty Needham The city's top policeman will not support a trial of the Newcastle model of lockouts and closing times to combat alcohol-fuelled violence, putting him in conflict with rank-and-file officers.

Faces of the violence

Rachel Olding As Daniel Christie remains on life support, those whose lives have been changed forever by violence speak out.

Pressure grows for tougher sentences

Rachel Olding The use of good behaviour bonds for criminals is rising sharply despite new evidence to suggest they are not as effective as other sentencing options in deterring repeat offenders.

Witness describes chilling sound of Daniel Christie's head hitting the road

Rachel Olding From one storey up in Kings Cross, he could hear the sickening sound of Daniel Christie's head hitting the road below.

Demand for tougher laws on drunken violence

Rachel Olding, Nicole Hasham Thomas Kelly's parents have demanded the state government drastically reform sentencing laws for alcohol-fuelled violence as they despaired at yet another teenager left in a coma after being punched...

Shaun McNeil: Portrait of an angry young man who said he'd changed his ways

Rachel Olding Knives, tattoos, punch-ups, hard partying and serious bodybuilding.

Parents label Kings Cross attack 'coward punch' as son on life support

Rachel Olding His friends call him ''Bones'' and they are hoping he has the strength to pull through the biggest challenge of his life.

Daniel Christie's family say he was hit by 'coward punch'

Rachel Olding His friends call him ''Bones'' and they are hoping he has the strength to pull through the biggest challenge of his life.

Daniel Christie assault: eerie link between victim and alleged attacker Shaun McNeil

Rachel Olding It is an eerie connection between two men who met for the first time on a Kings Cross pavement.

New year, same mayhem: teenager Daniel Christie gravely ill

Rachel Olding New Year's Eve started well for Shaun McNeil, a self-proclaimed mixed martial arts fighter.

Accused Potts Point attacker spruiked his fighting credentials, court hears

Rachel Olding A man accused of king-hitting an 18-year-old in Potts Point on New Year's Eve allegedly assaulted four strangers in the same spot after telling them "I'm an MMA [mixed martial arts] fighter".