AFL player Andrew Lovett acquitted in rape case

Former Essendon and St Kilda player Andrew Lovett has been found not guilty of two counts of rape.

The Victorian County Court jury handed down its verdict this afternoon after beginning deliberations on Thursday afternoon.

Lovett wept as the jury of seven women and five men acquitted him of all charges, and then hugged his mother, his lawyer and several supporters.

Lovett did not comment outside court, but his manager, Alex McDonald, said Lovett was appreciative of the support he received from his family and friends.

Mr McDonald would not rule out Lovett making an AFL comeback, and said the footballer would consider several options over the coming days.

Lovett and his then-St Kilda teammate, Jason Gram, met the complainant, a model, and her friend at the Royal Saxon Hotel in Richmond on December 23, 2009, and went back to Gram's Port Melbourne apartment.

He was accused of raping a girl as she slept at a teammate's Melbourne house in December 2009.

Lovett testified that the sex was consensual.

The trial, before Judge Meryl Sexton, heard evidence that the girl believed during the sexual encounter that Lovett was another St Kilda player, Jason Gram.

Lovett told the court the girl was a willing participant and he was “dumbfounded” by the rape allegation.

Lovett and Gram had earlier met the model and her friend at the Royal Saxon Hotel in Richmond during the Saints' end-of-year celebration.

They left the hotel just after midnight and went back to Gram's apartment, where the model was put to bed to sober up.

She claims she fell asleep and woke up to Lovett having sex with her, but Lovett said the sex was consensual.

Lovett pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape.

After being found not guilty, he hugged his mother, other members of his family, friends and his lawyer, as tears streamed down his face.

Double murder investigation after young golfer and sister

Double murder investigation was underway after a talented golfer and his eight-year-old sister were killed in a house fire.

Thomas Sharkey, 21, and his younger sibling Bridget were killed in the blaze which police believe was started deliberately.

Their parents Angela, 46, and Tommy, 55, managed to escape the fire in Helensburgh, near Glasgow, after an off-duty policeman raised the alarm.

They were both being treated in hospital for serious injuries.

The tragic eight-year-old girl is believed to have died after coming home from a planned sleepover because she missed her parents.

The heat of the blaze caused a downstairs window to explode and left an area of severe scorching around the front door of the property in Scott Court.

Detective Chief Inspector Anne McKerchar, the officer in charge of the investigation, added: “This is a tragic event made worse by the fact that it was a deliberate act.”

She appealed for anyone with information to come forward as a “matter of urgency”. Police refused to name the victims until all next of kin were informed but confirmed a 21-year-old man had died.

They said a 55-year-old man, his wife, 46, and their eight-year-old daughter were taken by ambulance to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, where the young girl died a short time later.

The man was later transferred to Glasgow Royal Infirmary but both parents were being treated for serious burns.

The tragedy happened while Thomas Sharkey was home from Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia, USA, where he was working on improving his golf.

A member of staff in a local supermarket, who did not want to be named, said: "It's absolutely tragic. The little girl was in here just last night. She was very talented and even drew us a card at Easter."

She said the family had recently returned from a trip to the US to see Thomas junior. He was a member of Helensburgh Golf Club, where he was a former junior and senior champion.

According to posts on Georgia Southern University's website, he described himself as "ambitious and competitive" and his main hobbies were golf and football.

Fraser Hall, a professional at Helensburgh Golf Club was too upset to discuss the tragedy yesterday. "Things are just too raw just now," he said.

Snow problems ease in south, but ice returning

Icy winter storm appears to have loosened its grip on parts of the country but forecasters are predicting one last blast with snow, hail and squalls pushing in from the south.

WeatherWatch.co.nz head weather analyst Philip Duncan said people should not be fooled if the sun was shining in their area.

The North Island was in for round two with a second pool of cloud, snow, hail and squalls pushing in from the south and southwest, he said.

Sleet fell in parts of west Auckland, with snow clouds clearly visible over the city - an extremely unusual sight for the region.

The heaviest snow in decades has fallen along the Kaimai Ranges, with heavy snow clearly seen above 500m and lighter snow estimated to have fallen to about 300m on Mt Te Aroha.

The next burst of energy is likely to be the last main one. It brought blizzards to Christchurch and other parts of Canterbury this morning and was now moving towards Wellington and southern Wairarapa, and in the west moving over Taranaki and up the west coast towards northern and central parts of the North Island.

Heavy snow continues to fall at Stratford, Taranaki, and WeatherWatch.co.nz says more is to come this afternoon before easing and clearing.

Heavy isolated hail storms are also expected right up into Auckland and beyond.

It snowed in parts of Wellington, down to sea level, but was isolated and not settling, Mr Duncan said.

The secondary burst could bring snow to the top of the Waitakeres during isolated squally showers, with a higher chance of snow on the Hunua Ranges to the south and the Coromandel ranges to the east.

Christchurch, Queenstown and Dunedin Airport have all cleared their runways of snow, and limited flights resumed on Monday afternoon.

Lines company Orion says power has been restored to all but a few small pockets in Canterbury, with about 50 homes still without power.

About 1,700 homes in Christchurch were without power earlier on Monday afternoon, including homes in the earthquake-affected suburbs of Burwood and Spencerville.

In Christchurch, where Radio New Zealand reporters measured snow as deep as 15cm, it was falling as fast as contractors could clear it on major routes, including around the four avenues.

Christchurch Airport incident controller Geoff Eban says staff tried to clear snow from the runways and aircraft parking areas for much of the day with snow ploughs and a grader, but each time they did so, more snow fell.

The Fire Service reported power lines down in Christchurch and Rakaia, while tree branches fell on to roads with the weight of snow.

St John Ambulance attended 19 incidents, in which people were injured by slipping on ice or snow, around the South Island during the morning.

Some firms are reporting only a handful of personnel were able to make it in to work.

Kiwi still missing on Norwegian island

Man accused of the killing spree in Norway was deeply influenced by a small group of American bloggers and writers who have warned for years about the threat from Islam, lacing his 1,500-page manifesto with quotations from them, as well as copying multiple passages from the tract of the Unabomber.

In the document he posted online, Anders Behring Breivik, who is accused of bombing government buildings and killing scores of young people at a Labor Party camp, showed that he had closely followed the acrimonious American debate over Islam.

His manifesto, which denounced Norwegian politicians as failing to defend the country from Islamic influence, quoted Robert Spencer, who operates the Jihad Watch Web site, 64 times, and cited other Western writers who shared his view that Muslim immigrants pose a grave danger to Western culture.

More broadly, the mass killings in Norway, with their echo of the 1995 bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City by an antigovernment militant, have focused new attention around the world on the subculture of anti-Muslim bloggers and right-wing activists and renewed a debate over the focus of counterterrorism efforts.

A dual New Zealand/Norwegian national was thought to be on the island at the time of the attack.

It has been 48 hours since Anders Behring Breivik opened fire, killing 86 of the 700 youth staying at the camp.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said this morning that there had been no update on the Kiwi's whereabouts since Saturday night.

A MFAT spokesperson said she didn't have any information on how many people were still missing on the island and whether any more bodies had been found.

The New Zealand embassy in The Hague, which was accredited to Norway, was in direct contact with the New Zealander's next of kin in Norway.

The Norwegian authorities were still working to locate all those thought to be on the island at the time of the attack.

MFAT would not disclose the person's sex or age. The girl's relatives in New Zealand had been informed she was believed to be on the island.

Norway,Friday shooting trial start

Calling himself a crusader against a tide of Islam in a rambling 1,500-page online manifesto, the 32-year-old mass murderer wants the opportunity to explain actions he deemed "atrocious, but necessary".

Lawyer Geir Lippestad said his client had admitted to Friday's shootings at a Labor youth camp and a bomb that killed seven people in Oslo's government district, but that he denies any criminal guilt.

"He has been politically active and found out himself that he did not succeed with usual political tools and so resorted to violence," Lippestad told TV2 news.

"I await a medical assessment of him," he said.

That Breivik deliberately surrendered to police when finally confronted on the tiny island of Utoeya after cold bloodily gunning down 86 youngsters underlines his desire to grab a public platform to deliver his radical thoughts.

In other instances of gunmen going on killing sprees the perpetrators often commit suicide when the police arrive or actively provoke officers to shoot them dead.

It was not clear how long Breivik will have to talk in court since the hearing will be about custody and he will not be required to enter a guilty or innocent plea.

Friday's shooting spree lasted for around 90 minutes before Breivik surrendered to police, who immediately arrested him. Police said on Sunday that Breivik had ammunition left over.

"Breivik is being held at Oslo's police headquarters," Al Jazeera's Harry Smith, reporting from Norway's capital, said. "On Monday, he will be transferred across town for an appearance at the city's criminal court."

"His lawyer has said on that occasion [Breivik] will explain fully what he's done, and more importantly, why he did it."

Witnesses described scenes of horror among the more than 500 people attending the youth camp. Some who tried to swim to safety were even shot in the water.

The chief surgeon at a hospital treating victims of Norway's camp massacre says the killer used special bullets designed to disintegrate inside the body and cause maximum internal damage.

And ballistics experts say so-called dum-dum bullets also are lighter in weight, can be fired with greater accuracy over varying distances and are commonly are used by air marshals and hunters of small animals.

Sveinung Sponheim, the acting police commissioner, said that all the dead had now been removed from the island and "taken to the coroner's morgue where the autopsies will be carried out".

During weekend interrogation, Breivik told police that his attacks were "cruel" but "necessary".

While he "admitted responsibility", police said, his lawyer Geir Lippestad said he was not accepting "criminal responsibility", and that his client felt he had done "nothing reprehensible".

The attacks have caused outrage in Norway amid calls for the reinstatement of the death penalty, given the maximum prison sentence the perpetrator can face is 21 years' imprisonment.

Police have not ruled out the involvement of a second gunman, and on Sunday they detained several people in a swoop on an Oslo property thought to be connected to the attacks. They were released shortly afterwards and no explosives were found.

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Norway shooter to appear in court Monday

The man blamed for Friday's twin terror attacks in Norway is due to make his first appearance in court.

Anders Behring Breivik, 32, admits carrying out a massacre on an island youth camp and a bombing in the capital Oslo in which at least 93 people died.

Norwegian police prosecutor Viola Bjelland, who spoke to the BBC from the Oslo police station where Anders Breivik is detained, said he had been co-operative during questioning.

Breivik's lawyer, Geir Lippestad, said his client has confessed to both attacks but has denied criminal responsibility. Lippestad said his client wants the proceedings to be open when he appears in court "because he wants to explain himself."

CTV's Omar Sachedina, reporting from Norway, said Sunday night Breivik is expected to plead not guilty despite admitting to his involvement in the attacks. If convicted, he could spend up to 21 years in jail. Norway does not execute convicted criminals, and its justice system does not have a life sentence, Sachedina said.

Meanwhile, doctors on Sunday said the shooter may have used special bullets that explode inside the body during the shooting rampage at an island retreat.

The chief surgeon treating many of the shooting victims said it is his belief that the shooter used bullets that explode inside victims and cause massive internal injuries.

Dr. Colin Poole of Ringriket Hospital in Honefoss, northwest of Oslo, said surgeons who have treated a total of 16 victims have failed to recover bullets.

"These bullets more or less exploded inside the body," Poole told The Associated Press. "It's caused us all kinds of extra problems in dealing with the wounds they cause, with very strange trajectories."

The bullets are lighter and can be fired over longer distances with better accuracy, according to ballistics experts quoted by AP. Hunters of smaller animals, as well as air marshals, most commonly use the bullets.

Police have not released the identities of any of the victims. Investigators, however, did reveal on Sunday that one of the first victims in the island shooting was an off-duty police officer who was hired by the camp directors to provide private security.

Police also said there are still people unaccounted for at both the shooting site and the government building that was bombed. Officials were at both sites Sunday searching for more victims.

Investigators said the massacre could have been far worse, as the shooter still had "a considerable amount" of ammunition for both guns he was carrying when he surrendered.

Both police and Lippestad revealed Sunday that Breivik had published a 1,500-page manifesto online that decries Muslim immigration to Europe. He also said "indigenous Europeans" who have accepted Muslims into society would be punished for the "treasonous acts."

"He wanted a change in society and, from his perspective, he needed to force through a revolution," Lippestad told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK. "He wished to attack society and the structure of society."

Police said they are analyzing the document, and continue to investigate the theory that, despite Breivik's claims he acted alone, a second shooter was involved in the attack on the island.

On a busy day for investigators, police also carried out raids in what appeared to be a residential neighbourhood in eastern Oslo on Sunday.

Police spokesperson Henning Holtaas said police did not find any weapons or explosives, and did not make any arrests.

As investigators continued probing the tragedy, mourners packed Oslo Cathedral to honour its victims.

Norway's King Harald V and Queen Sonja, as well as Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, joined the mourners, many of whom spilled out into the streets and solemnly stood under a steady rain.

"Many of us knew someone who died," Stoltenberg told mourners. "It's a national tragedy."

The service, which had a "sorrow and hope" theme, left both the king and queen in tears while mourners held each other and wept in the streets long after it was over.

After the service, the royal couple surveyed the damage at the bombing site, and visited victims at Ringriket Hospital.

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Bruce Campbell

Bruce Lorne Campbell, born June 22, 1958 is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. A legendary B movie actor, Campbell has starred in many low-budget cult films such as The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, Crimewave, Army of Darkness, Maniac Cop, Bubba Ho-tep, Escape From L.A. and Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat. He would later spoof his B-movie career in My Name Is Bruce, in which he starred and directed. A cult figure for most of his career, Campbell broke into the mainstream in 2007 with his portrayal of Sam Axe on the USA Network cable TV series Burn Notice and has since made appearances in mainstream films, including Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Cars 2.

Personal life,Background

Campbell was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, the son of Joanne Louise (née Pickens), a homemaker, and Charles Newton Campbell, an amateur actor and traveling billboard inspector. He has an older brother, Don, and an older half-brother, Michael Rendine.

Family

Campbell's first wife was Christine Deveau, whom he married in 1983. They had two children, Rebecca and Andy, before their divorce in 1989. Campbell currently lives in Jacksonville, Oregon, with his second wife, costume designer Ida Gearon, whom he met in the set of the movie Mindwarp.

Career,Early years

Bruce Campbell began acting as a teenager and soon began making small Super 8 movies with friends. After meeting Sam Raimi in Wylie E. Groves High School, the two became very good friends and started making movies together. Campbell would go on to attend Western Michigan University while he continued to work on his acting career. Campbell and Raimi collaborated on a 30-minute Super 8 version of the first Evil Dead film, titled Within the Woods, which was initially used to attract investors.

Major film roles

A few years later, Campbell and Raimi got together with other family and friends and began work on The Evil Dead. Campbell starred and worked behind the camera, receiving a "co-executive producer" credit. Raimi wrote, directed and edited, while fellow Michigander Rob Tapert was producer.

Following an endorsement by horror writer Stephen King, the film slowly began to receive distribution. Four years following its original release, it became the number one movie in the UK. It then received distribution in the U.S., spawning two sequels: Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness. The first two films in the series are considered horror classics and are credited with spawning the "horror comedy" genre.

He has appeared in many of Raimi's films outside of the Evil Dead series, notably including all the Spider-Man film series. Bruce Campbell also joined the cast in Raimi's Darkman and The Quick and the Dead, though having no actual screen time in the latter film's theatrical cut.

Campbell often takes on quirky roles, such as Elvis Presley in the film Bubba Ho-tep, and appears in B-Movies and starred in My Name Is Bruce. Along with Bubba Ho-tep, he also played a supporting role in Sky High (2005 film), He also was featured in the Jim Carrey drama The Majestic. Campbell also had a key supporting role in the Coen Brothers film The Hudsucker Proxy.

Other roles for Campbell included the Michael Crichton adaptation Congo, in the McHale's Navy and the remake of John Carpenter's sequel to his classic film Escape From New York, Escape From L.A. Campbell was also the star of the Maniac Cop B-Movie franchise.

Campbell had a starring voice role in the hit film 2009 animated adaptation of the children's book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Television roles

Outside of film, Campbell has appeared in a number of television series. He starred in The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. a boisterous science fiction comedy western created by Jeffrey Boam and Carlton Cuse that ran for one season. He played a lawyer turned bounty hunter who was trying to hunt down John Bly, the man who killed his father. He starred in the television series Jack of All Trades, set on a fictional island, occupied by the French in 1801. Campbell was also credited as co-executive producer, among others. The show was directed by Eric Gruendemann, and was produced by various people, including Sam Raimi. The show aired for two seasons, from 2000 to 2001. He had a recurring role as "Bill Church Jr." on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

In 1996–1997, Campbell was a recurring guest star on the show Ellen as Ed Billik, who becomes Ellen's boss when she sells her bookstore in season four. He is also known for his supporting role as the recurring character Autolycus ("the King of Thieves") on both Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, which reunited him with producer Rob Tapert. Campbell played Hercules/Xena series producer Tapert in two episodes of Hercules set in the present. He directed a number of episodes of Hercules and Xena, including the Hercules series finale. Campbell also landed the lead role of race car driver Hank Cooper in the Disney made-for-television remake of The Love Bug.

Campbell made a critically acclaimed dramatic guest role as a grief-stricken detective seeking revenge for his father's murder in a two-part episode of the fourth season of Homicide: Life on the Street. Campbell later played the part of a bigamous demon in The X-Files episode, "Terms of Endearment".

Voice acting

Campbell is featured as a voice actor in several video game titles. He provides the voice of Ash in the three games based on the Evil Dead film series; Evil Dead: Hail to the King, Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick and Evil Dead: Regeneration. As well as titles such as Pitfall 3D: Beyond the Jungle, Spider-Man: The Movie, Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3.

He provided the voice of main character Jake Logan in the PC title, Tachyon: The Fringe, the voice of main character Jake Burton in the PlayStation game Broken Helix and the voice of Magnanimous in Megas XLR. Campbell voiced the pulp adventurer Lobster Johnson in Hellboy: The Science of Evil and has done voice-over work for the Codemaster's game Hei$t, a game which was announced on the 28 January 2010 to have been "terminated". He also provided the voice of The Mayor in the 2009 film Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, and the voice of Rod "Torque" Redline in Cars 2.

Writing,Autobiography

In addition to acting and occasionally directing, Campbell has become a writer, including authoring an autobiography, If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor. The autobiography was a successful New York Times Best Seller. The paperback version of the book adds a chapter about the reaction of fans at book signings.

"Whenever I do mainstream stuff, I think they're pseudo-interested, but they're still interested in seeing weirdo, offbeat stuff. And that's what I'm attracted to."

If Chins Could Kill... was published in 2002 and follows Campbell's career to date as an actor in low-budget films and television, providing his insight into "Blue-Collar Hollywood".

Comedy

Campbell has also written a book titled Make Love! The Bruce Campbell Way, a comical novel featuring himself as the main character struggling to make it into the world of A-list movies. He later recorded an audio play adaptation of Make Love with fellow Michigan actors including long time collaborator Ted Raimi. This radio drama styled interpretation of the novel was released through independent label Rykodisc and spans 6 discs with a 6 hour running time.

In addition to his novels, Campbell also wrote a column for X Ray Magazine in 2001, an issue of the popular comic series The Hire, comic book adaptations of his Man With The Screaming Brain and most recently he wrote the introduction to Josh Becker's The Complete Guide To Low Budget Feature Film Making.

Blog

Campbell maintains a blog on his official website, where he posted mainly about politics and the film industry.

Filmography

Films

1977 It's Murder! N/A Sam Raimi Short film

1978 Within the Woods Ashley J. "Ash" Williams

1981 The Evil Dead

1983 Going Back Brice Chapman Ron Teachworth

1985 Crimewave Renaldo 'The Heel' Sam Raimi

Stryker's War Video newscaster Josh Becker

1987 Evil Dead II Ashley J. "Ash" Williams Sam Raimi

1988 Maniac Cop Jack Forrest William Lustig

1989 Intruder Officer Howard Scott Spiegel

Moontrap Ray Tanner Robert Dyke

The Dead Next Door Voice J.R. Bookwalter

1990 Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat Robert Van Helsing Anthony Hickox

Maniac Cop 2 Jack Forrest William Lustig

Darkman Final Shemp Sam Raimi Cameo

1991 Lunatics: A Love Story Ray Josh Becker

1992 Eddie Presley Asylum Attendant Jeff Burr

Waxwork II: Lost in Time John Loftmore Anthony Hickox

Mindwarp Stover Steve Barnett

Army of Darkness Ashley J. "Ash" Williams Sam Raimi

1994 The Hudsucker Proxy Smitty Joel and Ethan Coen

1995 Congo Charles Travis Frank Marshall

The Demolitionist Raffle Winner Robert Kurtzman

1996 Fargo Soap Opera Actor Joel and Ethan Coen

Tornado! Jake Thorne Noel Nosseck Television film

Escape from L.A. Surgeon General of Beverly Hills John Carpenter

Assault on Dome 4 Alex Windham Gilbert Po Television film

1997 In the Line of Duty: Blaze of Glory Jeff Erickson Dick Lowry

Menno's Mind Mick Dourif, Rebel Leader Jon Kroll

Running Time Carl Josh Becker

McHale's Navy Virgil Bryan Spicer

The Love Bug Hank Cooper Peyton Reed Television film

Goldrush: A Real Life Alaskan Adventure Pierce Thomas 'PT' Madison John Power

1998 The Ice Rink Actor Jean-Philippe Toussaint

1999 From Dusk till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money Barry Scott Spiegel

2000 Icebreaker Carl Greig David Giancola

Timequest William Roberts Robert Dyke

2001 Hubert's Brain Thompson Phil Alden Robinson Voice

The Majestic Roland the Intrepid Explorer Frank Darabont

2002 Spider-Man Ring Announcer Sam Raimi Cameo

Bubba Ho-tep Elvis Presley Don Coscarelli

Serving Sara Gordon Moore Reginald Hudlin

Terminal Invasion Jack Sean S. Cunningham Television film

2003 Drugs Bruce Chad Peter Direct-to-video

Intolerable Cruelty Soap opera actor on TV Joel and Ethan Coen

2004 The Ladykillers Humane Society Worker

Spider-Man 2 Snooty Usher Sam Raimi Cameo

2005 Alien Apocalypse Dr. Ivan Hood Josh Becker Television film

Man with the Screaming Brain William Cole Bruce Campbell

Sky High Coach Boomer Mike Mitchell

2006 The Woods Joe Fasulo Lucky McKee

Touch the Top of the World Ed Weihenmayer Peter Winther Television film

The Ant Bully Fugax John A. Davis Voice

2007 Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters Chicken Bittle Matt Maiellaro, Dave Willis

Spider-Man 3 Maître d’ Sam Raimi Cameo

My Name is Bruce Bruce Campbell Bruce Campbell

2009 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Mayor Shelbourne Phil Lord and Chris Miller Voice

White on Rice Muramoto Dave Boyle

2011 Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe Sam Axe Jeffrey Donovan Television film

Cars 2 Rod "Torque" Redline John Lasseter, Brad Lewis Voice

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Sydney helicopter crash bodies recovered

Sydney businessman Bruce Campbell, 65, and his pilot Col, 35, were killed in the dramatic incident.

Mr Campbell, owner of Davcron Engineering, was making his weekly trip from the company's headquarters in Granville to his home at the family property at Wyee when the chopper crashed.

The helicopter was torn apart as it crashed into bushland at South Turramurra, near Kissing Point Rd, at about 9.15am.

Emergency services found the burning wreck of the Bell 206 at the bottom of a 10-metre cliff and had to abseil down to reach the crash site.

Fire and Rescue NSW inspector Chris Bishop said central impact was at the base of the cliff.

"The scene was horrific," Mr Bishop said.

The chopper was destroyed. It was a horrific scene for all crews working there."

Witnesses have told police the helicopter suffered a mechanical failure before it went down.

"A number of witnesses said they saw a part fly off the back of the helicopter," he said.

Kevin Williams, who is a volunteer with the Ku-ring-gai Netball Association, told the North Shore Times he was in the clubhouse near the crash scene at the time of the accident.

"I heard a clatter, clatter and I rushed outside of the netball clubhouse a couple of paces and I saw black smoke coming from out of the bush.

"Apparently it came across upside down."

He said the clubhouse was being used as a command post.

Another resident who did not wish to be named said she heard a loud noise about 8.30am.

"I think the helicopter must have clipped the top of a tree before going down," she said.

"The helicopter had been overhead for at least 30 minutes before the accident.

Mr Greenwood was not the regular pilot of the helicopter but he had flown Mr Campbell from western Sydney to Wyee more than 40 times, Mr Stephens said.

Heavy rain delayed investigations into the crash on Friday.

The bodies were not removed until 3.25pm (AEST) on Saturday - 30 hours after the helicopter had crashed and caught fire.

Police had originally planned to airlift them out of bushland but chose to put their bodies on stretchers because of the rugged terrain, a spokesman told AAP.

Investigators returned to the site shortly after 8am (AEST) on Saturday, when the rain had cleared.

A forensics team spent much of the day taking photographs.

A police Eurocopter repeatedly flew over the crash site, using a netball court at the end of Canoon Road as a helipad.

Police rescuers were seen preparing to abseil down the steep cliffs during the morning, before the media were asked to move further back.

A couple visited the netball court, used as a police command post, and laid a bunch of sunflowers with a card which said: "In loving memory of Bruce and Col. Love always Sean, Michelle and Liam."

They declined to speak to the media.

The bodies will now be taken to a morgue for a post-mortem.

Kuring-Gai Local Area Command police are preparing a report for the NSW Coroner.

Mr Campbell founded Davcron Engineering Pty Ltd, based at Granville, in the early 1980s, naming the firm after his three sons David, Christian and Simon.

Mr Campbell was a grandfather of five.

His wife Colleen died of cancer several years ago while Mr Campbell himself recently beat bowel cancer.

"That's why we all thought he was made of granite," Mr Stephens said.