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The 'Clown Purge' craze - where people dress up as creepy clowns and terrorise unsuspecting victims - is spiralling out of control as sightings spring up across Australia. Social media groups have shared images of menacing clowns prowling the streets of Sydney (left), Perth (centre) and Melbourne (right) on Friday night alone. Police have issued a grave warning about the craze, which spawned in the US after social media images spread of clowns loitering in parks, highways and woodlands.

Actress Natalie Bassingthwaighte has spoken out about Network Ten's recent legal drama with Peter Brock's ex-wife Michelle Downes. The 41-year-old - who plays the racing legend's mistress Julie Bamford in an upcoming TV biopic - said on Friday: 'Look, I mean, we're not making a documentary. It's a dramatisation of Peter Brock's life. 'You're trying to fit in the legend of Peter Brock in three-and-a-half hours, so you're not going to get everyone's story told 100 per cent right,' the former Neighbours star told Nova 100's Chrissie, Sam and Browny

The website Awkward Family photos has released its first book about childhood -Everything Is Awkward - featuring snaps of youngsters that have gone VERY wrong. Highlights include a family snap that initially seems mundane until you spot the terrifying clown (left); a youngster who didn't want to be a cowboy (right) and another who almost kicked his mother in the mouth as he was dangled upside down on the beach (inset)

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT Klomphan Khiewwan, 21 got the shock of her life when she awoke to find her beloved pooch Fino head first in the jaws of an enormous snake. The dog was wrapped in tight coils and she could only watch as the 6m serpent devoured him. She said she'd heard loud noises from the dog earlier that evening while she was trying to sleep upstairs but she hadn't thought to check on her canine pal. Thai volunteers arrived at her home with snake-catching equipment but it was too late.

Five white middle-aged male cyclists were behind the £9million heist at Kim Kardashian's Paris flat, the reality TV star has told French police (pictured, left, outside the apartment building). The men were almost certainly French nationals and career criminals. Ms Kardashian (right) was robbed on Monday night and an expensive ring (inset) was among £8.5 million worth of items stolen. A police source said: 'What we have been told so far is that they were in their forties or fifties, and were of European appearance. They came went on bicycles, and only spent a few minutes inside the flat, suggesting they knew exactly what they were doing.' Ms Kardashian's bodyguard, Pascall Duvier, was at a nightclub with other members of the Kardashian family at the time of the raid. He was declared bankrupt earlier this year.

JonBenet Ramsey's brother has sued a forensic pathologist, Dr Werner Spitz, who went on TV in Detroit and accused him of murdering the six-year-old in Colorado in 1996. Burke Ramsey was interviewed last month on the TV show Dr Phil. On it he Dr Phil asked him what he would say to people who think he killed JonBenet and he replied: 'I don't know what to say to that, because I know that's not what happened...Look at the evidence or the lack thereof.'

NEW Ray Spence, 64, was asked to provide pieces for the exhibition 'Close to Home' at the Leamington Art Gallery and Museum. But the 64-year-old was stunned after curators barred two of his pieces from being displayed because they contained naked women posing in their homes. Bosses at the gallery in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, deemed the pieces unacceptable and told Mr Spence (inset) they could not go on display. But the artist accused the gallery of being 'short-sighted' and pointed out nudity had been used in art for centuries.

Florida residents were warned that the 'worst effects are still likely to come' as Hurricane Matthew continued to pummel the state with 100mph winds, menacing more than 26 million Americans. At 9am EDT, Matthew's eyewall brushed the coast of North-Central Florida, just off the coast of Daytona Beach, after working its way up past Melbourne and Cape Canaveral. The eye of the storm was still several miles offshore and moving north north-west at 13mph. While there are signs that a direct hit with land will be avoided, officials are particularly concerned about low-lying areas in Jacksonville, which could be hit by heavy flooding. Gov Rick Scott, speaking at a morning press conference after a day or urging people to evacuate, said some 600,000 people in the state have been left without power, while more than 22,000 people were in shelters. He also said all interstates in Florida would remain open without tolls. 'The storm is only halfway through our state, so we are not through this yet,' he warned. 'We are very concerned about storm surge and the worst effects are still likely to come.' The storm has claimed hundreds of victims in the Caribbean, while in the US at least one person died. A woman aged in her late 50s died overnight after she suffered a heart attack not longer after the St Lucie Fire Department stopped responding to emergency calls due to wind gusts.

The 15-year-old cancer patient who dueted with Florence & The Machine in a viral video earlier this year has died. Karinya Chen, who battled bone cancer for five years, passed away in Austin, Texas. She touched millions of people around the world when she perfectly harmonized with the British Grammy-winning band while lying in her hospice ward in May. Just five days before her death on Saturday, she spoke with remarkable strength as she contemplated her disease. She said: 'I think the biggest thing is not to worry and fear.... You just have to remember that there's always tomorrow and if you take it one day at a time and just tell yourself don't worry and don't take things for granted and tell yourself that you are loved and you are blessed then it makes it a lot easier to fight.'

Stay at home father Jake White, 39, from Cincinnati, Ohio, decided to install dividers made of thin board, pictured, so that his three two-year-olds Jude, Stella and Xavier cannot squabble over snacks. When he shared his creation on Facebook it divided parents between those who admired it and some who believed it was 'dangerous'.

A young blonde-haired man with an impressively chiseled torso invaded the A-League season opener on Friday night, sending social media wild with many Roar fans crediting the thrilling draw to him as it gave Brisbane time to regroup and score an equaliser goal in the final minute. Many said the team should recruit him for the match because of how fast he ran away from security and took several minutes to be cornered and tackled (pictured). Others just liked the relief from the until-then boring match.

Former Olympic swimmer Eamon Sullivan (right) has taken to Instagram (left) to ask for a mirror that was stolen from his Perth restaurant May Street Larder to be returned. The 31-year old who won two Olympic silver medals posted a picture on Wednesday of an empty wall where the large mirror used to hang and said he was unsure how someone could have escaped his restaurant without being spotted with the mirror.

This video shows the adorable moment a dog rushes over to protect a baby after the poodle's owners turn on a hairdryer. The fluffy puppy is seen dashing over to sit next to the baby girl whenever the dryer is switched on, resting her head on the young girl's lap. Professional dog groomer Alyssa Bitante, from New Jersey, and her partner are seen turning the loud device on and off, with the pet running between the baby and them as they do so.

These pictures have all been submitted as part of this year's Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards and after more than 2,200 entries, the shortlist of 40 has been finalised by the judges. Each one will be gunning for seven different categories at the awards, which also promotes conservation. The amazing images range from laughing lions to headless penguins and everything in between.

It's poised to be one of Australia's most expensive homes, and images inside this eye-popping beauty in Melbourne's Toorak show exactly why it's carrying an expected $30 million-plus price tag. The palatial four bedroom mansion boasts a pool, art gallery, lavish library and underground six-car garage. Real estate insiders say an international campaign to sell the opulent abode will blow the state's biggest house price record out the water.

This is the moment police in Perth, Western Australia, tried to stop a woman texting while driving, only for her to pull away and fail to stop even when the officer turned his lights and sirens on. The woman only realised what was happening after she stopped at the next set of lights, while still using her phone, and the officer started shouting through her window. Police say she was given three demerits and fined $400 over the incident.

From partying with the Spice Girls to doing rehab with Amy Winehouse: High-flying business executive turned TV presenter lost her marriage, career and almost her life when she developed a dangerous addiction to prescription medication. Australian woman Nicole Harcourt (pictured) moved to London in 2003 where she lived next door to George Michael, and Baby Spice from the Spice Girls and partied with Charlie Sheen (inset). She was sharing $1800 champagne bottles with 'very very famous people' and invited to the most exclusive London dinner parties. But her perfect life came crashing down when she was discovered unconscious by her house keeper after a long night of partying. Nicole's addiction to prescription medication, drove her to take up to 15 Xanax and Stilnox a night. She was then admitted to a rehabilitation centre, which she thought was 'cool'. But Nicole eventually turned her life around, moved back to Sydney, and now fights to help others who fell victim to life's challenges.

The clip, filmed in Russia, shows a lorry travelling along a rural highway. The vehicle can then be seen dramatically swerving out of the path of a pedestrian standing in the road. The walker, wearing a long white coat with a black hat, then ambles onto the side of the road and out of the view of the camera. The video uploader wrote: 'This video has been hailed as proof of teleportation.' The uploader added: 'Some people think the photos depict an instance in which time travel or teleportation was caught on tape.'

Off Kauai's north shore in Hanalei, the six bedroom main house first built in 1915 by sugar plantation executive Hans Peter Fayé has had a third of it's original listing price shaved from the price tag. Now on the market for $19.5million, the historic home, along with two acres of beachfront Hawaii real estate could be yours, along with bragging rights that you live in the Pretty Woman's former digs.

MailOnline witnessed voodoo rituals used to trick Nigerian women into prostitution in Europe. Women are subjected to black magic ceremonies where they have their pubic hair and finger nails cut off and sacrificed to the gods. Some are forced to eat live snakes. The victims are told they are under a spell to stop them from escaping when they are trafficked and reach brothels in Europe. Wives are also taken to see the voodoo - or ju-ju priests (right top and bottom) to stop them from being unfaithful. Osas Omaghomi (main picture) told MailOnline how she was lured to Italy from Benin City, Nigeria by a 'madam' who paid a people smuggler €1,000 to take her to Italy.

One of Sydney's iconic tourist attractions, Taronga Zoo, celebrated its 100th birthday on Friday and both the special guests and animals were treated to a host of celebrations. On this day 100 years ago Taronga Zoo opened its doors to Sydney and today more than five thousand visitors attended the birthday celebration at the Sydney Harbour Zoo with the lucky supporters winning the free tickets from a ballot. The birthday celebrations kick-started at the giraffe pen when zookeeper's served a special '100' made up of leaves for breakfast and the elephants were also indulged in their favourite food served in piñatas.

Swedish couple, Nicklas, 29 and Elin, 23, were filming their morning snorkeling trip in Hanuama Bay, Hawaii, when the eel turned tail and headed directly for them. The octopus made a frantic getaway leaving a cloud of ink and one tentacle in the jaws of the predator. But as they started to turn away from the scene the angry eel launched a new attack. The pair caught the incredible scenes on their underwater camera.

A woman's fitness fail ended up with funny results. Alexandra Knowles posted a video on Instagram showing her attempting a burpee. However, it seems she may not have checked the height of a ceiling lamp before trying out the move. While jumping in the air, Knowles hit her head on the lamp and ended up on the ground. Her Instagram page indicates that she is based in Canada.

Avery Chin and Sylvia Lim, from Malaysia, completed the impressive feat at a theme park in Wuhan, China, on September 28. The clip has been viewed more than one million times since being posted on social media. Guinness World Records judge Charles Wharton attended the event to ensure all necessary rules were followed.

The amazing clip, believed to have been filmed in South Korea, begins with the sugar glider preparing to jump as the woman extends her hand. The black and white critter throws itself from the top of a door and soars through the air before making a perfect landing. The footage has been viewed more than 22 million times since being posted on social media three days ago.

Sarah Rout, 30, from Long Sutton, Lincolnshire, says that despite doctors warnings she is worried that losing weight will have a negative effect on her plus size modelling business. As well as impacting on her life, Sarah's 28st frame means that her husband Tony (pictured inset with Sarah) now has to act as her carer helping her with day-to-day tasks.

The African fish eagle found itself under attack by the angry Goliath heron when it refused to budge from a lagoon. A photographer stationed in a purpose-built 'hide' at Zimanga Game Reserve in South Africa managed to capture these dramatic pictures of the extraordinary skirmish. Professional photographer Max Waugh, 40, saw the scene unfold in front of his eyes as he waited in the hide.

The overly-ambitious gym-goer has been caught on camera in a Canadian gym staggering and then fainting after trying to pull off a deadlift. As he falls he smashes his head on a metal bar and appears to suffer a number of convulsions. A woman rushes over to help him and he is soon able to stand back up - but probably leave the rest of his work out for another day.

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New York-based photographer Christopher Payne spent six years travelling America to explore abandoned asylums. Pictured (top left) what remains of the Norwich State Hospital in Preston Connecticut, (top right) Kankakee State Hospital in Illinois, (bottom left) an autopsy theatre at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, D.C., (bottom right) a marble staircase at the Yankton State Hospital in South Dakota and (inset) a straightjacket at the Logansport State Hospital in Indiana.