Ethan Couch, who killed four people while driving drunk, has been spared jail by a judge who says his rich parents never taught him about consequences. Courtesy Fox4 News

A TEENAGER who killed four people while driving drunk has been spared jail by a judge who says his rich parents never taught him about consequences.

The families of those who died expressed their anger as Ethan Couch, 16, of Texas, escaped a possible 20-year prison sentence and instead was handed 10 years of probation. "Money always seems to keep (Couch) out of trouble," Eric Boyles, whose wife and daughter were killed in the crash. "Ultimately today, I felt that money did prevail. If (he) had been any other youth, I feel like the circumstances would have been different."

Dr Gary Miller, a psychologist for the defence, said Couch was a product of "affluenza" and that his family felt that money would solve any problem. He said Couch was intellectually 18 but had an emotional age of 12.

SIGNS OF TROUBLE AT MANDELA MEMORIAL

- The interpreter at Nelson Mandela's memorial been accused of being a fake, with deaf viewers saying he was "flapping his arms around" without meaning.

- Burglars broke into the Cape Town home of South African peace icon Desmond Tutu when he was away speaking at the memorial.

- The photographer who took the picture of Barack Obama posing for a "selfie" during the ceremony has revealed the truth behind the shot – and that look on Michelle Obama's face.

- News Corp's Paul Toohey has described the sense of sadness and unreality at seeing the body of Mandela on public display.

THE NEWS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE

- He survived three days underwater in a sunken tugboat but now Harrison Okene is being asked if he used black magic to survive, as he vows never to go to sea again.

- A person has been killed and at least five others injured when a crane collapsed onto the checkout area of an Aldi supermarket.

- The pilot who crashed a Boeing 777 in San Francisco told investigators he was stressed out and "very concerned" about the landing.

- The trial of a retired British man in Uganda has again thrown the spotlight on country's "homophobe-in-chief", Pastor Solomon Male.

- Residents of Lima have awoken to a city shrouded under a toxic cloud of smoke billowing from a fire at a warehouse containing fire and fuel.

- A woman who wants to marry in a Church of Scientology chapel has won a battle in the UK's highest court.

FUN AND GAMES, OR PERHAPS NOT

- A proposed new law says online gaming is an addiction like gambling, drugs and alcohol, and wants the gaming industry to help pay for treatment.

- A woman who found herself locked in a bathroom overnight managed to chisel her way out after drawing inspiration from The Shawshank Redemption.

- The many men named after Saddam Hussein say their famous name, once give in tribute, has turned into a curse in today's Iraq.

- The 15-year search for a pill that boosts sexual desire in women has hit another roadblock, raising questions about the future of efforts to develop a female equivalent to Viagra.

- NASA has unveiled Valkyrie, an advanced humanoid "superhero" robot that looks female and may one day be used to explore Mars, as other researchers suggest the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs may have carried life to the Red Planet.

- Manners cost you nothing, and may actually save you money at a cafe that charges polite customers less.

- The postman rings ... never. Canada will phase out door-to-door mail delivery in response to falling mail volumes and big financial losses.



CATE, CAROLS AND A LITTLE ROCKNROLLER

- Move over Miley Cyrus and Edward Snowden – the Pope has been named Time's Person of the Year.

- Our Cate – the one and only Cate Blanchett – has been the one and only Australian to snag an individual nomination at the SAG Awards.

- Milk and spiders? Nine lazy Hansons? Sleep in heavenly peas? With Christmas carols come all the strange and twisted things we sometimes think we're hearing.

- Kate Winslet and her husband Ned Rocknroll are the proud parents of a new baby boy.

- Two works by celebrity artist Damien Hirst have been nicked from a gallery, with cops seeking witnesses who saw a dark-coloured hatchback car with polka-dot artworks in the back.

FOOTBALL FACES SNOW, HELL-HOLE CLAIMS

- Galatasray have ploughed into the final 16 of the Champions League with 1-0 win over Juventus in a snow-affected match.

- Rising South Africa star Quinton de Kock has become only the fifth batsman to hit three centuries in three consecutive one-day internationals.

- Everton fans may get a Christmas present with Leighton Banes planning to be back home on the pitch in time for the holidays.

- And the mayor of World Cup host city Manaus will travel to the UK to dispute press claims the city is a murderous hell-hole.



If you've skipped a Brekkie Wrap, here's where you can catch up:

Wednesday - Obama shakes things up at memorial

Tuesday - Australia 'too racist' for boat pest

Monday - Rude awakening for trapped passenger

Sunday - Mandela family's 'grave sadness'

Saturday- 'Chinese Bulger' boy wakes up in hospital

Friday - Girl throws toddler from balcony