Australian True Crime

Matthew Condon is an Australian author and journalist who has published multiple books on the history of corruption in the Queensland police force and state government. Our conversation today covers the events that led up to, and following, the Fitzgerald enquiry, which lead to custodial sentences for three former senior QLD ministers, and for the police commissioner, Terry Lewis. Joh Bjelke-Petersen, the longest running QLD premiere, was also sacked and tried for perjury.Matthew Condon is as fascinated today as he's ever been by Queensland's history of corruption, which really is the kind of thing you would think is over the top if it were in a movie, but it's all very, very true...Matthew's books on Queensland corruption, collectively known as the Three Crooked Kings trilogy, can be viewed below:Jacks and Jokers Three Crooked KingsAll Fall Down Matthew has a new podcast titled Dig: Sirens Are Coming, and he is also currently assisting on Hedley Thomas' new podcast The Teacher's Trial. CREDITS:Host: Meshel L

A lot of us will remember  the haunting photo of beautiful 12-year-old Tiahleigh Palmer, who was murdered in 2015. However the path to the dark truth of what happened to Tiahleigh was long and shocking and not resolved until several years later.Tiahleigh was living in foster care in Logan, Queensland with Rick and Julene Thorburn and their sons Trent and Joshua.Kate Kyriacou, the Courier-Mail newspaper’s Crime and Courts Editor, has reported extensively on Tiahleigh’s death and the tragic full story that emerged. Kate became close with Tiahleigh’s mum Cindy Palmer, who waged her own social media efforts to find her daughter in the days after she disappeared. CREDITS:Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram Co-Host: Emily Webb. You can find her on Instagram here and listen to her podcast Killer Content here. Guest:  Kate Kyriacou, Courier-Mail Crime & Courts Reporter and author of the book The Sting The Undercover Operation That Caught Daniel Morcombe's Killer.Producer/Ed

A NOTE FOR LISTENERS – This episode discusses the issue of deaths in custody of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Gamilaraay woman, Louise Lynch is the manager of Corrective Services NSW’s Aboriginal Strategy and Policy Unit. Louise first came to work in NSW prisons as a teacher more than 25 years ago and she’s dedicated her career to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in prison and, among many important initiatives, improving and embedding culturally appropriate training for staff in corrective services. Louise tells us about the complexities of the justice system for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and how, and why, it looks very different for men and women. Find out more about the work and employment opportunities in Corrective Services NSW here: https://correctiveservices.dcj.nsw.gov.au/ or at the service in your state.CREDITS:Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram Co-Host: Emily Webb. You can find her on Instagram here and l

Megan Norris spent several years with Cindy Gambino in the wake of the murders of her three sons by their father, her ex-husband Robert Farquharson on Father’s Day 2005. They were working together on a book called ‘On father’s Day’. They remained close and Megan joins Emily Webb to reflect on Cindy’s tragic death and the ultimate form of family violence. You can pre order Megan Norris's upcoming book 'Messiah's Bride' here. CREDITS:Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram Co-Host: Emily Webb. You can find her on Instagram here and listen to her podcast Killer Content here. Guest:  Megan NorrisProducer/Editor: Matthew TankardExecutive Producer: Jacqueline TonksArchival audio used in this episode is from Channel 10 News If you have been affected by anything discussed in this episode you can contact: Lifeline on 13 11 14 13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) Thanks for listening, we’ll

 It’s 17 years since Cindy Gambino’s ex-husband Robert Farquharson murdered their three sons, ten-year-old Jai, seven-year old Tyler and three-year old Bailey by deliberately driving his car into a dam on the side of the Princes highway, near Winchelsea, West of Geelong on father’s day in 2005. Cindy Gambino died last week as the result of a medical emergency at her home in country Victoria. She was just 50 years old. Journalist and author Megan Norris developed a close relationship with Cindy in the years after the boys’ deaths as they worked on a book together. The book is called On Father’s Day, and Megan was one of our first guests on Australian True Crime back in 2017. She joined us to talk about the extraordinary experience of writing that book.You can pre order Megan Norris's upcoming book 'Messiah's Bride' here. CREDITS:Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram Co-Host: Emily Webb. You can find her on Instagram here and listen to her podcast Killer Content here. 

Best-selling biographer and history author Peter FitzSimons has turned his attention to detailing the history of the Sydney Opera House - drama, scandals and even crimes. For this episode of Australian True Crime, Emily speaks to Peter about a crime linked with the Opera House and how it shocked the nation - the kidnapping and killing of Bondi schoolboy Graeme Thorne in 1960.Peter’s book The Opera House is published by Hachette Australia.CREDITS:Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram Co-Host: Emily Webb. You can find her on Instagram here and listen to her podcast Killer Content here. Guest:  Peter FitzSimonsProducer/Editor: Matthew TankardExecutive Producer: Jacqueline TonksArchival audio used in this episode  is from https://www.nfsa.gov.au/ If you have been affected by anything discussed in this episode you can contact: Lifeline  on 13 11 14 13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) Thanks f

Lindy Cameron,  journalist, award-winning author and publisher joins Meshel and Emily to talk about about Danny Deacon, who murdered his former partner Carlie Sinclair in Darwin. Lindy’s co-written a book with her sister Fin J Ross called Toxic: Cold-blooded Australian murders full of Aussie cases of men, including Deacon (in a chapter called “An Absolute Bastard”)  and women who kill.  Toxic: Cold-blooded Australian murders full of Aussie cases of men and women who killhttps://www.booktopia.com.au/toxic-lindy-cameron/book/9780655218968.htmlNEXT WEEK Australia’s favourite history author Peter Fitzsimons tells us about the Sydney Opera House’s sinister side and the crime that shocked the nation.CREDITS:Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram Co-Host: Emily Webb. You can find her on Instagram here and listen to her podcast Killer Content here. Guest: Guest name Lindy Cameron  Lindy is the publisher of Clan Destine Press  Producer/Editor: Mat

Faith Slatcher is the Governor of Goulburn Correctional Complex in New South Wales but you’ll probably be more familiar with the part of this prison known as the Goulburn Supermax which manages high risk inmates including Australia’s “Pablo Escobar” Mostafa Baluch and Bassam Hamzy, boss of the violent crime gang Brothers 4 life. There’s also the never to be released inmates there like Malcolm George Baker who murdered seven people on NSW’s central coast in a spree killing in 1992 and Lindsay Robert Rose, killer of five people over a decade from 1984 to 1994. So, does a corrections officer, particularly one so high up in the ranks as Faith, have to be as tough as the people she’s responsible for?  If listening to this episode has got you thinking about a career in corrections you can go to the Corrective Services NSW website or the corrections department in your state. You might want to go back and listen to some of our previous episodes about life in prisons.  The Killing Fields: Insi

For this episode we meet Angela Feeney, a Corrections officer in NSW who's been in the job for 27 years. Angela has worked a lot with women inmates – it’s something she tells us she swore she’d never do. Angela sheds light on life inside prison including the circumstances she’s seen on the job that break her heart and she also gives her honest opinion on how Meshel and Emily would go if they went to jail. If listening to this episode has got you thinking about a career in corrections you can go to the Corrective Services NSW website or the corrections department in your state. We spoke to Angela’s colleague Faith Slatcher, the Governor of Goulburn Correctional Complex in New South Wales which includes Goulburn Supermax - the highest security prison in Australia. LISTEN HERE You might want to go back and listen to some of our previous episodes about life in prisons.  The Killing Fields: Inside Australia’s most evil prison Prison Officer in Danger  Birds Eye Vie

RE-ISSUE: EPISODE #165.The murder of 14-month-old Jaidyn Leskie is officially unsolved. Journalist and author Michael Gleeson explains the prosecution’s theory as to how he died and the many distractions that prevented his killer seeing justice.Warning: please be advised this episode contains graphic content.Show notes for Episode 165:Your hosts are Meshel Laurie and Emily WebbWith thanks to Michael Gleeson from The Age and Sydney Morning HeraldListen to ChildersLike us on Facebook ​Follow us on Instagram or TwitterSupport us on PatreonVisit our BookshopSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/australiantruecrime. Become a subscriber to Australian True Crime Plus here: https://plus.acast.com/s/australiantruecrime. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1997, fourteen month old Jaidyn Leskie was left by his young mum Bilynda Williams, with her boyfriend Greg Domaszewicz while she went for a rare night out. She never saw her child again. That same year, two families awoke to discover their teenage daughters were missing after a routine camp out with their friends. They were by then, miles away, having been abducted by two troubled young men with no boundaries, and nothing to lose. The responsibility of finding justice for the families of all three, fell ultimately to Rowland Legg and his team of detectives. You can find Australian Story's two part piece on Prue Bird here and hereYou can read Caroline Overington's piece on the Bega School Girls here If you have a true crime story, we’d love to hear it. You can send us a message on Facebook or Instagram or email us at hello@australiantruecrimepodcast.com If you are in immediate danger in Australia, call 000. There is help if you are experiencing family violence orcoercive control. You can

What does romance have to do with true crime? Anyone who's fallen prey to coercive control, stalking, cat-fishing or domestic violence will know that the fantasies we're taught about romance can be very damaging when it comes to resisting overbearing partners and recognising red flags. British philosopher and author Alain de Botton wrote the seminal book on the topic in 2016. It's called 'The Course of Love' and Meshel interviewed him way back then about the surprisingly inorganic and unrealistic origins of romance. Surprise! It's yet another convention we've invented ourselves that's impossible to live up to and leads to lots of heartache. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/australiantruecrime. Become a subscriber to Australian True Crime Plus here: https://plus.acast.com/s/australiantruecrime. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ashleigh Rae is confident, smart, witty and really charming company. All of that is a testament to her powerful survival spirit because she was taken advantage of at a very vulnerable time in her life. For those of us who have young girls in our care, what Ashleigh Rae has to say is invaluable. If you have a true crime story, we’d love to hear it. You can send us a message on Facebook or Instagram or email us at hello@australiantruecrimepodcast.comSee us at the Yarraville Club on April 8 with Narelle Fraser. Book tickets here. If you are in immediate danger in Australia, call 000. There is help if you are experiencing family violence orcoercive control. You can call 1800 RESPECT 24/7on 1800 737 732, or visit theirwebsite here. You can also call Lifeline24/7 on 13 11 14.  CREDITS: Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram here.  Co-Host: Emily Webb. You can find her on Instagram here and listen to her podcast Killer Content here. Guest: Kay Producer/Ed

Kay stepped out of her shower and into a nightmare that changed the way she lived her life forever. A brilliant storyteller, she also lets us in on the extraordinary unprofessionalism of the men who were assigned to assist her. If you have a true crime story, we’d love to hear it. You can send us a message on Facebook or Instagram or email us at hello@australiantruecrimepodcast.comSee us at the Yarraville Club on April 8 with Narelle Fraser. Book tickets here.  If you are in immediate danger in Australia, call 000. There is help if you are experiencing family violence orcoercive control. You can call 1800 RESPECT 24/7on 1800 737 732, or visit theirwebsite here. You can also call Lifeline24/7 on 13 11 14.  CREDITS: Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram here.  Co-Host: Emily Webb. You can find her on Instagram here and listen to her podcast Killer Content here. Guest: Kay Producer/Editor: Meshel Laurie Executive Producer: Jacqueline Tonks 

Did you know a strangulation episode during a violent attack can kill months later? Even if it leaves no visible marks? Many victims don't even realise they've been strangled. Betty Taylor is the CEO of the Red Rose foundation in Brisbane that works to address the high number of domestic violence related deaths and suicides in the community. One of their main areas of focus is educating the community and first responders about non-fatal strangulation.You can learn more about the work of the Red Rose Foundation, and donate here.We'll be discussing male victims of domestic violence with Narelle Fraser at our live event at the Yarraville Club on April 8. You can book tickets here. If you are in immediate danger in Australia, call 000.There is help if you are experiencing family violence or coercive control. You can call 1800 RESPECT 24/7 on 1800 737 732, or visit their website here.You can also call Lifeline 24/7 on 13 11 14. CREDITS: Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram here.  

Narelle Fraser – Surprise!So many of you have asked to hear Narelle again so here she is. You may remember I promised another episode with Rowland Legg this week and I haven’t forgotten but here’s the thing, due to unforeseen circumstance, Rowland can’t make our live show at the Yarraville club on April 8, so our old friend Narelle Fraser has agreed to step in for that one too.You can get your tickets here. That’s right, you can see Narelle, live on stage with Emily and I at the Yarraville club, you can ask her questions while she’s onstage and if you’re lucky, you might even get to take a selfie with her.To celebrate, we bring you an episode of Narelle’s own podcast, ‘The Narelle Fraser Interviews’, featuring former detective Tim Peck. It’s always a treat to hear two detectives chatting and this conversation is very special. It does deal with severe mental health issues and suicide, so please be aware of that before you begin. You can subscribe to The Narelle Fraser Interviews here. If you are

Rowland Legg was the lead homicide investigator on some of Australia's most notorious crimes including the murders of Jason Moran and his bodyguard Pasquale Barbaro at a suburban children's football game at the height of the Melbourne gang war in 2003, and the shocking murder of Mercina Helvagis as she tended her grandmother's grave at Fawkner Cemetery by serial killer Peter Dupas in 1997. He joins us as a guest on this week's podcast and he will join us live on stage at the Yarraville Club on April 8. Thanks to the easing of restrictions we've been able to release extra tickets to that event. You can book them here.Next Week: Legendary Part 2 with retired homicide detective Rowland Legg discussing investigating the murders of the Bega School Girls and Jayden Leskie. If you are in immediate danger in Australia, call 000.There is help if you are experiencing family violence or coercive control. You can call 1800 RESPECT 24/7 on 1800 737 732, or visit their website here.You can also call Lifeline 24/7 on 13 11

The bullet point version of this week's episode of Australian True Crime. Two extended families continue to pay a heavy price for turning a blind eye to the disfunction in one household. A mother joins us to talk about the lead up to her child becoming a killer, and the aftermath so many people must live with for the rest of their lives.If you are in immediate danger in Australia, call 000.There is help if you are experiencing family violence or coercive control. You can call 1800 RESPECT 24/7 on 1800 737 732, or visit their website here.You can also call Lifeline 24/7 on 13 11 14.  Next Week: Legendary retired homicide detective Rowland Legg joins us to talk about some of Australia's most notorious killers, men he captured but not always saw convicted. Rowland will be live on stage with us in Melbourne on April 8 and thanks to the easing of restrictions we've been able to release extra tickets to that event. You can book them here.CREDITS: Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram here.&nb

Two extended families continue to pay a heavy price for turning a blind eye to the disfunction in one household. A mother joins us to talk about the lead up to her child becoming a killer, and the aftermath so many people must live with for the rest of their lives. If you are in immediate danger in Australia, call 000.There is help if you are experiencing family violence or coercive control. You can call 1800 RESPECT 24/7 on 1800 737 732, or visit their website here. You can also call Lifeline 24/7 on 13 11 14.  Next Week: Legendary retired homicide detective Rowland Legg joins us to talk about some of Australia's most notorious killers, men he captured but not always saw convicted. Rowland will be live on stage with us in Melbourne on April 8 and thanks to the easing of restrictions we've been able to release extra tickets to that event. You can book them here. CREDITS: Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram here.  Co-Host: Emily Webb. You can find her on Instagram here and li

Melbourne criminal defence lawyer Bernie Balmer has represented some of Victoria’s most notorious identities like gangland matriarch Judy Moran, Mick Gatto and Mark “Chopper Read”, AFL and NRL players, past and present, and people you’ve probably never heard of, like the woman who stabbed to death the child she gave birth to, on an access visit, with the adoptive parents nearby. He and his team are also known for representing some of the most vulnerable people, including children, who enter the court system each day. Bernie is quite literally, a fighter - he was a boxer and has been involved in the sport, in and out of the ring, since 1966. Bernie, a country boy, even has an Australian University Heavyweight title. He boxed, nightclub-bounced and grafted his way through a law degree at Melbourne University.  On March 27, 1986 Bernie, then a young solicitor, was, fatefully, at the site of the Russell Street bombing just as the bomb detonated. He tended to young police constable Angela Taylo