Australian True Crime Podcast

After her rape went unsolved for more than 25 years, Elesha contacted police to have her case reopened. She courageously tells us about what life has been like since her attack when she was 7 years old, what happened when her case was reopened and why she contacted us to tell her story.

PLEASE NOTE: Listener discretion is advised as this episode details child sexual assault and trauma.

For help: 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14, Blue Knot Helpline on 1300 657 380.

For more services see our Facebook page or website for details.

Find more about our friends at Canadian True Crime here: https://canadiantruecrime.ca

The 1989 murder of RSPCA officer Stuart Fairlie highlighted the dangers posed for workers in the enforcement field who worked solo or “one-up” in rural areas of Australia. Retired former Victoria Police Homicide Squad boss Charlie Bezzina takes us through this case.

Listener Amelia talks to us about the experience of having a parent in prison and what support kids need to cope.

Chris O’Connor is a highly regarded retired detective

He worked some extremely high profile cases in the Victoria Police on the child exploitation unit including the hunt for Mr Cruel Operation Spectrum.

Chris now uses his decades of specialised experience and knowledge training other agencies, including police, on effective interview questioning.

The story of Martha Needle is compelling and tragic. We speak to author Dr Brian Williams about his in-depth book on the life and crimes of this woman, who is one of Australia’s most prolific killers.

True Crime author Vikki Petraitis joins us to talk about The Frankston Murders in the wake of their 25th anniversary, as well as provides an insight into the now jailed perpetrator, Paula Denya.

Journalist Cheryl Critchley and Psychologist Helen McGrath have studied some of Australia's most shocking and seemingly unexplainable crimes, to discover the ways in which the disordered personalities of the perpetrators set them on a deadly path.  They teach us about common personality disorders and how to spot them, as well as the difference between these disorders and mental illness.   Cheryl and Helen's book, Mind Behind the Crime is available now.

When grieving mother Sonia Anderson disrupted a book launch in Brisbane a couple of weeks ago, she sent shocks waves through the True Crime industry.  What are the ethics around True Crime?  What do we owe victims and their families?  Sonia joins us to discuss the issue, and True Crime writers Emily Webb and Megan Norris have a candid conversation about the difficult lesson they've learned along the way.

Generation after generation of women are told that the only way society can ensure their safety after dark is for them to agree never walk alone.  Is it fair?  Is it reasonable?  Is it just reality?  Narelle Fraser and Assistant Commissioner Stephen Leane from Victoria Police join us to discuss violence against women in the wake of the rape and murder of Eurydice Dixon.

In 1990 when Barbie McCarthy was 12, her older sister Fiona, 15 was stabbed to death along with her teen friend John and their bodies dumped in Kaniva, on the border of Victoria and South Australia. The murders are still unsolved and Barbie talks to us about her efforts to find answers and how her life changed forever when Fiona died.

For more on one of our podcast friends, Hong Kong Confidential:

Webpage: www.hongkongconfidential.net

Network: https://www.auscastnetwork.com/home/hong-kong-confidential

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hongkongconfidential/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/juleshannaford/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hongkongconfidential/

In 2007, Australia was captivated by the two week run of father and son outlaws Gino and Mark Stocco.  They evaded police by driving laps around the southern states of Australia, while social media went wild with sightings and memes.  Eventually, they were captured, and the real story, more bizarre than anyone could have imagined, could finally be told.  Journalist Nino Bucci has written the definitive account in his book "Like Father Like Son, The Stoccos," and he joins us to talk about it. 

Narelle downloads on some particularly memorable days and nights on the job.

Sandra Pankhurst has been called many things in her time, a husband, a wife, a poofter, a Les Girl, a tranny prostitute, a rape survivor, a murder witness, a pillar of society and most famously, the trauma cleaner. Meet the incredible living legend behind the award winning biography by Sarah Krasnostein, whose life has been touched by True Crime at every turn.

Lorraine Carter was an intellectually disabled woman, who married a man against her parent's better judgement.  When they reported her missing 12 months later, she became one of Narelle Fraser's most memorable cases.

Amanda Howard is known around the traps as a serial killer whisperer.  On any given day she could receive mail, on prison issued stationary from one of Australia’s most feared men, an internationally hated baby killer, or one of America’s seemingly limitless numbers of death row inmates.

The Murder of ten month-old Zayden Veal-Whitting is quite simply one of the most shocking crimes that's ever occurred in Australian history. It provided proof, if proof were needed, that methamphetamine addiction was capable of creating a new breed of terror in the suburbs. Zayden's young mother, Casey, discovered an unspeakable horror in her baby's crib after a burglary went horribly wrong in their home in 2012. Narelle Fraser, who worked the case, joins us to talk about the investigation.

Gideon Haigh is best known as one of the world's most respected cricket writers, but he became intrigued by the unsolved murder of Mollie Dean, in 1930.  His new book, A Scandal in Bohemia is a tribute to this long forgotten victim, and a fascinating insight into the primitive investigative practices employed by police less than a century ago.

You know we love the police force here on Australian True Crime, but Carolyn Pethick's story of sexual harassment and bullying within the force needs to be told.

Andrea Kane's close-knit family received the worst possible news about her brother Chris. He'd been shot in a random American drive-by just 48 hours after leaving his Australian home.

Milicia Trailovic was reported missing by her sister in Serbia.  As soon as her case landed on Narelle Fraser's desk, the alarm bells started ringing.

Gabriella Coslovic tells us about the art world court drama that's begging to be made into a movie, in which colourful characters and legal loopholes abound.

Toowoomba teenager Annette Mason was murdered in 1989, and the case remains unsolved.  Her family has finally persuaded the Queensland Attorney General that it's time to reopen the inquest.  

in the 1970s and 80s, a beautiful and manipulative woman  convinced some of Melbourne's brightest and wealthiest citizens that she was, among other things, Jesus Christ.   With their help she infiltrated the Victorian health and Education systems.

Vikki Petraitis is the author of the excellent book, the Phillip Island Murder about the deaths of 23 year old farmhand Beth Barnard and her employer, 36 year old Vivienne Cameron.  Vivienne’s husband Fergus, was allegedly having an affair with their employee Beth. 

Cheryl and Vicki's best friend Catherine was taken from their lives at just 14 years of age.  Her abduction and murder are part of one of Australia's most baffling mysteries, and there is a huge reward on offer for information leading to an arrest.  

Brisbane man Tim Class-Auliff is an ambassador for White Ribbon, which means he campaigns for a future free from violence and abuse for all of us.  He carries himself so grace fully, it’s hard to believe the level and frequency of violence that’s blighted his life, including the brutal murder of his sister-in-law.

Author Victoria Heywood has written about relationships, food and wine, and true crime, but her own experience with a stalker led to the book we focus on in today's episode, Every Move You Make.

Reported missing in April 2002,  Margaret and Paul Wales-King were wealthy, happy and firmly ensconced in Melbourne’s most elite social circles, which made their disappearance intriguing, but the odd behaviour of Margaret’s son Matthew and his wife Maritza turned the case into a media circus, breaking records for newspaper sales in Melbourne.

Narelle is back to talk more about her time with the rape squad.  This episode contains graphic descriptions of sexual assault and stalking and could be triggering to some listeners. 

When Shepparton News cub reporter Tammy Mills went looking for an interesting local story, she set in motion an incredible chain of events that resulted in the solving of a 33 year cold case.

On the 29th 0f April 1996, 21 year old Le Ahn Truon was abducted in broad daylight, from the front yard of the house he lived in with his mother and siblings.  As his neighbours watched on in terror, he was forced into the boot of a car and driven away.

This week we kick it old school, with bushrangers, escape artists, and the hangman’s noose.

Former homicide detective Jeff Maher talks to us about the case that finally exposed Australian serial killer Peter Dupas.

Dr Kelly Richards is senior lecturer in the law faculty of the Qld University of Technology (QUT).  She’s also an expert in a field most of us try to avoid thinking about as much as possible, that of child sex offenders and what to do with them after their jail time is done.  

Will was an ordinary guy, working an office job and living in the suburbs.  Just as his financial commitments felt like they were strangling him,  a bizarre coincidence seemed to offer him a way out.  It corrupted his moral compass and he ended up in jail.  This is his all-too-relatable story.

Luke Williams is an Australian journalist and the author of Ice Age, A Journey Into Crystal Meth Addiction.  Luke never meant to become an addict, he just wanted to write a story. This is a re issue of an episode of Meshel's other podcast, The Nitty Gritty Committee.

Naomi Oakley is a former police officer who now runs security at teenage parties.  She tells us some unbelievable tales of teenage rampage, and we hear from a couple of mums who left teenagers home alone and lived to regret it.

Tim Watson-Munro is a ground-breaking criminal psychologist who's gained the trust of some of Australia's scariest men, like Julian Knight and Alphonse Gangitano.  He's also a recovering drug addict whose brilliant career was almost derailed by cocaine. 

The 1998 murder of Alphonse Gangitano ignited a bloody decade that would become known as the Melbourne Mafia War.  Charlie Bezzina was one of the homicide detectives assigned to the case, and he joins us to talk through the ups and downs of the investigation.  We also hear from Tim Watson Munro, the clinical psychologist who developed a strong therapeutic relationship with the volatile gangster.

Susanna Lobez and James Morton have written numerous books about Australian crime.  They specialise in gang crime, and their new book, Australian Gangs, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow is a comprehensive study.  Susannah joins us to discuss the current state of play in Australian gang crime.

Charlie Bezzina knew he was behind the eight-ball the minute he received the call about the body of a young woman being found in Frankston.  It was pouring with rain, which meant a crime scene would yield little evidence.  It was just the beginning of a killing spree by a disturbed young man, hiding in plain sight in suburban Frankston.  

Dana Vulin was stalked by a stranger and then attacked in her own home.  She was set alight by a woman who'd vowed to "ruin her pretty face."  Dana has spent the last 6 years undergoing constant painful treatment, and has just released a book about her experience called, "Worth Fighting For."

Narelle Fraser is back to tell us about another of the the biggest cases of her homicide career.  

James Phelps is an author and journalist with a penchant for prisons.  He's written best sellers about men's jails, and in his new book, Green is the New Black, he shifts his focus to incarcerated women.  Kerry Tucker was one of those women for 7 years.  Their perspective are different, but many of the details are the same.

Dr Rodney Syme was Christened Australia's Oldest Outlaw in an episode of Andrew Denton's Podcast series Better Off Dead, because although he admits to consistently ignoring Australian law, he remains at large in the community.  Dr Syme helps terminally ill people to end their lives.  Also featured in this episode, Mitchell Short, whose father Peter took advantage of Dr Syme's services.  The new documentary Fade to Black depicts their campaign to change Australia's laws in the last months of Peter's life.

Brisbane mum Allison Baden Clay was reported missing by her husband Gerard on the morning of April 20, 2012.  When police arrived at the house, they found Gerard smartly dressed in his usual business attire, with 3 deep, raw scratches on his cheek.  

In February 2005, Melbourne woman Maria Korp was found clinging to life in the boot of her car.  The car had been abandoned near the War Memorial, a stone's throw from Melbourne's police headquarters on St Kilda Road, and Narelle Fraser was among the first on the scene when it was reported by a security guard.  What happened next changed the course of Narelle's life, and played a part in her leaving the force with PTSD.

Nina Funnell is a journalist, academic, activist and survivor of sexual assault.  She's cowritten a report on sexual assault on Australian University campuses and her findings are disturbing to say the least.  She also explains the dangers around the traditional warnings we give our daughters.

Doug O'Loughlin was a founding member of the Victorian Special Operations Group.  His job was to deal with sieges, hostage situations, terrorist attacks and everything in between.  Doug's son Heath has written a book about it and they both join us for a chat.

Sent on a simple errand to the local shops by her mother, six-year-old Kylie Maybury never made it home alive.  Her body was found the following day, discarded in a gutter, but the circumstances of her death, and the identity of her killer remained unknown for 33 years.  In the end, he was eerily close to home all along.  Veteran crime reporter Keith Moor talks us through the details of the case, and the strange twists and turns in Kylie's case.

Show notes:

Your hosts are Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb

With thanks to Keith Moor. 

Emily Webb's book, Suburban Nightmare is published by Echo

Murder in Suburbia and Angels of Death are available on Kindle

Contact us on the facebook page

If you have any information on the cases covered by this podcast, please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

This is part 2 of our conversation with Mary and Katie. If you haven't yet, go back and listen to part 1: My sister, the killer.  

The story of how Anna Horneshaw came to murder her housemate picks up with her family begging the mental health services for help. Even Anna herself pleaded, "I’m suicidal and homicidal, please admit me." With the risk of a violent outburst rising, the family was too terrified to call the police, because they shoot mentally ill people. Part 2 delves into why help never came, Anna's sentencing, and how the years in prison have changed her life.

Show notes:

Your hosts are Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb

With thanks to Mary K. Pershall and Katie Horneshaw

Emily Webb's books, Suburban Nightmare is published by Echo

Murder in Suburbia and Angels of Death are available on Kindle

Contact us on the facebook page​

"Melbourne woman murders man for cigarettes." It was one of the most salacious headlines to ever appear in an Australian newspaper. But in this episode, we're going behind the headline. That 'Melbourne woman' was Mary K. Pershall's daughter. And she was Katie Horneshaw's sister. Mary and Katie join us in this episode to discuss how their beautiful Anna turned into a murderer. How mental illness slowly stole away the girl they knew. And how they never stopped trying to save her. 

Look out for part two of this story next week. 

Show notes:

Your hosts are Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb

With thanks to Mary K. Pershall and Katie Horneshaw

This show is dedicated to the memory of Zvonimir Petrovski (Johnny)

Emily Webb's books, Suburban Nightmare is published by Echo

Murder in Suburbia and Angels of Death are available on Kindle

Contact us on the facebook page​

Narelle Fraser spent 27 years in the police force investigating the most heinous crimes. She dedicated her life to helping victims of horrific sexual and violent crime, exposing herself to death and trauma on a daily basis. But eventually the terrible things she saw began to tear her apart. When she finally sought help, it took the psychiatrist 30 seconds to diagnose her with post-traumatic stress disorder. But Narelle found a coping mechanism. She made a list of 33 cases - the big ones that affected her and led her to this point. From the first dead body, to sifting through 1700 child pornography videos in two days and rating them on a scale of one to five, five being the absolute worst a person is capable of. In this harrowing podcast, Narelle shares the ordinary objects that trigger flashbacks and nightmares, the bonds she formed with victims and why she can't watch NCIS to this day. 

Show notes:

Your hosts are Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb

With thanks to Narelle Fraser

Emily Webb's books, Suburban Nightmare is published by Echo

Murder in Suburbia and Angels of Death are available on Kindle

Contact us on the facebook page

Let's wind back to the glory days of print. In the '70s, Megan Norris was a cadet journalist who was told she wouldn't last until Christmas because the other 'token girl cadet' on the team was prettier. Today, Megan is a court reporter and bestselling author who has seen some of the most gruesome cases you could imagine. From reporting on battered women to covering high-profile cases such as the kidnapping and murder of Jaidyn Leskie, she says it's not a job that makes you popular. Nonetheless, the journalist shares her advice for aspiring true crime writers who want to hear the very worst things people are capable of, and report the greatest show on earth.   

Show notes:

Your hosts are Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb

With thanks to Megan Norris

Emily Webb's books, Suburban Nightmare is published by Echo

Murder in Suburbia and Angels of Death are available on Kindle

Contact us on the facebook page​

Ron Iddles is widely known as Australia's greatest detective. After 42 years of eliciting confessions and nabbing murderers, he had a 99% conviction rate. Known as 'The Good Cop', Ron reflects on the cases that stuck with him. On being the only hope for the families of victims. Having to tell Jill Meagher’s husband his wife was dead, then accuse him of orchestrating it. And why he will never change his phone number. In conversation with Meshel Laurie, the retired Australian police detective shares how he gets inside the psyche of criminals, and the cases that stay with him deep into the night.

Show notes:

Your hosts are Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb

With thanks to Ron Iddles. 

Emily Webb's books, Suburban Nightmare is published by Echo

Murder in Suburbia and Angels of Death are available on Kindle

Emily recommends The Society Murders: The True Story of the Wales-King Murders by Hilary Bonney. 

Contact us on the facebook page​

Goulburn Prison houses some of Australia's most evil and depraved criminals.

Known for a time as "The Killing Fields", it's a place where plastic toothbrushes are filed down into weapons, where the springs had to be removed from bed mattresses because inmates would fashion them into weapons. Where prisoners are raped and slain in the showers, and where notorious backpacker killer Ivan Milat sawed his own finger off and tried to send it to the High Court of Australia.

Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb go behind the cyclone fencing to find out just how creative these prisoners can get when it comes to evil acts.

Show notes:

Your hosts are Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb

With thanks to James Phelps, author of Australia’s Most Murderous Prison

Emily Webb's books, Suburban Nightmare is published by Echo

Murder in Suburbia and Angels of Death are available on Kindle

Contact us on the facebook page

Kath Pettingill has given birth to some of Australia's worst criminals. She had six sons, they all ended up with criminal records, and three of them ended up dead. From drugs to Mr. Death - this family has seen it all. But what do we really know about their matriarch? Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb find out about the Melbourne family who the movie Animal Kingdom was based on.

Show notes:

Your hosts are Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb

With thanks to Susanna Lobez. 

Emily Webb's books, Suburban Nightmare is published by Echo

Murder in Suburbia and Angels of Death are available on Kindle

Contact us on the facebook page​

Since the 1920s, a town built on rich farming soil around 500kms west of Sydney has been the epicentre of an organised crime network. Yep, there is Mafia in Griffith. But not just any Mafia, Calabrian Mafia. And they're alleged to be responsible for Australia's first political assassination. This week Emily and Meshel are joined by crime writer Keith Moor to talk about the Calabrian HQ here in Australia, the many disappearances that have occurred over the years, and what happened when Keith went into town to investigate.

Show notes:

Your hosts are Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb

With thanks to Keith Moor, find his books Crims in Grass Castle & Busted here

Emily Webb's books, Suburban Nightmare is published by Echo

Murder in Suburbia and Angels of Death are available on Kindle

Contact us on the facebook page​

Sallie-Anne Huckstepp had never intended to be a whistleblower, but when her drug-dealer boyfriend Warren Lanfranchi was shot and killed by crooked cop Roger Rogerson, she decided to speak out. A call that would eventually end her own life, but she took it regardless. 31 years on since her body was found floating in a duck pond in Sydney’s Centennial Park, her killer is still unknown. But those close to the case have a pretty good guess of who it might be….

Show notes:

Your hosts are Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb

With thanks to Duncan McNab and Debra Krivoshow

Emily Webb's books, Suburban Nightmare is published by Echo

Murder in Suburbia and Angels of Death are available on Kindle

Contact us on the facebook page

What makes a victim? They say once you get to know the victim, you'll discover the perp. But this well-liked suburban mother Nanette Ellis was an unlikely victim. And yet she was stalked by a sinister stranger trying to run her off the road. Rocks were thrown at her car. Her windscreen smashed. A bucket of paint upended over it. Tyres slashed. And then she was murdered. Brutally stabbed to death in her own home in Boronia in Melbourne's east. 

Following the 30th anniversary of Nanette's death, Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb check in on her family, talking to her son Craig about the aftermath of the unexpected murder, how his younger brother coped with finding the body, plus another mystery that shook this family. 

Show notes:

Your hosts are Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb

With thanks to Craig Ellis 

Emily Webb's book, Suburban Nightmare is published by Echo

Murder in Suburbia and Angels of Death are available on Kindle

Contact us on the facebook page

If you have any information on the cases covered by this podcast, please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

It was Fathers Day, 2005. Robert Farquharson had just spent the day with his three sons, on an access visit. While returning them to their mother, his car veered off the road, and plunged into an icy dam. Robert escaped. But his three children, Jai, Tyler, and Bailey, all drowned. It made headline news around the country. Was it a freak accident? Or revenge murders? Farquharson maintained his innocence. His wife, Cindy Gambino, stood by his story. And then, something changed. 
This is one of the most controversial, high-profile and protracted legal cases in Australian criminal history.
Join Meshel Laurie, Emily Webb and Investigative journalist and author Megan Norris as they go beyond the news cycle to chronicle the seven-year case, and the devastating consequences of what happened next.

Show notes:

Your hosts are Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb

With thanks to Megan Norris

On Fathers Day by Megan Norris is published by Five Mile Press

Emily Webb's books, Suburban Nightmare is published by Echo

Murder in Suburbia and Angels of Death are available on Kindle

Contact us on the facebook page​

When Marie Greening Zidan's handbag was stolen by two boys, she called the police. She couldn't get to the station to report it, it was a Saturday, and the 73-year-old was caring for her disabled adult son. The police said to her "We can't get to you. We will come on Monday."  But Monday came too late. The boys, aged 15 and 16, came back the next day and raped, bashed and murdered the grandmother while her disabled son lay terrified in another room.

Just days after the horrifying home invasion, the killers called Marie's daughter and left her taunting phone messages.  They were eventually charged with manslaughter. And now, they walk free.

Show notes:

Your hosts are Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb

With thanks to Janine Greening from the Forgetmenot foundation and Tiffany Overall, youth worker with Youth Law.

Emily Webb's books, Suburban Nightmare is published by Echo

Murder in Suburbia and Angels of Death are available on Kindle

Contact us on the facebook page

Charlie Bezzina has been in confined spaces with some of the most monstrous people imaginable.  People who have committed crimes so terrible they would make your skin crawl. The former Detective was one of Victorias most successful and longest-serving Homicide squad detectives. So how did he do it, without losing self-control? What was the first thing he always did on a crime scene? And what is the one question he'd ask himself, every single time?

He tells Meshel Laurie how crime, and criminals, have gotten smarter in the last few decades. And why the police need the public's help more than ever.

Show notes:

Your hosts are Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb

With thanks to Charlie Bezzina

The Job by Charlie Bezzina is available on apple ibooks

Emily Webb's books, Suburban Nightmare is published by Echo

Murder in Suburbia and Angels of Death are available on Kindle

Contact us on the facebook page ​

A true crime podcast.