Motive: The Lost

We find it hard to believe people would confess to a crime they didn't commit. But they do. This episode was first released on 21 June 2023. What can psychologists tell us about Mr Big? Leading experts in false confessions argue that we (and therefore jury members) find it difficult to believe that someone could confess to a crime they didn't commit, difficult to tell when someone is lying, a...

The police get their confession. But can we believe it? This episode was first released on 19 June 2023. We go inside the sting police used on David Lyttle and look at the tactics involved: the nurturing of friendship with "Nick"; the offers of money, cars, trips and status. David is told again and again the catchwords of the gang - truth, honesty, loyalty. This is an organisation that l...

Only three countries in the world allow the Mr Big technique to be used. We're one of them. This episode was first released on 16 June 2023. Mr Big is a powerful technique that can bring justice to murder victims. But experts disagree about its effectiveness. Some support the technique. Others think Mr Big stings exploit people's vulnerabilities and encourage them to lie. Not all countries us...

Is this police sting reliable? Is it just? This episode was first released on 14 June 2023. When Halcombe builder David Lyttle answers a knock on his door in March 2014, he's drawn into a shadowy organisation with promises of wealth and friendship. David is desperate to join, but learns that first, he has to get the nod from the organisation's boss, Mr Big. Mr Big asks David about his pa...

The Mr Big technique is a powerful tool used to get criminals to confess. But is it fair? Is it just? Or does it lead to false convictions? This episode was first released on 6 June 2023. Can the police use a story to get to the truth about a murder? In 2014, David Lyttle, a struggling builder in the little town of Halcombe, answers a knock at his door. What happens then leads him into a shadowy c...

27 years after she was convicted, the case against Gail Maney for the murder of Deane Fuller-Sandys has collapsed. What happens now? This episode was first released on 17 August 2024. Read more about the case, watch extended video interviews and keep track of the case with a summary of the characters, a timeline and map here . Nearly 35 years have passed since Deane Fuller-Sandys went missing. And...

More rumours emerge, another witness recants and Gail Maney finds new allies in her fight to prove she’s innocent. This episode was first released on 30 September 2019. Read more about the case, watch extended video interviews and keep track of the case with a summary of the characters, a timeline and map here . Produced in partnership with Stuff. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A key witness comes forward with new information that could vindicate Gail Maney, and the lead detective reflects on where his investigation might have gone wrong. This episode was first released on 30 June 2018. Read more about the case, watch extended video interviews and keep track of the case with a summary of the characters, a timeline and map here . Produced in partnership with Stuff. Go to...

As Gail Maney and three others go on trial for murder, flaws in the prosecution case come to light. This episode was first released on 29 June 2018. Read more about the case, watch extended video interviews and keep track of the case with a summary of the characters, a timeline and map here . Produced in partnership with Stuff. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The media called him a “stone cold killer”, but the truth about Stephen Stone is a bit more complicated than that. This episode was first released on 28 June 2018. Read more about the case, watch extended video interviews and keep track of the case with a summary of the characters, a timeline and map here . Produced in partnership with Stuff. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Two historic murder investigations merge into one. But how can police figure out what actually happened, when their key witnesses keep changing their stories? This episode was first released on 27 June 2018. Read more about the case, watch extended video interviews and keep track of the case with a summary of the characters, a timeline and map here . Produced in partnership with Stuff. Go to this...

A terrified witness contacts police. Revelations about a young woman’s murder force detectives to reconsider everything they thought they knew about the Deane Fuller-Sandys case. This episode was first released on 26 June 2018. Read more about the case, watch extended video interviews and keep track of the case with a summary of the characters, a timeline and map here . Produced in partnership wit...

Gail Maney had a tough West Auckland upbringing, but she wasn’t a bad kid. Then in the 1990s she slid into a life of hard drugs, petty crime and prostitution. But does that really mean she’s a killer? This episode was first released on 25 June 2018. Read more about the case, watch extended video interviews and keep track of the case with a summary of the characters, a timeline and map here . Produ...

For years, Deane Fuller-Sandys was thought to have drowned while fishing at Whatipu. But did police get it right when they later decided Deane was the Larnoch Road “body in the boot”? This episode was first released on 25 June 2018. Read more about the case, watch extended video interviews and keep track of the case with a summary of the characters, a timeline and map here . Produced in partnershi...

Gail Maney has served 15 years in jail for ordering the 1989 murder of young Auckland tyre-fitter Deane Fuller-Sandys. But she says she never knew him. In fact, she thinks he wasn’t even murdered. This episode was first released on 25 June 2018. Read more about the case, watch extended video interviews and keep track of the case with a summary of the characters, a timeline and map here . Produced...

Paloma is back to say thanks and gives a tip on the next podcast to check out. Hosted by Amy Maas and Adam Dudding is Gone Fishing, produced by RNZ and Stuff. This episode was first released on 3 July 2018. Read more about the case, watch extended video interviews and keep track of the case with a summary of the characters, a timeline and map here . Produced in partnership with Stuff. Go to this e...

Fran Martin popped out to the petrol station in Hamilton in 2005, bought cigarettes, and wasn't seen again. Her father, Bob, has spent his life savings looking for her. This series was first released on 1 December 2017. Watch a video segment from the episode here Bob Martin has spent 13 years, his savings and much of his pension looking for his daughter. When she disappeared in 2005, the 79-year-o...

Two year-old Jefferie Hill went outside to play, saying, "I won't go away, Mummy." So how does mum Jo Reynolds and his family deal with the fact they've never seen him again? What happened to him? This series was first released on 24 November 2017. Watch a video segment from the episode here Jefferie Hill would be 52 years old today - but when his mother last saw him he was just a toddler. Jefferi...

Tracey Donnelly says her husband Jim's disappearance is illogical, and 13 years on, still believes there are answers to be found - in the Glenbrook Steel Mill. This series was first released on 17 November 2017. Watch a video segment from the episode here On Monday 21 June 2004, Jim Donnelly signed into work as usual. Thirteen years later, he still hasn't signed out. The 43-year-old father-of...

Shannel Yorke struggles to remember her mother, Judith, who disappeared in 1992, and retired cop Alan Collin talks of his determination to find peace for the family. This series was first released on 10 November 2017 Watch a video segment from the episode here At least one of about 30 people is believed to hold the key to the disappearance of mother-of-two Judith Yorke 25 years ago. The 25-year-ol...

Paloma Migone digs into the cold cases of those who never came home. In episode one, Robyn Jensen says she'll never give up hope of finding her daughter, Kirsa. This series was first released on 3 November 2017 Watch a video segment from the episode here Time is running out for Robyn Jensen. The 72 year-old hasn't seen her daughter, Kirsa, in more than 34 years. Kirsa was 14 when she went mis...

The true stories of New Zealand's missing people. Paloma Migone digs into the cold cases of those who never came home. Watch a video version of the trailer here This series first published in May 2017. Every year, thousands of New Zealanders go missing. On average about one every hour. Most are found quickly. But some are never seen again. They are the lost. RNZ's new five-part podcast, The L...

Peter Ellis was released from prison in 2000 - but that was by no means the end of the story. This episode looks at life after prison and the huge impact this case has had on the whole country. This series was first released on 12 October 2023. To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the RNZ website here . We'll never be sure what happened when Peter Ellis worked...

Peter Ellis spent more than seven years in prison, for a crime he says he didn't commit. He and others describe his time behind bars and the many surprises and revelations he faced. This series was first released on 11 October 2023. To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the RNZ website here . Peter Ellis is found guilty of 16 counts of abuse in relation to 7 childre...

Tensions run high as the High Court trial of Peter Ellis reaches its conclusion. This series was first released on October 2023. To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, visit the RNZ website here . The trial grinds on, loyalties are tested, and a sense of exhaustion sets in. Are there, as Ellis and his supporters claim, abuses of power by key witnesses such as leading chil...