Australian True Crime

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.   During World War II, Melbourne hosted American soldiers as part of the Allied effort, and the city enforced "brownouts"—partial blackouts to obscure urban areas from potential air raids.   Among the soldiers was Edward Leonski, whose s...

During World War II, Melbourne hosted American soldiers as part of the Allied effort, and the city enforced "brownouts"—partial blackouts to obscure urban areas from potential air raids.   Among the soldiers was Edward Leonski, whose self-confessed fixation on women's voices led to the tragic murders of Ivy Violet McLeod, Pauline Thompson and Gladys Hosking.   Joining us is Luke C....

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.   Peter Norris joins us once again on Australian True Crime to share more about his childhood as the son of a bank robber.   In our previous episode, we heard about Gordon House, the homeless shelter in Melbourne's CBD where 11-year-old Pete a...

Peter Norris joins us once again on Australian True Crime to share more about his childhood as the son of a bank robber.   In our previous episode, we heard about Gordon House, the homeless shelter in Melbourne's CBD where 11-year-old Pete and his dad, Clarry, hid out for a couple of months after Clarry’s escape from Fremantle Jail.   In this episode, we pick up the story after a n...

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.   Content Warning: This episode contains depictions of child sexual assault. Please find below the contact details for some support services.   Guest host Dr. Xanthé Mallett speaks with veteran radio journalist Dee Dee Dunleavy about he...

Content Warning: This episode contains depictions of child sexual assault. Please find below the contact details for some support services.   Guest host Dr. Xanthé Mallett speaks with veteran radio journalist Dee Dee Dunleavy about her new podcast, The Boy in the Goldmine . The series investigates the 1975 disappearance of 12-year-old Terry Floyd in Avoca, Victoria.   The podcast...

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.   Peter Norris is the youngest son of Clarry Norris, a career criminal who spent his life evading the law, and breaking out of prisons.   In his memoir, The Bank Robber’s Boy , Peter recounts a childhood shaped by foster care, life on th...

Peter Norris is the youngest son of Clarry Norris, a career criminal who spent his life evading the law, and breaking out of prisons.   In his memoir, The Bank Robber’s Boy , Peter recounts a childhood shaped by foster care, life on the run, and moments of surprising normality.    This is part one of a two part series. Part two will be released next Monday, and earlier for sub...

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.   You can’t discuss true crime in Australia without talking about violence against women and children.   Journalist Sherele Moody has spent years documenting these tragic cases through the Australian Femicide and Child Death Map.  ...

You can’t discuss true crime in Australia without talking about violence against women and children.   Journalist Sherele Moody has spent years documenting these tragic cases through the Australian Femicide and Child Death Map.   Sherele's passion for the issue was born of many of her own experiences, including the crimes of her own stepfather, and she joins us on Australian True C...

Content Warning: This episode contains depictions of child sexual assault. Please find below the contact details for some support services.   Retired FBI special agent Mark MacKizer, joins Criminologist and Forensic Anthropologist, Dr Xanthé Mallett to explore the realities of child abduction.   They discuss the types of offenders, their motives, and how they select their victims,...

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.   Retired homicide detective Charlie Bezzina reflects on Melbourne’s gangland era and Tony Mokbel’s role within it.   He discusses the work of the Purana Task Force and the impact of Nicola Gobbo’s dual role as a lawyer and p...

Retired homicide detective Charlie Bezzina reflects on Melbourne’s gangland era and Tony Mokbel’s role within it.   He discusses the work of the Purana Task Force and the impact of Nicola Gobbo’s dual role as a lawyer and police informant, which has raised questions about past convictions.   With Mokbel now released on bail, we examine the lasting implications of this c...

This is a preview of a full-lenth bonus episode for Australian True Crime Plus subscribers. To listen to all of our bonus episodes, plus early and ad-free access to every episode of the podcast, you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts .   In 2022, we spoke with the Yann family about the 2003 murder of Marea Yann in her Healesville home. Despite a 2006 inquest and a trial, no one has been convicte...

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.   Content warning: this episode contains graphic descriptions of violence against children.   In March 2025, Donna Fitchett’s story came to a grim end, just weeks after her release from prison.   Fitchett had served 15 years for the...

Content warning: this episode contains graphic descriptions of violence against children.   In March 2025, Donna Fitchett’s story came to a grim end, just weeks after her release from prison.   Fitchett had served 15 years for the shocking murders of her two young sons, Thomas and Matthew.   Criminologist and Forensic Anthropologist, Dr. Xanthé Mallett, author of Mother...

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.   Elizabeth Struhs was just eight years old when she died in 2022 after her parents stopped giving her insulin, following the beliefs of a religious cult called The Saints.   Journalist Pippa Bradshaw, who has covered the case from the start,...

Elizabeth Struhs was just eight years old when she died in 2022 after her parents stopped giving her insulin, following the beliefs of a religious cult called The Saints.   Journalist Pippa Bradshaw, who has covered the case from the start, now hosts " The Saints" , a podcast investigating the cult and the institutional failures that led to Elizabeth’s death.   Links:   Click...

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.   Tracy Hall was in a long-term relationship with a man she knew as Max Tavita—until his 2017 arrest revealed he was actually serial con artist Hamish McLaren.   As explored in the hit podcast Who the Hell is Hamish? , McLaren defrauded...

Tracy Hall was in a long-term relationship with a man she knew as Max Tavita—until his 2017 arrest revealed he was actually serial con artist Hamish McLaren.   As explored in the hit podcast Who the Hell is Hamish? , McLaren defrauded victims worldwide of millions.   Tracy joins us to discuss her new book and the shocking discovery that she, too, had been one of his victims.  ...

The upcoming coronial inquest into the Bondi Junction stabbings and the renewed attention on Tiahleigh Palmer's case following the death of her killer, Rick Thorburn, in prison, have brought coronial inquests back into public focus.   In this episode, we explore why coronial inquests are conducted even when the perpetrator is known, examining their role in uncovering systemic issues, providin...

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.   In 2001, Rachelle Childs was found murdered near the town of Gerroa, NSW. For years, her case went uninvestigated—until now.    Investigative Journalist Ashlea Hansen joins us to talk about Dear Rachelle , the new podcast that&rsq...

In 2001, Rachelle Childs was found murdered near the town of Gerroa, NSW. For years, her case went uninvestigated—until now.    Investigative Journalist Ashlea Hansen joins us to talk about Dear Rachelle , the new podcast that’s reignited the fight for justice.   Click here to visit the Dear Rachelle website and listen to their podcast.   Click here to subscribe to...

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.   Our guest host, Dr. Xanthé Mallett sits down with lawyer Iresha Herath and media researcher Maria Rae to chat about their soon to be released podcast Little Girl Lost .   They’ve spent the last year and a half diving deep into t...

Our guest host, Dr. Xanthé Mallett sits down with lawyer Iresha Herath and media researcher Maria Rae to chat about their soon to be released podcast Little Girl Lost .   They’ve spent the last year and a half diving deep into the 1921 murder of 12-year-old Alma Tirtschke, a case known as the “Gun Alley Murder.”   They explore how Alma’s story was twisted b...