Australian True Crime

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 t...

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 join...

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...

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...

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...

RE-ISSUE: EPISODE #98. Retired Victoria Police Chief Inspector Rob Bailey has seen a lot over the course of his career. Among many other things, he was part of the legendary Victorian armed robbery squad in its heyday, and he was an eyewitness to what remains the most audacious attack ever carried out by the criminal underworld against Australian law enforcement, the bombing of Police Headquarters...

RE-ISSUE: EPISODE #16. 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. CREDITS:   Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram here and get her free monthly newsletter here . &nbs...

Some of you may recognise the name and voice of this episode’s guest, It’s retired NSW Police Detective Sergeant Damian Loone who featured on Hedley Thomas’s extraordinary podcast The Teacher’s Pet. Damian investigated the 1982 disappearance of Sydney mum Lynnette Dawson for years, bringing the case to two coronial inquests. Lynette’s former husband Chris Dawson was charged with her murder in 2018...

The disappearance of 3-year-old Cheryl Grimmer in 1970 has gripped listeners around the world due to the extraordinary BBC Sounds Podcast Fairy Meadow and our guest for this episode Frank Sanvitale is a big part of that podcast. Now retired from the New South Wales Police, Frank has moved the wheels of justice further for Cheryl’s shattered family more than had ever been done in the more than 50 y...

On January 12th 1970, Three-Year-Old Cheryl Grimmer disappeared from Fairy Meadow Beach. While it’s technically one of Australia’s longest-standing cold cases, Cheryl’s family and the two highly respected former homicide detectives believe they know exactly what happened to her, and who’s responsible.    Cheryl’s eldest brother, Ricky Nash, was the last person to see her on the day of he...

This is an Australian True Crime short cut. It’s an abridged version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.  Why The Whole Story Matters When Sex Crimes Go To Court. Criminologist Patrick Tidmarsh specialises in teaching police how to interview victims of sexual assault and sex offenders in the hope that he can have some positive impact in the pathetic...

Why The Whole Story Matters When Sex Crimes Go To Court. Criminologist Patrick Tidmarsh specialises in teaching police how to interview victims of sexual assault and sex offenders in the hope that he can have some positive impact in the pathetically low rates of conviction in that area. He joins us to talk about his new book ‘The Whole Story’. The Whole Story by Patrick Tidmarsh: www.booktopia.com...

Show Notes Ep 237 of Australian True Crime with Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb Former Detective Inspector Gary Jubelin of NSW police will be forever linked with the search for William Tyrrell. In this re issued episode of Australian True Crime, originally aired in 2020, we hear about some of the cases that made him a legend before he agreed to take on the one that ended his 34-year career and has hi...

Show Notes Ep 236 of Australian True Crime with Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb   Australia is haunted by its missing children and none more so than William Tyrrell. On November 16 NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller sensationally announced a breakthrough in the investigation. The headlines have been extraordinary and at times misleading. Here are the interviews behind those headlines.   Bu...

Episode 236:   On November 6, 1999, Canberra grandmother Irma Palasics was on the floor of her home.   Irma’s grandson John Mikita feels that the case is tantalisingly close to being solved but frustratingly, despite a few breakthroughs on the case and a $500,000 reward, no one has been arrested. Police believe that members of the Hungarian community in Melbourne can provide the vital cl...

Show Notes Ep 235 of Australian True Crime with Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb Police are closing in on the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of elderly campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay, missing from Victoria’s high country for over a year now. They’re the latest in a long line of people who’ve met with unknown fates in the area.   Buy CSI Told You Lies by Meshel Laurie here In Paper...

Show Notes Ep 234 of Australian True Crime with Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb Brittany Spears’ story has had a profound effect on women around the world whose basic rights have also been stripped away by partners and other family members. We discuss the impact of her emancipation with Kat Foster from the 50/50 Foundation which is working towards equal representation for women in governance by 2030....

Episode 233 Hedley Thomas is an award-winning investigative journalist and podcast producer who brought us The Teacher’s Pet and The Night Driver podcasts. He is back with a new podcast series – Shandee's Story – where he goes back to the night of the 23-year old’s murder to find out who killed her and why. For those of you not familiar with The Teacher’s Pet podcast, Hedley delved into the cold c...

Episode 232 It’s hard to imagine a job where you have to be vigilant all the time, being ready to attend to traumatic and unpredictable situations. But that’s what prison officers have to do every day. Social worker and therapist Bruce Perham has worked with hundreds of officers and he’s written a book called Code Blue: Prison Officer in Danger about trauma and PTSD in these first responders. Thro...

Episode 231 There were only two unsolved murders in the state of Victoria in 1942, and they are heavily shrouded in mystery. These murders happened during World War II time, on the Bellarine Peninsula, in Queenscliff, in an area occupied by Australian troops who were patrolling and defending the coastline. Early one cold, wintry morning in late May 1942, the bullet-ridden body of Army Driver Roy W...

Show Notes Ep 230 of Australian True Crime with Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb Was a man convicted of murder in Australia in the late 19th Century also responsible for the Jack the Ripper murders in London? Far from being a Ripper 'fan', author Garry Linnell is intrigued by Victorian history. In his new book ‘Devil’s Work’, he doesn't just retell the story we're so familiar with but uses it as a sta...

Show Notes Ep 229 of Australian True Crime with Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb Well I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, some of the best people I’ve ever met have been to prison. Here’s another one. Catherine from Horsham went to jail, and she’s thoroughly lovely, in fact, I bet you can totally relate to her.   I'm a bit delirious with our endless lockdown I have to admit. I don't think...

Episode 290 of Australian True Crime with Meshel Laurie & Emily Webb. What does organised crime have to do with supply chains…and how is forensic science used to trace things like gold, diamonds and even food. These were the questions I had for Western Australia based Cameron Scadding who is a Forensic and Analytical Chemist and founder and Managing Director of a company called Source Certain...

Episode 289 of Australian True Crime with Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb.   Andrew Rule, legendary crime writer is equally fascinated by the horse racing industry. His latest book, Chance: Of Grit and Gamblers and the Romance of Racing is about both! Today he joins us to talk about The Great Bookie Robbery of 1976.     Purchase Chance: Of Grit and Gamblers and the Romance of Racing Li...

Show Notes Ep 228 of Australian True Crime with Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb Veteran journalist and True Crime author Debi Marshall joins us to talk about her new book, Banquet: The Untold Story of Adelaide’s Family Murders . It follows on from her Foxtel series and podcast, Frozen Lies. You can subscribe to the podcast here. You can buy the book HERE . Buy CSI Told You Lies by Meshel Laurie here...