Crime Insiders

How does an FBI agent convince a Russian spy to defect? What are the tactics that work, and what are the ones that could get you killed? For decades, the world was paralysed by The Cold War. But, after the cooling of nuclear operations in the US and Russia, governments seemed ready to ease tensions and find a truce.   Beneath the surface though, in the high stakes world of spies and espionage, thi...

Imagine being locked in a police interrogation room for 48 hours straight - you haven't eaten, barely slept, your anxiety levels are at an all-time high, and you’re being intensely questioned about a crime that you haven’t committed. You’re innocent, so the truth will come out, right?  In Australia, it’s estimated that up to a third of wrongful convictions involve a false confession. In the US, of...

On New Years Eve, 1998, in the small town of Wee Waa, a 91 year old woman was horrifically attacked. Incredibly, she survived, and quickly notified police of the attack. But, after months of case work without any leads, the case went cold… Two years later, then detective Robin Napper was asked to investigate.  He arrived in the town of just 1,900 people with a controversial, new age tactic to catc...

Businessman Paul Nguyen left Sydney’s Hilton Hotel in May 2014 and was never seen alive again. A police investigation uncovered secrets that exposed Mr Nguyen’s murky underworld connections, leading authorities to a makeshift grave around an hour’s drive, south of Sydney. The excavation and identification of Mr Nguyen’s remains was forensic anthropologist, Dr Hayley Green’s, first case. In this ep...

On the 26th of June, 2006, police were notified that a young girl had gone missing in Perth. Moments later, her body was found, and an expansive crime scene was established.  With an unknown, and clearly dangerous offender on the run, police were working against the clock to preserve crucial evidence, and find who was responsible.  Then detective Paul Litherland was too close to the victim’s famil...

Bikies live in a world where loyalty is fierce and silence is golden. So, when a member of the Gypsy Jokers was killed in outback Western Australia, a deadly game of cat and mouse began. The Gypsy Jokers were convinced the culprit was Don Hancock, a former Police Chief with a colourful past. And, as the investigation heated up, the stakes became deadly. In this episode, Hadyn Green takes us inside...

After coercing farmers to plant marijuana crops in their fields, organised crime figures laid the seed for a dominant and violent drug empire across the Victorian borders. But, when police raided the farms, it was the growers who faced the consequences, as mob members threatened them and their families to stay quiet. Former Victoria Police detective Ray Shuey was at the pointy end of that investig...

The body of 27-year-old mother of two, Samantha Bodsworth, was found in Noosa, surrounded by wattle trees. The killer thinks it’s the perfect crime, but what they underestimated was the power of the tiny, silent witnesses clinging to almost everything they touched – pollen. In this episode, Dr Lynne Milne, the scientist at the forefront of forensic palynology, reveals how, for the first time in an...

For decades he was an adored media personality. But, after an iTV documentary exposed him as a sex offender, Jimmy Savile's story turned sinister, and questions were soon asked about the people who enabled his behaviour despite rumours and innuendo. For many of the children and young people Jimmy Savile offended against, they were finally heard - but, as former Detective Mark Williams-Thomas expla...

Every word leaves a trace. A disgruntled employee's late-night Facebook rant, cryptic messages, riddled with emojis, arranging a drug deal, a threatening letter from a scorned ex. These are more than words to forensic linguist, Professor Georgina Heydon. They’re crucial clues that can act like a phonetic fingerprint, revealing the identity of the culprit - because sometimes the key to solving a cr...

As a door was bashed in, and a very ordinary seeming man was put in cuffs, the heinous crimes of the Claremont Serial Killer were finally brought to light. Todd Bowler, who spoke exclusively with Crime Insiders, is a former WA Tactical Group member has been on the other side of these investigations for several years, and during his career, was a lead member in several high profile cases.  He sat d...

For 20 years, Henry Keogh was imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. What was a tragic accident turned into a full-blown murder trial, fueled by dubious evidence from now-discredited forensic pathologist, Dr. Colin Manock. In this episode, host Kathryn Fox talks with Forensic Photographer, Professor Gale Spring, one of the key experts who helped overturn Keogh's conviction in 2014. Hear about th...

After finding a fragment of a skull several metres within a toilet plumbing system, police knew they were dealing with something sinister.  Mike Bush is a former commissioner of the New Zealand Police Force and has had a decorated career. However, his time as a Detective and a lead investigator saw him take on some gruesome and confronting cases - a far stretch from the press conferences and media...

A blood-stained cloth was the only evidence police had to work with when Marlene Maria Smith didn't turn up to work in August, 2000. This small clue would soon become part of the huge web of forensic evidence, ultimately leading to the conviction of a killer. Peter Baines OAM spent over two decades as a specialist forensic crime scene investigator with the NSW Police. In this episode with host Kat...

A man described as "pure evil", understand how police investigated his heinous crimes, caught him in and the process of holding him in prison whilst seeking a confession. Decorated former Victorian Police Detective Adrian Paterson joins host Brent Sanders to unpack his career, and go deep into how he helped catch some of Australia's most high-profile criminals. If this content affects you, the num...

Drowning is the third-highest cause of death around the world, yet underwater recovery and aquatic forensic investigation remain heavily underresourced and underresearched.  Forensic investigator and scientific diver, Sarah Mormino, is on a mission to change this.  In this episode, host Kathryn Fox and Sarah unravel the fascinating and often perilous process of collecting and preserving evidence u...

A tragedy that rocked Melbourne in the late 80s, and one that left the nation questioning its own attitude towards guns and violence.  Former Commissioner of Victoria Police Kel Glare was just a few months away from getting the top job when an armed gunman killed seven and injured 19 people in Melbourne's inner North. It's a case that stood out to Kel for its violence and senselessness, and one th...

Heartbreaking was the only word that could be used to describe the death of a 10-month-old baby in Perth. What was less clear cut is the question that was posed to the judge - was the baby boy’s death an accident, or was he murdered by his father? Judith Fordham has been lauded as one of Western Australia’s most high-profile criminal lawyers, but her dual expertise in law and forensics sets her ap...

What happens when back up is three hours away, and you're faced with a violent and desperate situation?  Mark Tregellas is one of Victoria's most experienced regional police officers. He's spent decades tackling violent and intense criminal situations, ones that are unique to that of Australia's wild and often unpredictable regional areas.  Join host Brent Sanders as Mark walks him through two cas...

Semen is the crack cocaine of the fly world, and while maggots love a corpse, flies feast on live human flesh and fluids. So, could a fly frame you for murder? And how do police differentiate fly 'artifacts' from human biological material at a crime scene? These are all things forensic biologist, Dr Annalisa Durdle has studied. Join host Kathryn Fox as Annalisa redefines what it means to be a 'fly...

The AFP and customs intercept hundreds of tonnes of narcotics every year. But, the techniques of criminals and smugglers are becoming more complex, and unfortunately, more effective.  Nigel Phair is a former Australian Federal Police Officer who took on a range of high profile drug importation cases. This saw him intercepting large quantities of drugs, investigating its origin and surveilling its...

It took 37 years, a failed murder trial, and an Australian mathematician to finally prosecute one of Scotland's most infamous serial killers.  Professor David Balding is a pioneer in the field of mathematical computational genetics. Join host Kathryn Fox and hear how using things like probability, David can calculate the likelihood of DNA belonging to offenders, victims and crime scenes.  If you o...

The gangs of New Zealand are like nothing else, and as an undercover cop, you're forced to prove yourself, demonstrate you're a criminal and show you're capable of committing violent and often dangerous crimes.  That was the life of undercover operative Mark Van Lee Warden, who spent years as a covert officer deep inside the underworld of the New Zealand ganglands. He was required to tackle some o...

Victims of stalking are systematically let down. So, how do the police handle reports of stalking? And what does the research tell us about effective intervention? 24-year-old Alice Ruggles was stalked and murdered by her ex-boyfriend. Alice did all the recommended things, including reporting his dangerous behaviour to the police multiple times. Unfortunately, Alice's story is not a one-off. It's...

The consequences of online abuse can be fatal, and in the early 2000s, even experts were naive to the dangers of the online world for us, and our kids. Yasmin London is a former NSW Police Officer who took on a diverse set of roles in her decade in the force. She tackled the everyday stress of general duties, the diverse crimes of Rosebay in Sydney and the complex and unknown world of cyberbullyin...