DELVE

In this dramatic season finale, after nearly three years of investigations, accusations and court battles, everything now rests with the jury. Guilty or not guilty?  Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to our latest investigation, Diagnosis of a Crime, all four seasons of award-winning The Boy in the Water, both seasons of Fractured, the explosive Powder Keg...

In less than 24 hours, Dan will learn whether he walks free or faces prison. Melanie spends the evening with Dan and Jess at their home as they prepare to confront what comes next. Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to our latest investigation, Diagnosis of a Crime, all four seasons of award-winning The Boy in the Water, both seasons of Fractured, the explosive P...

In the midst of the closing addresses, Melanie unexpectedly finds herself being escorted from the Dunedin court by security. Was it an overreaction by the judge, or a fair call? Meantime, the defence tells the jury the prosecution case is “total rubbish”. But after weeks of testimony and evidence, will the jury agree? Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to ou...

The battle over the science intensifies as Dr Julie Mack tells the jury there is no scientific gold standard for diagnosing non accidental injury. This leads to an even more confronting question: Is this truly science at all, or is it expert opinion dressed up as fact?  Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to our latest investigation, Diagnosis of a Crime...

When internationally recognised radiologist Dr Julie Mack dissects the medical evidence presented by the Crown experts, a stark question emerges: how did new rib fractures appear in the baby while he was under 24-hour watch?  Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to our latest investigation, Diagnosis of a Crime, all four seasons of award-winning The Boy in the...

Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to our latest investigation, Diagnosis of a Crime, all four seasons of award-winning The Boy in the Water, both seasons of Fractured, the explosive Powder Keg and Satanic Panic: Peter Ellis, the Creche Case & Me, all ad-free. Presented by investigations editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz and search for Melanie R...

Clashes erupt when orthopedic surgeon Dr Doug Benson beams into the Dunedin courtroom, offering comprehensive alternative medical explanations for the baby’s injuries. Tensions rise and Crown prosecutor Robin Bates struggles to hide his frustration.  Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to our latest investigation, Diagnosis of a Crime, all four seasons of award-wi...

Day one of the defence case and Dan is in the witness box. The Crown prosecutor questions the professional athlete about physical training, his strength and ultimately accuses him of having a “brain explosion”. Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to our latest investigation, Diagnosis of a Crime, all four seasons of award-winning The Boy in the Water, both seasons of F...

The defence cross-examination of the Starship Hospital pediatrician reveals a startling discrepancy at the heart of the case. For months the police and doctors repeatedly reported the baby had 13 to 15 rib fractures. But in court, it emerges the actual number of fractures was closer to half that amount. Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to our latest investigation, D...

Speaking to Melanie, the couple say the police took advantage of Dan’s cooperative nature, and they describe the Crown’s medical experts as forming part of a self-supporting establishment that refuses to see their case from any other perspective.  Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to our latest investigation, Diagnosis of a Crime, all four seasons of a...

The prosecution’s key medical witness, Starship radiologist Dr Russell Metcalfe, pushes our camera outside the court. Inside the courtroom, he is unequivocal - the baby’s fractures were “almost certainly” caused by squeezing. But under cross examination, cracks begin to appear in the Crown case.  Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to our latest inv...

The judge sends the jury out as lawyers argue over a controversial paper that warns of a false certainty pervading child protection units, which the authors say is leading to wrongful accusations and convictions.  Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to our latest investigation, Diagnosis of a Crime, all four seasons of award-winning The Boy in the Water, both seas...

The Dunedin endocrinologist slams the evidence from the American experts, and tells the court he would not go to the States to get a second opinion on the bones: “We would get a local opinion from a local expert.” Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to our latest investigation, Diagnosis of a Crime, all four seasons of award-winning The Boy in the Water, both seasons o...

The police video of Dan’s arrest is played to the jury. You be the judge: was this a genuine search for answers, or did they zero in on him from the beginning?  Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to our latest investigation, Diagnosis of a Crime, all four seasons of award-winning The Boy in the Water, both seasons of Fractured, the explosive Powder Keg and Satani...

An eyebrow-raising plea deal lands just one week into the trial, offering Dan a way out – if he agrees, it would all be over. Jess and Dan are forced into making a huge decision: walk away now, or risk everything.  Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to our latest investigation, Diagnosis of a Crime, all four seasons of award-winning The Boy in...

With an older child born with club feet and no explanation for their second baby’s injuries, Jess is desperate to have their baby genetically tested – will she and Dan find the answers they’re searching for? Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to our latest investigation, Diagnosis of a Crime, all four seasons of award-winning The Boy in the Water, both seasons of Frac...

Three key Dunedin doctors take the stand - what starts as medical certainty is seriously challenged, raising questions about how solid the evidence really is. Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to our latest investigation, Diagnosis of a Crime, all four seasons of award-winning The Boy in the Water, both seasons of Fractured, the explosive Powder Keg and Sat...

The day starts with a surprise when the judge turns the spotlight on our journalist, Melanie Reid, questioning her connection to the family, her objectivity and her independence. Then testimony from Jess’ midwife and the on-call obstetrician examines whether intense birth forces and induction drugs could explain the injuries, setting up a high-stakes clash between the hospital’s medical view...

“Distraught, shocked and in disbelief” is how one neighbour describes Dan’s reaction when he found out about his baby’s injuries. A second neighbour tells the court it’s laughable to even think that Dan could be violent. Then the maternal grandmother takes the stand, saying after the baby was born he screamed and cried all day, every day. Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new...

After days of intense questioning, Jess finally steps down and takes a seat in the public gallery behind her husband in the dock. That’s where she remains for the rest of the trial. Next, her sister-in-law takes the stand and tells the court the family were shut down by doctors.  Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to our latest investigation, Diagnosis...

The Crown’s cross-examination of the pro athlete’s wife begins, as her words, messages and private calls are picked apart in court. As the questioning intensifies, how much can she withstand? Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to our latest investigation, Diagnosis of a Crime, all four seasons of award-winning The Boy in the Water, both seasons of Fractured, the...

A police interview, tapped phone calls and the video recording of the pro athlete’s wife. Jess had no idea that in her search for answers, her phone call with a specialist would be intercepted by Dunedin police. Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to our latest investigation, Diagnosis of a Crime, all four seasons of award-winning The Boy in the Water, both season...

We take you right inside Dunedin’s historic courthouse as the pro athlete’s trial begins. The jury is sworn in. His wife is the first to take the stand. This is her moment – how will she cope under the pressure? Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to our latest investigation, Diagnosis of a Crime, all four seasons of award-winning The Boy in the Water, both seasons of...

On the eve of trial, we are with the pro athlete and his wife at their home, where emotions are running high as neighbours and supporters gather around the family. Everything is on the line, because what’s about to unfold in the courtroom could change their lives forever. Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to our latest investigation, Diagnosis of a Crime, all fo...

In the highly anticipated return of Melanie Reid’s latest podcast investigation, Diagnosis of a Crime, listeners are given unprecedented access inside the high stakes criminal trial of a professional athlete, examining whether young parents accused in complex medical cases are receiving fair access to justice. Find out what happens when medical evidence from New Zealand doctors - usually left...