The Crime Collective's Podcast

Welcome to episode 108, in which Claire tells the story of Isaac 'Ikey' Solomon, one of London's most infamous dealers in stolen property in the early 1800s, who was supposedly the inspiration for Fagin in Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist.  His real life story is even more fascinating than the fictional version - hear how he ended up in Van Diemen's Land not once but twice! Then Ben finished things o...

Welcome to episode 107 and another instalment of the Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty with Claire and Kitty!  This month your hosts sink their teeth into culinary crimes and food-related felonies. Claire starts off with the case of the KFC murders - an armed robbery that turned into an abduction and the execution-style killing of five people in Texas in 1983. It would take authorities 20 years to charge tw...

Welcome to episode 106, in which Ben takes a leaf out of Claire's book and explores a historical Tasmanian crime story.  Venturing back more than 200 years, sealers working along the coastline had already been in contact with Aboriginal tribes, mainly to steal their women.  So when a large part of the state's North-West corner was taken over by the Van Diemen's Land Company to set up a grazing ope...

Welcome to episode 105, in which Ben and Claire are first joined by forensic psychologist Sam to briefly follow up on a query that arose from the University of Texas tower shooting episode. Claire then tells the story of 25-year-old Tammie Rickard, who went missing after walking home from a Launceston pub in 1999. Hear about the circumstances of the university student's disappearance and the polic...

Welcome to episode 104, and another instalment of The Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty with Claire and Kitty!  Fancy a hot beverage? This time your hosts delve into crimes connected with cuppas, either tea or coffee.   Claire begins by telling the story of Graham Young, whose childhood fascination with chemicals took a dark turn... Sent to Broadmoor in 1962 as a 14-year-old for his devious doings, he was r...

Welcome to episode 103, in which Ben tells the story of the 1966 University of Texas tower mass shooting. Hear about the perpetrator, Charles Whitman, the lead up to the shocking incident, how it unfolded, and the heroic actions of those who helped put an end to his deadly actions. In a final twist, something discovered after Whitman's death may possibly have explained why he did it... And to fini...

Welcome to episode 102, in which Claire takes another journey back to the early days of Tasmania and tells the story of ex-convict turned serial killer John Haley. Also known as Four-Fingered Scotty, he went on a murderous rampage in 1861, but there were rumours he may have actually killed many more... And the account of his botched execution is nearly as horrible as the acts he committed to earn...

Welcome to episode 101 and another instalment of the Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty with Claire and Kitty! This time the hosts explore the theme of canine-related crimes - Kitty recounts the story of a pup that was small in stature but large in loyalty, whose refusal to abandon his owner helped earn him the title of the doggy detective. Then Claire talks about the case of a violent dog-napping of a celeb...

Welcome to episode 100! In which Claire and Ben celebrate hitting the milestone, with some cameo appearances from those near and dear to us at The Crime Collective. Claire then tells a Tasmanian true crime tale - the sad story of the death of Neil Harwood in East Devonport in 2011, and the appalling decisions made in the aftermath by his killer Peter Leary and his accomplice in disposing of the vi...

Welcome to episode 99, in which Ben recounts the epic story of the 1950 robbery of more than $2.7 million in cash and securities by a group of masked men from a Brink's depot in  Boston. Considered the crime of the century, it had obviously taken meticulous planning and led to years of investigative work by the FBI.  Find out if the gang of thieves were able to wait out the seven-year statue of li...

Welcome to episode 98, in which Claire and Ben finally return from their prolonged break and discuss some changes in the future of the podcast. Claire then tells the main story about the disappearance of 30-year-old mother of six, Darlene Geertsema, from Devonport, Tasmania, in 1978. While police at the time ruled out foul play, it took one daughter's persistence and the dedication of a female pol...

Greetings dear listeners, this is a short announcement to say we'll be taking our annual break a little earlier than in the past  but we'll be back soon! Thanks, love you - bye! xxx If you would like to reach out, please email us at tcrimecollective@gmail.com

Welcome to episode 97, in which Claire is joined by her brother Matt as she tells the story of a Tasmanian case that was one of the earliest in Australia to use DNA technology to help bring a murderer to justice. It began in 1980, when Amanda Carter was out in Hobart celebrating her upcoming 22nd birthday with her sister. But after leaving a pub in the early hours of the morning, the pair walked t...

Welcome to episode 96, in which Claire is again joined by special guest forensic psychologist Sam. This time Sam tells the main story about a case which she was familiar with from her time living in Adelaide. Carolyn Matthews was a hardworking mother and wife from suburban West Lakes who was found stabbed to death in her home. But the shocking crime wasn't a random attack and the truth behind her...

Welcome to episode 95 and another instalment of The Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty with Claire and Kitty! This episode just so happens to fall on Halloween, so of course that's the theme for this month's offering. Kitty tells the tale of the trick or treat murder - the 1957 shooting of Peter Fabiano in California by a masked person who'd knocked on his door late one night. However, the paper bag they hel...

Welcome to episode 94, in which Claire is joined by special returning guest, forensic psychologist Sam, in Ben's absence. Claire talks about a fairly recent Tasmanian case - the sad and disturbing story of 22-year-old Bradley Breward, who found himself the focus of attention when former bodybuilder Mark Jones became obsessed with finding his stolen vehicle. After offering a reward for information...

Welcome to episode 93, in which Ben tells the story of the shocking mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida in 2016. Hear about the background of the shooter, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, what unfolded during the hostage situation that became a three-hour standoff, and his supposed motivation for the deadly attack. To end the episode, after Ben had to head off Claire is joined once...

Welcome to episode 92, in which Ben and Claire are again joined by special guest Matt Turfrey for a journey back to ye olde Van Diemen's Land! Claire tells the story of John 'Rocky' Whelan, an Irish-born convict whose rampage in the mid-1850s earned him many names, including the Huon Terror. Hear about the torturous punishments he endured over nearly 20 years for the dozens of offences he racked u...

Welcome to episode 91, in which Ben and Claire are joined - in person for the first time since the podcast began - by special guest (and Claire's brother) Matt Turfrey! He tells the story of a case which had police in the Brittany region of France perplexed. In 1989 a shocking  murder in broad daylight eventually leads detectives to drifter Francis Heaulme.  The strange character seems to have a s...

Welcome to episode 90 and another instalment of the Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty with Claire and Kitty! This month the ladies prove that diamonds really are a girl's best friend when they explore the theme of all things bling - jewellery. Kitty talks about Dr Maria Maclennan, the world's first forensic jeweller, who uses jewellery principles to help solve crimes and identify bodies. And Claire shares t...

Welcome to episode 89, in which Claire looks into the case of 26-year-old German tourist Nancy Grunwaldt, who was on a planned year-long trip through New Zealand and Australia when she went missing while riding a hired bike on the East Coast of Tasmania in 1993. Hear about her movements once she arrived in the state, the theories about what may have happened to her and some other notable cases whi...

Welcome to episode 88, in which Ben picks up where he left off with the story of Jaycee Dugard, who was kidnapped in California in 1991 at the age of 11.  If you haven't listened to Part 1 yet we highly recommend you do that first! In the second installment you will hear how Jaycee's 18 years of captivity finally came to an end, what happened when her captors faced court and how she has adjusted t...

Welcome to episode 87, in which Ben begins telling the story of Jaycee Dugard, who was abducted on her way to school in California in 1991 at the age of 11.  Hear about her kidnappers, what she endured at their hands during 18 years of captivity and how, if there hadn't been numerous lapses by law enforcement, she could have possibly been freed much earlier... Tune back in next week for Part 2! To...

Welcome to episode 86, in which Claire tells the story of Tasmanian-born Amy Bock, who went on to be described as New Zealand's most celebrated and energetic confidence trickster. In the late 19th and early 20th Century Amy racked up a long list of criminal charges and prison time using a host of aliases and elaborate deceptions, before she embarked on her most ambitious scheme in 1909... To finis...

Welcome to episode 85, in which Claire and Kitty return for another instalment of The Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty! This month, as we are rugged up against the cold in the southern hemisphere, the girls have chosen chilly crime stories to fit their winter theme. Claire talks about a case from a small Canadian town in the early 1990s, in which snow played a pivotal role in helping to find the perpetrato...