The Crime Collective's Podcast

Welcome to episode 84, in which Ben returns from his little break - with a bang!  He takes on the story of the infamous gangster couple Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. While the pair have been romanticised over the years, Ben lays out the truth about their time robbing and murdering their way across the central United States in the 1930s.  Hear about their early days, their criminal career and the...

Welcome to episode 83, in which Claire is joined by journalist Helen Kempton. With 30 years of experience writing for Tasmanian newspapers, Helen specialises in court reporting. She talks about some of the most memorable and harrowing trials she has covered, as well as some of the more light-hearted ones. Helen also shares the unsolved cases she most wants to see action on and some of the drawback...

Welcome to episode 82, in which Ben is still AWOL so Claire is once again joined by a special guest (and her brother) Matt Turfrey. He tells the main story - which in his own words starts out spooky and creepy and then ramps up into dark and disturbing. In 1986 the Bowen girls of Pepperell, Massachusetts started experiencing strange things around their home soon after conducting a seance in an att...

Welcome to episode 81, in which Ben is taking a bit of a break so Claire is joined by her colleague, fellow true crime enthusiast and supporter of the podcast - Chloe Hope. Claire shares the story of the mysterious disappearance of 14-year-old Eve Askew from southern Tasmania in 1991. Despite a long-running investigation and many theories as to what may have happened to the shy teen, the case rema...

Welcome to episode 80, in which Claire and Kitty return for a lightly intoxicated instalment of The Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty. Recording during a sleepover for Kitty's birthday makes for an amusing episode! This month the girls reach for the stars with their theme - space! Claire shares a story from the early 2000s that has been described as the most audacious heist in history. NASA intern Thad Robe...

Welcome to episode 79, in which we pick back up in the second half of the live show recorded at The Bush Inn, New Norfolk. In part 2, Kitty starts off by sharing some interesting stories about the historic venue, then tells us about a Tasmanian criminal who went on to take up an important role in the justice system that saw him shunned and whose presence is said to still be felt in his former work...

Welcome to episode 78, in which the three Crime Collective hosts combine for the first time in the long-awaited live show at The Bush Inn, New Norfolk. In part one, Claire tells the story of a significant character of the very early days of the settlement, a man known as an interesting combination of visionary and rogue... His rebellious ways got him in trouble with the law but it was his dealings...

Welcome to episode 77, in which Claire lets the skeletons out of her closet by sharing the stories of two of her convict ancestors - her four-times great-grandparents William and Mary Turfrey. While she knew much of William's past, as an Oxfordshire boatman who got himself transported in 1845 for burglary, she realised that Mary's convict record was a complete mystery. It hadn't rated a mention in...

Welcome to episode 76, in which Ben completes the second half of his retelling of the intriguing story of the Body in Room 348. If you haven't listened to Part 1 yet we highly recommend doing that first or this may not make much sense! Find out how the private investigator and detective reached their conclusions about what, or who, was responsible for the death of Greg Fleniken in his locked hotel...

Welcome to episode 75, in which Ben shares the first installment of his two-part retelling of the mysterious story of the Body in Room 348. When popular 55-year-old oil-and-gas man Greg Fleniken is found dead in his locked Texas hotel room in 2010 it at first appears to be a simple case of natural causes. He has no visible external injuries but then his autopsy results are puzzling and send the in...

Welcome to episode 74, in which Claire and Kitty return for a not-so itty bitty instalment! This month as autumn comes to an end the ladies deliver a selection of stories on the theme of - trees. Kitty delves into the case of Matthew Hoffman, an out-of-work arborist who had more than a professional interest in trees... Hear about how he spiralled out of control, what police discovered in his house...

Welcome to episode 72, in which Claire and Ben chat to Nicole Morris, the founder and director of the Australian Missing Persons Register website.  Before Nicole set up the site there was no national database of missing people and now, 20 years later, the accompanying Facebook page is followed by hundreds of thousands of people, and she has gained the respect of law enforcement and government agen...

Welcome to episode 72, in which Ben tells the story of the Hatton Garden Heist, and the surprising twist behind the London safe deposit burglary in 2015.  And Claire finishes things off with two stories about hidden treasure... For skippers of opening banter you can head to 4:29 for the beginning of the story. If you would like to reach out, please email us at tcrimecollective@gmail.com  

Welcome to episode 71, in which Claire tells the story of Wesley Brooks, who went missing in 1996 at the age of 18. It wasn't until a wheelie bin was recovered from the Leven River in Ulverstone, Tasmania, nearly four years later that a murder investigation was launched... Hear about the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and the outcome of the trial. And Ben finishes things up on a not-s...

Welcome to episode 70, in which Ben takes us back to the year 2001 and explores the anthrax attacks that gripped America soon after it was rocked by the events of September 11. Hear about the fallout and the investigation, which became one of the largest and most complex in the history of US law enforcement.  And Claire ends things on a lighter note, with some quirky laws from around the world. If...

Welcome to episode 69, in which the Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty with Claire and Kitty makes a quick turnaround from last month to embrace the saucy connotations of the episode's number by exploring some felonious fetishes. Claire shares the story of Jerry Brudos, whose obsession that started when he was five years old turned deadly, while Kitty lightens the mood with a collection of kinky crimes. If y...

Welcome to episode 68, in which we mark the occasion of Anzac Day in Australia by taking a look at war crimes. Claire tells the story of Ted Sweetman, who was a soldier in the Tasmanian 2nd/40th battalion when he was captured in Timor and became a prisoner of war on the Thai-Burma Railway and then in mines in Japan until the end of World War II.  And Ben finishes things off with some statistics an...

Welcome to episode 67 and another instalment of The Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty with Claire & Kitty!  This month it coincides with Good Friday so your hosts have some Easter-related tales. Kitty tells us about the Norwegian tradition of Påskekrim and the story of Janelle Patton on Norfolk Island, while Claire shares the case of the Mad Sculptor Robert Irwin. If you would like to reach out, please...

Welcome to episode 66, in which Claire completes her account of the women who were executed for their crimes in the convict days of Tasmania. Hear the stories of Mary Sullivan, who was only 16 years old when she was sentenced for stealing in Ireland in 1850, and Margaret Coghlin, who was transported to Van Diemen's Land in 1846 for perjury. But it was the serious offences they were convicted of on...

Welcome to episode 65, in which Claire tells the first half of her account of the women who were put to death for their offences in penal colony-era Tasmania. Hear the stories of Mary McLauchlan, a 24-year-old from Glasgow, Scotland, who was transported in 1828 for theft by housebreaking, and Eliza Benwell, who was 32 when she was convicted of stealing in Reading, England in 1835. But it was the c...

Welcome to episode 64, in which your hosts Ben and Claire are joined by special guest Matt Turfrey. He tells the story of a horrific series of crimes that occurred not far from his current home in Western Australia. Originally from Burnie, Tasmania, the name had caught Matt's ear over time in the media, but it turned out to be referencing David and Catherine Birnie, who were responsible for what c...

Welcome to episode 63, in which Ben tells the story of the Barker-Karpis Gang - one of the longest-lived criminal gangs in Depression era America. Hear about their string of crimes, from bank robberies and kidnappings, and their ultimate downfall. To top things off, Claire has a collection of recent quirky crime stories. If you would like to reach out, please email us at tcrimecollective@gmail.com...

Welcome to episode 62 and another instalment of The Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty with Claire & Kitty! This month, in honour of St Patrick's Day, the girls have some Irish stories to share - Claire has a compilation of stupid criminal cases from the Emerald Isle and Kitty tells us about William Smith O'Brien, the Irish nationalist who escaped the gallows for his rebellious ways only to be sent to go...

Welcome to episode 61, in which Claire covers a Tasmanian case from 1982 - it's the saga of a stamp-collecting solicitor and the sexual slurs that caused him to snap, while supposedly being at the other end of the state...  She and Ben are again joined by special guest Sam the forensic psychologist, who shares some insights into the story. If you would like to reach out, please email us at tcrimec...

Welcome to episode 60, in which Ben changes up his format to please those with the shorter attention spans (including himself). He tells us firstly about the two men who became known as the Beltway Snipers and their reign of terror over  Washington DC in October 2002, in which 10 people were killed and three critically injured. Then we hear about the three men who in June 1962 managed to flee the...