Valentine Smith is a 45 year veteran of law enforcement and the defence forces. His career included working with Victoria Police in both rural and urban environments and with Interpol and Crime Stoppers International. For some years now, Valentine has focused on missing persons called cases, as well as the study of missing persons, with a special interest in cases within the Australian bush. You can read about his fascinating research on his website, Footprints in the Wilderness. Send us a quest...
Nov 03, 2024•43 min•Season 1Ep. 548
This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed. We're joined today by Dr. Claire Ferguson, a Forensic Criminologist and Associate Professor at QUT, who has spent years diving into the complexities of staged homicides and detection avoidance strategies in Australia. Claire’s research and expertise have supported police forces and courtrooms nationwide. Widely published and highly regarded, Claire is here to dis...
Oct 30, 2024•12 min•Season 1Ep. 547
We're joined today by Dr. Claire Ferguson, a Forensic Criminologist and Associate Professor at QUT, who has spent years diving into the complexities of staged homicides and detection avoidance strategies in Australia. Claire’s research and expertise have supported police forces and courtrooms nationwide. Widely published and highly regarded, Claire is here to discuss the ways in which criminal offenders stage fake crime scenes to deter criminal investigators, as well as the tactics they use to a...
Oct 30, 2024•39 min•Season 1Ep. 546
Our friend Michael Adams, who hosts the excellent podcast Forgotten Australia, joins us again on Australian True Crime today to talk about his new book. "They'll Never Hold Me" follows the life and crimes of prodigious prison escapee and fugitive, Kevin John Simmonds, also known as the Ned Kelly for the rock and roll era. Like Ned Kelly, Simmonds was a charismatic crook who had a way with words and once boasted as he was being led away from court and towards prison that "they'll never hold me!"....
Oct 27, 2024•59 min•Season 1Ep. 545
This is a preview of our recent ATC Plus episode. To listen to the whole episode, you can click here and subscribe now to ATC Plus and get your first week free on Apple Podcasts. As rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs sits in a Brooklyn jail facing criminal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering and at least seven civil suits alleging sexual assault, we talk to investigative journalist Brian Joseph, who spent many years writing about the relationship between hip hop culture and sexual exploitation...
Oct 23, 2024•14 min•Season 1Ep. 544
This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed. Our guest on Australian True Crime today is Brisbane Coroner, Donald MacKenzie. After 30 years in the criminal justice system since being appointed to the Coroner's Court in 2019, MacKenzie has investigated over 2000 reportable deaths, including over 700 suspected suicides, over 500 road fatalities and over 100 homicides in the last 12 months alone. Don joins us ...
Oct 20, 2024•13 min•Season 1Ep. 543
Our guest on Australian True Crime today is Brisbane Coroner, Donald MacKenzie. After 30 years in the criminal justice system since being appointed to the Coroner's Court in 2019, MacKenzie has investigated over 2000 reportable deaths, including over 700 suspected suicides, over 500 road fatalities and over 100 homicides in the last 12 months alone. Don joins us today to talk about his job to help us understand the coronial system and the ways in which it differs from other courts, and to explai...
Oct 20, 2024•38 min•Season 1Ep. 542
Our guest host Dr. Xanthé Mallett is back to explore the groundbreaking book Unmasking the Killer of the Missing Beaumont Children , released in 2023. Authors Stuart Mullins and former detective Bill Hayes discovered startling evidence pointing to a predator who lived near the last known sighting of the missing Beaumont children. Jane, 9, Arnna, 7, and Grant Beaumont who was just 4 years old when they all disappeared from South Australia’s Glenelg beach in 1966. If you have any information...
Oct 16, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 540
This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed. Our guest host Dr. Xanthé Mallett is back to explore the groundbreaking book Unmasking the Killer of the Missing Beaumont Children , released in 2023. Authors Stuart Mullins and former detective Bill Hayes discovered startling evidence pointing to a predator who lived near the last known sighting of the missing Beaumont children. Jane, 9, Arna, 7, and Grant Beaum...
Oct 16, 2024•17 min•Season 1Ep. 541
This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed. Jamelle Wells is one of Australia's most experienced and well-known court reporters. She's been a fixture inside Sydney's Supreme Court for decades and she finally wrote a book about it in 2018 called "The Court Reporter". What she didn't mention in that book is a sort of hobby she has of popping into regional courts around the country. It's probably got somethin...
Oct 13, 2024•17 min•Season 1Ep. 539
Jamelle Wells is one of Australia's most experienced and well-known court reporters. She's been a fixture inside Sydney's Supreme Court for decades and she finally wrote a book about it in 2018 called "The Court Reporter". What she didn't mention in that book is a sort of hobby she has of popping into regional courts around the country. It's probably got something to do with the fact that she was born and raised in outback New South Wales. The result is Jamelle's second book called "The Outback ...
Oct 13, 2024•50 min•Season 1Ep. 538
This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed. In a recent episode, we spoke about the decades-long fight for justice for Scott Johnson, whose 1988 death in Sydney was initially ruled a suicide by police, despite evidence of a wider pattern of gay hate crimes. Today, we’re joined by Sue Thompson, one of the key Australians who supported Scott’s brother, Steve, in his quest for the truth. A former lawyer turne...
Oct 06, 2024•14 min•Season 1Ep. 537
In a recent episode, we spoke about the decades-long fight for justice for Scott Johnson, whose 1988 death in Sydney was initially ruled a suicide by police, despite evidence of a wider pattern of gay hate crimes. Today, we’re joined by Sue Thompson, one of the key Australians who supported Scott’s brother, Steve, in his quest for the truth. A former lawyer turned police officer, Sue spent 17 years creating programs to bridge the divide between NSW Police and the LGBTQIA+ community, helping to a...
Oct 06, 2024•49 min•Season 1Ep. 536
This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed. Anthony Whealy KC is a former NSW Supreme Court Judge, and is the current Chair at the Centre for Public Integrity. Whealy and our guest host, Criminologist Dr Xanthé Mallett delve into the most defining moments of his storied career and offer candid insights on the state of legal proceedings today. Xanthé is also here to answer your burning true crime questions....
Oct 02, 2024•16 min•Season 1Ep. 535
Anthony Whealy KC is a former NSW Supreme Court Judge, and is the current Chair at the Centre for Public Integrity. Whealy and our guest host, Criminologist Dr Xanthé Mallett delve into the most defining moments of his storied career and offer candid insights on the state of legal proceedings today. Xanthé is also here to answer your burning true crime questions. if you have a question or a comment about today's episode, you can leave a voice message using the link below. Send us a question by r...
Oct 02, 2024•41 min•Season 1Ep. 534
This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed. The Australian Federal Police have released a short podcast series to mark the ten year anniversary of the downing of flight MH17 in Ukraine. It's called Search Among the Sunflowers. The title reflects the surreal spectacle that faced the ten member team of AFP officers who were among the first international investigators allowed to enter the site. All 298 people...
Sep 29, 2024•14 min•Season 1Ep. 533
The Australian Federal Police have released a short podcast series to mark the ten year anniversary of the downing of flight MH17 in Ukraine. It's called Search Among the Sunflowers. The title reflects the surreal spectacle that faced the ten member team of AFP officers who were among the first international investigators allowed to enter the site. All 298 people on board were killed, including 38 people who called Australia home. Officer Hilda Sirec, who is now Assistant Commissioner of the AFP...
Sep 29, 2024•43 min•Season 1Ep. 532
This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed. On last week's episode, we spoke with Nicole Morris, the director and founder of the Australian Missing Persons Register, about her new book, Missing. Nicole described one of those cases as very solvable, and in this episode of Australian True Crime, we find out why. Western Australian man, Rigby Fielding was already retired at 53 years of age after a successful ...
Sep 22, 2024•13 min•Season 1Ep. 531
On last week's episode, we spoke with Nicole Morris, the director and founder of the Australian Missing Persons Register, about her new book, Missing. Nicole described one of those cases as very solvable, and in this episode of Australian True Crime, we find out why. Western Australian man, Rigby Fielding was already retired at 53 years of age after a successful career as a restaurateur. He decided to move back to his childhood home in Rockingham, half an hour south of Perth, to live with and ca...
Sep 22, 2024•31 min•Season 1Ep. 530
This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed. We're back with our guest host, Criminologist Dr Xanthé Mallett to go beyond the headlines of this week's biggest true crime stories. Xanthé is also here to answer your burning true crime questions. if you have a question or a comment about today's episode, you can leave a voice message using the link below. Send us a question by recording a voice message here. C...
Sep 18, 2024•14 min•Season 1Ep. 529
We're back with our guest host, Criminologist Dr Xanthé Mallett to go beyond the headlines of this week's biggest true crime stories. Xanthé is also here to answer your burning true crime questions. if you have a question or a comment about today's episode, you can leave a voice message using the link below. Send us a question by recording a voice message here. Click here to subscribe to ATC Plus on Apple Podcasts and access all ATC episodes early and ad-free, as well as exclusive bonus episodes...
Sep 18, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 528
This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed. Nicole Morris joins us again on Australian True Crime to talk about her latest book devoted to missing persons. The book is simply called Missing, but there's nothing simple or easy about the stories she tells inside. Nicole is the director and founder of the Australian Missing Persons Register, which she created in 2005. Prior to that, there was no national data...
Sep 15, 2024•16 min•Season 1Ep. 527
Nicole Morris joins us again on Australian True Crime to talk about her latest book devoted to missing persons. The book is simply called Missing, but there's nothing simple or easy about the stories she tells inside. Nicole is the director and founder of the Australian Missing Persons Register, which she created in 2005. Prior to that, there was no national database of missing people and no hub for families who are missing someone to share information, resources and support for each other. Miss...
Sep 15, 2024•58 min•Season 1Ep. 526
This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed. Lex Lasry is a guest we've been hunting since day one of Australian True Crime. Since graduating quite miraculously from law school in 1972, Lex has forged a mighty career. He acted both as prosecution and defence counsel, he was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1990 and then appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court of Victoria in 2007. In his various capacities...
Sep 08, 2024•15 min•Season 1Ep. 525
Lex Lasry is a guest we've been hunting since day one of Australian True Crime. Since graduating quite miraculously from law school in 1972, Lex has forged a mighty career. He acted both as prosecution and defence counsel, he was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1990 and then appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court of Victoria in 2007. In his various capacities, Lex has been a central figure in some of this country's most high profile cases, from a failed attempt to prosecute Mr. Rent-A-Kill, ...
Sep 08, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 524
This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed. We've spoken to a number of people over the years who've been victimised by youth offenders. Some of our guests have lost loved ones to violence perpetrated by them. Some of our other guests were youth offenders. There are two very distinct schools of thought when it comes to how to deal with children who commit adult crimes. In this episode of Australian True Cr...
Sep 04, 2024•11 min•Season 1Ep. 523
We've spoken to a number of people over the years who've been victimised by youth offenders. Some of our guests have lost loved ones to violence perpetrated by them. Some of our other guests were youth offenders. There are two very distinct schools of thought when it comes to how to deal with children who commit adult crimes. In this episode of Australian True Crime, our guest host, criminologist Xanthé Mallett talks about the age of criminal responsibility in Australia. Xanthé will also answer ...
Sep 04, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 522
This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed. Mark 'Trigger' Tregellas is a country copper through and through, and has served in various towns around Victoria during his three decades in the job. They were tough towns full of tough people, and even though Mark is definitely among the toughest, he's managed to retain his sense of humour. Mark has written a book called "Backup is Three Hours Away" and he join...
Sep 01, 2024•15 min•Season 1Ep. 521
Mark 'Trigger' Tregellas is a country copper through and through, and has served in various towns around Victoria during his three decades in the job. They were tough towns full of tough people, and even though Mark is definitely among the toughest, he's managed to retain his sense of humour. Mark has written a book called "Backup is Three Hours Away" and he joins us on Australian True Crime to tell us more about the time his life was saved by a truckload of Bega Cheese and many other examples o...
Sep 01, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 520
This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed. Scott Johnson's naked body was found on the rocks at Blue Fish Point near Manly in Sydney in December 1988. Above him loomed the jagged cliffs from which he had fallen the night before. Manly police were quick to declare his death a suicide, even though gay men were being found in similar circumstances around the Sydney shoreline with shocking regularity. Scott w...
Aug 25, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 519
