**BREAKING: We’ve received a last-minute email from the WA court, there will be no Claremont Trial tomorrow (Friday April 24), court will resume on Tuesday, after the Anzac Day long weekend*** Fibres from anywhere and everywhere the victims went, alive and dead were tested by Chem Centre to try and find any matches to the critical fibres. There was a huge amount of detail put into the testing - Fibres from the carpet of the Continental Hotel, Jane Rimmer’s hairbrush, Ciara Glennon&rs...
Apr 23, 2020•23 min•Season 2Ep. 78
For the first time, the court was shown a picture of a pristine hair sample, which was never touched before RH17 was the hair sample taken from Ciara Glennon when her body was found in bushland off Pipidinny road in Eglington on April 3, 1997. This hair sample is so important because it was taken before anyone had a chance to inspect Ciara’s remains, and is seen as one of the most accurate pieces of evidence showing exactly what was on Ciara Glennon before any investigators, pathologists, ...
Apr 22, 2020•31 min•Season 2Ep. 77
Tiny strands of Ciara Glennon’s hair were sent to the FBI in 1999. Those hair strands in a Petri dish have become vital in the prosecution’s case - allegedly linking Ciara Glennon to the Karrakatta rape victim, and both of them to Telstra shorts, the like Bradley Edwards used to wear as a technician in the 1990s. The blue polyester fibres were two of 41 critical fibres found on Ciara Glennon. Other critical fibres found from who the prosecution says is the third victim of the Claremo...
Apr 21, 2020•22 min•Season 2Ep. 76
One slide of two microscopic fibres compared to each other shown to the court on day 75. That’s the first piece of physical evidence in the trial - 5 months in - that forensically links Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon. The blue polyester fibres, found on Ciara’s shirt and in Jane Rimmer’s hair were compared on a slide and shown to the court. This is one of just a handful of evidence that the prosecution can present that shows Jane and Ciara are linked to the crime, outside of cir...
Apr 20, 2020•30 min•Season 2Ep. 75
During day 74’s evidence, the court heard that Ciara’s hair mass was split into 16 sections, and was meticulously examined for 17 days at Chem Centre. During his fourth day on the stand, Chem Centre scientist Rees Powell was again giving evidence, today focussed on the 41 critical fibres found on Ciara Glennon. We got through 8 today, and 32 of the full 98 fibres critical to the prosecution’s case. As Tim Clarke explains in this episode, the prosecution may have been optimistic...
Apr 17, 2020•25 min•Season 2Ep. 74
The sheer lengths ChemCentre scientists went to, to test the MACRO exhibits were again showed during the day’s evidence. After Jane’s hair was separated, run under a polilight, tweezed, shoock and looked over many times to find fibres, another method was used to try and find more. Her hair mass was washed and filtered - and 1000 new fibres were found. As Forensic expert Brendan Chapman explains, it’s not a method commonly used. 22 of those fibres are critical to the prosecution...
Apr 16, 2020•31 min•Season 2Ep. 73
Although the MACRO taskforce had investigated Jane, Ciara and Sarah’s disappearances together since the moment Jane went missing, but before 2012, there was no physical evidence linking the murders. On Day 72 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial, a ChemCentre scientist recounted the moment the first alleged forensic links were made, connecting Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s murders. In 2012, blue polyester fibres found in Jane’s hair and on Ciara’s shirt were compared ...
Apr 15, 2020•37 min•Season 2Ep. 72
Today in court we found out a world-first fibre database was created specifically for the Claremont Serial Killings trial, which led to a ground breaking new way of investigating fibres now used as the standard method of fibre matching. The scientists who were testing the fibres found in Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s hair saw that they looked similar to those found in cars. So, they took off their lab coats and went out into the field, specifically wrecking yards, the police compound and...
Apr 14, 2020•27 min•Season 2Ep. 71
That crucial Telstra Blue fibre was again under the spotlight on day 70 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial, this time by the defence. Joined by prominent Perth criminal defence lawyer Tom Percy QC, the podcast team discuss what the defence will try to argue to place enough reasonable doubt in the fibre evidence. The argument - that the ‘Telstra Blue’ colour wasn’t always exclusive to Telstra, the colour was supplied to other, smaller businesses throughout the 90s. But the p...
Apr 08, 2020•33 min•Season 2Ep. 70
Telstra Blue. The fibre that delayed the trial of the century for more than four months. And it’s the fibre which the prosecution say was found in Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s hair. A piece of material, from a pair of Telstra pants which were used in 1996 and 1997 was tested as late as May 2019. The trial was originally due to start, but the prosecution - and the judge found this evidence important enough to delay the trial until November. On day 69 two witnesses told the court in...
Apr 07, 2020•32 min•Season 2Ep. 69
The police officer who went digging for the fingerprints that would blow the Claremont Serial Killings investigation wide open give his evidence today. Sgt Colin Stuart Beck took the stand to tell his massive involvement in one of WA’s most infamous cold cases, how his good old fashioned police work finding fingerprints from a series of break-ins, which led to fingerprints linking the Claremont cases to Huntingdale cases, and the database match with threw up the name Bradley Robert Edwards...
Apr 06, 2020•37 min•Season 2Ep. 68
With a video link to China, technical difficulties plagued the morning’s proceedings. When the technical issues were sorted, day 67 took a deep dive into fibres, VIN numbers and cars. Tim Clarke says in this episode, you would have had to be a car buff for the day’s evidence to keep you interested and focussed the whole day. Luckily, Tim Clarke was in court all day and takes us through the most important aspects of the day. A former Holden manufacturer, who told the court the particu...
Apr 02, 2020•27 min•Season 2Ep. 67
Could the inside of the Holden Commodore VS series be the last thing Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon ever saw before they were killed? It was revealed CSI took three days to dismantle and examine the Holden Commodore that Bradley Edwards drove in 1996 and 1997. Hundreds of exhibits were taken from the car - ChemCentre looking for fibres, PathWest looking for biological material, police looking for investigative clues, polilight exams, swabs, mats, seat covers and door panels taken away. Anything t...
Apr 01, 2020•31 min•Season 2Ep. 66
The police officer who seized the car Bradley Edwards drove in the 90s told the court of the breakthrough police had when they realised the car still existed. That car was the Holden Commodore seized in December 2016 - the same day Bradley Edwards was arrested. It’s been revealed it was the car Bradley Edwards drove in 1996 and 1997 - and the prosecution say it was the car he drove to abduct Sarah Spiers, Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon. It’s become vitally important in the case, becau...
Mar 31, 2020•20 min•Season 2Ep. 65
On Day 64 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial, two forensic police officers detailed how they painstakingly sifted through Jane Rimmer’s hair mass 13 years after her post-mortem. It was a sensitive operation for two reasons. After being in frozen storage for more than a decade, Jane’s hair mass was extremely brittle, and still had icicles on it. But these officers were very aware they were sifting through the hair of a murdered woman. As forensic expert Brendan Chapman explains in...
Mar 30, 2020•29 min•Season 2Ep. 64
Despite the coronavirus outbreak, the judge presiding over the Claremont Serial Killings trial, Justice Hall effectively told the court on day 63 that the trial must go on. At the end of the shortened day for the cross examination of former forensic police officer Victor Webb, Justice Hall told the court he is prepared to make changes to the process to allow witnesses to give evidence from home. But for day 63, former forensic police officer Victor Webb was grilled by the defence about storage a...
Mar 26, 2020•26 min•Season 2Ep. 63
Just as day 62 of the Claremont serial killings trial was ending, drama erupted in the courtroom. Coronavirus-related drama. Justice Hall hauled a security staff member into the courtroom after it emerged some pensioners and students were banned from entering the court. He told the security their actions, which were approved by the court’s general manager could amount to contempt of court, saying, “I take this extremely seriously. The public has been discouraged from attending but no...
Mar 25, 2020•34 min•Season 2Ep. 62
WA’s trial of the century will likely take a couple of days off each week in an effort to try and limit the amount of time the lawyers, witnesses and police are in the room. It’s been a fast changing process of how this important trial can continue through the COVID-19 crisis, all the players are working together to try and get a result, as well as stay safe. Justice Hall told the court “We will pull together” That means streamlining the witnesses. Today, three forensic s...
Mar 24, 2020•27 min•Season 2Ep. 61
After a 10-day break, WA’s trial of the century resumed - with strict and widespread cleaning and social distancing measures to ensure this mammoth trial can continue. Compared to previously in the trial - when the public gallery was packed to the point a separate room was set aside for overflow - one person from the public was in court. And what they heard was the beginning of the fibre evidence, which focussed on Jane Rimmer’s hair mass. Fibres are critical to the prosecution...
Mar 23, 2020•32 min•Season 2Ep. 60
Now the DNA portion of the trial is over, and before we delve into the world of fibre evidence, the Claremont in Conversation team have consolidated all of the DNA evidence which is crucial to the case. Ciara Glennon’s fingernails, the Karrakatta rape victim’s swabs and a kimono - the three pieces of evidence which the prosecution say led them to Bradley Edwards. Joined by forensic expert Brendan Chapman, Natalie Bonjolo and Tim Clarke answer the questions you’ve asked about al...
Mar 19, 2020•47 min
Despite restaurants and pubs closing, and events being cancelled, WA’s trial of the century will still be going ahead. In a last-minute, urgent hearing called at 3pm today, Justice Stephen Hall announced the news not many people, including the Claremont in Conversation team were expecting to hear. Court will resume on Monday, March 23. As Alison Fan explains in this special update episode, Justice Stephen Hall virtually told the court that nothing will stop this trial from going ahead, eve...
Mar 18, 2020•12 min
We’re in an unprecedented time, a confusing time. As we’re being asked to self-isolate and work from home to try and stop the spread of Coronavirus, there are many professions where that simply isn’t possible. Shops, cafes and restaurants may close, but hospitals, police stations, any emergency services can’t stop. And the justice system - for the moment can’t either. This week, Western Australia, like many other states and countries, announced that no new jury tria...
Mar 17, 2020•26 min
March 14, 1997 was a day like any other. 27-year-old Ciara Glennon, having only just arrived back in Australia from travelling the world, was drinking with colleagues. The lawyer had been back at work for a week, her colleagues wanted to celebrate that, and being a Friday, they decided to have a few drinks, then hit the town. But Ciara didn’t want to, she wanted to go home to be with her family before her sister’s hens the next day. She was eventually convinced to go out to Claremont...
Mar 14, 2020•42 min
The DNA portion of the trial has officially come to an end, and as tonight’s guest on the Claremont in Conversation, Alison Fan puts it, “It was fitting that the man who started it all, ended it all.” Dr Jonathan Whitaker dismissed the defence’s two DNA contamination theories, by saying it was ‘highly improbable’ that Bradley Edwards’ DNA was found with Ciara Glennon’s samples because of any type of contamination. In this episode, Alison Fan says t...
Mar 10, 2020•28 min•Season 2Ep. 59
He was flown in especially from the UK to give evidence at the Claremont Serial Killings trial. He’s considered the prosecution’s star witness for DNA. Why? Because he helped develop the Low Copy Number technique that found the male DNA profile - which the prosecution says is Bradley Edwards’ DNA - on Ciara Glennon’s fingernail samples when no one else could. Dr Jonathan Whitaker has given evidence at some of the biggest trials around the world, including the now-famous A...
Mar 09, 2020•36 min•Season 2Ep. 58
Welcome to part two of this recap series of Claremont in Conversation. In the last episode, we took you through the fear that swept through Perth as police realised a serial killer was at loose in their city after the disappearances of three women. In the trial, we heard from the people who knew the women, the people who last saw them alive and watched in stunned silence as CCTV and final phone calls were played. In this episode, we hear from the people who were woken by distressing screams that...
Mar 07, 2020•1 hr
Welcome to this special catch up episode of Claremont in Conversation. We’re at the half-way mark in WA’s trial of the century. If you’ve never listened before, this is your perfect chance to get up to speed on everything that’s happened in WA’s trial of the century, without having to listen to 57 episodes. If you’ve been following the trial since day one, this is your perfect chance to recap the last three months before the trial moves into fibre evidence. It...
Mar 06, 2020•1 hr 2 min
“Impossible” is not a word scientists like to use. But during his fifth, and last day on the stand, forensic scientist Scott Egan got as close as possible to that definite term. He described a potential contamination of Bradley Edwards’ DNA into samples of Ciara Glennon’s fingernails as being highly unlikely, going as far as saying the two were tested 13-months apart. Defence lawyer Damien Cripps says in this podcast, it’s looking like this is a full stop on this co...
Mar 05, 2020•22 min•Season 2Ep. 57
Only one sample of Bradley Edwards’ DNA was created from the Karrakatta rape victim’s intimate swab, and it was revealed that sample sat in an evidence box from 1999 to 2008. The prosecution argues this means there was no way Bradley Edwards’ DNA and and Ciara Glennon’s fingernail samples could have come into contact with each other. Previously the court had been told Bradley Edwards DNA was initially extracted in 1995, and tested in 1996 and 1997, then placed into storag...
Mar 04, 2020•30 min•Season 2Ep. 56
Ciara Glennon’s body was found 19 days after she went missing, in bushland 40 kms north of Perth on April 3, 1997. She was found fully clothed, her shirt covered in blood. After her post-mortem, her shirt was sent off for DNA testing, but what scientists found was unusual. They found nothing, not even Ciara’s own DNA. This was explained by senior forensic scientist Scott Egan, who told the court it was likely exposure to the elements destroyed all DNA, even Ciara’s. But w...
Mar 03, 2020•20 min•Season 2Ep. 55
