Australian True Crime

On December 14, 2008, 37-year-old Mary Cook was found murdered in a burned down house on Darling Way, Narre Warren.

Victoria Police launched a months-long covert operation, gaining a confession from 35-year-old Glenn Weaven using the controversial "Mr Big" technique.

Weaven was convicted of Mary’s murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison, with a 16-year non-parole period. But the use of the Mr Big method has sparked intense scrutiny.

Our guest today on Australian True Crime, Professor Michele Ruyters, is here to explain what the Mr Big technique is, and how she believes it may have coerced a confession from Glenn Weaven, thus resulting in his wrongful conviction.

Today's conversation is also conducted by our guest host and resident criminologist, Dr. Xanthé Mallett.

Michele Ruyters is the director of the Bridge of Hope Innocence Initiative at RMIT University. 

Click here to visit and report information regarding this case to The Bridge of Hope Innocence Initiative.

Season 6 of the ABC's podcast "Unravel" is available wherever you get your podcasts.

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.

For Support: 

Lifeline  on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram 

Guest Host: Dr. Xanthé Mallett

Guest: Professor Michele Ruyters

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

GET IN TOUCH:

https://www.australiantruecrimethepodcast.com/

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook 

Send us a question to have played on the show by recording a voice message here.

Email the show at [email protected]

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.

Hannah was just 15 years old when her big sister, Emma Pawelski was murdered in 2005.

The crime remains unsolved, despite the fact that police have always had one main suspect.

We spoke to Hannah and Emma's mother, Sharon, in 2020. We've reissued that episode, in case you'd like to listen back to it after this one.

Hannah McKell joins us today on Australian True Crime to talk about living with her sister's homicide and to appeal again for anyone with information about her sister's death to please contact police.

There is a $200,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in this case. If you have any information, please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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.

For Support: 

Lifeline  on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram 

Guest: Hannah McKell

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

GET IN TOUCH:

https://www.australiantruecrimethepodcast.com/

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook 

Send us a question to have played on the show by recording a voice message here.

Email the show at [email protected]

Hannah was just 15 years old when her big sister, Emma Pawelski was murdered in 2005.

The crime remains unsolved, despite the fact that police have always had one main suspect.

We spoke to Hannah and Emma's mother, Sharon, in 2020. We've reissued that episode, in case you'd like to listen back to it after this one.

Hannah McKell joins us today on Australian True Crime to talk about living with her sister's homicide and to appeal again for anyone with information about her sister's death to please contact police.

There is a $200,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in this case. If you have any information, please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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.

For Support: 

Lifeline  on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram 

Guest: Hannah McKell

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

GET IN TOUCH:

https://www.australiantruecrimethepodcast.com/

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook 

Send us a question to have played on the show by recording a voice message here.

Email the show at [email protected]

This is a re-issue of episode #168, The Unsolved Murder of Emma Pawelski.

This week, we released an episode with the sister of Emma Pawelski, Hannah McKell. This is a conversation we had with Emma's mother, Sharon, and we recommend listening to both to get a full understanding of Emma's life, and the circumstances of her disappearance.

If you have any information on the cases covered by this podcast, please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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.

For Support: 

Lifeline  on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram 

Guest: Sharon McKell

GET IN TOUCH:

https://www.australiantruecrimethepodcast.com/

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook 

Send us a question to have played on the show by recording a voice message here.

Email the show at [email protected]

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.

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 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.

For Support: 

Lifeline  on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram 

Guest: Valentine Smith

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

GET IN TOUCH:

https://www.australiantruecrimethepodcast.com/

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook 

Send us a question to have played on the show by recording a voice message here.

Email the show at [email protected]

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 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.

For Support: 

Lifeline  on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram 

Guest: Valentine Smith

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

GET IN TOUCH:

https://www.australiantruecrimethepodcast.com/

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook 

Send us a question to have played on the show by recording a voice message here.

Email the show at [email protected]

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 discuss the ways in which criminal offenders stage fake crime scenes to deter criminal investigators, as well as the tactics they use to avoid suspicion.

Leading the conversation with Claire today is Dr. Xanthe Mallett, our guest host and fellow forensic criminologist.

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.

For Support: 

Lifeline  on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram 

Guest Host: Dr. Xanthé Mallett

Guest: Dr. Claire Ferguson

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

GET IN TOUCH:

https://www.australiantruecrimethepodcast.com/

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook 

Send us a question to have played on the show by recording a voice message here.

Email the show at [email protected]

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 avoid suspicion.

Leading the conversation with Claire today is Dr. Xanthe Mallett, our guest host and fellow forensic criminologist.

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.

For Support: 

Lifeline  on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram 

Guest Host: Dr. Xanthé Mallett

Guest: Dr. Claire Ferguson

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

This episode contains extra content from The ABC and Nine Entertainment

GET IN TOUCH:

https://www.australiantruecrimethepodcast.com/

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook 

Send us a question to have played on the show by recording a voice message here.

Email the show at [email protected]

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!".

True to his word, Simmonds escaped and kicked off the biggest armed manhunt in Australian history.

"They'll Never Hold Me" will be available to purchase from October 29th. You can click here to get your copy.

You can listen to Michael's podcast "Forgotten Australia" wherever you get your podcasts.

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.

For Support: 

Lifeline  on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram 

Guest: Michael Adams

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

GET IN TOUCH:

https://www.australiantruecrimethepodcast.com/

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook 

Send us a question to have played on the show by recording a voice message here.

Email the show at [email protected]

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.

Brian recently released a book called Vegas Concierge: Sex Trafficking, Hip-Hop and Corruption in America.

In the book, he focuses on the so-called pimp and prostitute culture that's been glamorised and normalised in the media. Specifically, Brian reports on the case of Jamal Rashid, known professionally as Mally Mall, an American hip hop producer who worked with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Chris Brown and Wiz Khalifa, among many others.

You can purchase Brian's book "Vegas Concierge Sex Trafficking, Hip-Hop and Corruption in America" here.

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.

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram 

Guest: Brian Joseph

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

GET IN TOUCH:

https://www.australiantruecrimethepodcast.com/

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook 

Send us a question to have played on the show by recording a voice message here.

Email the show at [email protected]