Bad Apple: A True Crime Podcast

In 2019, a young woman, using the pseudonym Alice, came forward and reported that she had been sexually assaulted by the volunteer massage therapist she met at her childhood netball games. In the tight-knit community of northern Tasmania, news spreads fast, and within months another 4 women had alleged that the same man, Jim Griffin, had groomed and assaulted them too. The subsequent police investigation exposed a man who had dedicated his life and career to getting close to young girls, which sparked a lot of questions about how his offending, which started in the 1980s had flown under the radar for so long.

In the late 1980s, Auckland was considered a safe place and somewhere to raise a family. Parents were comfortable leaving their young teens home alone at night, and young women often walked home alone after dark. That was until New Zealand police discovered the possibility that a serial rapist was operating in the South Auckland area. Citizens became gripped with fear, installing greater security in their homes and sleeping next to weapons, in some areas, vigilante justice groups formed with the hope of catching the serial offender. Advances in DNA technology and criminal profiling led police to the doorstep of Joseph Thompson, who answered the door with: “I’ve been waiting for you guys.”

On the 16th of October 2021, 4-year-old Cleo Smith disappeared from her family’s campsite at the Blowholes, north of Carnarvon in Western Australia. What followed was the most comprehensive search and rescue operation in recent Australian history, and non-stop reporting of Cleo’s case which had gripped the nation. Cleo was missing for 18 days before police made a breakthrough discovery, bringing relief to those enthralled by the story. Programs were cancelled in favour of a 3-hour news special, and The West Australian newspaper ran a 22-page spread featuring all the details. The amount of coverage raised questions for some - should the family be granted some privacy, and why aren’t the same police resources and media coverage common in the cases of other missing children?

Nature enthusiasts Urban Höglin and Heidi Paakkonen left Sweden in September 1988 to embark on a trip down under. When the couple didn’t return home on time, their families initially thought they’d changed their plans. By the time they raised the alarm, Urban and Heidi had been missing for 6 weeks. Conveniently, a convicted criminal and current fugitive David Tamihere had been recently apprehended and was last seen where the two backpackers went missing.

In 1998, a man was killed while walking along the railway tracks in inner-city Perth. With no identification on his person and no information from the public, investigators couldn’t reunite the man with his family. History repeated itself 10 years later, in 2008 when another man was struck by a train in south-east Melbourne. He too was unable to be identified. These two men joined the more than 500 unidentified persons at any one time who are currently stored in morgues, or unmarked graves. Despite huge advances in forensic technology, and the development of a National Missing Persons and Victim System to link DNA records with reports of missing people, these two men remain unidentified. Investigators are sure that someone in the community knows something, and have renewed pleas for information.

In June 1982, 49 gold bars were withdrawn from the Perth Mint using three cheques. The bars were taken to Jandakot Airport, loaded onto a plane, and never seen again. However, staff at the Mint had realised the cheques were fraudulent, meaning the gold had been swindled. The Mickelberg brothers, Ray, Peter and Brian, were convicted in 1984, but these convictions were overturned 20 years later. The unsolved mystery of the missing gold has all the makings of a Hollywood film: allegations of police corruption bombshells about fabricated evidence, a plane crash, and a car bomb. But this is the real-life tale of the Mint Swindle.

In the 1980s, the Satanic Panic was rife in the United States, with authorities receiving more than 12,000 claims of satanic abuse within an alleged network of underground devil-worshipping paedophiles operating in daycare centres. By 1991, this panic had reached Christchurch, New Zealand. Child care worker, Peter Ellis, was accused of sexually assaulting a young boy in his care. The investigation of these claims has been plagued with criticisms about parental interference, an unreliable interview process, and fabricated compensation claims. Peter has always maintained his innocence, and 30 years on his case continues.

Australia and New Zealand share a passion for sport. It is a source not only of entertainment, but of national pride, which means it comes as no surprise that conspiracies of sabotage against our sporting stars are some of the most widely believed conspiracies among the population. The allegations of Phar Lap’s murder by US gangsters, and the potential poisoning of the All Blacks’ at the 1995 Rugby World Cup, have been discussed at backyard BBQ’s for decades, but still remain unsolved.

Like so many young people at the time, 29-year-old Kayo Matsuzawa had traveled from Japan to Christchurch, New Zealand, with a dream of learning English and seeing the world. In September 1998, Kayo took her first trip to Auckland. Worried about traveling alone, Kayo invited her friend Naomi to Auckland, but when Naomi couldn’t come, Kayo promised to send her a postcard. After 10 days, there was no postcard - Naomi knew that something had happened to Kayo.