For 26 years, the official record told one story. Then a previously unseen police file surfaced.

In the final days of a respected Tasmanian emergency services leader’s life, he was questioned over a serious allegation, admitted to a sexual relationship he said was consensual, and moved to retire. Two days later, he was dead.

This episode examines the newly released documents, a missing briefing note, disturbing allegations from someone connected to the family, and claims of a warning that have never been independently verified.

What happened in those final 48 hours and why did it take more than two decades for the file to emerge?

Trigger warning: This episode discusses allegations of sexual abuse, childhood trauma and suicide. Some listeners may find the content distressing.

The allegations discussed in this episode remain unproven unless otherwise stated. No court has made findings. Where allegations are raised, they are presented as allegations and distinguished from information contained in official records.

If this episode raises anything for you, support is available through Lifeline on 13 11 14, by text on 0477 13 11 14, or via online chat 24 hours a day. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 000.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Allegations involving former Tasmanian police officer Paul Reynolds. A current officer is now before the courts. And a 15-year-old child exploitation scandal where police officers were allegedly linked by phone calls.

In this episode, we look at three separate matters across different time periods and ask whether they raise deeper systemic questions inside Tasmania Police.

This is not about saying every case is connected. It is about asking what happens when serious allegations involve the very institution trusted to investigate them  and whether the public has ever been given enough answers.

Disclaimer: This episode discusses allegations of child sexual abuse and exploitation. Some matters mentioned remain before the courts, and all accused persons are entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. If this episode raises anything for you, please reach out for support. In Australia, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, text 0477 13 11 14, or use their crisis chat at https://www.lifeline.org.au/crisis-chat/.

If this episode is triggering, please pause and seek support. 

• Lifeline: 13 11 14 — https://www.lifeline.org.au

• Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — https://kidshelpline.com.au

• 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 — https://www.1800respect.org.au

If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected]

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new source comes forward with troubling memories of Paul Reynolds in a small Tasmanian town  including claims about inappropriate conversations, late-night drives, and the company he kept.

As we follow that thread, it leads back to another town, another former officer, and allegations involving young women that have never been publicly tested in court.

We also look at recent charges involving current and former Tasmania Police officers, the long-running question of whether there was something wider inside the system, and what happened when we tried to access documents explaining why Reynolds’ death was investigated alongside three other police deaths.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A serious concern was raised at a school. Students needed to be protected. The person accused needed a fair chance to respond. And the institution needed a process strong enough to withstand scrutiny.

In this episode, we examine a publicly available 2006 Tasmanian Industrial Commission decision involving St Patrick’s College. It is not about Paul Reynolds, and it does not prove anything about him. But it does show how difficult and how important institutional process becomes when allegations involve children, trusted adults, missing evidence and career-threatening consequences

Disclaimer:
This episode discusses a publicly available Tasmanian Industrial Commission decision involving allegations made against a teacher in 2006.

The teacher denied the allegations. The Commission ultimately found that the allegations were not proved on the balance of probabilities and recommended that the warning issued to the teacher be withdrawn.

Nothing in this episode should be taken as a finding that the teacher engaged in wrongdoing. Our focus is on the process: how the concern was raised, how the school responded, how evidence was handled, and what the Commission said about procedural fairness.

We are not suggesting wrongdoing by St Patrick’s College, its staff, students or any individual involved. We are reporting on a public decision and examining the broader institutional questions it raises about allegations, evidence, fairness and accountability.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we go back to Tasmania in 2008, when serious allegations about Paul Reynolds were first put in writing inside Tasmania Police.

A newly released RTI reveals three key pieces of correspondence about what was allegedly said in a police bar allegations that Reynolds was a paedophile. But the documents also raise questions about what happened next, and what appears not to have happened.

Was Reynolds questioned? Were all witnesses formally interviewed? Was the matter investigated with the seriousness it deserved?

As calls grow for a parliamentary inquiry into how Tasmania Police handled allegations against Reynolds, this episode asks whether the warning signs were missed, minimised, or allowed to disappear into the system.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Badge of Betrayal, we examine two deeply sensitive stories that raise the same uncomfortable question: what happens when the person accused is part of the system itself?

The episode begins with allegations involving “John”, a former police officer who later moved into another public-facing role within the Tasmanian system. Through internal documents, witness statements and a Direction 5 Code of Conduct process, we explore claims that were serious enough to raise questions about workplace conduct, accountability and whether warnings were properly handled.

Then, we look at Laura’s story, first reported by the ABC, involving allegations connected to a serving Tasmanian police officer, a family violence order later found to have no legal basis, and concerns about how complaints are handled when police are investigating one of their own.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

***Trigger warning:
This episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse, grooming, trauma, sexualised behaviour toward minors, and suicide. It may be distressing for some listeners. Please take care while listening.

In this episode of Badge of Betrayal, we speak with Tasmania’s Independent Regulator, Louise Coe, about a serious gap in the state’s child safety oversight system.

The Office of the Independent Regulator was created to oversee organisations that work with children and young people, including how they respond to allegations of reportable conduct. But in August 2025, Tasmania Police told the regulator they had received legal advice that they were not captured by the scheme meaning they stopped providing key information, including the identities of police officers involved in reportable conduct matters.

For eight months, that gap remained.

Louise explains why independent oversight matters, why the reporting scheme exists, and why police interactions with vulnerable young people require close scrutiny. She also discusses the importance of backdating the law to cover the period where reporting stopped, and why culture change inside institutions is just as important as technical compliance.

Later in the episode, we share part of an anonymous email from another victim of Paul Reynolds.  The email includes graphic and deeply distressing details of alleged grooming, emotional manipulation and sexual abuse, and shows how hearing this podcast has helped some people reframe what happened to them.

If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected]

If this episode is triggering, please pause and seek support. 

• Lifeline: 13 11 14 — https://www.lifeline.org.au

• Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — https://kidshelpline.com.au

• 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 — https://www.1800respect.org.au

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

***Trigger warning:
This episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse, grooming, trauma, sexualised behaviour toward minors, and suicide. It may be distressing for some listeners. Please take care while listening.

For years, it was brushed aside as banter. Something uncomfortable, but never fully spoken about.

In this episode, another former student comes forward to describe the influence Reynolds had over a tight-knit group of boys, and the behaviour they are only now, as adults, beginning to understand differently.

He speaks about grief, vulnerability, power, and the way trauma can shape a life long after childhood. He also reflects on why so many men stay silent, and what happens when that silence finally starts to break.

This is a confronting and deeply personal account of shame, silence, masculinity, and the long shadow of things left unsaid.

If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected]

If this episode is triggering, please pause and seek support. 

• Lifeline: 13 11 14 — https://www.lifeline.org.au

• Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — https://kidshelpline.com.au

• 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 — https://www.1800respect.org.au

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Tasmanian parliamentary hearing has exposed a shocking child safety loophole: for months, Tasmania Police were effectively outside the state’s reportable conduct scheme.

In this episode, we unpack the committee bombshell, what the regulator revealed, and why the failure to report police matters is causing alarm. We also share new listener information and a fresh lead connected to Paul Reynolds that could open another line of investigation.

If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected]

 

If this episode is triggering, please pause and seek support. 

• Lifeline: 13 11 14 — https://www.lifeline.org.au

• Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — https://kidshelpline.com.au

• 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 — https://www.1800respect.org.au

If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected]

 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2019, a major review into Tasmania’s prosecution system found it was working “satisfactorily.”
A few issues. Some pressure. Nothing the system couldn’t handle.

But what happens when that pressure builds quietly… over time?

Through an RTI-obtained document, a new internal review from 2024 reveals a system under strain  growing case loads, increasing complexity, delays in disclosure, and resources struggling to keep up.

In this episode, we step back from individual cases and examine the system itself the warning signs, the missed opportunities, and the environment these cases existed within.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.