A merciless serial killer terrorised women in the United Kingdom with a spate of brutal attacks, leaving police and forensic experts stumped.

Now, almost 50 years later, forensics has learned, and built more advanced technologies that could've helped catch the killer sooner, and potentially saved lives.

In this Rewind episode of Crime Insiders Forensics, former host Kathryn Fox sits down with Dr Marie Morelato to understand how forensics has evolved from this case, and to unpack the current strategies being employed to catch criminals and save lives.

This episode contains references to sexual violence against women and children. If you or someone you know needs help, dial 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732). 

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In 1986, a car bomb ripped through Melbourne’s Russell Street Police Headquarters, killing one and injuring 21. It was Australia’s first taste of domestic terrorism, a shocking ‘revenge attack’ that turned the heart of the city into a war zone. Among the injured was then-21-year-old Constable Debra Richardson. 

Deb spent more than 3 decades in fear of what would happen when the perpetrator, Craig Minogue, was released. So much so, that in 2018, she successfully lobbied the State Government to keep him in jail.

In this episode of Crime Insiders Detectives, Deb shares her harrowing memories of the bombing with host Brent Sanders and takes us inside her fight to keep Minogue behind bars.

This episode contains descriptions of violent crime and mental health. If you or anyone you know needs assistance, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. 

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In 1992, the High Court handed down a ruling that shattered centuries of denial. Eddie Mabo’s fight for recognition overturned the legal fiction of terra nullius and forever changed Australia’s relationship with its First Peoples. This landmark decision not only rewrote the nation’s story but also paved the way for the Native Title Act, reshaping law, land, and history.

In this episode of Crime Insiders Judgements, we’ll explore the journey of Eddie Mabo, the High Court battle, and its legacy.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners are advised that this episode contains the names of people who have passed away.

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In March 1991, five violent offenders stole a prison garbage truck and smashed their way through the gates of Brisbane’s notorious Boggo Road Gaol.

The pursuit that followed left the country and those watching live on Channel 7 stunned.

Shaun O'Gorman is one of Queensland's most experienced police dog handlers. He worked in the K9 unit for much of his career, and became one of the state's most effective operators.

In this Rewind episode of Crime Insiders | Detectives, host Brent Sanders learns what it takes to train police dogs and the police that go with them.

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In 2006, underworld figure Lee Patrick Torney vanished without a trace. Nearly a year later, forensic anthropologist Dr. Soren Blau was lowered into an abandoned mineshaft outside the old gold-mining township of Chewton, near Castlemaine, Victoria. Soren pieced together the secret clues hidden on the surface of bones and what they showed about injuries and the circumstances of death.

Soren also revisits another landmark case that reshaped forensic science, with the first ever exhumation of a murder suspect in the United Kingdom.

Host Liz Porter sits down with Soren to find out how her pioneering use of familial DNA helped unmask a serial killer.

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In 2021, a neatly dressed man in his 60s walks into a Sydney Police Station. He looks like a regular guy. But police are stunned - this isn’t just any man. It’s Darko Desic. A fugitive who escaped from Grafton Prison with a hacksaw and bolt cutters three decades earlier. A man who was a prolific weed grower. A man who lived in hiding for 30 years - right under the noses of the police. 

How did he do it? How did he evade capture for so long? And why, after all that time, did he finally give himself up? 

That’s what journalist Tim Elliot set out to uncover in the latest season of LiSTNR’s documentary series, Secrets We Keep.

If you’re hooked and want more, click here to go straight to episode 2. 

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Two people vanish without a trace from Logan, south of Brisbane in Queensland. 

They hadn’t been seen in days. Their phones rang out. Their social media...silent. 

Something had happened, but no one could possibly have predicted what was about to unfold…

This episode contains references to violent crime. If you or anyone you know needs assistance, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. 

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It took 37 years, a failed murder trial, and an Australian mathematician to finally prosecute one of Scotland's most infamous serial killers.

Professor David Balding is a pioneer in the field of mathematical computational genetics. In this Rewind episode of Crime Insiders Forensics, former host Kathryn Fox learns how David uses tools like probability to calculate the likelihood of DNA belonging to offenders, victims, and crime scenes.

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The courtroom drama that gripped Australia has finally reached its conclusion. Erin Patterson, the woman at the centre of the nation’s most infamous murder case in recent history, has been sentenced to life for three counts of murder.  

Justice Beale did not hold back in his scathing remarks, saying Erin had zero remorse, chilling premeditation, and victims left across generations. 

In this special bonus episode from The Briefing podcast, criminologist Xanthe Mallett joins Natarsha Belling to unpack the sentence, the judge’s remarks, and the question that still lingers: why did Erin do it? 

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Dr Peter Tickner is a seasoned auditor with over 40 years of experience across the NHS, central government and police. 

Peter became Head of Internal Audit of Her Majesty’s Treasury in 1988. In 1995 Peter left to become Director of Internal Audit for the Met Police, a post he held until early retirement in 2009, when he set up his own consultancy and fraud investigation business.

Host Brent Sanders sits down with Peter to discuss his role in high-profile investigations and the challenges of maintaining integrity in the face of institutional resistance.

From the intricacies of the Leveson Inquiry to the unexpected twists in his career, Peter's insights offer a rare glimpse into the world of forensic auditing.

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