Motive & Method

When Gareth, Nathaniel and Stacey Train shot and killed two police officers and their neighbour at their remote property at Wieambilla in December 2022, the country was shocked. What could motivate these three people to plan and carry out such premeditated violence? As the days unfolded, and we heard about the lives of the killers, their motives gradually became clear – this was Australia’s first case of Christian terrorism. In this episode, we speak to media identity Melissa Downes and senior news producer Jess Lodge, to learn more about this dark episode, and some of the details they have learnt whilst making their podcast on the case, ‘The Ultimate Sacrifice’.

Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s April 1994, and Anthea Bradshaw has just married her high school sweetheart, Jeff Hall, before embarking on what she believed was her new adventure, a life with Jeff in Brunei, South East Asia. But just 96 days later, Anthea would be found brutally murdered half a world away – and who killed her remains a mystery. On this episode, we delve into the what, why, and how’s of this cold case with journalist Ben Avery, who has devoted years trying to get answers for Anthea’s family.

Search 'Just Married' in your podcast app to hear Ben's investigation. Or tap the link here. 

Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve all seen some very scary footage recently of youth gangs targeting stores, stealing goods at knife point.  The impression is that armed retail theft is on the rise, and data backs up that that is true.  We’re also seeing more organised retail theft – much of it is technology enabled scams.  What are the drivers for retail crime?  Who are the offenders, and who are the victims.  And what affect do these types of crime have on them, and society more broadly?  This week we ask, what is retail crime costing you?

Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sunday 7th July saw a father accused of the murder of three young children, and the attempted murder of four others plus their mother, in Sydney’s west.  The case shocked the nation, but fire is a weapon that has become more common for murderers.  This week we talk through the psychology of someone who would use fire as a weapon of murder, in an attempt to understand this inexplicable crime.

Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim and I have seen many miscarriages of justice in our collective time, but none shock us more than the case of Derek Bromley, who along with John Karpany, were jailed in 1985 for the murder of Stephen Docoza, whose body was found in Adelaide’s River Torrens in 1984. However, the evidence used to convict them is wholly unsound, as you will here. Bother men maintain their innocence. Derek was released last week on parole, after serving over 38 years for a crime he did not commit. Here from legal expert Dr Bob Moles, who knows more about miscarriages of justice in Australia than anyone else. We ask: Is this the most egregious miscarriage of justice in Australian history? You decide.

Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The last few days has been full of news and imagery of Julian Assange returning to Australia after 5 years in a British prison for breaching the US Espionage Act.  Assange had faced decades of incarceration in a US prison, until a plea deal was agreed with US prosecutors. This week we talk about Assange, but broaden that out to look at other whistleblower cases, and the psychological and physical implications of long-term confinement.

Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matricide – or the murder of a mother by their child – is an uncommon form of murder. However, unlike many homicides, history tells us a lot about the types of people who commit this crime. Data suggests men the most likely offenders, and that untreated schizophrenia together with an unhealthy parent/child relationship can be contributing factors.

Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have all seen the horrendous accounts of harm against women, often caused by men they know. But where does this come from? In this episode, we talk about where misogyny stems from, the harm it is causing our kids, how AI is being used to cause further trauma, and how we can try to change the narrative.

Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have recently seen a spate of knife crimes perpetrated by young people. This has included the Sydney stabbing at the church, knife violence between young people, and a 10-year-old girl stabbed to death, allegedly by her 17-year-old sister. In this episode, we discuss the link between young people, crime, and social media.

Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this special episode of Motive& Method, Tim & Xanthe go into the weekend tragic events that unfolded in the Sydney suburb of Bondi Junction where Queensland man Joel Cauchi has been named as the man who killed five women and one man at the Bondi Junction shopping centre during a horrific mass stabbing on Saturday.

Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.