Secrets We Keep

Day 29 started out unusually in court, with an officer asked to spell the words ‘maggot’ and ‘entomology’ for the court as his cross examination started.

The spelling test however, wasn’t just for fun, the court was told during evidence collection, several copies of exhibit lists were made, and one officer simply couldn’t spell those two words, and could identify his writing through his spelling of ‘magat’ and ‘antomology’.

Also to take the stand, the forensic officer who collected exhibits from the 1995 Karrakatta rape. He told the court it was him who incorrectly labelled one of the items as a skirt, when they were in fact shorts. After weeks of questioning other witnesses, scrutiny of the labelling of evidence, Sergeant Adam McCulloch told the court he simply made a mistake, which was rectified.

Some of the questions sent in by podcast listeners have queried whether the item was a ‘skort’, a mix between the two. However, Sgt McCulloch didn’t have an answer to that.

Another witness, a mortuary technician who helped with Ciara Glennon’s autopsy told the court in 1997, while they had some idea of hair and fibre transfer when touching a body, they didn’t have an understanding that the same could happen with DNA.

Brian Mouchmore told the court he was aware that a skin flake or hair could get onto a body without touching it, but admitted he didn’t really know mortuary instruments could transfer DNA from one part of the body to another.

As Tim Clarke explains, Mr Mouchemore was also quizzed on the length of his beard.

Join him, Natalie Bonjolo and Alison Fan as they take you through the events of day 29.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After three women went missing from the same area within less than two years of each other, police concluded they could be looking for a serial killer.

So they brought in FBI-trained profilers to try and get inside the mind of the person responsible for the murders of two women, and the disappearance of another.

Serial killer experts Claude Minisini and Captain David Caldwell were in Perth, after being invited by MACRO detectives when Ciara’s body was found dumped in bushland in Eglington on April 3, 1997.

The FBI experts were brought up by Supt John Leembruggen during his evidence on day 28 of WA’s trial of the century.

Supt Leembruggen, who was a detective with the MACRO taskforce in 1997, told the court he escorted the two experts into the crime scene of Ciara Glennon’s body. As Tim Clarke explains, the experts' inclusion in the investigation was contentious at the time, and even more contentious, was what they said.

Mr Caldwell had created a profile of the killer while in Perth. He told WA media at the time he believed the then unknown suspect “really enjoys the killing” and “only capture or the killer’s death would stop him taking more lives.”

In this podcast, the team also discuss the injuries found on Ciara Glennon’s body, more quizzing of mortuary technicians of how they collected evidence, and why one of the technicians put a towel meant for cleaning up after an autopsy over his shoulders.

All of that,  plus legal analysis and answers to some of your questions by defence lawyer Damien Cripps on day 28 of the Claremont trial.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

***WARNING: Graphic Content***

Ciara Glennon's fingernail clippings are the key pieces of evidence the prosecution have to say why they'll prove Bradley Robert Edwards is the Claremont serial killer.

The reason why they're so crucial, is because DNA found under those fingernails contained the DNA of the accused, and the prosecution say it got there because of a struggle.

When Ciara Glennon’s body was found on April 3, 1997, she also had defensive wounds on her arms and hands, indicating she fought for her life.

On day 27 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial, the court heard from the mortuary manager who collected those key pieces of evidence. Dr Robert Macdermit, who had conducted more than 10,000 autopsies during his career, clipped Ciara's fingernails, and detailed the grim task that was conducting her post-mortem.

In that autopsy, Ciara's hair mass was also taken, a gruesome task which was explained in full to the court by Dr Macdermit. Ciara's hair is also an important piece of evidence for the prosecution, because several blue and grey fibres, which they say are from the Telstra uniform and Commodore station wagon used by Bradley Edwards at the time.

However, during his cross examination it was revealed Dr Macdermit could have driven a commodore to the post mortem that day.

The defence also noticed what looked like another body present in the room of the time of Ciara's post-mortem. They also got Dr Macdermit to admit they used the same utensils for different body parts, which were rinsed off during the procedure.

Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Alison Fan as they explain the details of day 27.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The defence team for the accused Claremont Serial Killer, Bradley Edwards focussed on forensic collection errors made by police when Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found in 1996 and 1997.

Sergeant Gary Hyde was grilled about errors in transcripts and data entry of forensic pieces from samples collected from the murdered women.

On day 26, we’re joined by forensic expert Brendan Chapman, who helps walk us through some of the potential risks incorrect entries in forensic databases can arise, as well as answer your questions about DNA and forensics.

We also got a glimpse of the type of person Ciara Glennon was in life, with photos of her bedroom just hours after she went missing shown to the court.

The moment trapped in time, as the court saw clothes strewn across her bed and shoes on the floor. The bedroom left by a woman in a hurry, never to return.

Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Brendan Chapman as they navigate the world of forensics and DNA.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The question of who handled evidence samples from the two murdered women’s bodies, will become key in both the prosecution and defence’s arguments.

On day 25, we got our first glimpse of just how in depth the witnesses will be expected to remember of their dealings with samples.

Forensic police officer Gary Hyde told the court he was present during the day Ciara Glennon’s body was found, he took photos of her post-mortem the next day, and handled several exhibits.

He was responsible for sending off a critical hair sample to the FBI in 1999.

He also told the court he handled evidence which had been tested by key forensic scientist Laurie Webb in 2012, who went on to be sacked in 2016 for cutting corners.

Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Emily Moulton as they take you through how the evidence was labelled, where it went, as well as discussing Yakka workwear, and why it has become so important to this case.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following Jane Rimmer’s post-mortem, the pathologist who carried it out gave one of the detectives a lock of Jane’s hair.

The detective, Vicky Young then washed, brushed and placed an elastic around it and gave it to the Rimmer family.

During her evidence today, she said it was an act of compassion. But she also said the hair was covered in fluids and matter when it was given to her.

On the podcast for day 24 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial, Alison Fan, Tim Clarke and Natalie Bonjolo discuss this act of kindness, and whether this could have an impact in the case against Bradley Edwards.

In a massive day of WA’s trial of the century, several police officers were questioned, including the first Macro Taskforce detective, who organised a massive search - which included TRG officers - of the Wellard area following the discovery of Jane Rimmer’s body, for Sarah Spiers.

But they didn’t find anything. Sarah still has never been found.

Also today, for Sergeant Barry Mott revealed he drove to Jane Rimmer’s crime scene in a station wagon, the type of car the prosecution says Bradley Edwards used when the murders happened, and fibres from it which were found in both Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies.

Join the podcast team as they discuss why this new information may be an obstacle for the prosecution.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

****WARNING: Some listeners may find the content discussed in this episode distressing****

The doctor who examined the 17-year-old who was brutally raped by Bradley Edwards in 1995 has recalled the horrific injuries the teenager suffered that night.

In Day 23 of the Claremont serial killings trial, Dr Amanda Barnard gave evidence saying while she had examined thousands of women during her career as a doctor for the sexual assault resource centre, the injuries inflicted on the 17-year-old by Bradley Robert Edwards almost 25 years ago had stayed with her.

Bradley Edwards pleaded guilty to the rape, in which he abducted the teenager while she was walking to a friends’ house in Claremont on February 11, 1995. 

He grabbed the 17-year-old from behind, bound her hands, put a hood over her head and carried her to his van, where he tied her legs, drove her to Karrakatta Cemetery where he then brutally raped the teenager twice.

Dr Barnard, who was working at the sexual assault resource centre at the time told the court how the teenager’s examination was ‘painful and difficult’, saying, “I think the things that made this particular case stick in my mind were the violent nature of assault by a stranger, the fact that she had been hooded and restrained, the extent and painfulness of her injuries and given the fact of her youth and that she was a virgin,” 

But while on the stand, the doctor was quizzed about how she collected samples from the teenager, how they were stored and who she sent them to.

The defence say these samples – which were found to have Bradley Edwards’ DNA on them were cross-contaminated with the fingernail clippings from Ciara Glennon.

But the prosecution say they were never even stored on the same shelf, let alone could be contaminated, and previously called the suggestion of cross contamination an “exercise in errant fantasy”.

Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and criminal defence lawyer Damien Cripps as they take you through day 23 of the Claremont serial killings trial.

If you, or anyone you know has been affected by the content in this podcast, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14

Or the sexual assault resource centre on 1800 199 888

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When police arrived at the scenes where Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies had been dumped, they didn’t have to wear gloves to prevent cross contamination.

On day 22 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial, former forensic police officer Robert Hemelaar took the stand for a third day where it was revealed there wasn’t a big focus on preserving a crime scene in the mid 1990s.

He said there was no protocol for wearing gloves and covers for their boots, only that gloves should be worn while handling ‘deceased matter’, for their own safety.

During his cross examination by defence lawyer Paul Yovich, Mr Hemelaar admitted he had handled some evidence - a tree branch - with his bare hands.

The court had been told tree branches had been pulled off nearby trees and placed over both Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies to partially conceal them.

He also said a key piece of evidence, a hair sample from Ciara Glennon which the prosecution says contained fibres matching unique Telstra shorts, the kind issued to Bradley Edwards while he was working at Telstra, had not been videoed while being collected from Ciara’s body. It was revealed that the sample had also not had tamper-proof tape stuck on the container until years after it was collected.

Cross-contamination is the main case the defence has said will provide reasonable doubt about whether Bradley Edwards is the Claremont aerial killer.

Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Alison Fan as they take you through Day 22’s evidence, and answer some of your questions.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former forensic police officer Robert Hemelaar gave his evidence for the whole of day 21 of the Claremont serial killings trial.

He narrated an hour-long video from Ciara Glennon’s burial site, revealing graphic details and forensic clues as to how police collected and stored DNA samples found on the 27-year-old’s body.

Joined in the studio by forensic expert Brendan Chapman, Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Emily Moulton take you through exactly how forensic officers collect samples, and most importantly, how they avoid contamination.

A key piece of evidence was also hinted at during the trial - the fact that some of Ciara Glennon’s fingernails were broken, coupled with the defensive wounds on her arms, the prosecution said that Ciara fought for her life the night she died.

But under those broken fingernails, the prosecution says was Bradley Edwards’ DNA.

Join the Claremont in Conversation team as they take you through day 21 of WA’s trial of the century.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On day 20 of the Claremont serial killings trial, the court was given a glimpse into the life of Jane Rimmer through photographs taken from inside her house days after she went missing, a woman’s life frozen in time.

Images from the 23-year-old child care worker’s house and belongings were shown to the court by former forensic police officer Robert Hemelaar, who searched Jane’s Wembley flat.

Bills, papers, even a KFC voucher had been left on her dining table revealing the life frozen in time of a young woman who was never to return.

When Jane's body was found 55 days later, police swarmed the scene. Today one of those officers, former forensic police officer Robert Hemelaar told in graphic detail how her body was found, and how forensics went about moving her body.

The video officer for police also gave evidence on day 20. Justice Stephen Hall ruled that the vision he took was too distressing to be shown to the public gallery, but as Tim Clarke and The West Australian's court reporter Shannon Hampton explain, they didn't need to see the vision to get a picture of what was happening.

Join Tim Clarke, Natalie Bonjolo and Shannon Hampton as they take you through day 20 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.