Shandee's Story

Who killed Rosslyn McQueen? Today’s launch day for something very special here at The Australian: a new Hedley Thomas cold case investigation. The Poisoned Wife is a podcast examination of how a 30-year-old pregnant mother died of strychnine poisoning in her own home - and nobody has been brought to justice.
Who killed Rosslyn McQueen?
How key witness in Rosslyn McQueen murder broke her 40-year silence on case
Subscribers to The Australian hear new episodes first on Apple Podcasts, on The Australian’s app and thepoisonedwife.com, where you’ll find photos, videos, timelines, stories and more.
See the video by subscribing to our YouTube channel.
This episode of The Front is presented by Claire Harvey, produced by Kristen Amiet and edited by Joshua Burton. Our team includes Lia Tsamoglou, Tiffany Dimmack, and Jasper Leak, who also composed our music.
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A man who was acquitted for rape is facing another trial as prosecutors seek leave to invoke Queensland’s new double jeopardy laws, in a huge development arising from The Australian’s podcast Shandee’s Story. This is “the tip of the iceberg”, says our national chief correspondent Hedley Thomas, who’s here today.
Read more about this story at theaustralian.com.au and see the video by subscribing to our YouTube channel.
Shandee’s Story: Double jeopardy test of rape acquittal after forensic DNA do-over
Shandee Blackburn murder: DNA retesting on hold in Mackay cold case
Queensland DNA lab accused of hiding evidence flaws from courts
DNA test delays push Qld crime victims to breaking point
This episode of The Front is presented by Claire Harvey, produced by Kristen Amiet and edited by Lia Tsamoglou. Our team includes Tiffany Dimmack, Joshua Burton and Jasper Leak, who also composed our music.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been four years since Hedley, Dr Kirsty Wright and Vicki and Shannah Blackburn first Zoomed in late 2021 about the forensic testing anomalies in Shandee's case.
In the final episode of Shandee's Legacy for now, the podcast’s focus turns to the future and a bid to solve Shandee's case.
Hedley and Karina look into the status of Shandee's crime scene samples and those from other historical cases as Queensland’s Attorney-General Deb Frecklington pledges they will be re-tested.
The senior lawyer in a defamation case brought by Shandee's former boyfriend over an episode of the podcast unpacks the high-stakes legal contest so far - and the potential for a full-blown trial.
To read more about this story, plus see images, videos, timelines, and more, visit shandee.com.au.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new director of the lab, former NSW Police Force Commissioner Mick Fuller, is tasked with leading the lab out of ruin and transforming it into a world-class facility.

He shares his plans for salvaging the lab with Hedley and explains why he is the right person for the top job, even though he's not a scientist.

A confidential briefing note from the lab to Queensland Health in March 2023 warned of critical risks and a lack of confidence in the lab's scientists and science. Two years later, Dr Kirsty Wright says the issues demanded a temporary shut down of the lab. Instead, the lab persisted with testing and providing potentially unreliable results to the police and courts.
To read more about this story, plus see images, videos, timelines, and more, visit shandee.com.au.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The terrible toll for victims affected by the DNA lab’s ongoing failure is laid bare by Magda.

Eighteen months after her alleged rape, the mining site worker is still waiting for the lab to tell her what, if anything, is happening with the forensic testing of samples from her ordeal.

Magda shares her searing story with Hedley as Dr Kirsty Wright discloses major problems with the lab's testing of rape kits.

New managers of the lab in Brisbane put their faith in a United States lab to help with the backlog and bring down the long delays in giving results to victims.
And confidential documents which are being revealed publicly for the first time show bad things got with the lab's former management again taking short-cuts with testing even though it resulted in criminals' DNA going undetected, and crimes remaining unsolved.
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