Back in 2018, our first season Blood on the Tracks investigated the suspicious death of 17-year-old Mark Haines, whose body was found on the railway line outside Tamworth in January 1988.Since Allan Clarke first reported this story, there's been a fresh inquest, with new witnesses and explosive allegations.Dive back into Blood on the Tracks. We're republishing the original series plus a brand new episode, where we delve into the latest from the new inquest.
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PRESENTS — The Case Of
It's the trial everyone in Darwin is talking about. In February 2022, a helicopter on a crocodile egg collection mission crashed in remote Arnhem Land, killing the egg collector and paralysing the pilot.Now, croc wrangler Matt Wright is on trial: not for the crash, but for what he allegedly did after. Charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice, prosecutors say he tried to interfere with the investigation, fearing he’d be blamed for the crash. Matt Wright has pleaded not guilty and denies all the allegations.The Case Of is your eyes and ears inside the courtroom, as host Stephen Stockwell and reporter Olivana Lathouris bring you updates from the trial.Search for 'The Case Of' now, and hit follow or subscribe to make sure you don't miss any of the twists of turns in the case of the croc wrangler.The Case Of is the follow-up to the hit podcast Mushroom Case Daily, and all episodes of that show will remain available in the back catalogue of The Case Of.
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BONUS | Behind the scenes on Mr Big
Go behind the scenes of the podcast with reporter Alicia Bridges, who answers questions about how she investigated Mr Big.Asking the hard questions is Rachael Brown, the host of the ABC's first true crime podcast, Trace.They discuss some of the challenges and dilemmas around reporting on the story, how Alicia came across the case, and some of the things that didn't make it in to the podcast.
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07 Mr Big | Through the looking glass
As Alicia Bridges investigates the beginnings of an epic deception, she finds it spans across continents. At the heart of the deception is an upside-down world of gang crime, and a series of dilemmas. What secrets should stay secret? How far would you go to catch a killer?One man is in jail, convicted for murder. But are there other people behind bars who might be innocent, here or overseas? In Canada, a secret recording captures another man admitting to murder, and the same story begins again, but this time with a different ending.In this case, Andy Rose is under suspicion for the murder of two German travellers, Andrea Scherpf and Bernd Göricke.His lawyer Tania Chamberlain recounts her shock at the contents of a VHS tape that arrives at her office one day. Eventually, the issue ends up in the Canada's highest court, and one of the country's highest-profile litigators, Marie Heinen, gets involved.Back in Melbourne, Mary Cook's daughters speak about what happened to their mother, and give their thoughts on everything that followed.STATEMENT FROM VICTORIA POLICE:Victoria Police stands behind the rigorous investigation which led to the conviction of Glen Weaven in relation to the 2008 death of Mary Lou Cook in Narre Warren. We consider this matter finalised and will not be commenting further.Victoria Police does not comment on the specifics or application of covert methodology. Covert methodology is deployed in the investigation of the most serious and violent crimes, and it is incumbent on law enforcement to pursue strategies to seek justice for victims and their families. Community safety is at the forefront of all decision making.Investigative strategies involving serious and organised crime whether covert or overt, are subject to significant planning and risk assessment processes. Victoria Police applies internal operating procedures to covert investigations, which include strict parameters and risk assessment processes including consideration of human rights. The deployments are also subject to formal reporting and oversight regimes to ensure they are employed appropriately and do not adversely impact future court proceedings or investigations.Victoria Police monitors the use of covert strategies in other Australian jurisdictions and around the world, to ensure our methods remain contemporary and that they align with best practice. Victoria Police accepts that covert methods are and have been subject to public discussion and interest due to judicial proceedings and media reporting, however further publicity does not benefit current or future application of the strategies.It is important to note that while the concepts of covert methods may be in the public realm at various times, the details pertaining to the practical application are not. All investigations whether covert or overt vary and the mechanisms employed change depending on the circumstances at the time.Success or results in terms of covert strategies is difficult to quantify. The methodology is employed as an investigative strategy with the aim of seeking answers and to identify the person or persons responsible for serious criminal offending. The outcome may not result in a criminal conviction but that does not mean there is not a result.STATEMENT FROM QUEENSLAND POLICE:The Queensland Police Service is committed to high standards of behaviour, transparency and accountability.Our purpose is to keep people, places and communities of Queensland safe through excellence in policing and community safety. To achieve this, investigators employ numerous lawful strategies for investigating and solving all crimes. These strategies can at times include covert methodologies to progress investigations, which under all circumstances should remain covert to protect their effectiveness.As with every investigation, investigators continuously review current investigative strategies, techniques and emerging trends to ensure such methods do not impede the solving of a crime.
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06 Mr Big | The knife
A knife is found near a drain, but is it the one police looking for? A man is put on trial, and the court hears the evidence against him. But as each side mounts their case, which piece of evidence will really matter when the time comes for the jury to decide?
'Blood on the Tracks' is the latest season of Unravel, the ABC's award-winning true crime podcast. After explosive new developments in the case, this podcast — first released in 2018 — has been updated and rereleased.
Just outside Australia's country music capital, a young man's body is found on the train tracks, surrounded by shattered Christmas presents and discarded wrapping paper. For decades, the mystery has haunted Tamworth. After Unravel's award-winning first season, 'Blood on the Tracks' brought national attention to the case, a new inquest was launched. Now, Muruwari and Gomeroi journalist Allan Clarke returns to where it all began for Unravel, revisiting Tamworth and uncovering what's happened since, as the long-awaited final chapter of the story unfolds, and there are major new revelations in the inquest hearings. The original 'Blood on the Tracks' won a Walkley award for Coverage of Indigenous Affairs.
Previous seasons of Unravel have covered everything from love scams to Neo-Nazi gangs.
In Season 6, Mr Big, a scratchy recording made in a Melbourne hotel room above a casino captures a man admitting to murder. But as journalist Alicia Bridges investigates the man on the tape known as Mr Big, she finds herself in a world of lies and subterfuge, where very few things are as they seem. The recording leads her deep inside an international controversy, to a world of secrets that powerful institutions don't want revealed. Mr Big won a silver New York Festivals award for Investigative Journalism Podcasts.
In Season 5, Firebomb, Crispian Chan investigates what really happened after his family's restaurant went up in flames in 1988. He was just a kid when Chinese restaurants were being firebombed in the dead of night and a campaign of terror was underway in Perth. Thirty-five years on, most of us have never heard about it, even though it's one of the few sustained and coordinated terrorism campaigns in Australia's history. Crispian teamed up with ABC reporter Alex Mann, and together they traversed the country to find answers and explore the darker forces that still lurk in our suburbs today. 'Firebomb' won Best True Crime at the Australian Podcast Awards.
In Season 4, Snowball, Ollie Wards investigates how his brother's whirlwind romance with a charismatic Californian woman ultimately cost his family more than a million dollars. When Greg Wards met Lezlie Manukian, a beautiful woman whose world is full of glamour, he is immediately drawn to her. They fall in love, get married and start planning the rest of their lives together — the only catch is Lezlie is a con artist. To find out who his brother's wife really is, Ollie must track down Lezlie herself, and it soon becomes clear that his family's story is just one piece of a bigger jigsaw. 'Snowball' won Best True Crime at the Australian Podcast Awards in 2020, was one of Apple Podcasts' Best Listens of 2019, made the American Bello Collective's top 100 list that year.
In Season 3, Last Seen Katoomba, reporter Gina McKeon digs deep into the suspicious unsolved disappearance of young mum, Belinda Peisley, who was last seen in the Blue Mountains town of Katoomba, west of Sydney, in September 1998. Belinda's life descends into chaos after her 18th birthday when she receives a large inheritance and buys her own place in town. It's a move her family thinks will set her up for life but, instead, the house becomes a magnet for a world of drugs and a crowd of hangers-on who visit day and night. Gina pieces together the stories and evidence around the six main persons of interest named in the inquest into Belinda's disappearance and suspected death, and what emerges is a picture of a town and a case shrouded in secrecy.
In Season 2, Barrenjoey Road, reporter Ruby Jones tries to solve the mystery of what happened to 18-year-old Trudie Adams after she disappears while hitchhiking home on Sydney's northern beaches in 1978. Ruby exposes the dark underbelly of the seemingly beautiful and serene "Insular Peninsula," uncovering a world where surfers run drugs home from Bali, gangs of men prowl the beaches and predators have unchecked power. Ruby will question why the case was never solved and her investigation will lead her to a criminal monster with links to organised crime and police corruption at the highest level.
In Season 1, Blood On The Tracks, award-winning Muruwari and Gomeroi journalist Allan Clarke spends five years investigating the unusual circumstances surrounding the death of 17-year-old Gomeroi teenager, Mark Haines. In 1988, just outside of Tamworth in country New South Wales, a freight train hits Mark's body lying across the tracks. When the rail worker stops the train and gets out, the scene doesn't add up. The tracks divide Tamworth in two. An Aboriginal community on one side, a largely white population on the other. Some will say it was a suicide and others a murder. Despite the strange evidence found at the scene of his death, the family feel like they're being ignored by police. An inquiry finds no answers and the mystery is left to fester, causing division and suspicion in the town. Allan's reporting helps to spark a resurgence of interest in the case that sees the file reopened, a review launched, a reward announced. As Allan gets closer to the truth, the story ends with a revelation no-one was expecting, and the thirty-year-old mystery finally begins to unravel.
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