Australian True Crime

Latest Episodes:

Being the head police officer during the Cabramatta heroin crisis Oct 08, 2023

Show notes

Alan Leek is a retired member of the New South Wales Police Service, in which he served for 34 years.

In the early 1990s, Alan was rewarded for his excellence in management. When he was made the head police officer in Cabramatta, it was at the time the largest heroin distribution point in the country, a growing political flashpoint and spiraling ever faster, out of control.

The unique set of challenges that beset Cabramatta from the late 1980s created a criminal and cultural misery unlike anything else Australia had seen at the time. And it was up to Alan to rally his troops and to pull the divided and traumatized community together behind them.

Alan is now the author of several books, with his latest being "Rendezvous with Death". All of his titles can be found at Big Sky Publishing.

For Support:

Lifeline on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram

Guest: Alan Leek. His books can be found at Big Sky Publishing

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

This episode contains extra content from ABC Four Corners and Once Upon a Time in Cabramatta

GET IN TOUCH:

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook

Email the show at team@smartfella.com.au

Shortcut: My father murdered my baby and he’s not in jail Oct 04, 2023

Show notes

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.

In October 2019, Natalie Sands, her children and her mother suffered an unthinkably brutal attack at the hands of her father.

Natalie was doused in petrol and set alight by her father. Despite being able to escape her burning house with burns to 75 percent of her body, she watched helplessly as her five year old son, Orlando, and mother Antoinette, perished.

After leaving the scene, her father drove to the local Tamworth police station and handed himself in.

It was decided in 2021 that Natalie's father wouldn’t face trial over the crime due to the Judge accepting that he was likely suffering a neurodegenerative disease resulting is psychotic symptoms.

Natalie has been campaigning online to get a lawyer to reopen the case and hold her father “properly accountable”.

You can keep up to date with Natalie's campaign on TikTok. Her account is @natz_armyofficial

We reached out to the NSW ODPP for comment regarding this case. You can read their response on our social media pages.

For Support:

Lifeline on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram

Guest: Natalie Sands

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

GET IN TOUCH:

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook

Email the show at team@smartfella.com.au

My father murdered my baby and he’s not in jail Oct 04, 2023

Show notes

In October 2019, Natalie Sands, her children and her mother suffered an unthinkably brutal attack at the hands of her father.

After leaving the scene, her father drove to the local Tamworth police station and handed himself in.

It was decided in 2021 that Natalie's father wouldn’t face trial over the crime due to the Judge accepting that he was likely suffering a neurodegenerative disease resulting is psychotic symptoms.

Natalie has been campaigning online to get a lawyer to reopen the case and hold her father “properly accountable”.

You can keep up to date with Natalie's campaign on TikTok. Her account is @natz_armyofficial

We reached out to the NSW ODPP for comment regarding this case. You can read their response on our social media pages.

For Support:

Lifeline on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram

Guest: Natalie Sands

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

This episode contains extra content from Channel 7 News.

GET IN TOUCH:

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook

Email the show at team@smartfella.com.au

Shortcut: How did this Australian die in South African police custody? Oct 01, 2023

Show notes

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.

In 1995, Adrian Pendergast accepted an exciting job opportunity in South Africa. Less than a week after he got there, he was found dead in a jail cell.

For almost 30 years, his family have been trying to understand what happened and how he died. But it seems that everything new that they learn, it only leads to more questions.

Our guest today is Adrian's younger sister, Courtney.

Courtney only got to know her older brother until she was 15. She has asked for our listener's to reach out if anyone knows anything about Adrian. If that's you, please contact us at team@smartfella.com.au

For Support:

Lifeline on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram

Guest: Courtney Pendergast

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

GET IN TOUCH:

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook

Email the show at team@smartfella.com.au

How did this Australian die in South African police custody? Oct 01, 2023

Show notes

In 1995, Adrian Pendergast accepted an exciting job opportunity in South Africa. Less than a week after he got there, he was found dead in a jail cell.

For almost 30 years, his family have been trying to understand what happened and how he died. But it seems that everything new that they learn, it only leads to more questions.

Our guest today is Adrian's younger sister, Courtney.

For Support:

Lifeline on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram

Guest: Courtney Pendergast

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

GET IN TOUCH:

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook

Email the show at team@smartfella.com.au

Shortcut: Drug dealing, car theft and escaping prison. This was Nathan's life. Sep 24, 2023

Show notes

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.

Our guest today, Nathan Crisfield, embodies a story of duality like no other.

From Albury, He was born into a tumultuous home life, with his father taking him under his wing at an early age to steal whatever they could off the back of trucks.

From ages 15 to 19, Nathan was out of school, using and dealing any drugs he could get his hands on. Remarkably though, he was also very capable and ambitious in his career as a truck mechanic. He quickly became foreman, then workshop manager at more than half the age of his fellow workmates.

This is all while selling and smoking copious amounts of ice. As you'll hear, this kind of dichotomy can only last for so long. Nathan's life soon becomes one of unbelievable chaos.

He descends so deep into a life of crime, that the fact that he has become who he is today is a true testament to the human capacity for change.

For Support:

Lifeline on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram

Guest: Nathan Crisfield. You can find him on Instagram, or by visiting Peakshape's website.

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

GET IN TOUCH:

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook

Email the show at team@smartfella.com.au

Drug dealing, car theft and escaping prison. This was Nathan's life. Sep 24, 2023

Show notes

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.

Our guest today, Nathan Crisfield, embodies a story of duality like no other.

From Albury, He was born into a tumultuous home life, with his father taking him under his wing at an early age to steal whatever they could off the back of trucks.

This is all while selling and smoking copious amounts of ice. As you'll hear, this kind of dichotomy can only last for so long. Nathan's life soon becomes one of unbelievable chaos.

He descends so deep into a life of crime, that the fact that he has become who he is today is a true testament to the human capacity for change.

For Support:

Lifeline on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram

Guest: Nathan Crisfield. You can find him on Instagram, or by visiting Peakshape's website.

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

GET IN TOUCH:

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook

Email the show at team@smartfella.com.au

Shortcut: If your abuser is a cop, will the police still protect you? Sep 16, 2023

Show notes

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.

Mary (not her real name) is a recently retired Victoria Police officer.

Mary's husband and father of her two children committed serious family violence for many years. He was also a Victoria Police officer - a very high ranking one.

Mary joins us to tell us about the attempts she and her children have made to have their allegations of family violence fully investigated by Victoria Police.

In 2021, Victoria Police announced the formation of a specialist unit to investigate cases of family violence involving its own employees. It was placed within the existing Ethical Standards Command, which investigates complaints against police.

Despite this, as you'll hear in this episode, there are still serious concerns in the way that Victoria Police handles their offending members.

We are also joined by Jeremy King, the Principal Lawyer and head of the Police Misconduct team at Robinson Gill.

Victoria Police have issued a statement in response to this episode's conversation. It can be viewed on the Australian True Crime Facebook page.

For Support:

Lifeline on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram

Guest: Mary (not her real name) and Jeremy King

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

GET IN TOUCH:

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook

Email the show at team@smartfella.com.au

If your abuser is a cop, will the police still protect you? Sep 16, 2023

Show notes

Mary (not her real name) is a recently retired Victoria Police officer.

Mary's husband and father of her two children committed serious family violence for many years. He was also a Victoria Police officer - a very high ranking one.

Mary joins us to tell us about the attempts she and her children have made to have their allegations of family violence fully investigated by Victoria Police.

Despite this, as you'll hear in this episode, there are still serious concerns in the way that Victoria Police handles their offending members.

We are also joined by Jeremy King, the Principal Lawyer and head of the Police Misconduct team at Robinson Gill.

Victoria Police have issued a statement in response to this episode's conversation. It can be viewed on the Australian True Crime Facebook page.

For Support:

Lifeline on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram

Guest: Mary (not her real name) and Jeremy King

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

GET IN TOUCH:

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook

Email the show at team@smartfella.com.au

Shortcut: Australia's sex trafficking rings hiding in plain sight Sep 10, 2023

Show notes

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.

Sex trafficking of overseas women to Australia is far more widespread than you may believe.

The Sex Work industry can be one of empowerment and autonomy for many workers. On this episode however, we discuss its dark corner controlled my organised crime and exploitation.

Investigative journalist Nick McKenzie joins us to discuss the major sex trafficking rings he exposes in his documentary "Revealed: Trafficked".

"Revealed: Trafficked" can be streamed now only on Stan.

Nick Mckenzie's book "Crossing the Line", the explosive inside story behind the Ben Roberts-Smith headlines, is also now available. You can purchase it here.

For Support:

If you or someone you know is in, or at risk of human trafficking or slavery, you can contact the Australian Federal Police (AFP) on 131 237 (131AFP) or go to the AFP website at www.afp.gov.au

Lifeline on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram

Guest: Nick Mckenzie

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

This episode contains extra content from Channel 7 News and Channel 9 News

GET IN TOUCH:

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook

Email the show at team@smartfella.com.au