Australian True Crime

Latest Episodes:

Re-Issue: The Fight to Bring an Alleged Pedophile Headmistress Back to Australia to Face Justice: Survivor Dassi Erlich's Story Aug 13, 2023

Show notes

This is a re-issue of episode 99 from May 2019 2019

Dassi Erlich is living a life today she literally could never have imagined as a child. She couldn’t have imagined it because so much of what the rest of us take for granted was hidden from her by her parents and the other adults around her. Dassi and her six siblings were raised in the ultra-Orthodox Adass Israel community of Melbourne. you may have seen Dassi and two of her sisters on Australian Story, because their conservative sheltered upbringing was an illusion, far from being overly protected, they were actually being preyed upon in more ways than one.

Warning: please be advised this episode contains accounts of child sexual assault.

Show notes for Episode 99:

Your hosts are Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb

With thanks to Dassi Erlich

Like us on Facebook

Support us on Patreon

Visit our Bookshop

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Google Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

If you would like to talk to someone about sexual assault, no matter the circumstances or how long ago it took place, you can call 1800 RESPECT, that’s 1800 732 732 or visit 1800respect.org.au

If you have any information on the cases covered by this podcast, please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Thank you for listening!

Shortcut: Re-Issue: The Fight to Bring an Alleged Pedophile Headmistress Back to Australia to Face Justice: Survivor Dassi Erlich's Story Aug 13, 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.

This is a re-issue of episode 99 from May 2019 2019

Warning: please be advised this episode contains accounts of child sexual assault.

Show notes for Episode 99:

Your hosts are Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb

With thanks to Dassi Erlich

Like us on Facebook

Support us on Patreon

Visit our Bookshop

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Google Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

If you would like to talk to someone about sexual assault, no matter the circumstances or how long ago it took place, you can call 1800 RESPECT, that’s 1800 732 732 or visit 1800respect.org.au

If you have any information on the cases covered by this podcast, please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Thank you for listening!

The disappearance of Susan Thomson leaves more questions than answers Aug 06, 2023

Show notes

Susan Warren, 15 years old in the year of 1965, ran away with a man 8 years her senior, Arthur Thomson.

The next 34 years of her life are quite frankly, a complete mystery.

She had no friends, no community, and hardly any family contact.

In fact, her life was so isolated that when she went missing in 1999, there wasn’t a missing persons report with the police until 2006.

And this wasn’t because Arthur reported her missing - it was actually the subsequent result after both he and his mother, were found dead in their rural Queensland home.

Searching through his “museum like” house, full of antique furniture with their price tags still attached, they found an old letter from Susan that she had addressed to her mother.

This letter indicated that she had not just ran away, as Arthur had fleetingly suggested to the community years prior.

The complete mystery of Susan’s life and disappearance has always stuck with crime and investigative journalist, Paula Doneman, who is our guest for today’s episode.

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

Guests: Paula Doneman. Her twitter handle is @pauladoneman. Here is the link to her original article on Susan Thomson

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

GET IN TOUCH:

Send us a question or comment on this episode to be used in our "Episode Download" series: https://www.speakpipe.com/ATC

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook

Email the show at team@smartfella.com.au

Shortcut: The disappearance of Susan Thomson leaves more questions than answers Aug 06, 2023