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PODCAST

Real Crime with Adam Shand

Join investigative journalist Adam Shand each week as he takes you into his world of real crime, honed from forty years of covering Australia"s biggest law and order stories. These are the firsthand stories of the cops, robbers, and victims who lived them.

true crime news commentary

All Episodes

45:24

Surviving Ice, Crime and Chaos: Tom’s Second Chance |...

Real Crime with Adam Shand ·

2025/12/09

In this powerful episode, Adam reunites with Tom De Souza, a young man he first met a decade ago while documenting Tom’s descent into methamphetamine addiction in the podcastMeth Destruction. Tom was just 13 when he spiralled from scholarship student to juvenile detention, drug use and violent crime. Now 30, Tom has found sobriety, purpose, and a sense of home within himself. He’s travelled the world, become a journalist, and is directing a feature documentary — The Long Road Home

en-US

54:33

Words That Save Lives: A Negotiator’s Story | Lee...

Real Crime with Adam Shand ·

2025/12/07

When Australia’s most volatile moments unfold — a siege, a suicide attempt, a hostage situation, or a person in deep crisis — there’s one specialist quietly working to bring everyone home alive: the police negotiator. In this gripping episode, Adam sits down with Leading Senior Constable Lee Wolahan, one of Victoria Police’s most experienced and respected negotiators. Across more than 800 critical incidents, Lee has faced people at the edge — physically,

en-US

44:24

The Criminal Psychologist Who Flew Too Close to the...

Real Crime with Adam Shand ·

2025/12/02

In this episode, Adam sits down with Australia’s most recognisable criminal psychologist, Tim Watson-Munro — a man who has spent nearly 50 years staring into the darkest corners of the human mind. From Parramatta Jail in the 1970s to some of the most notorious cases in Australian criminal history, Tim has assessed thousands of offenders, earning the trust of hardened criminals and the respect of courts and the public.But Tim’s story isn’t just about what he witnessed,

en-US

45:04

Behind the Uniform: The Hidden Trauma of Policing |...

Real Crime with Adam Shand ·

2025/11/30

Former Victoria Police detective Narelle Fraser spent 27 years confronting some of the darkest corners of humanity—homicide, sexual assault, missing persons. But no case has stayed with her more than the disappearance of Lorraine Joy (Yardley) Carter, a vulnerable young woman who vanished in 2002 and was never found. In this episode, Narelle opens up to Adam about the emotional toll of policing, the weight of unsolved cases and the devastating impact of PTSI (post-traumatic stress injury) on

en-US

35:17

Why Illegal Tobacco Is Exploding in Australia | Kelly...

Real Crime with Adam Shand ·

2025/11/25

Illegal tobacco is no longer a back-alley trade — it’s a billion-dollar criminal economy fuelling arson, extortion, murders and a full-blown underworld war across Australia. In this explosive episode of Real Crime, Adam Shand uncovers how half of all tobacco consumed in Australia has slipped into the shadows, and why the government’s own excise regime is driving the demand. Adam speaks first with freight-forwarding director Kelly Crossley, who is on the frontline of the smuggling

en-US

36:12

Justice Denied: A Child’s Voice Ignored: | Marita...

Real Crime with Adam Shand ·

2025/11/23

In this powerful and deeply confronting episode, Adam Shand speaks with survivor and advocate Marita Murphy, who has spent more than 50 years trying to be heard. At just seven years old, Marita was brutally assaulted by two teenage boys—a crime her family discouraged her from reporting and one that would shape every part of her life. Marita opens up about the trauma she carried into adulthood, the toll on her family, the failures of the justice system, and her relentless pursuit of truth. She

en-US

48:53

Privacy vs. Safety: The CCTV Dilemma | David Bartlett

Real Crime with Adam Shand ·

2025/11/18

In this episode ofReal Crime, Adam Shand speaks with former Victoria Police officer and intelligence specialist David Bartlett, the founder of the Safer Places Network—an ambitious new system aiming to transform how CCTV is used in Australia. From the Jill Meagher investigation to missing persons, aggravated burglaries and retail crime, Adam and David break down how one camera can make or break a case—and why it still takes police up to 85 hours to obtain critical footage. David reveals

en-US

39:30

War on the Streets: Victoria’s Violent Eighties |...

Real Crime with Adam Shand ·

2025/11/16

In this episode of Real Crime with Adam Shand, we revisit one of the most violent eras in Victoria’s history through the eyes of former detective and firearms instructor Alex Christich. From the Mad Max manhunt to the Russell Street bombing and the Wall Street police murders, Christich recounts the days when Victoria Police faced armed robbers, escapees and killers who weren’t afraid to shoot it out with the cops.Together, Adam and Alex explore how policing has changed—from the

en-US

36:11

Old School Crime: The Rise and Fall of Bertie Kidd |...

Real Crime with Adam Shand ·

2025/11/11

In this episode, investigative journalist Adam Shand revisits the extraordinary criminal career of Bertram Douglas “Bertie” Kidd — safe-breaker, armed robber, race fixer and serial corruptor of police who may also have been a killer. After attending Kidd’s funeral, Adam sits down with former New South Wales detective Phil Short, one of the officers who finally brought the notorious underworld figure down. Together, they trace the investigation that ended Kidd’s

en-US

61:05

Inside Operation Afghan: Behind the Griffith Mafia |...

Real Crime with Adam Shand ·

2025/11/09

In this episode, Adam Shand speaks with retired Detective Senior Sergeant Peter Kos, one of the original investigators behind Operation Afghan — a daring undercover sting targeting Italian organised crime in Griffith during the 1990s. Peter lifts the lid on the truth behind the famous infiltration of the Griffith Mafia. From the early days of the drug squad and the rise of Antonio Romeo to undercover art dealers, fake identities and multimillion-dollar stings that pushed the limits of the law,

en-US

37:39

The Golden Age of Armed Robbery | Ray Lambie

Real Crime with Adam Shand ·

2025/11/04

In this episode, Adam Shand speaks with retired detective Ray Lambie, who joined the NSW Armed Robbery Squad at the height of the so-called “golden era.” Lambie shares stories from the front line — high-stakes takedowns, corrupt cops, close calls and the adrenaline rush of chasing Australia’s most dangerous men. Together, they explore how policing changed, why the banks resisted reform and how the myth of the Aussie outlaw continues to shape our view of crime.See

en-US

43:38

The Man Who Got Away: The Lucille Butterworth Case |...

Real Crime with Adam Shand ·

2025/11/02

In 1969, 20-year-old Lucille Butterworth vanished from a bus stop near Hobart, Tasmania. For decades, her disappearance remained one of Australia’s most haunting cold cases. In this episode, Adam Shand speaks with former detective constable Cary Mark Millhouse, who helped reopen the investigation and uncover the truth buried in old police files and forgotten confessions. Through meticulous detective work, Millhouse and his colleagues linked Lucille’s disappearance to convicted killer

en-US

42:52

Deported Without Trial: Inside Australia’s Character...

Real Crime with Adam Shand ·

2025/10/28

In this episode of Real Crime with Adam Shand, we explore the case of Gary Lewer — a former Mr. Australia, world bodybuilding champion and long-time Melbourne identity who now finds himself detained in an immigration facility and facing deportation to a country he hasn’t lived in since childhood. Lewer insists he’s no criminal mastermind but the victim of a vendetta — a web of untested allegations and police dossiers that have never seen the inside of a courtroom. Adam

en-US

42:37

Buried Secrets: The Crimes NSW Forgot | Jeremy...

Real Crime with Adam Shand ·

2025/10/26

For decades, families across New South Wales have waited for answers — hundreds of unsolved murders and disappearances, too many to dismiss as coincidence. In this episode,Adamspeaks with Jeremy Buckingham, NSW Member of Parliament, who has pushed through a parliamentary inquiry into the state’s cold cases — and the possible serial killers who may have operated undetected for decades. Buckingham reveals why he believes the system failed victims and their families, the chilling

en-US

43:35

Facing Evil: The Vaitos Conversation | Peter Vaitos

Real Crime with Adam Shand ·

2025/10/21

In this confronting episode of Real Crime, Adam Shand sits down with one of Australia’s most reviled offenders — Peter Vaitos, the man once known as The Silver Gun Rap*st. For the first time in more than 40 years, Vaitos speaks publicly, joined by his daughter Stacey, who has chosen to stand by him in the hope of revealing new information about one of Victoria’s most enduring mysteries — the Frankston–Tynong murders.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy

en-US

39:23

Taxpayers Pay, Offenders Profit: The Hidden Cost of...

Real Crime with Adam Shand ·

2025/10/19

In this episode, Adam Shand speaks with Adelaide lawyerAndrew Carpenter, a man described as “the most hated by Australian child sex offenders.” Carpenter has dedicated his career to pursuing justice for survivors of child sexual abuse—specifically, by closing a shocking legal loophole that allows convicted pedophiles to hide their wealth in superannuation, beyond the reach of their victims. Together, Adam and Andrew unpack how this injustice has persisted despite bipartisan

en-US

48:57

Justice Denied: The Cheryl Grimmer Case | Ricki Nash

Real Crime with Adam Shand ·

2025/10/14

More than fifty years after three-year-old Cheryl Grimmer vanished from Fairy Meadow Beach, her brother Ricki is still fighting for justice. In this episode, Adam Shand speaks with Ricki Nash about the heartbreaking failures that have kept Cheryl’s case unsolved — from a detailed 1971 confession ruled inadmissible, to decades of police inaction and bureaucratic stonewalling. Together, they examine the shocking gaps in the original investigation, new witnesses ignored by authorities and

en-US

40:53

Truth, Lies, and the Polygraph: The Human Lie...

Real Crime with Adam Shand ·

2025/10/12

In this episode of Real Crime with Adam Shand, we sit down with Steve Van Aperen — Australia’s leading polygraph examiner, widely known as the “Human Lie Detector.” After 15 years in the police force, Steve built a career uncovering deception in homicide investigations, cold cases and even everyday disputes.Adam and Steve explore the power and limits of polygraphs, the rise of new lie-detection technologies and the psychology of interrogation. Along the way, they revisit

en-US

49:40

Inside the Gang Crisis: A Former Cop Speaks Out | Pat...

Real Crime with Adam Shand ·

2025/10/05

In this episode of Real Crime with Adam Shand, we sit down with former Victoria Police inspector Pat Boyle, one of Australia’s foremost experts on street gangs. Nearly two decades ago, Boyle warned of the rising tide of youth gang culture in Melbourne — a problem many dismissed at the time. Drawing on his frontline experience, international research and a groundbreaking master’s thesis, Boyle reveals how denial, political correctness, and under-resourcing left police ill-equipped

en-US

44:39

Cold Case: Who Killed Shirley Collins? | Louise Steding

Real Crime with Adam Shand ·

2025/09/28

In this gripping episode, Adam is joined by forensic archaeologist Dr. Louise Steding to revisit the unsolved 1953 murder of 14-year-old Shirley Collins. Shirley disappeared on her way to a birthday party in Melbourne, only to be found brutally murdered days later at Mount Martha. Despite intensive police work, the case went cold—until Louise’s meticulous research uncovered overlooked evidence and a compelling new suspect. Together, Adam and Louise retrace the crime, challenge unreliable

en-US

58 results

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