Tragic case of the ‘Longreach Cinderella’
The Outback town synonymous with Qantas and the Stockman’s Hall of Fame also had a dark side – including the appalling case of the little girl murdered by her influential parents.
Our Criminal History
Mob murders that shocked Melbourne
From ugly jail bashings to ruthlessly being taken out in their own homes, these mobsters chose a life of crime and met violent ends that shocked Melbourne and became the stuff of legend.
Secrets of deadly 1979 Luna Park fire to be revealed
Alan Saffron, the son of the original King of the Cross, Abe Saffron, has died and now his last wish may help families find closure. He has left behind documents containing facts about his father’s involvement in the 1979 Luna Park fire that killed seven people and the presumed murder of activist Juanita Nielsen.
The man who served the world’s longest jail term
Charles Foussard was just 21 when he was locked up. He ended up serving the world’s longest period of incarceration, inside Ararat’s notorious J Ward – Victoria’s asylum for the criminally insane. But how did he end up there?
More Stories
Death plans for Ivan Milat, Neddy Smith
Serial killer Ivan Milat and gangster Neddy Smith will almost certainly die in jail. But what will happen to their bodies after they pass away?
Ex-Labor MP pedophile closer to parole
Former NSW Labor MP and convicted pedophile Milton Orkopoulos, who was sentenced for dozens of offences including rape, is one step closer to parole after he was arrested in 2006. And he’s not the only politician to have spent time behind bars.
Mugshots: Faces of South Australia’s criminal past
These are the haunting faces of South Australia’s rich criminal history. From murder and theft to the “crime” of fortune-telling, delve into these fascinating records of our villainous past.
The man who gave us Buckley’s chance
His escape from the penal colony, which saw one convict shot and others turn back in despair, was itself against the odds. His survival for 30 years in the bush before re-emerging as the “Wild White Man”, defied them completely.
The inglorious end of the ‘baby farmer of Brunswick’
Frances Knorr, like many other women in depression-hit 1800s Melbourne, ran an early form of childcare. But instead of visiting a loving home, the infants she was trusted with met a much darker fate.
The Lost Boys of Mr Dickens
It was “the most dangerous life” for a person, and at the British Empire’s first juvenile jail in Australia, it ended in murder.
Was this Victoria’s worst mass killing?
It may have been the worst mass killing in Victoria’s history — the Gunditjmara Aboriginal people and a group of whalers fighting over a beached whale. But exactly how much blood was spilt on the Portland beach could be lost in the mists of time.
The tragic lives of Australia’s lost convict boys
Thousands of child convicts, some as young as eight, were sent to a children’s version of the notorious Port Arthur for minor offences. But were two boys really guilty of a more shocking crime? LISTEN NOW
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