Gripping new podcast My Sister’s Secrets hunts a predator
Beautiful, smart veterinarian Alexandra Tapp died at just 32, haunted by the predators in her own family. Now her sister Virginia is on a quest for justice.
From the outside, they look like every other bush family.
But Virginia Tapscott knows her family harbours the deepest of secrets — so dark they claimed the life of her older sister Alexandra.
Alex had been sexually abused as a child and raped as an adult by two male relatives who have not been brought to justice. She died alone in a motel room in 2020.
Now Tapscott is on a quest to unmask the predators within her family, and explore the deception and lies that have protected Alex’s abusers for so long.
With fellow journalist Steve Jackson, she has created The Australian’s newest investigative podcast, My Sister’s Secrets, which launches exclusively for subscribers on Friday afternoon.
In interviews with family members and friends in and around the NSW Central West town of Narrabri for the podcast, Virginia learned she herself had been sexually abused as a child on more occasions than she had previously known.
It was a stunning discovery, but it was paired with the revelation of just how courageous Alex had been in attempting to protect Virginia from even worse abuse.
Tapscott, who in 2020 wrote a searing tribute to her sister for The Australian, said she felt compelled to get to the truth.
“I couldn’t live with the injustice of the situation, for our family but also for millions of other sexual abuse victims where the perpetrators have never had to answer for their crimes,” Tapscott, 31, said.
“I felt compelled to do something to change the culture that had kept my sister and myself silent and unable to seek help for so long. I wanted to take the discussion public because it seemed issues of child sexual abuse and sexual assault, particularly where family members are involved, were not getting the attention of mainstream media or policy makers or law enforcement.
“Under normal circumstances, a problem of this scale would attract large amounts of resources like government funding as well as media attention. It seems like the lack of emergency response is wildly disproportionate to the seriousness of a problem that affects thousands of Australian children and many adults every day.”
Tapscott said she has one overarching goal: for NSW Police to open an investigation into the man who raped her sister.
“I’m very keen to see if we can uncover any more new leads,” Tapscott said.
“New information that could lead to justice for Alex would be the best I could hope for. I’m also very hopeful that other victims and their families will be able to relate strongly to the conversations and details we are sharing and that it might spur collective action, increase police reports and encourage victims to speak up to get the support they need before it’s too late.”
Tapscott said working with Jackson, a highly experienced reporter who has worked in television and newspapers around the country, was a game-changer.
“It was hugely validating to work with Steve Jackson, to have a journalist of his calibre who believed in what I was trying to achieve really kept me going when I had doubts. It was essential to have him there to help keep the investigation moving along and plough through behind-the-scenes work that I wouldn’t have been able to do on my own.
“He offered a unique perspective and was able to take the investigation to places I would have never thought to go.”
Jackson said he had to unlearn some of the traditional reporter’s discipline to pursue this story.
“When I first met Virginia, I never thought for a moment this investigation would become such a personal experience,” he said.
“Despite 20 years as a journalist, I’ve always remained somewhat detached from the actual action at the centre of the story.
“But working alongside Virginia, and seeing first-hand how these events unfolded through her eyes, brings an amazing connection to the people and places as the core of this story.
“I’m still shocked by the full extent of cover-ups and bitter feuds we’ve encountered.
“I just hope – for the sake of Virginia and her family — that our listeners can help us bring a criminal to justice before it’s too late.”
My Sister’s Secrets is supported by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas.
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My Sister’s Secrets is the new investigative podcast from The Australian, launching on Friday afternoon in the podcasts section of our app or at mysisterssecrets.com.au
Get the app at the App Store or Google Play
Subscribers hear episodes first and get access to all Virginia Tapscott and Steve Jackson’s groundbreaking journalism on this topic, plus much more. To check out our subscription packages, visit theaustralian.com.au/subscribe
