The Crime Couch with Rochelle Jackson

”You never stop being a cop”

Carl Stella was a Detective Senior Constable with Victoria Police for more than 30 years. He followed his grandfather who was a police officer in Italy.

He joined the Highway Patrol before having a serious motorbike collision, eventually returning to the CIB. Carl did his rounds as a suburban detective but always aimed to get into the Crime Squads. He succeeded, working in the Major Fraud Group and Missing Persons/Homicide Squad, investigating serious criminals like serial killer Peter Dupas and murderer Keith Lees.

Carl retired due to ill-health in 2009 and since qualified as a real estate agent and done stints with the Justice Department and Melbourne Airport.

Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with music written by Jonathan Boyle, courtesy of Premium Beat.

Post production by Pete Dillon @www.fearlesscollective.com.au and acknowledgement to Stephen Peters for his assistance and support. 

Thanks for listening. Please take the time to rate & review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. We'd love to hear your thoughts and it makes it easier for the rest of the podcast world to find The Crime Couch. 

 

”Seeing the bigger picture - part 2”

Esther McKay is a former NSW Police Force Detective Senior Constable who specialises in forensic services. She spent years at murder scenes, traffic accidents and major crime investigations. Her areas of expertise include crime scene, vehicle and document examination. 

The grueling work, huge hours and her relentless commitment to the job eventually took its toll. Esther was discharged from the police force, hurt in the line of duty and began a very different journey. Today, she's a Consultant Manager of Police Care Australia and the Program Development Manager for the Quest for Life Foundation.

Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with music written by Jonathan Boyle, courtesy of Premium Beat.

Post production by Pete Dillon @www.fearlesscollective.com.au and acknowledgement to Stephen Peters for his assistance and support. 

Thanks for listening. Please take the time to rate & review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. We'd love to hear your thoughts and it makes it easier for the rest of the podcast world to find The Crime Couch. 

”Look what you made me do”

One Australian woman dies at the hands of an intimate or former partner every week in Australia. What's less known is that one Australian child is killed each fortnight at the hands of as parent or stepparent. Megan Norris has republished a book, "Look What You Made Me Do" which features nine cases of "spousal revenge" where fathers or stepfathers have taken the lives of their own children.

Megan's a former court reporter, investigative journalist and true crime author with eight books under her belt. She's a known campaigner for women and children escaping family violence and often writes features stories giving a voice to survivors of violent crime.

Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with music written by Jonathan Boyle, courtesy of Premium Beat.

Post production by Pete Dillon @www.fearlesscollective.com.au and acknowledgement to Stephen Peters for his assistance and support. 

Thanks for listening. Please take the time to rate & review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. We'd love to hear your thoughts and it makes it easier for the rest of the podcast world to find The Crime Couch. 

 

”Seeing the bigger picture”

I first met Esther McKay in 2005 at a writer's festival. We were both authors talking about our new true crime books. Esther is a former NSW Police Force Detective Senior Constable whose life journey has been fascinating. 

She worked for 17 years in the job specialising in forensic services. Esther entered that tough, male-dominated world determined to hold her own. But it took a huge cost. She was discharged from the NSW Police Force hurt in the line of duty and began a very different journey. Today, Esther's a Consultant Manager of Police Care Australia and Quest for Life Foundation's Program Development Manager. 

Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with music written by Jonathan Boyle, courtesy of Premium Beat.

Post production by Pete Dillon @www.fearlesscollective.com.au and acknowledgement to Stephen Peters for his assistance and support. 

Thanks for listening. Please take the time to rate & review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. We'd love to hear your thoughts and it makes it easier for the rest of the podcast world to find The Crime Couch. 

From the Crime Squads to reality TV”

The Crime Couch is back! With a new sponsor, Police Care Australia. It's an online portal where current, former police and family members can get support and counselling with professionals that understand police.

Ken "Ashy" Ashworth was one of the hard men in the job. He retired as a Victoria Police Detective Inspector, was awarded an APM and two Chief Commissioner's Commendations. Ashy worked in the Armed Robbery and Homicide Squads before heading up the Water Police Search and Rescue Squads.

He joined the Purana Taskforce before working in the Trident Taskforce and investigating organised crime on the waterfront. Now, Ashy's turned his talents to reality TV, working behind the scenes on the Ten Network's "Hunted" series.

Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with music written by Jonathan Boyle, courtesy of Premium Beat.

Post production by Pete Dillon @www.fearlesscollective.com.au and acknowledgement to Stephen Peters for his assistance and support. 

Thanks for listening. Please take the time to rate & review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. We'd love to hear your thoughts and it makes it easier for the rest of the podcast world to find The Crime Couch. 

”Cyber-crime - think before you click”

Russian-based hacker groups, phishing, data-breaches and ransomware attacks have become part of today's workplace. This week on The Crime Couch, former Detective Leading Senior Constable Christopher McNaughton talks about cyber-criminals, the latest trends and how our internet-enabled devices like the fridge can be used against us!

Chris left Victoria Police and joined the corporate sector running global investigations with GE before forming his company, SECMON1. He specialises in fraud, corruption and cyber-crime in the corporate sector. 

Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with music written by Jonathan Boyle, courtesy of Premium Beat.

Post production by Pete Dillon @www.fearlesscollective.com.au and acknowledgement to Stephen Peters for his assistance and support. 

Thanks for listening. Please take the time to rate & review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. We'd love to hear your thoughts and it makes it easier for the rest of the podcast world to find The Crime Couch. 

”From the vault - Tit for tat; the waterfront wars - part 2”

This is part 2 of an interview I did 20 years ago with former Victoria Police Detective Superintendent Alan Pleitner. I interviewed Alan when writing Billy "The Texan" Longley's biography. He was a Detective Senior Constable in the Homicide Squad when Melbourne's waterfront war was underway. Alan talks about the role of the Homicide Squad Detective and how they work hard to bring justice to the victim. 

Alan was working when the Painters and Dockers' boss Pat Shannon was murdered at the Druids Hotel in 1973. He and his partner Detective Senior- Sergeant Barrie O'Brien arrested Alfred Connell - one of three crims involved in the shooting - and charged him with murder. 

Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with music written by Jonathan Boyle, courtesy of Premium Beat.

Post production by Pete Dillon @www.fearlesscollective.com.au and acknowledgement to Stephen Peters for his assistance and support. 

Thanks for listening. Please take the time to rate & review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. We'd love to hear your thoughts and it makes it easier for the rest of the podcast world to find The Crime Couch. 

”The running man”

Senior Constable Alex Prestney knows more than most about road trauma. The Victoria Police officer lost his brother Joshua in the Eastern Freeway crash on the 22nd of April 2020. Joshua was one of four Victoria Police members tragically killed in the accident. 

Alex is articulate, publicly expressing what he's going through. He's even returned to his role in Highway Patrol. I can't even imagine how difficult this trauma has been for him and his family. But he's not one to stand still. Alex is about to run from Mildura to Melbourne, a 560 kilometre run starting on July 31st.  All monies raised will go to road trauma victims and the Amber Community. If you wish to follow Alex click on this link https://run-for-road-trauma.raisely.com/

Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with music written by Jonathan Boyle, courtesy of Premium Beat.

Post production by Pete Dillon @www.fearlesscollective.com.au and acknowledgement to Stephen Peters for his assistance and support. 

Thanks for listening. Please take the time to rate & review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. We'd love to hear your thoughts and it makes it easier for the rest of the podcast world to find The Crime Couch. 

”From the vault - Tit for tat; the waterfront wars - part 1”

This week from the vault, part one of a two -part interview from 2003 with former Victoria Police Detective Superintendent Alan Pleitner. Alan was a Detective Senior Constable in the Homicide Squad when Melbourne's waterfront war was exploding. He'd grown up in the country and worked as a young Constable in the inner city.

I interviewed Alan when writing Billy "The Texan" Longley's biography in 2003. Alan was on-call when Painters and Docker's boss, Pat Shannon was murdered at the Druids Hotel on October 17, 1973. He and his partner Detective Senior Sergeant Barrie O'Brien arrested one of the offenders, Alfred Connell - involved in the shooting - and charged him with murder. 

Please note - this recorded interview is 20 years old and sounds it!

Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with music written by Jonathan Boyle, courtesy of Premium Beat.

Post production by Pete Dillon @www.fearlesscollective.com.au and acknowledgement to Stephen Peters for his assistance and support. 

Thanks for listening. Please take the time to rate & review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. We'd love to hear your thoughts and it makes it easier for the rest of the podcast world to find The Crime Couch. 

”The end of an era -Vale Lilian ”Lil” Irwin -

Former Victoria Police Inspector Lilian Irwin sadly passed away on Saturday night, 17 June 2023. I was lucky to sit with the 96-year-old "Lil" as she was affectionately known, on The Crime Couch, during 2021. This is our interview, republished. 

Lil led the way for women in the police force for nearly three decades. When she joined in 1961, she was only one of four women in her squad. Nick-named “The Queen of Fitzroy” and “Legs 11,” Lil was the only female Inspector when she was promoted in 1977 at a time when policewomen thought they’d be lucky to get to Sergeant! Vale Lilian Irwin, registered number 13868.

Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with music written by Jonathan Boyle, courtesy of Premium Beat.

Post production by Pete Dillon @www.fearlesscollective.com.au and acknowledgement to Stephen Peters for his assistance and support. 

Thanks for listening. Please take the time to rate & review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. We'd love to hear your thoughts and it makes it easier for the rest of the podcast world to find The Crime Couch.