Melbourne’s Tinder Swindler is back behind bars. 

Christopher Alan Collins used dating apps to gain women’s trust before stealing their money, once taking $96,000 while his date was dancing just metres away. 

Now, after admitting to defrauding another woman of almost $345,000, blackmailing her and even threatening to kill her, Collins is awaiting another sentence. 

This week, Wayne and friend of the podcast journalist Paul Shapiro retrace his shocking history from the beginning, all the way to his recent guilty plea.

The Trial: Australia is part of The Crime Desk. Subscribe today for ad-free listening, early access to new shows, exclusive bonus episodes and complete access to our true-crime podcast collection. Visit thecrimedesk.com for more information.

Follow us on Tiktok @TheCrimeDesk

Follow us on instagram @TheTrialPod

Subscribe to our YouTube channel @TheCrimeDesk

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. 

Email us [email protected]

Whatsapp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)

Presenter: Wayne Flower

Producer: Sam Morris

Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hamish Tait was a beloved childcare worker; now he’s being accused of being Australia’s worst daycare predator.

He now faces 329 charges relating to the alleged abuse of 136 children between 2009 and 2025. 

Investigators seized 25 electronic devices from his home and say they are examining approximately 2.4 million files, while police continue working to identify children allegedly depicted in the material. 

In this episode Wayne is joined by Daily Mail journalist Candace Sutton to examine the allegations and the circumstances which kept Hamish Tait’s identity hidden from the public for almost a year.

The Trial: Australia is part of The Crime Desk. Subscribe today for ad-free listening, early access to new shows, exclusive bonus episodes and complete access to our true-crime podcast collection. Visit thecrimedesk.com for more information.

Follow us on Tiktok  @TheCrimeDesk

Follow us on instagram @TheTrialPod

Subscribe to our YouTube channel @TheCrimeDesk

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. 

Email us [email protected]

Whatsapp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)

Presenter: Wayne Flower

Producer: Sam Morris

Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Erin Patterson is fighting to overturn her mushroom murder convictions, but prosecutors argue she should never be released from prison.

Across two days in Victoria’s Court of Appeal, Patterson’s lawyers raised seven grounds they say undermine the fairness of her trial, from the jury’s hotel arrangements to disputed evidence and the prosecution’s closing address.

But the judges pushed back on several of those arguments, as the Crown launched its own appeal against Patterson’s sentence.

In this episode, Wayne and Caroline break down the appeal hearings with key moments from court, as we wait to find out the fate of Erin Patterson.

The Trial: Australia is part of The Crime Desk. Subscribe today for ad-free listening, early access to new shows, exclusive bonus episodes and complete access to our true-crime podcast collection. Visit thecrimedesk.com for more information.

Follow us on Tiktok @DailyMailCrime

Follow us on instagram @TheTrialPod

Subscribe to our YouTube channel @TheCrimeDesk

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. 

Email us [email protected]

Whatsapp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)

Presenters: Wayne Flower and Caroline Cheetham

Producer: Sam Morris

Editor: Buddy Peace

Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On July 27th, the bodies of 36-year-old Helena Wright and her 23-month-old daughter Hazel were discovered in the waters off Cape Northumberland, near Port Macdonnell in South Australia. Helena’s three-month-old son Lewis was also believed to have been with them, but despite an extensive search, his body has never been found.

Police are treating the deaths as a murder-suicide, but one crucial question remains: what happened in the hours before Helena and her children disappeared?

The day before her death, Helena reportedly went to Mount Gambier police seeking help. She was allegedly told to return the following day. Hours later, a friend called police requesting a welfare check, but by then Helena and her children were gone.

In this episode of The Trial Australia, Wayne Flower is joined by Daily Mail reporter Karleigh Smith, who has been investigating the tragedy on the ground in South Australia.

They examine what is known about Helena and her family, the mysterious circumstances surrounding her final hours, and the questions that will now form part of a coronial investigation.

Wayne also speaks to Criminal Psychologist Tim Watson-Murno, to break down the psyche of someone willing to commit murder-suicide.

The Trial: Australia is part of The Crime Desk. Subscribe today for ad-free listening, early access to new shows, exclusive bonus episodes and complete access to our true-crime podcast collection. Visit thecrimedesk.com for more information.

Follow us on Tiktok @DailyMailCrime

Follow us on instagram @TheTrialPod

Subscribe to our YouTube channel @TheCrimeDesk

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. 

Email us [email protected]

Whatsapp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)

Presenter: Wayne Flower

Producer: Sam Morris

Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For more than three years, one of Australia's most powerful entertainment managers fought to keep his identity hidden in an ongoing criminal case from the public.

Now, after a jury found Ralph Carr guilty of two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, the suppression order protecting him has finally been lifted.

In this episode, Wayne is joined by reporter Paul Shapiro to unpack the case that couldn't be reported, examining the allegations, the evidence heard by the jury, the controversial suppression order and the legal battles behind the scenes.

The Trial: Australia is part of The Crime Desk. Subscribe today for ad-free listening, early access to new shows, exclusive bonus episodes and complete access to our true-crime podcast collection. Visit thecrimedesk.com for more information.

Follow us on Tiktok @DailyMailCrime

Follow us on instagram @TheTrialPod

Subscribe to our YouTube channel @TheCrimeDesk

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. 

Email us [email protected]

Whatsapp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)

Presenter: Wayne Flower

Producer: Sam Morris

Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On what should have been the final days of a life-changing volunteer trip to Mozambique, 20-year-old Australian Elly Warren was found dead near a beachside toilet block, her lungs filled with sand. Nearly a decade later, the question of what really happened to her remains unanswered.

Frustrated by the authorities failing to provide answers, Elly's father, Paul Warren, embarked on an extraordinary quest for the truth. He has travelled to Mozambique, uncovered new evidence, interviewed key witnesses, published a book, and spent years challenging official findings in the hope of discovering what happened to his daughter. He knows that his daughter’s killer is out there, and he wants to know their identity.

In this episode, Paul joins Wayne to tell the remarkable story of his relentless search for answers, the evidence that points to foul play, and why his fight for justice continues almost ten years after Elly's death.

The Trial Australia is part of The Crime Desk. Subscribe today for ad-free listening, early access to new shows, exclusive bonus episodes and complete access to our true-crime podcast collection. Visit thecrimedesk.com for more information.

Follow us on Tiktok @DailyMailCrime

Follow us on instagram @TheTrialPod

Subscribe to our YouTube channel @TheCrimeDesk

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. 

Email us [email protected]

Whatsapp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)

Presenter: Wayne Flower

Producer: Sam Morris

Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Almost a year after Erin Patterson’s trial, and on the run up to her appeal, one of it's most significant witnesses says his own life has been turned upside down.

Dr Chris Webster was the rural GP who treated Ian and Heather Wilkinson after the deadly mushroom lunch, questioned Erin Patterson when she came to hospital, and made the call to police that helped set the investigation in motion. His evidence became one of the defining moments of the trial.

But after speaking publicly following the verdict, Dr Webster found himself facing complaints to Australia's medical regulator. He says the consequences have been devastating: restrictions on his practice, the collapse of his medical clinic, the loss of his livelihood and a future in doubt.

In this episode, Wayne and Caroline are joined Dr Webster to speak about emotional toll of the case, why he believes he has been unfairly treated and why he refuses to compromise his principles.

The Trial Australia is part of The Crime Desk. Subscribe today for ad-free listening, early access to new shows, exclusive bonus episodes and complete access to our true-crime podcast collection. Visit thecrimedesk.com for more information.

Follow us on Tiktok @DailyMailCrime

Follow us on instagram @TheTrialPod

Subscribe to our YouTube channel @TheCrimeDesk

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. 

Email us [email protected]

Whatsapp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)

Presenters: Wayne Flower and Caroline Cheetham

Producer: Sam Morris

Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ivan Milat is known worldwide as one of Australia's most notorious serial killers, convicted in 1996 of murdering seven backpackers in New South Wales. But a parliamentary inquiry is now examining whether Milat could be linked to many more of Australia's unsolved murders and long-term missing persons cases.

In this episode, Wayne speaks with retired British detective Hugh Hughes, who believes he has identified the first victim of Australia's most notorious serial killer.

After spending eight years investigating the unsolved 1971 murder of 20-year-old Keren Rowland, Hughes explains why he believes there is compelling evidence linking Milat to the case. He discusses his investigation, the challenges of accessing police records, his evidence before a New South Wales parliamentary inquiry, and why Keren's family are still seeking answers more than 50 years after her death.

The Trial Australia is part of The Crime Desk. Subscribe today for ad-free listening, early access to new shows, exclusive bonus episodes and complete access to our true-crime podcast collection. Visit thecrimedesk.com for more information.

Follow us on Tiktok @DailyMailCrime

Follow us on instagram @TheTrialPod

Subscribe to our YouTube channel @TheCrimeDesk

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. 

Email us [email protected]

Whatsapp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)

Presenter: Wayne Flower

Producer: Sam Morris

Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Twenty-five years after the murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio shocked Australia and the world, one question still remains: where is Peter?

In this episode, Wayne Flower is joined by Daily Mail Australia News Editor Kevin Airs, who reported from the heart of the investigation as the case unfolded in 2001. Together they revisit the night of Peter’s murder on the remote Stuart Highway, the extraordinary survival of Joanne Lees, and the trial that convicted Bradley John Murdoch. 

But Murdoch is now dead, Peter's body is still missing, and crucial questions of the case may never be answered.

The Trial Australia is part of The Crime Desk. Subscribe today for ad-free listening, early access to new shows, exclusive bonus episodes and complete access to our true-crime podcast collection. Visit thecrimedesk.com for more information.

Follow us on Tiktok @DailyMailCrime

Follow us on instagram @TheTrialPod

Subscribe to our YouTube channel @TheCrimeDesk

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. 

Email us [email protected]

Whatsapp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)

Presenter: Wayne Flower

Producer: Sam Morris

Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The discovery of a teenager’s body contained inside an abandoned suitcase, in the tourist city of Pattaya, made headlines and shocked people around the world.

An Australian man has been charged over the death of 17-year-old Thunchanok "Cake" Donhomla, but he denies murder, claiming he acted in self-defence.

In this episode, Wayne is joined by Daily Mail reporters Candace Sutton and Jonica Bray to unpack the timeline, examine the CCTV evidence and the accused's version of events, and bring you fresh reporting from the ground in Thailand.

The Trial Australia is part of The Crime Desk. Subscribe today for ad-free listening, early access to new shows, exclusive bonus episodes and complete access to our true-crime podcast collection. Visit thecrimedesk.com for more information.

Follow us on Tiktok @DailyMailCrime

Follow us on instagram @TheTrialPod

Subscribe to our YouTube channel @TheCrimeDesk

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. 

Email us [email protected]

Whatsapp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)

Presenter: Wayne Flower

Producer: Sam Morris

Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the first time since four-year-old Gus Lamont vanished from a remote South Australian sheep station, his grandmother Josie Murray has spoken publicly.

In a bombshell television interview, Josie Murray revealed she is the family member police identified as a suspect in their major crime investigation, while strongly denying any involvement in Gus's disappearance. Instead, she claims Gus may have been abducted and raises fresh questions about the police investigation.

This week, Wayne is joined by reporter Jonica Bray, to unpack all the revelations from Josie Murray. Jonica also recounts her shocking and extraordinary encounter with Josie Murray, brandishing a shotgun at Oak Park Station.

The Trial Australia is part of The Crime Desk. Subscribe today for ad-free listening, early access to new shows, exclusive bonus episodes and complete access to our true-crime podcast collection. Visit thecrimedesk.com for more information.

Follow us on Tiktok @DailyMailCrime

Follow us on instagram @TheTrialPod

Subscribe to our YouTube channel @TheCrimeDesk

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. 

Email us [email protected]

Whatsapp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)

Presenter: Wayne Flower

Producer: Sam Morris

Editor: Alex Graham

Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.