CLAREMONT: The Claremont Serial Killings

After 20 years of hiding in plain sight, sadistic killer and brutal rapist Bradley Edwards will likely never leave jail and die without his freedom, after he was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 40 years. If he makes it that long, he will be 88, taking into consideration time served. But that just means in 2060 he can apply for parole, it doesn't mean he'll be released. As Justice Hall revealed his sentence, more than a year since his trial began and almost four years to the day since he was arrested, he told Edwards he would likely die in jail. "You committed these offences as a much younger man and have had the undeserved benefit of your liberty for many years due to the fact that it took many years to identify you as the perpetrator," he said. Those offences, he committed in his 20s, but one of his victims, who was 17 at the time bravely told of how the sadistic rapist's act 25 years ago changed her, but wouldn't define her. Her powerful words left even seasoned police officers holding back tears. “the definition of a coward," The Karrakatta victim said. “He preyed on weak, vulnerable young women who didn’t stand a chance." “How pathetic. It has been much easier in terms of impact to realise there was no evil genius at work here, he slipped through the cracks because he is unremarkable.” "And now I will leave this behind. I will leave this courtroom and finally go and live my life without you in it. I will live it joyously, respectfully and gratefully for myself, my family and for the lives that were lost. I will live and you won’t." "And as one of the victims of your crimes, I hope you are treated as well in prison as you have treated us." Even though he didn't give a life without parole sentence, Lee Rimmer, Jane's sister said he was happy, and WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson spoke for a community. “It is my sincere hope, for the sake of the victims, for the sake of the families and friends and indeed for the safety of our community, that Edwards will never be released from prison,” Mr Dawson said. In this final podcast, Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke, Alison Fan and Damien Cripps digest, analyse and take in the sentence - and the case that's gripped the state for more than two decades. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join the Claremont in Conversation team in this special live event at the University of Western Australia. Hear stories never told in court, anecdotes from sitting days and opinions from the journalists who covered the mammoth seven-month trial. You'll also hear some details from Tim Clarke's book, Enigma of the Dark. To get a copy, head to https://subscriber.thewest.com.au/enigmaofthedark?utm_source=TheWest&utm_medium=PromoCard&utm_campaign=ClaremontBookPreOrder&utm_term=order-now&utm_content=Content or find Enigma of the Dark on Amazon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should Bradley Edwards be allowed to participate in rehabilitation programs in prison? Or should the prison just 'throw away the key'? Legal expert Damien Cripps joins Natalie Bonjolo in this last episode until the sentencing, discussing how Edwards might be sentenced, and answer some of your questions. Damien Cripps said Edwards' sentencing will be a difficult task for Justice Hall, and discusses several avenues of how the prosecution and defence will present their cases to the judge. You've sent in some very interesting questions, and Damien Cripps gives his professional and personal opinion. We'll be back on December 23 when Bradley Edwards is sentenced on The Huntingdale attack, Karrakatta rape, and Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon's murders. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former homicide detective Paul Ferguson has put away his fair share of bad guys. The retired police officer was in charge of the MACRO Taskforce when it was created, after Jane Rimmer disappeared in June 1996, but before that, he worked on, and helped catch one of WA's most infamous serial killer couples - David and Catherine Birnie. But the disappearances of Sarah Spiers, Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon was one of the cases that not only haunted WA, but many of the police officers who worked it. The retired detective even interviewed the man he put behind bars, David Birnie, to try and get an insight into the mind of a serial killer. He investigated when Sarah Spiers went missing. From the start, it was clear it wasn't just another missing woman. The Spiers family and police were onto it straight away. More than 2,000 posters, 20,000 flyers and 50 buses with Sarah's face were distributed throughout Perth. Police had no idea how she was abducted, or even where she was. The search spanned all over the Perth region, from Black Wall Reach, to Midland, to Serpentine Falls. Sarah had disappeared without a trace. In this podcast, Paul Ferguson reveals where he thinks Sarah Spiers is. Five months after the 18-year-old disappeared, he recalls the call he took, the call that police knew was coming, but were dreading. Another woman had gone missing. "The fact that we didn't know how that Sarah had been abducted, the fact that there'd been no commotion and the fact that her body hadn't been found was of major concern through the inquiry team and WA Police.  And then of course the worst thing that could have happened was another girl go missing from the same area," he told the Claremont in Conversation podcast team. He admitted the disappearance of Ciara Glennon was a blur, because the investigation had become so intense. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and special guests former head of MACRO Paul Ferguson and former WA Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan as they take you inside Australia's longest running and most expensive murder investigation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bradley Edwards hid in plain sight for more than two decades, but what he didn’t realise, was that he was just simply hidden, and that meant he could still be found. His DNA was found under Ciara Glennon’s fingernails. She fought for her life, and in that fight, she scratched her killer and hid a part of him to be found by scientists years later. Dr Jonathan Whitaker is the scientist who found a male DNA profile from the microscopic DNA fragments found under Ciara Glennon’s fingernails. His testing and retesting of Ciara’s fingernail samples at FSS in the UK in 2008 was the pivotal turning point in the MACRO investigation. His new method of testing - Low Copy Number - provided the distinctive male profile which later proved to be Edwards. But at the time, he admits its significance was not immediately apparent. Dr Jonathan Whitaker speak to Tim Clarke in this episode of Claremont in Conversation: The Verdict, and tells of when he realised his find was indeed the ‘Eureka moment’ that led police to Bradley Edwards. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 7, 1990 was the day that changed Wendy Davis’ life. A social worker at Hollywood Hospital, she was going about her day when Telstra worker and now convicted killer Bradley Edwards attacked her, grabbing her from behind and dragged her back towards some toilets. But she fought him off, and her evidence helped in the conviction of the Claremont Killer. But Wendy Davis is so much more than just “the Hollywood Hospital victim”. After her ordeal, she had to go on with her life, so she buried the traumatic events, until 2016 when detectives called to tell her, the man who attacked her in 1990, they think is the Claremont Serial Killer. In this episode, Wendy bravely tells her story, in her own words. The trauma she experienced, the grief for Sarah, Jane and Ciara’s families, and the anger at Telstra and Edwards is so raw, so emotional, as she tells Natalie Bonjolo and Tim Clarke her experience and why she wants an apology from Telstra, and why she thinks Edwards should have been charged with more than common assault. Wendy left the job she loved after the attack, the trauma was too much. But Edwards got to keep his job. In telling her story, Wendy said she feels like it’s been therapeutic. She said she even started jotting down her thoughts into a book, which she admitted may, or may not ever see the light of day, but detail her experiences with the attack, and the resurgence of trauma. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke as they speak to Wendy Davis about the attack which eventually linked Edwards’ name to the crimes at Huntingdale, and the DNA found from the Karrakatta rape victim and Ciara Glennon’s murder. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bradley Edwards will 'never' reveal the location of Sarah Spiers. That’s according to leading forensic anthropologist and criminologist Dr Xanthe Mallett. In this episode of Claremont in Conversation: The Verdict, we take you inside the mind of a killer. Joined by forensic DNA expert Brendan Chapman and forensic anthropologist, criminologist Dr Xanthe Mallett, our guests analyse Bradley Robert Edwards fits the profile of a psychopath and what makes someone kill. During his police interview, Bradley Edwards was seen to barely show any emotion as he was told about the horrific final moments of Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon, but when he was asked about his family, he seemed animated. Dr Xanthe Mallett tells the podcast team psychopaths, a group which she included Edwards in, commonly display lack of emotion, but do when they’re triggered. Usually the only people who see those triggers are their victims. The prosecution laid out in the first few months of the trial, their idea of what those triggers could have been - emotional upsets - the ‘third wheel’ that moved into Edwards’ and his first wife’s home, her affair with the third wheel, the pregnancy and the sale of their marital home. As Tim Clarke explains, the prosecution abandoned this theory towards the end of the trial, but he believed it wasn’t because they didn’t think it was accurate anymore, rather, their DNA case was strong enough without it. Before a body was even found, and WA realised there was a killer roaming the streets of Claremont, police had already made links between the disappearance of the Karrakatta rape victim, Sarah Spiers and Jane Rimmer, and that was through the forensic process of victimology. But even with a police investigation linking the disappearance of Sarah Spiers and the murders of Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon, without a body, Justice Hall didn’t find there was enough evidence to convict Edwards of her murder too. Brendan Chapman explains why, even if a miracle happens, and Sarah Spiers’ remains are found, while it would be extremely hard to find any evidence from it, it wouldn’t be impossible - although most of it would still be circumstantial. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke, Brendan Chapman and Xanthe Mallett as they try and delve inside the mind of a killer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bradley Robert Edwards killed Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon. Over the last two days, we’ve heard from the families of those two young, vibrant women taken too soon, their grief unimaginable as their daughters’ killer has been unmasked. But for the family of another young and vibrant daughter, sister and friend, yesterday’s verdict came with more heartbreak. The family of Sarah Spiers don’t have closure. They don’t have her body. They’ve never been able to say goodbye. Today, the podcast team are joined by leading barrister Tom Percy QC, who tells us that Justice Hall could have found Bradley Edwards guilty of Sarah Spiers’ murder. A bitter pill to swallow for the West Australian public. The father of Ciara Glennon spoke publicly about the outcome today. He expressed his sorrow for the family of Sarah Spiers, whose body has never been found. Dennis Glennon said he always knew Ciara would fight for her life, but little did he know that her prolific final fight would lead to the massive DNA breakthrough that would eventually catch her killer. Despite the police and PathWest errors, Dennis Glennon said he and his family have no criticisms of detectives or scientists. In this episode, Tom Percy said we must never forget the errors of police, and what has previously been called ‘tunnel vision’ by MACRO detectives in following Lance Williams for years. Join the Claremont in Conversation team as they analyse the verdict, and have a lively discussion about the possibility of appeals, double jeopardy and Tom Percy’s opinion on why Edwards seemed to show little emotion throughout his trial. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Claremont Killer has been revealed. Bradley Robert Edwards terrorised Perth for two decades, he sparked fear into the hearts of people in Claremont and tore apart families. As WA’s Police Commissioner said outside court today, “Bradley Edwards can now be called for what he is - a brutal rapist and a murderer.” 24 years of heartbreak for the families of Sarah Spiers, Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon, today, some closure for two of those families. Bradley Edwards was found guilty of killing Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon - shaking his head as the verdict was read out. But it was a bitter-sweet verdict today, as Justice Hall said he couldn’t find, beyond reasonable doubt, that the man who killed Jane and Ciara also killed Sarah Spiers. Police vowing today, they will never stop trying to find her body and they will never stop trying to get answers for her family. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Damien Cripps as they digest the verdict that WA has waited 24 years for, and share the outpouring of emotion that’s swept through the state in the wake of the verdict. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Bradley Robert Edwards guilty or not guilty? Only one person knows what the answer to that question is, and he’s taken 12 weeks to make it. But on Thursday September 24, the world will find out. Justice Stephen Hall has the weight of two decades of fear, mystery and grief on his shoulders, and in a week, he’ll have eyes of West Australians on him. Claremont In Conversation is back with the biggest moments of the trial of the century, a week out from the verdict. In this bonus episode, Tim Clarke says he’s nervous, and it’s understandable why. A lot of people close to, or invested in this trial are also nervous, because in a week’s time, West Australians will find out if the man standing trial for the last seven months is the Claremont Serial Killer. But it represents much more than a seven-month trial. As we’ve found out over the course of the last few months, the Claremont Serial Killings case never went cold. Police, families and scientists have been working on the case for the last 24 years. It was a trial that was so important, not even a global pandemic could stop it, a trial that will literally stop traffic, when road works going on outside the court will stop for day. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Alison Fan as they take you through what to expect next week and what it will mean for judicial history after it’s all over. If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au  If you’re new to the Claremont podcast, or want a trial refresher, head to our JUMP IN NOW episodes to hear a detailed run through of the evidence. The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

95 trial days and 95 episodes (plus a few bonus ones) later, WA's trial of the century has officially come to a close. The trial has been harrowing at times, it's been informative and eye-opening, but ultimately heartbreaking for the families and the three women who's lives were tragically taken too soon. So, what happens next? Justice Stephen Hall reserved his judgement until September 24, and will spend the next three months carefully analysing every piece of evidence, every witness statement and every conclusion both the prosecution and defence asked him to make - all to decide if Bradley Robert Edwards is the Claremont Serial Killer. In this bonus episode, Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke, Alison Fan and producer Kate Ryan discuss the trial, how they are feeling following the Australia’s longest running and most expensive criminal investigation, and they’re expecting when the verdict day comes. Thank you to the podcast contributors Damien Cripps, Brendan Chapman and Tom Percy QC, all who gave their time to help us understand the concepts of the trial and the complicated science. And a massive thank you to The West Australian’s Emily Moulton, who worked tirelessly for 95 days live blogging every moment of the trial, without which a daily podcast would have been a lot harder to put together. Catch up on the Claremont Serial Killings trial at thewest.com.au and stay tuned to the Claremont in Conversation podcast for more bonus episodes over the next few months. For those wanting more on WA’s trial of the century, The West Australian has released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z

Everything’s been said, the evidence is out in the open and now Justice Hall has a massive task ahead of him. After 95 days and more than 200 witnesses, WA’s trial of the century -  the Claremont Serial Killings trial has come to a close, with the defence finishing their closing statement with the words, “A conviction founded on inadequate evidence would not constitute proper closure". Using the final day of his closing statements to focus on the fibre case against his client, Paul Yovich put forward a scenario of contamination theory, that Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon could have picked up the same fibres nine months apart through ‘coincidence’. He also conceded the person who killed Jane also killed Ciara, but  that person wasn’t Bradley Edwards. He also said there’s no evidence that person also abducted and killed Sarah Spiers. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Alison Fan as they discuss the final day of this mammoth trial, and how the victim’s families must be feeling, after the trial of the man accused of the murders more than two decades ago. If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z

On Day 94 of the trial, and the fourth day of Paul Yovich’s closing statements, the defence focussed on Ciara Glennon’s disappearance. The court had previously been told the night the she disappeared, the accused Claremont Serial Killer Bradley Edwards was supposed to be in Dawesville seeing friends, but didn’t show up until the next morning. Those friends told the court the reason he gave for his lateness was because he was ‘trying to reconcile with his wife’. The prosecution say that night he killed Ciara Glennon and dumped her body in Eglington. But the defence put up a different reason - those witness’s memories were inaccurate and Bradley Edwards was actually breaking up with his girlfriend. But that girlfriend, who gave evidence on day 4 of the trial (titled Ex Wife and Sex Lives for a catch up) said he broke up with her in April, telling her he’d met someone else. The court heard he met his second wife on April 1. Justice Hall was quick with questions and queries for Paul Yovich, telling the defence lawyer that didn’t make sense. As Tim Clarke and Alison Fan discuss in this episode, when Bradley Edwards broke up with that girlfriend, he told her the name of the woman he was leaving her for. If that happened in March, it would have been a premonition. Paul Yovich also questioned why, if he did it, he would drive more than 100 kilometres out of his way to dump a body - to which Justice Hall quickly replied that if he did it, he probably wanted to distance himself from the crime scene as much as possible. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Alison Fan as they discuss the questions Paul Yovich brought up surrounding Ciara Glennon’s disappearance. If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z

Paul Yovich told the court Sarah Spiers was the victim of a grave crime, but Bradley Edwards didn’t commit that crime. Making sure to tell the court he didn’t “intend to trivialise Ms Spiers’ death, or disrespect her. Quite the contrary.” He told the court Sarah Spiers was the victim of a grave crime, ‘a blameless victim’. The 18-year-old called for a taxi at 2.06am in the early hours of January 27, 1996. A taxi arrived three minutes later, but she was gone, and was never seen again. Previous witnesses have told Mr Edwards was at work early the next morning. Paul Yovich said logic dictates that it couldn’t be possible for Bradley Edwards could have killed Sarah Spiers, because it would have left just a six-hour window for him to kill and dispose of his victim, then arrive at work at 7.30 the next morning. But another witness, who kept journals, told the court Mr Edwards may have got to work later that morning. As far as what he did the night before, Alison Fan describes in this episode that Paul Yovich was quite blunt in some of his statements around Bradley Edwards’ the night Sarah disappeared, saying “We don’t know and you can’t speculate” and “You can’t fix the evidence to fit the case.” He asked, why would he choose that night above all others? And as we know, the prosecution have abandoned the emotional turmoil evidence, which the state had previously relied on, saying that Bradley Edwards was abandoned by his first wife, who had left him for another man, that night she rejected him. But that evidence can’t be used anymore. Bradley Edwards’ defence lawyer questioned the timeline the prosecution mapped out for how they say Sarah disappeared. In the early hours of January 27, 1996, Sarah Spiers made a phone call from a phone box in Claremont, to go to Mosman Park at 2.06am. 3 minutes later, the taxi arrived but she was gone. Mosman Park resident, Wayne Stewart gave evidence that he heard a woman’s blood-curdling scream at around 3am that same morning, and he saw a car under a street light. Mr Yovich pointed out that Mosman Park is around a 10-minute drive from Claremont, but the screams were heard at around 3am - around an hour after Sarah was last seen. He also said Justice Hall could not find that this evidence could prove that the screams came from Sarah, or that the car belonged to Bradley Edwards. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Alison Fan as they dissect the fourth day of the defence’s closing statements. If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z

The defence told court today that Bradley Edwards did not intend to kill his rape victim. That he planned his attack carefully and carried it out efficiently, but murder was not in that plan. During their closing statements, the prosecution said the Telstra worker intended to kill his rape victim, but was spooked by a passing security officer, dumped his victim in the bushes and left with the intention of coming back to finish his crime. But the rape victim, who had pretended to be unconscious, ran for help when she realised her attacker was gone. She said in one of her statements to police in the days after the attack, she thought she was going to die. As Tim Clarke explains in this episode, for the victim, who was in court, today would have been difficult to hear her account of the terrifying attack being scrutinised. Paul Yovich stressed that they weren’t questioning her account of what happened, and as Tim Clarke says he seemed sympathetic to the fact it was a very serious crime. But his argument was Bradley Edwards is a sexually motivated attacker, but not a murderer. The third day of the defence’s closing argument focussed on trying to prove just that, why the Karrakatta rape and the murders are different - through attempting to pick apart the fibre evidence, witness statements and the prosecution’s propensity evidence. Namely, that the Karrakatta rape victim was not killed after her horrific ordeal. Defence lawyer Paul Yovich also pointed to differences in the circumstances surrounding the rape and the murders. He told the court the Karrakatta rape victim was abducted in a ‘blitz-style attack’, whereas the prosecution say at least Jane Rimmer and Ciara Rimmer were lured into the car, and there was no evidence that Jane or Ciara were sexually assaulted, however, the court was previously told because of the level of decomposition of their bodies, while there was no evidence of sexual assault, that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. The two cases, now poles apart tell two very different stories. As Damien Cripps explains, this would be an extremely difficult task for Justice Hall to undertake, especially when evidence used by the prosecution, the Telstra Living Witness project was seen by the defence as a weakness to the prosecution, rather than strengthening their case. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Damien Cripps as they discuss day 92 of the Claremont Serial Killings Trial. If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z

In this episode, the Claremont in Conversation podcast team are joined by leading Perth criminal QC Tom Percy, who weighs in on the defence case, or lack of, and the seemingly new information which came out in the closing statements. In relation to the defence’s case, Tom Percy said, “You find your answer in the prosecution case, not necessarily in your own case.” During his second day of closings, Paul Yovich focussed on the PathWest practises, cleaning regimes and the 10 proven contamination events. Including one event, in which the DNA from a victim of a completely different case was found on a sample from one of the Claremont victims - a branch which was found on top of Jane Rimmer’s body. It’s led the team to wonder if the defence has placed enough doubt into the case. Another doubt the defence aimed to raise was also about the injuries on Ciara Glennon, namely the broken left thumbnail which the prosecution says was when Ciara scratched her attacker, helping produce the male DNA profile which they say is Bradley Edwards. Paul Yovich produced several other scenarios in relation to how her thumb nail was damaged. But with this, and other topics, Justice Hall was ready to clarify with questions, which included a suggestion that the defence had evidence Bradley Edwards was with a girlfriend the night Ciara Glennon disappeared. The court had previously been told Mr Edwards was supposed to travel down to Dawesville on March 14 to stay with friends, but didn’t arrive until late the next morning. The people he was supposed to stay with gave evidence, saying he told them he was trying to reconcile with his first wife, who said during her time on the stand that a reconciliation was never attempted. Justice Hall told Paul Yovich he would be asking some questions about that when court resumes on Monday. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke, Alison Fan and Tom Percy QC as they discuss day 91 of the Claremont Serial Killings Trial. If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z

The final words of prosecutor Carmel Barbagallo as she wrapped up 7 months of evidence left Tim Clarke saying she believed she could say with authority: "Physical evidence can't be intimidated and it can't forget.” "It sits there and it waits to be preserved, detected, evaluated and examined.” "And it's that forensic evidence which - surrounded and supported by the evidence of the witnesses - has cast light on and unmasked the killer sought by so many and for so long.” "That evidence, all of that circumstantial evidence in this case, is not tricky. In fact, if you look at the mountain of circumstantial evidence collectively, cumulatively and dispassionately.”   "There is no evidence, there is no evidence - when looked at in the context of all evidence - which is inconsistent with the accused man being the murderer of these three women.” "The state's process of reasoning finding pathways to guilt are based on logic and the evidence. It is difficult to argue against logic.” "The evidence leads to one offender being responsible for the murders of Sarah Spiers, Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon.” "Bradley Robert Edwards, we say, is the Claremont serial killer.” Then, the defence took their turn. Immediately saying rather than looking at the bigger picture, Justice Hall should look to each detail with his opening words: "When we do get bogged down (in detail) we lose sight of the bigger picture," "What the defence says is we must pay attention to the detail, not just the fibre evidence but every aspect of the case and not gloss over anything that doesn't fit the case theory." Defence lawyer Paul Yovich honed in on what the defence said was the state’s key piece of evidence - Ciara Glennon’s left thumbnail, labelled by scientists AJM40. That fingernail was never tested before 2008, and when combined with AJM42, another of Ciara’s fingernails, found the male DNA profile the prosecution says is Bradley Edwards. The defence said they aren’t disputing the DNA is Bradley Edwards, they’re disputing how his DNA was found with Ciara’s fingernail samples. The prosecution says it was because Ciara fought for her life, scratching her attacker. The defence says contamination with samples that are known to have Bradley Edwards’ DNA - the Karrakatta rape victim samples. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Damien Cripps as they analyse the final closings of the prosecution, and the start of the defence’s. If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z

Ruthless, efficient, calculating. That’s how prosecutor Carmel Barbagallo described Bradley Edwards when recapping the crimes he’s alleged to have committed, as well as the ones he’s admitted to. She said his MO was to be prepared to take any opportunity, and that he would create those opportunities by driving around Claremont. Did the person who killed Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon take trophies from their bodies? Jane Rimmer was found naked, her clothes have never been found. Ciara Glennon was missing her jacket, shoes and bag - those have never been found either. That was one of the many questions raised by the prosecution on the third day of their closing statements. Justice Hall also posed a lot of questions, but to the prosecutor. He queried the evidence around RH17, as well as questioning her statement from the day before, that Mr Edwards intended to kill the Karrakatta rape victim, which led Alison Fan in this episode to query whether Justice Hall was playing devil’s advocate. The lead prosecutor today took the court through the 10 reasons why they say Bradley Edwards is the Claremont Serial Killer. That included the DNA and fibre evidence, but also the similarities in Jane and Ciara’s disappearances, injuries and discoveries, and the fact Bradley Edwards had abducted and raped a teenager from the Claremont area the year before Sarah Spiers disappeared. Sarah Spiers was mentioned during the closing statements, which Justice Hall vigorously questioned, saying he needed to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that Edwards was her abductor, and questioned the timeline. The prosecutor said the only way Justice Hall could find Bradley Edwards killed Sarah Spiers is if he first found that he killed Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon, which Tim Clarke called ‘reverse propensity’. However, Alison Fan said in this episode whatever the outcome of this trial, the ordeal won’t be over for the Spiers family, because Sarah’s body has never been found. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Alison Fan as they discuss the beginning of the end of WA’s trial of the century. If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z

A disturbing and graphic picture of Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s final hours was painted to the court on the second full day of the prosecution’s closing statements. Prosecutor Carmel Barbagallo told the court it was likely Ciara Glennon was overpowered by her attacker and forced into the foothold of the car. That’s how those fibres got into her hair. For the first time, it was also revealed that RH17 - the pristine hair sample was found already cut at Ciara Glennon’s crime scene - another disturbing revelation, that the hair had been cut during the attack on Ciara which killed her. The prosecutor also rebuffed the fibre contamination theories, calling them ‘preposterous’, almost adding humour into the scenarios which would have had to have played out for one of the defence’s contamination theories to hold up. One of her theories she says holds up, is Mr Edwards’ previous, admitted crimes, or the propensity evidence of attacking lone women - the Huntingdale, Hollywood Hospital and Karrakatta attacks. She even went as far as saying while Mr Edwards didn’t kill the Karrakatta rape victim, he intended to, but was somehow disturbed, left the scene and came back to kill his victim who he thought was unconscious. The prosecution will finish up their mammoth 88-day case tomorrow as their closings are expected end, leaving the defence to start their closing statements. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Alison Fan as they take you through the details of Australia’s longest running and most expensive murder investigation, and the new revelations that have come out, even during closings. If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z

Without any distractions or delays, Day 87 of WA’s trial of the century began. Bradley Edwards’ DNA was found with Ciara Glennon’s fingernail samples because she fought for her life, scratching or gouging at her attacker moments before her death. That was according to the prosecution during closing statements. The prosecution told the court Bradley Edwards’ DNA was preserved under Ciara Glennon’s fingernails, after she tried to fight off her attacker - shown through defensive wounds to her arms and broken fingernails - and that DNA survived for 19 days under her fingernails out in the elements in bushland off Pipdinny road in Eglington. In what’s been described as a recap of ‘the greatest hits’ of the mammoth trial, the prosecution looked to counter every theory of contamination put forward by the defence. The closing statements detailed how it would be virtually impossible for Bradley Edwards’ DNA could have been found with Ciara Glennon’s fingernail samples through contamination. The prosecutor also detailed how similarities in fibres found on the victims could show that the person who raped the teenager at Karrakatta cemetery also killed Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon. The prosecution say that person was Bradley Robert Edwards. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Damien Cripps as they take you through the start of the prosecution’s closing statements in WA’s trial of the century. If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z

The lead prosecutor - looking under the weather soldiered on during the beginning of her closing statements on day 86 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial, but it didn’t last long - just an hour, in fact. As Tim Clarke said, the only thing in worse health than Carmel Barbagallo was the video link. As it cut out an hour into her closings, the screen went black, and the court was delayed again. But in the hour the lead prosecutor was delivering her statement, she outlined the 25 reasons why she says she can prove Bradley Robert Edwards is the Claremont Serial Killer.   They came in four key areas - DNA, clothing fibres, car fibres and propensity - The similar crimes of the Karrakatta rape in 1995 and Huntingdale attack in 1998, which Bradley Edwards has pleaded guilty too. In front of a packed court room, which included all of the three victims’ families and well as the Karrakatta rape victim and the Huntingdale attack victim, as well as Mr Edwards’ parents, prosecutor Tara Payne asked for the trial to be adjourned again until Monday - to allow for Ms Barbagallo to get better. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Alison Fan as they discuss day 86 of the Claremont Serial killings trial. If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z

On the day that was supposed to see the closing statements of WA’s trial of the century to begin, an 11th-hour decision was made to delay proceedings for 24-hours, due to sickness. As Tim Clarke explains in this episode, the WA Courts said a “public health concern” was the reason for the delay. It’s believed it was the lead prosecutor Carmel Barbagallo who was unwell, however, that hasn’t been confirmed. If that is the case, Claremont in Conversation resident defence lawyer Damien Cripps said any lawyer needs to be in the best condition possible to be able to deliver their case to its full potential. And after all, we’re no longer being told to ‘soldier on’ through sickness in any workplace. The message now - if you’re sick, stay home. As the accused parents waited inside court and around 30 members of the public were queuing outside this morning, they were told court wouldn’t be happening. The decision so last-minute, even the accused Bradley Edwards had been transported from Casuarina prison to attend his trial. So far, court is due to resume on Tuesday for day 86, where the closing statements of the prosecution are expected to begin. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Damien Cripps as they discuss today’s events, and answer some of your listener questions. If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z  

Jane Rimmer was a happy, vibrant 23-year-old childcare worker, just starting out in life. She loved her family, her friends, and she liked to have a good time with them. And it was on June 8, 1996 that she decided to go out to have a few drinks with her friends in Claremont. That was the last night she was seen alive. Claremont was the safe, opulent, go-to place for young people in Perth in the 90s. 18-year-old Sarah Spiers had disappeared from the streets of Claremont just five months previously, but that didn't stop hundreds of people flocking to the nightspot that June night. We saw Jane's last known movements through CCTV vision. As Tim Clarke explains in this bonus episode, the haunting image of Jane's now elderly mother watching her daughter, forever 23 through grainy CCTV vision in court stuck with him. Sarah Spiers' disappearance was a tragic time for Perth and her family, but it wasn't until Jane Rimmer disappeared that the words serial killer started to echo throughout the city. Then, when her body was discovered 55 days later in bushland more than 40 kilometres from Claremont, that the police, and Perth's worst fears were realised. The missing persons case became a murder. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Alison Fan in this bonus episode as they remember Jane Rimmer.

“Brace yourself, Bradley,” is what Detective Senior Sergeant Joe Marrapodi said to Bradley Edwards during the final part of his police interview. He was telling Mr Edwards to brace himself, because they had the DNA results back - from a swab he gave to detectives around 12 hours earlier. “The expert scientists have now come back to us to confirm your DNA is a positive match,” Set Snr Sgt Marrapodi said. It was also the first time we’ve see any emotion from Bradley Edwards, when he was told his DNA matched that found on Ciara Glennon, the Karrakatta rape victim, and the kimono found from the Huntingdale attack. Following that, he was shown photos from the room in which the Huntingdale attack happened, the Karrakatta rape victim, and most poignantly - a photo of Ciara Glennon. He was then he appeared to be starkly aware of what he was accused of - rape and murder. These were some of the final pieces of evidence the court heard before it seemed to end, to the surprise of the public, and the podcast team. It took 85 days for the prosecution to lay out its case against Bradley Edwards, the man they say is the Claremont Serial Killer. The defence’s case took mere minutes. Their only exhibit tendered into evidence, A city of Gosnells maximum temperatures list for 1996. And that was the end of their case. As expected by the podcast team throughout the course of the trial, Bradley Edwards will not take the stand in his own defence. In another shock, for the last 5 months, the prosecution has argued that particular, emotionally upsetting events in Bradley Edwards life corresponded with the disappearances of Sarah Spiers, Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon. Today, the prosecution abandoned that theory. The emotional upset case will no longer be taken into account. With Bradley Edwards confirming he will to take the stand, the court will now adjourn for more than 4 weeks, returning on June 8, coincidentally, a day etched into the minds of those following the case, the day Jane Rimmer disappeared. The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

Day 84 was the day the court heard directly from Bradley Edwards, through his police interview, recorded after his arrest in 2016. Today, we heard his response, as he was told he was accused as being the Claremont Serial Killer. “I just want to go to sleep and to wake up and for this to all be a bad dream.” Those were the words spoken by Bradley Edwards, his head in his hands as he as being questioned by police following his arrest in 2016. It was the first time anyone has heard from the accused man during this trial, and the public, despite coronavirus restrictions, seemed to want to see the interview for themselves - the court packed, in scenes not seen since the first few days of this mammoth trial more than 5 months ago. Detective senior sergeant Joe Marrapodi took the stand, he was one of two detectives who interviewed Bradley Edwards on the day of his arrest. In handcuffs, sitting on the floor of his house, Joe Marrapodi told how he approached Mr Edwards, then police began recording video, and that was the start of a six and a half hour interview with the man they believe is the Claremont Serial Killer. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Alison Fan, with the help of reporter Josh Garlepp as they take you through the police interview WA has waited more than five months for. Hear what Bradley Edwards had to say in this episode of Claremont in Conversation.

In this episode, the podcast team look ahead into the evidence which has been anticipated for weeks - Bradley Edwards police interview - which Damien Cripps said gives ‘shivers down his spine’ in anticipation of the video to be played to the court, and is expected to be “the most significant piece of evidence the prosecution is going to bring”. That video is expected to be played tomorrow. While we’re still waiting for the police interview to be played, Day 83 saw a piece of evidence that was hotly objected by defence lawyer Paul Yovich - before the evidence was even heard. The statistics on unsolved murders and missing persons in WA was deemed ‘irrelevant’ by the defence, but despite that, the prosecution was allowed to proceed by Justice Hall. The court was told that police found more than 1500 unsolved  cases including murders, attempted murders, dangerous driving causing deaths between 1994 and 1997. When they filtered those down by suburb, six unsolved murders were in the Western Suburbs, which includes Claremont. Three of those have had suspects who have been charged, convicted and acquitted. The only three left over were Sarah Spiers, Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon. The court also heard a similar process was performed on long-term missing persons cases in WA. Now the fibre evidence has finished, the prosecution read in several witness statements. One of those was yet another woman has recounted a disturbing and frightening encounter with a white car around the Claremont area in the mid-90s. She had been walking home alone after walking from Claremont to Cottesloe - around a 20-minute walk - when she said a white car stalked her, including following her on the footpath at one point. She said shows very frightened, and ran across the road to the medium strip, where she As discussed in this episode, it’s not to say that these events are directly related to Bradley Edwards, but as Tim Clarke discusses, the prosecution has been allowed to tell these witness’ stories to ‘paint a picture’ of what was happening, and the feeling around the area in the 90s. Other witness statements included former FBI agents, scientists and police officers. The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

As the court waited for a reasonable time in the UK to video call Dr Ray Palmer for his final day giving evidence, two witness statements were read into the court. One of them was from a former Perth taxi driver, who said he avoided Claremont, and preferred to drive in Northbridge because Claremont was 'too much trouble', that people were often very drunk and disorderly. He was one of the cab drivers who drove a cab number that WA Police specifically looked into. In this Podcast, The West's Emily Moulton explains why his specific cab number was looked into. In another witness, a cold case detective revealed he was tasked with searching through old TV guides to find episodes of the X-Files. Earlier in the trial, Edwards' first wife and the man who went on to become her lover, bonded over watching the x-files together, and to corroborate those claims, detectives had to see if the x-files was actually shown on the TV in the 90s - which he found they were. When Dr Ray Palmer was called later in the evening, defence Lawyer Paul Yovich finished his cross examination with the fibre expert, where he grilled him on his findings of when he thought fibres may have got onto the victims. Dr palmer has now finished his evidence, next week, the much-anticipated 6-hour police interview with Bradley Edwards will be shown to the court. Court will be back to normal hours. The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

The state’s key fibre expert has detailed how the combination of fibres and the types of fibres found in Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s hair, as well as critical fibres no matched for their personal items, led him to believe it was more likely the two murdered women were in the Car Bradley Edwards drove, than not. In Ciara Glennon’s case, Dr Ray Palmer said he thought there was ‘very strong’ support to indicate Ciara was in that Holden VS Commodore, owned by Bradley Edwards in the mid-late 90s. He also told the court, generally blue polyester fibres - like the ones from the Telstra pants - accounted for 5% of the fibres found in people’s hair, while polypropylene fibres - like the fibres found in the carpet of the car - are not commonly found in people’s hair. Day 81 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial saw Paul Yovich begin his cross examination of Dr Ray Palmer, in which the beginnings of a contamination theory seemed to be put forward by the defence. Before the key fibre witness took the stand, earlier in the day, two former taxi company workers told how they were asked by WA police to search their archives for all of their jobs the nights Sarah, Jane and Ciara disappeared. Amazingly, they managed to find old floppy disks containing that data, which didn’t reveal a lot, except that a job from Sarah Spiers was found. The court had previously heard tat she phoned for a taxi at 2.06am on January 27, 1996. When the taxi arrived less than 3 minutes later, she was gone. They also found two jobs for “Janes” that night, but none seemed to be leaving from Claremont, and no jobs from a Ciara - or any variations of that name. But during cross examination, it was revealed, the jobs from hailed taxis were never logged. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Forensic expert Brendan Chapman as they discuss day 81. Court will be sitting late for the rest of the week as Dr Ray Palmer continues  to be cross examined. The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

Day 80 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial sat late to accomodate an expert witness from overseas. But before Dr Ray Palmer gave evidence, the defence asked the prosecution to call up a witness. This witness gave a terrifying account of her encounter with a man in a white van who she accepted a ride from while she was walking on Stirling Highway in the mid 90s. A man who tried to grab her leg while he was driving her before she yelled to stop, ran as fast as she could from the car and hid behind a letterbox until he was gone. This encounter is eerily similar to the Telstra Living Witnesses, except, her description of the man was very different to their descriptions, and the description of Bradley Edwards at that time. A tactic in reasonable doubt? Criminal Defence Lawyer Damien Cripps joins the podcast team to discuss that question, and the evidence from the prosecution’s ket fibre witness - Dr Ray Palmer, who literally wrote the book on fibres. During Dr Palmer’s evidence, he told the court he thought the forensic practices were very sloppy, and probably resulted in the loss of fibres. It’s not the first time we’ve heard about forensic practices being sloppy - DNA experts have also previously told the court they thought the same. But Dr Palmer qualified his remarks by saying the practices were sloppy all-round in the 90s - even in the UK. He also told the court that fibres in general can fall off people very easily, and the chances of finding a target fibre that matches one of the fibres found on a body - which is the case in the fibres found on Jane, Ciara and the Karrakatta rape victim - is usually very rare. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke as they bring you a wrap up of the night’s evidence. Court will be sitting late for the rest of the week as Dr Ray Palmer continues his evidence. The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

After spending nine days on the stand, Chem Centre scientist Rees Powell finally wrapped up his evidence on day 79 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial. It was during the end of his evidence-in-chief that it was revealed not only were fibres from the bodies of Ciara Glennon and Jane Rimmer analysed, the fibres from another WA cold case - which we have spoken about before on the podcast - the murder of Gerard Ross, was analysed along side the MACRO exhibits. The fibres were also compared to see if there were any matches. It was revealed there were matches, — but only from so-called “adventitious” sources, possibly from overshoes worn by police and sheets used in the state mortuary. During his mammoth time on the stand, Mr Powell detailed the huge amount of fibres that had been collected during the investigation, and the number of fibres Chem Centre tested, dating back to 2009, numbered in the thousands. On the final day of his evidence, a report put together by Mr Powell said the MACRO investigation is likely to be one of the largest textile fibre investigations ever conducted worldwide. The defence had their chance to question Mr Powell during his cross examination, where he was The state’s case - like the DNA portion of the trial, seemed to looking to find chances for contamination. Mr Yovich asked Mr Powell about the possibility of a crowded hotel, packed with people, being a good environment for the transfer of fibres. Such as the Continental Hotel, where Jane and Ciara spent parts of their last nights alive. Mr Powell agreed fibres could and would be transferred from people throughout the nights. Now that Mr Powell has finished his evidence, the trial will move to the UK, where the state’s key fibre witness, Dr Ray Palmer, who will be giving evidence via video link. The trial will sit later for the rest of the week. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Alison Fan as they discuss day 79. The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

**BREAKING: We’ve received a last-minute email from the WA court, there will be no Claremont Trial tomorrow (Friday April 24), court will resume on Tuesday, after the Anzac Day long weekend*** Fibres from anywhere and everywhere the victims went, alive and dead were tested by Chem Centre to try and find any matches to the critical fibres. There was a huge amount of detail put into the testing - Fibres from the carpet of the Continental Hotel, Jane Rimmer’s hairbrush, Ciara Glennon’s hairbrush. Socks, a toy rabbit, a ribbon from a diary and the carpet from Ciara’s room. Her car and Una Glennon’s sewing machine. Even the zipper lining from the inside of the body bag Ciara Glennon was placed on. A huge level of detail. What they found was none of the fibres from around Jane and Ciara’s lives - before they disappeared - matched the critical fibres. But 98 fibres found on their bodies after their murders match Telstra shorts and the car Bradley Edwards drove in the 90s. The full 98 fibres have now been discussed in court, but that’s not the end of the evidence from Rees Powell, he’ll be cross examined on Tuesday. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Emily Moulton as they discuss day 78 of WA’s trial of the century. The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

For the first time, the court was shown a picture of a pristine hair sample, which was never touched before RH17 was the hair sample taken from Ciara Glennon when her body was found in bushland off Pipidinny road in Eglington on April 3, 1997. This hair sample is so important because it was taken before anyone had a chance to inspect Ciara’s remains, and is seen as one of the most accurate pieces of evidence showing exactly what was on Ciara Glennon before any investigators, pathologists, detectives and scientists were in contact with her samples from her remains. During the post-mortem portion of the trial, avid listeners will remember the person who collected this fibre was never really known, because the police video at the scene didn’t capture it - the mostly likely reason was because during the collection of this fibre, the camera operator was changing the camera battery. During today’s evidence, it was revealed two fibres were found. Those fibres were found to match the fibres from the Telstra pants worn by employees in the 90s. During day 77’s evidence, fibre expert Rees Powell spent another long day on the stand. He gave evidence of the rest of the fibres found on Ciara Glennon, as well as some fibres from the car driven by Bradley Edwards in the late 1990s. Some of those fibres didn’t exactly match fibres found on Jane, Ciara or the Karrakatta rape victim, but some of the fibres from the Telstra pants matched the car, and the fibres from the Telstra pants matched the fibres found on the victims. A slightly complicated bit of evidence, which Justice Hall jumped on and asked Rees Powell several questions on. As criminal defence lawyer Damien Cripps described the how this evidence could be interpreted - even though the fibres don’t match, they actually do. We’re through 94 out of the 98 fibres have been run through to now. The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

Tiny strands of Ciara Glennon’s hair were sent to the FBI in 1999. Those hair strands in a Petri dish have become vital in the prosecution’s case - allegedly linking Ciara Glennon to the Karrakatta rape victim, and both of them to Telstra shorts, the like Bradley Edwards used to wear as a technician in the 1990s. The blue polyester fibres were two of 41 critical fibres found on Ciara Glennon. Other critical fibres found from who the prosecution says is the third victim of the Claremont Serial Killer, Ciara Glennon, were compared not only the Holden Commodore VS series 1 which Bradley Edwards drove in the late 90s, the database created for the investigation also found several other cars - of different makes and models seemed similar to the grey fibres found in Ciara Glennon’s hair. A Ford Falcon, a 1995 Toyota Camry and a 1997 Toyota Camry were among the cars tested. As both Tim Clarke and Alison Fan explain in this episode, what’s interesting is that the grey fibre ‘corresponded’ with the carpet fibres from the 1997 Toyota Camry, and when asked by Justice Hall, the witness Rees Powell conceded that the 1997 Toyota Camry could be a source for that fibre. But as the podcast team discuss, this is one of 98 fibres, but it’s something the defence would probably jump on when it comes time for Rews Powell’s cross examination. There’s 25 fibres to go in the fibre evidence, with the witness spending a mammoth 6 days on the stand already, it’s expected he will continue to give evidence for the rest of the week. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Alison Fan as they discuss day 76. The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

One slide of two microscopic fibres compared to each other shown to the court on day 75. That’s the first piece of physical evidence in the trial - 5 months in - that forensically links Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon. The blue polyester fibres, found on Ciara’s shirt and in Jane Rimmer’s hair were compared on a slide and shown to the court. This is one of just a handful of evidence that the prosecution can present that shows Jane and Ciara are linked to the crime, outside of circumstantial evidence. You can see that fibre at thewest.com.au We got through 25 fibres today, and as Tim Clarke explains in this episode, while it feels like Groundhog Day, the evidence is important, because it's what the prosecution say links two of the murder victims, along with the rape Bradley Edwards has admitted to, to him, his car and his workwear. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

During day 74’s evidence, the court heard that Ciara’s hair mass was split into 16 sections, and was meticulously examined for 17 days at Chem Centre. During his fourth day on the stand, Chem Centre scientist Rees Powell was again giving evidence, today focussed on the 41 critical fibres found on Ciara Glennon. We got through 8 today, and 32 of the full 98 fibres critical to the prosecution’s case. As Tim Clarke explains in this episode, the prosecution may have been optimistic with their timeline of the fibre evidence. It takes around 8 hours to go through eight fibres, so luckily this podcast helps break down that immense detail. The part of the evidence Tim Clarke said he finds interesting, is how close the investigations into the fibres were to the start of the trial. One of the critical fibres was found in 2018, and a comparison with fibres from Bradley Edwards’ car made in May 2019 - just two months before the trial was originally due to start. As we know the trial was delayed for further fibre evidence, which we are now seeing why. This is how the prosecution say the Karrakatta rape victim, Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon are linked to Bradley Edwards. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Alison Fan as they take you through day 74’s proceedings. The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

The sheer lengths ChemCentre scientists went to, to test the MACRO exhibits were again showed during the day’s evidence. After Jane’s hair was separated, run under a polilight, tweezed, shoock and looked over many times to find fibres, another method was used to try and find more. Her hair mass was washed and filtered - and 1000 new fibres were found. As Forensic expert Brendan Chapman explains, it’s not a method commonly used. 22 of those fibres are critical to the prosecution’s case. And one of them is unique - a blue-grey polypropylene fibre. When the car Bradley Edwards drove in the 90s was seized in 2016, that lone fibre found in Jane’s hair ‘matched’ with a fibre from the boot of the car. This evidence came right at the end of the day, and there’s more to come. In this episode, Brendan Chapman explains what it means when the witnesses say fibres ‘matched’ with one another, and why he doesn’t like using that word, even though it’s the best word to describe fibre features corresponding with each other. He tells us that even though fibres can match, scientists can’t tell us where the fibres originated. Tim Clarke has compiled his own spreadsheet of the fibres, where they came from and why they’re important - he takes us through the critical ones key to the prosecution’s case. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Brendan Chapman as they take you through day 73’s proceedings. The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

Although the MACRO taskforce had investigated Jane, Ciara and Sarah’s disappearances together since the moment Jane went missing, but before 2012, there was no physical evidence linking the murders. On Day 72 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial, a ChemCentre scientist recounted the moment the first alleged forensic links were made, connecting Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s murders. In 2012, blue polyester fibres found in Jane’s hair and on Ciara’s shirt were compared to each other, and matched. For the first time, a forensic, physical, tangible link was made to link the murders of Jane and Ciara. But they didn’t know where it came from. It wasn’t until after Bradley Edwards’ arrest in 2016 that they tested Telstra pants - and they were found to match the colour and fibre make-up of the fibres found on Jane and Ciara. Mr Powell also detailed how blue fibres found on the shorts the Karrakatta rape victim was wearing, also matched fibres of Telstra shorts from the 1990s, which police had sourced from former Telstra workers, as well as fibres found on Ciara Glennon. As we know, Bradley Edwards has pleaded guilty to the rape at Karrakatta, but he denies the murders of Sarah Spiers, Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon. During his second day on the stand, forensic scientist Rees Powell took the court through the individual critical fibres to the trial, what other fibres they match and why they’re important. We got through 5 fibres today, so strap yourselves in for a long haul. But as Tim Clarke and Damien Cripps explain, this evidence is so important to linking Jane Rimmer physically and forensically into the trial. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Damien Cripps, as they discuss the evidence from day 72. ***We couldn’t be in the studio today and are all on the phone, please bear with the audio quality*** Justice Hall has released some exhibits from the fibre evidence to the public, you can find those photos on thewest.com.au The West Australian has also released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

Today in court we found out a world-first fibre database was created specifically for the Claremont Serial Killings trial, which led to a ground breaking new way of investigating fibres now used as the standard method of fibre matching. The scientists who were testing the fibres found in Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s hair saw that they looked similar to those found in cars. So, they took off their lab coats and went out into the field, specifically wrecking yards, the police compound and tested cars - though trial and error. After years of finding fibres, testing and ruling them out, they finally found their needle in a haystack - the fibres were strikingly similar to those found in a Holden Commodore Stationwagon VS 1 or 2. The incredibly detailed work was done by scientists who had to cross reference more than 4000 fibres they found on the victims. The scientists literally had to take each fibre one-by-one and look at them through a microscope to compare to the MACRO fibres - and they did it in the hopes of finding a match - they didn’t have anything to cross reference, until December 2016. We previously heard scientists spend 11 days combing through Bradley Edwards’ former Telstra car, and even longer testing the fibres. As we’ve heard before, 41 critical fibres were found in Ciara Glennon’s hair, and 22 were found in Jane Rimmer’s hair. Once Bradley Edwards was arrested in 2016, detectives had the confirmation Telstra was involved - previously we’d heard WA police investigated Telstra in 1997 - and in 2018, they got hold of pants worn by Telstra workers in the mid-late 90s, and the same intricate, detailed tests were compared to the fibres found on Jane, Ciara and importantly the link to the living victim - the Karrakatta rape victim. The West Australian has released a two-part video series, as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas which are key to the trial, from Claremont, where the women went missing, to Hollywood hospital and to the sites were Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies were found. To watch those videos, head to: Part 1: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-on-a-visual-tour-of-claremont-ng-b881516606z Part 2: https://thewest.com.au/news/claremont-serial-killings/claremont-serial-killings-trial-tim-clarke-takes-you-to-wellard-and-eglington-ng-b881517153z If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

That crucial Telstra Blue fibre was again under the spotlight on day 70 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial, this time by the defence. Joined by prominent Perth criminal defence lawyer Tom Percy QC, the podcast team discuss what the defence will try to argue to place enough reasonable doubt in the fibre evidence. The argument - that the ‘Telstra Blue’ colour wasn’t always exclusive to Telstra, the colour was supplied to other, smaller businesses throughout the 90s. But the prosecution say that it’s the combination of the fibre material - the unique mixture of cotton and viscose - and the Telstra blue colour that makes it exclusive to Telstra workers’ uniforms. Hear the opinion of one fo Perth’s top criminal defence lawyers about how he thinks the trial is going, and whether he thinks - if convicted - the location of Sarah Spiers could be revealed. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Tom Percy QC as they discuss day 70 of WA's trial of the century. The trial will take a break over Easter, returning on Tuesday April 14. In the mean-time, keep an eye out for a special video series as Tim Clarke takes you through the areas crucial to the trial.

Telstra Blue. The fibre that delayed the trial of the century for more than four months. And it’s the fibre which the prosecution say was found in Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s hair. A piece of material, from a pair of Telstra pants which were used in 1996 and 1997 was tested as late as May 2019. The trial was originally due to start, but the prosecution - and the judge found this evidence important enough to delay the trial until November. On day 69 two witnesses told the court in minute detail, of how fibres are woven into pieces of fabric, which fibres are used and how they’re dyed. Criminal defence lawyer Damien Cripps joins us for today’s podcast episode, he describes how the prosecution are trying to prove - beyond reasonable doubt - that the fibres found in the hair of Jane and Ciara are from pants worn by a Telstra worker through the fibres and that Telstra worker is Bradley Robert Edwards. As Alison Fan explains, the colour of the Telstra pants was made specifically for Telstra, in fact the dye made for those pants was called Telstra Blue. But we haven’t heard from the defence yet, Paul Yovich asked to delay the cross examination until tomorrow. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Alison Fan and Damien Cripps as they discuss - and debate day 69 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial. They also answer some listener questions. If you have any questions for the podcast team, or any of their guests, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

The police officer who went digging for the fingerprints that would blow the Claremont Serial Killings investigation wide open give his evidence today. Sgt Colin Stuart Beck took the stand to tell his massive involvement in one of WA’s most infamous cold cases, how his good old fashioned police work finding fingerprints from a series of break-ins, which led to fingerprints linking the Claremont cases to Huntingdale cases, and the database match with threw up the name Bradley Robert Edwards. All of these links, however didn’t have any DNA evidence. That’s when WA police set up an undercover operation to follow Bradley Edwards. Long-time listeners of the podcast and the case will remember in late December 2016, Bradley Edwards went to the movies. He had no idea police were watching his every move. He dropped a Sprite bottle into the bin as he left, police picked that bottle up and it was immediately sent to the lab. Police waited anxiously for the results, which eventually showed an exact match to Huntingdale and Karrakatta, and a match that couldn’t be ignored for Ciara. The podcast team take you through the details of Sgt Beck’s evidence - from the phone call of a DNA match, to the arrest of Bradley Edwards and the searches of four houses linked to him, through to finding clothes from the 90s to compare to fibres found in Jane and Ciara’s hair, and the car Bradley Edwards drove in 1996 and 1997. As always, Bradley Edwards is innocent until proven guilty, and this evidence is the prosecution’s way of trying to prove whether he is the Claremont Serial Killer. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and forensic expert Brendan Chapman as they discuss day 68. If you have a question for the podcast team or any of their guests, send them in to Claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

With a video link to China, technical difficulties plagued the morning’s proceedings. When the technical issues were sorted, day 67 took a deep dive into fibres, VIN numbers and cars. Tim Clarke says in this episode, you would have had to be a car buff for the day’s evidence to keep you interested and focussed the whole day. Luckily, Tim Clarke was in court all day and takes us through the most important aspects of the day. A former Holden manufacturer, who told the court the particular colours of the fibres of the car - found in Jane and Ciara’s hair - were only found in that make and model of car. It was a narrowing down exercise today, narrowing down the chances that the car police found could be the car which Jane and Ciara were in, and possible take to where they were killed. Join Natalie Bonjolo and Tim Clarke as they discuss the day’s evidence, and make it easy to understand. Send any questions you have for the podcast team to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

Could the inside of the Holden Commodore VS series be the last thing Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon ever saw before they were killed? It was revealed CSI took three days to dismantle and examine the Holden Commodore that Bradley Edwards drove in 1996 and 1997. Hundreds of exhibits were taken from the car - ChemCentre looking for fibres, PathWest looking for biological material, police looking for investigative clues, polilight exams, swabs, mats, seat covers and door panels taken away. Anything that could be examined, was. Even though the car was assigned to Bradley Edwards in April 1996, the witness today - CSI officer Acting Senior Sergeant Steven Mark told the court they still looked for any signs of Sarah Spiers, who disappeared on January 26, 1996. Nothing from Sarah Spiers or DNA was found, but fibres were - and that’s what this car brings to the case. The prosecution say the seat fibres were found on Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon. So, what is the importance of this car and fibres to this case? Criminal defence lawyer Damien Cripps says in other criminal trials, fibres are used in evidence to make sure every stone is turned in the investigation. Fibres may not be the most important exhibits in the trial, but they are physical links between Bradley Edwards and the two women. More than 90 photos of the car were shown to the court, and have been released to the public. As Tim Clarke explains in this episode, the last photo is probably the most interesting because it shows a piece of the puzzle that can’t be seen with the naked eye. Those photos can be seen on thewest.com.au. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Damien Cripps as they discuss day 66 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial. If you have any questions for the podcast team, or any of their guests, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au.

The police officer who seized the car Bradley Edwards drove in the 90s told the court of the breakthrough police had when they realised the car still existed. That car was the Holden Commodore seized in December 2016 - the same day Bradley Edwards was arrested. It’s been revealed it was the car Bradley Edwards drove in 1996 and 1997 - and the prosecution say it was the car he drove to abduct Sarah Spiers, Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon. It’s become vitally important in the case, because the prosecution says fibres found on the victims match the fibres of the seat inserts of the car. Other fibres which the prosecution say link the victims to Bradley Edwards are blue fibres. As Tim Clarke explains in this episode, a lot of people present at the crime scenes, post mortems and fibre collection also wore blue - police officers. But the prosecution says that blue was specially made for Telstra by workfare company Yakka, the colour called Telstra Blue, and ChemCentre can prove that because their technology is so sensitive, it can pick up colour down to the wavelength, and can determine the exact colour, not tainted by the interpretation of what the human eye sees. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Alison Fan as they discuss day 65 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial. If you have any questions for the podcast team, or any of their guests, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

On Day 64 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial, two forensic police officers detailed how they painstakingly sifted through Jane Rimmer’s hair mass 13 years after her post-mortem. It was a sensitive operation for two reasons. After being in frozen storage for more than a decade, Jane’s hair mass was extremely brittle, and still had icicles on it. But these officers were very aware they were sifting through the hair of a murdered woman. As forensic expert Brendan Chapman explains in this epsidode, while collecting and retaining a hair mass during a post-mortem is common, actually testing a hair mass isn’t - because mostly, it’s taken as a, what he called the “one per center” a “last resort” exhibit to examine. Through his experience, cases tend to get solved before sifting through a hair mass is needed. But this was a “one per center” case, and the prosecution would say that one per cent chance of testing paid off. The prosecution say 22 fibres, 20 of which the prosecution say matched a white commodore station wagon Bradley Edwards had access to at the time, and 2 which they say match specially-made Telstra pants worn by the accused in the 90s were found in Jane Rimmer’s hair. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and forensic expert Brendan Chapman as they discuss day 64 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial.

Despite the coronavirus outbreak, the judge presiding over the Claremont Serial Killings trial, Justice Hall effectively told the court on day 63 that the trial must go on. At the end of the shortened day for the cross examination of former forensic police officer Victor Webb, Justice Hall told the court he is prepared to make changes to the process to allow witnesses to give evidence from home. But for day 63, former forensic police officer Victor Webb was grilled by the defence about storage and transfer of critical exhibits, as well as the car he drove in the 90s. As Tim Clarke and Emily Moulton explain, the defence will try to argue that instead of the critical fibres linking Bradley Edwards to Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon through his Telstra car and shorts, instead, they were found on the victims through contamination and fibre transfer. It’s previously been revealed several police officers drove police cars, some of of which were commodore station wagons to the crime scenes of Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon, as well as to the morgue during their post-mortems, where the bodies were placed on a sheet on the floor. But the prosecution say the fibres got there from the women being in the car driven by Bradley Edwards. The prosecution also argue he didn’t necessarily have to be wearing his Telstra uniform at the time of the murders, instead, some fibres from his Telstra shorts stayed in the car, and transferred onto the women while they were in his car. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Emily Moulton as they take you through day 63. Send in any questions you have for the podcast team to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

Just as day 62 of the Claremont serial killings trial was ending, drama erupted in the courtroom. Coronavirus-related drama. Justice Hall hauled a security staff member into the courtroom after it emerged some pensioners and students were banned from entering the court. He told the security their actions, which were approved by the court’s general manager could amount to contempt of court, saying, “I take this extremely seriously. The public has been discouraged from attending but not excluded." And "No one is to be excluded from this court other than by my order.” During proceedings, former forensic police officer Victor Webb gave evidence, who told the court knives owned by the prime suspect at the time - Lance Williams’ - was sent to the FBI along with Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s hair and clothes. Despite finding nothing, police still pursued him, overtly and round the clock, for years. It wouldn’t be until 2008 that Lance Williams would be cleared. Along with MACRO exhibits, exhibits from operation Ambrose - the investigation into the murder of Gerard Ross was sent to the FBI too. In 1999 the FBI had technology that WA didn’t - that’s why the samples were sent there. WA police also sought the advice from the best entomologists and profilers in the world. They stayed there until 2001, and what would come out of it would be the critical fibres that the prosecution say link Ciara Glennon, Jane Rimmer and the Karrakatta rape victim to Bradley Robert Edwards. Join Tim Clarke, Natalie Bonjolo and criminal defence lawyer Damien Cripps as they discuss day 62. If you have any questions for the podcast team, or any of their guests, send them to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

WA’s trial of the century will likely take a couple of days off each week in an effort to try and limit the amount of time the lawyers, witnesses and police are in the room. It’s been a fast changing process of how this important trial can continue through the COVID-19 crisis, all the players are working together to try and get a result, as well as stay safe. Justice Hall told the court “We will pull together” That means streamlining the witnesses. Today, three forensic scientists took the stand, giving evidence about the search for clues from the bodies Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon, and the clothes of Ciara and the Karrakatta rape victim. One of the former forensic officers told of how police were so desperate for clues, they sent the hair masses of Jane and Ciara to the FBI to expert hair analysts, as Tim Clarke explains, they were world leaders at the time in fibre analysis. Another scientist, Bernard Lynch told the court he analysed the Karrakatta rape victim’s shorts, looking for carpet fibres - fibres which would have been from the car the perpetrator used when he abducted her, but he didn’t find anything. What was found almost two decades later, was a blue fibre, which the prosecution say belonged to blue Telstra shorts Bradley Edwards wore. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Alison Fan and Tim Clarke as they take you through day 61 of the trial, and day 2 of the fibre evidence. If you have any questions for the podcast team, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

After a 10-day break, WA’s trial of the century resumed - with strict and widespread cleaning and social distancing measures to ensure this mammoth trial can continue. Compared to previously in the trial - when the public gallery was packed to the point  a separate room was set aside for overflow - one person from the public was in court. And what they heard was the beginning of the fibre evidence, which focussed on Jane Rimmer’s hair mass. Fibres are critical to the prosecution to link Ciara Glennon’s fingernails - which they say contained Bradley Edwards’ DNA - to Jane Rimmer and the Karrakatta rape victim. Without any DNA evidence linking Jane to the accused, or any DNA evidence at all, the prosecution say 22 critical fibres were found in Jane’s hair, which came from specially made Telstra pants that Bradley Edwards would have worn in the mid 90s. They say those fibres got there through Bradley Edwards taking Jane in his car, and getting close enough to her when he was killing her. The defence, however say contamination is also the way those fibres got into Jane’s hair mass. If you’re just joining the trial now, you can start from season 2, episode 1, or our special two-part catch up, called JUMP IN NOW: Claremont the Trial Catch Up Part 1 and 2. If you have any questions about the trial for any of the guests, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Forensic expert Brendan Chapman as they discuss day 60.

Now the DNA portion of the trial is over, and before we delve into the world of fibre evidence, the Claremont in Conversation team have consolidated all of the DNA evidence which is crucial to the case. Ciara Glennon’s fingernails, the Karrakatta rape victim’s swabs and a kimono - the three pieces of evidence which the prosecution say led them to Bradley Edwards. Joined by forensic expert Brendan Chapman, Natalie Bonjolo and Tim Clarke answer the questions you’ve asked about all things DNA in relation to the Claremont Serial Killings trial. If you’re just jumping in, hear about the advanced DNA technique at the time which found microscopic fragments of DNA from a broken fingernail, the international agencies involved in the testing, and the fluke cold case reinvestigation which blew the Claremont case wide open. And if you’ve been following the case from the beginning, recap the last six weeks of DNA evidence before the trial of the century resumes on March 23. If you have any questions for the Claremont in Conversation team or any of their guests, send them in to claremontpodcast@wanews.com.au

Despite restaurants and pubs closing, and events being cancelled, WA’s trial of the century will still be going ahead. In a last-minute, urgent hearing called at 3pm today, Justice Stephen Hall announced the news not many people, including the Claremont in Conversation team were expecting to hear. Court will resume on Monday, March 23. As Alison Fan explains in this special update episode, Justice Stephen Hall virtually told the court that nothing will stop this trial from going ahead, even if it’s the only criminal trial running in the building. What followed that extraordinary news was extraordinary, unprecedented measures implemented by the court to allow it to run. As the podcast team discusses, it’s so fortunate that this mammoth trial is judge alone, because if there was a jury, it would be likely that it would have been stopped, to start all over again in the future. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Alison as they give you an update on the Claremont Serial Killings Trial.