On Guard - Stories From Inside Australia's Toughest Prisons

A young woman murdered in an Australian country town. People too afraid to speak for decades are finally breaking their silence. What happened in 23-year-old Rachelle Childs' final nine hours? Now, 24 years since Rachelle was murdered, an unstoppable cold case team has assembled to drive this live investigation. Tips from the public are pouring in - could you hold the missing piece that cracks the case? Dear Rachelle is hosted and investigated by journalist Ashlea Hansen, who teams up with retired detective and renowned cold case specialist Damian Loone. Listen to this preview episode and search for Dear Rachelle in your podcast app and hit "follow" to have new episodes delivered to your feed. Eligible News Corp Australia subscribers receive new episodes early at dearrachelle.com.au and enjoy access to videos, articles, interactive evidence and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A killer is on the loose in an Australian country town. Excited for the June long weekend, bubbly 23-year-old Rachelle Childs leaves work, calls her sister, and is dead within hours. Her burning, partially naked body is found nine hours later in bushland on a lonely coastal road. Her killer has never been caught. Now innocent people, once too afraid to speak, are breaking their silence. If you’re looking for your next true crime podcast obsession, search out Dear Rachelle. An unstoppable cold case team is reinvestigating and uncovering damning new evidence. Could this finally be the break the family needs? Dear Rachelle is hosted and investigated by journalist Ashlea Hansen, who teams up with retired detective and renowned cold case specialist Damian Loone. The first episode of Dear Rachelle is now available on all podcast platforms. If you’re looking for your next true crime podcast binge and you want to be first to hear what’s next, visit dearrachelle.com.au - your News Corp Australia subscription grants you access to podcast episodes three weeks before everyone else, as well as exclusive access to videos, interactive evidence, behind-the-scenes content, and more. Dear Rachelle is a podcast from True Crime Australia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Enjoy a sneak-peak into another series from the team behind On Guard. In this episode, Gary Jubelin from I Catch Killers is joined by respected journalist and author Mark Dapin to talk about the stories behind some of Australia's most infamous prison breaks and the crooks behind them. To listen to the others, or other series like it, early and ad free, subscribe to Crime X+ on Apple Podcasts today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tasmania is well known for it's beauty. But, deep within the dark bushland lies a string of secrets. 169 people have gone missing on the island since the mid 20th century, and dozens of those without a trace from the wilderness…..their bodies never recovered. The Lost Ones looks into the stories of those who've disappeared into the rugged Tasmanian wilderness, and asks the question, have they fallen victim to foul play?   Introducing The Lost Ones episode 1 - The Preacher. Search for The Lost Ones wherever you listen to your podcasts.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former correctional officer Mark Fritz came under fire for 30 minutes during bank robber Brendan Abbott's daring escape from a Brisbane prison. He only just lived to tell the tale. Every episode of On Guard, plus articles, amazing images and the multimedia experience is available right now, go to onguardseries.com.au. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Veteran prison officer Steve Bergervoet reckons there's no one more trustworthy than a murderer, at least when it comes to inmates. During his three decades working in Victorian corrections, Steve focused on readying prisoners for release. This included getting prisoners to hand-rear injured birds of prey in a revolutionary program that taught hardened crims the value of loving and caring for something. According to Bergervoet, none of the participants ever offended again.  Every episode of On Guard, plus articles, amazing images and the multimedia experience is available right now, go to onguardseries.com.au. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former prison supervisor Tony Burley opens up on his years working alongside the Port Arthur massacre killer, how he survived being stabbed in the neck and a three-day prison siege. Every episode of On Guard, plus articles, amazing images and the multimedia experience is available right now, go to onguardseries.com.au. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“I’ll get you.”  Prison officer Maria Costigan's niece Tanya Costigan was murdered in a savage domestic violence episode that saw her attacked while holding her newborn baby. Then, by chance, Maria ended up stationed at the same jail as her niece's killer. Then he started taunting her, whispering threats as he’d walk past. Every episode of On Guard, plus articles, amazing images and the multimedia experience is available right now, go to onguardseries.com.au. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s no more famous moment in prison history than the day Underbelly drug baron Carl Williams was murdered in Barwon Prison. Former Corrections Commissioner Bob Hastings was the guy in charge at the time – he recounts how he managed the enfolding fallout and reveals how it came to bear. Every episode of On Guard, plus articles, amazing images and the multimedia experience is available right now, go to onguardseries.com.au. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Beatrix ‘Trixie’ Bennett-Hiller is no ordinary grandma -- she spent years keeping the Anita Cobby and Janine Balding killers in order. She recounts the frightening time John Travers attempted to rape a rookie prison guard, the conflicting moment she had to save Ebony Simpson’s killer’s life and how she managed to evade Shorty Jamison who had it in for her. Every episode of On Guard, plus articles, amazing images and the multimedia experience is available right now, go to onguardseries.com.au. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jennifer Kaschau spent years managing some of Australia’s most dangerous women at Adelaide Women’s Prison. She dishes the dirt on old-lady killer Angelika Gavare, who boasted to inmates that police would never find her victim’s head or hands; and Michelle Burgess, a school mum turned calculating murderer – deemed so sexually powerful she was able to manipulate any man to do her bidding… including a prison guard who had an affair with her. Every episode of On Guard, plus articles, amazing images and the multimedia experience is available right now, go to onguardseries.com.au. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s often said it’s easier to get drugs inside prison than out. Former Long Bay Gaol worker Alan Butler dishes the dirt on the inventive and shocking ways contraband is smuggled inside prison, his dealings with gangster Neddy Smith and the corruption he saw run rife during his decades in corrections. Every episode of On Guard, plus articles, amazing images and the multimedia experience is available right now, go to onguardseries.com.au See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kerry Corbin spent years working at Queensland’s Wolston Correctional Centre, a “protection” prison dedicated to the sex offenders, paedophiles and child killers who wouldn’t survive in the mainstream prison population without being served a dose of “prison justice” by the other inmates.  He reveals the tell-tale sign of a paedophile, his dealings with Daniel Morcombe’s killer and the vicious attack that ended his career in corrections. Every episode of On Guard, plus articles, amazing images and the multimedia experience is available right now, go to onguardseries.com.au See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Guard is a podcast that takes the listener behind the scenes to uncover what really goes on behind bars, as former correctional officers share shocking secrets from the frontline of working with some of Australia's most infamous criminals. If you want to listen to all eight episodes of On Guard, read the articles associated with the podcast episodes, see the galleries and the interactive content, experience it at onguardseries.com.au right now See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.