Crimes That Shook Australia (2013)
Through gripping interviews, drama reconstructions and archival footage, piece together the murders that shocked Australia. The detailed events leading up to the crime, the crime itself and the aftermath will be revealed.
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Episode 1 - Robert Farquharson
Release Date: 2016-07-24The crime committed by Robert Farquharson has been etched on the minds of Australian's since 2005. Farquharson drove his car into a dam off the Princes Highway near Winchelsea on Father's day, drowning his three sons, Jai, 10, Tyler, 7 and Bailey, 2. After two trials, Farquharson was found guilty of murder with the prosecution confirming he killed his children to get revenge on his wife from whom he had recently divorced.
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Episode 2 - Peter Falconio
Release Date: 2016-07-24On the 14 July 2001, British couple Peter Falconio and Joanne Lees stopped on the Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory after a man flagged down their car. This man, later identified as Bradley Murdoch, shot Falconio before tying Lees up. She managed to escape while Murdoch was distracted, hiding in nearby bushes for five hours until she was able to run out into the road and flag down a truck driver who took her to safety
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Episode 3 - The Strathfield Massacre
Release Date: 2016-07-24The Strathfield massacre in Sydney on the 17th August 1991 will be forever remembered as one of Australia's most shocking gun crimes. A lone gunman, Wade Frankum, entered a shopping mall one afternoon, had a cup of coffee and observed shoppers going about their business. Moments later, he stabbed a teenage girl next to him before opening fire on unsuspecting shoppers for ten minutes. The devastation left eight dead and six wounded. Before police arrived, he took his own life. Officers later found a collection of violent literature and films at his home - the only clue into why this killer took all those innocent lives. The crime provoked fierce debate on the country's gun laws.
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Episode 4 - Darcey Freeman
Release Date: 2016-07-24Five-year-old Darcey Freeman suffered a horrific death at the hands of her father on the 29th January 2009. Driving her to her first day at school, he stopped the family car on the West Gate Bridge and callously threw her off the side, in full view of her two older brothers. He then returned to his car and drove to the law courts in central Melbourne where he handed himself in, pleading with officials to take his boys off him. In a trial that gripped the nation, the jury had to decide if Freeman was 'mad or bad'.
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Episode 5 - The Russell Street Bombing
Release Date: 2016-07-24On Easter Thursday in 1986, a car bomb exploded outside the Russell Street Police HQ in central Melbourne. Constable Angela Taylor was caught by the full force of the blast and succumbed to her wounds 21 days later in hospital. She was the first serving female Australian Police officer to be killed in the line of duty. The subsequent investigation into the bombing would change the face of forensic inquiries and lead to the apprehension of a gang or armed robbers with a vendetta against the Police. Includes interviews with Angela's parents, officers who carried out the investigation and survivors of the attack, many of whom haven't spoken of their experiences before.
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Episode 6 - Raechel Betts
Release Date: 2016-07-24Raechel Betts was a young woman from the Melbourne suburbs whose life spiralled out of control after she began selling drugs on behalf of a male acquaintance. Tragically this man, unbeknownst to Raechel, was a double murderer who had slipped through the parole system and was free to kill again...
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Episode 7 - Hoddle Street Massacre
Release Date: 2016-07-24In August 1997, Hoddle Street in Clifton Hill, Melbourne became the scene of utter carnage as disgraced Army cadet, Julian Knight shot and killed seven people and injured countless more. He was given 27 years minimum sentence and despite several legal petitions, the Victorian government has said it is unlikely he will be released.
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Episode 8 - Gerard Baden-Clay
Release Date: 2016-07-17Allison Baden-Clay was a beauty queen with a successful real estate husband. They lived in Queensland with their three young children. In 2012, Allison’s body was discovered in a creek, ten days after being reported missing by her husband. In July 2014, Gerard Baden-Clay was found guilty of murder after a protracted trial. He appealed the verdict and in 2015, to widespread outcry, his conviction was downgraded to manslaughter.