Motive & Method

This week the country was shocked by allegations that Nirmeen Noufl (53) killed and dismembered her husband, Mamdouh Noufl (62), who has not been since since May 2023. The police allege this is a case of domestic homicide. The addition of dismemberment, whilst unusual, is not unique, and this week we will compare and contrast a number of cases where women have killed and disarticulated their partner. We will also discuss the differences between male and female murderers who desecrate remains in this manner. A difficult conversation, so listen with caution. Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we have a very special guest, Jae Gerhard, who we will be talking to about all things forensic DNA. Jae is an expert with over 20 years’ experience, working across all areas of casework – from multiple fatality incidents in the AFP, to crime scene analysis for New South Wales Police. She now works independently, and will be sharing her vast knowledge of new techniques to help us understand advances in forensics and investigation. We will be discussing this in relation to the Easey Street murders and other high-profile cases. Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Childcare predator, Ashley Griffiths, plead guilty to 307 charges recently. He was active across multiple childcare facilities, with charges against him dating back as far back as 2003. He will be sentenced in November. This week we look at the motives and methods of those who prey on the most vulnerable, and how they can get away with it for so long. Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve talked a lot about violence against women, in various forms, much of it domestic. Largely this has focussed on Australian cases, highlighting the epidemic of family and domestic violence in this country. We’ve seen that FDV permeates all strata of society, all cultures. And nowhere is this more starkly highlighted that in the sleepy, picturesque village of Mazan: The case of Dominique Pélicot. Behind closed doors, Pélicot enlisted strangers to rape his heavily-sedated wife over the course of a decade. Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we will talk about the psychological impacts on families in unsolved child abduction and murder cases. This discussion is timely, as September 12th of this year is the tenth anniversary since William Tyrrell went missing from his foster family’s home in 2014. Ten years is a long time for his families to wait for answers. Other cases we will talk about are Madeleine (missing since May 2007), and the Wanda Beach murders – unsolved since 1965. Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the 26 August 2024, Justin Stein was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the brutal and callous murder of 9-year-old Charlise Mutten in January 2022. Stein claimed that the child’s mother, Kallista Mutten, to whom he was engaged, was the one who shot and killed her. But evidence proved otherwise. GPS tracking on Stein’s phone helped locate Charlise’s body, which Stein had cruelly put in a barrel and dumped off the side of the road. Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we will be talking about female sexual predators, in the wake of two women school teachers being accused of sexual assaulting boys in their care. There appear to have been a spate of these types of alleged cases this year, but are cases of alleged abuse by teachers on the rise, or are more alleged cases being reported? We will addressing these questions, as well as discussing why some women target school age boys for inappropriate sexual relationships, what the offender demographics are, and can these women be treated and rehabilitated? Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1994 Henry Keogh was found guilty of the murder of his fiancée, Anna-Jane Cheney, and was sentenced to 26 years in prison. Henry’s conviction was overturned in 2014, when it was determined that Anna-Jane had died as the result of a tragic accident – she drowned in the bath whilst home alone. This is the sad case of a death that was misclassified, and a man who subsequently lost two decades of his life – partly due to the manifestly misleading and inaccurate evidence of South Australian ‘forensic pathologist’, Dr Colin Manock. Henry has now embarked on a new, positive life post-release, but he is no doubt scarred by his experience. However, his incredible resilience is a lesson to us all in how to deal with adversity and trauma.” Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ashlea Hansen is a familiar face to everyone interested in true crime, as she has spent over 15 years reporting on some of Australia’s biggest cases; including Malcolm Naden’s capture in 2012 and William Tyrell’s disappearance in 2014. Her career has resulted in Ashlea finding herself in some unusual, sad, frightening, uplifting, and sometimes funny scenarios over the years. We’ll hear some of the moments that she’ll never forget, the cases that have stayed with her, and a little tease about her next big project – a long-format podcast that’s currently in development. Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Gareth, Nathaniel and Stacey Train shot and killed two police officers and their neighbour at their remote property at Wieambilla in December 2022, the country was shocked. What could motivate these three people to plan and carry out such premeditated violence? As the days unfolded, and we heard about the lives of the killers, their motives gradually became clear – this was Australia’s first case of Christian terrorism. In this episode, we speak to media identity Melissa Downes and senior news producer Jess Lodge, to learn more about this dark episode, and some of the details they have learnt whilst making their podcast on the case, ‘The Ultimate Sacrifice’. Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s April 1994, and Anthea Bradshaw has just married her high school sweetheart, Jeff Hall, before embarking on what she believed was her new adventure, a life with Jeff in Brunei, South East Asia. But just 96 days later, Anthea would be found brutally murdered half a world away – and who killed her remains a mystery. On this episode, we delve into the what, why, and how’s of this cold case with journalist Ben Avery, who has devoted years trying to get answers for Anthea’s family. Search 'Just Married' in your podcast app to hear Ben's investigation. Or tap the link here. Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve all seen some very scary footage recently of youth gangs targeting stores, stealing goods at knife point. The impression is that armed retail theft is on the rise, and data backs up that that is true. We’re also seeing more organised retail theft – much of it is technology enabled scams. What are the drivers for retail crime? Who are the offenders, and who are the victims. And what affect do these types of crime have on them, and society more broadly? This week we ask, what is retail crime costing you? Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sunday 7th July saw a father accused of the murder of three young children, and the attempted murder of four others plus their mother, in Sydney’s west. The case shocked the nation, but fire is a weapon that has become more common for murderers. This week we talk through the psychology of someone who would use fire as a weapon of murder, in an attempt to understand this inexplicable crime. Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim and I have seen many miscarriages of justice in our collective time, but none shock us more than the case of Derek Bromley, who along with John Karpany, were jailed in 1985 for the murder of Stephen Docoza, whose body was found in Adelaide’s River Torrens in 1984. However, the evidence used to convict them is wholly unsound, as you will here. Bother men maintain their innocence. Derek was released last week on parole, after serving over 38 years for a crime he did not commit. Here from legal expert Dr Bob Moles, who knows more about miscarriages of justice in Australia than anyone else. We ask: Is this the most egregious miscarriage of justice in Australian history? You decide. Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The last few days has been full of news and imagery of Julian Assange returning to Australia after 5 years in a British prison for breaching the US Espionage Act. Assange had faced decades of incarceration in a US prison, until a plea deal was agreed with US prosecutors. This week we talk about Assange, but broaden that out to look at other whistleblower cases, and the psychological and physical implications of long-term confinement. Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matricide – or the murder of a mother by their child – is an uncommon form of murder. However, unlike many homicides, history tells us a lot about the types of people who commit this crime. Data suggests men the most likely offenders, and that untreated schizophrenia together with an unhealthy parent/child relationship can be contributing factors. Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have all seen the horrendous accounts of harm against women, often caused by men they know. But where does this come from? In this episode, we talk about where misogyny stems from, the harm it is causing our kids, how AI is being used to cause further trauma, and how we can try to change the narrative. Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have recently seen a spate of knife crimes perpetrated by young people. This has included the Sydney stabbing at the church, knife violence between young people, and a 10-year-old girl stabbed to death, allegedly by her 17-year-old sister. In this episode, we discuss the link between young people, crime, and social media. Want to get involved in the community? Follow Motive & Method @motiveandmethod on Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.