Share
The Trial: Australia
Looking for Arnie: A Viral Search Turned Criminal Case
Season 2, Ep. 9
•
When beloved German Shepherd Arnie was reported stolen, the story captured the hearts of thousands across Australia. A viral search effort, media appeals, and a $6,000 reward followed- until a devastating discovery changed everything.
Now police allege the dog was ever stolen at all. Accusations of neglect, a late night visit to a Brisbane brothel, and a rapidly unfolding investigation have turned a missing pet plea into one of the most bizarre cases of the year.
In this episode Wayne is joined by reporter Tita Smith to unpack accusations surrounding Nathan McKeown and the night Arnie disappeared.
Follow us on Tiktok @DailyMailCrime
Email us thetrial@mailmetromedia.co.uk
Whatsapp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)
Presenter: Wayne Flower
Producer: Sam Morris
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini
A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.
The Trial series uses actors and some voices generated by AI. Their words are taken as verbatim from the official court transcript.
Follow us on instagram @thetrialpod
Email us thetrial@dailymail.com
Whatsapp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)
A Daily Mail production.
Seriously Popular.
Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.
More episodes
View all episodes
10. The Bloody Pool Party
20:10||Season 2, Ep. 10A quiet North Turramurra street was horrified in the early hours of the morning when a house party descended into sudden, brutal and violent chaos. The bloody pool party in a $4 million property left a man fighting for his life after being stabbed 10 times. Now one culprit is behind bars for recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm. In this episode, Senior News Reporter Candace Sutton is joining Wayne to explain how violence broke out in this quiet suburb, including what happened when Jess William Ratcliff faced his charges in court.Follow us on Tiktok @DailyMailCrimeEmail us thetrial@mailmetromedia.co.ukWhatsapp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’) Presenter: Wayne Flower Producer: Sam MorrisCreative Director: Caroline CheethamProduction Manager: Vittoria Cecchini A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.8. New Details in the Mystery of Gus Lamont
39:14||Season 2, Ep. 8Four year old August “Gus” Lamont vanished from his grandparents’ remote sheep station in the South Australian outback, triggering one of the largest searches in the state’s history. But nearly two months on, police, soldiers, SES crews, divers, and locals have turned up nothing. No trace, no evidence, no clues to what might have happened. In this episode, Wayne returns to the case with journalist Karleigh Smith, who has been on the ground in Yunta following this story. Karleigh brings new details from the drained dam search, rising community tensions and sightings of Gus’s reclusive family.Later, Wayne also speaks with renowned private investigator Ken Gamble, who offers rare insight into how missing persons cases are handled, what may have been overlooked in the initial search, and why an absence of evidence can be its own critical clue.Follow us on Tiktok @DailyMailCrimeEmail us thetrial@mailmetromedia.co.ukWhatsapp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’) Presenter: Wayne Flower Producer: Sam MorrisCreative Director: Caroline CheethamProduction Manager: Vittoria Cecchini A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.7. The Beauty and the Geek Star Accused of Murder
13:20||Season 2, Ep. 7In this episode, Wayne Flower unpacks one of the strangest cases to come out of South Australia this year. Tamika Chesser, a once familiar face from the reality TV show Beauty and the Geek, now stands accused of murdering her boyfriend, Julian Story, whose headless body was discovered in Port Lincoln earlier this year.Senior crime reporter Candace Sutton joins Wayne to trace Chesser’s timeline from Gold Coast model to being accused of murder by Port Lincoln police.Follow us on Tiktok @DailyMailCrimeEmail us thetrial@mailmetromedia.co.ukWhatsapp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’) Presenter: Wayne Flower Producer: Sam MorrisCreative Director: Caroline CheethamProduction Manager: Vittoria Cecchini A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.
38. Erin Patterson - Mushrooms, Motives and a “Miscarriage of Justice”: Patterson’s Seven Grounds of Appeal
28:15||Season 1, Ep. 38Erin Patterson’s story isn’t over yet. After being sentenced to life in prison, the convicted “mushroom killer” is fighting back, entering a notice of appeal and calling for a retrial. In this episode, Wayne Flower is joined by top Melbourne lawyer George Balot to unpack Patterson’s seven grounds of appeal, from claims of jury irregularities to allegations of unfair cross-examination. They break down exactly what this appeal means, and what we can expect next in this historic case.Follow us on Tiktok @DailyMailCrimeEmail us thetrial@mailmetromedia.co.ukWhatsapp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’) Presenter: Wayne Flower Producer: Sam MorrisCreative Director: Caroline CheethamProduction Manager: Vittoria Cecchini A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.6. The Alleged Wombat Killer
16:56||Season 2, Ep. 6One morning earlier this year, Venus Bay locals woke up to find 9 dead wombats in the streets- and now they claim they’re dealing with a mass wombat killer. The 9 wombats were found lying by the roadside, some with tyre marks, some moved into strange positions.Investigators found CCTV showing multiple utes driving around that night, swerving across the road. And one of those vehicles was allegedly used to hit the wombats. The alleged wombat massacre turned local community members into sleuths, with people sharing information updates on social media in the hunt for the alleged perpetrator.In this episode, Wayne is joined by one of those local sleuths and wombat protection group founder Thomas Osberg. Together, they are laying out everything known about this case, and the alleged wombat killer.Follow us on Tiktok @DailyMailCrimeEmail us thetrial@mailmetromedia.co.ukWhatsapp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’) Presenter: Wayne Flower Producer: Sam MorrisCreative Director: Caroline CheethamProduction Manager: Vittoria Cecchini A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.
A hello and update from Caroline & Liz
05:52|It's been a while since Caroline & Liz had time to catch up and say hello to you all, and with the launch of our exciting new Crime Desk newsletter, thought now was as good a time as any!sign up to the newsletter at newsletter.thecrimedesk.com for free. Become a full member of The Crime Desk with a month’s free trial at www.thecrimedesk.com5. Gangs, Firebombs and Deadly Violence: Inside Melbourne's Tobacco Wars
24:09||Season 2, Ep. 5In this episode, Wayne is delving into the surge of violence in Melbourne as part of the ongoing tobacco wars. Targeted attacks, drive-bys, firebombings, even the death of innocent civilians caught in the middle; and the violence is showing no signs of stopping.Joining Wayne is Ryan Naumenko, a former crook turned independent journalist who has made a career exposing the truth of the criminal underworld. In this podcast, he’s laying it all out on the table, from insider information, to the attempt on his own life.Follow us on Tiktok @DailyMailCrimeEmail us thetrial@mailmetromedia.co.ukWhatsapp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’) Presenter: Wayne Flower Producer: Sam MorrisCreative Director: Caroline CheethamProduction Manager: Vittoria Cecchini A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.4. The Mystery of Gus Lamont
21:49||Season 2, Ep. 4On September 27, four-year-old Gus Lamont disappeared without a trace from a remote sheep station in South Australia. Despite the largest search operation in the state's history, there’s still no sign of him. In this episode, Wayne is joined by Daily Mail senior reporter Karleigh Smith, who’s been on the ground covering the case. Together, they cut through the swirling rumours, debunk the AI generated hoaxes, and lay out the definitive facts of the case.Follow us on Tiktok @DailyMailCrimeEmail us thetrial@mailmetromedia.co.ukWhatsapp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’) Presenter: Wayne FlowerProducer: Sam MorrisCreative Director: Caroline CheethamProduction Manager: Vittoria Cecchini A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.