A Moment In Crime

In 2020, Dunedin doctor Venod “Vinny” Skantha was jailed for life with a minimum non-parole period of 19 years for murdering teenager Amber-Rose Rush. In 2018 the 16-year-old said she was going to police and the defendant’s Dunedin Hospital bosses with allegations of Skantha sexually assaulting young women and providing alcohol to minors. Skantha’s job was already in jeopardy after he had been given a final warning for serious misconduct — the new claims would likely have ended his career. To keep the teenager quiet, Skantha went to her property, entered the house and stabbed her to death in her bed. Amber-Rose was the youngest of three children and according to her mother Lisa-Ann, the “glue” that held the family together. Tragically, just months after Amber-Rose died, her mother died in a suspected suicide. In this episode of Herald podcast A Moment In Crime, senior journalist Anna Leask looks back at the life and death of Amber-Rose. The episode also explains the death of Skantha in prison the day after an appeal against his conviction failed. This episode includes graphic descriptions of violent acts, which some listeners may find distressing or triggering. A Moment In Crime is written and hosted by Leask, who specialises in crime and justice reporting. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 20 years. This episode was produced by Leask and NZME audio engineer Alastair Boyes. Episodes of A Moment In Crime are usually released monthly. If you have a crime or case you would like to hear more about, email [email protected]     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warning: this episode refers to child sex abuse and is intended for a mature audience only.  The Christchurch Civic Creche child sex abuse scandal rocked the South Island city in the early 90s - and went on to become one of the most significant legal battles in New Zealand's history. Childcare worker Peter Ellis was accused of bizarre and horrifying offences of satanic rituals, torture and sacrifice against preschoolers while he worked at the creche. He was eventually convicted on 16 charges of sexually abusing pre-schoolers and jailed for 10 years.  In 2022 - after numerous failed appeals - the Supreme Court quashed Ellis' convictions, saying the police investigation and his trial were significantly flawed.  Sadly, Ellis died before the landmark decision.  In this episode of A Moment In Crime host Anna Leask goes back to 1991 when Ellis was first accused of child abuse - and tells his story from there.  You will also one of the last interviews Ellis ever gave before he died, as well as one of the child complainants who maintains she was abused by her former creche teacher.  A Moment In Crime is written and hosted by Anna Leask, senior journalist at the New Zealand Herald. To find out more about her work as a specialist crime and justice reporter click here.  To read more:  The twists and turns of Peter Ellis' Christchurch Civic Creche sex abuse case Peter Ellis: Convictions posthumously quashed in landmark Supreme Court decision To hear more: The Front Page The Mike Hosking Breakfast, NewstalkZB SEXUAL HARM - Where to get help If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone, contact Safe to Talk confidentially, any time 24/7:  Call 0800 044 334Text 4334Email [email protected] more info or to web chat visit www.safetotalk.nzAlternatively contact your local police station. If you have been sexually assaulted, remember it's not your fault.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2015 a 43-year-old man was jailed for more than 15 years for the premeditated, prolonged and persistent sexual abuse of his two young daughters - filming much of the abuse of the youngest and uploading it to vile websites. He was also convicted of sexual offending against another two little girls he met through his job at a community centre and secretly filming an adult friend having sex. Recently he was refused parole and his daughters spoke to senior journalist Anna Leask, host of the Herald podcast A Moment In Crime about their ordeal.SEXUAL HARM - Where to get help If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone, contact Safe to Talk confidentially, any time 24/7:  Call 0800 044 334Text 4334Email [email protected] more info or to web chat visit www.safetotalk.nzAlternatively contact your local police station. If you have been sexually assaulted, remember it's not your fault.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the start of 2021 to November 2023 a total of 333 police staff - constabulary and non-sworn - were investigated for alleged criminal offending. The constabulary includes all of those from recruits right up to senior inspectors and top cops. Non sworn staff are in admin or support roles within the organisation. Of those investigated, 89 were charged. In some cases, employees faced multiple charges. They have murdered and raped people. They have stolen and lied. They’ve bought and sold drugs. They have abused children. They’ve assaulted their partners. They have been violent. They have tried to pervert the course of justice. Instead of upholding the law as their job requires - these men and women were breaking it. Here, A Moment In Crime host Anna Leask looks at memorable examples of crooked cop staff brought to justice by their workmates since the early 2010s. A Moment in Crime is available on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes are released monthly. The series is written and hosted by Leask – who specialises in crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 19 years with a particular focus on family and gender-based violence, child abuse, sexual violence, homicides, mental health and youth crime. If you have a crime or case you would like to hear more about, email [email protected]. A Moment in Crime is available on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes are released monthly. READ MORE: 'Sex predator' police officer sentenced for indecent relationship with 13yo girl Bad cops: Tax evasion, murder, fraud and assaults on list of convictions for NZ police FIND JARED SAVAGE'S BOOKS HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In August 2014 Connor Morris was fatally injured during a street fight in West Auckland. He was struck in the head with a sickle-like tool and died instantly. Morris, 27, was a patched gang member, the son of a senior leader and was in a relationship with the daughter of one of New Zealand's most prominent broadcasters. His murder and the trial for the man responsible, was high profile. A Moment In Crime writer and host Anna Leask covered the trial and sentencing for the Herald and looks back a the case 10 years on, as the killer becomes eligible for parole. Michael Thrift Murry admitted he killed Connor. But, he claimed there was no murderous intent, that he was trying to defend his younger brother from being attacked. After a two-week trial a jury of eight men and four women found him guilty. He was jailed for life with a minimum non-parole period of 10 years. The Morris family were contacted before the podcast aired. They did not want to comment publicly but wanted to ensure people knew how much their son, brother and partner was loved by them. For more on this case, visit nzherald.co.nz or click in the links above. If you have a case you'd like us to consider covering - email [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the second in a two-part episode. In 2023 South African doctor Lauren Anne Dickason was found guilty of murdering her daughters Liane, 6, and 2-year-old twins Maya and Karla at their Timaru home. She and her husband Graham - an ortopaedic surgeon - had emigrated to New Zealand just weeks earlier seeking a better, safer life for their young children. Dickason killed the little girls 20 minutes after her husband left for a work function. He found the siblings dead in their beds when he arrived home. Dickason admitted smothering the children but claimed she was so mentally unwell she could not be held criminally responsible for their deaths. After an exhaustive five-week trial last year, a jury rejected her defence of insanity or infanticide and convicted the woman of murder. In this episode of A Moment In Crime senior journalist Anna Leask looks back at the murders and the aftermath. Leask covered the story from the day the girls died, attending every day of Dickasons high profile trial and her later sentencing. The Dickason Family Tragedy is told in two parts. In part one Leask explained the family's background and what brought them to New Zealand, as well as what happened that awful day in 2021. In this episode Leask focuses on Dickason's trial - what the jury heard, the verdict, sentencing and what it was like inside the courtroom at pivotal moments. The double episode contains descriptions of the Dickason children's deaths and also refer to mental health, self harm, pregnancy loss and fertility issues. Both parts of A Moment In Crime - The Dickason Family Tragedy are intended for mature audiences. To read Leask's full coverage of the case click here. To read Justice Cameron Mander's full sentencing remarks via the Ministry of Justice website, click here. DO YOU NEED HELP OR ADVICE? • Lifeline: Call 0800 543 354 or text 4357 (HELP) (available 24/7)• Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7)• Depression helpline: Call 0800 111 757 or text 4202 (available 24/7)• Helpline: Need to talk? Call or text 1737 If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cynric Temple-Camp is one of New Zealand's top pathologists - and he has just published his third book about his work. The Final Diagnosis is a collection of stranger-than-fiction stories of death, disease and murder - as well as Temple-Camp sharing new perspectives on high-profile cases, including the disappearance of Ben Smart and Olivia Hope and the trial of Mark Lundy. A Moment In Crime host Anna Leask spoke with Temple-Camp about the book, his career and why he is sure beyond reasonable doubt that Lundy is guilty. Episodes of A Moment In Crime - written and hosted by Leask - usually focus on old cases, cold cases or recent cases of national and international significance involving Kiwi offenders or victims. But this episode comes from the other side of the cordon - from a person often charged with determining how and why a person died and, who is responsible. To read more about Temple-Camp, the Lundy case and other crimes covered by Leask for the Herald, click here. Episodes of A Moment In Crime are usually released monthly and, so far, Leask has covered more than 55 cases including the murders of Grace Millane, Scott Guy, Austin Hemmings, Carmen Thomas, Karen Aim; the deaths of the Kahui Twins, the Edgeware Rd murders, the Bain family murders, the Christchurch House of Horrors and the massacres at Raurimu and Aramoana. Last year, a three-part special covered the case of rich lister and philanthropist James Wallace who was convicted of sexually assaulting three men and was jailed and had his knighthood stripped from him as a result. A Moment In Crime has topped the overall and true crime charts on numerous occasions, and has listeners in more than 80 countries. The podcast was a finalist at the 2024 NZ Radio & Podcast Awards and won a silver award in the true crime category at the inaugural New Zealand Podcast Awards in 2021. If you have a crime or case you’d like to hear more about, email [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On June 20 1994 five members of the Bain family were found shot dead in their home at 65 Every Street, Dunedin. Margaret and Robin Bain, their teenage daughter Arawa and Laniet and their son Stephen were all shot at close range. Just after 7am David Bain - Margaret and Robin's oldest child - called emergency services to report the ghastly scene. He said he had come home from his morning paper run and found them all dead. Days later Bain was charged with five counts of murder and after a high-profile trial a jury found him guilty. He maintained his innocence and fought for decades for a retrial, which finally went ahead in 2007. A second jury acquitted Bain, finding him not guilty of the five murders. The case is arguably New Zealand's most talked about massacre and over the years has become morbidly iconic. To mark the 30-year anniversary of the mass killing A Moment In Crime presents The House of Bain, a two-part telling of the case. CLICK HERE for further New Zealand Herald coverage of this case For David Fisher's interview with the juror from the first trial click here A Moment In Crime is an NZME podcast written and hosted by Anna Leask, senior crime and justice reporter for the New Zealand Herald. The podcast is produced by Leask, NZME audio engineer James Irwin and podcast production manager Ethan Sills. A number of key players in the case had their words voiced by actors - Glenn Dwight as David Bain, George Heard as Dean Cottle and Kurt Bayer as the juror from the first trial. NZME audio engineer Tash Chittock assisted with recording. This episode features references to television news reports from various iterations of 6pm news bulletins on TVNZ1 and Three. These are mostly taken from court coverage, which can still be found on YouTube. Part two of A Moment In Crime - The House of Bain will be released in June. If you have a crime or case you’d like me to consider covering, email [email protected] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.