Errol Radan's Jailhouse Confession | "Ted"

Errol Radan's Jailhouse Confession | "Ted"

From Real Crime with Adam Shand by Podshape

March 24, 2026 · 30 min · Season 1 · Episode 63

About this episode

This episode explores the jailhouse confession of Errol Radan regarding the abduction and murder of two young girls in 1973.

****Content Warning:**** This episode contains discussion of the abduction, sexual assault and murder of children. Listener discretion is strongly advised. In August 1973, two girls vanished from Adelaide Oval at a Saturday afternoon football match. Joanne Ratcliffe, 11, and Kirsty Gordon, 4, walked to the toilet at 3:45pm and were never seen again. For decades, the prime suspect was Errol Radan — a convicted paedophile held under an indefinite detention order in a Queensland prison until his death in 2022. He never spoke publicly about the girls. He never confessed. Or so we thought. Adam Shand speaks with "Ted" — a former Queensland prison officer who ended up on the other side of the bars after a conviction of his own. Placed in the same high-security protection unit as Radan, "Ted" spent three months playing chess with a man the other inmates refused to go near. And one afternoon, leading up to Christmas, Radan broke his silence. What he said to "Ted" has stayed buried for over fifteen years. Until now. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Adam Shand

Guest: Ted

Topics covered

  • abduction
  • murder
  • true crime
  • prison confession
  • child safety
  • criminal justice

Keywords

  • Errol Radan
  • Joanne Ratcliffe
  • Kirsty Gordon
  • jailhouse confession
  • true crime
  • abduction
  • murder
  • Ted
  • Queensland prison

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Queensland prison

More episodes of Real Crime with Adam Shand

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Real Crime with Adam Shand podcast page.