Episode 4: The Dad Test

Episode 4: The Dad Test

From Trial by Water by The Age and Sydney Morning Herald

June 28, 2024 · 58 min · Season 1 · Episode 4

About this episode

The episode explores the controversial actions of Robert Farquharson after a tragic crash that led to the deaths of his three sons, questioning whether his behavior was indicative of guilt or if there are other explanations.

In the story of Robert Farquharson, there's one thing that’s hardest to understand: his behaviour in the minutes and hours after the crash. Because on that night, his actions seemed so far outside normal behaviour for a father that the police, the media and the general public all came to the conclusion that he must have murdered his three sons. But is that true? Or is there some other explanation for his unsettling behaviour that night? For exclusive content and additional reporting on the case, available to subscribers of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, visit theage.com.au/trialbywater or smh.com.au/trialbywater . Subscribe now to access the special Good Weekend investigation, which features never-before-seen 3D models recreating key scientific evidence, video, audio and other interviews. The original version of this episode included a re-enactment of parts of Robert Farquharson's formal police interview. We decided to do the re-enactment because of a legal threat from Victoria Police that we would be in breach of a 2009 law, and potentially liable for imprisonment, if we included the audio of the original interview. But since then we’ve clarified that parliament never…

Topics covered

  • true crime
  • fatherhood
  • murder investigation
  • police behavior
  • media portrayal

Keywords

  • Robert Farquharson
  • true crime
  • murder
  • police interview
  • father
  • media

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Victoria Police, The Age, Sydney Morning Herald

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