Badge of Betrayal

In breaking news from Tasmania, parliament has announced  an Inquiry into Tasmania Police responses to allegations of officer misconduct. It will look at  The adequacy of systems, processes and oversight arrangements for responding to allegations of serious misconduct within Tasmania Police, including sexual misconduct and family violence; The culture of Tasmania Police in relation to matters or allegations of misconduct; The response from Tasmania Police and the Tasmanian Government to the Paul Reynolds matter including the limited scope of inquiry into his conduct prior to the Weiss Review, and the decision to hold a police funeral; and Any other related matters. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For 26 years, the official record told one story. Then a previously unseen police file surfaced. In the final days of a respected Tasmanian emergency services leader’s life, he was questioned over a serious allegation, admitted to a sexual relationship he said was consensual, and moved to retire. Two days later, he was dead. This episode examines the newly released documents, a missing briefing note, disturbing allegations from someone connected to the family, and claims of a warning that have never been independently verified. What happened in those final 48 hours and why did it take more than two decades for the file to emerge? Trigger warning: This episode discusses allegations of sexual abuse, childhood trauma and suicide. Some listeners may find the content distressing. The allegations discussed in this episode remain unproven unless otherwise stated. No court has made findings. Where allegations are raised, they are presented as allegations and distinguished from information contained in official records. If this episode raises anything for you, support is available through Lifeline on 13 11 14, by text on 0477 13 11 14, or via online chat 24 hours a day. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 000.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Allegations involving former Tasmanian police officer Paul Reynolds. A current officer is now before the courts. And a 15-year-old child exploitation scandal where police officers were allegedly linked by phone calls. In this episode, we look at three separate matters across different time periods and ask whether they raise deeper systemic questions inside Tasmania Police. This is not about saying every case is connected. It is about asking what happens when serious allegations involve the very institution trusted to investigate them  and whether the public has ever been given enough answers. Disclaimer: This episode discusses allegations of child sexual abuse and exploitation. Some matters mentioned remain before the courts, and all accused persons are entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. If this episode raises anything for you, please reach out for support. In Australia, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, text 0477 13 11 14, or use their crisis chat at https://www.lifeline.org.au/crisis-chat/. If this episode is triggering, please pause and seek support.  Lifeline: 13 11 14 — https://www.lifeline.org.au Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — https://kidshelpline.com.au 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 — https://www.1800respect.org.au If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new source comes forward with troubling memories of Paul Reynolds in a small Tasmanian town  including claims about inappropriate conversations, late-night drives, and the company he kept. As we follow that thread, it leads back to another town, another former officer, and allegations involving young women that have never been publicly tested in court. We also look at recent charges involving current and former Tasmania Police officers, the long-running question of whether there was something wider inside the system, and what happened when we tried to access documents explaining why Reynolds’ death was investigated alongside three other police deaths.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A serious concern was raised at a school. Students needed to be protected. The person accused needed a fair chance to respond. And the institution needed a process strong enough to withstand scrutiny. In this episode, we examine a publicly available 2006 Tasmanian Industrial Commission decision involving St Patrick’s College. It is not about Paul Reynolds, and it does not prove anything about him. But it does show how difficult and how important institutional process becomes when allegations involve children, trusted adults, missing evidence and career-threatening consequences Disclaimer:This episode discusses a publicly available Tasmanian Industrial Commission decision involving allegations made against a teacher in 2006. The teacher denied the allegations. The Commission ultimately found that the allegations were not proved on the balance of probabilities and recommended that the warning issued to the teacher be withdrawn. Nothing in this episode should be taken as a finding that the teacher engaged in wrongdoing. Our focus is on the process: how the concern was raised, how the school responded, how evidence was handled, and what the Commission said about procedural fairness. We are not suggesting wrongdoing by St Patrick’s College, its staff, students or any individual involved. We are reporting on a public decision and examining the broader institutional questions it raises about allegations, evidence, fairness and accountability.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we go back to Tasmania in 2008, when serious allegations about Paul Reynolds were first put in writing inside Tasmania Police. A newly released RTI reveals three key pieces of correspondence about what was allegedly said in a police bar allegations that Reynolds was a paedophile. But the documents also raise questions about what happened next, and what appears not to have happened. Was Reynolds questioned? Were all witnesses formally interviewed? Was the matter investigated with the seriousness it deserved? As calls grow for a parliamentary inquiry into how Tasmania Police handled allegations against Reynolds, this episode asks whether the warning signs were missed, minimised, or allowed to disappear into the systemSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Badge of Betrayal, we examine two deeply sensitive stories that raise the same uncomfortable question: what happens when the person accused is part of the system itself? The episode begins with allegations involving “John”, a former police officer who later moved into another public-facing role within the Tasmanian system. Through internal documents, witness statements and a Direction 5 Code of Conduct process, we explore claims that were serious enough to raise questions about workplace conduct, accountability and whether warnings were properly handled. Then, we look at Laura’s story, first reported by the ABC, involving allegations connected to a serving Tasmanian police officer, a family violence order later found to have no legal basis, and concerns about how complaints are handled when police are investigating one of their own.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

***Trigger warning:This episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse, grooming, trauma, sexualised behaviour toward minors, and suicide. It may be distressing for some listeners. Please take care while listening. In this episode of Badge of Betrayal, we speak with Tasmania’s Independent Regulator, Louise Coe, about a serious gap in the state’s child safety oversight system. The Office of the Independent Regulator was created to oversee organisations that work with children and young people, including how they respond to allegations of reportable conduct. But in August 2025, Tasmania Police told the regulator they had received legal advice that they were not captured by the scheme meaning they stopped providing key information, including the identities of police officers involved in reportable conduct matters. For eight months, that gap remained. Louise explains why independent oversight matters, why the reporting scheme exists, and why police interactions with vulnerable young people require close scrutiny. She also discusses the importance of backdating the law to cover the period where reporting stopped, and why culture change inside institutions is just as important as technical compliance. Later in the episode, we share part of an anonymous email from another victim of Paul Reynolds.  The email includes graphic and deeply distressing details of alleged grooming, emotional manipulation and sexual abuse, and shows how hearing this podcast has helped some people reframe what happened to them. If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected] If this episode is triggering, please pause and seek support.  Lifeline: 13 11 14 — https://www.lifeline.org.au Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — https://kidshelpline.com.au 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 — https://www.1800respect.org.au  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

***Trigger warning:This episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse, grooming, trauma, sexualised behaviour toward minors, and suicide. It may be distressing for some listeners. Please take care while listening. For years, it was brushed aside as banter. Something uncomfortable, but never fully spoken about. In this episode, another former student comes forward to describe the influence Reynolds had over a tight-knit group of boys, and the behaviour they are only now, as adults, beginning to understand differently. He speaks about grief, vulnerability, power, and the way trauma can shape a life long after childhood. He also reflects on why so many men stay silent, and what happens when that silence finally starts to break. This is a confronting and deeply personal account of shame, silence, masculinity, and the long shadow of things left unsaid. If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected] If this episode is triggering, please pause and seek support.  Lifeline: 13 11 14 — https://www.lifeline.org.au Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — https://kidshelpline.com.au 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 — https://www.1800respect.org.au      See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Tasmanian parliamentary hearing has exposed a shocking child safety loophole: for months, Tasmania Police were effectively outside the state’s reportable conduct scheme. In this episode, we unpack the committee bombshell, what the regulator revealed, and why the failure to report police matters is causing alarm. We also share new listener information and a fresh lead connected to Paul Reynolds that could open another line of investigation. If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected]   If this episode is triggering, please pause and seek support.  Lifeline: 13 11 14 — https://www.lifeline.org.au Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — https://kidshelpline.com.au 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 — https://www.1800respect.org.au If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected]    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2019, a major review into Tasmania’s prosecution system found it was working “satisfactorily.”A few issues. Some pressure. Nothing the system couldn’t handle. But what happens when that pressure builds quietly… over time? Through an RTI-obtained document, a new internal review from 2024 reveals a system under strain  growing case loads, increasing complexity, delays in disclosure, and resources struggling to keep up. In this episode, we step back from individual cases and examine the system itself  the warning signs, the missed opportunities, and the environment these cases existed within.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

********Trigger and Content Warning*******  This episode contains discussions of alleged abuse, addiction, and trauma. it also contains strong language. Listener discretion is advised.  If this episode raises anything for you, support services are listed in the show notes.   He doesn’t want you to know his name. But he wants you to hear his story. In this episode, we speak to a man we’re calling X  a former schoolboy, now an adult still carrying the weight of what he says happened to him decades ago. What begins as a story about football…about mentorship…about a trusted figure in a young boy’s life… slowly unravels into something far darker. X describes a relationship he says started with trust, encouragement, and validation — before shifting into behaviour he now understands as grooming. At the time, he says he didn’t question it.He couldn’t. Because this was someone in a position of power.Someone respected.Someone he believed was helping him. Now, speaking from a rehab facility where he’s trying to rebuild his life, X opens up about the long-term impact the addiction, the mental health struggles, and the years of confusion, shame, and silence. He also shares why he’s speaking now…and what he believes others may still be holding onto. If this episode is triggering, please pause and seek support.  Lifeline: 13 11 14 — https://www.lifeline.org.au Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — https://kidshelpline.com.au 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 — https://www.1800respect.org.au If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected]  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a reason this episode took longer to release. After our last episode aired, we were contacted by multiple independent sources urging us not to drop the story. What they shared raised new questions we couldn’t ignore. In this episode, we follow a name that continues to surface in connection with events in Burnie decades ago. We also examine new figures from Tasmania Police that reveal a growing number of serious internal complaints and a pattern that appears again and again inside the system. Finally, we reveal the outcome of a Right to Information request seeking documents about a controversial decision involving multiple police deaths. The department confirmed the documents exist. But they won’t release them.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

****Content Warning:****This episode discusses alleged child sexual abuse and includes some graphic descriptions drawn from official Commission evidence. The content may be triggering or distressing. We encourage listeners to prioritise their well-being and pause or skip this episode if needed. This isn’t hindsight. It’s a timeline. In Episode 14, we go back inside the Ashley Youth Detention Centre and lay out the documented overlap appointments, movements, and professional relationships that now sit beside sworn Commission evidence. As RTI requests unfold and more insiders come forward, this investigation keeps widening. Because sometimes the most important question isn’t what happened. It’s who knew and when.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode a second current serving police officer comes forward. They attended Reynolds funeral and have their own experience inside Taspol.  We also explore the links between Reynolds, James Griffin and the U-turn program that ran between 2003- 2013 in Tasmania.    For clarity Mission Australia delivered the U Turn program as a contracted provider within a government-led youth justice initiative. The allegations discussed in this episode relate to former police officers and individuals, not Mission Australia or its staff. Mission Australia did not employ Paul Reynolds and had no role in supervising his conduct.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the this fast tracked new episode, On Thursday Feb 12th - The Greens have called for a Parliamentary Inquiry into theReynolds matter after fresh information from the Badge of Betrayal podcast.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up until now, we haven’t been able to secure an interview with a family member of Reynolds — but in this episode, that changes. Speaking under the protection of anonymity, a verified source takes us inside the Reynolds family unit, offering rare insight into what was happening behind closed doors. We also speak with Tom Wallace-Pannell from Maliganis Edwards Johnson, the lawyer representing victim-survivors of Reynolds’ offending across decades in Tasmania. You can contact them here See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode exposes how youth sport and positions of authority were used as gateways to abuse in Tasmania for Reynolds and others.  Through the Weiss Review, survivor testimony, and a firsthand account from a former player, we examine how trust, reputation, and police power created unchecked access to children — and a culture of silence inside change rooms. We also investigate the U-Turn program and the unresolved questions surrounding those involved. Mission Australia delivered the U Turn program as a contracted provider within a government-led youth justice initiative. The allegations discussed in this episode relate to former police officers and individuals, not Mission Australia or its staff. Mission Australia did not employ Paul Reynolds and had no role in supervising his conduct. If this episode is triggering, please pause and seek support.  Lifeline: 13 11 14 — https://www.lifeline.org.au Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — https://kidshelpline.com.au 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 — https://www.1800respect.org.au If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we examine how institutions respond when serious allegations emerge inside their own ranks. Drawing on Right to Information documents, parliamentary records and broadcast interviews, we trace the timeline that led to a full police funeral for the late Paul Reynolds in September 2018 at a time when professional standards investigations were already underway. This is not a story about assigning personal blame, but about process, timing and decision-making, and how actions taken in the moment can be judged very differently years later. If this episode is triggering, please pause and seek support.  Lifeline: 13 11 14 — https://www.lifeline.org.au Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — https://kidshelpline.com.au 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 — https://www.1800respect.org.au If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of alleged child sexual abuse and institutional violence. Some content may be distressing. Listener discretion is advised. Support resources are listed in the show notes. In this episode of Badge of Betrayal, we return to Alysha, the whistleblower who helped expose abuse at Tasmania’s Ashley Youth Detention Centre. For the first time, we also hear from a former detainee, now an adult, who speaks anonymously about his experiences inside the centre. His voice has been altered and identifying details removed. This conversation was approached with care, expert guidance, and a clear public-interest purpose. It explores power, accountability, and the lasting impact of institutional failure  while centring the courage it takes to speak when silence once felt safer. If this episode is triggering, please pause and seek support.  Lifeline: 13 11 14 — https://www.lifeline.org.au Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — https://kidshelpline.com.au 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 — https://www.1800respect.org.au If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seven referrals. Five known to police before 2024. Two still active. As insiders speak anonymously and integrity reforms are proposed, the question remains: does Tasmania need a Commission of Inquiry to uncover what still hasn’t been told? If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected] If you’d like to hear episodes ad-free and early, subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. If this episode has raised difficult feelings for you, support is available: You can have your say on the Integrity Commission Amended Bill Proposal hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we examine how Paul Reynolds’ police honours funeral was approved. Through Right to Information documents, we look at how the decision was made, who was involved, and what was known at the time. The episode also returns to the final sitting day in Parliament, where Dr Rosalie Woodruff raised further questions about unresolved issues surrounding Reynolds and the institutional response to his conduct before and after his death. Using official records and parliamentary proceedings, this episode continues our examination of how decisions were made and why key questions remain unanswered. This episode references extracts from official Right to Information documents and parliamentary proceedings. These materials are presented for context only. No wrongdoing is alleged If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected] If you’d like to hear episodes ad-free and early, subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. If this episode has raised difficult feelings for you, support is available: Lifeline: 13 11 14 — https://www.lifeline.org.au Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — https://kidshelpline.com.au 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 — https://www.1800respect.org.au  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

****A content warning before we begin: this episode contains references to suicide and suicidal ideation. Listener discretion is advised. Help is available below ******* In this episode, we uncover the hidden financial secrets of Paul Reynolds, from alleged theft from his own mother to casino withdrawals, gambling debts, and desperate pleas for fast cash just days before his death. As the timeline tightens, disturbing questions emerge about where the money went, who Reynolds was connected to, and what police knew and when. This chapter takes us through the night of the raid on Reynolds’ home, the procedural failures that followed, and the chilling final hours that ended his life, revealing a system riddled with missed opportunities and unanswered questions. If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected] If you’d like to hear episodes ad-free and early, subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. If this episode has raised difficult feelings for you, support is available: Lifeline: 13 11 14 — https://www.lifeline.org.au Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — https://kidshelpline.com.au 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 — https://www.1800respect.org.au See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we hear from a current serving Tasmanian police officer a man who spent nearly his entire career working alongside Reynolds. Using a voice actor to protect his identity, he describes Reynolds as he knew him: the outgoing, blokey colleague who could charm a room of young men, the officer who became increasingly absent as he climbed the ranks, and the man whose behaviour now looks disturbingly like grooming hiding in plain sight. He also walks us into the world of Ashley Youth Detention Centre  the blind spots, the “cowboy” culture, the friendships between staff and Reynolds, and why he believes it is almost impossible that Reynolds never accessed the centre or its vulnerable boys. Alongside testimony from a whistleblower who worked inside Ashley, this chapter exposes the overlap between policing, youth detention, and community institutions that enabled Reynolds to move freely for decades. It raises the questions no one has been able to answer: who knew what, who looked away, and why so many of Reynolds’ behaviors were minimised or ignored. If you’d like to hear episodes ad-free and early, subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected] If this episode has raised difficult feelings for you, support is available: Lifeline: 13 11 14 — https://www.lifeline.org.au Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — https://kidshelpline.com.au 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 — https://www.1800respect.org.au  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we sit down with “Tom,” a current serving senior Tasmanian police officer who risks his career to speak candidly about the culture inside Taspol. Across a covert, one-off meeting, Tom reveals why allegations of family violence, sexual misconduct, and predatory behavior inside the force are now “at epidemic levels,” and why systems meant to stop offenders like Paul Reynolds failed for decades. He walks us through internal cases never heard publicly, the politics behind the Wies Inquiry, and why he believes the truth about Reynolds and those who protected him still hasn’t fully surfaced. This chapter pulls back the curtain on the hidden pressures, the fear of breaking ranks, and the consequences faced by officers who dare to speak out. If you’d like to hear episodes ad-free and early, subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. If this episode has raised difficult feelings for you, support is available: Lifeline: 13 11 14 — https://www.lifeline.org.au Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — https://kidshelpline.com.au 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 — https://www.1800respect.org.au   If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we hear how Paul Reynolds embedded himself inside Launceston’s youth car scene  befriending young men, adding them on Facebook, and slowly shifting from friendly banter to explicit messages. Through Mike, a former friend who has never spoken publicly until now, we trace Reynolds’ grooming pattern step-by-step exactly as later exposed in the Weiss Report. As Mike remembers the late-night visits, the boundary-testing conversations, and the uneasy comments dismissed as “just banter,” the episode reveals how a senior police officer managed to present himself as a mate, a mentor, and a hero all while hiding a far darker intent. if you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected] If you’d like to hear episodes ad-free and early, subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. If this episode has raised difficult feelings for you, support is available: Lifeline: 13 11 14 — https://www.lifeline.org.au Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — https://kidshelpline.com.au 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 — https://www.1800respect.org.au  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Senior Sergeant Paul Reynolds was a familiar face in Tasmanian policing  a mentor, a coach, a man people trusted. But on a quiet night in Westbury, everything shifted. Just hours after celebrating his wedding anniversary, four officers from Professional Standards knocked on his door with a warrant to seize his devices. The allegation: Reynolds was a pedophile. In this first episode, we unravel the final 24 hours of a highly decorated cop whose name later surfaced in the Weiss Inquiry, the coronial inquest, and the investigation into the death of 15-year-old Eden Westbrook. From whistleblowers to former colleagues who once admired him, the picture that emerges is darker than anyone imagined. This is the moment the cracks appear the night a respected officer became the centre of one of Tasmania’s most disturbing hidden histories. And as we dig, it becomes clear: what looked like the end of the story was only the beginning. if you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected] If you’d like to hear episodes ad-free and early, subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. If this episode has raised difficult feelings for you, support is available: Lifeline: 13 11 14 — https://www.lifeline.org.au Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — https://kidshelpline.com.au 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 — https://www.1800respect.org.au  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He was a senior cop. A coach. A mentor. A familiar face in Tasmania. But when officers arrived at Paul Reynolds’ door with a search warrant, the truth began to crack open exposing decades of grooming, suspicion, and warnings buried deep inside the system meant to stop him. Badge of Betrayal peels back the layers of a case Tasmania Police quietly walked away from after Reynolds’ sudden death. What emerges is a disturbing pattern: young boys targeted through sport, car meets, and friendship; colleagues who raised concerns and were shut down; and a network of silence that stretched far beyond one man. A current serving high-ranking police officer comes forward to tell us everything he knows, a friend who was groomed by Reynolds talks, and we speak with victim survivors and whistleblowers and uncover emails and files with notes that leave breadcrumbs that ask more questions. From the creators of Our Little Edey, this is a forensic investigation into one of Tasmania’s most unsettling police scandals and the uncomfortable question at its core: If the badge is supposed to protect us… what happens when it protects the predator instead if you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected]  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.