Australian Murder

In public, Peter K. was a top bloke, raising a toast with the Governor-General, raising money for a new Canberra RSL club, raising the alarm about the need to defend Australia against Asia. In private, Peter K. was a monster who made life hell for his family. The law didn’t protect his wife Paula from his beatings and rape. But if Peter’s crimes against his own daughter were exposed, he’d surely face the death penalty – just like another violent sexual predator did in Canberra at this time.

**Please note: this miniseries chronicles violent acts.

These include murder, rape, paedophilia and domestic violence.

There are also sequences centring on suicide, mental illness, accidental child death, war-related trauma and drug and alcohol abuse.

Listener discretion is strong advised.

If you need help:

If you're in immediate danger, please call 000.

Lifeline:

https://www.lifeline.org.au/

Call 13 11 14.

1800RESPECT is the national domestic, family and sexual violence counselling, information and support service.

Call 1800737732

https://1800respect.org.au/help-and-support

Check out Forgotten Australia, wherever you get your podcasts.

Michael Adams' true crime books are available here:

They’ll Never Hold Me:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/they-ll-never-hold-me-michael-adams/book/9781923046474.html

The Murder Squad:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-murder-squad-michael-adams/book/9781923046504.html

Hanging Ned Kelly:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922992185.html

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Soon after Paula married Peter K., she realised some of the truth about her new husband. He had huge debts. He was a heavy drinker and a compulsive gambler. He was relentlessly cruel to his children. Then Peter beat Paula for the first time. Worse was to follow. But Paula still didn't know the full extent of his monstrosity.

**Please note: this miniseries chronicles violent acts.

These include murder, rape, paedophilia and domestic violence.

There are also sequences centring on suicide, mental illness, accidental child death, war-related trauma and drug and alcohol abuse.

Listener discretion is strong advised.

If you need help:

If you're in immediate danger, please call 000.

Lifeline:

https://www.lifeline.org.au/

Call 13 11 14.

1800RESPECT is the national domestic, family and sexual violence counselling, information and support service.

Call 1800737732

https://1800respect.org.au/help-and-support

For more Australian history, check out my other podcast: Forgotten Australia.

My true crime books are:

They’ll Never Hold Me:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/they-ll-never-hold-me-michael-adams/book/9781923046474.html

The Murder Squad:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-murder-squad-michael-adams/book/9781923046504.html

Hanging Ned Kelly:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922992185.html

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Peter K. rose to prominence in Canberra and wider Australia as ACT RSL branch secretary, he lured a young Sydney woman to be his new bride and mother to the children from his first marriage. Behind closed doors, he was more than just a liar and a cheat – he was a violent predator whose victims were those who should have been his nearest and dearest.

**Please note: this miniseries chronicles violent acts.

These include murder, rape, paedophilia and domestic violence.

There are also sequences centring on suicide, mental illness, accidental child death, war-related trauma and drug and alcohol abuse.

Listener discretion is strong advised.

If you're in immediate danger, please call 000.

If you need help:

Lifeline:

https://www.lifeline.org.au/

Call 13 11 14.

1800RESPECT is the national domestic, family and sexual violence counselling, information and support service.

Call 1800737732

https://1800respect.org.au/help-and-support

Michael Adams' true crime books are:

They’ll Never Hold Me:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/they-ll-never-hold-me-michael-adams/book/9781923046474.html

The Murder Squad:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-murder-squad-michael-adams/book/9781923046504.html

Hanging Ned Kelly:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922992185.html

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Home from the Middle East, Peter would be bitter about the end of his marriage and military career. He'd start over in Canberra. But his rise to public respectability coincided with his first confirmed private brutality.

**Please note: this miniseries chronicles violent acts.

These include murder, rape, paedophilia and domestic violence.

There are also sequences centring on suicide, mental illness, accidental child death, war-related trauma and drug and alcohol abuse.

Listener discretion is strong advised.

If you need help:

If you're in immediate danger, please call 000.

Lifeline:

https://www.lifeline.org.au/

Call 13 11 14.

1800RESPECT is the national domestic, family and sexual violence counselling, information and support service.

Call 1800737732

https://1800respect.org.au/help-and-support

For more Australian history, check out Forgotten Australia.

Michael Adams' books:

They’ll Never Hold Me:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/they-ll-never-hold-me-michael-adams/book/9781923046474.html

The Murder Squad:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-murder-squad-michael-adams/book/9781923046504.html

Hanging Ned Kelly:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922992185.html

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Canberra in the 1930s, Peter and his brothers were often in trouble with the law. But when WWII came, they'd all enlist. Some were to have horrific experiences that we don't usually read about in books or see on screen.

**Please note: this miniseries chronicles violent acts.

These include murder, rape, paedophilia and domestic violence.

There are also sequences centring on suicide, mental illness, accidental child death, war-related trauma and drug and alcohol abuse.

Listener discretion is strong advised.

If you need help:

If you're in immediate danger, please call 000.

Lifeline:

https://www.lifeline.org.au/

Call 13 11 14.

1800RESPECT is the national domestic, family and sexual violence counselling, information and support service.

Call 1800737732

https://1800respect.org.au/help-and-support

Michael Adams' books are available at Booktopia and good bookstores:

They’ll Never Hold Me:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/they-ll-never-hold-me-michael-adams/book/9781923046474.html

The Murder Squad:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-murder-squad-michael-adams/book/9781923046504.html

Hanging Ned Kelly:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922992185.html

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Long before Peter K. was revealed as a dual personality, he was a young Scottish bloke trying to make his way in Australia during the Great Depression. In this episode, we hear how his family rose to meet these tough times, how he and his brothers started to go wrong, and the dark takeaways from Canberra’s first murder case.

**Please note: this miniseries chronicles violent acts.**

These include murder, rape, paedophilia and domestic violence. There are also sequences centring on suicide, mental illness, accidental child death, war-related trauma and drug and alcohol abuse. Listener discretion is strong advised.

If you need help:

If you're in immediate danger, please call 000.

Lifeline:

https://www.lifeline.org.au/

Call 13 11 14.

1800RESPECT is the national domestic, family and sexual violence counselling, information and support service.

Call 1800737732

https://1800respect.org.au/help-and-support

Those books are available here:

They’ll Never Hold Me:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/they-ll-never-hold-me-michael-adams/book/9781923046474.html

The Murder Squad:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-murder-squad-michael-adams/book/9781923046504.html

Hanging Ned Kelly:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922992185.html

Australia’s Sweetheart:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/australia-s-sweetheart-michael-adams/book/9780733640292.html

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Australia was appalled when a bloody axe murder was committed in Canberra in the winter of 1955. This prologue sets that suburban crime scene, explains Australian Murder's approach to true crime history, and reveals which forgotten files are being used to make this miniseries.

**Please note: this miniseries chronicles violent criminal acts, including murder, rape, paedophilia and domestic violence.

There are also sequences that discuss suicide, mental illness, accidental child death, war-related trauma and drug and alcohol abuse.

Listener discretion is strong advised.**

If you're in immediate danger, please call 000.

Lifeline:

https://www.lifeline.org.au/

Call 13 11 14.

1800RESPECT is the national domestic, family and sexual violence counselling, information and support service.

Call 1800737732

https://1800respect.org.au/help-and-support

Australian true crime books by Michael Adams:

They’ll Never Hold Me:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/they-ll-never-hold-me-michael-adams/book/9781923046474.html

The Murder Squad:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-murder-squad-michael-adams/book/9781923046504.html

Hanging Ned Kelly:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922992185.html

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The first miniseries, The Beast Must Die, about a 1955 axe murder, releases from Monday.

Be sure to follow to get every episode.

Australian Murder is the new true-crime podcast for anyone who loves their mysteries and their histories.

We’re shining new light on old and cold cases, turning up fresh clues and making connections that no-one has ever made before.

From Michael Adams, the creator of the Forgotten Australia podcast and author of the acclaimed true crime books Hanging Ned Kelly, The Murder Squad and They'll Never Hold Me.

Find Forgotten Australia wherever you get your podcasts.

The books are available here:

They’ll Never Hold Me:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/they-ll-never-hold-me-michael-adams/book/9781923046474.html

The Murder Squad:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-murder-squad-michael-adams/book/9781923046504.html

Hanging Ned Kelly:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922992185.html

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.