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****WARNING: Some listeners may find the content discussed in this episode distressing**** The doctor who examined the 17-year-old who was brutally raped by Bradley Edwards in 1995 has recalled the horrific injuries the teenager suffered that night. In Day 23 of the Claremont serial killings trial, Dr Amanda Barnard gave evidence saying while she had examined thousands of women during her career as a doctor for the sexual assault resource centre, the injuries inflicted on the 17-year-old by Bradley Robert Edwards almost 25 years ago had stayed with her. Bradley Edwards pleaded guilty to the rape, in which he abducted the teenager while she was walking to a friends’ house in Claremont on February 11, 1995.  He grabbed the 17-year-old from behind, bound her hands, put a hood over her head and carried her to his van, where he tied her legs, drove her to Karrakatta Cemetery where he then brutally raped the teenager twice. Dr Barnard, who was working at the sexual assault resource centre at the time told the court how the teenager’s examination was ‘painful and difficult’, saying, “I think the things that made this particular case stick in my mind were the violent nature of assault by a stranger, the fact that she had been hooded and restrained, the extent and painfulness of her injuries and given the fact of her youth and that she was a virgin,”  But while on the stand, the doctor was quizzed about how she collected samples from the teenager, how they were stored and who she sent them to. The defence say these samples – which were found to have Bradley Edwards’ DNA on them were cross-contaminated with the fingernail clippings from Ciara Glennon. But the prosecution say they were never even stored on the same shelf, let alone could be contaminated, and previously called the suggestion of cross contamination an “exercise in errant fantasy”. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and criminal defence lawyer Damien Cripps as they take you through day 23 of the Claremont serial killings trial. If you, or anyone you know has been affected by the content in this podcast, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 Or the sexual assault resource centre on 1800 199 888 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When police arrived at the scenes where Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies had been dumped, they didn’t have to wear gloves to prevent cross contamination. On day 22 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial, former forensic police officer Robert Hemelaar took the stand for a third day where it was revealed there wasn’t a big focus on preserving a crime scene in the mid 1990s. He said there was no protocol for wearing gloves and covers for their boots, only that gloves should be worn while handling ‘deceased matter’, for their own safety. During his cross examination by defence lawyer Paul Yovich, Mr Hemelaar admitted he had handled some evidence - a tree branch - with his bare hands. The court had been told tree branches had been pulled off nearby trees and placed over both Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies to partially conceal them. He also said a key piece of evidence, a hair sample from Ciara Glennon which the prosecution says contained fibres matching unique Telstra shorts, the kind issued to Bradley Edwards while he was working at Telstra, had not been videoed while being collected from Ciara’s body. It was revealed that the sample had also not had tamper-proof tape stuck on the container until years after it was collected. Cross-contamination is the main case the defence has said will provide reasonable doubt about whether Bradley Edwards is the Claremont aerial killer. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Alison Fan as they take you through Day 22’s evidence, and answer some of your questions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former forensic police officer Robert Hemelaar gave his evidence for the whole of day 21 of the Claremont serial killings trial. He narrated an hour-long video from Ciara Glennon’s burial site, revealing graphic details and forensic clues as to how police collected and stored DNA samples found on the 27-year-old’s body. Joined in the studio by forensic expert Brendan Chapman, Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Emily Moulton take you through exactly how forensic officers collect samples, and most importantly, how they avoid contamination. A key piece of evidence was also hinted at during the trial - the fact that some of Ciara Glennon’s fingernails were broken, coupled with the defensive wounds on her arms, the prosecution said that Ciara fought for her life the night she died. But under those broken fingernails, the prosecution says was Bradley Edwards’ DNA. Join the Claremont in Conversation team as they take you through day 21 of WA’s trial of the century.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On day 20 of the Claremont serial killings trial, the court was given a glimpse into the life of Jane Rimmer through photographs taken from inside her house days after she went missing, a woman’s life frozen in time. Images from the 23-year-old child care worker’s house and belongings were shown to the court by former forensic police officer Robert Hemelaar, who searched Jane’s Wembley flat. Bills, papers, even a KFC voucher had been left on her dining table revealing the life frozen in time of a young woman who was never to return. When Jane's body was found 55 days later, police swarmed the scene. Today one of those officers, former forensic police officer Robert Hemelaar told in graphic detail how her body was found, and how forensics went about moving her body. The video officer for police also gave evidence on day 20. Justice Stephen Hall ruled that the vision he took was too distressing to be shown to the public gallery, but as Tim Clarke and The West Australian's court reporter Shannon Hampton explain, they didn't need to see the vision to get a picture of what was happening. Join Tim Clarke, Natalie Bonjolo and Shannon Hampton as they take you through day 20 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Senior police officers who attended the burial sites of Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennons' bodies have described the 'mayhem' and 'organised chaos' which became the crime scenes when the women's bodies were found. In particular, when the body of the third woman to go missing, Ciara Glennon's body was found in shrub land in Eglinton, both police and the media started using the term 'serial killer'. This intense interest by the media was brought up in court on day 19 of WA's trial of the century. As detectives tried to preserve the scene, camera screws also tried to capture every moment. One senior officer even mentioned one reporter by name, that was 7News journalist Adrian Barich, who he said was arrested on the scene of Ciara Glennon's burial site, but as Adrian explains, as a rookie sports journalist, it was something he'd never expected to witness, and gives us his account of what happened. The case also focussed around contamination. It was revealed a key piece of evidence which the prosecution says links the Karrakatta rape the murders of Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon had been unaccounted for in the WA Police database for almost a year. Join Natalie Bonjolo, special guest Adrian Barich along with Tim Clarke and Alison Fan as they discuss day 19 of the Claremont serial killings trial. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a two-week break, the trial of the century resumed at Perth’s Supreme Court, only to be adjourned again after just half an hour. The reason? Prosecutors needed to go to a stationary store to buy projector screens to block out gruesome images of the burial sites of Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies that were set to be shown as evidence. The families of Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon had voiced their concerns about the evidence being shown to the public, and the judge agreed the vision and images would simply be too distressing. The court was packed out for the resumption of the trial, so closing the court while the gruesome evidence was shown wasn’t going to be an easy option. So instead, when video of the day Jane Rimmer’s body was found was shown, only the judge, the lawyers, the witnesses and Bradley Edwards could see it. Tim Clarke, Natalie Bonjolo and criminal defence lawyer Damien Cripps discuss why this was an unusual move, and what it means for the rest of the trial.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was by pure-chance Jane Rimmer's body was found. A woman driving with her husband and children driving in Wellard stopped on the side of the road after a rooster ran out. Kids being kids, they wanted to chase it. The mother, Tammy Evans decided to pick some death lilies and out of the corner of her eye, 'the biggest death lily' she had ever seen popped into view. Before grabbing onto it, something brushed her leg. She thought it was a stick, but it was a foot. That was the only feature that assured Tammy that what she had stumbled across was human. She had found Jane Rimmer's body. While her husband went for help, she said she just couldn't leave Jane and stayed with her until police arrived. That was August 3, 1996. The third victim, Ciara Glennon went missing on March 15, 1997. With two women missing and one dead, the state was on high alert. Then, the day police had been dreading, a second body found. April 3, 1997, a man looking for wild cannabis leaves came across Ciara Glennon's body off a bush track in Eglington, 40 kms north of Perth. The headline in the West Australian newspaper the next day said it all: "The State is in Mourning." He said he thought a kangaroo had died, and being 'nosey' he went to check if a joey was in its pouch, but instead found the body of the 27-year-old. On the final day of the trial for the year, the court also heard from the men the prosecution called 'The Burger Boys' - one of which yelled to her that she was 'stupid for hitch hiking' The prosecution reached the end of their 'civilian witnesses'. Next year will see what has been described as 'the battle of the scientists', the DNA and fibre evidence which is so crucial to this case.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

March 14, 1997 was the last time Ciara Glennon was seen alive. She’s been at a work function and by all accounts she didn’t want to go out that night, because she had her sister's hen's night the next night. But she was convinced to go out to Claremont. She’d only been back in Perth for two weeks, after travelling for six months. In this podcast, Tim Clarke and Damien Cripps ask whether she had known about the other missing girls as well as the rest of Perth, simply because she wasn’t in the country when Sarah Spiers and Jane Rimmer went missing. In May 1997, WA Police released a re-enactment of Ciara’s final hours in a desperate attempt to jog someone’s memory of the night of March 14, and the early hours of March 15 1997. Eleven people did see Ciara that night. On day 16 of the Claremont serial killings trial, they gave evidence of seeing a woman matching Ciara’s description walking alone on Stirling Highway. Some witnesses say they saw her talking to a man in a white car, even starting to get in. In a tragic premonition, a worker at a Thai restaurant over the road from where she was last seen even made a passing comment that “she might be the next girl to go.” Ciara’s body was found 19 days later near a scrub track in Eglington, 40 km north of Perth. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and criminal defence lawyer Damien Cripps as they dissect day 16 and answer listener questions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On August 3, 1996 - 55 days after 23-year-old child care worker Jane Rimmer went missing, a woman picking flowers with her family found her body. She immediately told her husband who rushed for help. Jane’s body was badly decomposed, covered in leaves and small shrubs. Meanwhile a couple riding horses nearby found a knife on the ground not too far away. When they reached the woman who found the body, she told them she had stayed with Jane because “she didn’t want to leave her alone.” We heard a witness break down on the stand today as she recalled that day Jane’s body was found. We also heard from the woman who could be one of the last people to see Ciara Glennon alive on March 14,1997. During her testimony, for the first time, we heard about the police investigation and the man who was the prime suspect, subjected to years of being watched by police, pretty obviously as well. As Alison Fan - the only journalist to interview Lance Williams while he was a suspect - explained, as soon as she finished talking to him, she called the Assistance WA Police Commissioner and told him they had the wrong guy. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Alison Fan as they wrap up week three of the Claremont Serial Killings Trial. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The night Jane Rimmer disappeared, on June 9, 1996, two couples - separately - heard blood-curdling, ’traumatic’ screams. One witness recalled hearing a scream that just suddenly stopped. Then silence. The two couples lived in the then-rural area on the outskirts of Perth called Wellard. Fifty-five days later Jane’s body would be found in bushland in between their houses. As The West’s Emily Moulton - who has been live blogging the court proceedings - explains, one couple remembered a smell coming from just off the road as they regularly drove past. They said they dismissed it as a dead animal. Day 14 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial also recounted Ciara Glennon’s final night. She was the last woman to go missing. She had only been home for two weeks from 6 months abroad when she disappeared. Her parents were on high alert at this stage in March 1997, with two girls missing and one their bodies having been found, as soon as they reported their daughter missing, police swooped. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Emily Moulton and Tim Clarke as they discuss day 14. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jane Rimmer disappeared in the early hours of June 9, 1996 from Claremont. Her body was found 55 days later on August 3 in bushland in Wellard. On June 9, 1996, a man was riding a horse in Wellard, when his horse spooked. He fell off and found a guess watch. That watch turned out to be Jane Rimmer's. Day 13 of the Claremont serial killings trial heard the man didn't report the watch to police until after Jane's Body was found. It turns out he fell just two metres from where her body was dumped. Before she disappeared, friends of Jane Rimmer relived the decision the 23-year-old made to stay out alone while her friends caught a taxi home the night she disappeared. One friend, Lynda Donovan remembered a conversation she had with an emotional Jane the night she disappeared - a typical conversation many friends have had after a few drinks, only now it's a heartbreaking reminder of her friend, and her feelings about herself that night. The court was shown more CCTV of the night Jane Rimmer was last seen alive, also, for the first time, vision of Ciara Glennon in Claremont was shown. But probably the most important part of this vision was what wasn't able to be seen - Bradley Edwards. The man the prosecution says killed Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon was nowhere to be seen. Police said out of all of the vision they've managed to obtain from the nights the two women disappeared, there's no evidence of the man the prosecution say killed the two women in any of the vision. Criminal defence lawyer Tom Percy QC joins Natalie Bonjolo and Tim Clarke to discuss why the day's proceedings go little way to proving Bradley Edwards is the Claremont serial killer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The last pictures of Jane Rimmer alive were shown to a stunned court room on day 12. The images of the smiling and laughing 23-year-old was shown to the people in the court, who watched on in silence for the entire time the videos were played. Jane was last seen outside Club Bayview in Claremont at 12.04am on June 8, 1996. At the time, the security cameras recorded on a loop, only capturing 13 seconds at a time. The CCTV shows Jane standing outside the club. The security vision flicks over to other cameras around the club, and 32 seconds later it comes back to that same spot, but Jane is gone. 32 seconds is all it took for Jane Rimmer to vanish. It wouldn’t be until almost 2 months later that she would be found. Her body found in bushland in Wellard, half an hour south of Claremont. She’d been murdered, her throat cut. As Natalie Bonjolo, Alison Fan and Tim Clarke discuss, how different this investigation would be if those security cameras flicked over at different times, would we see what happened to Jane in her final night? The ‘sliding doors’ moments that The West’s Tim Clarke has described before have become a theme in this case. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

**WARNING: this episode contains distressing content*** The terrifying, graphic and distressing account of a regular night-turned living nightmare of a teenager, who was abducted and raped by Bradley Edwards was read to the court on day 11 of his murder trial. In February 1995, the 17-year-old was walking to a friends’ house from a night out in Claremont, when she was grabbed from behind, a cloth was shoved in her mouth, her hands were tied and a hood placed over her head. Completely helpless, she was carried to a car, driven to a cemetery and raped. Bradley Edwards was charged with her rape, along with the three murders in 2016, but up until this year had always maintained his innocence. That was until three weeks before his trial, he pleaded guilty to the rape. Today, the victim’s words - taken from a police statement days after the attack - echoed through the court room, and even though it was read out by the lead prosecutor Carmel Barbagallo, as Tim Clarke explains, he’s sure almost everyone in that room was affected by her harrowing, and graphic account. We know Bradley Edwards is a rapist, but the prosecution want to argue he's also a murderer, and her statement will help them try to prove that. In this episode, hear the defence argument that shocked the podcast team. To read some of the rape victim’s statement, go to thewest.com.au See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Valentine’s Day in 1988 in Huntingdale, a teenager went to bed alone after spending the day with her boyfriend. She was woken up by someone lying on top of her. Thinking it was her boyfriend, she said she didn’t feel scared. That was until she touched that person’s face. The person lying on top of her wasn’t her boyfriend, but was an intruder. That intruder was Bradley Robert Edwards, who pleaded guilty to the attack 30 years later. Day 10 of the Claremont serial killings trial heard from this victim, as she told of her ordeal, and of the kimono that was left behind after the attack. That kimono would become crucial in the police investigation, and the prosecution’s case against Bradley Edwards. The day also heard from the family of the second woman to disappear, Jane Rimmer, and the ordinary day that would turn out to be her last. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Alison Fan as they dissect the day’s events. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The voice of Sarah Spiers haunted the court as her final phone call, a call to a taxi service was played during evidence on day nine. Sarah Spiers was last seen in the early hours of January 27, 1996. She was out with friends at Club Bayview, and just after 2am decided to go leave. Alone. She called a taxi to take her to Mosman Park, but she never got there. Today, we heard from one of those friends she was out with that night, recalling the final words she ever said to her friend. The prosecution say, instead of getting home in a taxi, Bradley Edwards picked her up and murdered her. The court heard from three people who heard screams in Mosman Park at around 3am that night, describing the 'blood curdling screams' that have stayed with them for more than two decades. It was a highly emotional day, with a statement read out from Sarah's sister Amanda, a court room in tears and a witness consoled as she left the stand after giving her evidence.  Justice Hall said he has decided not to release Sarah's last phone call to the public, because he believed it would cause undue stress to her family. The West's Legal Affairs Editor Tim Clarke was in court and describes the the moment her voice was played for the second time in this trial. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Emily Moulton as they dissect day nine of the Claremont Serial Killings trial. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.