Badge of Betrayal

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

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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.

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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.
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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 system
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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.