Rachelle Childs podcast reaches 3 million downloads as petition for police reward increase grows
And her sister is not stopping in her quest for justice, as a petition to increase the reward to $500,000 to find her killer is gathering momentum online.
Rachelle's sister Kristy, who launched the Change.org petition told signatories: 'This is a personal plea to increase the reward for information leading to a conviction in her case to $500,000. It's been over two decades since we lost Rachelle and justice has yet to be served.'
She told this masthead: 'We haven't achieved a raise in the reward yet, despite campaigning for years.
'We feel an increase in the reward is justified and warranted.'
Kristy said they feel the reward increase 'may help to encourage the public to come forward with perhaps some information that they have held back for personal reasons'.
'We also think that considering other cases with rewards of $500,000, $750,000 and even $1 million, Rachelle's case having a $200,000 reward is not equitable or fair.'
The petition comes as the Dear Rachelle podcast has dominated the podcast charts in Australia and has ranked highly in the UK and New Zealand, as it reinvestigates evidence from the cold case with the help of Rachelle's family and ex-detectives.
LISTEN TO THE DEAR RACHELLE PODCAST BELOW:
When hearing the news of the podcast reaching three million downloads, Kristy said: 'Three million people listening to Chelle's story, talking about her case, and supporting the investigation is just mind blowing.
'We are so thankful, heartened and incredibly grateful.
'We just hope that all this incredible hard work and support from the public leads to a conviction and a very lengthy sentence.
'That is the only reason why we are doing this.'
Rachelle, 23, was murdered, set on fire and left on the side of a lonely highway near Gerroa, on the NSW south coast, in June 2001.
There was a lengthy police investigation at the time, but it was marred with incompetence and ultimately failed to identify the killer.
As a result, Rachelle's case ended up languishing at the back of police unsolved homicide files.
The podcast team at News Corp has been working with Rachelle's family and ex-detectives to reinvestigate long-forgotten evidence, along with the alibi of the chief suspect – her former boss Kevin Steven Correll, who has consistently denied murdering Rachelle and has never been charged. He says that he has always co-operated with police by supplying his DNA and answering all their questions.
Mr Correll and Rachelle sold used cars at Camden Holden when she died. What Rachelle and the rest of the community probably didn't know was that he was previously acquitted of four sexual assaults under his birth name, Kevin Cornwall.
Past allegations aside, it's possible Mr Correll was one of the last people to see Rachelle alive when she left work for the last time on June 7, before she died.Later that night, a number of motorists saw a car that matched the description of Rachelle's prized Commodore along the highway between her home in Bargo and Gerroa, where her body was uncovered.
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News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Melbourne man's amazing journey from sleeping in car to homeowner
A Melbourne man has revealed his incredible journey from living in a car after being scammed out of his life savings, to becoming a property investor. And the boilermaker's surprising turning point was a trip to McDonalds. It comes as social housing services groups warn there could be a growing cohort of Victorians who face homelessness on their way path to homeownership. Father-of-two Kostas Papadimitropoulos, who was born in Australia but later moved to Greece with his parents as child, lost everything when a man posing as a prospective business partner left him in financial ruin. But after years of hard work, he now owns a home in Melbourne's north and is in the process of buying an investment property. In 2016-17, about five years after he returned to Australia, Mr Papadimitropoulos met a man who asked for $30,000 so they could build a business together – but the man fled the country. 'He disappeared and he left me with a $60,000 debt with an ANZ business loan,' Mr Papadimitropoulos said. He reported the matter to police, but was left without his life's savings and a short time later was evicted form his rental and eventually wound up sleeping in his car. With his wife, Bibi, and daughter, Sinny, who were in China as this happened, he was forced to use the Wi-Fi in cafes to stay in touch with the woman he had met as she holidayed in Greece years before. His turning point came from a lucky meeting with a divorced mother of two at a McDonalds in 2020. Mr Papadimitropoulos had seen a social media post about a woman, Anissa Cavallo, who had built a 17-property portfolio after getting divorced. Hoping she might be able to help him overcome his bleak financial history, he arranged a meeting. While her children ate Happy Meals, Ms Cavallo told him to focus on work and money, meanwhile the Eda Property founder helped clean up his credit file so he could get a loan. 'Slowly, slowly, I found work and started to build my wealth,' Mr Papadimitropoulos said. In January 2021, using his savings, money sent from Bibi and borrowing from friends – which he has since paid back – he bought a block of land to build a house on. He also got the Victorian government's First Home Owner Grant, and the house was built by mid-2023. Mr Papadimitropoulos, Bibi and Sinny, now 17, have been living there ever since and are now preparing to buy an investment property with the equity from their first home. Ms Cavallo said the incredible journey proved there was almost always a way to get a home, advising people who want to focus on getting a job and their finances in order before preparing to enter the market. But there are growing fears more Victorians will face a similarly fraught pathway to housing security. Melbourne City Mission youth and family homelessness services senior manager Lisa O'Brien said a combination of high rents and low vacancy rates were driving increasing numbers of Victorians to homelessness. 'For some, owning a home may eventually be possible, but for many, just accessing a safe bed is a significant and hard-won milestone in the context of today's housing market,' Ms O'Brien said. 'We have many examples of people and families who have transitioned from rough sleeping, living in cars, sheds or on a couch into autonomous living once more. 'It can be a journey to navigate the housing system and without support it is easy to get lost or left behind.' The Council to Homeless Persons chief executive Deborah Di Natale said as the Victorian housing crisis intensified, support services had 'seen an alarming surge of working people experiencing homelessness'. 'Unfortunately in the past year we've seen no indication the situation is improving,' Ms Di Natale said. In March, Infrastructure Victoria recommended the state government urgently build 60,000 new social housing homes to help address the situation. 'Without that kind of decisive action, we'll continue to see more families in crisis, more women and children leaving violence with nowhere to go, and tragically more people dying on our streets,' Ms Di Natale said. She also called for more investment in Housing First programs which provide long-term rough sleepers with housing and wraparound support services. TIPS TO GO FROM WORKING HOMELESS TO HOMEOWNER – Work longer hours to earn more money, overtime can ramp up; – Save as much money as you can from day-to-day expenses; – If you're renting, try to find a cheaper rental property; – Take advantage of existing government help schemes, such as the Victorian government's First Home Owner Grant; – Don't be afraid to seek advice from industry professionals. Source: Kostas Papadimitropoulos
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Cassie has emerged as a powerful figure after mixed verdict in Sean 'Diddy' Combs case
Warning: This story contains details of graphic sexual acts and domestic violence. Casandra "Cassie" Ventura was a picture of "poise" and "grace" as she entered the courtroom to give evidence against her ex-boyfriend of more than a decade, and her former boss music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs. If you need help immediately call emergency services on triple-0 Known professionally as Cassie, she's emerged as a powerful figure after bravely telling her story in a New York courtroom, winning the admiration of many globally. Cassie's ordeal with Combs resulted in her losing friends, as her former best friend testified during the trial. She long ago lost her innocence. Cassie's career trajectory was stunted. But one thing she has refused to shed is her dignity. Combs has been found not guilty on one count of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking. He has been found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. While some advocacy groups say the mixed verdict is a backwards step for victims, a legal expert says the sentence, which will be handed down in October, is a much better indication of whether justice has been served. Brian Buckmire is a practicing attorney, ABC America legal contributor, and the host of Bad Rap: The Case Against Diddy, a popular and captivating podcast which gives listeners a backstage pass to the rise and fall of Combs. As someone who practices in the same courtroom where Combs was tried — the Southern District of New York — Mr Buckmire had unique access to the courtroom and was right there throughout the trial. He was almost in awe of Cassie as she walked into the courtroom. "When Cassie testifies, I'm in the courtroom, she's walking centimetres away from me as she walks towards the witness stand," Mr Buckmire told ABC News. Cassie, 38, gave birth to her third child roughly two weeks after taking the witness stand, testifying for a period of four days. She has two other children with her husband, fitness entrepreneur and actor Alex Fine — Frankie, born December 6, 2019, and Sunny, born March 22, 2021. Mr Buckmire said Cassie delivered her testimony in a soft tone. "At times she broke down when there was difficult testimony that she was talking about," Mr Buckmire said. "And even when she was cross-examined by Teny Geragos, she still maintained that kind of small and quiet way she responded." He says her testimony drew you in. "I don't know if it was the nature of the testimony that she was giving, the fact that she was pregnant, [or] how she testified," Mr Buckmire said. Cassie was born in Connecticut in August 1986 to her mother Regina who has West Indian, Mexican, and African American ancestry and her father Rodrick who is Filipino. In June 2021, Cassie celebrated Father's Day by posting a tribute to her parents on Instagram. "You (and Mom) have been my greatest support system and THE most real and true example of unconditional love," she wrote. Cassie first met Combs in 2005 when she was 19 years old, and Combs was in his 30s. She already had a hit on her hands with the song Me & U, which was getting radio airplay and was being heard in clubs after she'd built a following in the early days of social media. This is the song that drew Combs to Cassie. Combs signed Cassie to a 10-album deal with his record company Bad Boy, and her and Combs would later develop a romantic relationship. Cassie only released one of those albums, the self-titled Cassie, which was released in August 2006 and debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 charts. Her career never really took off beyond that. Cassie's appearances on 106 & Park, a TV show which was a cultural touchstone in the United States on BET (Black Entertainment Television), and on MTV's Total Request Live were widely panned by critics and fans, with Cassie stating in her 2023 civil lawsuit against Combs that she suffered from significant performance anxiety. We now know what was going on behind the scenes with Cassie testifying that she engaged in "freak-offs" — drug-fuelled orgies with male escorts — while Combs watched, masturbated, and filmed, even directing the encounters. As Cassie tells it, this left little time to focus on her music. "The question [that] I think will always remain is: was Cassie not as talented as we believe?" Mr Buckmire said. "Was she a studio artist rather than a performance artist? "Or was it the brutality and the abuse and the Sean Combs of it all that knocked out that talent? "Because from what we saw in this trial, she went through a lot, and I don't know how you go through that and still be successful at your craft." In November 2023, Cassie filed a civil lawsuit alleging a violent and abusive relationship in which Combs would savagely beat her leaving bruises. She also alleged that she was forced into sex trafficking, for which Combs has been acquitted in the federal case. The civil lawsuit was settled within a day for $US20 million ($30.5 million). Combs denied all allegations. When CNN broadcast hotel security footage in which Combs is seen assaulting Cassie, it seemed to corroborate Cassie's account of those particular events. Combs took to social media to apologise for what was on the video. He was later arrested after Homeland Security raids on his homes and has been in jail ever since. In May 2024, after the footage of her being violently assaulted made its way around the world, Cassie posted to Instagram, asking that people believe victims the first time they speak out. Full statement from Cassie, May 23, 2024: Thank you for all of the love and support from my family, friends, strangers and those I have yet to meet. The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning. Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past. Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to take this matter seriously. My only ask is that EVERYONE open your heart to believing victims the first time. It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in. I offer my hand to those that are still living in fear. Reach out to your people, don't cut them off. No one should carry this weight alone. This healing journey is never ending, but this support means everything to me. Thank you. Love Always, Cassie Mr Buckmire says there's no doubt that Combs won the federal case. "I don't think there's any interpretation where you say the defence did not win," Mr Buckmire said. "They avoided a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison with both [of] the sex trafficking charges being dismissed. "They avoided life in prison, which would be the maximum for both the RICO as well as the sex trafficking. "They avoided automatic forfeiture of Sean Combs's assets that would have been tied directly or indirectly to the racketeering conspiracy if he was found guilty of that charge. "And he was only found guilty on the two counts that … have no mandatory minimum and have the lowest top end of prison time being a max of 10 years each. "If Sean Combs walks out of this doing five years of prison … because you were facing life in prison? That is a win." Mr Buckmire says while some people have interpreted the verdict to mean the jury didn't believe Cassie, he does not believe this to be the case. "I could say, at least from my reaction to hearing her testify, my observation of the jurors when she testified, and even to the arguments, she was believed," Mr Buckmire said. "I don't think anyone walked out of that courtroom thinking that Cassie was not a victim. He says the defence openly admitted that Cassie was a victim of domestic violence at the hands of Combs, but not sex trafficking. "Cassie displayed that she was brutally abused by Sean Combs, that he is a short-tempered abusive man towards Cassie and many other women that he was involved with. "But I think the defence was smart to say: 'What are we here for and what is he guilty of are two different things.' "And I think they gave themselves the credibility of saying, and Teny Geragos said this in opening statements, 'in some regard, he's indefensible … especially for what he did to Cassie.' "But I think that they were successful in arguing that Sean Combs is abusive for abuse sake, not for the purposes of transporting Cassie for the purposes of commercial sex through force, fraud, coercion, or the threat of force. "And that's what sex trafficking is." Cassie's lawyers contacted ABC News after the verdict, telling us the entire criminal process started due to the courage Cassie showed in filing her civil complaint in November 2023. Her lawyer, Douglas H Wigdor, says Cassie has left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry and the fight for justice for survivors. Full statement from Douglas H Wigdor (Wigdor LLP): "This entire criminal process started when our client Cassie Ventura had the courage to file her civil complaint in November 2023. Although the jury did not find Combs guilty of sex trafficking Cassie beyond a reasonable doubt, she paved the way for a jury to find him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution. By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice. We must repeat — with no reservation — that we believe and support our client who showed exemplary courage throughout this trial. She displayed unquestionable strength and brought attention to the realities of powerful men in our orbit and the misconduct that has persisted for decades without repercussion. This case proved that change is long overdue, and we will continue to fight on behalf of survivors." Mr Buckmire says it's possible to pluck a victory from the clutches of defeat, and he believes that's what Cassie's lawyers are doing. "But I think there is a catharsis," Mr Buckmire says. "I think there is a positive aspect to going into court, facing the person that you're accusing of sexual crimes and testifying in the way that Cassie did and no matter what the result, I think there's a victory in that for her. "Whether it be for her own catharsis, her own growth, her own feelings, whatever that may be. "I think 100 per cent right, her attorney is correct in this, that her lawsuit started this all. "Without her lawsuit, these allegations would be swept under the rug, never to see the light of day and I think if it doesn't amount to a long-term incarceration, at the very least, we're all aware of the man that Sean Combs is. "And I think that Cassie's testimony at the very least protected maybe the next woman who would have been the next Cassie. "And so, I think there's a lot of things that she can walk out of this trial for and say that she was successful, she's powerful, and that she's done a lot in terms of attaining justice in one way, shape or form." During the trial Mr Wigdor read a statement to reporters outside court from Cassie's husband, who said the world is a safer place due to his wife's testimony. Full statement from Cassie's husband, Alex Fine: "Over the past five days, the world has gotten to witness the strength and bravery of my wife, freeing herself of her past. There has been speculation online surrounding how it must feel for me to sit there and listen to my wife's testimony. I have felt so many things sitting there. I have felt tremendous pride and overwhelming love for Cass. I have felt profound anger that she has been subjected to sitting in front of a person who tried to break her. So, to him and all of those who helped him along the way, please know this: You did not. You did not break her spirit nor her smile that lights up every room. You did not break the souls of a mother who gives the best hugs and plays the silliest games with our little girls. You did not break the woman who has made me a better man. I did not save Cassie, as some have said. To say that is an insult to the years of painful work my wife has done to save herself. Cassie saved Cassie. She alone broke free from abuse, coercion, violence and threats. She did the work of fighting the demons that only a demon himself could have done to her. All I have done is love her as she has loved me. Her life is now surrounded by love, laughter and our family. This horrific chapter is forever put behind us, and we will not be making additional statements. We appreciate all of the love and support we have received, and we ask that you respect our privacy as we welcome our son into a world that is now safer because of his mom." Mr Buckmire says the next step is finding out how much prison time Combs will face. "I think the sentence is going to have a lot to say about this case and what the judge perceives about this case. "If Sean Combs walks out of that courtroom with only serving one or two years, I think that's going to be a strong indication as to whether or not people think that justice was found in this case. "If Sean Combs walks out of the building and he's sentenced to five to six years years, if he's sentenced to 10-15 years, the judge is [saying] 'I'm throwing the book at you', I think that's going to have another opinion as to whether or not this is justice.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Male childcare workers say they feel judged in wake of latest abuse case
Childcare worker Ben Munroe was worried as soon as he read the news alert on his phone — a male childcare worker charged with more than 70 offences — his own career might be at risk. He didn't want to even get out of bed and go to work, hyper-aware of any judgement of his gender. "A week ago I wasn't thinking in terms of male and female, I was just thinking I'm an educator here doing my job like everybody else." But that's now changed. The 27-year-old, who has been working in the childcare sector in Melbourne's inner east for two years, said the gravity of the charges against the accused, a similar aged man from a similar background, has taken a toll. "Across every centre in Melbourne, there will be parents saying, 'I don't want men changing my child's nappies'. I'm not going to go against that … if that's what they need to feel safe." He said about a third of parents had reached out to show support to him personally, acknowledging he was "one of the good ones," but that hasn't happened across the board. "A third of parents were indifferent, but then another third I felt new tension that didn't exist previously. Joshua Dale Brown was arrested and charged this week with more than 70 offences including child sexual abuse, producing abuse material and contaminating food with bodily fluids. The charges involve eight children, aged five months to two years, at a Point Cook Centre between 2022 and 2023. The latest available Australian crime statistics show that out of those charged with a child sex offence in 2022 to 2023, 91 per cent were male. Mr Munroe said it had been a tough week for everyone working in childcare, but male educators in particular. And some advocates have said exactly that and called for men to be banned from the profession. Delanie Woodlock, a senior research fellow at the UNSW and deputy director of Child Light, a global child safety initiative, said it's not that simple. She said centres needed to be designed to make this sort of abuse impossible without detection. "What we're seeing through the major case studies that we've been looking at is that these abuses were only detected through external investigations," she said. "That usually happened through child sexual abuse material and sharing that online and it was traced backwards to the centre." She said there was no walking back from the statistics that the majority of sexual abuse that happens in childcare revolves around male "professional perpetrators". "They're attracted to this work because it gives them sexual access to infants and children," she said. According to a 2024 workforce census, male educators make up just 3 per cent of the early childhood sector. She points to research that shows perpetrators target pre-verbal children and go undetected due to failed internal safeguards. "Abusers have actually picked different workplaces if they have lax CCTV coverage or they can use their mobile phones." Her research includes examinations of six childcare serial sexual assault cases, including Australian cases, that highlight other systemic failures, including not enough scrutiny of complaints against men. In one, perpetrator Shannon McCoole was promoted despite a female colleague's complaint. The colleague who raised concerns was called a "f***ing bitch" and accused of being jealous after McCool received a promotion. In the second instance, a female colleague of perpetrator Ashley Griffiths was arrested and charged for exposing information about Griffiths to the media. Dr Woodlock said these cases illustrate how concerns raised about male perpetrators were dismissed or penalised due to fears of appearing discriminatory, rather than actually prioritising child protection. She stressed the need for a 100 per cent preventable system, implemented through boosting background checks, strict professional boundaries including banning educators from working as babysitters, the "four eyes policy" in nappy changing, and design changes like CCTV, to deter offenders. In response to the allegations against Joshua Brown, the federal government announced this week a series of reforms aimed at enhancing child safety in early childhood education and care services. The legislation is due to be introduced later this month and aims to empower federal officers to conduct "spot checks" of childcare centres without prior warrants. State arrangements are set to be strengthened too. Every state and territory maintains separate working with children schemes with different rules and requirements. Victoria, Queensland, and NSW have all committed to reviewing or tightening their regimes, and federal minister Jason Clare confirmed plans to strengthen the checks would be discussed at a meeting of state and federal attorneys-general in August. Mr Munroe said he's worried about other men in the field, especially those at high school thinking about a career in childcare, part-way through training, or those working in less supported centres. He is now looking at ways to support the "many good male educators out there". "I'm thinking about … maybe opening a support group for male educators, just to let them know that there are a lot of really good ones out there."
