Man jailed after grandmother killed in Brisbane crash
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Sydney Morning Herald
a few seconds ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘They're so fired up': The flagship ABC show taking on a deadly cult
Six-time Walkley award-winning ABC journalist Suzanne Smith – author of The Altar Boys, about child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in Newcastle – is no stranger to crimes against children. Her investigations helped instigate the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Yet, she approached with trepidation a brief from Compass to follow up on the Toowoomba sect known as the Saints, of which 14 members were sentenced in February for the 2022 death of eight-year-old diabetic Elizabeth Struhs, whose insulin was substituted for prayer. This time, Smith wanted to achieve the seemingly impossible: offer a glimmer of hope amid the inconceivable cruelty. 'If I was just doing another, 'Isn't this shocking?' story, I think it might have broken me,' Smith says. 'But because there's such a groundswell of action going on [within the wider church community in the south-east Queensland city], and they're determined to expose coercive control in all their churches, it gave me a bit of hope … I think having that positive angle is really important.' Interviewed about this push for change in the Compass report are three local pastors of varying denominations: Wesleyan counsellor Cecilia Anderson, psychologist and survivor of the US Children of God cult Maria Esguerra, and Paul Reid, a former friend of the Saints' leader, Brendan Stevens. None of the jailed cult members agreed to speak. Most confronting are the responses of Cameron Schoenfisch, whose son Lachlan is serving time in jail for manslaughter. 'I had quite a few tears after Cameron thanked me,' says Smith. 'I actually did a drive around Toowoomba with Cameron. It's not in the Compass piece. But the number of churches popping up everywhere there … Cameron's very concerned about that because some of them are in backstreet lanes; some of them are in people's garages. They often turn up in abandoned warehouses. 'So what is actually stopping another Elizabeth Struhs if we're not going to talk about it? But the key thing that kept me going is, everyone wants to expose what's going on. And they're so fired up.' Executive producer Amanda Collinge, who is also the executive producer of Compass, says Cult of the Saints is an example of the 'journalistic rigour' she has favoured for the ABC's 37-year-old flagship religion and ethics program since stepping into the role 3½ years ago.
The Age
a few seconds ago
- The Age
‘They're so fired up': The flagship ABC show taking on a deadly cult
Six-time Walkley award-winning ABC journalist Suzanne Smith – author of The Altar Boys, about child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in Newcastle – is no stranger to crimes against children. Her investigations helped instigate the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Yet, she approached with trepidation a brief from Compass to follow up on the Toowoomba sect known as the Saints, of which 14 members were sentenced in February for the 2022 death of eight-year-old diabetic Elizabeth Struhs, whose insulin was substituted for prayer. This time, Smith wanted to achieve the seemingly impossible: offer a glimmer of hope amid the inconceivable cruelty. 'If I was just doing another, 'Isn't this shocking?' story, I think it might have broken me,' Smith says. 'But because there's such a groundswell of action going on [within the wider church community in the south-east Queensland city], and they're determined to expose coercive control in all their churches, it gave me a bit of hope … I think having that positive angle is really important.' Interviewed about this push for change in the Compass report are three local pastors of varying denominations: Wesleyan counsellor Cecilia Anderson, psychologist and survivor of the US Children of God cult Maria Esguerra, and Paul Reid, a former friend of the Saints' leader, Brendan Stevens. None of the jailed cult members agreed to speak. Most confronting are the responses of Cameron Schoenfisch, whose son Lachlan is serving time in jail for manslaughter. 'I had quite a few tears after Cameron thanked me,' says Smith. 'I actually did a drive around Toowoomba with Cameron. It's not in the Compass piece. But the number of churches popping up everywhere there … Cameron's very concerned about that because some of them are in backstreet lanes; some of them are in people's garages. They often turn up in abandoned warehouses. 'So what is actually stopping another Elizabeth Struhs if we're not going to talk about it? But the key thing that kept me going is, everyone wants to expose what's going on. And they're so fired up.' Executive producer Amanda Collinge, who is also the executive producer of Compass, says Cult of the Saints is an example of the 'journalistic rigour' she has favoured for the ABC's 37-year-old flagship religion and ethics program since stepping into the role 3½ years ago.
Perth Now
20 hours ago
- Perth Now
Alleged text after wife drowns revealed
A former army major charged with killing his wife on a kayaking trip allegedly texted a friend years after she drowned, saying there were 'lots of western divorcees' in Thailand because 'there are no de-facto laws and you can't lose 50 per cent of your s**t'. The text allegedly sent by Graeme Davidson in 2023 - three years after his wife Jacqueline drowned while the couple were kayaking north of Brisbane - was aired during a bail application at Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday. A judge is yet to rule on whether Mr Davidson, who held ranks in the British and Australian Armies, will be granted bail despite submissions continuing over a week. Mr Davidson is facing a single charge of murder in relation to Jacqueline's death. No plea has been entered. The couple were kayaking on Lake Samsonvale in Petrie on November 27, 2020 when Jacqueline drowned and could not be revived. Graeme Davidson is charged with the murder of his wife Jacqueline, after she drowned while the couple were kayaking in Petrie in 2020. Supplied Credit: Supplied Police allege Mr Davidson was involved in his wife's death. He is also charged with fraud and attempted fraud, relating to allegations he tried to claim almost $1m in life insurance payouts following his wife's death. No pleas have been entered. Mr Davidson's barrister Craig Eberhardt KC has made lengthy submissions over the course of the bail application, attesting to the weakness of the Crown's case and the strength of the evidence against his client. On Wednesday, crown prosecutor Caroline Marco argued it only needed to be determined whether Mr Davidson had shown cause as to why his detention in custody was unjustified, not to rule on the strength of the case. Ms Davidson could not be revived after she was pulled from the waters of Lake Samsonvale. Supplied / Channel 9 Credit: Supplied She told the court the case against Mr Davidson was circumstantial – noting inconsistencies in statements he allegedly gave about his wife's death. They allegedly include telling witnesses that she 'jumped, or dove' into the water from the kayak and that she was still 'alive', 'conscious' when she was pulled to shore. Ms Marco said Mr Davidson's phone allegedly 'ceased to exist on the network' at 11.14am - three-and-a-half hours before the triple-0 call and an hour after the couple set off on their kayaks. 'Some... explanations may be that the phone was switched off, it was otherwise inoperable, on flight mode or not connecting with the tower,' Ms Marco said. Crown Prosecutor Caroline Marco said Mr Davidson posed an 'unacceptable risk' if released on bail. NewsWire / John Gass Credit: News Corp Australia Craig Eberhardt KC, who is representing Mr Davidson. NewsWire / John Gass Credit: News Corp Australia The court was told Mr Davidson had given no explanation for why it was not on the network. Ms Marco said the device had never been recovered and there was 'inexplicable evidence' of its disconnection from the network. She said Mr Davidson posed an 'unacceptable risk' of 'interfering with witnesses or obstructing the course of justice'. 'There's inexplicable evidence of its disconnection to the network,' she said. 'There had to be a reason why it could not be used to render assistance to Jacqueline, and therefore to justify the course that was taken of walking her two kilometres back to the boat ramp.' Ms Marco said the risk of Mr Davidson failing to appear was due to the mandatory penalty of life imprisonment he faced if convicted, in addition to his lack of ties to Australia, as he had only returned from Thailand twice since his wife's death. The court was told Mr Davidson allegedly texted a friend three years after Jacqueline's death, describing himself as a 'cliche' because he was an 'older man married to a younger woman'. The court was told Mr Davidson's phone had not been recovered and allegedly 'ceased to exist on the network' an hour before the kayaking trip. Supplied / Channel 9 Credit: Supplied It was allegedly followed by the comment: 'There are lots of western divorcees out here because are no de facto rules and you can't lose 50 per cent of your s--t'. Ms Marco said this exchange went to allegations that Mr Davidson expressed concerns about 'dividing assets' in the event of a failed relationship. The court has previously been told Ms Davidson discovered her husband was having an affair with a woman in Papua New Guinea in 2019, leading to a strain in their marriage. She referenced an exchange Mr Davidson had with his friend Chesty in the years prior to Jacqueline's death, where he had allegedly said he would kill his wife and move to Thailand if she ever 'sought a divorce and made a claim to his military pension'. Mr Eberhardt described it as a 'quip' as the pair were discussing how, on the day of Chesty's retirement, his wife announced she was leaving him, taking half his assets and moving to Thailand. 'My learned friend described this as a 'quip', but Your Honour can see it's not supported by (Chesty's) evidence... it shocked him,' Ms Marco said. Mr Eberhardt said there was no suggestion his client had fled Australia's jurisdiction by moving to Thailand as he had maintained contact with police and the Coroner's Court in the years since Jacqueline's death. Mr Davidson is alleged to have texted a friend about divorce in Thailand in 2023. Queensland Police Service Credit: News Corp Australia The court was told Mr Davidson was still receiving military pensions from both the Australian and British governments. 'It's not as if he's a Tony Mokbel, who had the criminal contacts and resources to escape... this fellow is an otherwise law-abiding citizen who has been a commissioned officer in both the British and the Australian Army for many, many years,' Mr Eberhardt said. Mr Davidson was prepared to report daily, offer a substantial $250,000 surety offered by his family members, not go near international departure points, abide to a curfew and wear an ankle bracelet as part of his bail conditions. He also indicated he would surrender both his Australian and British passports. Justice Sullivan will deliver his decision on Mr Davidson's bail application on Friday.
