Serial rapist claimed he'd killed girl, 14, but reality was even more harrowing
In August 1998 Natasha Ryan was dropped off at school by her mum Jenny as usual. When she failed to return home afterwards, a huge police and community search was launched to try and find the 14 year old.
A number of other girls had gone missing in the area of Queensland, Australia and it was feared there was a serial killer at large. Although the troubled teen had run away before, because the hunt found no trace of her, it was presumed she was a victim of the murderer.
In April 1999 rapist Leonard John Fraser, 58 was arrested and charged with several murders, including that of Natasha's. It comes as a dad was jailed after a boy, 7, was found dead inside washing machine.
Man brutally killed woman on first date and left her body parts around town
Fraser had previously spent 20 years in prison and the pony tails of some of his victims were discovered in his house. He confessed to strangling Natasha and burying her body. However things took a bizarre turn during his 2003 trial when the courtroom was told Natasha had been found alive and well.
Police had received a tip off to search the home of her boyfriend, Scott Black. It was there that Natasha was found hiding in a cupboard of the Rockhampton house, which was just a mile and a half away from her childhood home - four years after she vanished.
It transpired that Natasha had been banned from seeing her boyfriend, who was seven years older than her, so she ran away to live with the milkman in a house 45 minutes away before they moved even closer to her mum's house. She would later tell TV show 60 Minutes Australia that she wasn't held against her will but would rarely leave the house. Instead she would spend her days sewing, watching TV, working out or studying.
It was when she saw that Fraser was on trial for her murder that she decided to come clean and rang a children's helpline for help with the situation. The pair stood trial on charges of falsely causing a police investigation. In 2005, Mr Black pleaded guilty to perjury for telling police he didn't know where Natasha was. He was jailed for 12 months. Natasha was also found guilty of causing a false police investigation and fined $1000.
She moved back in with her mum, who was understandably furious and broken hearted over the years of anguish her daughter had caused her. "I didn't want to see her, I hated her," Jenny said afterwards. "If a person loved you so much, how could they put you through that much pain?"
Nevertheless she was hugely relieved she was still alive and Natasha's remorse over hurting her family helped Jenny to forgive her. Natasha said she'd wanted to call her family on many occasions but couldn't bring herself to. She told 60 Minutes she was fearful about what would happen to her if she came clean: "I was really scared of the consequences. I thought I would've been sent to prison - I would've been sent away - either to prison or a bad place," she said.
The public weren't as forgiving over the lengthy deception and betrayal in one of Australia's most notorious disappearances. There was anger at the lenient sentences, especially as the missing person case cost an estimated $400,000. The fury was compounded by the huge sums of money Natasha and Scott were said to have made from TV and magazine interviews.
The couple stayed together and one of these mega-bucks deals was to cover their wedding in 2008 when they were given a reported $200k by Women's Day. Nevertheless, they went on to have four children together and remained in Rockhampton.
Although his confession over killing Natasha was obviously false, Fraser was sentenced to life in 2003 for other murders in the area. At his trial the judge described him as a sexual predator who was a danger to the community and his fellow inmates. He died of a heart attack in 2007.
Sadly, in June 2024, Natasha, who had changed her name to Tash Black, was found dead on a golf course in Rockhampton. Emergency services launched an air and land search when the 40 year old was reported missing after leaving her home on foot. There were no suspicious circumstances.
Friends of the mum and wife, who worked as a nurse, paid tribute to her online, saying she should be remembered for the woman she became rather than her teenage scandal. "She was a person who made a mistake. She had a family, she was a devoted mum who loved her kids, she had a good job and just wanted a peaceful life. Remember her for who she was,'" one post said.
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3 days ago
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'He never left Gaza in his mind': Israeli soldier died by suicide after being ordered to return
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"When he came back he couldn't go back to work. He was a great father with a lot of patience. And he lost his patience with his children, with people. "He was very silent. He didn't sleep at night, he had nightmares. We didn't know anything about it. He didn't speak. Whenever we asked him he said everything is okay." Jenny describes Eliran as someone who was happy and friends with everyone. A father of four "with a big heart" and a big smile. But his experience of the war "injured his soul". Initially, he was deployed to clear bodies of people slaughtered by Hamas at the Nova Festival on 7 October and then deployed to Gaza a day later. Eliran was active on social media and shared videos of his time in Gaza. He was commander of a unit of D9 bulldozers that destroyed buildings and tunnel shafts. After his death, his D9 partner, Guy Zaken, told a parliamentary committee they were often shot at and they ran over hundreds of bodies. Yet they filmed themselves smiling and singing to send to their families. Eliran shared some of those videos on social media. Israel has levelled vast parts of Gaza. Eliran's actions were part of a systematic campaign the UN says has damaged or destroyed over 90% of Gaza's homes. Human rights experts warn this could be a war crime. Eliran was pulled out of Gaza after he sustained knee injuries in an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) attack on his bulldozer. 'The bodies and the blood' He was later diagnosed with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) - we don't know the cause of his trauma but in the end he couldn't live with it. Two days before he was due to return to active duty, he took his own life. "What he saw over there in Gaza injured his soul. You see all the bodies over there and all the blood. It hurts your soul," says Eliran's mother. Israeli media is reporting at least 18 soldiers have taken their own lives so far this year. Thousands are suffering with PTSD. And more and more reservists are quietly refusing to turn up for duty. The IDF says supporting its service members is a top priority and it invests significant resources in doing so, including deploying mental health officers in all military units. Tuly Flint was one of those officers. A clinical social worker and expert in trauma therapy in his professional life, and a lieutenant colonel in the military reserves, he was deployed to offer psychological support to troops who served in Gaza. Last year, after treating many soldiers and becoming exposed to the extreme suffering of Gazans, Tuly came to the conclusion the war had no purpose and it was a crime against humanity. So he refused to continue to serve in the IDF. "At the beginning of the war what we usually saw was simple PTSD. People who talk about the horrors they saw in the first few weeks with the massacre of Hamas," says Tuly. "But since the second month of the war, people started talking about what takes place on the Palestinian side. "Even people that were not talking about Palestinians' rights, or anything like that, they started talking about the fact that they saw bodies of children, of old people, of women." 'You think, are they lying to me' I asked Tuly how soldiers feel hearing Benjamin Netanyahu 's narrative that there is no starvation in Gaza - that the images we see are a lie. The Israeli military bears witness to what is happening in Gaza in a way most of the world, including international journalists, still can't. "When you hear your government and your commanders telling things that are not true, you start thinking, are they lying to me also?" says Tuly. 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Tuly Flint says there's an erosion of trust between soldiers and those leading them. "When you come back home and you hear so many people - former chiefs of staff, former heads of the security bodies of Israel - saying 'this war has no aim anymore' ... you say to yourself: 'I hear from former chiefs of staff that I'm killing hostages by waging war and my government is still sending me there?' "When you see the pictures that you've seen with your own eyes and your government says 'no this is a lie, no this is propaganda', this makes you distrust everyone. And when you distrust everyone, why would you ask for help?" The mental and moral burden on soldiers could be about to grow. Despite strong objections from the IDF's chief of staff, Israel is expanding military operations in Gaza with plans to take control of the entire territory. We understand that references to suicide in any context can be difficult for some people. We provide details of support available from the Samaritans where any such references are included. You can find these here: call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@ in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Serial rapist claimed he'd killed girl, 14, but reality was even more harrowing
A serial killer and rapist confessed to the murder of a missing 14 year old schoolgirl but when the bizarre truth emerged years later, the public were even more outraged In August 1998 Natasha Ryan was dropped off at school by her mum Jenny as usual. When she failed to return home afterwards, a huge police and community search was launched to try and find the 14 year old. A number of other girls had gone missing in the area of Queensland, Australia and it was feared there was a serial killer at large. Although the troubled teen had run away before, because the hunt found no trace of her, it was presumed she was a victim of the murderer. In April 1999 rapist Leonard John Fraser, 58 was arrested and charged with several murders, including that of Natasha's. It comes as a dad was jailed after a boy, 7, was found dead inside washing machine. Man brutally killed woman on first date and left her body parts around town Fraser had previously spent 20 years in prison and the pony tails of some of his victims were discovered in his house. He confessed to strangling Natasha and burying her body. However things took a bizarre turn during his 2003 trial when the courtroom was told Natasha had been found alive and well. Police had received a tip off to search the home of her boyfriend, Scott Black. It was there that Natasha was found hiding in a cupboard of the Rockhampton house, which was just a mile and a half away from her childhood home - four years after she vanished. It transpired that Natasha had been banned from seeing her boyfriend, who was seven years older than her, so she ran away to live with the milkman in a house 45 minutes away before they moved even closer to her mum's house. She would later tell TV show 60 Minutes Australia that she wasn't held against her will but would rarely leave the house. Instead she would spend her days sewing, watching TV, working out or studying. It was when she saw that Fraser was on trial for her murder that she decided to come clean and rang a children's helpline for help with the situation. The pair stood trial on charges of falsely causing a police investigation. In 2005, Mr Black pleaded guilty to perjury for telling police he didn't know where Natasha was. He was jailed for 12 months. Natasha was also found guilty of causing a false police investigation and fined $1000. She moved back in with her mum, who was understandably furious and broken hearted over the years of anguish her daughter had caused her. "I didn't want to see her, I hated her," Jenny said afterwards. "If a person loved you so much, how could they put you through that much pain?" Nevertheless she was hugely relieved she was still alive and Natasha's remorse over hurting her family helped Jenny to forgive her. Natasha said she'd wanted to call her family on many occasions but couldn't bring herself to. She told 60 Minutes she was fearful about what would happen to her if she came clean: "I was really scared of the consequences. I thought I would've been sent to prison - I would've been sent away - either to prison or a bad place," she said. The public weren't as forgiving over the lengthy deception and betrayal in one of Australia's most notorious disappearances. There was anger at the lenient sentences, especially as the missing person case cost an estimated $400,000. The fury was compounded by the huge sums of money Natasha and Scott were said to have made from TV and magazine interviews. The couple stayed together and one of these mega-bucks deals was to cover their wedding in 2008 when they were given a reported $200k by Women's Day. Nevertheless, they went on to have four children together and remained in Rockhampton. Although his confession over killing Natasha was obviously false, Fraser was sentenced to life in 2003 for other murders in the area. At his trial the judge described him as a sexual predator who was a danger to the community and his fellow inmates. He died of a heart attack in 2007. Sadly, in June 2024, Natasha, who had changed her name to Tash Black, was found dead on a golf course in Rockhampton. Emergency services launched an air and land search when the 40 year old was reported missing after leaving her home on foot. There were no suspicious circumstances. Friends of the mum and wife, who worked as a nurse, paid tribute to her online, saying she should be remembered for the woman she became rather than her teenage scandal. "She was a person who made a mistake. She had a family, she was a devoted mum who loved her kids, she had a good job and just wanted a peaceful life. Remember her for who she was,'" one post said.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Daily Mirror
'I heard my Mum murdered on Ring doorbell and could do nothing to help'
Vulnerable gran Catherine Flynn died after drug-addled Dean Mears broke into her home late at night and rained blows down on the frail woman. Her daughter, who is speaking for the first time since the court case, was forced to listen in horror over her mum's Ring doorbell The daughter of a woman who was brutally murdered in her own bedroom has described how he has torn her family apart. The moment killer Dean Mears forced his way into the home of vulnerable Catherine Flynn was caught on a ring doorbell camera – and witnessed by her horrified daughter. Natasha Flynn-Farrell could only watch helplessly from her own home as Mears, 34, kicked in the front door and smashed the window. She then had to listen as he rained blows down on her frail 69-year-old mother. Mum of four Catherine, from Rhyl, died in hospital hours later. Mears, a drug user who claimed he was too high to know what he was doing, was jailed for 28 years in June. Mum of one Natasha, 38, says: 'Mum was our matriarch, we called her our Queenie. She adored her children and grandchildren, and she had the biggest heart. 'I will never get over the way she died, so brutally and needlessly. He targeted a vulnerable old lady, in her own bed, and beat her until she could take no more. No punishment will ever be enough. 'I am struggling with my grief and severe PTSD, and I miss Mum so much. I cannot bear to hear a Ring doorbell because it reminds me of her murder.' Catherine, known as Cathy, raised three daughters and a son with her husband, Mick. The family, originally from Liverpool, moved to Rhyl when Natasha was 13. Natasha says: 'We had a great childhood, and we had a wonderful mum. She was a feeder; she liked to make a big Sunday roast and have everyone round. She taught me how to cook too. Every penny she has was for her children. Just before she died, she'd paid for driving lessons for my daughter. 'Our last outing together, four days before her murder, was to book christmas -dinner> Christmas dinner at a restaurant for us all. We'd never been out for Christmas dinner before, and we were excited. 'Mum loved Christmas, and she loved her garden; she liked anything which brought her family together. 'She was there to support me when my first daughter, Latitia, was sadly stillborn in 2004. Two years later, she cut the cord when my second daughter, Natalia, was born. Mum was always there for us all.' In 2011, Mick passed away and Cathy's own health began to deteriorate. She was diagnosed with COPD, emphysema, arthritis and a leaking heart valve. Natasha says: 'Her health was bad, and she was so tiny, she was like a little doll. But her character was strong. I used to say she was made of solid gold. She needed a walking frame and a wheelchair to go any distance, but she still liked to go out and do her shopping and see people, and she was great company. 'She liked watching the soaps and she liked pottering in her garden. Above all, she liked to see her family. 'Due to her health, she moved to a smaller property, around a five-minute drive from me, and I saw her every day. If she wasn't well, I stayed over in her spare room. I even moved in with her for a while after she'd been in hospital. 'I made her meals, using the recipes she'd passed down to me, and took her for all her appointments. We were best pals as well as mum and daughter. 'I had access to her Ring Doorbell stream but that was just for peace of mind because Mum had fallen a couple of times. Never did we think she might be burgled or attacked. 'Her home was lovely, she'd never had any trouble, she had a stair-lift and a walk-in shower, and a beautiful little garden. She was by the sea, and it felt like the perfect place for her retirement.' In October last year, the family planned a meal out and decided to book their first Christmas dinner away from home. Four days later, Cathy was murdered. Natasha says: 'It was a Thursday, which was takeaway night. My husband had called round earlier in the evening with Mum's takeaway and to check she was OK. 'Mum always rang me around 10.30pm to let me know she was safe in bed. I picked my phone up ready for her call and noticed a notification from Ring doorbell. I clicked on it, knowing Mum would not have a visitor this late.' To her horror, Natasha saw a man smashing the door and window before forcing his way into the house. She heard a series of thuds and bangs as her mother pleaded to be spared. She says: 'The attack lasted less than a minute, but I was hysterical. I was trying to use the microphone, screaming at him to leave her alone. 'I called 999 and they made me wait for the police to arrive before I drove round to Mum's. I was in such a state, I just wanted to see her, but they wouldn't let me in. I'd convinced myself she'd somehow escaped injury, that he had smashed the place up and stolen whatever he wanted.' But Cathy was rushed to hospital, and her devastated family were warned she had suffered catastrophic head injuries. The following day, they made the heartbreaking decision to withdraw life support. Natasha says: 'Mum was so swollen, all the bones in her face were broken so when I kissed her, she felt like jelly. She never regained consciousness. I held her hand and we all said a prayer and I told her: 'Don't worry Mum. Dad is waiting for you.' My whole world shattered when she took her last breath.' Thanks to the doorbell footage, Dean Mears, a local drug addict, was quickly arrested. Natasha says: 'We'd never heard of him. He didn't know my Mum at all. He claimed to be so high he had no idea why he had targeted her home and attacked her. 'The months after Mum's death were a blur. We held her funeral, but we couldn't say a proper goodbye because the police had retained tissue samples as part of their investigation. 'Christmas came, and I forced myself to go out for the dinner we'd booked, because I knew Mum would want me to be strong. But all I could think of was the empty place where she should have been. 'Natalia passed her driving test, which Mum would have loved as she'd paid for the lessons. But it was bittersweet. We couldn't celebrate anything without our Queenie. 'I had severe PTSD and flashbacks; I couldn't bear to watch TV in case there was a doorbell ringing. I felt guilty, as though I could have somehow saved her. I was overwhelmed with grief. 'I had a lot of help and I'm still having support from the police and specialist family liaison officers. But the pain never goes away.' At Caernarfon Crown Court in June, a jury was told Dean Mears had dragged Cathy from her bed, stamping on her at least 15 times before leaving her for dead. Remorseless Mears admitted manslaughter but was convicted of murder, following a nine-day trial. Judge Rhys Rowlands jailed Mears for 28 years and told him: 'You dragged her out of bed…stamped on her face 15 times, pretty much breaking every bone in her face. 'She was frail and extremely vulnerable. She was a very small lady. Plainly terrified, Mrs Flynn can be heard to plead with you, but you showed no mercy…you can be heard repeatedly stamping on her face. 'Your adult life has been blighted by you taking illicit drugs…..I'm quite satisfied that this case was a murder for gain. You didn't break into Mrs Flynn's home intending to kill her - as such the murder was not pre-meditated. 'I cannot ignore 15 blows were aimed by you. This was unusual savagery. You are a dangerous individual.' The family have now learned that samples taken from Cathy's body can be returned to them, so they will soon receive her ashes as a whole. Natasha says: 'When we have Mum back together, we will hold a big party to celebrate her life, to remember the love and the joy she brought into the world. She will always be our Queenie. 'But I won't ever forget or forgive. I will be ready, when Mears is up for parole. He is an animal, a monster, and I hope he never walks the streets ever again.'
