Secrets We Keep

Before Day 31’s evidence in the Claremont Serial Killings trial could be heard, Justice Stephen Hall issues a temporary suppression order on all details regarding the post mortems of Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon, including any injuries and the causes of death.
Justice Hall said the suppression was made at the request of the victim’s families.
The suppression order was put in place just before evidence from the pathologist who carried out the post mortems of Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon was read out to the court.
Dr Karin Margolius died from cancer in 2010, so her evidence is restricted to the reports she made during the two women's autopsies.
It leaves us with the question. Will we find out the caue of death of Jane and Ciara?
This left court reporters from every media outlet with not a lot to write about, except that a ban had been put in place.
As Tim Clarke explains, media outlets and their lawyers have put in a submission to the court to have access to these details eventually. Just how much detail Justice Hall allows to be broadcast is to be determined.
One important note, which Justice Hall stressed, is that the details discussed in court today didn’t stop at just the media. Anyone from the public who was present in the packed court room was also banned from broadcasting on social media, even talking about the details discussed in court.
Tim Clarke explains the penalties which could arise from a breach of this order.
Joined by forensic scientist Brendan Chapman, we take you through the inner workings of a forensic lab, why dental records are so important and answer some of your questions.

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We’ve already been told Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon fought for their lives.
But what they went through in the moments before their deaths hasn't been spoken about in great detail, until today.
On day 33, that was made a little clearer by the testimony of pathologist Dr Clive Cooke.
He revealed there was no evidence to suggest she was raped before she was murdered.
During his third day on the stand, Dr Cooke said while there was no evidence of sexual assault, Jane’s body was so badly decomposed that it couldn’t be completely ruled out.
He also couldn’t categorically point to a cause of death for Jane, but suffocation and a cut to the throat also can’t be ‘ruled out’.
Dr Cooke was present both Jane and Ciara’s post-mortems. He detailed the large defensive wounds both women had on their bodies in detail, explaining that a sharp object would have inflicted them.
He’s also appearing on the stand as an expert witness to analyse pathologist Dr Karin Margolius’ notes - she carried out the autopsies on both women.
As Alison Fan explains in this podcast, with the hindsight and technology of 23 years, Dr Cooke was able to find what he said was a flaw in Dr Margolius’ notes.
He said a note about Ciara Glennon receiving a blow to the head shortly before her death was wrong. The ‘fracture’ Dr Margolius spoke about was - what he said - a pre-existing, natural condition. That was found after Ciara’s skull was re-examined in 2013, three years after Dr Margolius’ death.
Tim Clarke, Alison Fan and Natalie Bonjolo discuss the revelations made on Day 33 of WA’s trial of the century.
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It has been revealed for the first time that Ciara Glennon may have been struck on the back of her head in the moments before her death.
The blow may have stunned, or rendered her semi-conscious.
This information we can bring to you now, because late on day 32 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial, Justice Stephen Hall lifted the suppression order put in place the day before, which had banned all details about Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s autopsies being broadcast to the public.
After an application by Seven West Media, and negotiations with the prosecution, an order was made to be able to publish limited details from the two murdered womens’ post-mortems.
In this information, was the revelation that Ciara had a small fracture to her skull, which pathologist Dr Karin Margolius said was likely to have been inflicted by a sharp object shortly before her death.
As Tim Clarke and Alison Fan explain, the injuries suffered to both Jane and Ciara extend further than the ‘neck defects’. They had injuries consistent with ‘a boxer’s stance’, which pathologist Clive Cooke called ‘classic self-defence wounds.’
As for their cause of death, It’s likely Ciara Glennon died from the large neck injuries she suffered. These were at the back and sides of her neck.
In this podcast, Tim Clarke explains why Jane Rimmer’s was inconclusive.
Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Alison Fan as they wrap up week seven of WA’s trial of the century, discussing the information that’s been allowed to be broadcast, as well as explaining why we can hear it now.
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The forensic officer who was involved with the collection of what is now seen as key pieces of evidence for the prosecution has revealed one of those pieces of evidence mysteriously disappeared after it was stored for the weekend at police HQ after Ciara Glennon’s autopsy.
Sgt Adam McCulloch, who was in his second day of evidence, told the court a white fibre labelled AJM23 - which was collected during a Polilight exam on Ciara's body - was missing.
It’s unknown, and will probably never be known the importance, if any, this fibre would have played in the trial.
This evidence, and more on questions surrounding Sgt McCulloch’s exhibit labelling and the sealing of samples using proper procedure on Day 30 of the Claremont Serial Killings Trial. Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Emily Moulton as they discuss the day’s evidence, and answer some of your questions you’ve sent in.
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Day 29 started out unusually in court, with an officer asked to spell the words ‘maggot’ and ‘entomology’ for the court as his cross examination started.
The spelling test however, wasn’t just for fun, the court was told during evidence collection, several copies of exhibit lists were made, and one officer simply couldn’t spell those two words, and could identify his writing through his spelling of ‘magat’ and ‘antomology’.
Also to take the stand, the forensic officer who collected exhibits from the 1995 Karrakatta rape. He told the court it was him who incorrectly labelled one of the items as a skirt, when they were in fact shorts. After weeks of questioning other witnesses, scrutiny of the labelling of evidence, Sergeant Adam McCulloch told the court he simply made a mistake, which was rectified.
Some of the questions sent in by podcast listeners have queried whether the item was a ‘skort’, a mix between the two. However, Sgt McCulloch didn’t have an answer to that.
Another witness, a mortuary technician who helped with Ciara Glennon’s autopsy told the court in 1997, while they had some idea of hair and fibre transfer when touching a body, they didn’t have an understanding that the same could happen with DNA.
Brian Mouchmore told the court he was aware that a skin flake or hair could get onto a body without touching it, but admitted he didn’t really know mortuary instruments could transfer DNA from one part of the body to another.
As Tim Clarke explains, Mr Mouchemore was also quizzed on the length of his beard.
Join him, Natalie Bonjolo and Alison Fan as they take you through the events of day 29.

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