Badge of Betrayal
Badge of Betrayal is an investigative true crime podcast that exposes the story of Senior Sergeant Paul Reynolds, a high-ranking Tasmanian police officer who rose through the ranks while facing decades of allegations of misconduct. The series follows whistleblowers, insiders, and victim-survivors as they reveal how the police force may have enabled his behavior. Produced by the team behind Our Little Edey, the podcast uncovers buried complaints and institutional failures.
Episodes
A Predator on the Walk Home
A 12-year-old girl says she reported what happened on her walk home, but years later, she still wonders why nothing seemed to happen next. And Jacqui Lambie calls for an independent body to hold Tasmania Police to account; the same question keeps coming up: who investigates the investigators?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Badge of Betrayal: The Inquiry Info — And a New Name Emerges
Following the announcement of a Tasmanian parliamentary inquiry into police responses to allegations of officer misconduct, child sexual abuse and family violence, this episode explains what the inquiry means for victim survivors, witnesses and anyone considering making a submission. It breaks down how submissions work, what confidentiality means, and what happens if someone is asked to give evide
Breaking News - From Tasmania
In breaking news from Tasmania, parliament has announced an Inquiry into Tasmania Police responses to allegations of officer misconduct. It will look at The adequacy of systems, processes and oversight arrangements for responding to allegations of serious misconduct within Tasmania Police, including sexual misconduct and family violence; The culture of Tasmania Police in relation to m
The File That Surfaced 26 Years Later.
For 26 years, the official record told one story. Then a previously unseen police file surfaced. In the final days of a respected Tasmanian emergency services leader’s life, he was questioned over a serious allegation, admitted to a sexual relationship he said was consensual, and moved to retire. Two days later, he was dead. This episode examines the newly released documents, a missing brief
A Force Under Question
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
Small Town Secrets
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 involvi
A System Under Scrutiny
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 abou
The Three Memos from 2008
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
When Does the Badge Become a Shield?
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 sta
The Regulator Speaks
***Trigger warning:This episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse, grooming, trauma, sexualised behaviour toward minors, and suicide. It may be distressing for some listeners. Please take care while listening. In this episode of Badge of Betrayal, we speak with Tasmania’s Independent Regulator, Louise Coe, about a serious gap in the state’s child safety oversight system.
The Silence Hides the Shame
***Trigger warning:This episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse, grooming, trauma, sexualised behaviour toward minors, and suicide. It may be distressing for some listeners. Please take care while listening. For years, it was brushed aside as banter. Something uncomfortable, but never fully spoken about. In this episode, another former student comes forward to describe the influence Rey
The Child Safety Gap Inside TASPOL
A Tasmanian parliamentary hearing has exposed a shocking child safety loophole: for months, Tasmania Police were effectively outside the state’s reportable conduct scheme. In this episode, we unpack the committee bombshell, what the regulator revealed, and why the failure to report police matters is causing alarm. We also share new listener information and a fresh lead connected to Paul Reyn
It Didn’t Break… It Bent
In 2019, a major review into Tasmania’s prosecution system found it was working “satisfactorily.”A few issues. Some pressure. Nothing the system couldn’t handle. But what happens when that pressure builds quietly… over time? Through an RTI-obtained document, a new internal review from 2024 reveals a system under strain growing case loads, increasing complexity,
X - The Reynolds Victim Survivor
********Trigger and Content Warning******* This episode contains discussions of alleged abuse, addiction, and trauma. it also contains strong language. Listener discretion is advised. If this episode raises anything for you, support services are listed in the show notes. He doesn’t want you to know his name. But he wants you to hear his story. In this episode, we spea
The Documents They Won’t Release
There’s a reason this episode took longer to release. After our last episode aired, we were contacted by multiple independent sources urging us not to drop the story. What they shared raised new questions we couldn’t ignore. In this episode, we follow a name that continues to surface in connection with events in Burnie decades ago. We also examine new figures from Tasmania Police that
The Ceremony Ten Days Later... that has never been shared
****Content Warning:****This episode discusses alleged child sexual abuse and includes some graphic descriptions drawn from official Commission evidence. The content may be triggering or distressing. We encourage listeners to prioritise their well-being and pause or skip this episode if needed. This isn’t hindsight. It’s a timeline. In Episode 14, we go back inside the Ashley Youth Det
Another Officer Comes Forward
In this episode a second current serving police officer comes forward. They attended Reynolds funeral and have their own experience inside Taspol. We also explore the links between Reynolds, James Griffin and the U-turn program that ran between 2003- 2013 in Tasmania. For clarity Mission Australia delivered the U Turn program as a contracted provider within a government-led yout
Fresh Calls for a New Reynolds Inquiry - Bonus Episode
In the this fast tracked new episode, On Thursday Feb 12th - The Greens have called for a Parliamentary Inquiry into theReynolds matter after fresh information from the Badge of Betrayal podcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A Family Member Speaks
Up until now, we haven’t been able to secure an interview with a family member of Reynolds — but in this episode, that changes. Speaking under the protection of anonymity, a verified source takes us inside the Reynolds family unit, offering rare insight into what was happening behind closed doors. We also speak with Tom Wallace-Pannell from Maliganis Edwards Johnson, the lawyer re
Keys to Every Club Room
This episode exposes how youth sport and positions of authority were used as gateways to abuse in Tasmania for Reynolds and others. Through the Weiss Review, survivor testimony, and a firsthand account from a former player, we examine how trust, reputation, and police power created unchecked access to children — and a culture of silence inside change rooms. We also investigate the U-Tu
The Briefing Note
In this episode, we examine how institutions respond when serious allegations emerge inside their own ranks. Drawing on Right to Information documents, parliamentary records and broadcast interviews, we trace the timeline that led to a full police funeral for the late Paul Reynolds in September 2018 at a time when professional standards investigations were already underway. This is not a story abo
Breaking The Silence
Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of alleged child sexual abuse and institutional violence. Some content may be distressing. Listener discretion is advised. Support resources are listed in the show notes. In this episode of Badge of Betrayal, we return to Alysha, the whistleblower who helped expose abuse at Tasmania’s Ashley Youth Detention Centre. For the first time, we als
Seven Referrals...but what now?
Seven referrals. Five known to police before 2024. Two still active. As insiders speak anonymously and integrity reforms are proposed, the question remains: does Tasmania need a Commission of Inquiry to uncover what still hasn’t been told? If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at podshape@proton.me If you’d like to hear episodes ad-free an
The Funeral Plans
In this episode, we examine how Paul Reynolds’ police honours funeral was approved. Through Right to Information documents, we look at how the decision was made, who was involved, and what was known at the time. The episode also returns to the final sitting day in Parliament, where Dr Rosalie Woodruff raised further questions about unresolved issues surrounding Reynolds and the institutional
The Money and the Lies
****A content warning before we begin: this episode contains references to suicide and suicidal ideation. Listener discretion is advised. Help is available below ******* In this episode, we uncover the hidden financial secrets of Paul Reynolds, from alleged theft from his own mother to casino withdrawals, gambling debts, and desperate pleas for fast cash just days before his death. As the timeline
Friends in Dark Places
In this episode, we hear from a current serving Tasmanian police officer a man who spent nearly his entire career working alongside Reynolds. Using a voice actor to protect his identity, he describes Reynolds as he knew him: the outgoing, blokey colleague who could charm a room of young men, the officer who became increasingly absent as he climbed the ranks, and the man whose behaviour now looks d
An Insider Steps Forward
In this episode, we sit down with “Tom,” a current serving senior Tasmanian police officer who risks his career to speak candidly about the culture inside Taspol. Across a covert, one-off meeting, Tom reveals why allegations of family violence, sexual misconduct, and predatory behavior inside the force are now “at epidemic levels,” and why systems meant to stop offenders li
The Pattern Reveals Itself
In this episode, we hear how Paul Reynolds embedded himself inside Launceston’s youth car scene befriending young men, adding them on Facebook, and slowly shifting from friendly banter to explicit messages. Through Mike, a former friend who has never spoken publicly until now, we trace Reynolds’ grooming pattern step-by-step exactly as later exposed in the Weiss Report. As Mike r
The Beginning of the Betrayal
Senior Sergeant Paul Reynolds was a familiar face in Tasmanian policing, a mentor, a coach, a man people trusted. But on a quiet night in Westbury, everything shifted. Just hours after celebrating his wedding anniversary, four officers from Professional Standards knocked on his door with a warrant to seize his devices. The allegation: Reynolds was a pedophile. In this first episode, we unravel the
Introducing Badge Of Betrayal
He was a senior cop. A coach. A mentor. A familiar face in Tasmania. But when officers arrived at Paul Reynolds’ door with a search warrant, the truth began to crack open exposing decades of grooming, suspicion, and warnings buried deep inside the system meant to stop him. Badge of Betrayal peels back the layers of a case Tasmania Police quietly walked away from after Reynolds’ sudden
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