The evidence and prosecution case that led to the jailing of a man in one of Australia’s most infamous cases is the subject of landmark investigative podcast Trial By Water by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, available now.  

The five-part podcast series comes as a joint 60 MINUTES, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald investigation, which screened last night, delves into the evidence around the tragic deaths of three children nearly two decades ago.  

When Robert Farquharson drove his three young sons into a dam on Father’s Day, 2005, he was accused of an unthinkable crime that left a nation reeling. Two juries subsequently found him guilty of triple murder and a judge sentenced him to 33 years in prison. 

Farquharson has always insisted he is innocent, saying it was a tragic accident. He maintains that he coughed and passed out, that he woke up in the dam, and when he got out to help his children, the car disappeared in deep water before he could rescue them.

A growing band of scientists, doctors and lawyers are concerned that the evidence against him was not strong enough to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt. They say new evidence has emerged in recent years that shows Farquharson’s story, rejected by the juries, could be the unlikely, unlucky truth.

Hosted by award-winning investigative journalist Michael Bachelard, the series will take listeners deep into the evidence to dissect the case, play never-before heard audio from inside the courtroom and contain exclusive interviews with detectives, scientists and doctors. 

Produced by the team behind the award-winning podcast, Liar Liar and Phoebe’s Fall, Trial By Water poses the difficult question – could a convicted, triple murderer who is currently sitting in a protection unit in the maximum security Barwon Prison win an appeal and be proven innocent?   

Bachelard goes deep into the evidence to critically appraise the prosecution and examine if Farquharson’s claims stack up. The series comes as Farquharson attempts to secure a new appeal later this year – with the support of a number of scientists and experts, eminent in their fields. 

“Investigating this series has thrown up serious questions about how our courts deal with expert and scientific evidence, and whether there are sufficient safeguards built into the system,” said Bachelard. “These questions concern all of us.”

The Head of Investigative podcasts, Ruby Schwartz, who produced the series said: “Listeners will get to hear audio that only the jury, the police, and people inside the courtroom have ever heard before. We have exclusive interviews with key police officers and scientists and doctors – we really take you inside the case.”

The series – which will be launched with a feature cover story in tomorrow’s Good Weekend magazine – will be supported by interactive digital coverage.

Trial by Water, which launched on Saturday, June 1, is available on APPLE, Spotify  and all other podcast apps. 

For further information, please contact:
Adrian Motte
Senior Communications Manager – Trade & Publishing
amotte@nine.com.au

Monday, June 3, 2024