Podcasts · True Crime

Badge of Betrayal

Podshape

42 episodes · in order · Explicit

A senior cop. Decades of rumours. A trail of victim-survivors, buried complaints, and a police culture that looked the other way. Badge of Betrayal blows open the true story of Senior Sergeant Paul Reynolds, the high-ranking Tasmanian officer who rose through the force while dark allegations swirled behind him.

More about the show

From the producers who brought you Our Little Edey, this series follows the threads others left untouched. As the walls close in, new leads emerge, connections surface, and the line between institutional failure and deliberate protection becomes disturbingly blurred.

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With whistleblowers breaking ranks, insiders exposing cover-ups, and victim-survivors finally being heard, Badge of Betrayal reveals how a man trusted with power was able to hide in plain sight for decades.

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Episodes

  1. Introducing Badge Of Betrayal

    · 6:11 · Trailer

    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…

  2. The Beginning of the Betrayal

    · 24 min · S1 E1

    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…

  3. The Pattern Reveals Itself

    · 35 min · S1 E2

    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…

  4. An Insider Steps Forward

    · 25 min · S1 E3

    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…

  5. Friends in Dark Places

    · 34 min · S1 E4

    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…

  6. The Money and the Lies

    · 23 min · S1 E5

    ****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…

  7. The Funeral Plans

    · 31 min · S1 E6

    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…

  8. Seven Referrals...but what now?

    · 22 min · S1 E7

    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…

  9. Breaking The Silence

    · 41 min · S1 E8

    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…

  10. The Briefing Note

    · 27 min · S1 E9

    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…

  11. Keys to Every Club Room

    · 25 min · S1 E10

    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…

  12. A Family Member Speaks

    · 21 min · S1 E11

    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…

  13. Fresh Calls for a New Reynolds Inquiry - Bonus Episode

    · 21 min · Bonus

    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…

  14. Another Officer Comes Forward

    · 21 min · S1 E12

    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…

  15. The Ceremony Ten Days Later... that has never been shared

    · 20 min · S1 E13

    ****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…

  16. The Documents They Won’t Release

    · 20 min · S1 E14

    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…

  17. X - The Reynolds Victim Survivor

    · 26 min · S1 E15

    ********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…

  18. It Didn’t Break… It Bent

    · 20 min · S1 E16

    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……

  19. The Child Safety Gap Inside TASPOL

    · 19 min · S1 E17

    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…

  20. The Silence Hides the Shame

    · 28 min · S1 E18

    ***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…

  21. The Regulator Speaks

    · 22 min · S1 E19

    ***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…

  22. When Does the Badge Become a Shield?

    · 19 min · S1 E20

    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…

  23. The Three Memos from 2008

    · 21 min · S1 E21

    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…

  24. A System Under Scrutiny

    · 24 min · S1 E22

    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,…

  25. Small Town Secrets

    · 20 min · S1 E23

    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,…

  26. A Force Under Question

    · 21 min · S1 E24

    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.…

  27. The File That Surfaced 26 Years Later.

    · 23 min · S1 E25

    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…

  28. Breaking News - From Tasmania

    · 15 min · S1 E26

    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…

  29. Badge of Betrayal: The Inquiry Info — And a New Name Emerges

    · 16 min · Bonus

    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…

  30. A Predator on the Walk Home

    · 18 min · S1 E27

    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…

  31. Paul Reynolds - An Insider Speaks Up

    · 26 min · S1 E28

    In this explosive episode of Badge of Betrayal, a former Tasmania Police officer who worked alongside Reynolds speaks publicly about the culture they witnessed firsthand. They describe allegations of bullying,…

  32. The Gary Devine Files: What 61 Secret Pages Reveal

    · 36 min · S1 E30

    For 15 years, Tasmania Police said the matter was investigated. Now, after months of Right to Information requests, Badge of Betrayal has obtained 61 pages of internal investigation files that have never been publicly…

  33. Joining the Dots | A New Witness Connects the Past

    · 21 min · S1 E31

    A new witness comes forward. As Tasmania's Parliamentary Inquiry into police misconduct officially begins, we examine what it could mean for Badge of Betrayal, the questions it will investigate, and why parliamentary…

  34. Reynolds and the Eden Westbrook Case

    · 24 min · S1 E32

    The story of Paul Reynolds reaches into another Tasmanian case — the death of 15-year-old Eden Westbrook. In this special crossover episode with Our Little Edey, Eden’s parents Jason and Amanda explain why they want…

  35. Another Serving Officer Speaks Out

    · 22 min · S1 E33

    CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains confronting and graphic descriptions of alleged child sexual abuse and sexual assault, including allegations involving a child, grooming, coercion and abuse by a person in a…

  36. Nowhere Safe to Report?

    · 21 min · S1 E34

    CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses allegations of sexual misconduct, workplace power imbalance and fear of reporting within policing. The allegations discussed have not been tested in court and have not been…

  37. Tom Speaks Again: What Happens Behind Closed Doors.

    · 33 min · S1 E35

    Six months after first speaking to us anonymously, serving senior police officer “Tom” returns with new allegations about what happens inside Tasmania Police when misconduct involves senior ranks. He explains what he…

  38. First Submissions Released - Special Episode

    · 16 min · S2 E1

    In this rush-release episode we delve into two submissions that were made public today in the government inquiry into Taspol. The first is from the DPP, and the second is from Taspol. It poses some interesting…

  39. The Things He Couldn’t Say

    · 22 min · S2 E2

    This special episode is being released across both Our Little Edey and Badge of Betrayal, as new information intersects with both stories the death of Eden Westbrook and wider questions surrounding Tasmania Police. A…

  40. What the Inquiry Is Starting to Reveal

    · 29 min · S2 E3

    The public hearings into Tasmania Police misconduct begin, with confronting evidence from Laurel House and the DPP. We examine why victim-survivors may be afraid to report police, concerns around the six-month…

  41. More Submissions to the Tasmania Police

    · 18 min · S2 E4

    In this episode of Badge of Betrayal, we examine some of the latest submissions made to Tasmania's police inquiry, including an account from a police officer who claims he was inside the bar at the Tasmania Police…

  42. Top Cops Face the Questions

    · 27 min · S2 E5

    Three of Tasmania’s most senior police officers appear before the parliamentary inquiry. We unpack their evidence on serious misconduct, oversight and police culture, and the questions their answers leave behind. See…

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