The Detective’s Story: Damian Loone on the Disappearance of Cheryl Grimmer
Australian True Crime
Bravecasting
4.5 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 8 February 2022
⏱️ 35 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Some of you may recognise the name and voice of this episode’s guest, It’s retired NSW Police Detective Sergeant Damian Loone who featured on Hedley Thomas’s extraordinary podcast The Teacher’s Pet. Damian investigated the 1982 disappearance of Sydney mum Lynnette Dawson for years, bringing the case to two coronial inquests. Lynette’s former husband Chris Dawson was charged with her murder in 2018 and is awaiting trial.
Damian features again in another major podcast that’s gripped listeners' attention worldwide. It’s the excellent BBC Sounds multi-episode podcast Fairy Meadow about 3-year-old Cheryl Grimmer’s haunting disappearance from Fairy Meadow Beach in Wollongong in 1970.
Damian and Detective Frank Sanvitale, were the detectives tasked with having another look at Cheryl’s disappearance. The case had basically gone nowhere for more than 45 years until the file was passed to them.
The NSW Attorney General Mark Speakman can give the Grimmer family their day in court. You can contact him here.
If you'd like to go one step further to assist the Grimmer family, you can also sign this petition - addressed to Attorney General Speakman - to help in the fight to find justice for Cheryl.
The BBC Sounds podcast Fairy Meadow, hosted by Jon Kay, can be found here.
There is a $1 Million dollar reward from NSW Police for information about Cheryl’s abduction and murder.
NEXT WEEK
Terror Knocks in FNQ - A young man is woken in the dead of night by a terrfied woman at his door. He barricades the two of them inside against the men from whom she’s fleeing, none of whom he knows, and frantically calls police for help. Before help arrives, he’s forced to defend himself and the 000 operator listens helplessly as the men outside lose patience and invade his home. What follows is a tragedy.
Author Robyn Bowles sheds light on how this bizarre night really unfolded.
CREDITS:
Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram here and get her free monthly newsletter here.
Co-Host: Emily Webb. You can find her on Instagram here and listen to her podcast Killer Content here.
Guest: Damian Loone
Producer/Editor: Lachie Flannigan
Executive Producer: Jacqueline Tonks
GET IN TOUCH:
Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast
Email the show at hello@australiantruecrimepodcast.com
Australian True Crime is a podcast by Smart Fella Media.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | We're bringing Australian True Crime live to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne this July, |
| 0:04.3 | and I have to tell you that Brisbane sold out already. |
| 0:07.4 | Good for you, Brisbane, so we've quickly added a second show. |
| 0:10.3 | Now we can't keep adding more shows, so please make sure you get your tickets. Our special guests, |
| 0:15.2 | our forensic criminologist Santee Mallet in Brisbane and Sydney and the one and only Charlie Bazzina in |
| 0:19.9 | Melbourne. There'll be a Q&A of course so you can ask your own burning questions on the night but you have to book quickly. |
| 0:26.0 | The producers of this podcast recognize the traditional owners of the land on which it's recorded. |
| 0:40.0 | They pay respect to the Aboriginal elders past, present and those emerging. |
| 0:49.0 | The following podcast contains content of a graphic violent nature and is not suitable for children. |
| 0:54.6 | It's one of those rare cases where you have a three-year-old girl that disappears on the |
| 1:00.6 | 12th of January 1970 and 16 and a half months later a young person comes forward |
| 1:06.7 | states that he's responsible for her disappearance and subsequent homicide and we take it to the court. |
| 1:14.5 | There's an argument in relation to the legality of the confession and that's overruled |
| 1:20.0 | by Justice Hume in the Supreme Court and we couldn't episode's guest. |
| 1:38.0 | It's retired New South Wales Police Detective Sergeant Damian Loon, |
| 1:42.0 | who featured on Headley Thomas's extraordinary |
| 1:44.8 | podcast The Teacher's Pet. |
| 1:47.3 | Damien doggedly investigated the 1982 disappearance of Sydney Mum Lennett Dawson for years, bringing the case to two |
| 1:55.0 | coronial inquests. Lennet's former husband Chris Dawson was charged with her |
| 2:00.0 | murder in 2018 and is awaiting trial. |
| 2:04.0 | Daimier's worked big hard cases. |
| 2:06.5 | He was one of the first officers on the scene |
... |
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