The Romance Scam That Sent Donna Nelson to a Japanese Prison
Australian True Crime
Meshel Laurie
4.6 • 979 Ratings
🗓️ 9 November 2025
⏱️ 76 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In 2023, Perth grandmother Donna Nelson unknowingly carried almost 2 kilograms of methamphetamine into Japan after being deceived in a romance scam, and was sentenced to six years in prison.
Japanese authorities acknowledged she was manipulated but still held her responsible. Two of her five daughters, Ashlee Charles and Kristal Hilaire, join us to share their mother's story and the complexities of navigating the Japanese legal system.
You can help support Donna Nelson's family by visiting this link.
You can follow updates on Donna Nelson's case on Instagram and Facebook @BringDonnaHome
For Support:
Lifeline on 13 11 14
13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)
1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732
Blue Knot Helpline: 1300 657 380
CREDITS:
Host: Meshel Laurie
Guests: Ashlee Charles and Kristal Hilaire
Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard
This episode contains extra content from The ABC and Channel 7.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Before we begin today's episode of Australian true crime, I want to tell you about a new project |
| 0:04.5 | we've been working on behind the scenes. It's called She Matters. It's a new podcast from |
| 0:10.2 | award-winning journalist and femicide researcher Shirel Moody. Each week, Shirel speaks with |
| 0:15.3 | families of women and children killed in Australia, sharing who they were, the joy they brought, |
| 0:21.9 | and the love they left behind. She Matters isn't a true crime podcast. It's about lives lived, lives loved and lives |
| 0:28.7 | lost. She Matters is produced by Dashmade podcasts in association with bravecasting media. |
| 0:35.7 | She Matters is available wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 0:39.7 | Dad had all of my sisters out to lunch and just like told us your mum's been arrested. |
| 0:49.0 | And we're like, what? |
| 0:51.4 | For what? |
| 0:52.6 | And he said for drug smuggling. |
| 1:01.1 | Australian grandmother Donna Nelson has been imprisoned in Japan since January |
| 1:05.6 | 2023. She was arrested at Tokyo's Narita Airport with a suitcase carrying almost two kilograms of methamphetamine |
| 1:13.4 | and sentenced to six years in jail. Donna, a yaki-yaki woman from Perth, thought she was on her way to spend |
| 1:21.3 | time with a potential life partner, a man she'd met online. Now she, her family, and even the Japanese Supreme Court |
| 1:30.0 | believe she was the victim of a protracted love scam. |
| 1:34.4 | Two of Donna's five daughters, Crystal Hillare and Ashley Charles, |
| 1:38.3 | join us to talk about the case and navigating the Japanese legal system. |
| 1:43.5 | This is Australian True Crime. |
| 1:45.9 | We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this podcast is created, |
| 1:50.4 | the Wurundjeri Woi Warang people of the Koolan Nation. |
| 2:00.0 | She takes people under her wing. She's very, very social, she's very community-minded. |
... |
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