MarieClaire
  • News
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Lifestyle
  • Career
  • Bridal
  • Podcasts
  • Beyond Beauty
  • Video
MarieClaire
  • News
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Lifestyle
  • Career
  • Bridal
  • Podcasts
  • Beyond Beauty
  • Video
MAFS' Aleks and Ivan exchange wedding vows
Watch 4:43

MAFS' Aleks and Ivan exchange wedding vows

{headline}

{headline}

6 Questions We Still Need Answered From 'The Teacher's Pet'

6 Questions We Still Need Answered From 'The Teacher's Pet'

Lynette Dawson's Niece Says The Family Are "Shocked" By Speedy NSW Police Investigation

Lynette Dawson's Niece Says The Family Are "Shocked" By Speedy NSW Police Investigation

Forensic Search Begins For Lyn Dawson's Body At Former Sydney Home

Forensic Search Begins For Lyn Dawson's Body At Former Sydney Home

‘MAFS’ No-Boyfriend Belinda Has Apparently Been Not So Honest About Her Single Past

‘MAFS’ No-Boyfriend Belinda Has Apparently Been Not So Honest About Her Single Past

{headline}

{headline}

Meghan Markle Paid Tribute To Princess Diana In Her Interview With Oprah Winfrey

Meghan Markle Paid Tribute To Princess Diana In Her Interview With Oprah Winfrey

Elyse Knowles And Josh Barker Have Welcomed Their First Child

Elyse Knowles And Josh Barker Have Welcomed Their First Child

The Best Tweets And Memes From The 2021 Golden Globes

The Best Tweets And Memes From The 2021 Golden Globes

{headline}

{headline}

Kate Middleton Stylishly Mastered Another Zoom-Friendly Look, Stuns In Sleek Green Blazer

Kate Middleton Stylishly Mastered Another Zoom-Friendly Look, Stuns In Sleek Green Blazer

A Historic Win For Female Directors! Here, The Full List Of 2021 Golden Globes Winners

A Historic Win For Female Directors! Here, The Full List Of 2021 Golden Globes Winners

Rumour Has It, ‘MAFS’ Jake Edwards And ‘The Bachelor’s’ Jess Brody Are An Item, And No, We’re Not Surprised

Rumour Has It, ‘MAFS’ Jake Edwards And ‘The Bachelor’s’ Jess Brody Are An Item, And No, We’re Not Surprised

7 Soothing, Smoothing Eye Serums To Send Puffiness Packing

7 Soothing, Smoothing Eye Serums To Send Puffiness Packing

Meghan Markle Wore A $40 Dress During A FaceTime Call With Prince Harry

Meghan Markle Wore A $40 Dress During A FaceTime Call With Prince Harry

The Most Awe-Inspiring Beauty Looks From The 2021 Golden Globes

The Most Awe-Inspiring Beauty Looks From The 2021 Golden Globes

Here's Everything Coming To Netflix This March

Here's Everything Coming To Netflix This March

  1. Home
  2. News

From The Creators Of 'The Teacher's Pet' Podcast Comes New Podcast Series 'The Night Driver'

Hedley Thomas is back - by Pema Bakshi
  • 14 Aug 2020
From The Creators Of 'The Teacher's Pet' Podcast Comes New Podcast Series 'The Night Driver'

Award-winning investigative journalist behind The Teacher’s Pet, Hedley Thomas is back with true crime podcast, The Night Driver.

The Night Driver, which has officially launched by The Australian, takes a deep dive into the cold case of Janine Vaughan, a young woman who disappeared more than 19 years ago in the country town of Bathurst. 

Here's a rundown of what we know about the case so far. 

The Night Driver Podcast
The Australian

Janine Vaughan was a 31-year-old woman from Muswellbrook, Hunter Valley. Moving to Bathurst with an ex-partner, she lived there for three years, working as a menswear retail shop manager.

On the evening of December 7, 2001, Janine ended a night of clubbing with friends just before 4am. She was captured on security cameras getting into the passenger seat of a red four-door sedan car outside Bathurst’s Metro Tavern and never seen again.

Police interviewed over 1,000 people, utilised over sixty SES workers and dog squads, searched 30 hectares of bush, with no trace of Janine ever found to this day. 

Her case is made especially ominous due to the close-knit nature of the community. 

Janine's best friend Rebecca Medhurst told The Sun Herald that Vaughan had a wide net of friends, and in a small town like Bathurst, everyone knows everyone. "I know she wouldn't have gotten into the car with a stranger, which means I probably know them as well, through her or a mutual friend, and that makes it so much worse, to think that it's someone connected with me… I think that someone out there must know more than they're letting on," she said. 

Janine Vaughan
Janine Vaughan

The podcast will follow the tireless quest of Janine’s younger sister, Kylie Vaughan who became obsessed with finding out what exactly happened to her sister that night. Taking turn after turn, the case even leads investigators to suspect a former top detective and local politician.

Deputy mayor and detective sergeant Brad Hosemans, who initially led the investigation into Janine’s disappearance, became a sketchy figure in the mystery of the 31-year-old's whereabouts.

He claimed that he was out of town in Newcastle, but was eventually proved to have been in Bathurst at the time. A 2009 coroner’s inquest heard from Janine’s friends and family who claimed that Janine had seen Hosemans pass the shop where she worked and that he would wave at her. However, he has since been cleared of any involvement.

the.australian View Profile
View Post on Instagram
Hedley Thomas's new podcast, produced by The Australian, is now live. Subscribers get early access via our app. #truecrime #podcast #hedleythomas

There have been countless other suspects too, with Janine’s former partner of five years, Phillip Evans, even claiming in court that she had actually had a stalker that would leave notes and 'gifts' on her car while she worked. One of the notes, obtained by The Herald, read: "Don’t be scared of me. I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to get to know you. I will be in touch".

An inquest eventually concluded that Janine had died was most likely murdered, with no charges ever being made in relation to her disappearance. 

"The only available conclusion is that Janine Vaughan disappeared ... and that she was murdered by a person or persons unknown and her body disposed of in such a way that it has not been found," State Coroner Mary Jerram said at the time.

"We can only hope that one day, some evidence will emerge that can provide that answer".

Hedley Thomas
Hedley Thomas

In an interview with Sky News, Hedley Thomas called the case a "mystifying whodunnit".

"There were originally more than 40 persons of interest, there was hardly any evidence left behind, no crime scene, no body and nothing in the way of forensic material," he said.

His goal is to generate the same awareness that The Teacher's Pet garnered for Lynette Dawson's case. "Our hope is that 19 years later, by going back through everything and talking to friends, family, people who were with her that night, someone’s got to give up their secret, a pretty wicked secret that’s been kept all this time".

The podcast will shift focus onto "prominent local identities" and pull a part the small town full of "innuendo, gossip and people pointing the finger".

Ultimately, he wants to help the victim's family stating, "The grief of Janine’s family is made worse because they do not have a body and they cannot lay her to rest. They have seen serious suspects come and go without charge. They have placed their faith in The Night Driver to sort the facts from town gossip and renew public interest to try to shed new light on what happened to Janine". 

The Night Driver launched on August 7, subscribers of The Australian will be two episodes ahead of the general public. 

  • News
  • Crime

6 issues for $35 -

Subscribe to marie claire

Subscribe Now
6 issues for $35

6 issues for $35 -

Subscribe to marie claire

Subscribe Now
6 issues for $35

Recommended to you

MAFS' Aleks and Ivan exchange wedding vows
Watch 4:43

MAFS' Aleks and Ivan exchange wedding vows

{headline}

{headline}

6 Questions We Still Need Answered From 'The Teacher's Pet'

6 Questions We Still Need Answered From 'The Teacher's Pet'

Lynette Dawson's Niece Says The Family Are "Shocked" By Speedy NSW Police Investigation

Lynette Dawson's Niece Says The Family Are "Shocked" By Speedy NSW Police Investigation

Forensic Search Begins For Lyn Dawson's Body At Former Sydney Home

Forensic Search Begins For Lyn Dawson's Body At Former Sydney Home

‘MAFS’ No-Boyfriend Belinda Has Apparently Been Not So Honest About Her Single Past

‘MAFS’ No-Boyfriend Belinda Has Apparently Been Not So Honest About Her Single Past

{headline}

{headline}

Meghan Markle Paid Tribute To Princess Diana In Her Interview With Oprah Winfrey

Meghan Markle Paid Tribute To Princess Diana In Her Interview With Oprah Winfrey

Elyse Knowles And Josh Barker Have Welcomed Their First Child

Elyse Knowles And Josh Barker Have Welcomed Their First Child

The Best Tweets And Memes From The 2021 Golden Globes

The Best Tweets And Memes From The 2021 Golden Globes

{headline}

{headline}

Kate Middleton Stylishly Mastered Another Zoom-Friendly Look, Stuns In Sleek Green Blazer

Kate Middleton Stylishly Mastered Another Zoom-Friendly Look, Stuns In Sleek Green Blazer

A Historic Win For Female Directors! Here, The Full List Of 2021 Golden Globes Winners

A Historic Win For Female Directors! Here, The Full List Of 2021 Golden Globes Winners

Rumour Has It, ‘MAFS’ Jake Edwards And ‘The Bachelor’s’ Jess Brody Are An Item, And No, We’re Not Surprised

Rumour Has It, ‘MAFS’ Jake Edwards And ‘The Bachelor’s’ Jess Brody Are An Item, And No, We’re Not Surprised

7 Soothing, Smoothing Eye Serums To Send Puffiness Packing

7 Soothing, Smoothing Eye Serums To Send Puffiness Packing

Meghan Markle Wore A $40 Dress During A FaceTime Call With Prince Harry

Meghan Markle Wore A $40 Dress During A FaceTime Call With Prince Harry

The Most Awe-Inspiring Beauty Looks From The 2021 Golden Globes

The Most Awe-Inspiring Beauty Looks From The 2021 Golden Globes

Here's Everything Coming To Netflix This March

Here's Everything Coming To Netflix This March

MarieClaire
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Brands

  • Beauty Crew
  • Home Beautiful
  • Who

Our Network

  • Better Homes and Gardens
  • BHG Shop
  • New Idea food
  • New Idea
  • Girlfriend
  • That’s Life
  • Practical Parenting
  • All Recipes
  • Perth Now
  • The West Australian
  • 7Plus
  • Airtasker
  • 7NEWS
  • SocietyOne
  • Health Engine
  • Starts at 60
© 2021 Are Media PTY LTD
Get more from Marie Claire

Magazine Subscription Offer

6 issues for $35 -

Shop This Offer
6 issues for $35