Show Notes
Shannel Yorke struggles to remember her mother, Judith, who disappeared in 1992, and retired cop Alan Collin talks of his determination to find peace for the family. This series was first released on 10 November 2017 Watch a video segment from the episode here
At least one of about 30 people is believed to hold the key to the disappearance of mother-of-two Judith Yorke 25 years ago. The 25-year-old, known as Judy, was last seen at an orchard shed, where she was partying with about 30 others in Matapihi on October 21, 1992. Police believe she was killed. All the party-goers were interviewed. One of them became the main suspect. For the first time, that person is revealed in the RNZ podcast The Lost as Aaron Komene. But police have never gone back to the party-goers despite believing some never completely told the truth - and Judy has yet to be found. Judy's daughter Shannel Yorke told RNZ's The Lost it was time the police re-interview witnesses to find out what happened to her mother. Shannel was just shy of her fourth birthday when Judy went missing, so remembers very little about her. "Certain perfumes I smell remind me of her, but no real memories," she says. "I do hope that one day we do find her. I'm still hopeful. I know it's a long shot, but I guess there is still hope." Alan Collin was the lead investigator when Judy went missing in 1992. He has since retired from the police, but says solving her disappearance is still important to him. He was called in 14 days after Judy was last seen at Matapihi and immediately launched a homicide investigation. Judy had dropped off Shannel with her parents in Te Puke and gone out to a hotel in Mount Maunganui. She went out with her former partner's brother, Aaron Komene. Mr Collin says the pair were sleeping together. About 11pm, Judy, Aaron and four others headed to Matapihi in her car. They had planned to go to a marae, but it was closed so headed to the orchard shed known to have music and booze. Judy was last seen there between 1am and 2.30am. When the group she'd arrived with didn't find her, they left in her car without her. Her muddied shoes were found a day later. The police interviewed the party-goes about Judy's last whereabouts. Mr Collin doesn't believe everyone told the truth. There were so many inconsistencies, the police went back and interviewed them again. He says the people in the Judy's car before and after the party, including Aaron Komene, were looked at closely. When asked why Aaron was a suspect, Mr Collin says the police look for motive and opportunity, and jealousy is a strong motive… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
More from Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big
We find it hard to believe people would confess to a crime they didn't commit. But they do. This episode was first released on 21 June 2023. What can psychologists tell us about Mr Big? Leading experts in false confessions argue that we (and therefore jury members) find it difficult to believe that someone could confess to a crime they didn't commit, difficult to tell when someone is lying, and difficult to accept that it's people's predicaments that drive their behaviour, not their character. All this makes David's lawyers nervous about the trial. They try put up expert evidence so the jury can understand these things, but the judges threw it out.They said juries should be able to understand all that on their own. But can they? Could you? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
The police get their confession. But can we believe it? This episode was first released on 19 June 2023. We go inside the sting police used on David Lyttle and look at the tactics involved: the nurturing of friendship with "Nick"; the offers of money, cars, trips and status. David is told again and again the catchwords of the gang - truth, honesty, loyalty. This is an organisation that looks after its people, that doesn't judge them, and that controls crooked cops who can fix anything. As long as you are honest with Mr Big. But is this fair? And can we believe any confession that comes from the sting? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Only three countries in the world allow the Mr Big technique to be used. We're one of them. This episode was first released on 16 June 2023. Mr Big is a powerful technique that can bring justice to murder victims. But experts disagree about its effectiveness. Some support the technique. Others think Mr Big stings exploit people's vulnerabilities and encourage them to lie. Not all countries use the sting, including the United States of America and the United Kingdom. In Canada, police employ some surprising and troubling variations on Mr Big to get the accused to confess.. But despite all this, an undercover police team here in New Zealand get approval to run Mr Big on David Lyttle. Will it work? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Is this police sting reliable? Is it just? This episode was first released on 14 June 2023. When Halcombe builder David Lyttle answers a knock on his door in March 2014, he's drawn into a shadowy organisation with promises of wealth and friendship. David is desperate to join, but learns that first, he has to get the nod from the organisation's boss, Mr Big. Mr Big asks David about his past. David says he's committed a murder. He shows the boss where he says the body parts are buried. Then... he's arrested. It was all a police sting! Police dig up the burial sites. There's nothing there. Was this a confession? Is it reliable? Is it just? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
The Mr Big technique is a powerful tool used to get criminals to confess. But is it fair? Is it just? Or does it lead to false convictions? This episode was first released on 6 June 2023. Can the police use a story to get to the truth about a murder? In 2014, David Lyttle, a struggling builder in the little town of Halcombe, answers a knock at his door. What happens then leads him into a shadowy criminal organisation that offers him friendship, a new job, and riches, in exchange for one thing: honesty. Pressed by the organisation's boss, David Lyttle confesses to murdering his friend Brett Hall three years earlier. He shows the boss where he buried the body parts. Then, his world explodes. He's arrested and charged with murder. The whole thing was a police sting operation known as "Mr Big". And now David has confessed. Or has he? The body parts aren't there. It starts to look like the confession doesn't add up. How reliable is a confession obtained by dangling these prizes, and where it costs the suspect nothing to make up a story the boss apparently wants to hear? And how good are we - and are jurors - at working out whether to believe such a confession? This series follows the prosecution of David Lyttle through to the verdict and its aftermath. We visit the campsite in rugged bushland 30 km from Whanganui where David was building a house for his best friend Brett Hall. We learn that Brett was annoyed at David and believed David was ripping him off. We also find out that Brett was dealing drugs and told people he had a big deal coming up soon. Then he disappeared. Did Brett fatally fall out with David over a building dispute? Or was he murdered over a drug debt? The trial looks to be an uphill battle for David Lyttle. There's the confession evidence. The problem that juries almost always convict Mr Big defendants. And the fact that, in order to show the jury how powerful the manipulation was so that they might understand how he came to give a false confession, David is going to have to convince them that he's a liar, a dupe and a willing criminal. Journalist and lawyer Steven Price looks into the stories and failings of one of Aotearoa's most controversial 'Mr Big' investigations. Mr Lyttle meets Mr Big looks at the evidence pointing to David, and the evidence pointing to a drug killing. We examine the police's astonishing failures to properly disclose evidence to the defence - even when that evidence pointed to another killer. We follow the ups and downs of the trial… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details