60 Minutes: May 27
60 Minutes will report on a heinous abuse and murder case surrounding one Queensland family.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under Programming
Sunday’s 60 Minutes will report on a heinous abuse and murder case surrounding one Queensland family.
Plus Robert Penfold meets film director James Cameron.
Betrayal
Rick and Julene Thorburn portrayed themselves as the perfect foster parents, a happily married couple with two talented sons, living on an idyllic property near Brisbane. But behind closed doors, the Thorburns were as evil as could be, as 12-year-old schoolgirl Tiahleigh Palmer tragically found out. In 2015, ten months after she was unwittingly placed in the Thorburns’ care, one of the sons sexually abused her. But it’s what happened when the abuse was discovered that is truly horrific. To protect his son from punishment, Rick Thorburn murdered Tiahleigh. Then the entire family callously concocted a story to hide their crimes from police. This wicked subterfuge went on for almost a year until police finally had a breakthrough. On 60 Minutes, Tara Brown reveals what went on in the Thorburn house of horrors, and how the case was finally solved.
Her report includes:
· An exclusive in-depth interview with the police officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Inspector Damien Hansen.
· Exclusive access to the videotapes of the Thorburn family’s police interviews, and transcripts of police surveillance of the family.
· The first major interview with Tiahleigh’s heartbroken mother, Cindy Palmer.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producers: Grace Tobin, Sean Power
Action Man
As the director of some of the biggest Hollywood blockbusters ever made, movies like The Terminator, Titanic and Avatar, James Cameron is used to yelling “action”. But he also lives for it. Cameron spends the millions he’s made from films exploring the deepest depths of the oceans. It’s a highly dangerous pastime, but he gets to visit places no one has ever been to before. On assignment for 60 Mintues, the Nine Network’s US correspondent, Robert Penfold, speaks exclusively to the legendary filmmaker about his greatest adventures and his death-defying journeys 11 kilometres down to the bottom of the ocean.
Reporter: Robert Penfold
Producer: Gareth Harvey
9:30pm Sunday on Nine.
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One Response
For all their faults i do find 60 Minutes have delivered some excellent stories on major criminal cases. This was absolutely chilling to watch & the emerging details of the case make it one of the most disturbing crminal cases I’ve ever seen.
To have a family who to the outside world seemed so normal, so much so they were intrusted with the care of foster children, when they were in fact rotting on the inside…. that poor girl didn’t stand a chance.