Friends in Dark Places

In this episode, we hear from a current serving Tasmanian police officer a man who spent nearly his entire career working alongside Reynolds. Using a voice actor to protect his identity, he describes Reynolds as he knew him: the outgoing, blokey colleague who could charm a room of young men, the officer who became increasingly absent as he climbed the ranks, and the man whose behaviour now looks disturbingly like grooming hiding in plain sight.

He also walks us into the world of Ashley Youth Detention Centre the blind spots, the “cowboy” culture, the friendships between staff and Reynolds, and why he believes it is almost impossible that Reynolds never accessed the centre or its vulnerable boys.

Alongside testimony from a whistleblower who worked inside Ashley, this chapter exposes the overlap between policing, youth detention, and community institutions that enabled Reynolds to move freely for decades. It raises the questions no one has been able to answer: who knew what, who looked away, and why so many of Reynolds’ behaviors were minimised or ignored.

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