In Her Defence
In Her Defence is a true crime podcast that investigates cases where trusted authority figures commit serious wrongdoing. The current season, In Her Defence: Breach of Trust, examines how Regina police officer Sgt. Robert Semenchuck used police databases to prey on vulnerable women, and how those women fought to hold him accountable. Hosted by award-winning crime reporter Jana G. Pruden, the series is based on extensive interviews with women, police officers, lawyers, and legal experts. It highlights systemic failures in how Canadian law enforcement polices its own members and the harm suffered by victims.
Episodes
Episode 7: Victim Impact
The women finally get a chance to address Robert Semenchuck in court, and their victim impact statements lead the judge to consider whether the plea bargain is an appropriate sentence. After a two-week wait, the women grapple with the outcome of the case, including whether there are other ways to seek justice.Email the reporter, Jana G. Pruden, at jpruden@globeandmail.comIn Her Defence: Breach of
Episode 6: Seduction and Deception
Is it possible to truly consent to sex, if you don’t know the true identity of the person you’re having sex with? Some of the women who had sexual relationships with Robert Semenchuck struggle with a plea deal they think is too lenient, and wonder why he wasn’t charged with sexual assault. Legal experts explain consent under the law, and think about how the law could have been applied differently
Episode 5: Bad Apples
Police sexual misconduct isn’t only a problem in Regina. Investigation shows dozens of officers around the country are accused of misusing their power – and databases – for sexual purposes, whether targeting vulnerable women and girls, random women on the street, or their own colleagues. The Crown and defence strike a plea deal in Robert Semenchuck’s case, and the women prepare to face him in pers
Episode 4: Eyes on IEIS
Jana learns more about Robert Semenchuck’s life and history as a police officer – and about the powerful database he was using to access personal information about his victims. Police professional standards investigators prepare to make an arrest.E-mail the reporter, Jana Pruden, at jpruden@globeandmail.comIn Her Defence: Breach of Trust is a seven-part original podcast series from The Globe and M
Episode 3: Witnesses to a Crime
Dozens of women receive a mysterious phone call from police in Regina, telling them they’ve been witnesses to a crime. A meeting with police investigators leaves some victims terrified, and brings old trauma painfully back to the surface.E-mail the reporter, Jana Pruden, at jpruden@globeandmail.comIn Her Defence: Breach of Trust is a seven-part original podcast series from The Globe and Mail. The
Episode 2: Bob. Bob Semenchuck.
Officers at the Regina Police Service begin an internal investigation of one of their colleagues, and turn up a case larger and more complex than they could have imagined. Sgt. Alana Heiliger begins to identify patterns in an officer’s use of police databases, and a notebook filled with names and cryptic notations provides valuable clues.Email the reporter, Jana Pruden, at jpruden@globeandmail.com
Episode 1: Steve Wrong Number Boy
It was one single word that caught the attention of Kerry Benjoe, and made her question what she knew about the man she’d been seeing on-and-off for five years. What she learned would turn her life upside down, and expose a shocking web of betrayal and predation affecting hundreds of women — many of whom may not know they were victims.
E-mail the reporter, Jana Pruden, at jpruden@globeandmail.com
Introducing In Her Defence: Breach of Trust
What happens when one of the “good guys” turns out to be a bad guy?
A Regina police officer preyed on hundreds of vulnerable women using information from police databases. Some of those women risked it all to expose him and hold him accountable. But would the system punish one of its own?
The acclaimed true crime series In Her Defence returns this fall with In Her Defence: Breach of Trust. First e
The Decibel: How to make a true crime podcast
In this bonus episode, we share Jana's interview with The Decibel's Menaka Raman-Wilms. Follow The Decibel for more stories from The Globe and Mail's newsroom, delivered to you every weekday morning. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Persevere, keep trying, don’t give up / âhkamêyimok
What was Amber doing when she disappeared? Police provide some new information about the rest of the phone call, and their investigation. Amber’s mother faces a serious new threat, but vows to keep fighting.Email the reporter, Jana Pruden, at jpruden@globeandmail.comLearn more about this podcast at https://www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/inherdefence/#01Our cover art is a painting of Amber by Lau
The Voice / ni nisitawinawâw
The release of the voice brings out a flood of tips and suspects. Experts study the tape for clues about the voice, while police come to realize the recording doesn’t have the investigative value they once hoped. Amber’s biological brother says he knows who killed Amber.Email the reporter, Jana Pruden, at jpruden@globeandmail.comLearn more about this podcast at https://www.theglobeandmail.com/podc
Blatant Failures / mâmâsîs ê-tôtahkik
A notorious serial killer prompts a broad reckoning around the murder of Indigenous women and girls in Canada. Amber’s family files an official complaint around how her missing persons investigation was handled, and a review of the case forces a public apology — with an unexpected twist. Questions persist about Evangeline, the last person known to have seen Amber alive.Email the reporter, Jana Pru
What the trees know / kîkwây mîtosak ê-kiskêyihtahkik
Police decide to release the tape to the public, hoping someone will recognize the voice of the man who was with Amber when she disappeared. Amber’s remains are found in a field outside the city, close to where four other women have been found, raising the spectre of a serial killer. A raven visits.Email the reporter, Jana Pruden, at jpruden@globeandmail.comLearn more about this podcast at https:/
Home / wîkihk
Amber’s cousin gives us a tour of Fort Chipewyan, the northern Alberta community where Amber was raised. We learn about Amber’s life before she disappeared, and about the threats that were facing Indigenous women in Edmonton. The police investigation changes significantly after the discovery of a recorded phone call that seems to record the final moments of Amber’s life – and the voice of the man
Missing / ê-wanihiht
Amber Tuccaro flies south to Edmonton with her baby and a new friend, and vanishes. Amber’s family doesn’t trust the police investigation, and her relatives and friends do everything they can to find her and bring attention to her case. Police find a stunning piece of evidence.E-mail the reporter, Jana Pruden, at jpruden@globeandmail.comLearn more about this podcast at https://www.theglobeandmail.
Introducing In Her Defence: 50th Street
Do you recognize this man’s voice?Coming this fall, In Her Defence: 50th Street investigates the unsolved murder of Amber Tuccaro, who disappeared from the Edmonton area in 2010. Amber left an important clue: A haunting recording of what appear to be the final moments of her life – and the voice of the man who may be her killer.Do you have information about Amber’s murder? Contact reporter Jana Pr
Crime Story: An in-depth interview with Jana Pruden
In this special bonus episode, our host Jana Pruden sits down with Crime Story’s Kathleen Goldhar to discuss the question, “How should we deal with women who kill their abusers?” You can listen to more incredible tales of true crime every week on Crime Story. Find them in your podcast app, or here: https://link.chtbl.com/DreYfAFBPlus, details of In Her Defence season 2 are coming soon! Hosted by S
Episode 8: Freedom
Did Helen really kill Miles? A burning question remains. As Helen works toward release from prison, we think about what made Miles who he was, and consider the legacy of his violence.Theme song, “The Fighter,” by Jenn Grant.Learn more about this podcast and domestic violence in Canada, or sign up for our newsletter at tgam.ca/inherdefenceE-mail the reporter at jpruden@globeandmail.comIf you’re exp
Episode 7: Seemed Like a Loser
Appealing a plea deal is a long-shot, but defence lawyer Mona Duckett wants to take it on. The Crown says justice has been served. The Court of Appeal considers Helen’s future.Theme song, “The Fighter,” by Jenn Grant.Learn more about this podcast and domestic violence in Canada, or sign up for our newsletter at tgam.ca/inherdefenceE-mail the reporter at jpruden@globeandmail.comIf you’re experienci
Episode 6: Thanks, Gentlemen
Helen is sent to prison for the death of her husband. Around the country, people object to her sentence and the way she’s treated in court. In the isolation of prison, Helen wonders whether she’s done something wrong by accepting the deal, and has to consider what to do next.Theme song, “The Fighter,” by Jenn Grant.Learn more about this podcast and domestic violence in Canada, or sign up for our n
Episode 5: The Battered Woman Defence
The 1987 case of Angelique Lavallee provides a roadmap for the “battered woman defence.” Canada’s first female Supreme Court justice, Bertha Wilson, attempts to expose systemic sexism in the justice system. Helen is charged with first-degree murder, and has to decide whether to accept a plea deal or go to trial.Elizabeth Sheehy’s book is Defending Battered Women on Trial: Lessons from the Transcri
Episode 4: Responsibility Pie
Helen is interrogated by police officers who say they understand the abuse she’d been living with, and know that something had to happen for her to get free. Someone she loves has betrayed her. Her life – and the lives of her sons – are all on the line.Theme song, “The Fighter,” by Jenn Grant.Learn more about this podcast and domestic violence in Canada, or sign up for our newsletter at tgam.ca/in
Episode 3: All Hell Breaks Loose
Wes Naslund talks about growing up with his father. Miles Naslund is reported missing, but no one seems to care he’s gone. Helen and her family live with a haunting secret. One day in 2017, almost exactly six years after Miles was reported missing, two men show up at Helen’s work.Learn more about this podcast and domestic violence in Canada, or sign up for our newsletter at tgam.ca/inherdefenceEma
Episode 2: Helen in Hell
Helen Naslund speaks from prison for the first time. Helen describes how she met and married Miles, and the only time she tried to leave. Early one morning in September 2011, two gunshots crack through the house.Learn more about this podcast and domestic violence in Canada, or sign up for our newsletter at tgam.ca/inherdefenceE-mail the reporter, Jana Pruden, at jpruden@globeandmail.comIf you’re e
Episode 1: The Ticking Time Bomb
Wes Naslund gets a phone call from his brothers at the farm. Friends and family describe the domestic abuse they suspect was going on in the Naslund house. A fight at the bar leaves Miles seriously injured, and things at the farm reach a breaking point.Learn more about this podcast and domestic violence in Canada, or sign up for our newsletter at tgam.ca/inherdefenceE-mail the reporter, Jana Prude
Introducing: In Her Defence
The first two episodes of In Her Defence will be released on October 10th. Follow now so you don’t miss a new episode.Theme song, “The Fighter,” by Jenn Grant.If you’re experiencing intimate partner violence, you can find resources and your nearest shelter at sheltersafe.ca.Support journalism like this by subscribing to The Globe and Mail. Our listeners get a special discount on new subscriptions
