7NEWS Spotlight - Season 5 / Year 2024

The body of a 12-year-old was found in bushland 8km from her home, but the murderer's conviction was quashed in 2009. We can finally reveal what really happened to little Leanne Holland

Special guest Ajay Rochester and a team of experts break down the myths surrounding the weight loss wonder drug Ozempic.

Anne Hegerty from The Chase reveals childhood secrets that will shock plus Charles Wooley's amazing adventure on the Murray River.

Australian teens are being caught up in a Nigerian scam where they are tricked into sending revealing photos. Then the blackmail starts. A must see story for every parent.

They use celebrity faces to scam over 600,000 Australians every year, but now one of those scammers is turning on his bosses to help us bring them down. A special investigation by our entire team.

Screen addiction is shrinking young brains, but how can parents beat this growing problem? We look at the different methods that are getting results and can be used at home right now.

A worldwide investigation into the ‘Kidney Cult' operating in Australian suburbs. Did they play a part in a ‘Jonestown' style tragedy that claimed the lives of 429 people?

David Koch and a panel of experts reveal the secrets to making your dollar go further in this special event with tips and tricks that REALLY work.

Liam Bartlett takes you inside the prison that's been called a 'living hell'. It's a place gangs fear and is helping to reducing crime, but is it violating human rights?

7News Spotlight this week tackles the issues of youth crime and looks for solutions.

Sarah Greenhalgh said: "Every person we've spoken to agrees that a tough, law-and-order-only approach to youth crime will never fix it. Prevention really is better than cure and there needs to be a national approach to this.

"Kids who break the law and commit horrific crimes should absolutely face consequences, but it needs to be a model with proven results."

The alarming reality of young offenders will be under the microscope as 7NEWS Spotlight's Sarah Greenhalgh rides along with police and meets victims of these crimes, the kids running wild in the streets and the families trying to make some sense of it all.

In a confronting, not-to-be-missed interview, Greenhalgh sits down with a teen who shares a graphic first-hand account of his life of crime.

Police, victims, experts and frustrated parents will come together to share their personal experiences and insights, along with the frontline workers who say they have the answers to save young lives and to help rebuild communities where people are living in fear.

The program also takes a close look at an overseas youth detention and rehabilitation model that some believe could significantly reduce youth crime rates here.

Did someone get away with killing Amy Wensley? You won't believe the new evidence we uncover in one of Australia's most intriguing cold cases.

A special investigation into what we got right and wrong in our response to the pandemic with former Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk

Why did a 14 year old girl kill a gorgeous little 10 year old and why have the victim's parents been stopped from sharing their story?

It's the controversial, modern alternative to the Olympics. a new competition where elite athletes push themselves to the limit with drugs to enhance their performance.

It was 60 Minutes which broke a recent story on the CFMEU but it will be 7NEWS Spotlight which hears from the man at the centre, when John Setka breaks his silence to reporter Sharnelle Vella.

John Setka is one of the most talked about people in Australia.

For over a decade, he ran the powerful and disgraced Victorian branch of the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union or the CFMEU.

Last month the controversial boss suddenly quit amid headlines that bikies and criminals has infiltrated the union, and serious allegations of corruption, bribery and bullying within its construction arm.

The controversial former union boss sits down with 7NEWS Melbourne's Sharnelle Vella to tell his side of the story. Nothing is off limits as Setka is forced to confront the shocking allegations, including the extent of bikie infiltration of the union, kickbacks, accusations of domestic violence and his interactions with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

7NEWS Spotlight will also reveal a secret deal Setka says was made between the union and the Federal Government. It's a deal that ultimately blew up in his face, leaving Setka without a job and putting the construction division of the CFMEU under administration.

Also on 7NEWS Spotlight, the rise and rise of true crime podcasts and how they are exposing appalling police failings and helping solve cold cases.

More than 2,500 Australians are classed as "long-term missing persons" and in the case of Bronwyn Whitfield, it's been three long decades. Now, a podcast has shed new light on the case, revealing new evidence which could finally lead to answers for her family.

7NEWS Spotlight's Sarah Greenhalgh has tracked down the man at the centre of the investigation.

After two identical, brand-new Boeing 737 Max jets crashed within five months of each other, Liam Bartlett presents damning evidence that shows Boeing knew of a serious fault in its 737 Max aircrafts.

Billionaire James Packer and British pop star Robbie Williams open up to reporter Liam Bartlett in a deeply honest and powerful conversation for a 7NEWS Spotlight special on mental health.

Former Australian special forces commando Heston Russell knows the meaning of conflict.

 With a proud lineage of military relatives, he enlisted in the army at 17 and rose through the ranks to become a highly decorated officer with more than 10,000 hours of leadership in combat operations, including four combat deployments to Afghanistan and a fifth to Iraq to fight against ISIS.

He proved fearless in battle, iron-willed in his personal convictions and prepared to put it all on the line.

As a soldier, Russell led our troops into countless battles and when he retired, he kept fighting. He campaigned for the royal commission into veteran suicide, built charities for soldiers and even ran for a seat in the Queensland senate.

But his toughest fight came several years after his discharge, when Russell became the target of a relentless attack launched by the investigations unit of the ABC alleging that he was the worst kind of soldier – leaving a trail of destruction in Afghanistan and involved in fraudulent behaviour back home.

Russell's battleground this time: the Australian Federal Court, where he spent almost three years fending off the ABC's allegations of war crimes.

So, is he a war hero or war criminal?

Award-wining journalist Liam Bartlett presents this 7NEWS Spotlightspecial investigation.

The epidemic of drug abuse in Australia is showing no signs of slowing, with two million Australians battling addictions and the number of fatal overdoses almost doubling in two decades.

Shalom House is the fastest-growing rehab centre in the country.

Its controversial founder, Peter Lyndon-James, is an ex-con and rehabilitated addict who claims he has the answer to Australia's worsening drug crisis and the cure for all kinds of addicts.  

He says his tough-love, labour-based unconventional service is helping men, women and – increasingly – children to rebuild their lives. And Shalom House is overflowing. By any measure, there are just too many residents.

But not everyone is a fan of his methods. Some say Shalom House, which has earned the reputation as Australia's toughest rehab centre, is like a cult and that residents are really inmates in a religious prison.

Now, in a 7NEWS Spotlightexclusive, Peter Lyndon-James and Shalom House have granted access-all-areas to Seven's crime reporter Ben Harvey.

Also on the show, after the Albanese Government's $243 million crackdown on vapes, has it actually worked? Eight months into the national ban on all illegal vape imports, 7NEWS Spotlighttakes to the streets to discover we are still far from busting the underworld hold on this crooked industry.

And don't miss a very special exclusive interview with UK boy band royalty, Take That, as they prepare to tour Down Under.

Gangland criminals once eliminated their drug rivals quietly, preferring to draw as little attention as possible. However, in recent years, everything has changed dramatically. 

With the shocking transformation of organised crime, shifting from discreet eliminations to technically sophisticated and audacious public attacks, headlines of drive-by shootings and kidnappings have become the new norm.

The crime syndicates exploit cutting-edge technology to evade law enforcement, highlighted by the recent dismantling of an encrypted communications network known as Ghost.

In an eye-opening investigation, this Sunday at 8.50pm on Channel 7 and 7plus, 7NEWS Spotlightreveals the alarming rise of violence happening in plain sight among Australia's drug gangs.

This specialinvestigation features insights from AFP Assistant Commissioner Kirsty Schofield, Victoria Police's former Homicide Detective Charlie Bezzina, NSW Police's former Detective Superintendent Deborah Wallace, former NSW Detective Michael Kennedy and The Daily Telegraph's Senior Crime Reporter Josh Hanrahan.

As the stakes soar into the billions, 7NEWS Spotlightexamines how gangs have become increasingly brazen, endangering innocent lives in their quest for dominance, featuring a harrowing incident from late 2021 when a public shooting occurred outside a childcare centre.

And don't miss a very special exclusive interview with the legendary Aussie actor Jack Thompson.

Jack sits down with 7NEWS Spotlight's Michael Usher for his most revealing interview yet, reflecting on his health battle and that iconic Cleo nude centrefold that shocked Australia. The interview also features appearances by Ita Buttrose and Bryan Brown.

In just a few weeks, King Charles and Queen Camilla will be down under for their Royal visit. But as Australians celebrate the man who waited decades to be monarch, spare a thought for his grandson, 11-year-old Prince George.

The prince has already had to grow up fast among much controversy in the Royal Family, mourning the loss of his great grandmother Queen Elizabeth, and his mother, Prince Kate, recovering from cancer.

Who is the boy who will be King one very distant day from now? And how does one learn to take on the most exclusive job in the world?

In this special documentary airing at 8.50pm on Channel 7 and 7plus, 7NEWS Spotlightuncovers the secrets of Prince George's royal upbringing, including his education, the Royal rituals he must learn and how his modern upbringing is steering the Royal Family into a new era.

With exclusive access to those close to him, 7NEWS Spotlight's Sarah Greenhalgh is in London to chart Prince George's journey to the throne – from meeting Barack Obama in his dressing gown to becoming the youngest future King to have an official role in a coronation.

While Prince George's reign may still be decades away, it is evident that the monarchy he will inherit is evolving.

Tune in to 7NEWS Spotlightto witness a King in the making.

Fifteen years ago, 7NEWS Spotlight reporter Liam Bartlett met former special commando Damien Mander when he had just returned from the Iraq War with a dream of fighting a different battle: combating endemic poachers.

This Sunday at 9.00pm on Channel 7 and 7plus, Liam goes deep into the African wilderness to reunite with the Aussie veteran who is saving the continent's critically endangered wildlife with an all-female army of rangers.

Damien sold up everything he owned to establish the International Anti-Poaching Foundation, and his unconventional journey has led him to recruit a ground-breaking all-female unit of rangers known as Akashinga, meaning "The Brave Ones" in Zimbabwe's Shona dialect.

The heavily armed local women, often mothers, patrol areas the size of small countries to catch the poachers and stop illegal operations. Not only do these women protect wildlife, they also change the trajectory of their communities by passing on 90% of their earnings to their families.

Damien, who is eliminating the community's reliance on money from trophy hunting and illegal poaching with the support of his rangers, said: "When we started [the Foundation], we thought if it actually works, let's create opportunities for those who need it the most. Many of them were survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, single mothers and abandoned wives.

"What we didn't realise is that we were getting the toughest in society. Anything we threw at them was nothing compared to what they came from or most importantly stood to go back to."

Also, this week, 7NEWS Spotlight reveals why parts of San Francisco have become a no-go zone. The iconic city is overrun by homeless people and violent crime, fuelled by a deadly drug addiction.

On assignment for 7NEWS Spotlight, 7NEWSUS Bureau Chief David Woiwod meets the unlikely Australians in the middle of the turmoil who say what they are witnessing should serve as a dire warning for us all back home.

In a 7NEWS Spotlight exclusive this Sunday at 8.50pm on Channel 7 and 7plus, the father-of-three opens up to 7NEWS Political Editor Mark Riley in a very candid interview.

The Treasurer reveals his personal struggles, admitting to a past of excessive drinking and sharing a major health battle that changed his life forever. "I remembered Laura saying to me, you look really unwell. My face was kind of white... I was really unwell."

Mr Chalmers also offers some much-needed good news about cost-of-living crisis, saying the worst days are behind us. "We are confident that having been through a very difficult time together, better days are ahead."

Also, this week on 7NEWS Spotlight, Michael Usher explores the investigation into the disappearance of William Tyrrell.

Ten years since the three-year-old went missing and we are still no closer to knowing what happened to the little boy.

Ahead of the long-stalled coronial inquest reopening, Usher speaks with former NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing, former Homicide Detective Gary Jubelin and News Corp journalist Dan Box, asking why there are still no answers.

Jubelin, who oversaw the initial investigation, says he rigorously examined William's foster mother, who has been a person of interest to NSW Police for the past four years.

"There was no evidence that was suggestive of the foster mother having knowledge or involvement in William's disappearance. At the time I was taken off the investigation, there were other legitimate persons of interest that required further exploration."

With no forensic evidence or clear leads, what went wrong with the investigation?

And don't miss a special exclusive interview with iconic singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper. Cyndi sits down with7NEWS US Bureau Chief David Woiwod for her only Australian TV interview ahead of her "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" Farewell World Tour.  

The 1974 disappearance of teenagers Raelene Eaton and Yvonne Waters remains one of Australia's most perplexing mysteries.

This Sunday at 9.00pm on Channel Seven and 7plus, a special episode of 7NEWS Spotlight presents The West Australian's Vanishing Cousins, uncovering shocking new clues and fresh witnesses in the case of the vanishing cousins.

Raelene, 16, and Yvonne, 17, were last seen enjoying a Sunday session at Scarborough's White Sands Tavern, and their fate has puzzled investigators for decades.

In this special investigation, a "person of interest" speaks out for the first time in nearly 50 years, while friends share unsettling accounts of a family tragedy shortly after the cousins vanished.

New witnesses express concerns about a house Raelene and Yvonne visited before heading to the hotel where they were last seen.

The last known witness to see the cousins alive comes forward, revealing a critical moment that has remained undisclosed for decades.

Additionally, social commentator Jane Caro examines the 1970s Australian beach culture and the dark underbelly behind the blue skies – an era when young women had to be vigilant against predatory behaviour and prevailing attitudes. This culture led police to assume the missing teenagers had intentionally taken off for a "good time".

Former President Donald Trump vs. Vice President Kamala Harris - who will win? Join Michael Usher & an all-star lineup for unrivalled analysis in this special edition of Spotlight.

The man who killed the Lindt Cafe terrorist can now be identified, 10 yrs on.

Western Sydney mother-of-two Kirandeep Saggar met her boyfriend on TikTok. Then he killed her father.

It all began with a seemingly innocent exchange on the social media app in 2023, when Kirandeep responded to a message from Indian-Canadian rapper Ranjit Bath.

The pair quickly began dating, but their relationship soon became one of obsession. Ranjit began to stalk Kirandeep and when she refused to marry him, things turned deadly.

This Sunday at 7.00pm on Channel 7 and 7plus, 7NEWS Spotlightpresents an exclusive global investigation into a killer on the run – and exposes a major flaw in the communication between global law enforcement agencies.

7NEWSreporter Natasha Squarey travels to British Columbia, Canada, to track down the fugitive killer who continues to terrorise Kirandeep.

The 7NEWS Spotlightcrew also heads to India to question authorities on how they have let Ranjit Bath get away with it.

The program features former West Vancouver Police Chief Kash Heed, who warns that the ongoing failure of police in India and Canada in arresting Ranjit is putting Kirandeep's life at risk.

Kirandeep tells Natasha that Ranjit threatens her daily, saying he will kill her and her family next.

"He killed my father. My biggest fear now is he can come and kill me anytime because he's free," she says.

"I feel hopeless because I have proof, I have all the records which show he did that but still the police are not doing anything."