Pod Insights Unravel Blood on the Tracks | BONUS The Inquest Findings About this episode After almost forty years, two inquests and because of one family that never gave up, the Coroner has finally delivered her findings into the death of Gomeroi teenager Mark Anthony Haines. Journalist Allan Clarke has spent close to a decade investigating Mark's death. His Walkley Award-winning coverage for the ABC reignited public attention on the case and helped drive it to this final inquest. Allan reflects on the findings and what it means to reach the end of a story he's carried for so long.
Transcript 0:01 Speaker 00 Shocking evidence, jury drama and witness cross-examinations. The Case Of podcast takes you inside the biggest trials in the country, reporting the in-depth detail of how courts work and who's in there each week. We've brought you Aaron Patterson's mushroom murder trial, the case of Toya's murder in Cairns, a Canberra cold case, the two intruders and many more. Search for The Case Of, it's on ABC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts.
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0:37 Speaker 02 Just before we start, a warning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners. This series contains the names of people who have died.
0:47 Speaker 03 Blood on the Tracks is the first ever series we made for Unravel. We re-released it in 2025 with fresh updates and revelations. It's intended to be listened to as a whole, so if you haven't heard it already, we encourage you to go back to episode one and listen to the entire series before you find out how the story ends in this bonus episode.
1:13 Speaker 03 Tamworth is waking early and as dawn breaks over Gomroay country, the sky hangs low. A thin band of morning light settles over the courthouse on Fitzroy Street. Outside, the air carries that sharp autumn bite, the kind that cuts through your jacket.
1:34 Speaker 03 I know this building so well, its bricks, its steep stairs leading up to the glass doors. I've stood outside many times. I know what it feels like to wait there.
1:48 Speaker 03 But today, I'm not there. I'm on the other side of the world, in France, where I now live, 17,000 kilometres away.
2:00 Speaker 03 In a different time zone, in a different world, but waiting all the same. Because today, after nearly 40 years, a coroner is going to say Mark Haynes's name out loud and tell the world what she believe happened to him.
2:21 Speaker 03 I've been chasing this story for over a decade. It's become a huge part of my life. Uncle Duck has been chasing justice for his nephew for most of his life. Mark's brother Ron and sister Lorna have never stopped wanting to know what happened to their big brother.
2:42 Speaker 03 Now, the day we've all been waiting for has finally come. And, to be honest, I have no idea how to feel about it.
2:53 Speaker 03 I'm Alan Clark and you're listening to Unravel: Blood on the Tracks, bonus episode, The Inquest Findings.
3:09 Speaker 03 It's been almost 40 years since Mark Anthony Haines, a 17-year-old Gomeroi teen, was found dead on the railway tracks just south of Tamworth. And now, after decades of questions and two separate inquests, the coroner is about to deliver her findings after a lengthy two-year process. For Mark's family, this is the end of a long, hard road, and the beginning of another. Before the court sits, there's a smoking ceremony on the steps out front.
3:42 Speaker 04 Eucalyptus, mark and ceremony. The other week, we were above the bush, cleansed this place, I couldn't make it any easier way.
3:51 Speaker 03 It's a cultural practice meant to cleanse and heal. The white smoke, centred with eucalyptus, curls upwards and hangs like a shroud over everyone.
4:03 Speaker 03 Uncle Duck's there, looking staunch, but I can see that he's nervous.
4:08 Speaker 04 I guess we might as well start getting this show on the road, cause what are you ringing?
4:16 Speaker 03 The deputy state coroner, Harriet Graham, comes down the steps and joins the family.
4:23 Speaker 03 Across these inquest hearings, I've watched her and, while she's slight in frame, she's earned a pretty formidable reputation, particularly when it comes to the handling of Indigenous cases by the police. She's known for asking hard questions and for treating families as more than just witnesses. Today, it's her voice that will decide how Mark Haynes is finally remembered by the state that failed him.
4:57 Speaker 03 Inside, the courtroom is packed. Family, friends, lawyers, media.
5:10 Speaker 03 It's a far cry from when I first met Uncle Duck. Back then, no one was interested in covering the case.
5:21 Speaker 05 I will now commence my findings in relation to the death of Mark Anthony Haines, a proud Bomberoy man born on the 12th of September 1970. He was 17 years of age at the time of his death. Shortly after 6am on the 16th of January 1988, Mark was located by train personnel between railway tracks a short distance outside of Tamlo. He was found after a train passed over him.
5:51 Speaker 03 For more than an hour, Deputy State Coroner Harriet Graham works through it all. The theories, the rumours, the police failures. Everything this case has thrown up over the last 38 years.
6:05 Speaker 05 I remain of the view that it is highly likely there are people in the community who have first-hand knowledge of these events, which they have never shared with police. It is a frustrating realisation and I acknowledge it offers no comfort to those who love Mark.
6:24 Speaker 05 I am sorry there has been no breakthrough during this second inquest into Mark's death.
6:31 Speaker 03 Her written findings run 200 pages and still she can't say how Mark died.
6:39 Speaker 05 I do not know the circumstances which led Mark to be on the tracks, but after careful consideration, I have been able to rule out suicide. Mark's death is suspicious and I am convinced that there are still people in the community who have information about what happened.
6:56 Speaker 05 This inquest has laid bare the flawed investigation that took place after Mark's death. Loss of evidence at an early stage cannot be rectified. While some inadequacies identified may have been driven by resourcing constraints or failures to implement existing policies, racism or unconscious bias within the court and colonial system is also a factor. I am aware that the various failures to adequately investigate Mark's death by both police and the court system have exacerbated your grief and for that I am truly sorry. I now close this second inquest.
7:43 Speaker 03 ABC Tamworth reporter Max Tillman has followed this inquest from the first day of hearings back in April 2024. He was in the room when the findings came down. I called him to talk through what it all means. I mean, set the scene for me, what was that day like, sitting in that courtroom?
8:03 Speaker 06 I think I had expected an enormous amount of emotion because I'd been
8:11 Speaker 06 covering every single day over those two years, five weeks of hearings. And as we got closer and closer to findings, you naturally fill those spaces with expectation. But the deputy coroner acknowledged that it was and obviously still is likely that there are people in the community alive today. Who had first hand knowledge of what happened to Mark, but they've never come forward. And she recognised that that would obviously not give comfort to Mark's family. And ultimately, I think that the family needed to hear what they've known for more than thirty eight years, that he wasn't responsible for his own death. I think that the coroner describing it as a frustrating realisation
8:56 Speaker 06 that we weren't able to find that smoking gun and we weren't able to sort of positively conclude what happened to Mark. It was a muted feeling in that courtroom. And the coroner really quickly acknowledged that there wasn't going to be a breakthrough. And I think that getting that out of the way really early on in her findings in a lot of ways, settled the room. But I was particularly watching Don because Don was sitting almost directly in front of me. But certainly Don's expression, I could see it slightly changed even from behind him. And when the coroner ruled that Mark wasn't responsible for his own death,
9:38 Speaker 06 you could see Don's shoulders slightly relaxed as though there was at least, you know, one weight that had been removed after all those years. And I think that ultimately what the coroner did find did leave a lot of questions unanswered. And to Don, those are certainly, in his mind, leads that I'm sure he will want to be pursuing one way or another.
10:04 Speaker 03 Um, I think from the beginning, when it was first kind of raised, potentially, should we kind of focus on an inquest or try to get some kind of inquest going? I mean, there was hesitation from the family, which is absolutely natural. Because as Aboriginal people, we know far too often, an inquest or an inquiry often leads nowhere and is often sort of shrouded in legalese and is very devoid of emotion. And what's interesting is sort of in the years before, like when I first got that email asking for my documents for the inquest.
10:47 Speaker 03 And I spoke with the family and they were like, oh, you know, yes, like, we're gonna. Go forward with an inquest. I think there was a reluctance from particularly Uncle Duck to want to focus on the aspect of racism. And I completely understand that because, you know, as black followers, you know, like, of course, that that initial investigation was marred by racism. And so, you know, I think for Uncle Duck particularly, it's like waiting all these years to get answers to what happened to Mark and who potentially did this was the most important thing. And I had these discussions with Uncle Duck that it's really important
11:31 Speaker 03 that she does explore, you know, institutionalized racism, that she holds truth to power in the sense when it comes to the police. Because that that is also not just for Mark, it's not just for Uncle Duck, it's not just for Ronan Lorna. It's it's for, you know, that will help other mob, they'll help other families as well. So I think it's been a really interesting ride from like ambivalence in the beginning to, okay, this coroner, she gets it, you know, to the findings where I think everybody feels buoyed by by the findings in that sense.
12:15 Speaker 06 Eddie Davis was obviously a big part of certainly the investigation in the nineteen nineties. And what I took from it was that the coroner essentially acknowledged that the family's distrust with the police was arguably the impetus for Eddie Davis becoming involved or a person of interest. And how do you reckon with that? And how do you reckon, first of all, with the idea that the coroner effectively cleared him? And in her opinion, found him to be truthful and credible. And I think her exact words were an impressive witness.
12:54 Speaker 03 Look, I'm really happy that Eddie got to speak in the court. And I think people have to understand too that in in blood on the tracks, we weren't like pointing the finger at Eddie at all.
13:09 Speaker 03 The fact is suspicion was thrown on Eddie from the beginning through rumours in the community. The police threw fuel on that fire and it ignited into an incredibly unprofessional meeting orchestrated by the police in Tamworth. And Duck and Eddie, back in those early days when the family weren't getting any answers from the police, or very little communication either, in the weeks after Mark's death. And so that began, I think, decades of suspicion, particularly for Uncle Duck, because at the time he had no other names to go on.
13:47 Speaker 03 And, you know, I hope that Uncle Duck understands that, that this is, you know, this should be a full stop to all of that. And we just call it for what it is, which is that it is the insane amount of rumours and innuendo that swirl around communities when someone dies unexpectedly. And when they are not managed and when their lines of inquiry are not done properly by the police, then it allows for this suspicion and paranoia to creep in.
14:20 Speaker 06 Now, let me play you some of the findings that I found really interesting to hear. This is the New South Wales Deputy Coroner delivering her findings, raising another name that is attached to this case, Glenn Mannion.
14:32 Speaker 05 I have reviewed Mr Mannion's evidence carefully, and I am of the view that there are aspects of Mr Mannion's behaviour immediately after Mark's death that appear somewhat unusual. Mark was one of Mr Mannion's best friends, and yet over the years he appears to have shown a lack of curiosity in relation to the link between Mark's death and his employer's car, the Turrana, which was found close by. He has not engaged with Mark's family, who have for decades searched publicly for answers and information.
15:08 Speaker 05 There is no doubt that Mr. Mannion's possible connection to the car could and should have been more carefully investigated at the time of Mark's death. This flaw in the investigation means that much of the evidence in relation to the possible link comes decades after Mark's death. Mr. Mannion gave evidence voluntarily and was subject to lengthy questioning. His demeanor was reserved and at times he had limited memory about manners one might expect him to remember pertaining as they did to the death of his close friend. He was clearly nervous and uncomfortable as he gave evidence. There may be many reasons for that and I need to be very cautious in using that fact when
15:53 Speaker 05 assessing his demeanor and credibility. Nevertheless, despite his emphatic denials, I remain unconvinced that Mr. Mannion has shared all he knows with this court.
16:05 Speaker 06 Do you think Glenn will ever speak about what he knows? That was obviously the big takeaway from the coroner is that he just ultimately wasn't found to have been as forthcoming as he could have been.
16:19 Speaker 03 I agree with the coroner that there is information that he hasn't shared with the court or the public or the family. And I would hope that one day he is able to talk frankly about it and, you know, at least put one of those missing puzzle pieces in place because I do feel like he has more information than he is talking about and that's confirmed by the coroner. So I think the issue with this case and, you know, it's an uphill battle, 1988, most of the people who were kind of key witnesses at the time are either dead now or really
17:03 Speaker 03 difficult to find or their memories are not what they used to be. There is just no physical evidence, like the car was the main piece of evidence and that was, that's lost to time.
17:16 Speaker 06 Is the car something that you will always think about in the sense that it's, you know, it is really the closest thing that we have to proving that Mark wasn't alone the night that he died. And really, you know, on face value, it seems as though it would have been such a crucial part of that early investigation if it had been done well. But from your perspective, is there something that you will sort of always return to every time you think about this?
17:48 Speaker 03 There are many, many, many, many things that, you know, constantly pop into my head around this case that just nag me or just kind of sit in the back of my mind. I think one of the biggest is, is the car. It's just was, could have been such a crucial part of evidence. I think the lack of interest is what really gets me about all of that. Because here is a boy on the tracks with a, you know, a folded towel or material under his head. And there is a, there is a smashed car nearby. And just the willful ignorance
18:30 Speaker 03 to not connect those dots is just staggering to me. And I just think, you know, the, the fact that it was left out there for, you know, for weeks and then it just disappears is just so infuriating. You know, it was never fingerprinted and a car is such a big thing. Like the, just the, the potential for any clues within that vehicle are huge. So yes, absolutely. Like it sticks with me.
19:03 Speaker 06 Um, from your perspective, where do you see this going next? And do you think that there is any possibility in the future of a resolution and, and an answer?
19:14 Speaker 03 I think with the inquest and the publicity around it and the interest, I think the police are taking much more notice of the case. But I, I, I can't help but feel slightly doubtful to what extent resources maybe will be put into Mark's case. So, you know, part of me. Really wants to believe that this will be given the adequate resources it deserves and it needs. But on the other hand, part of me keeps thinking about the attitude that
19:55 Speaker 03 the police have at all levels when it comes to this case, which is that the prevailing theory here is that, you know, we can't rule out that Mark did this to himself. So even though the coroner has said this is not suicide, the idea that the police might still hold that view is slightly worrying. But look, I trust, I think the New South West Police have come a long way in acknowledging the way they handle these historic cases. And so, look, I think the one thing the family have absolutely is, you know, despite, you know, the lack of support over the years, the kind of the sheer depths of their trauma,
20:39 Speaker 03 they've always maintained a glimmer of hope, that they just keep pushing forward like something will happen. And so that spirit is not going anywhere.
20:53 Speaker 04 Now, thank yous for sticking around. Just now, we have heard the decisions of the coroner in her understanding of the evidence surrounding the death of Mark Anthony Haines, my nephew.
21:07 Speaker 03 Uncle Duck turns 70 this year. He's spent more than half his life searching for what happened to his nephew. Along the way, he's lost his sister, Mark's mum, a son, a daughter, and too many years to grief. But he's still here and he's still standing. Today, Mark is named not as a case number, or statistic, or piece of evidence, but as a life that mattered. Here's what Uncle Duck had to say on the courthouse steps, right after the delivery of the findings.
21:42 Speaker 04 We would like to say, the family would like to say, thanks very much anyway for these later years of these investigations. I dare say, we have a lot of research ourselves we need to do to understand exactly what
21:59 Speaker 07 What the coroner said, but as I, I feel a little bit buoyed by what I have heard her saying. That my, my journey for over thirty-eight and a half years have not been in vain. So what it is saying to me, the circumstances as I and the family have thought, believed, happened to Mark way back then, has been substantiated today.
22:27 Speaker 03 For over thirty-eight years, Uncle Duck and Mark's family have said he did not take his own life.
22:35 Speaker 07 You know, have I been bloody chasing bloody ghosts for all this time? Have me and my family been wrong? No, we were not. And that means to say, as we suspected, other people were there when Mark died. And we would like those people to come forward and please, please explain as it was said. Please explain to us how our boy is not with us anymore.
23:10 Speaker 03 Before the coroner delivered her findings that day, the family were given an opportunity to speak. Years ago, Mark's siblings, Ron and Lorna, made their mum and dad, Josie and Ronald, a promise. That they'd see this through, no matter what, that'd keep fighting for Mark until the truth came home. So here they are, they sit through all of it, every hearing, every day. With a quiet grace, even the coroner comments on.
23:42 Speaker 03 And when the coroner finally finishes, they stand again, walking out into the midday Tamworth sun. Tired, quiet, still together. This is what Lorna wants to say once it's over.
23:57 Speaker 07 We've always known that he never, he didn't commit suicide.
24:05 Speaker 07 And it's true, if he was, if he was white, this case would have been solved from day one. Within twenty-four, forty-eight hours. But because he was black, they didn't care about him.
24:21 Speaker 07 No one cared about my brother. It's not fair.
24:27 Speaker 07 What we went through, what we're still going through, you know.
24:35 Speaker 03 But Lorna won't let Mark's case be all that's left of him. She wants to remember the good times too.
24:42 Speaker 07 We'd go camping, we used to love the football, going to football.
24:49 Speaker 07 Watching his team play.
24:56 Speaker 07 Spending Christmases together, birthdays, special moments.
25:05 Speaker 07 And he knew who his family were.
25:20 Speaker 03 So now Mark's case goes to the Unsolved Homicide Unit. And Deputy State Coroner Harriet Graham leaves them with one recommendation.
25:31 Speaker 05 Recommend consideration at a future date to further DNA testing of the swab from the pink lighter located at the scene in January 1988, taking into account that there are always technological advances in relation to finding DNA.
25:48 Speaker 03 A swab from a pink lighter. The coroner doesn't have an answer, but she's making a bet on the future. The findings don't answer every question, and they were never going to. On Mark's friend Glenn Mannion, the coroner made no finding that he was there that night, and no finding that he wasn't. What the coroner did say is that she remains unconvinced he's told the court everything he knows. Glenn gave evidence at the inquest and denied any knowledge or involvement in Mark's death. What the coroner did find is that the police response in 1988 was not just efficient,
26:33 Speaker 03 it was an institutional failing. And that racism or unconscious bias played a role in how Mark's death was investigated.
26:44 Speaker 03 I've been thinking about what that means. That if Mark was a white kid from the other side of town, someone might have properly examined that car.
26:55 Speaker 03 Someone might have taken the towel found under his head into evidence. Someone might have treated his death as suspicious from the start. Look, I don't know what a proper investigation would have found. That's the thing. That's the hardest thing to sit with.
27:14 Speaker 03 But here is what I do know. Mark Haynes was a seventeen-year-old.
27:20 Speaker 03 He was bubbly and kind and adored by his family and community. He's often remembered for his smile. He had this huge grin. The kind that would light his entire face up. He was a Gomorrah boy from Tamworth, who deserved better than what he got from the police in 1988, from the coroner in 1989, and from a country that took nearly forty years to look properly.
27:50 Speaker 03 It took almost forty years for a court to say what the family knew, that Mark didn't walk out there alone. It shouldn't have taken any of this, and it still doesn't tell them who or how. They haven't got closure, and I'm pretty sure they will never have closure. But finally, they have belief.
28:14 Speaker 04 But he was worth it. Yeah. Yeah. He was worth it.
28:23 Speaker 03 Unravelled Blood on the Tracks is reported and presented by me, Alan Clark. Our producer for this bonus episode is Emma Lancaster. Sound design and additional music by Hamish Kamaliri. Original composer and sound design from Martin Peralta. Special thanks to Max Tillman, James Paris, and Rudy Brammer, and the Haynes, Craigie, and Toomey families. Our executive producers are Tim Roxburgh and Eric George. And the head of audio on demand is Jessica Redburn.
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