In the second episode of The Reporter, acclaimed WA journalist Gary Adshead delves deep into a story that saw him exploring the deep, dark underworld of criminality.

For Adshead, walking his dog one Sunday resulted in a tip-off about the identity of a severed head, wrapped in a plastic bag, that washed up on the sandy shores of Rottnest Island. It was a man named Stephen Raymond Cookson – and he was such a nasty piece of work that no one missed him.

Press PLAY to hear the full story behind the Head in the Bag

Episode two of The Reporter: True Stories looks at the strange Cookson case and is available now from WAtoday.com.au and wherever you get your podcasts, as is episode one on the rescue of Tony Bullimore.

Watch below to see the trailer for the first episode of The Reporter