Court in the Act: Police targeted Adam Vidot in ‘Mr Big’ sting to elicit confession of Rachel Michael’s murder

The killer of a Fremantle woman — who was snared by the same undercover police sting that finally found the man who murdered Daniel Morcombe — will stay behind bars after his parole was refused.

Adam Christian Vidot was convicted of the manslaughter of Rachel Michael in 2018 after undercover WA Police detectives targeted him with a ‘Mr Big’ scenario.

That involves covert officers posing as criminals to befriend a suspect and then convince them to become part of their gang — but only after they tell them the whole truth about any past crimes that could come back to haunt them.

The sting, first developed by Canadian police in the 60s, was successfully used to finally snare Brett Cowan for the murder of the nine-year-old Queensland boy.

And years later, WA Police employed the same tactics against Vidot — who eventually told his ‘Mr Big’ he had stabbed Ms Michael in her flat before leaving her for dead.

Her body was only discovered a month after her murder.

In this week’s episode of The West Australian podcast Court in the Act, crime guru Shannon Hampton joins Legal Affairs Editor Tim Clarke to discuss the case — and how The West was able to convince WA’s Supreme Court to reveal some of the secrets of the operation.

During the sentencing hearing, Justice Michael Corboy reserved special praise for the efforts of WA Police.

“In the circumstances, the police are to be commended for undertaking the covert operation that resulted in your confession to Carl,” he said.

“You would not have been charged with and convicted of unlawfully killing Ms Michael but for that operation. The operation was conducted with extraordinary dedication and professionalism by the covert officers.

“It was, no doubt, time-consuming in its implementation and required considerable police resources over a period of approximately three months.

“The community is always shocked by and mourns the loss of every life that is taken by a violent criminal act, regardless of the identity and personal circumstances of the victim.

“The community should be reassured by the willingness of the police to devote whatever resources were required to prove that you were the person who killed Ms Michael.”

And it can also be revealed that Vidot’s parole was considered by the Prisoner Review Board earlier this year.

“Mr Vidot was reviewed by the Board in mid-September 2023 and was denied release to parole,” a spokesperson told The West Australian.