Tara Brown is seen here with her husband, John McAvoy. (Getty)
Tara Brown, a reporter for 60 Minutes Australia, has been arrested in connection with a botched child recovery operation. Brown has been reporting on the internationally-known and heartbreaking custody dispute between Sally Faulkner, of Australia, and her ex-husband, Ali El Emine, of Lebanon. While Faulkner legally has custody of the children, officials in Lebanon have refused to help get them back to her.
In a desperate attempt to have the children back in her custody, Faulkner sought the aid of Child Abduction Recovery International (CARI). Brown, along with three other crew members of 60 Minutes, traveled to Lebanon to film and report on the operation. While the station may have thought the operation was legal because of CARI’s involvement, Lebanese officials have accused 60 Minutes of paying to help with the recovery, and have charged the whole crew with kidnapping. Despite Emine’s decision against pressing charges, they face at least three years in jail.
Brown is the mother of two young sons and the wife of a successful Australian TV producer, John McAvoy. Despite the long hours and being away from home, the anchor loves her career and the traveling that goes with it. She has been reporting with Channel Nine since 1992, and has worked as an anchor for the station’s hit show, 60 Minutes, since 2001.
Here’s what you need to know now:
1. She is Being Detained in Lebanon With Other ’60 Minutes’ Crew Members Over a Botched Child Recovery Operation & Faces 3 Years in Jail
Tara Brown and three other 60 Minutes crew members have been detained in Lebanon following their connection to the botched child recovery operation in which Sally Faulkner was desperately trying to get her children back from their father, Ali El Emine, in Lebanon, and home to Australia. Over the last two years the couple has been embroiled in a bitter custody dispute over their two young children. Emine asked Faulkner to take the children out of Australia for a holiday vacation to Lebanon with him. Faulkner agreed, never realizing her ex-husband had a plan to keep them in Lebanon for good.
Brown has been reporting on the case for Channel Nine’s 60 Minutes Australia, and the station has gotten quite involved. Lebanese authorities reported that the station paid $115,000 to aid in the abduction of Faulkner’s two children off of a street in Beirut. The 60 Minutes crew, including Brown, were filming the recovery process, which was led by members of Child Abduction Recovery International (CARI) on April 6. They were detained the next day and face at least three years in jail.
2. She Hasn’t Spoken to Her Father in Nearly 40 Years & Has No Idea if He’s Alive
[#Latestnews] 60 Minutes’ Tara Brown hasn’t spoke to father for almost 40 years: She’s one Australia’s most re… http://t.co/qBsLdMtJQz
Brown, 48, was born and raised in Australia, along with two younger brothers. Her parents raised the family together until Brown was nine, and that’s when life changed forever. Her father left abruptly and it was his choice, she reported to Australian Women’s Weekly. The mother of two told the magazine:
I will never understand how a parent can choose to have nothing to do with their children, especially after having my own, but it’s a decision my father made and so I’ve always felt it should be his choice to be in touch with me if he ever had a change of heart.
3. She Is the Wife of a TV Producer & Mother of Two Sons
(Facebook)
Brown and her husband of over 15 years, John McAvoy, are the parents of two young sons under the age of eight. McAvoy is a TV producer of several hit Australian TV shows, including The Croc Catchers, Territory Cops, and Meet the Frockers.
Brown told Australian Women’s Weekly that her job as a reporter for 60 minutes requires her to be on the road at least six months out of the year. Her family makes it known to her that they don’t like her being away for long.
They can be quite vocal about not liking the idea … and sometimes that’s really difficult to walk away from, but sometimes they don’t raise an eyebrow at all. I bribe them with presents – I’m terrible…I’m sad to be saying goodbye to my boys and missing things that are important to them, but I’d be dishonest if I said I hated the travel. I don’t. I’m still excited by the adventure of this job.
4. She Has Worked With the ‘Nine Network’ for Nearly 24 Years
Tara Brown and 60 Minutes TV crew to go before a judge in Beirut t.co/WOUvdlYXKC
Brown received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication from Charles Sturt University in 1989, before landing a job as assistant to the chief-of-staff at Channel Seven’s Sydney newsroom, according to her biography. She then moved to WIN Television, where she completed a cadetship in journalism in 1991.
Brown officially joined the Nine Network in June 1992. Before becoming an anchor for 60 Minutes, she reported for Australia’s A Current Affair and TODAY. She has been a reporter for 60 Minutes since January 2001.
5. Australian Consulate Officials Are Working on Her Safe Return Home
Australian consulate officials continue to work for the safe return of the @60Mins crew: t.co/2brHezvbpO #9News
The Nine Network is working hard to get Brown and the other 60 Minutes crew members safely back home to Australia. The company stated, “We are working with authorities to get them released and home as soon as possible.”
According to abc.net.au, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) stated that officials at the Australian embassy in Beirut were aiding Faulkner and the 60 Minutes crew. The spokesperson stated that, “DFAT is in close contact with Channel 9 about the detention of an Australian TV crew in Lebanon. Officials of the Australian embassy in Beirut are continuing to visit the Australians in detention to confirm their welfare and are providing consular assistance.”