Lucy Letby – The Dangers of the Untouchable
Over the next days we will be reading extensively about the life and crime of Lucy Letby – some will be powerful and insightful, other pieces full of unhelpful speculation and barbed digs looking to place blame. I haven’t been following the trial as closely as some, but to me this case highlights the dangers […]
A Shocking Miscarriage of Justice
It doesn’t get much more shocking than this. For those people who still think the death penalty should be re-introduced, how do they feel when they look at the recent news about Andy Malkinson. After 20 years of insisting he was not guilty, 17 of those wasted in prison, finally Andy Malkinson’s conviction for rape […]
The Cult of Celebrity
We are a strange lot, the British. We recently saw our papers filled with what passes for news about Philip Schofield and, more recently, it has been Huw Edwards in the spotlight. I suppose with their track record we shouldn’t be surprised how The Sun newspaper handled the story – like some terrible crime had […]
A Matter of Respect
There are thousands of articles about the uneasy relationship between true crime creators and the families of victims. The conclusions all vary, usually depending on the standpoint of the author, but I don’t think we can escape the fact that when we create true crime content there is always an element of entertainment. Let’s be […]
Law Enforcement is a Team Game?
Some ex-sportspeople amaze me with their insight – Michael Johnson from the world of athletics is a great example. He listens to others too, really listens. However, not all have this ability. The worst for me is when the particularly dreary ex-professional footballers who are now very average pundits insist that only those who have […]
The Murder of Eddie Cotogno
63-year-old Eddie Cotogno was found battered to death in the workshop attic of the top floor flat where he lived alone in Dumbarton, north-west of Glasgow in July 1979. He suffered a terribly violent death, with his head being caved in by blunt force trauma from a murder weapon likely to have been a hammer […]
Make Hay When The Sun Shines
Do you recall at school/college/university when you could never quite relax on a Sunday as there was always some work that you should be finishing? Yes, me too…. It is the same when you host a weekly true crime podcast. There is always a script to be finishing, research to do and of course another […]
True Crime Podcasts are Changing
During the last few weeks, a number of popular true crime podcasts have decided to stop their shows. In the UK, the excellent Blood Ties and Scotland Yard Confidential have both made their last recording, which is, I think, a real shame, There are many others who have stopped making true crime podcasts since the […]
Please No More Prisons
My view on prison is pretty simple. The prison system is broken and we need to stop sending so many people there. Only when we accept this is the right way to go forward can we start to really reduce crime as we can then focus our time and resources much more on the causes […]
The Moment of Truth
We all lie to ourselves daily as we struggle to make sense of our lives. But there are some moments when we can lie no longer and that is never more true than when the Magistrate or Jury announce your guilt and you are told that the most precious thing – your freedom – is […]