UK True Crime Podcast

Martine Vik Magnussen was a 23-year-old Norwegian student living in London, with a bright future ahead of her. After a night out with friends, Martine disappeared. What followed would become one of London's most high-profile murder investigations, involving a suspect who fled the country and a family who have spent years searching for answers. This is the story of Martine, the investigation into h...

Mary Gregory was a much-loved grandmother who was living independently in her home in the north-west of England when tragedy struck. Initially, her death was believed to have been a terrible accident, but a year later, information came to light which would completely change the understanding of what had happened. This is the story of the investigation that followed, the disturbing evidence uncover...

Welcome to the final episode - for now, anyway - of this special four-part series of the UK True Crime Podcast, where I explore the life and death of 19-year-old Ed Cornes. Today, we look at the inquest into Ed’s death, the Met Police referring themselves to the IOPC over their handling of the investigation, and I ask the question: where are we today? If you have missed the other three episodes, 1...

The murder of Sadie Hartley is a shocking story of jealousy, obsession and a carefully planned killing. Sadie was a successful businesswoman from Lancashire who was attacked and murdered on her own doorstep. What followed was a complex investigation which uncovered a plot that had been developing for months. This episode looks at Sadie's life, the events that led to her murder, the investigation t...

Lawrence Haggart had everything to look forward to. A gifted teenage footballer who had already signed for Celtic and represented Scotland at youth level, Lawrence appeared destined for a bright future in the game he loved. But after an ordinary evening out with friends, his life was brought to a devastating end in a brutal attack that left his family and community searching for answers. In this e...

Stephen Port was a serial killer who murdered four men in Barking, East London, between 2014 and 2015. In this episode, I examine the failings in the police investigation into Stephen Port and ask whether the Metropolitan Police repeated some of the same mistakes in their handling of Ed Cornes' death. It's a thought-provoking episode that raises important questions about policing, accountability,...

Margaret Fleming was a vulnerable young woman who disappeared from the lives of almost everyone who knew her. For years, questions about her whereabouts went unanswered, until an investigation uncovered a web of deception that would become one of Scotland's most disturbing criminal cases. In this episode, I examine Margaret's life, the circumstances that led to her disappearance, and how the truth...

What happens when a controversial surgeon arrives on one of the world’s most remote islands? St Helena, a tiny British territory in the South Atlantic, is famous for Napoleon’s exile and for Jonathan the tortoise, the world’s oldest living land animal. Journalist Luke Jones, who you might remember from The Pitcairn Trials, is back investigating another shocking scandal. He travelled to St Helena t...

For years, Ian Paterson was regarded as one of Britain's leading breast surgeons. Patients placed their trust in him at some of the most frightening moments of their lives, believing they were receiving the best possible care. Instead, many underwent unnecessary or inappropriate operations that left them with lasting physical and psychological consequences. As concerns mounted, one of the biggest...

Today, I speak to Ed's mum, Miriam, and his best friend, Sam, about the person Ed Cornes really was, the devastating impact of his death, the police investigation, and what happens next. The conversations are honest, emotional and, at times, deeply shocking. Welcome to part two of this special four-part series of the UK True Crime Podcast, where I explore the life and death of 19-year-old Ed Corne...

In the Somerset village of Martock, 16-year-old Gemma Clarke disappeared after finishing a shift at her local pub. Home was only a short walk away, but she never arrived. In this episode, I examine the investigation into Gemma's murder, how detectives identified the man responsible, and the lasting impact her death had on her family and the people who knew her. Support me at Patreon: https://www.p...

To mark today, the 40th anniversary of Suzy Lamplugh's disappearance, last week I sat down last week to chat with former Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Mike Barley. Mike was one of the first officers involved in the investigation, helping to establish the original incident room at Fulham Police Station within hours of Suzy being reported missing. He remained closely involved with th...

Forty years ago today, estate agent Suzy Lamplugh disappeared after leaving her office in Fulham to meet a client known only as 'Mr Kipper'. She has never been seen again. In this special anniversary episode, I revisit one of Britain's most enduring mysteries, examining Suzy's life, the investigation, the suspects, and where the case is at four decades later. In a second episode also released toda...

Welcome to this special four-part series of the UK True Crime Podcast, where I explore the life and death of 19-year-old Ed Cornes. Ed had only just begun the next exciting chapter of his life when, in October 2021, he arrived at University College London with ambitions of becoming a barrister. But less than 48 hours later, those ambitions were cut tragically short when paramedics were called to a...

Welcome to this special four-part series of the UK True Crime Podcast, where I explore the life and death of 19-year-old Ed Cornes. Ed had only just begun the next exciting chapter of his life when, in October 2021, he arrived at University College London with ambitions of becoming a barrister. But less than 48 hours later, those ambitions were cut tragically short when paramedics were called to a...

You will probably remember Daniel Khalife for his extraordinary escape from HMP Wandsworth. But his story started long before that. In this episode, I look at how a young British Army soldier became caught up in a world of espionage, the events that led to his arrest, and the remarkable prison escape that made headlines around the world. It's a story of ambition, deception and some surprisingly ol...

Maria Toomey was just weeks away from giving birth when she vanished. When police finally found Maria, they uncovered a quite dreadful scene that shocked even experienced detectives. This is a heartbreaking story from Hull of a life, and a future, stolen by an act of unimaginable violence. Please join me for the next episode of the UK True Crime Podcast on Friday - two episodes a week, every Tuesd...

We all trust our doctors, don't we? In many ways, we have little choice. We rely on them to diagnose illness, offer advice and make decisions that can have a profound impact on our lives. But in today's episode of the UK True Crime podcast, I look at the extraordinary story of a doctor who wasn't at all what she seemed. For more than two decades, she practised medicine in the UK despite not being...

Can you imagine anything much more scary than when a family car plunges into the freezing waters of the Bridgewater Canal, leaving those inside fighting for their lives? At first, it appeared to be a tragic accident - but as investigators began to look more closely, disturbing questions emerges. This episode is a case of family, deception and a series of shocking revelations that would leave detec...

What goes on inside the mind of a killer? In this special episode, I'm joined by top forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes, who has spent her career assessing and treating some of the UK's most dangerous offenders. We talk about dangerous criminals, manipulation, violent crime, and what she's learned from sitting face-to-face with people most of us hope never to meet. It's a fascinating conversation...

Melissa Reid and Michaella McCollum became known around the world as the "Peru Two" after they were caught trying to smuggle 11 kilograms of cocaine out of Peru. They said they had been drawn into the operation by an organised crime gang and felt they couldn't back out, while others argued they had knowingly taken a huge risk in return for money. Their arrest made headlines across the globe and sp...

"Is it fair that a young lady who dresses to attract, the queen bee attracting the drones, the queen bee that dresses to kill... cries out foul because somebody finds her attractive?" Shockingly, those were the words of the defence barrister during the trial. Understandably, this sparked widespread outrage at the time and remains one of the most extraordinary examples of victim blaming in a Britis...

Scott Gilhooly was a well-known and popular landlord in Essex who lost his life after trying to help someone in need. His kindness was repaid with an act of shocking violence that left his family, friends and the local community devastated. In this episode, I examine the events that led to Scott's murder, the police investigation, the trial and the heartbreaking victim impact statements that showe...

Elizabeth Simms-Rees was a kind and trusting young woman whose life was brutally cut short at just 21 by someone she considered a friend. The man responsible, Richard Cullen, had a long history of violence and a disturbing obsession with the occult and devil worship. In this episode, I examine the events leading up to one of Swansea's most shocking murders, the investigation that followed, and the...

Scott Pritchard was just 19 years old when he was brutally attacked only yards from his family home in Sunderland. The football-mad teenager, who was recovering from a broken foot and relying on crutches, was especially vulnerable when he was ambushed and fatally struck with a blunt object. For years, his murder remained one of the North East's most enduring unsolved cases. His family suffered uni...