Sinister South

In the summer of 2020, the quiet suburb of Mitcham was shaken by an unthinkable tragedy. Five-year-old Sayagi Sivanantham was found critically injured in her family’s flat, and what followed would unravel into a story that forced a difficult national reckoning. In this episode, we explore the human story behind the headlines – one of a vibrant little girl, a community in shock, and the quiet crisi...

This week, we’re off to Twickenham (yes, it is in South London—Han’s learning geography as we go), where a wealthy widow was found brutally stabbed and partially burned in her own home in 1936. Laura Mordaunt Chapman lived a quiet, reclusive life—until Albert Hadfield, a local sweetshop owner with a shady past and a bicycle, wormed his way in. With 47 stab wounds, no signs of a break-in, and a sta...

In the early 1990s, South London was a hotspot for gangland violence, with organised crime families like the Arifs and Brindells locked in a deadly power struggle. In this episode, we explore the interconnected murders of Arma Abdullah, David Brindell, and Stanley Silk – killings that reveal a chilling web of retribution, turf wars, and community silence. From a targeted hit in a Woolworth betting...

She travelled to London with dreams of adventure, language, and independence,  but instead, 21-year-old Sophie Lionnet found herself trapped in a house of delusion and cruelty.  In this episode, we uncover the disturbing murder of a young French au pair at the hands of a South London couple who convinced themselves she was a spy sent by a former boyband star. With twisted obsession, manipulation,...

In August 2012, 76-year-old Elizabeth Coriat was found dead in her Forest Hill flat. She had been killed – and decapitated – by her own son, Daniel. He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, known to mental health services, and had made disturbing statements about Elizabeth long before her death. Despite this, he was discharged and deemed low risk. No safeguarding. No crisis intervention. No s...

It’s Hannah’s birthday 🎉 and in true Sinister South fashion, we’re celebrating with one of the most devastating public transport disasters in British history. This week, we’re in Croydon. In 2016, a packed tram derailed at high speed on a tight curve at Sandilands. Seven people lost their lives. Dozens more were injured. But behind the headlines was a tangled mess of missed warnings, ignored safe...

They didn’t need getaway cars or sawn-off shotguns just a killer wardrobe and a razor-sharp plan. In this episode, we dive into the world of the Forty Elephants an all-women crime syndicate that ruled the streets and department stores of London from the late 1800s well into the 20th century. Based in the Elephant and Castle, these women weren’t just shoplifters they were organised, ruthless, and d...

For 17 years, someone was targeting elderly people across South London, slipping into their homes in the dead of night. Behind the mask was Delroy Grant, a man living a quiet life in Lewisham, known to neighbours as a family man and carer. But the reality was far darker. In this episode, we explore the long investigation to uncover the truth, the mistakes that let him walk free for so long, and th...

This week, we start with a much-needed debrief on brain fog, Expo madness, and why Rachel may or may not be developing narcolepsy (spoiler: she’s not, but Hannah’s definitely worried).  Tai O’Donnell was just 19. A music student with plans, talent, and a mum who adored him. In March 2021, Tai was murdered by his ex-girlfriend, Kamila Ahmad, in his flat in Croydon. She stabbed him in the leg, sever...

This week, Rach takes us on a wild romp through Victorian south London with the mysterious death of Charles Bravo – a seemingly respectable barrister who died in agony from antimony poisoning in his plush home near Tooting Bec Common. Was it suicide? A medical accident? Or did someone in the house have very good reason to want him gone? We unpack the tangled mess of coercive control, scandalous af...

 When 78-year-old Richard Osborn-Brooks awoke to find two intruders in his South London home, he made a split-second decision that would change his life forever. One burglar fled. The other, Henry Vincent, was fatally stabbed. But what followed was almost as shocking—the pensioner’s arrest, a furious public debate over self-defence laws, and a tense standoff between Vincent’s grieving family and t...

Right, before we get into this one, a quick heads-up - tech issues. The recording gods were not on our side, and there are a few little glitches in this episode. We’ve done what we can to tidy them up, but if you notice any weird jumps or crackles, just know we’re as annoyed as you are. Bear with us, we promise it’s worth it. Johanita Dogbey was just walking home when she was attacked in broad day...

On a warm August night in 2016, Oliver Dearlove was out with friends in Blackheath, South London, when a casual conversation with a stranger turned into an unthinkable tragedy. A single, unprovoked punch from a man he'd never met ended his life within seconds, shattering the world of those who loved him. In this episode, we discuss Oliver’s life, the dangers of one-punch attacks, and the deva...

Episode 7! South London, summer of '86. It's boiling, windows are open, and an unseen predator is creeping inside. One by one, elderly residents are found dead in their beds, strangled, their homes disturbed but not ransacked. The press dub him 'The Stockwell Strangler', and fear grips the city.  Who was Kenneth Erskine, and what drove him to prey on the most vulnerable? Han ta...

Season 2 episode 6! A flawless diamond, a gang of 'old school' crooks, and a JCB digger smashing through the Millennium Dome in Greenwich - what could possibly go wrong?  In this episode, Rach takes us inside one of the most audacious (and utterly disastrous) heist attempts in British history - the 2000 Millennium Dome raid. A gang of career criminals set their sights on the Millennium S...

This episode is one of the most heart breaking and complex cases we've ever covered—the tragedy of the Clarence children. In 2014, Tania Clarence, a devoted mother caring for three severely disabled children, reached an unimaginable breaking point. What led to this tragedy? How did a mother, battling exhaustion and isolation, fall through the cracks of a failing system? And what lessons can b...

Trevors Episode 4 of Season 2 is here!  In this episode, Rach tells us the story of the baffling case of Noel and Marie Brown, a father and daughter found murdered in Deptford, South London, under circumstances that seem more suited to a crime thriller than real life. Was Noel targeted because of his past? Was it a grudge, a gambling win gone wrong, or something else entirely? And how did Marie, a...

This week, we delve into the life and baffling death of Christopher Marlowe, Elizabethan playwright, suspected spy, and Deptford's most controversial tavern guest. From his ground-breaking plays like Dr Faustus to the rumoured espionage and heretical whispers that surrounded his life, Marlowe was nothing if not intriguing. But was his death really just an overreaction to splitting the bill (o...

Episode 2! After some debate over whether Hannah is secretly joining a Juice Plus cult, we're diving into a case that's as shocking as it is heartbreaking: The Lambeth Slavery Case. This week, we're unravelling the story of Aravindan Balakrishnan - better known as "Comrade Bala" and his radical Maoist cult that turned into a house of manipulation and mind control in Brixto...

We’re back, Trevors! It’s Season 2, and Hannah is kicking things off with a massive case that shaped South London’s history—the tragic story of Damilola Taylor. But before we get into the heartbreak, we’re catching up on New Year’s resolutions, caravans in Devon, and the questionable merits of sharing shoe shopping tips with cab drivers. Then, we dive deep into the case that shocked the nation: Da...

Well Trevors... we've made it to the end of season 1, and so just for you, we've done a "selection box" of murder from South London. Turns out, we have ZERO CHILL when it comes to festive crime, and while we thought we'd find a couple of tales about santa claus robbing a shopping centre etc... we just found more death and destruction!  So get cosy with your mulled wine, an...

Episode 31, and this week we're looking into the callous murder of Sarah Mayhew. This case is a really recent one, with the perpetrators not having been sentenced yet so expect some updates in the future! Listen as Hannah walks us through the details of the case as we understand them, and help us untangle the concept of how in a "killer couple" the woman always seems to be seen as l...

Episode 30 is here!  This week, we’re taking a deep dive into some of South London’s most tragic stories tied to mental health care—and let’s just say, it’s a bit of a rollercoaster. We talk about the harrowing murders of Ilona Czuper in Mitcham, Eileen Dean in Catford, Maureen Watkins in Peckham and Florise Corette in Brockley.  From heart breaking failings to moments that make you question how t...

This week, we unravel the devastating case of Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman, two sisters whose lives were tragically stolen during what should have been a beautiful celebration. From their bond as sisters to the horrific failures that compounded their family’s grief, we explore it all—including a killer’s unhinged “demonic pact” and the unforgivable actions of certain officers who were supposed...

Episode 28 Trevors!! In this episode, Rach (yes we know, it should be Han, but life got busy) dives into the harrowing case of Harriet Staunton, a wealthy South London woman subjected to unimaginable cruelty at the hands of her husband and his accomplices. From the chilling neglect she endured to the courtroom spectacle that shocked Victorian England, this story will leave you feeling icky... But...