The Trial

One of the women who claims she was raped by Russell Brand in 1999 today spoke about what she says happened to her. She said he attacked her in a hotel room after she met him at the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth. She told the jury at Southwark Crown Court that he pulled her onto a bed, pressed himself on top of her, ripped her clothes down and raped her. She said she felt dirty, shocked a...

"Ruthless, calculating, manipulative, a sexual predator." Those are the words used today to describe Russell Brand. As the prosecution opened their case in London, Russell Brand was accused of not caring what state he left his victims in, in his quest to satify his "insatiable desire" to get what he wanted. He's accused of raping and sexually assaulting women over a decade....

It's Day 2 of Russell Brand's trial and the 12 people who will decide his fate have been selected. Russell Brand looked on from the dock as the jury of 8 men and 4 women all swore to try his case according to the evidence. They were told by the judge not to disucss the case outside of the jury, to carry out their own research, or to be swayed by the views of others. And they were warned to...

It’s Day 1. The start of Russell Brand’s trial in London. He’s accused of several counts of rape and sexual assault - which he denies. As things got underway, Russell Brand, wearing a blue suit, an open neck shirt and a cravat, stood in the dock. The first order of business was to select the jury and Caroline and Liz were there. Subscribe via https://plus.thecrimedesk.com Follow us on TikTok @TheC...

A new trial and a new series with Caroline and Liz. This time it’s Russell Brand in the dock facing charges of rape and sexual assault. It’s alleged that over 10 years from 1999 to 2009 he sexually assaulted 6 different women. He has vowed to clear his name, saying he was many things but never a “rapist” and in the coming days and weeks a jury will be asked to decide. We’ll be there every day and...

In this special video episode Caroline and Liz are back to discuss Lucy Letby - focusing on the facts and context of the case. Joining them in the studio is Press Association Reporter, Kim Pilling, who covered every day of the trial and believes more balance is needed in the ongoing conversations. They discuss how cherry-picking certain elements of the case, while omitting key information, has cre...

In October 2021, David Parfett tragically found his son, Tom, dead in a hotel room in Surrey. Tom was just 22 years old. David was determined to find the truth behind his son’s death. He followed Tom’s digital footprint and made a shocking discovery. A man called Kenneth Law had set up an online company to exploit vulnerable people suffering from mental illness. He helped them take their own lives...

Can new government measures really improve the experience of rape victims in the criminal justice system? With thousands of rape and sexual assault cases waiting to reach court, ministers are promising dedicated courtrooms, fixed trial dates and more support for victims. In this episode, Liz speaks to senior barrister Mary Prior KC about whether the proposals can make a meaningful difference. Mary...

We now know for certain, babies should not have died at the Countess of Chester Hospital. In her scathing report into the failings which allowed Lucy Letby to harm babies for months, Lady Justice Thirlwall said three babies should not have died and seven more should not have been harmed. In her scathing report she condemned a fundamental lack of understanding of basic safeguarding regulations, a “...

Could Lucy Letby have been stopped sooner? Could babies have been saved? Was there an orchestrated hospital cover up? Were parents consistently lied to? Did a toxic hospital culture allow a serial killer to remain undetected for months?  Today Lady Justice Thirlwall is likely to answer these questions and more when she publishes her long-awaited report into the failings at the Countess of Che...

Today on the podcast Caroline and Ryan have the extraordinary allegations against a Church of England Priest, who ran what's been called a "cult" service to abuse his female "disciples". Chris Brain admits having sexual relations with worshippers at the infamous Nine O'Clock Service in Sheffield in the 1980s and 1990s, but he's now accused of criminal offences. The allegation is the women he targe...

Does the law need to change in order to better protect jurors? That is what the House of Lords is now considering. Long-established laws means members of a jury are not allowed to discuss a case with anyone during a trial. And even after a trial is finished, what they can say about what they have seen and heard is limited. But it's now recognised that the evidence in many cases is traumatising and...

60-year-old Christopher Phillips kept his mother’s body in a freezer for almost three years, talking to her about her favourite television programmes and holding her hand as if she were still alive. A court heard that he was suffering from a little-known mental health condition called Prolonged Grief Disorder. But he also kept collecting her pension money - and he's now been sent to prison. ...

In this episode Liz speaks to Ellen Roome, the mum who has spent the past four years fighting for answers about the tragic death of her 14-year-old son Jools. After an inquest that lasted just 23 minutes and failed to properly examine his phone or social media activity, Ellen has now succeeded in getting the original verdict quashed by the High Court and a new inquest opened.  Ellen tells Liz...

Simon Levy will never be released from prison. A judge today decided his crimes against three women were so horrific, so depraved, that he should spend the rest of his life behind bars. In this episode, Liz and Nick have all the details from an emotional day at the Old Bailey, including the words of Sheryl Wilkins’ mum Mary and sister Lindsay, and Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo’s daughter Nazly. They...

In this episode Emeritus Professor of Criminology David Wilson tells Caroline that Simon Levy was a textbook sexual predator who should have never slipped through the net. He says the way Levy was attacking women on the tube always had the potential to escalate to rape and to murder and until all men are more willing to stand up and call out predatory behaviour, the danger men like Simon Levy pose...

Simon Levy has just been convicted of murdering two women and of raping a third. After hearing six weeks of evidence the jury at the Old Bailey decided his crimes did escalate, from serial sexual assault in public places to rape and murder. But we can know now he should and could have been stopped sooner. In this episode Caroline and Nick have all the details from the case including the catas...

In this episode Caroline and Nick have the final stages of this trial before the jury start to consider their verdicts. It’s the last opportunity for the barristers to persuade the jury of their arguments. On behalf of Simon Levy, the jury were told no crimes took place, the first alleged victim was not raped and the two dead women were not murdered - they died from drug use. Conversely the prosec...

In this episode Caroline and Nick bring you the latest from the Old Bailey as the jury hear the final closing speech from the prosecution before they retire to consider their verdicts. Prosecutor Tom Little KC described Simon Levy as a "bare-faced liar", telling the jury his decision not to give evidence was an attempt to hide the truth about what happened to the three women at the centre of the c...

In this episode Caroline and Nick have the start of the defence case - and the news that Simon Levy will not be giving evidence. His barrister Siobhan Grey KC told the judge he would not be going into the witness box to face questions but she said again he did not harm any of the woman at the centre of this case. She said no crimes were committed. Today we also have the latest from Hull Crown...

In this update episode Caroline and Nick have the details of what was found when police searched the home of Simon Levy after he was arrested. There were thousands of newspaper cuttings relating to serious and violent crimes, and an interest in convicted criminals including Jeffrey Epstein and Lucy Letby. On his computer there were over 160,000 items including Youtube videos of Andrew Tate, search...

In this episode Caroline and Nick bring you the details on Simon Levy’s previous convictions for sexual assaults on women, after the jury were told of 10 attacks that he carried out on London’s transport network between October 2023 and May 2025. These included when he attacked two women in the same incident on the tube and a sexual assault on a member of staff inside a prison. Plus, we also descr...

In this episode Caroline and Nick have the evidence from the pathologist who found around 80 injuries on the body of one of the alleged victims of Simon Levy. He said 60 of the injuries on the body of Sheryl Wilkins were caused at the time she died. And when a further examination of her body was carried out a fractured bone was found in her throat. The doctor said what he found “strongly suggested...

In this episode Caroline and Nick have the evidence of several expert witnesses in the case. One told the jury that victims of strangulation do not always have bruises on their neck, and another said he could not confirm the exact reason Carmenza Valencia Trujillo died. He said he could not rule out that she had been strangled but he also couldn’t be sure her death was not drug related. We also an...

In this update episode, Caroline and Nick talk us through the CCTV footage that was shown in court of the last moments of Sheryl Wilkins life. It shows Sheryl being followed by Simon Levy with his hood up, him approaching her and then the two of them disappearing into the B&M carpark in Tottenham for almost 50 minutes, after which only Simon Levy is seen leaving the scene. Sherly’s body was fo...