They Walk Among Us - UK True Crime

For centuries a church has been seen as a place of refuge and sanctuary for some in desperate need of help and shelter. Many people who are down on their luck or require support go to their place of worship for guidance. They often hold the clergy in high regard, a group they entrust with their troubles and confessions. In 2006, a discovery in a Glasgow church demonstrated how evil...

In rural Kent, the chances of being a victim of violent crime are minimal. The chances of using fatal force to defend yourself are even more unlikely, and having to do it twice seems unbelievable. For over twenty years, one man from Kent appeared to be connected to a significant amount of criminal activity in the area, including the biggest gold heist in history and at least two deaths…&...

PLEASE LISTEN TO ‘SEASON 7 - EPISODES 53 & 54’ FOR PARTS ONE AND TWO OF THIS THREE-PART CASE. At the start of 2003, three men were to stand trial for the murder of Arlene Fraser — her estranged husband, Nat Fraser, along with Nat’s friends, Hector Dick and Glenn Lucas. Arlene’s body had not been found, nor had any forensic evidence to show she had been harmed on the day of her disappearan...

PLEASE LISTEN TO ‘SEASON 7 - EPISODE 53’ FOR PART ONE OF THIS THREE-PART CASE. Arlene Fraser had mysteriously disappeared from her home in New Elgin without a trace, three and a half months prior to her daughter's 6th birthday. The occasion — on August 5th 1998 — marked the 100th day since Arlene had been missing. While a scaled-down investigation was still ongoing, the Grampian Police w...

Arlene Fraser was at home in the Scottish suburb of New Elgin, one night in early April 1998. From her living room, she noticed something flickering in the darkness outside. Curiosity got the better of her, and Arlene glanced out of the window to see that her car was engulfed in flames. The fire service was alerted, and the blaze was extinguished. The cause was attributed to a mechanical...

In modern-day investigations, fingerprints are some of the most valuable clues in identifying a suspect. Automated fingerprint identification systems have reduced the time it takes to compare prints from hundreds of hours to a matter of minutes. Before the revolutionary introduction of automated analysis, investigators had to manually compare prints from a crime scene in order to exclude...

PLEASE LISTEN TO ‘SEASON 7 - EPISODE 50’ FOR PART ONE OF THIS TWO-PART CASE. A young woman had been brutally murdered, and her body was found a short distance from her home. It appeared to be an open and shut case when a man admitted the crime. However, it soon became clear there was a problem with his conviction. Had the wrong person been punished for the murder of Patricia Curran?...

Patricia had taken the bus from Belfast to Whiteabbey, where her family’s sprawling mansion, Glen House, stood at the top of a winding, tree-lined lane. It was a journey Patricia made numerous times before, but she always called ahead for an escort to guide her up the dark driveway. This particular evening, something was different. Patricia never made that call, and she never made it home. Her dis...

Wath upon Dearne near Rotherham was a once popular mining area. Throughout the 19th and early-20th centuries, the demand for coal rose exponentially. As a result, many miners settled in the small South Yorkshire town. They spent most of their lives carrying out the physically intense and life-threatening occupation that powered homes and businesses across Britain. When retirement came, t...

It was a cold and frosty morning in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, on Friday, February 15th, 2019. Children across the country woke up excited because it was the last day of school before half term. For 19-year-old Leah Croucher, it was a day like any other. She got out of bed, got dressed and set off for work. Leah usually made the short journey on foot, but as 9 AM came and went, she never...

Helmsley is a small market town within the North York Moors National Park. The VisitHelmsley website describes it as “the perfect base for enjoying the wider area”. Helmsley has numerous attractions, including a nature reserve, an art gallery, abbey ruins, and a market square boasting a range of shops and excellent restaurants. Named Britain's Best Market Town in 2015 by the Great B...

In some religions and communities, great weight is placed on the family and its so-called collective honour. Name and reputation can overshadow everything else, and a specific code of honour must be followed. Sometimes, when perceived shame has been brought upon a family, the alleged wrongdoer is forced to pay the ultimate price… *** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED ***     This epi...

Torrential rainfall had caused flash floods along the coastal Cliff Road in Salcombe, South Devon. Once there was a break in the clouds on that remarkably wet summer day, holiday goers seized the opportunity to make the most of their vacation. It was around 5 PM on Sunday, June 27th, 2021, when Charlotte Rollings and her family left the beach, and returned to the cottage where they were...

The dark web is part of the internet that is not indexed by search engines. It’s rife with criminal activity, from drug sales all the way to targeted attacks. In August 2022, a man was browsing the dark web when he came across a website claiming to provide hitmen for a fee. Curiosity got the better of him, and as he scanned through the forum, one post piqued his interest; a request seemingly from...

PLEASE LISTEN TO ‘SEASON 7 - EPISODE 43’ FOR PART ONE OF THIS TWO-PART CASE. Investigators from numerous police forces across the Midlands had been searching for a connection between the unsolved murders of sex workers in the 1990s. After exhausting all resources, a cold case review was held in 1998 in an effort to identify the killer of Samo Paull and Tracy Turner. DNA obtained during T...

In February 2023, a man was convicted of sexually abusing a child during the 1980s. Aside from the harrowing details presented to the jury at Nottingham Crown Court, some information was kept from them. Jurors were unaware the defendant was already serving a life sentence or that he was suspected of being one of the worst serial killers in British history... (Part 1 of 2). *** LISTENER CAUTIO...

On the evening of Saturday, June 9th, pubs across the country were filled to the brim. It was the second day of the 2012 European football championship. Groups of friends jostled to find seats in front of the television screens in the pubs throughout Bedfordshire, to watch the matches; The Netherlands versus Denmark and Germany versus Portugal. Hours later, in the early morning, things were starti...

Ian Cooke was at home in Brighton, East Sussex, on the morning of August 25th, 2016, when his phone rang. The caller was his 21-year-old son, Ash. Ash told his father he had been struggling to contact his girlfriend, 19-year-old Shana Grice. She was not answering her phone, and to compound matters, Shana had failed to show up for work. Unable to leave his shift, Ash asked his father to go and chec...

At around 4 PM on July 17th, 2015, John Jr. drove to Marsh Street to ensure his father was ok. He approached the front door and could hear the television blaring from the living room. John Jr. noticed the door was unlocked — a curious detail as his father was very safety-conscious. He slowly stepped inside. It took John Jr. a few seconds to register what he saw in the hallway. There was a tra...

Officers arrived at the scene shortly after 8 AM that morning, and when they knocked on the door of the property on Botley Drive in Havant, Hampshire, they were met by 26-year-old Shaye Groves, who was smoking a cigarette and wearing a bright pink dressing gown… *** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED ***     This episode was researched and written by Eileen Macfarlane ....

There is a saying that “ a man’s home is his castle” — it is supposed to be a sanctuary, a place of safety and security. Unfortunately for many, anti-social behaviour can make them feel uncomfortable and on edge in their own homes. When problems like these arise, it can take weeks for the police to resolve them, and only after the damage has been done. Some try a different approach...

Strong gales were sweeping across much of the United Kingdom on the night of Sunday, January 24th, 1993. Temperatures dipped below freezing, as most of the country found relief in the warmth and comfort of their homes. On the quiet estate of Birch Hill in Bracknell, Berkshire, seven-year-old Stacey Queripel was sent to bed early by her mother. She had no plans to go to sleep. Instead, St...

After making the 50-mile journey to the cottage in the Somerset village of Loxton, Peter found Noreen reclining on a sofa in the sitting room. When he asked her what had happened, she began rambling incoherently for almost 45 minutes. Eventually, Noreen told him that she had seen an evil look in Marie’s eyes, and said,  “There was one moment when the look became so strong and the evil in the...

As night fell, Roy Lightfoot returned home from work. He closed the door behind him and anticipated hearing the delicate sound of the dog's paws on the floor as Tessa came to greet him. But instead, the home was eerily silent. Roy called out to Margaret but received no response. The property was evidently empty…  *** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED ***     This ...

In the early 80s, July 19th, 1982, to be exact, four-year-old Rhodene Cunningham and her grandmother Mavis made their way to Kingsgate Estate in Dalston after spending the weekend together. Rhodene’s father, Keith, was in Spain visiting his brother, international and Real Madrid footballer Laurie Cunningham. Rhodene was looking forward to being reunited with her mother, Norma Richards, a...