True Criminals

In this special True Criminals Briefings episode, Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt and journalist Helen Fospero reflect on a remarkable year in crime reporting — and a defining moment in Martin’s four-decade career. From the early days of Sky News in 1989 to some of the most notorious criminal cases of recent times, Martin looks back on the stories that shaped him: covering wars before ch...

You won’t believe the questions we got this Christmas! In this special festive Q&A episode of True Criminals, hosts Martin Brunt and Helen Fospero dive into the fascinating, chilling, and sometimes puzzling queries from our amazing listeners. We want to start by thanking everyone who wrote in and shared their thoughts, theories, and questions with us. Your curiosity and engagement make this show w...

At 10.31pm a pop concert turned into a war zone. Children were screaming, parents were searching in terror and Britain was once again under attack. In this powerful episode of True Criminals, Sky News crime reporter Martin Brunt and journalist Helen Fospero revisit the deadliest terror attack in the UK since 7 7. They take listeners back to the night of 22 May 2017 when a suicide bomber detonated...

The terror that gripped California for over a decade finally came into focus in 2018. Joseph James D’Angelo, a former police officer and seemingly ordinary father, was unmasked as the Golden State Killer – a serial predator responsible for at least 13 murders, over 50 rapes, and countless home invasions from the mid-1970s to the 1980s. In this second part of our True Criminals special, Sky News cr...

For more than ten years, California was terrorised by a phantom. A man who slipped into bedrooms, blinded victims with a flashlight, tied them up, and vanished before police ever arrived. He was a serial burglar, rapist and murderer who operated under multiple names , the Visalia Ransacker, the East Area Rapist, the Original Night Stalker, before the world finally knew him as the Golden State Kill...

He confessed to Shirley Banks. But what about Suzy Lamplugh? In this gripping second episode of our two-part series, True Criminals uncovers the terrifying link between two young women and one of Britain’s most dangerous predators. Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt and journalist Helen Fospero trace how John Cannan, a convicted rapist and murderer, went from the shadows of Bristol to becom...

A young estate agent leaves her office for a routine appointment and simply never returns. It is the kind of moment that stops ordinary life in its tracks and forces a country to look more closely at the shadows it usually ignores. In this first of two episodes, True Criminals follows the earliest steps of the investigation into Suzy Lamplugh’s disappearance and the man she was meant to meet, know...

In this special briefing of True Criminals, Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt and journalist Helen Fospero break down the stabbing on the Doncaster to London Kings Cross train on 1 November 2025. Minutes after departing Peterborough, a lone passenger launched a knife attack, injuring several people. Martin details how the driver alerted control and made an emergency stop at Huntingdon, whe...

The woman who proclaimed, “I am Madeleine,” has finally heard her verdict. In this special episode of True Criminals Briefings, hosts Martin Brunt and Helen Fospero uncover the extraordinary and unsettling story of Julia Wandelt, the young Polish woman who shocked the world by claiming she was Madeleine McCann, the British child who vanished from a Portuguese resort in 2007. What began as an inter...

He was the trusted face of London’s black cab trade, charming and friendly, always ready to share a drink to celebrate a big win. But the champagne John Worboys offered his passengers was laced with sedatives. The women who believed they were safe on their way home would wake up hours later with no memory, their trust betrayed. In this gripping episode of True Criminals, Sky News crime corresponde...

What happens when the world’s most prolific serial killer finally loses control? In Part 2 of our two-part special on Dr. Harold Shipman, hosts Martin Brunt and Helen Fospero uncover what happened after Britain’s most infamous GP was found guilty of murdering his patients — and how his shocking suicide inside Wakefield Prison denied families the truth they so desperately sought. Returning to the s...

What happens when the person you trust most with your life, your family doctor, turns out to be one of the most prolific serial killers in history? In this chilling two-part special of True Criminals, hosts Martin Brunt and Helen Fospero uncover the horrifying story of Dr. Harold Shipman, the GP who murdered more than 200 of his patients while maintaining the façade of a caring, beloved community...

Step back into the sweltering summers of 1984 and 1985 as journalists Helen Fospero and Martin Brunt return to the chilling case of Richard Ramirez, the man who became known as “The Night Stalker.” From the sensational trial to his cult-like following of fans, we unpack the psychological forces that turned one of California’s most feared serial killers into a figure of morbid fascination. This epi...

In the early 1960s, a young couple from Manchester fell in love and together became the most reviled killers in British history. Ian Brady and Myra Hindley’s sadistic crimes shocked the nation, leaving five young victims buried in shallow graves across the bleak Saddleworth Moor. Their names are now synonymous with horror, and the story still chills Britain to this day. In this second episode of T...

In the early 1960s, a young couple from Manchester fell in love, and together became the most reviled killers in British history. Ian Brady and Myra Hindley’s sadistic crimes shocked the nation, leaving five young victims buried in shallow graves across the bleak Saddleworth Moor. Their names are now synonymous with horror and the story still chills Britain to this day. In this powerful two part s...

When Christian B walked free from a German prison this month, the only official suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann stepped back into the spotlight, and straight into controversy. In this True Criminals Briefing, Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt and journalist Helen Fospero unpack the extraordinary scenes around his release, the media circus that followed, and the prosecutor’...

We conclude this special double episode of True Criminals and are joined in the studio today by Neil Basu, former Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. Stephen Lawrence's murder in 1993 exposed shocking truths about institutional racism and failure within British policing. In this powerful conclusion, hosts Martin Brunt (Sky News Crime Correspondent) and Helen Fospero talk to Basu abo...

In April 1993, 18 year old Stephen Lawrence, a bright and ambitious student, was murdered in a racist attack that shook Britain and exposed serious failings in the Metropolitan Police. His death, and the long fight for justice, transformed policing, the law, and race relations across the UK, leaving a legacy that continues to influence society more than 30 years later. In this powerful two part ep...

This week on True Criminals, we’re joined once again by long-time friend of the show, bestselling author and true crime expert Howard Sounes, as he explores the infamous murders committed by Fred and Rose West. Howard, who broke major stories on the investigation and coined the term House of Horrors, talks about the hit Netflix documentary Fred & Rose West: A British Horror Story and his chilling...

In this special True Criminals Briefing episode, we bring you the latest updates on the ongoing mystery of Madeleine McCann, one of the world’s most haunting and unsolved missing persons cases. Martin and Helen discuss Martin’s recent trip to Portugal with Sky News. He shares new insights into the Madeleine McCann case, examining the release of prime suspect Christian Brueckner, the evidence prose...

This week on True Criminals, hosted by Sky News Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt and Journalist Helen Fospero, we investigate one of Britain’s most notorious fugitives, Kevin Parle. Parle, also known as “Hemp,” is wanted by police for two brutal murders in Liverpool: the 2004 shooting of 16-year-old Liam Kelly and the 2005 killing of young mother Lucy Hargreaves. For more than 20 years, Kevin Parl...

Carl Miller, the investigative journalist behind the award-winning true crime podcast Kill List, joins Helen and Martin again in the studio for the second part of this conversation. This episode delves deeper into the dark web assassination market, revealing a world where online fantasy bleeds into real violence. Carl and his team exposed a hitman-for-hire site with 175 people targeted for murder....

Inside Carl Miller’s Killer Podcast Helen and Martin are joined by investigative journalist Carl Miller, creator of the hit podcast Kill List, as he reveals a chilling story of a dark web assassination marketplace, where users paid in cryptocurrency to have real people killed. With thousands of names, detailed profiles, and conversations unfolding in real time, Carl navigates the terrifying line b...

Tia Sharp’s tragic murder shocked the nation, but the investigation revealed far more than her disappearance. In this gripping second episode, Sky News Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt and journalist Helen Fospero, with former Detective Chief Inspector Nick Scola, uncover the tense police operations, media scrutiny, and public outrage as Stuart Hazell’s horrific crimes came to light. Hear how inve...

In August 2012, the disappearance of 12-year-old Tia Sharp from her home in New Addington, South London, became one of the most heartbreaking and high-profile true crime cases in British history. In this gripping first episode of a two-part investigation, True Criminals revisits the shocking murder that stunned the UK and exposed the dark truth hiding within a family home. Hosted by Sky News Crime...