UK True Crime Podcast

Sixteen-year-old Ruth Wilson disappeared after travelling by taxi to Box Hill in Surrey. She had skipped school and, after being dropped off, was last seen standing alone in the rain on a quiet bridleway as darkness was falling.

Ruth had been experiencing difficulties in her personal life, having recently discovered the truth about her biological mother's death, something that reportedly had a significant impact on her. Friends ...

Carol Jarvis was a woman whose life was shaped by her family and, later, by a degenerative illness which left her increasingly dependent on others. As her health deteriorated, her husband took on the role of her carer, looking after her at home as she became less able to care for herself. But behind the closed doors of the family home, things were not quite as they appeared.

Carol’s children began to notice differences in ...

Note: This epiosde was originally released in February 2022.

High Wycombe isn't somewhere you would necessarily associate with violent crime, but in this case an apparently ordinary churchyard became the setting for a brutal and completely unnecessary murder.

Lee Gillespie found himself caught up in a complicated situation involving jealousy, relationships and misplaced loyalty. What began as tension between people who knew e...

A weekend of music, mountain biking and entertainment at the impressive surroundings of Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire.

But for one 18-year-old man with everything to live for, the weekend would end in tragedy. What happened during those final hours, and how did a celebration turn into a devastating event. This is the story of Alex Pilkington.

I release new episodes of the UK True Crime Podcast every Tuesday and Friday, so p...

The story today is from Cheshire, when two childhood friends visit a family property, Boarded Barn, unaware that their lives are about to be caught up in a terrifying chain of events.

This is a case involving mistaken identity, an extraordinary sequence of events and a murder investigation that would eventually uncover the truth. It’s a story that raises some difficult questions about chance, circumstance and how two compl...

In 2005, Jim Phillips co-founded a marketing company with his best friend. The business grew quickly, securing major contracts and working with high-profile international clients. But behind the success, Jim began to notice increasingly strange behaviour from his business partner.

What followed was an extraordinary web of deception involving fake contracts, impersonated bank officials, claims of connections to the Chinese govern...

She spent more than 100 hours with the man she believed she loved - but she never saw his face.

Kye Fortune was, to the woman at the centre of this case, a real person. They had built a relationship online and eventually met in person, but only on the condition that she wore a blindfold. What followed would lead to one of the strangest criminal cases in the UK, involving deception, identity, trust and consent.

In this episode...

Rachel Thacker was just 21, with a new job, a new car and a future that seemed full of possibilities. A caring, outgoing and popular young woman, she had recently graduated with a degree in occupational therapy and was looking forward to beginning her career.

After travelling to Manchester to celebrate a friend's 21st birthday, Rachel spent the evening with friends before deciding it was time to head home. As she searched for a ...

What would it be like to lose your identical twin to murder?

In this episode, I talk to Nick Dawson, whose identical twin, Simon, was murdered in the most dreadful attack in 1998. I found this conversation incredibly moving and, at times, very emotional. Nick takes us back to his brother’s childhood and talks about the man Simon was before his life was so brutally taken away. We also discuss the murder itself and the devas...

Dawn Rhodes was a 38-year-old mum whose attempt to leave an unhappy marriage ended in tragedy.

After her murder, a disturbing version of events emerged in which Dawn was portrayed as a violent woman who had attacked her own child. But behind that story was a lie which would have devastating consequences for those left behind. The episode today explores the murder of Dawn Rhodes, the story created in its aftermath, and the devast...

In Newport, South Wales, Martin Podmore met a woman at a party - nothing unusual there, and the two got on well. But it was the beginning of an encounter that would take a deeply disturbing turn when he later kept her captive against her will. She was trapped in a situation where her freedom was taken away by someone she barely knew.

And then came a disturbing discovery: this wasn't the first time Podmore had done something like...

In this bonus episode, I chat with top crime reporter, Martin Brunt.

Martin spent 36 years at Sky News and built such a reputation for contacts that, during the 2006 Ipswich serial murders, a police press officer reportedly told a rival journalist: 'Call Martin Brunt. He knows everything before we do.' Martin Brunt joined Sky for its launch in 1989, reported from the Gulf and Balkan wars, then became one of Britain's best-k...

When you move into a small flat in a new town, just how much can you really know about your neighbours?

Melanie Sturton had only recently left home to work and study when she moved into a flat in Aberdeen. She could have had no idea that someone living nearby would ultimately play a part in a terrible crime. Melanie was murdered, and in this episode I look at the shocking circumstances of the killing, the investigation and the t...

Minutes before taking his own life, Michael Ryan looked back on the devastation he had caused in Hungerford. He had killed 16 people and injured 15 others. Then he told the police negotiator: “I wish I had stayed in bed.”

In this episode, I look back at what happened that day, the people whose lives were changed forever, and the events that unfolded as a quiet town found itself at the centre of a tragedy that shocked...

Note: This epiosde was originally released in August 2023.

Detectives believed they had identified the murderer, and when they entered the bedroom of 18-year-old Danyal Hussein in south-east London, they found something extraordinary. Among his belongings was a handwritten note, signed in his own blood, which described a pact he claimed to have made with a demon called Lucifuge Rofocale.

According to the beliefs surrounding b...

Carol Morgan was a much-loved wife and mother whose life was brutally taken inside the family shop. What initially appeared to be a shocking and senseless murder would go on to raise questions that remained unanswered for decades.

As investigators worked to understand what had happened, a complicated picture began to emerge, involving people close to Carol and a secret that had remained hidden for years. In this episode, we look...

Jordan Sinnott was a young professional footballer whose life changed forever after a night out with friends.

What began as an ordinary evening ended in a violent confrontation, leaving Jordan seriously injured and his family facing the devastating consequences. This is the story of what happened that night, the investigation that followed, and the search for justice for a young man whose football career and life were tragically...

Note: This epiosde was originally released in October 2024.

Vikki Thompson lived in a village near Oxford with her husband Jonathan, two young children and the family dog, Daisy. At about 4pm one Saturday afternoon, Vikki took Daisy for her usual afternoon walk in the pretty countryside close to where she lived. Half an hour later, Daisy returned home with no sign of Vikki which was most unusual. Jonathan knew something was wron...

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 her death, and the extraordinary ...