The True Crime Enthusiast Podcast
Always True Crime 332 episodes Nov 12, 2026
The True Crime Enthusiast Podcast, hosted by Paul, delves into true crime cases from the UK and Ireland, focusing on lesser-known and obscure crimes. The show covers both solved and unsolved cases in a straightforward, matter-of-fact style. Originally a weekly blog in 2016, it has evolved into a regular podcast. The host encourages listener engagement through social media and Patreon.
Episodes
Marion's 20 Year Wait
A young girl cycling to a music rehearsal. One day, you have to let a child take that step into adulthood, and back in the summer of 1981, Hampshire schoolgirl Marion Crofts parents Trevor and Anne had done just that - they had even agreed on the safest route for her to make the 5 mile journey.Except - that route was anything but safe for Marion. It marked the beginning of a two decade wait for ju
The Lure Of The Loch
It's arguably the UK's most famous, and certainly one of the world's most famous lakes, where for more than 1600 years, legends have abounded of a creature inhabiting the depths of Loch Ness that is affectionately known as Nessie, who has tantalisingly played a game of hide and seek with scientists and hunters ever since. This time around on The True Crime Enthusiast Podcast, in a brea
From The Archives - Strange Deaths
Death can be a very strange thing indeed - from death by doughnut to the bus driver who couldn't tell an antelope from a human being, via ghastly tales of the occult, cannibalism and extreme reasons for murder - from The Cosby Show to using too much toilet roll - for this time around on the Enthusiast, I have curated a good hour plus worth of accounts of these from around this strange globe of
The Defiler - Part 3: A Monster On Trial
Concluding Series 11's opening tale, and in November 2021, David Fuller stood in the dock of Maidstone Crown Court to face trial for the murders of Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce back in 1987, the Tunbridge Wells 'Bedsit' murders, as well as charges relating to the harrowing, disturbing offences that he had catalogued himself committing against the bodies of women and children in the
The Defiler - Part 2: A Monster Unmasked
Continuing the opening story of Series 11, and by 2007, the then 20 year cold cases of Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce, the Tunbridge Wells 'Bedsit' murders, had been definitively linked by DNA as being the work of the same killer. But - he wasn't on the National DNA database. Skip forward 13 years, and by then, with the advancements in Familial DNA, it was to lead investigators to a v
The Defiler - Part 1: The Beast Of The Bedsit
It is great to be back for a brand new series of The True Crime Enthusiast Podcast, and I begin Series 11 with at first, a case that I covered before the podcast was even a podcast, when it was a simple blog.Back in 1987, the Kent town of Tunbridge Wells was gripped by fear, with the murders of two young women, five months apart. They were crimes that for many years remained cold cases, until fore
Introducing - Rough Diamond
This is episode one of Rough Diamond, the new investigative series from Always True Crime. It starts in the 1960s, when London was in the grips of a crime spree…rare diamonds are being stolen. The latest is the Colenso diamond - the world’s largest uncut diamond,and one of the Natural History Museum’s most important pieces. When a young window cleaner is arrested a few months after the theft, his
Judge, Jury - And Executioner
The feature-length Series 10 finale of The True Crime Enthusiast brings with it an almost surreal tale of abuse, murder, dismemberment, imprisonment, appeal, acquittal, mental illness, misguided revenge - and something called Project Tango. It was a tale that shook the county of East Sussex when it happened at the turn of this century - one that was to have repercussions several years later.The ep
Voices - Part 2
Concluding here the story of Jason John Mitchell, who had, by 1994, been hearing voices constantly talking to him, in the second or third person, about his personal habits, the TV programmes he watched, the literature he read, the list goes on - voices that were sometimes welcomed but most of the time not, and that even though nobody else could hear them, were as real as anything else to him.But b
Voices - Part 1
What if you heard voices constantly talking to you, referring to you in the second or third person? Talking about your personal habits, the TV programmes you watch, your choice of literature? Voices that are as real as anything else to you - but nobody else can hear them?Then imagine if one day, those voices say to you, 'This is the time, you should kill that man'I bring you in the first of a two-
The Time They Fingerprinted A Town
It was a daunting sounding task that had never before been attempted - the fingerprinting of every male in one of the largest towns in the UK. But back in May 1948, the murder of three year old June Anne Devaney had sickened even the most hardened detectives so much, that there wasn't an officer involved who wasn't prepared to give this his all.This time around, on The True Crime Enthusiast Podcas
An Austrian Double
We venture away from the UK this time around on the Enthusiast, and head to the European alpine country of Austria, where alongside the classical music, sports and culture that it is most famous for, I bring two cases of long forgotten, savage murder from yesteryear that shows that evil doesn't skip anywhere. Music used in this episode: "The Descent" by Kevin Macleod. All music used is sour
The Curse Of The Cup - Part 2: When Pickles Got FIFA Out Of A Pickle..
Football fans from the UK - and across the world - held their breath for a week in March 1966 when the Jules Rimet trophy, more commonly known as the World Cup - was stolen from an exhibition in Westminster, where it had been on display. The possibilities were endless - had it been transported abroad, and was in the clutches of an unscrupulous millionaire? Had it been melted down, or had it been a
The Curse Of The Cup - Part 1: Jules Rimet's Still - Missing!
Some people can't wait for it to finish, some people perhaps never want it to end, but we have upon us the culmination of the 2026 World Cup. It's a tournament that has seen unlikely heroes, tears and controversy, and as the episode drops, it's the weekend that sees one team lifting aloft the ultimate prize in sport, the FIFA World Cup.But back in 1966, a year that needs no introduction to footbal
A Sense Of Entitlement
A gift of £100,000 to buy a house, and £1,000 living allowance a month. The stuff the majority of us can only dream of, isn't it? But it's never enough for some, and combine this with deep-seated hatred, misconceived feelings of being unfairly treated, alcohol and the lockdown we all faced a few years ago, and one night in Dorset 2021 was to end in horrendous violence.And brutal, bloody murder. Th
The Murder On Monkey Hill
We head back to May 2010 and to the area of Wishaw, near Glasgow in North Lanarkshire for the tale this time around. It was the hottest weekend of that year so far, and an off-road motorcyclist named Stuart Bell was about to make a chilling discovery that he will take to his grave with him....The episode contains details and descriptions of crimes and events, including descriptions of injury detai
Firestarter
You should be able to leave your children for a sleepover, safe as houses, with someone who loves them so deeply she calls them her 'kidlets', shouldn't you? Lee-Anna Spiers and her partner Liam Timbrell had done just that, and looked forward to it for however many months, with all involved excited.Until the night of October 19th, 2012 - when it was to be the last sleepover anyone involved was to
Undressing - Undressing - Jack The Stripper
He's the London serial killer you may never have even known existed - from the late 1950's to the mid 1960's, West London was shocked by the deaths of several sex workers, who were found stripped, strangled, and their bodies dumped unceremoniously, like pieces of rubbish. It's widely considered to be the UK's most prolific series of unsolved serial killings, claiming more victims than his similar
Undressing 'Jack The Stripper' - Part 4
He's the London serial killer you may never have even known existed - from the late 1950's to the mid 1960's, West London was shocked by the deaths of several sex workers, who were found stripped, strangled, and their bodies dumped unceremoniously, like pieces of rubbish. It's widely considered to be the UK's most prolific series of unsolved serial killings, claiming more victims than his similar
Undressing 'Jack The Stripper' - Part 3
He's the London serial killer you may never have even known existed - from the late 1950's to the mid 1960's, West London was shocked by the deaths of several sex workers, who were found stripped, strangled, and their bodies dumped unceremoniously, like pieces of rubbish. It's widely considered to be the UK's most prolific series of unsolved serial killings, claiming more victims than his similar
Undressing 'Jack The Stripper' - Part 2
He's the London serial killer you may never have even knew existed - from the late 1950's to the mid 1960's, West London was shocked by the deaths of several sex workers, stripped, strangled, and their bodies dumped unceremoniously, like pieces of rubbish. It's commonly considered to be the UK's most prolific series of unsolved serial killings, claiming more victims than his similar namesake the p
Undressing 'Jack The Stripper' - Part 1
He's the London serial killer you may never have even knew existed - from the late 1950's to the mid 1960's, West London was shocked by the deaths of several sex workers, stripped, strangled, and their bodies dumped unceremoniously, like pieces of rubbish. It's commonly considered to be the UK's most prolific series of unsolved serial killings, claiming more victims than his similar namesake the p
Cold Water
Open water is, for many people, their greatest fear, and being trapped within it must be terrifying - especially if you cannot swim to safety, to face your final, mortal moments like that. On a freezing cold March morning back in 2013, in the town of Arklow, in County Wexford, in Ireland, a 31 year old Hungarian national named Csaba Orsos faced exactly his greatest fear. It was the last thing he w
The 'Werewolf' Of Tibnin Bridge
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, has since its establishment in 1978 assisted Lebanese forces along the country's border with Israel to maintain peace, security, and ensure humanitarian access. In it's near five decades in existence, countless soldiers from nations across the world have lost their lives as part of these peacekeeping forces, and it is the Irish Army that
The Man Who Touched Muscles
He was for many years a folk devil, almost an apparition, whispered about in playgrounds and used as a threat by parents, in the North West of England anyway, to make their chldren behave - 'Purple Aki's gonna get you'. He became an almost Bogeyman, and around the North West of the UK, he has an almost legendary status.But - he was very, very real, and this time around on the Enthusiast, I bring y
Introducing - Paranormia
I'm thrilled to today be sharing an episode with you from a sister True Crime podcast of the Enthusiast from the Always True Crime Network - Paranormia. Join host Elizabeth McCaffrey as she takes us back to the late 1970, and recounts the tale of one of the most terrifying and disturbing crime cases in American history.The Vampire Of Sacramento.New episodes of Paranormia are available each Wednesd
Failings
The Justice and Mental Health services in the UK are, as much as they are supposed to for the benefit of the patient concerned, supposed to act dilligently and communicatively in the best interests of the wider public too. One morning in October 2011, 58 year old grandmother of two Sally Hodkin was to find out, in the most tragic of ways, that sometimes, there are failings in these systems...The e
Best Laid Plans - Part 4
I bring the Best Laid Plans story to a conclusion this time around on The True Crime Enthusiast, where we hear the outcome of the trial of Arkan Ali, Aram Kurd and Hawkar Hassan over the explosion which killed Mary, Sean and Shane Ragobeer, Leah Reek, and Viktorija Ijevleva, and what has happened in the intervening years concerning the families of those who lost their lives, as well as the legacie
Best Laid Plans - Part 3
It is unamaginable losing a family member in an explosion - let alone three family members - nut in November 2018, that is exactly what Leicester Crown Court heard had happened back in February of that year - as the result of deliberate actions, and three men - Aram Kurd, Hawekar Hassan, and Arkan Ali - faced charges for this. The Crown painted a very clear cut, strong case against the three - but
Best Laid Plans - Part 2
The horrific explosion in Leicester, on 25th February 2018, which claimed the lives of five people, would have been terrible enough were it a tragic accident - but, what made it much worse, more inhumane, is that by just three days after the blast, police were convinced that it had been a deliberate act, and soon afterwards, charges were raised against three men for this - Arkan Ali, Hawkar Hassan
Best Laid Plans - Part 1
The quiet evening of Sunday 25th February 2018 in the Hinckley Road area of the city of Leicester was an unremarkable one - it was a cold night, and families were at home, glad to be in in the warmth.That quiet was to be disrupted, and the lives of so many people forever changed irreprably, when at 7:01pm, an explosion ripped through the night sky, a blast which claimed the lives of five people. A
Death Is In The Air
Love is supposed to be in the air on Valentine’s Day — roses, proposals, appreciation and hearts everywhere you look. It’s supposed to be the most romantic day of the year – but for some people, in the accounts I bring this time around on The True Crime Enthusiast Podcast, February 14th didn’t end with chocolates and kisses, for love wasn’t in the air that day at all for them.Instead, murder was.T
The Luck Of The Irish:
Up to the mid 1960’s, capital punishment was in force in the UK for the crime of murder, and many a soul watched in fear as the presiding judge placed the black cap onto his or her head, and pronounced sentence of death upon them. There are countless tales of these to recount, but the tale I bring this time around on the Enthusiast is one of an individual who cheated the hangman for such a capital
Death Comes To Derlwyn Farm
We head back to the 1950’s, and to rural West Wales this time around on The True Crime Enthusiast Podcast, where I bring you an account of a couple who mysteriously disappeared one Friday October evening. Throw in details such as buzzards, traps involving black cotton, conflicting ink, and ever conflicting stories that just didn’t add up no matter what, and you have the tale this time around…The e
New Year's Evil - A Killer Downstairs
I round off this Horrors Over The Holidays selection of tales with a senseless story from New Year's Day in 2020, for which we head to the Stockbridge Village area of Merseyside, and for a discovery that no daughter should ever have to face, and a crime that highlights just how evil and tragedy do not respect the holidays, not at all....The episode contains details and descriptions of crimes and e
New Year's Evil - Firestarter
The Hogmanay Party had been a great success, and returning to his parents home in Milngavie, in East Dunbartonshire, all then 23 year old Cameron Logan and his girlfriend, 25 year old Rebecca Williams could think about in the early hours of New Year’s Day 2017 was having some food, and going to sleep.Soon after they drifted off to sleep, neither of them saw or heard the dark clad, masked figure st
New Year's Evil - A Tale Of Two Brothers
The Horrors Over The Holidays: New Year’s Evil this time around takes us back to New Years Eve 2013, and down to the county of Hampshire, to the start of what was planned to be a very ordinary New Year’s Eve party. By early evening, the drink was flowing, and the two identical twin brothers, inseparable in so many things, had sat down to match each other drink for drink.It was a night that was to
New Years Evil - Horror On The Seafront
Sticking with this Horrors Over The Holidays season of daily tales, I now move onto those tales that take place over the turn of the year, beginning with a tale from North Wales from the early 1990's, and a night of horror that left five people dead, and an equal number of families bearing the scars - and the memories - today.The episode contains details and descriptions of crimes and events that
Horrors Over The Holidays - The Tale Of Jake And Chloe:
This time around, for the last of the Horrors Over The Holidays to take place this year over the Christmas period, I bring perhaps the most tragic of these tales - the truly awful circumstances that two families lost so much at Christmas time 2018. The episode contains details and descriptions of crimes and events, involving children, that some listeners may find disturbing or distressing, so dis
Horrors Over The Holidays - Can A House Be Cursed?
We head back to the Christmas of 1972 for this Horrors Over The Holidays episode, where I account a strange, yet tragic story in which the question is posed - can a house be jinxed, do you think? Or are there more earthly explanations, based on the light of subsequent events...The episode contains details and descriptions of crimes and events, involving children, that some listeners may find distu
Horrors Over The Holidays - Alan's Story
The only unsolved tale of this Horrors Over The Holidays season I have curated drops here with a tale of tragedy, cruelty, and an account of a truly horrific ordeal from Christmas 1995 where we meet a 'gentle giant' named Alan Holmes. His tale, I'm sure, you'll never forget. The episode contains details and descriptions of crimes and events that some listeners may find disturbing or distressing, s
Horrors Over The Holidays - Kirsty
The Horrors Over The Holidays season continues here with a tale from Christmas 2021 that highlights just how evil, violence and tragedy don't take a Christmas break at all....The episode contains details and descriptions of crimes and events that some listeners may find disturbing or distressing, so discretion is advised whilst listening in. Music used in this episode: "The Descent" by Kevin
Horrors Over The Holidays - A Christmas Interrupted
I bring a selection of tales of Horrors Over The Holidays this festive season, each day bringing a different tale, and beginning here with the tale of how on Christmas Day 1976, one family in Hull got the worst, and most shocking surprise that you can imagine that Christmas....The episode contains details and descriptions of crimes and events that some listeners may find disturbing or distressing,
Patrick Mackay: The Two Sides Of A Psychopath - Bonus Chat
Psychopath - The Two Sides Of Patrick Mackay, my collaboration with Mike from the fabulous Murder Mile, is now out in its full 10 parts. A few weeks ago, having finished it, me and Mike managed to sit down and discuss the case in full, which we have recorded us doing, and which we bring to you for a bonus time around. It's totally unscripted, very largely unedited, perhaps a lot less serious than
Patrick Mackay: The Two Sides Of A Psychopath - Part 4
My final offering of Psychopath: The Two Sides Of Patrick Mackay comes this time around on The True Crime Enthusiast Podcast, where I bring my side of the tale full circle, and account Mackay's 1975 trial for the murders he confessed to - those that he DIDN'T retract, of course; the years following his incarceration, and pose the following question:Could the UK's longest continually serving prison
Patrick Mackay: The Two Sides Of A Psychopath - Part 3
In the penultimate episode of my contribution to the ten part crossover series that myself and my friend Mike of the Murder Mile Podcast have joined forces to bring you, the two sides to the psychopath that is Patrick Mackay, this time around I’ll bring you a detailed account of the disturbed life of Patrick Mackay, that led to him facing by April 1975, three charges of murder.If you head over and
Patrick Mackay: The Two Sides Of A Psychopath - Part 2
Continuing the ten part crossover series that myself and my friend Mike of the Murder Mile Podcast have joined forces to bring you, the two sides to the psychopath that is Patrick Mackay, last time on the Enthusiast we left Mackay having confessed in full detail to the murder of Kent Catholic priest Father Anthony Crean.It was a murder that truly was the stuff of nightmares, but once Mackay starte
Patrick Mackay: The Two Sides Of A Psychopath - Part 1
One of Britain’s most infamous serial killers is a man you may never have heard of, he's spent fifty years behind bars, holding the distinction of being Britain’s longest serving continual prisoner, and has been described variously as a ‘cold-blooded psychopath’, or “one of Britain’s most dangerous men” alongside killers like Peter Sutcliffe and Dennis Nilsen. – but who is Patrick Mackay? In
Trailer - Patrick Mackay - Two Sides Of A Psychopath
One of Britain’s most infamous serial killers is a man you may never have heard of, he's spent more than fifty years behind bars, he may never be released, and holds the distinction of being Britain’s longest serving continual prisoner – but who is Patrick Mackay? In a ten part crossover series, Mike of Murder Mile and Paul from The True Crime Enthusiast join forces to bring you the full stor
Manhunt Across The Midlands
2020 was a dark year for all of us, with the COVID pandemic in full force, but for two Midlands families in particular, and the lives of so many others, 2020 holds an extra dark reminder for them. This time around on The True Crime Enthusiast Podcast, I bring you an account of the terrifying rampage of an individual who, had he not been stopped when he was, would undoubtedly have caused much more
The Horrors Belief Can Bring
We head out of the UK for this time around on TTCEP, firstly to Belgium, and then to the Canary Island of Tenerife for two accounts of pure Gothic horror that I’m sure once you’ve heard them – you will never forget them.Two examples of the horrors some will commit due to the beliefs they hold..The episode contains details and descriptions of crimes and events, involving crimes against children, re
Birthday Bonus Tale - More Snippets Of The Strange And Stupid
As a massive thank you for getting the show into it's 9th year now, on it's birthday, I'd love to share an episode from the show's back catalogue just to say thank you - you each are the reason I'm at this point with the show, and I'm so forever grateful - thank you from the bottom of my heart. Here's to another 8 years!!Paul Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jigsaw: Stephen Marshall
For Hertfordshire farmer Roger Kingsley, the afternoon of Sunday, March 22nd 2009 was one that he would remember for the rest of his life. Working the fields of his farm, he came across a green 'Gullivers' holdall, the contents of which would begin a complex murder investigation, one that would stretch from Hertfordshire, to the East Midlands.It seemed someone was making a human jigsaw....The epis
Wall Of Silence - Part 2
Concluding the two part tale accounting one of Scotland's most notorious crimes this time around on The True Crime Enthusiast Podcast, for which we are back to the summer of 1996, to the area of West Dunbartonshire in Scotland, and where I have accounted the brutal and senseless murder of 14 year old Caroline Glachan. Her murder, remained a cold case for more than a quarter of a century, until in
Wall Of Silence - Part 1
The first of a two part tale accounting one of Scotland's most notorious crimes comes this time around and next on The True Crime Enthusiast Podcast, for which we head back to the summer of 1996, to Scotland's West Dunbartonshire area, and where we meet a 14 year old girl named Caroline...The episode contains details and descriptions of crimes and events, involving a child, with references to of d
'Bigfoot's 96 Hours Of Carnage: Phillip Smith
Four days – almost a full working week for the majority. 96 hours, for some, it will fly by, for others, it may feel like the clock may go backwards. Over one such period back in the autumn of 2000, Worcestershire and West Midlands Police found themselves dealing with some of the most brutal, senseless, and horrifying killings that both the force areas, and the UK, has ever seen – all committed by
The Offfering Of Sundown And Allegra
Satanism, Black Magic, and Devil Worshipping are terms that have been around since the Middle Ages. In the majority of cases today, people who follow this do so somewhat out of boredom, it drawing something in their angry, perhaps somewhat confused selves that they feel may be that edge that they need to express their inner feelings. And in most cases, it will go no further than a dabble with the
A Homage To The Loved Ones
The girl, dressed in a pretty pink dress, poses for a photograph sat on the knee of a young man, smartly dressed in a tuxedo. They could be any young couple, but are not, for whilst she smiles broadly, he cannot, through pain, and inability. She then approaches the young man in the tuxedo, and brandishing a knife, proceeds to mutilate his chest with it, carving her initials into him.She then appro
Lying Brian: Brian Blackwell
Have you ever had someone you’ve fallen for so much that you would want to do ANYTHING to impress them, to give them the world? How about, pretending to be something, someone that you aren’t then, where you back up the most lavish of stories with a once in a lifetime event? For one 18 year old Merseyside student back in 2004, she was to get this – though in her worst nightmares she couldn’t have i
Lucy's Story - Part 3
Concluding the sad tale of 13 year old Southampton girl Lucy McHugh - and would Stephen Nicholson be convicted of her rape and murder? We look at this, and developments in the case following here.One of the saddest tales I have covered.The episode contains details and descriptions of crimes and events, involving a child and including descriptions of a sexual nature, that some listeners may find di
Lucy's Story - Part 2
Continuing the opening Series 10 tale of The True Crime Enthusiast Podcast with the tragic case of 13 year old Southampton teenager Lucy McHugh, killed most brutally one July morning back in 2018. Police soon had a suspect, an arrest, and the investigation ultimately led to murder, rape and unlawful sexual conduct charges being raised against 24 year old Stephen Alan Nicholson, a lodger at Lucy's
Lucy's Story - Part 1
The True Crime Enthusiast Podcast returns for Series 10 with a tale from back in 2018, a dive into the tragic case of 13 year old Southampton teenager Lucy McHugh, who set out to keep an appointment one warm July morning - and never returned.The episode contains details and descriptions of crimes and events, involving a child and including descriptions of injury detail, that some listeners may fin
Peter The Confessor - Part 2
Back in the early 1980's, Peter Alan Fell was several things: Falklands and Northern Ireland war hero, Army Boxing champion - so how then did he, in July 1984, come to be stood in the dock of Winchester Crown Court charged with the brutal murders of Hampshire women 42 year old Ann Lee, and 66 year old Margaret Johnson?Brilliant detective work - or not? Find out in the second and concluding part of
Peter The Confessor - Part 1
On a cold spring day in May 1982, two friends, Ann Lee and Margaret Johnson, set off for what would be their final dogwalk together around a familiar area of common land to them in the town of Aldershot, in Hampshire.Their final walk, because during it, Ann and Margaret met a crazed killer.Yet, within hours of the murder, had their killer called police and given his name and address? And when this
The Sad Death Of 'The Ruddles Man'
Cruelty is never far away from some homes - some people suffer largely in silence, and when that cruelty begins to show, they will come out with allsorts of reasoning. 'I fell. I bumped into this or that'.It's a very real thing is domestic violence, and the tale I bring this time around shows it isn't always the archetypal abuser that is commonly perceived. Sometimes, sadly, it ends in utter horro
The Lost Girls: Part 10 - The Aftermath
The Lost Girls multi-parter comes full circle this time around on The True Crime Enthusiast, as for the final part I housekeep the tale of Susan, Caroline, Sarah, Theresa and Jennifer. We look at the years following Black’s crimes for their families, at all developments in the tale overall, and ask the question:How many more Lost Girls are there out there?The episode contains details and descripti
The Lost Girls: Part 9 - Jennifer
The new red bicycle had fast become her pride and joy, all of her friends had seen it, and one sunny afternoon in August 1981, nine year old Jennifer Cardy set off from her home in Ballinderry to cycle the short distance to show the first friend she had it again, so excited was she.As a small Datsun van passed her as she did, Jennifer had no idea that a predator, a monster, was waiting for her. It
The Lost Girls: Part 8 - The Driver In The Dock
In April 1994, Robert Black, laid bare in all of his foulness, was to face trial charged with the abductions of Susan Maxwell, Caroline Hogg, Sarah Harper and Teresa Thornhill, and the murders of the former three.Was justice in sight for the Lost Girls whose haunting stories we have heard throughout this tale?Well, this time around on The True Crime Enthusiast Podcast, I shall tell you.The episode
The Lost Girls: Part 7 - The Soul That Matches The Surname
On 1st April 1992, ten court summonses for crimes including multiple murder, abduction, prevention of a proper and lawful burial and kidnap were served on a 43 year old prisoner serving life at HMP Peterhead in Aberdeenshire - a prisoner serving life for the abduction and sexual assault of a six year old girl in July 1990.His name? Robert Black. Continuing with The Lost Girls multi episode tale th
The Lost Girls: Part 6 - Paper Chase
'That's our man. I'd bet my life on it'These are the words of Assistant Chief Constable Hector Clark back in July 1990, moments after the initial, briefest of meetings with the man he was describing here, who just over a month later, was serving a sentence of life imprisonment for an almost carbon copy crime to the series he and his team had been investigating for eight years by then. Continuing
The Lost Girls: Part 5 - The Survivor
It was a simple, quick detour to avoid prying eyes - and it was fortunate that it was just that too, a quick detour, for if it wasn't, then perhaps Teresa Thornhill wouldn't be here today.That evening in Nottingham in April 1988, she very certainly only narrowly escaped the clutches of death, thanks in part to the survivor she was. Because she was the survivor, her evidence would later be crucial
The Lost Girls: Part 4 - Just Two Minutes Walk
The corner shop was just 150 yards away from her home, and the journey was one that ten year old Sarah Harper had made countless times before - just two minutes walk away. Yet, on a cold and wet evening in March 1986, on that two minute walk back, Sarah was to disappear.....This is Sarah's story. The episode contains details and descriptions of crimes and events, including descriptions of a sexual
The Lost Girls: Part 3 - A Fatal Five Minutes Last Play
Continuing with The Lost Girls series arc, and in the summer of 1983, almost a year to the day, the fear that Susan Maxwell's at large killer could strike again was suddenly realised, when on a warm Friday evening in July, a five year old girl didn't come back in from the final five minutes play she had been allowed before bedtime.This is Caroline's story.The episode contains details and descripti
The Lost Girls: Part 2 - Susan's Story
Continuing The Lost Girls Arc on The True Crime Enthusiast Podcast, we now go back to Northumbria in 1982, and a chance walk home for a young girl after a game of tennis...The episode contains details and descriptions of crimes and events, including descriptions of a sexual nature, that some listeners may find disturbing or distressing, so discretion is advised whilst listening in. Music used in t
The Lost Girls: Part 1 - The Day The Roof Caved In
The 9th Series multi episode arc begins this time around on The True Crime Enthusiast Podcast, through which we shall timejump over a long period, and in which I bring you the full, in depth tale of who is/was very likely, Britain's most prolific child killer, one who if the cases he is suspected of are laid at his feet, will dwarf those of Brady and Hindley, perhaps even Cotton and Dyer.This is a
Clown Masks And Crocodile Tears - Part 2
Completing the two part tale concerning the murder in September 1994 of 38 year old Carol Wardell - abducted from home by a gang of raiders, who, after beating and drugging her husband Gordon, forced her to open the building society in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, where she was deputy manager, emptied the safe, and then suffocated Carol, dumping her body in a layby.At least, that was Gordon's account,
Clown Masks And Crocodile Tears - Part 1
The discovery of a woman's body in a rural Warwickshire layby in September 1994 was the start of what would become to detectives one of the most complex investigations in Warwickshire Police history, and would ultimately lead them to a cold and calculating killer.This time and next on The True Crime Enthusiast Podcast, I shall bring you the story.The episode contains details and descriptions of cr
Houses Of Blood - Bloodbath On A New Year's Day
"I have just murdered my wife in her bed. I have just stabbed them, and slit their throats. His name is Martin Griffiths. There is blood everywhere. This has just happened. My children are safe at my mother's house"This was the context of a call to an emergency services operator in the early hours of New Year's Day, 2020, the implications of which were to rock the village of Duffield, in Derbyshir
The Failing Of Danielle Reid
We head up to the Scottish Highland city of Inverness, and back to the early 2000's this time on The True Crime Enthusiast Podcast, for a harrowing tale of a crime that shocked Scotland to the core, a definition of cruelty, evil, and a hauling over the coals of a system that, so tragically, failed a little girl.5 year old Danielle Reid. Hers is a name that following this, I doubt you will forget.T
The Beast Of Farley Mount
The Hampshire beauty spot of Farley Mount Country Park, located near the city of Winchester, is a popular destination in daylight hours for families, joggers and dog walkers, whilst of the evening, it takes on a different kind of visitor - couples, and the voyeuristic who enjoy watching these for their own gratification. During the 1990's, it was also the scene of several disturbing incidents and
