True Criminals
byAudio Bleach Global
HistoryTrue Crime
True Criminals is a multi award winning podcast hosted by Sky News Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt and journalist and broadcaster Helen Fospero. The podcast won Outstanding Independent Podcast at the 2025 True Crime Awards, and returned to the awards this year, where Martin and Helen were named Most Captivating Hosts. Drawing on decades of frontline journalism, they revisit both high profile and lesser known cases with the insight and curiosity of reporters who understand how investigations unfold. The result is thoughtful, revealing true crime that goes beyond the familiar headlines. Guests include senior detectives, investigative journalists, bestselling authors and people directly connecte...
Episodes(40 episodes)
Charles Bronson Parole Update: A Personal Letter from Britain's Most Notorious Prisoner
After more than five decades behind bars, Charles Bronson is once again fighting for his freedom. With another crucial parole hearing approaching, True Criminals hosts Martin Brunt and Helen Fospero discuss the latest developments in the extraordinary case of one of Britain's most notorious prisoners.
In this episode, Martin reveals details of a personal letter he has received directly from Bronson, offering a rare insight into the man behind the headlines. Together, Martin and Helen examine Bronson's troubled history, his ongoing battle for release, and the difficult questions facing the Parole Board as it considers whether he ca...
Published: Oct 21, 2026Duration: 17m 16s
Charles Bronson Parole Update: A Personal Letter from Britain's Most Notorious Prisoner
After more than five decades behind bars, Charles Bronson is once again fighting for his freedom. With another crucial parole hearing approaching, True Criminals hosts Martin Brunt and Helen Fospero discuss the latest developments in the extraordinary case of one of Britain's most notorious prisoners.
In this episode, Martin reveals details of a personal letter he has received directly from Bronson, offering a rare insight into the man behind the headlines. Together, Martin and Helen examine Bronson's troubled history, his ongoing battle for release, and the difficult questions facing the Parole Board as it considers whether he ca...
Published: Oct 20, 2026Duration: 18m 16s
The Babes in the Woods Murders: | Part 2 with author Jean Richie
In February 1990, seven-year-old Rachel Watts went out on her roller skates to buy sweets near her home in Brighton. On her way back, she encountered Russell Bishop — the man acquitted three years earlier of murdering Karen Hadaway and Nicola Fellows. Bishop abducted Rachel, drove her to Devil's Dyke, sexually assaulted and strangled her, and left her for dead.
Miraculously, Rachel survived. Her extraordinary courage and detailed evidence helped put Bishop behind bars. But for Karen and Nicola's families, the fight for justice was far from over.
In Part 2 of this two-part True Criminals special, Martin Brunt and Hele...
Published: Oct 15, 2026Duration: 41m 20s
EXCLUSIVE PATREON BONUS TEASER | Toni-Ann Byfield: The Investigation with Neil Basu | Part 1
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In the early hours of September 14, 2003, seven year old Toni Ann Byfield was shot in the back in a cramped North London bedsit.
An innocent ch...
Published: Oct 5, 2026Duration: 1h 13m 44s
The Babes in the Wood Murders: | Part 1 with author Jean Ritchie
In October 1986, nine-year-old best friends Karen Hadaway and Nicola Fellows disappeared after going out to play near their homes on the Moulsecoomb estate in Brighton. The following afternoon, their bodies were discovered in Wild Park.
The case became known across Britain as the Babes in the Wood murders — one of the most notorious and heartbreaking cases in British true crime history.
In Part 1 of this two-part True Criminals special, Martin Brunt and Helen Fospero are joined by journalist and author Jean Ritchie, co-author of My Girl: The Babes in the Woods Murders — A Mother's Fight for Justice with Kar...
Published: Sep 28, 2026Duration: 38m 14s
Kerry Daynes: The Profiler - EXCLUSIVE PATREON EXTENDED EPISODE
Did you know True Criminals is on Patreon? You can listen ad free and enjoy exclusive bonus content, just like the episode you’re listening to right now.
Please enjoy, and if you’d like to become a Patreon member, head over to:https://www.patreon.com/truecriminals
We welcome Kerry Daynes back to True Criminals for the second of two conversations with one of Britain’s leading consultant forensic psychologists.
Last time, we explored Kerry’s encounters with serial killer Dennis Nilsen. This time, the focus is Kerry herself and her extraord...
Published: Sep 24, 2026Duration: 1h 30m 35s
The 1MDB scandal – Clare Rewcastle Brown and the world’s biggest financial heist, Part Two
In this second of two special episodes of True Criminals, journalists Helen Fospero and Martin Brunt are joined once again by investigative journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown, whose reporting helped expose Malaysia’s extraordinary 1MDB scandal and the disappearance of billions of dollars from a state investment fund.
With former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak behind bars, the investigation turns to the mysterious financier Jho Low, the fugitive businessman at the centre of the scandal, whose extravagant spending brought him into the orbit of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
Rewcastle Brown reveals how money stolen from 1MDB hel...
Published: Sep 21, 2026Duration: 57m 3s
“I Watched the Twin Towers Fall” | Helen Fospero Remembers 9/11
On September 11, 2001, Helen Fospero stood on the fire escape of her New York apartment and watched the unthinkable unfold.
Living just blocks from the World Trade Center and working as a British television correspondent in New York, Helen witnessed the second plane strike the Twin Towers. Then, as she tried to contact her cameraman and understand what was happening, she watched the South Tower collapse before her eyes.
Twenty five years later, Helen shares her deeply personal memories of 9/11 with her True Criminals co host, veteran crime reporter Martin Brunt.
For this special ep...
Published: Sep 16, 2026Duration: 43m 54s
The 1MDB scandal – Clare Rewcastle Brown and the world’s biggest financial heist, Part One
In this first of two special episodes of True Criminals, journalists Helen Fospero and Martin Brunt are joined by investigative journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown, whose reporting helped expose the extraordinary corruption at the heart of Malaysia’s 1MDB scandal.
Rewcastle Brown’s investigation began in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, where the destruction of tropical rainforest and the loss of indigenous land led her to investigate political corruption. Following the money would eventually take her to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the Malaysian state investment fund established under former prime minister Najib Razak.
US prosecutors later alleged that more than $4...
Published: Sep 7, 2026Duration: 51m 30s
The Murder of Rachel Nickell: EXTENDED EPISODE - PATREON TEASER EP | How Robert Napper Was Finally Caught
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In Part One, Bill Clegg KC revealed how the case against Colin Stagg collapsed, leaving Rachel Nickell’s real killer free. In Pa...
Published: Sep 5, 2026Duration: 31m 58s
The Murder of Rachel Nickell: How Robert Napper Was Finally Caught - with special guest Bill Clegg KC
In Part One, Bill Clegg KC revealed how the case against Colin Stagg collapsed, leaving Rachel Nickell’s real killer free. In Part Two, the story turns to the man who actually murdered her: Robert Napper.
Helen Fospero and Martin Brunt are once again joined by Bill, who found himself in an extraordinary position. Having defended Colin Stagg, he later represented Napper after he was charged with the brutal murders of Samantha Bissett and her four-year-old daughter Jasmine.
Within an hour of reading the case papers, Bill became convinced Napper was also the man who ha...
Published: Aug 31, 2026Duration: 21m 25s
The Murder of Rachel Nickell: Bill Clegg KC on the Colin Stagg Honey Trap
In July 1992, Rachel Nickell was murdered in broad daylight on Wimbledon Common, with her two year old son nearby. The killing shocked Britain and triggered one of the most controversial murder investigations in modern British history.
Helen Fospero and Martin Brunt are joined by Bill Clegg KC, the barrister who defended Colin Stagg, the innocent man police accused of Rachel's murder.
With no forensic evidence or confession linking Stagg to the crime, investigators launched an extraordinary undercover "honey trap", using a female police officer to try to persuade him to confess. The confession never came.
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Published: Aug 26, 2026Duration: 43m 24s
Kerry Daynes: The Profiler
We welcome Kerry Daynes back to True Criminals for the second of two conversations with one of Britain’s leading consultant forensic psychologists.
Last time, we explored Kerry’s encounters with serial killer Dennis Nilsen. This time, the story is Kerry herself and an extraordinary career spent sitting opposite some of the most dangerous and complex people in the criminal justice system.
Kerry takes us back to Wakefield Prison in 1996, when, aged just 21, she entered a deeply intimidating and misogynistic environment to begin her career in forensic psychology. She recalls interviewing men convicted of rape and mur...
Published: Aug 18, 2026Duration: 1h 15m 9s
Jimmy Savile: The Legacy of Abuse – Institutional Failures and Protecting Children with Simon Bailey - PART 2
Simon Bailey returns to the studio for the second part of our conversation examining the Jimmy Savile case and its lasting impact on safeguarding and policing in Britain.
For decades, Savile was able to exploit children and vulnerable people while enjoying extraordinary access to respected institutions and widespread public admiration. How did his offending remain unchecked for so long, and why were so many opportunities to intervene lost?
In this episode of True Criminals, Martin Brunt and Helen Fospero continue their discussion with Simon Bailey, former Chief Constable of Norfolk Constabulary and former National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Ch...
Published: Aug 11, 2026Duration: 36m 11s
Kerry Daynes on Dennis Nilsen | Inside the Mind of Britain's Notorious Serial Killer
Few people spent time talking to Dennis Nilsen after his conviction. Consultant forensic psychologist, Sunday Times bestselling author and host of The Profiler with Kerry Daynes, Kerry Daynes, did. In this episode of True Criminals, Kerry reflects on her conversations and correspondence with one of Britain's most infamous serial killers, offering rare insight into the psychology behind his crimes while refusing to accept the myths and self-serving narratives he spent years constructing. Joined by journalist Helen Fospero and crime reporter Martin Brunt, she explores the making of a murderer, the danger of allowing killers to control their own legacy, and why...
Published: Jul 23, 2026Duration: 57m 42s
Suzy Lamplugh: 40 Years On with Former DCI Michael Barley
Forty years after the disappearance of Suzy Lamplugh, former Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Michael Barley returns to True Criminals to revisit one of Britain's most haunting unsolved cases. As the officer who established the original incident room on the night Suzy vanished and remained involved in the investigation for more than a decade, Mike offers an extraordinary insider's account of the decisions, frustrations and missed opportunities that shaped one of the UK's most notorious missing person investigations.
In this exclusive interview, Mike reflects on the original inquiry, the emergence of prime suspect John Cannan, and reveals wh...
Published: Jul 13, 2026Duration: 42m 52s
Jimmy Savile: The Legacy of Abuse – Exposing Institutional Failures and Protecting Children with Simon Bailey
How was Jimmy Savile able to abuse children and vulnerable people for decades while surrounded by powerful institutions, public admiration and extraordinary access? In this powerful episode of True Criminals, Martin Brunt and Helen Fospero examine one of the most significant safeguarding failures in modern British history, exploring how opportunities to stop a prolific offender were repeatedly missed and what those failures continue to teach us today.
Joining us is Simon Bailey, former Chief Constable of Norfolk Constabulary, former National Police Chiefs' Council Lead for Child Protection, who led Operation Hydrant following the exposure of Savile's crimes, a...
Published: Jul 13, 2026Duration: 57m 42s
Most Captivating Hosts – Thank You!
We're still pinching ourselves... 🎉
In this short bonus episode, Martin Brunt and Helen Fospero reflect on an unforgettable evening at the True Crime Awards, where we were honoured to win Most Captivating Hosts.
A huge thank you to everyone at the True Crime Awards, the judging panel, and everyone involved in recognising the work that goes into bringing these stories to you each week. Most importantly, thank you for listening, supporting the podcast, and being part of our incredible community.
If you've enjoyed the show, we'd love it if you could take a moment...
Published: Jul 2, 2026Duration: 5m 18s
Story of a Murder: Hallie Rubenhold on the Dr Crippen Case
This week on True Criminals, Martin Brunt and Helen Fospero revisit one of the most infamous murder cases in British history, the story of Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen. Joined by bestselling historian and author Hallie Rubenhold, they explore the murder of Belle Elmore and the extraordinary investigation that gripped the Edwardian world, from the first international manhunt to the pioneering use of wireless telegraphy.
Drawing on Hallie's acclaimed book Story of a Murder, the conversation moves beyond the familiar legend of Crippen to uncover the lives of the women at the heart of the case, offering a compelling new...
Published: Jun 30, 2026Duration: 54m 35s
ITV’s Believe Me Review: The John Worboys Story Told Through the Victims | True Criminals
In this episode of True Criminals, Martin Brunt and Helen Fospero take a closer look at ITV’s powerful drama Believe Me, which tells the story of convicted black cab rapist John Worboys through the experiences of his victims.
Having both followed and covered the case, Martin and Helen discuss how the four-part drama brings one of Britain’s most shocking criminal cases back into focus — not by centring Worboys, but by telling the story of the women who survived his attacks and the fight to be believed.
They explore the performances, the difficult realities behind...
Published: Jun 16, 2026Duration: 16m 45s