A former Kent Police sergeant. A grandfather. A man who spent years telling over 6,000 people their money was safe in his hands. Michael Stanley ran the Layezy Racing Syndicate, a horse racing betting scheme he claimed was virtually risk-free. For years, the monthly reports he sent out appeared to prove it was working perfectly. They were complete fabrications…
Read moreElkin & Bell / The Gosport Funeral Home Scandal
In England, anyone can become a funeral director. No licence, no qualifications required. This is the story of how that gap was exploited. On December 10th, 2023, bailiffs entered a repossessed funeral home in Gosport, Hampshire, and discovered something that would prompt a year-long police investigation, a landmark criminal trial, and renewed calls for long-overdue industry regulation…
Read moreRomance Fraudster / Kerry Gray
The UK has the third-highest number of dating app users in the world. Over 11 million people in the UK are currently looking for romance online. While there have been many stories of couples who found love over the internet, there are others that end in something worse than heartbreak…
Read moreSeverance / Neil Hopper
A man was rushed to the hospital after feeling unwell during a family camping trip. The medics' battle to save his life was all the more desperate because he was one of their colleagues…
Read moreThe Casanova Conman / The Murders of Margaret McOnie & Jack Shuttleworth
Robert Morphet hadn’t seen his elderly neighbour in several days. He was concerned that 88-year-old Jack could have fallen or hurt himself, so Robert decided to call in to make sure Jack was okay. When a knock at the door went unanswered, Robert walked around to his neighbour's garden and checked the shed. It was locked, but something in the back of Robert’s mind told him to look inside…
Read moreCell Therapy, Sex Counselling & A Contract Killing
The informant's microphone picked up the din of the busy beachfront restaurant. Sheriff’s deputies were stationed in a covert van nearby. They had a camera trained on one of the large windows, focusing on the target's hands passing an envelope of money to the informant. Still clear enough over the customer's chatter, the informant asked when he wanted it done. “Yesterday” was the response…
Read moreA Tragic Pact / The Unbelievable Crimes Of Linsey Cotton
Passing through the hotel's hallway, one guest noticed something strange — a figure slumped against the wall outside room 25. As they got closer, the guest saw, to their horror, that the young woman was covered in blood, and a trail led back to her room. Staff members were quickly alerted and ran down the corridor. When they entered room 25, they found another woman badly injured. She was alive but barely breathing…
Read moreBogus Doctors & Forged Medical Qualifications
Becoming a doctor takes years of dedication and ongoing training. Patients who are physically or mentally unwell, rely on medical professionals, trusting them implicitly to guide them back to health when they are at their most vulnerable. Nonetheless, there are instances when appearances can be deceiving, times when the family doctor isn’t a doctor at all, using a medical title they are not qualified to claim, and ruthlessly risking the safety of unwitting patients for personal gain…
Read moreRomance Scams [TWAU Plus]
Meeting a partner on the internet is common practice in this day and age — its popularity is on the rise. One group, the elderly seeking companionship, have become the preferred target for romance scammers trying to extort money...
Read moreThe Wild Fraud of "Lady" Rosemary Aberdour
Jeeves jumped into the back of the Bentley. The chauffeur was escorting him from London to Scotland. Jeeves was looking peaky; maybe a break from the city for a walk in the Scottish countryside might help freshen him up. After a short trip, they would make the roughly eight-hour drive home, refreshed. Jeeves was used to the more exceptional things in life; sometimes he devoured the best fillet steak purchased especially for him from Harrods…
Read moreThe Lottery Conman / Howard Walmsley [Patreon Exclusive]
In September 1998, painter and decorator Howard Walmsley told a lie to his wife, Kathy. The lie gathered momentum and soon got out of Howard's control…
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