Millions of people worldwide hand over money every week to be in with a chance of winning the lottery. The odds aren't stacked in your favour, but you pay anyway. Maybe for a minute, your mind drifts to a place where you’ve won. You imagine what you would do with your millions, what you would buy family and friends you would treat, how much your life would be improved. Teenage lottery winner Michael Carroll’s fall was almost as fast as his rise after he won ten million pounds. His life spiralled into utter chaos, drugs, violence and murder within his family…

The Jane and John Does of the U.K., the unknown people, walking amongst us, unnoticed on the streets, here one day and gone the next. The unidentified, the unloved, the forgotten, the lonely, the lost, the missed and the loved…

The body of Jimmy Prout had been found in some scrubland only a hundred yards from his home in Percy Main, a small village located in the North East of England. He was the victim of abuse that a prosecutor described as belonging in the dark ages. Zahid Zaman, Ann Corbett, Kay Rayworth and Myra Wood were charged with his murder, and a trial began at the start of May 2017… (Part 2 of 2).

Late March 2016. Northumbria police appealed to the public as they were growing concerned for two missing people in Tyneside... (Part 1 of 2).

On January 2, 1998, 15-year-old Hannah Deterville left her home in Queens Park, London, to meet a friend. She never came home… 

The name Boarded Barn didn't really suit the large Tudor house, which more closely resembled a manor than a barn. It sat surrounded on three sides by acres of land. The only neighbours lived on a farm nearby, with a road passing the front of the property. Everything was going to plan. The dogs were running loose while Ann and Christine got to the difficult task of sorting through Ann’s mother’s belongings. Sometime in the afternoon, their two cars were joined by a third on the gravel driveway. A white Ford Cortina pulled up with three men inside…

A controversial case in British law, when a 22-year-old man with the mental capacity of a nine-and-a-half-year-old, and the understanding of right and wrong equal to that of a 6-year-old, is sentenced to hang for murder…

The charred remains of 21-year-old Sophie Lionnet were found on a bonfire in the back garden of a property in Southfields, London. Sabrina Kouider and Ouissem Medouni were arrested and charged with murder. A trial began during March 2018… (Part 2 of 2). 

Smoke was billowing out of an Edwardian end-of-terrace property on the intersection of Pulborough Road and Wimbledon Park Road, in Southfields, London. Neighbours became concerned when the plumes of smoke grew so dense a heavy fog covered the street... (Part 1 of 2).

‘Hannibal, The Cannibal’, is a fictional character from The Silence of the Lambs. He eats pieces of his victims. After he is caught, he is kept in a cell with a glass facade to be safely observed. The UK press has its own ‘Hannibal, The Cannibal’…

After Reggie’s Kray wedding in 1965, Ronnie’s mental health continued to decline, and he suffered from both bouts of crippling depression and pathological rages. Ronnie would take medication, but over time, its effects wore off. He was paranoid and convinced everyone was out to get him… (Part 2 of 2).

From their East End beginnings, the Kray twins would go on to run one of the most powerful and feared criminal organisations in London. Their influence wouldn’t only be felt by the nightclubs and casinos of the capital but also some of the highest tiers of government. They were untouchable, and the Krays remain a much-remembered part of sixties culture like the celebrity icons that filled their establishments. This is the story of Reggie and Ronnie Kray… (Part 1 of 2).

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…

On a dark December night, a couple were heading home after an evening out. As they drove towards Alvechurch in Worcestershire, they were stopped on a deserted country lane, and the driver was murdered in a brutal attack. But who was this mystery assailant, and what connection did they have to the victim?… 

Basil and Avril Laitner’s day was filled with happiness. They watched their eldest daughter get married, and they spent the early evening at the reception, in a marquee tent in their back garden. When they waved their daughter and new son-in-law off on their honeymoon, they had no idea a stranger was watching too. The Laitners’ dream day was about to turn into their worst nightmare…

During September 2012, Dale Cregan opened fire on two unarmed police officers. After killing them both, he handed himself in at a local police station. His arrest ended a nationwide manhunt to find him, as he was also wanted in connection with the murders of a father and son in Greater Manchester. Along with Dale Cregan, nine other men would be charged in connection with the murders of PC Nicola Hughes, PC Fiona Bone, and Mark and David Short… (Part 2 of 2).

On Tuesday, September 18, 2012, PC Nicola Hughes and PC Fiona Bone arrived at a property in Abbey Gardens, ten miles east of Manchester City Centre. They were answering a routine call… (Part 1 of 2). 

After his release from prison in 1970, Roy Fontaine had accepted a job at Whittingham Hospital, and he was staying at a prison hostel nearby in Preston. Under the watchful eye of staff, Roy carried out his duties as the hospital porter. While waiting for his boyfriend, David Barnard, to get parole, Roy Fontaine started a fling with one of his co-workers, Mary Coggle. Roy used his leisure time, before the prison hostel curfew, to visit an RAF drinking club. While there, he began talking to Hazel Patterson, a well-liked widow who owned a newsagents… (Part 2 of 2).

To ensure his brother couldn’t lift his head above the water, Roy held it under for a moment as the last of the air left Donald’s lungs. As Roy and Michael stepped back from the bathtub, they patiently waited. After five minutes, Donald’s body bobbed to the surface… (Part 1 of 2).

Between 1975 and 1980, The Yorkshire Ripper used the North of England as a hunting ground. He spread fear not just in Yorkshire, but across the entire country. The Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, killed thirteen women and attacked eight others. But before his capture, police were duped by a recording and three letters sent by a hoaxer. The voice on the tape claimed that he was the serial killer. This false evidence would derail the investigation and divert attention away from the real culprit. Police would later discover the recordings were made by John Humble. For over a quarter of a century, the answer to the question, Who is “Wearside Jack”, would remain unanswered, and John would lead detectives on a wild goose chase that may have cost three women their lives…