Bad People

Should the parents of a high school shooter be held criminally responsible for the actions of their son?

The landmark case of James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of US high school shooter Ethan Crumbley. They were charged with failing to prevent their son's fatal attack.

Presented by journalist and true crime documentary maker Amber Haque and criminal psychologist Dr Julia Shaw.

Producer: James Shield

Faye Dunn was a professional footballer who played for the England women's team. In 2020, police discovered she had another career in organised crime.

Amber Haque tells the story of how Faye and her father were rumbled in the biggest organised crime bust in British history. Dr Julia Shaw delves into the research on double lives and going into crime with a family member.

Producers: Maggie Latham, Lorna Reader and Fiona Woods

The story of how teenager Michelle Carter's text messages to suicidal boyfriend Conrad Roy resulted in death for him and a charge of manslaughter for her.

Hosts Amber Haque and Dr Julia Shaw discuss whether it should be a crime to encourage someone to take their own life?

Producers: Lorna Reader and Rachel Oakes.

Sherri Lynn Lamarche was the unassuming bookkeeper in a family real estate business in Nova Scotia. She was trusted so much that she managed to steal millions before anyone noticed.

Hosts Amber Haque and Dr Julia Shaw discuss how criminal psychology's model of the "fraud triangle" perfectly fits this ultimate office drama. It's a classic fraud story of opportunity, incentive and rationalisation.

Producers: Ciaran Tracey with help from Lorna Reader, Rhiannon Cobb and Shabnam Grewal

In February 2024, mother-of-six, beloved parenting guru and social media star Ruby Franke, was convicted and jailed for child abuse.

The case struck at the heart of what it means to be a good carer in today’s society, and how even the most loving parent can end up committing unimaginable cruelty.

Join criminal psychologist, Dr Julia Shaw and true crime documentary maker Amber Haque as they discuss this truly heartbreaking and mind-boggling case – as well as exploring how what and who we choose to follow and interact with on social media can raise serious moral questions too.

Producers: Maggie Latham and Rachel Oakes

Rebecca Coriam, a 24-year-old from Chester, was working on a cruise ship off the Pacific coast of Mexico when she disappeared in 2011. The story of how the police and the cruise line dealt with her disappearance shines a light on the difficulties of getting a thorough investigation when someone goes missing at sea.

Hosts Amber Haque and Dr Julia Shaw discuss this story and find out more about crime on cruise ships.

Producers: Maggie Latham and Rachel Oakes

Showtrial series 2 is a gripping BBC screen drama about climate activism, civil disobedience and police corruption. Screenwriter Ben Richards joins Julia and Amber to talk about the bad things his characters do and why.

In this podcast we state incorrectly that the setting for the courtroom drama was London. We should have said the setting was a Brighton courtroom. We apologise.

Producer: Lorna Reader

Magdalena Cruz did not know who her father was. But she knew he was a rapist. An ancestry DNA test led her to her likely family. When she looked at their profiles on social media she came across the photograph of a man with a striking family resemblance.

Journalist Amber Haque and criminal psychologist Dr Julia Shaw delve into the story.

Producers: Ciaran Tracey and James Shield

Three boys from the same Sunderland school were found dead within a few months of each other in the early 1990s. Their deaths were initially blamed on sniffing glue to get high. But the boys' families thought they had been murdered. And they were right. Two years later, Steven Grieveson was convicted of serial murder. But the investigation wasn't over.

Presenters: Criminal psychologist Dr Julia Shaw and journalist and true crime documentary maker Amber Haque.

Producers: Maggie Latham and Rachel Oakes

"Pretendians" are people who falsely claim a native American or indigenous Canadian identity.

In 2024, a 59 year old woman who falsely claimed her daughters were adopted Inuit girls was sentenced to three years in a Canadian prison. Karima Manji lied about her daughters' heritage to claim $150,000 from funds reserved for Inuit people. The judge sentenced her to more than the two years recommended by the prosecution, stating that Manji had "victimized the Inuit of Nunavut by stealing their identity."

Should crimes involving cultural appropriation attract a heavier sentence?

Hosts: Dr Julia Shaw and Amber Haque.

Producer: Shabnam Grewal