On a Saturday afternoon in February 2023, 16-year-old Brianna Ghey left her home in Birchwood, Warrington, to meet a friend. It might not sound like much, but for her, it was a big step. She’d made the journey on her own, got the bus, and was doing what any teenager would do, heading out to spend time with someone she trusted.

But as the afternoon went on, something didn’t feel right. A message she sent to a friend hinted at that. A quiet moment of doubt. And not long after that, in Culcheth Linear Park, everything changed. Because what happened to Brianna wasn’t a random, spur-of-the-moment act. It was planned.

In this episode of British Murders with Stuart Blues, I take an in-depth look at the murder of Brianna Ghey. A case that shocked Warrington, the North West, and the entire UK. We’ll explore who Brianna was, how she met her killers, and how a seemingly normal friendship turned into something unthinkable.

I’ll walk you through the full timeline of events on February 11, 2023, from Brianna leaving home, to her final moments in Culcheth Linear Park. We’ll also examine the background of the two teenagers responsible, the disturbing messages uncovered by police, and the evidence presented during the trial at Manchester Crown Court.

This episode also covers the investigation by Cheshire Police, the arrest and charging of the two suspects, and the court case that followed, where both were found guilty of Brianna's murder. We’ll look at the sentencing, the motives discussed in court - including obsession, violence and vulnerability -and the wider questions this case raises.

But beyond the crime itself, this is about remembering Brianna. A 16-year-old girl described as funny, confident and full of life. Someone who loved pink, made people laugh, and had plans for her future. Plans that were taken away far too soon.

This case sparked national conversation across the UK, including discussions around online behaviour, youth violence, vulnerability, and the importance of trust. It also led to widespread public tributes, vigils across cities like Manchester, Liverpool and London, and ongoing efforts by Brianna’s family to create a positive legacy in her name.

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The case discussed in this podcast episode is real and represents the worst day in many people's lives. I aim to cover such stories with a victim-focused approach, using information from publicly available sources. While I strive for accuracy, some details may vary depending on the sources used. You can find the sources for each episode on my website. Due to the nature of the content, listener discretion is advised. Thank you for your understanding and support.

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In the mid-1800s, a quiet trail of deaths began to follow a woman across the North East of England. Husbands, children, and relatives seemed to fall suddenly ill, often complaining of stomach pains before dying not long after. At the time, many of these deaths were put down to disease, something that wasn’t uncommon in Victorian Britain.

But over the years, the number of deaths began to raise eyebrows. Wherever this woman went, tragedy seemed to follow. Families were torn apart, life insurance payouts appeared at just the right moment, and whispers began circulating that these deaths might not have been natural at all. Poisoning, suspicion, and greed were all in the mix.

In this episode of British Murders with Stuart Blues, I take a chronological look at the life and crimes of Mary Ann Cotton, one of Britain’s earliest known female serial killers. A woman suspected of poisoning multiple husbands, children, and relatives during Britain’s Victorian era, Mary Ann Cotton remains one of the most infamous female serial killers in UK history. We’ll explore her use of arsenic, the murders that shocked North East England, her trial and execution, and the legacy of suspicion and horror she left behind.

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The case discussed in this podcast episode is real and represents the worst day in many people's lives. I aim to cover such stories with a victim-focused approach, using information from publicly available sources. While I strive for accuracy, some details may vary depending on the sources used. You can find the sources for each episode on my website. Due to the nature of the content, listener discretion is advised. Thank you for your understanding and support.

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Today marks 17 years since Claudia Lawrence disappeared.

On the evening of March 18, 2009, the 35-year-old chef spoke with her parents before settling in for the night at her home in York. The following morning, she failed to turn up for work at the University of York and missed plans with a friend later that evening. She has never been seen or heard from since.

Despite extensive investigations by North Yorkshire Police, Claudia’s disappearance remains one of the UK’s most high-profile unsolved missing person cases. This episode revisits her story in the hope of keeping her name in the public consciousness.

If you have any information about Claudia Lawrence’s disappearance, please contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org. Alternatively, you can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting “Claudia Lawrence”.

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The case discussed in this podcast episode is real and represents the worst day in many people's lives. I aim to cover such stories with a victim-focused approach, using information from publicly available sources. While I strive for accuracy, some details may vary depending on the sources used. You can find the sources for each episode on my website. Due to the nature of the content, listener discretion is advised. Thank you for your understanding and support.

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In late February 2026, news broke that one of Britain’s most notorious child killers had been attacked inside prison. Within days, Ian Huntley, the man responsible for the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, was dead. The man accused of carrying out the attack was another inmate, Anthony Russell, and almost instantly the internet lit up with celebration.

But here’s the thing. While some people online have been calling Russell a hero, that version of the story leaves out something important. Long before he ever crossed paths with Huntley behind prison walls, Russell had already left a trail of devastation across the West Midlands. In the space of just seven days, four people lost their lives after encountering him - David Williams, his mum Julie Williams, and pregnant Nichola McGregor.

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The case discussed in this podcast episode is real and represents the worst day in many people's lives. I aim to cover such stories with a victim-focused approach, using information from publicly available sources. While I strive for accuracy, some details may vary depending on the sources used. You can find the sources for each episode on my website. Due to the nature of the content, listener discretion is advised. Thank you for your understanding and support.

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In August 2002, two ten-year-old best friends left their homes in the quiet Cambridgeshire town of Soham to buy some sweets. It was a warm summer evening during the school holidays, and the sort of trip they’d made plenty of times before. But when Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman didn’t return home, a simple errand quickly turned into one of the biggest missing persons searches Britain had ever seen. Two little girls had seemingly vanished without a trace.

Holly and Jessica had grown up side by side. They went to school together, played together, and spent most days wandering around with the kind of freedom kids in tight knit communities often have. But one evening, something went terribly wrong. Within days, the entire country was watching as the search unfolded, and at the centre of it all stood a local school caretaker who claimed he might have been the last person to see the girls alive.

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The case discussed in this podcast episode is real and represents the worst day in many people's lives. I aim to cover such stories with a victim-focused approach, using information from publicly available sources. While I strive for accuracy, some details may vary depending on the sources used. You can find the sources for each episode on my website. Due to the nature of the content, listener discretion is advised. Thank you for your understanding and support.

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In the early hours of the summer Bank Holiday weekend in 2016, a young man lay unconscious on a quiet street in Blackheath, south east London. Just minutes earlier, he’d been laughing with friends, chatting to strangers, waiting for a taxi home. Then a single punch knocked him to the ground. Within 24 hours, he was gone.

Oliver Dearlove was 30 years old. He had a solid career in banking, a long-term girlfriend he adored, and future plans for a house, a baby, and a big birthday trip to Las Vegas. He was the sort of lad who avoided trouble rather than invited it, yet on a night out that should have ended with nothing more dramatic than some food and a hangover, everything changed in seconds.

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The case discussed in this podcast episode is real and represents the worst day in many people's lives. I aim to cover such stories with a victim-focused approach, using information from publicly available sources. While I strive for accuracy, some details may vary depending on the sources used. You can find the sources for each episode on my website. Due to the nature of the content, listener discretion is advised. Thank you for your understanding and support.

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In September 2023, police officers walked into house on Pump Hill in the village of Great Baddow, Essex. Standing in front of them was 35-year-old Virginia McCullough, who appeared calm and composed. But within moments, she was telling them her parents were dead, and that their bodies were still inside the house.

For four years, John and Lois McCullough had seemingly vanished. Family was told they’d moved to the seaside. Friends were told they were unwell. Birthday cards and text messages still arrived. Pensions were still being paid. To the outside world, it looked like two elderly parents enjoying a quiet retirement, but behind drawn curtains, a very different reality had been sitting undisturbed since June 2019.

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The case discussed in this podcast episode is real and represents the worst day in many people's lives. I aim to cover such stories with a victim-focused approach, using information from publicly available sources. While I strive for accuracy, some details may vary depending on the sources used. You can find the sources for each episode on my website. Due to the nature of the content, listener discretion is advised. Thank you for your understanding and support.

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In this episode, I’m joined by two former Crime Scene Investigators, Angela Davies and Dionne Watson, the hosts of The Crime Scene Insiders Podcast. Between them, they’ve worked countless real-life investigations - the kind you don’t see neatly wrapped up in 40 minutes on television.

We talk about what crime shows actually get right (if anything) and the many things they get completely wrong. From forensic myths and unrealistic lab results to the realities of working long hours inside taped-off properties, Ange and Dee take us under the barrier tape and into the real world of CSI work.

We also discuss some of the more unusual and unexpected discoveries they’ve made at crime scenes, moments that have stayed with them long after the evidence bags were sealed. If you’ve ever wondered what really happens once the police cordon goes up, this episode gives you an honest look behind it.

Check out 'The Crime Scene Insiders', a true crime podcast with a CSI twist, that will take you under the barrier tape of real criminal investigations:

Podcast Feed | The Crime Scene Insiders

Facebook | The Crime Scene Insiders

Instagram | @thecrimesceneinsiders

YouTube | @TheCrimeSceneInsiders

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The views and opinions expressed by my guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the podcast or its host. This episode is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only.

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On May 12, 2020, during the first Covid lockdown, police were called to a quiet stretch of road in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. Officers had already stopped a car for breaching lockdown rules and issued a fixed penalty notice. But just a short distance away, sitting at the side of the road in the darkness, were two suitcases. Inside were human remains.

At the centre of this story are two women living in a shared house in Lozells, Birmingham - Phoenix Netts and Gareeca Gordon. Phoenix had taken Gordon under her wing, and to the outside world, they were simply friends sharing accommodation during a national crisis. But behind closed doors, tensions were rising, boundaries were being crossed, and one of them was becoming increasingly afraid.

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The case discussed in this podcast episode is real and represents the worst day in many people's lives. I aim to cover such stories with a victim-focused approach, using information from publicly available sources. While I strive for accuracy, some details may vary depending on the sources used. You can find the sources for each episode on my website. Due to the nature of the content, listener discretion is advised. Thank you for your understanding and support.

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Fifty-two years have passed since Donald Neilson committed his first known murder - that of 54-year-old Donald Skepper on 15 February 1974. What followed was a violent campaign that would stretch across four English counties and culminate in one of the most infamous kidnappings in British criminal history.

In the mid-1970s, sub-postmasters were targeted in a series of calculated and ruthless attacks. Then, in January 1975, 17-year-old Lesley Whittle was abducted and held for ransom - a crime that gripped the nation and ended in devastating tragedy.

This episode revisits my November 2024 coverage of the case, now re-released from the archives. It’s a story of lives stolen, families devastated, and the relentless manhunt that brought one of Britain’s most notorious serial offenders to justice.

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Disclaimer:

The case discussed in this podcast episode is real and represents the worst day in many people's lives. I aim to cover such stories with a victim-focused approach, using information from publicly available sources. While I strive for accuracy, some details may vary depending on the sources used. You can find the sources for each episode on my website. Due to the nature of the content, listener discretion is advised. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.