It’s a technique invented in Canada and which is becoming more and more common as police seek to solve so-called cold cases. Known as the “Mr Big” method, police set up a fake criminal ring and include the suspect in it, and little by little, the suspect often confesses to committing the crime. While police say the method is efficient, human rights organisations argue otherwise: In some cases individuals have been released after spending years in prison because judges have later deemed their confessions inadmissible. Pierre Millet and Spencer McNaughton investigate for France 24.

A programme prepared by Patrick Lovett and Jessica Sestilli.