Jennifer and Sarah Hart were loving wives who were completely devoted to each other. They had adopted six beautiful children who they were extremely proud of and who they loved deeply … and the world knew it. While Sarah didn’t have much of a social media presence, Jennifer more than made up for it. Her social media posts showed their wholesome family life and her photos showed their children with beaming smiles. They affectionately became known in their various circles as The Hart Tribe.

Was the Hart Tribe’s life as wonderful as it appeared? Or was it Jennifer’s way of hiding the true reality and mundanity of everyday life?

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In the late 1980s, Tracey Wigginton had become the leader of a self-styled witches coven comprising four members. At first, their activities were innocent and innocuous but it didn’t take long for their coven to take a more sinister turn. Tracey revealed one night that she was harbouring a deep secret. A secret that she felt that she could now share with her coven sisters because she trusted them implicitly.

Tracey confessed that she was a vampire and that she needed to feed properly. She needed human blood. 

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*** The language in this episode may be triggering for some listeners. The derogatory and transphobic words that appeared in my research are the words that I have used as I feel these highlight the bigoted views of people at the time of this crime. No offence is intended by using these words. ***

When Brandon Teena was beaten, kidnapped and raped, he hoped that reporting these crimes to the police would provide him with the support and sanctuary that he needed. It didn't. It only compounded his misery ... and led to his murder.

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In 1996, an organisation called Heaven’s Gate rented a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California. In October of the same year, they learned that the Hale-Bopp comet was approaching Earth. 

By the end of March 1997, all 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate cult were dead. This is the story of a cult, a comet, a spaceship and mass suicide.

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Neutral Bay is a harbour-side suburb of Sydney, Australia; about 3 kms from Sydney’s central business district. It’s a beautiful, self-contained suburb on the shoreline which offers breath-taking views of the harbour and many shops, restaurants and cafes. It’s a popular spot for young professionals and middle-class families.

One such young professional who lived there was Morgan Huxley. This is the tragic tale of how a chance encounter ended Morgan’s life.

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After a court ruling in England in the late 1980s, the attitude of the police towards the LGBT+ community meant that anyone who was interested in bondage or BDSM had to retreat underground with their kink. It didn’t matter if it was consensual. The court ruling indicated that witnesses to, or participants in, any sadomasochistic activity were liable for prosecution. It created further division between police and the LGBT+ community who were already being marginalised and discriminated against by the government’s despicable view on homosexuality.

This lack of trust towards the police by members of the LGBT+ community created the perfect hunting ground for someone who hated gay men. This is the story of the notorious killer who hunted members of the gay community who participated in BDSM. BDSM provided him with the perfect opportunity to tie up gay men before robbing and murdering them. A man, the media dubbed, the Gay Slayer.

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In the 1850s, Rome was noted for being silent and tranquil. It had a certain air of saintliness and stillness. At the time, the population of Rome was 180,000 people and around 7,500 of those people were nuns and priests. 

Everyone is aware that being a priest or a nun within the Catholic church requires you to be celibate. Celibacy is one of the most widely recognised characteristics of being a Roman Catholic priest or nun; however, celibacy seemed to mean very little to the nuns who lived in the Sant’Ambrogio della Massima convent.

This is a story about the scandal, filth, lies, debauchery, banishment, murder, and sexual initiation rites. It’s not for the faint-hearted.

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*** The language in this episode may be triggering for some listeners. The derogatory and transphobic words that appeared in my research are the words that I have used as I feel these highlight the bigoted views of people at the time of this crime. No offence is intended by using these words. ***

Porto is Portugal’s second largest city and is a world heritage site known for its six stately bridges, stunning old town and world-renowned production of port wine. 

In 2006, Porto became the scene for the violent murder of a trans woman. A murder which outraged the public and which was the driving force for positive change in the treatment and legal protection of trans people.

This story contains the gruesome details of how everything can go wrong in life for someone. Discrimination, illness, poverty, degradation, violence, hate, ignorance, exclusion, transphobia and crushed dreams.

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Sometimes it takes an outrageous act of brutality, driven by hate, to bring about the change that is very much needed and long overdue.

Homosexuality in England was decriminalised in 1967. Despite this, homophobia in the 1980s was out of control. During the AIDS crisis, homophobia was inflamed by the tabloids and made worse by the Conservative government. 

Four separate, violent murders of gay men over an 8-month period had such an impact on LGBT+ campaigners that they resulted in lasting changes to protections for LGBT+ people around the United Kingdom. Protections and rights which we have all come to appreciate and almost take for granted today.

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The Interstate 95, or I-95, is the main interstate highway on the east coast of the United States. It stretches over 1,900 miles from route 1 in Miami, Florida to the east Canadian province of New Brunswick. It serves major cities across the eastern seaboard including Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Washington, Baltimore and many more. At the southern end, it serves Floridian cities such as Miami, Jacksonville and Daytona Beach.

In 1994, the I-95 was used as the main driving route for a killer of gay men ... starting in Daytona Beach.

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