Writing Wrongs

Series 2 - Episode 6* Warning: Today’s episode contains descriptions ofharassment and stalking. We’ll explore themes related to verbal and emotional abuse, intimate partner abuse, highly offensive communications, and fraud.Listener discretion is strongly advised, as some content may be distressing. * August 2020, Darlington, North East England. A woman begins to receive vast numbers of abusive messages, which she believes are coming from her ex-partner Stuart Bell. It was not a straightforward matter for the police to establish whether it was Bell who was behind the messages. Investigating officer Kerris Dawson approached Dr Nicci MacLeod for help. Join hosts Professor Tim Grant and Dr Nicci MacLeod in unravelling the linguistic features that contributed to determining the authorship of the abusive messages.  For a list of our sources and more information about this case, please visit https://www.aston.ac.uk/writing-wrongs  Have a question for Nicci or Tim? Email us at writingwrongs@aston.ac.uk and we may answer it duringan upcoming episode! Check out the official AIFL blog for more forensic linguistic goodies here: https://medium.com/@AIFLblog  If you have been affected by any of the themes in this week’s episode, please contact one of these free sources: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/ https://www.helpguide.org/find-help  Production Team: Mark Round, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich Buera, Karolina PlaczyntaSound: Mark RoundVisual design: George GrantAdditional Voices: Mark Round, Sam Guerin With special thanks to Robbie Love.  Professor Tim Grant’s home page: Tim Grant - Aston Research Explorer Dr Nicci MacLeod’s home page: Nicci MacLeod - Aston Research Explorer

Series 2 - Episode 5Terror in the State of Denmark - Conversations from a List of Resolutes* Warning: Today’s episode contains descriptions of religious extremism, radicalization and plots of violence or terrorism. * Joined by Dr Tanya Karoli Christensen, hosts Nicci and Tim discuss a counterterrorism investigation from Denmark. In this case, linguistic analysis proved vital in unraveling implied meanings in text messages between a young man of Kurdish background, suspected of planning to travel to Syria to join ISIS, and another man, suspected of trying to recruit him. Through an analysis of 192 written chat messages from March 2015 between the two individuals, Tanya shares how themes of money, battle and war, and urgency in planning played a role in advancing a Danish police investigation. Listen to discover more. For a list of our sources and more information about this case, please visit https://www.aston.ac.uk/writing-wrongs Have a question for Nicci or Tim? Email us at writingwrongs@aston.ac.uk and we may answer it during an upcoming episode! Check out the official AIFL blog for more forensic linguistic goodies here: https://medium.com/@AIFLblog If you have been affected by any of the themes in this week’s episode, please contact one of these free sources:https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/https://www.helpguide.org/find-help Production Team: Angela Walker, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich BueraSound: Angela WalkerVisual design: George GrantAdditional Voices: Mark Round, Peter KiddleWith our thanks to Dr Tanya Karoli Christensen ResourcesProfessor Tim Grant’s home page: Tim Grant - Aston Research Explorer Dr Nicci MacLeod’s home page: Nicci MacLeod - Aston Research ExplorerDr Tanya Karoli Christensen’s home page: Dr Tanya Karoli Christensen - Research Profile  

* Warning: Today’s episode contains descriptions of violent murder, grooming and child sexual abuse, and online extremism. * This month, Writing Wrongs comes to you live as a part of the ESRC 2025 Festival of Social Science, from the West Midlands Police Museum at the Old Steelhouse Lane Lock-up. Our hosts are joined by colleagues Dr Emily Chiang and Dr Ralph Morton to discuss the past, present, and future of forensic linguistics. This is a preview of their (along with Prof Malcolm Coulthard) forthcoming book titled Forensic Linguistics in the United Kingdom: Origins, Progress and Prospects, which will be available in 2026 from Cambridge Elements.In the episode (about 40 minutes in) we discuss the Jenny Nicholl case and how their language differs - this is a transcription of the slide that the live audience could see:·      I am    |    Nicholl’s preference = im    |    Hodgson’s preference  = i am ·      I have    |    Nicholl’s preference = ive    |    Hodgson’s preference  = ave ·      my/myself    |    Nicholl’s preference = my/myself        |    Hodgson’s preference  = me/meself  ·      off  |    Nicholl’s preference = off        |    Hodgson’s preference  = of·      to    |    Nicholl’s preference = [word]2[word]        |    Hodgson’s preference  = [word]2+space[word]·      see you    |    Nicholl’s preference = cu    |    Hodgson’s preference  = cya·      phone    |    Nicholl’s preference = fone    |    Hodgson’s preference  = phone·      shit    |    Nicholl’s preference = shit   |    Hodgson’s preference  = shite·      am not    |    Nicholl’s preference = ‘m not   |    Hodgson’s preference  = ain’t  We were also thrilled to be joined by many of our Wrong’uns (our loving nickname for our fans) for this recording session! It was so lovely to get to meet you and hear your stories. Thank you for your support! For a list of our sources and more information about this case, please visit https://www.aston.ac.uk/writing-wrongs Have a question for Nicci or Tim? Email us at writingwrongs@aston.ac.uk and we may answer it during an upcoming episode! Check out the official AIFL blog for more forensic linguistic goodies here: https://medium.com/@AIFLblog If you have been affected by any of the themes in this week’s episode, please contact one of these free sources: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/https://www.helpguide.org/find-help Production Team: Angela Walker, Loretta Milan, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich BueraSound: Angela WalkerVisual design: George GrantAdditional Voices: Lesley McCarthy, Paul McCarthy, Dana Roemling, Marie Kreft, and Alexander OldknowWith our thanks to the ESRC and the West Midlands Police Museum, Dr Zoe Adams, Dr Daniela Schneevogt, and Karolina PlaczyntaResourcesProfessor Tim Grant’s home page: Tim Grant - Aston Research Explorer Dr Nicci MacLeod’s home page: Nicci MacLeod - Aston Research Explorer Dr Emily Chiang’s home page: Emily Chiang - Aston Research Explorer Dr Ralph Morton’s homepage: Ralph Morton - Aston Research Explorer

* This episode contains no particular contentwarnings, there is however a very brief mention of another case involving sexual abuse * This episode is about the New York Times, a high reputation paper of record in the Untied States, and how in theearly 2000s they came to publish a series of articles, which turned out to be plagiarised or untrue. Together with Professor Jack Grieve, from the University of Birmingham, our hosts Nicci and Tim take a look at how a linguistic approach to detecting fake news can make a difference. For a list of our sources and more information about this case, please visit https://www.aston.ac.uk/writing-wrongs  Have a question for Nicci or Tim? Email us at writingwrongs@aston.ac.uk and we may answer it duringan upcoming episode! Check out the official AIFL blog for more forensic linguistic goodies here: https://medium.com/@AIFLblog  Production Team: Angela Walker, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich BueraSound:Angela WalkerVisual design: George GrantAdditional Voices: Angela WalkerWith our thanks to Professor Jack Grieve Professor Tim Grant’s home page: Tim Grant - Aston Research Explorer Dr Nicci MacLeod’s home page: Nicci MacLeod - Aston Research Explorer Professor Jack Grieve’s home page: Professor Jack Grieve - Department ofLinguistics and Communication - University of Birmingham Link to the book: The Language of Fake News

* Warning: This episode contains descriptions of the killing of a police officer and the death penalty. *  STOP! If you haven’t listened to part one of this case, go back and listen before starting this episode.   Last time, Nicci and Tim explored the language around the custodial status of Derek Bentley, who was one of the last people to be hanged as criminal punishment in the UK in 1953.  In part 2, we welcome Prof Malcolm Coulthard, Professor Emeritus here at Aston University, one of the founders of AIFL (Center for Forensic Linguistics at the time), and granddaddy of forensic linguistics. Prof Coulthard joins Nicci and Tim to further unpack the case, this time focusing on the alleged confession Bentley gave the morning following the crime in question. Like Timothy Evans in series 1, it was unclear whether Derek Bentley had truly penned the written confession later given as evidence in court.  For a list of our sources and more information about this case, please visit https://www.aston.ac.uk/writing-wrongs   Have a question for Nicci or Tim? Email us at writingwrongs@aston.ac.uk and we may answer it during an upcoming episode!  Check out the official AIFL blog for more forensic linguistic goodies here: https://medium.com/@AIFLblog   If you have been affected by any of the themes in this week’s episode, please contact one of these free sources:  https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/  https://www.helpguide.org/find-help   Production Team: Sam Cook, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich Buera Additional Editing: Angela WalkerSound: Sam Cook Visual design: George Grant Additional Voices: Sam Cook With our thanks to Professor Malcolm Couthard  Resources  Professor Tim Grant’s home page: Tim Grant - Aston Research Explorer  Dr Nicci MacLeod’s home page: Nicci MacLeod - Aston Research Explorer  Professor Malcolm Coulthard’s research gate profile: Malcolm Coulthard – Research Gate 

* Warning: This episode contains descriptions of gun violence, murder and capital punishment. *  In this first episode of a two-part case, Nicci and Tim discuss Derek Bentley’s story and the miscarriages of justice that occurred when he was found guilty of murder and received the death penalty. Focusing on two different meaning ambiguities, our hosts explore 1) the alleged statement Derek made (‘Let him have it, Chris’) after which a police officer was shot, and 2) the legal vs. ordinary meaning of ‘to be held’, as it played a role in Derek’s failed appeal.  For a list of our sources and more information about this case, please visit https://www.aston.ac.uk/writing-wrongs   Have a question for Nicci or Tim? Email us at writingwrongs@aston.ac.uk and we may answer it during an upcoming episode!  Check out the official AIFL blog for more forensic linguistic goodies here: https://medium.com/@AIFLblog   If you have been affected by any of the themes in this week’s episode, please contact one of these free sources:  https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/  https://www.helpguide.org/find-help   Production Team: Sam Cook, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich Buera Sound: Sam Cook Visual design: George Grant Additional Voices: Sam Cook  Resources  Professor Tim Grant’s home page: Tim Grant - Aston Research Explorer  Dr Nicci MacLeod’s home page: Nicci MacLeod - Aston Research Explorer  ‘Let him have it’ movie on Amazon Prime UK: Watch Let Him Have It | Prime Video 

Writing Wrongs Live!Come and be part of the Writing Wrongs Live! show 4pm- 6pm 22nd October at the Steelhouse Lane Lockup Free tickets are available from https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/writing-wrongs-live-tickets-1520150794949

*Warning: this episode contains potentially distressing discussions* In the series finale, Nicci and Tim answer some of the questions that you have been sending in over the course of Series 1. From general questions about forensic linguistics to a deep dive into past episodes, we will be reviewing what Series 1 has been about. Have a question for Nicci or Tim? Email us at writingwrongs@aston.ac.uk and we may answer it during an upcoming episode! Check out the official AIFL blog for more forensic linguistic goodies here: https://medium.com/@AIFLblog If you have been affected by any of the themes in this week’s episode, please contact one of these free sources: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/https://www.helpguide.org/find-help Production Team: Angela Walker, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich BueraSound: Angela WalkerVisual design: George Grant   Professor Tim Grant’s home page: Tim Grant - Aston Research Explorer Dr Nicci MacLeod’s home page: Nicci MacLeod - Aston Research ExplorerResources

* Warning: This episode contains descriptions of rape and allegations of false reporting of rape * A 19-year-old British woman’s holiday in Ayia Napa turns into a nightmare when she’s accused of fabricating a gang rape claim. Was her police statement truly her own words? In this episode, Dr. Andrea Nini examines the linguistic evidence that became central to uncovering the truth behind this controversial case.For a list of our sources and more information about the case please visit https://www.aston.ac.uk/writing-wrongs  Have a question for Nicci or Tim? Email us at writingwrongs@aston.ac.uk and we may answer it during an upcoming episode!  Check out the official AIFL blog for more forensic linguistic goodies here: https://medium.com/@AIFLblog   Andrea’s webpage: https://andreanini.com/  If you have been affected by any of the themes in this episode, please contact one of these free sources: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/  https://www.helpguide.org/find-help   Hosts: Dr Nicci MacLeod, Professor Tim Grant Production Team: Sam Cook, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich Buera Sound: Sam Cook Visual design: George Grant Additional Voices: Sam Cook, Amy Booth 

* Warning: This episode contains descriptions of murder *  Most people could never dream of admitting to something they didn’t do, especially when it comes to an accusation as heinous as murder.   Donte Parker’s murder remains unsolved. If you have any information on this case, please visit https://slmpd.org/tips/ to submit an anonymous tip.  For a list of our sources and more information about the case please visit: https://www.aston.ac.uk/writing-wrongs   Have a question for Nicci or Tim? Email us at writingwrongs@aston.ac.uk and we may answer it during an upcoming episode!  Check out the official AIFL blog for more forensic linguistic goodies here: https://medium.com/@AIFLblog   If you have been affected by any of the themes in this week’s episode, please contact one of these free sources:  https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/  https://www.helpguide.org/find-help   Production Team: Sam Cook, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich Buera Sound: Sam Cook Visual design: George Grant Additional Voices: Sam Cook With our thanks to Dr Marlon Hurt  Case Resources: https://gunmemorial.org/2019/12/09/donte-parker  https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/incident/1568077  https://slmpd.org/tips/  

*Warning: This episode includes mentions of murder by stabbing and swearing*What happens when a childhood language game is used to obscure the details of a crime? Well, you call in Dr Nicci MacLeod. In this episode, Nicci recounts a time when the police approached her to analyse the language of a group of suspects covertly recorded on the way to and from court. At first, it didn’t seem as though the suspects were speaking English, but as Nicci realised, ‘egg’ was being worked in to words in attempt to obscure the true meaning for anyone who may be eavesdropping.We would like to give special thanks to Andrea Jones for her support of this episode, and dedicate it to the memory of her brother Dolton Powell.For a list of our sources and more information about this case, please visit: https://www.aston.ac.uk/writing-wrongsHave a question for Nicci or Tim? Email us at writingwrongs@aston.ac.uk and we may answer it during an upcoming episode!Check out the official AIFL blog for more forensic linguistic goodies here:https://medium.com/@AIFLblogIf you have been affected by any of the themes in this week’s episode, please contact one of these free sources:https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/https://www.helpguide.org/find-helpProduction Team: Sam Cook, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich BueraSound: Sam CookVisual design: George GrantAdditional Voices: Sam CookResourcesLinks above and:• Dr Nicci MacLeod’s home page https://research.aston.ac.uk/en/persons/nicci-macleod• BBC Expert Witness episode about the case:https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0024gj1• Gloucestershire Live ‘s coverage of the casehttps://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/gloucester-news/timeline-how-brutal-murder-gloucestershires-29677

*Warning: This episode contains descriptions of fraud and exploitation*To what lengths would you go for love? A sweet selfie, thoughtful good morning texts, or late-night phone calls might come to mind. But what about sending over £10,000 to someone you've never met in person?It might sound far-fetched, but last year alone, more than 8,000 people in the UK fell victim to romance fraud - losing money to scammers who preyed on their hearts.In this episode of Writing Wrongs, Nicci and Tim are joined by criminologist Dr Elisabeth Carter to unpack the manipulative language of romance scams.Together, they explore how scammers build trust, how victims are drawn in - and how you can protect yourself in the ever-evolving world of online dating.More informationFor a list of our sources and more information about this case, please visit https://www.aston.ac.uk/writing-wrongs   Have a question for Nicci or Tim? Email us at writingwrongs@aston.ac.uk and we may answer it during an upcoming episode!  Check out the official AIFL blog for more forensic linguistic goodies here: https://medium.com/@AIFLblog   If you have been affected by any of the themes in this week’s episode, please contact one of these free sources: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/  https://www.helpguide.org/find-help   Production Team: Sam Cook, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich Buera Sound: Sam Cook Visual design: George Grant Additional Voices: Sam Cook (Roger), Jordan Robertson (Camilla)With our thanks to Dr Elisabeth Carter  Resources  Professor Tim Grant’s home page: Tim Grant - Aston Research Explorer  Dr Nicci MacLeod’s home page: Nicci MacLeod - Aston Research Explorer  Dr Elisabeth Carter home page: Dr Elisabeth Carter | Kingston University London  Guide to spotting romance fraudsters: https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/police-forces/thames-valley-police/areas/c/2020/a-guide-to-spotting-romance-fraudsters/ 

*Warning: This episode contains strong language and threats of terrorism and other violence.* In 2018, a crudely made bomb was found in a car park in central Edinburgh. Later, blog posts by an unknown author appeared on a Mexican eco-anarchist website, in both Spanish and English, claiming responsibility for said bomb.Our own Professor Tim Grant was contacted by Police Scotland to build a profile of the author. Two years later, the police contacted Tim again after identifying a potential suspect.Dr Isobelle Clarke (Lancaster University) joined Tim in using comparative authorship analysis to determine who may have been responsible for these posts.  If you have been affected by any of the themes in this week’s episode, please contact one of these free sources: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/  https://www.helpguide.org/find-help  Resources:Professor Tim Grant’s home page https://research.aston.ac.uk/en/persons/tim-grant Dr Isobelle Clarke’s home page https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/linguistics/about/people/isobelle-clarke BBC Expert Witness episode about the case: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0fwyswv BBC News story about case https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-60402838 Aston University 2022 press release about Karvounakis case https://www.aston.ac.uk/latest-news/linguistics-expert-aston-university-helps-police-scotland-secure-terrorism-conviction Production Team: Sam Cook, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich Buera Producer: Sam Cook Visual design: George Grant Additional Voices: Sam Cook, Neus Alberich Buera With our thanks to Dr Isobelle Clarke

* Warning: Today’s episode contains descriptions of abortion, murder, and execution by hanging. * In this special bonus episode, we are delighted to have award-winning author Kate Summerscale in to chat with Tim and Nicci about her most recent book, The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place.It takes a deep dive into the case presented in our first episode, Timothy Evans: The birth of ‘Forensic Linguistics’ and the murders linked to Evans’ neighbour John Christie.If you have been affected by any of the themes in this week’s episode, please contact one of these free sources: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/  https://www.helpguide.org/find-help  Resources:You can purchase The Peepshow and any other of Kate’s wonderful books here: https://www.katesummerscale.com/  Production Team: Sam Cook, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich Buera Producer: Sam Cook Visual design: George Grant With our thanks to Kate Summerscale

* Warning: This episode contains descriptions of abortion, murder and execution by hanging * Welcome to Series 1, Episode 1 of Writing Wrongs, a podcast from the Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics where hosts Professor Tim Grant and Dr Nicci Macleod take a case-by-case look at the field of forensic linguistics in action.This case covers Timothy Evans who, 75 years ago (9 March 1950), was hanged after confessing to the murder of his wife, Beryl and baby daughter, Geraldine.However, 18 years after Evans’ death, linguist Jan Svartvik authored a publication calling the validity of Evans’ confession into question, and in doing so, coined the term ‘forensic linguistics’. If you have been affected by any of the themes in this week’s episode, please contact one of these free sources: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/  https://www.helpguide.org/find-help  ResourcesIMDB for BBC mini series Rillington Place https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5568438/?ref_=tt_mlt_i_2  IMDB for film: 10 Rillington Place https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066730/  Internet archive of Ludovic Kennedy’s book 10 Rillington Place https://archive.org/details/tenrillingtonpla0000kenn [available on sale from secondhand booksellers] Home page of Kate Summerscale author of The Peepshow The Murders at 10 Rillington Place https://www.katesummerscale.com The original text of the Jan Svartvik book The Evans Statements A case for Forensic Linguistics https://www.thetext.co.uk/Evans%20Statements%20Part%202.pdf Production Team: Sam Cook, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich Buera Producer: Sam Cook Visual design: George Grant Additional Voices: Sam Cook 

Every sentence tells a story, every word leaves a trace.