Beyond Reasonable Doubt

In the first of a series of interviews based on his forthcoming book, From Crime to Crime, ex-High Court Judge Sir Richard Henriques QC tells award-winning Daily Mail crime writer Stephen Wright about coming face to face with unassuming GP Harold Shipman in the court, and how he was unmasked as a remorseless serial killer who had slaughtered 250 of his own patients in a 20-year killing spree.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the second of a series of interviews based on his new book, From Crime to Crime, ex-High Court Judge Sir Richard Henriques QC tells award-winning Daily Mail crime writer Stephen Wright about prosecuting a case that shook Britain, the brutal and senseless murder of two-year-old James Bulger by two 10-year-old boys, Robert Thomson and Jon Venables. It was a case so horrific that jurors were left in tears, and still poses important questions. How could children so young commit such a crime? And most importantly, how should the law treat children who kill?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the last of three interviews about his new book, ex-High Court Judge Sir Richard Henriques QC speaks to award-winning Daily Mail crime writer Stephen Wright about the Met’s bungled Operation Midland inquiry into 'Nick', real name Carl Beech, whose claims of a sinister VIP child sex ring led to raids on the homes of former Home Secretary Lord Brittan and ex Armed Forces chief Lord Bramall. Former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, also falsely accused, reveals his anger at the police raid on his home and the role of ex Labour deputy leader Tom Watson in the scandal. So how DID detectives fall for the implausible stories of vicar’s son ‘Nick’, a conman and paedophile?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stephen Lawrence was 18 when he was stabbed to death in cold blood by a gang of white, racist thugs, just because of the colour of his skin. In August, the Met Police closed its investigation into his murder after 27 years. In this six-part podcast, acclaimed Daily Mail crime writer Stephen Wright revisits a case he has covered for almost three decades, speaking to eyewitnesses, politicians and the police who investigated the case. Could there be more convictions? And in a year of Black Lives Matter protests, have we learned the lessons of Stephen's murder? --- Producer: Rosie GillottSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The collapse of a private prosecution over the senseless racist murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence, and the swaggering behaviour of the five prime suspects at an inquest felt like 'two fingers up at justice', says ex top prosecution lawyer Nazir Afzal. Widespread anger in Britain, and a sense of justice failing to be done, paved the way for a very tense night in the Daily Mail newsroom. Acclaimed crime writer Stephen Wright was there as the paper prepared its famous 'Murderers' front page. --- Producer: Rosie GillottSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In February 1997, the Daily Mail's front page accused five men of the murder of Stephen Lawrence. It piled more pressure on Metropolitan Police for its failure to convict anyone over the teenager's senseless death. An official report into the case was about to expose the full extent of Scotland Yard's failings - and conclude the force was 'institutionally racist'. Acclaimed crime writer Stephen Wright talks to politicians, lawyers, and police who were working in the Met as the bombshell report hit home.   --- Producer: Rosie Gillott  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a top-secret investigation into Stephen Lawrence's murder (using 'James Bond' tactics including ‘bugged’ golf buggies, a spy helicopter and a daring undercover operation) failed to bring justice for the teenager, police reassessed the forensic evidence from the first weeks after Stephen was murdered, and found a crucial clue: a tiny flake of dried blood. Acclaimed crime writer Stephen Wright talks to police, politicians, and the forensic scientist whose team also found a breakthrough blood trace on a jacket.  --- Producer: Rosie Gillott    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nearly 19 years after Stephen Lawrence was 'swallowed up' by a gang of white youths who shouted racist abuse at him before stabbing him to death, two of the original prime suspects stood in the dock at the Old Bailey. But would the new DNA evidence hold up almost two decades on - and would guilty verdicts really deliver justice for the Stephen's long-suffering family? Acclaimed crime writer Stephen Wright talks to police, forensic scientists and the French eyewitness who gave evidence at the landmark trial.   --- Producer: Rosie Gillott See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With two of Stephen Lawrence's attackers belatedly jailed for life, what is Stephen's legacy? Could there be more convictions? And in the year Black Lives Matter protests swept the globe, has Scotland Yard really dealt with its problem of 'institutional racism' and learned the lessons of the case? Acclaimed Daily Mail crime writer Stephen Wright talks to police, politicians, lawyers and the young French au pair who witnessed Stephen's senseless killing, and whose life was forever changed as a result. ---- Producer: Rosie GillottSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Legendary BBC Radio presenter and 'Professor of Pop' Paul Gambaccini was shunned by friends and organisations he had supported, including the Labour Party, after he was arrested over false child sex allegations by officers from the Metropolitan Police’s controversial Operation Yewtree. He was even taken off air for a year by the BBC. As he secures a £250,000 payout from the Met for breaching his privacy by allowing him to be identified, he tells award-winning crime writer Stephen Wright about his seven-year battle for justice - and the “catastrophic” effects of the bogus accusations against him.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He was a D-Day hero and distinguished ex-head of the Armed Forces, who ended up being treated as a ‘common criminal’ by bungling Metropolitan Police officers. Field Marshal Lord Bramall was 91 and caring for his dying wife when detectives raided his home over ludicrous sex abuse allegations, made by the notorious liar known as 'Nick', real name Carl Beech. On the first anniversary of his death, Lord Bramall’s son Nicolas tells award-winning Daily Mail crime writer Stephen Wright of his father’s outstanding military career, his shocking ordeal at the hands of Scotland Yard and asks why no police have yet been held to account. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For five years, Peter Sutcliffe, known as the Yorkshire Ripper, hunted and killed defenceless women, mutilating their bodies with hammers and screwdrivers. But could his murder spree have been stopped earlier? In the wake of the Ripper's death this month, award-winning Daily Mail crime writer Stephen Wright talks to retired Detective Chief Superintendent Chris Gregg, who joined the Ripper investigation as a rookie policeman in the late 1970s - and witnessed the cruel hoaxes and fatal police errors that allowed Sutcliffe to remain at large. In powerful and poignant testimony, the respected ex head of CID at West Yorkshire Police discusses the ‘Life on Mars’ culture in the force at the time of the Ripper murders, and the harrowing stories of Sutcliffe’s victims. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

By the summer of 1979, Peter Sutcliffe had already killed ten women, but the investigation into his brutal crimes was about to take a fateful wrong turn, as police went public with letters and a tape sent by a man claiming to be the Yorkshire Ripper. Award-winning Daily Mail crime writer Stephen Wright speaks to retired Detective Chief Superintendent Chris Gregg, who joined the Ripper investigation as a young policeman, and who had serious doubts about the credibility of the so-called 'Wearside Jack' tape.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peter Sutcliffe was locked up for life in 1981 for the brutal murders of 13 women, but one mystery still remained - who WAS the cruel hoaxer behind the 'Wearside Jack' tape, which derailed the police investigation and led to three more women dying at the Yorkshire Ripper’s hands? Award-winning Daily Mail crime writer Stephen Wright speaks to retired Detective Chief Superintendent Chris Gregg, whose team unearthed a crucial clue more than two decades on.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 1983 Brink's-Mat robbery saw thieves make off with £26 million in gold bullion and diamonds in the ‘crime of the century’  - and a number of suspects linked to the heist turned to defence solicitor, Henry Milner, later dubbed the ‘Mr Big of Criminal Briefs’. Award-winning Daily Mail crime writer Stephen Wright talks to the man who has defended some of Britain’s most notorious underworld figures over four decades, including police and 'road rage' killer Kenneth Noye (pictured), former Kray Twins enforcer Freddie Foreman (aka ‘Brown Bread Fred’) and ruthless villain John ‘Goldfinger’ Palmer.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.