Writing Wrongs

Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics•www.aston.ac.uk

Every sentence tells a story, every word leaves a trace. Writing Wrongs, from the Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics, explores historic and contemporary forensic linguistic cases. Hosts Professor Tim Grant and Dr Nicci MacLeod, who've provided expert evidence in hundreds of cases, examine a specific case and its linguistic analysis each episode. Some episodes feature guest forensic linguists sharing their experiences as expert witnesses. The series highlights different case types, showcasing the strengths and limitations of forensic linguistics in criminal and civil investigations.

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Episodes

The Disputed Confessions of Darnell Rusan

* 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 a...

Jun 05, 2025•55 min•Season 1Ep. 6

Foreygensic Lingeyguistics: Cracking the Killer’s Code

*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 att...

May 02, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 5

Romance Fraud: The Linguistic Crime Scene

*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 j...

Apr 04, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 4

Timothy Evans: A case for forensic linguistics

* 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 ye...

Mar 07, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 1

The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place

* 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 affect...

Mar 07, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 2

Imposters Tending To The Wild

*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 suspec...

Mar 07, 2025•59 min•Season 1Ep. 3

Writing Wrongs - coming 7 March 2025

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

Feb 21, 2025•3 min

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