On the 17th of May, I hosted a 24 hour live podcast to raise money for a wonderful charity, Victim Support UK. In this session, we heard from the son of a much loved murder woman called Jean Hanlon. Michael J Porter and his family have been fighting for justice for his mother, who was found murdered in Crete in 2009. He talks to us about his journey and how he believes justice will soon be here. To find out more about Jean's case and to support her family, please see: https://www.facebook.com/gr...
May 19, 2025•55 min•Season 9Ep. 3
On the 17th of May, I hosted a 24 hour live podcast to raise money for a wonderful charity, Victim Support UK. In this session, we heard from Hedley Thomas, one of Australia's most popular investigative journalists. His podcasts The Teachers Pet, Shandee's Story and Bronwyn are some of the most downloaded in the world. If you would like to donate to the fundraiser, you can do so here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/24hourpodcast Thank you. NB: Please not this audio has been taken from the live ...
May 19, 2025•56 min•Season 9Ep. 2
On the 17th of May, I hosted a 24 hour live podcast to raise money for a wonderful charity, Victim Support UK. In this session, we heard from Colin Sutton, one of the UK's most prolific murder detectives. If you would like to donate to the fundraiser, you can do so here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/24hourpodcast Thank you. NB: Please not this audio has been taken from the live stream, so the quality is not as polished as the regular episodes of 'REAL', though I hope you will find the convers...
May 19, 2025•57 min•Season 9Ep. 1
El 29 de abril de 2017, Kirsty Maxwell murió en circunstancias sospechosas durante un fin de semana de chicas en Benidorm, España. Tenía apenas 27 años. Durante los últimos ocho años, su familia y amigos han estado luchando por respuestas. Este es un llamado de información para cualquier persona de habla hispana que pueda tener información. ¿Estuviste en Benidorm el fin de semana del 28 al 30 de abril de 2017? Si es así, escuche la información en el podcast. Su familia necesita saber..... ¿Qué p...
Apr 28, 2025•19 min•Season 8Ep. 7
In the final episode of the series, we hear from another mother who is fighting for answers for her son, who died in suspicious circumstances in Spain in July 2024, as well as a journalist from the UK who was hired by MTV to investigate Kirsty's death in Benidorm. We also hear about the incredible work that the Kirsty Maxwell Charity does and highlight other cases of Brit's killed in Spain, where families, like Kirsty's, are fighting for answers. The episode also includes details of the appeal p...
Apr 28, 2025•55 min•Season 8Ep. 6
In this episode we hear from two of the UK's top forensic experts who have reviewed the evidence in Kirsty's case and tell us what they've found. DISCLAIMER: This podcast is a factual exploration of the events surrounding the death of Kirsty Maxwell. The information presented is based on publicly available sources, official records and interviews. No accusations or assumptions are made about any individual or party. The intent is to inform and appeal for information. All individuals are consider...
Apr 28, 2025•56 min•Season 8Ep. 5
In July 2017, three months after Kirsty died, four of the men from apartment 10E are summoned back to Spain to answer some questions from the judge in charge of Kirsty's case. She wants to get to the bottom of the inconsistencies in their statements. DISCLAIMER: This podcast is a factual exploration of the events surrounding the death of Kirsty Maxwell. The information presented is based on publicly available sources, official records and interviews. No accusations or assumptions are made about ...
Apr 28, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 8Ep. 4
With no communication from the the Spanish police, Kirsty's family and friends turn detective and return to Spain to carry out their own investigation. They also get a call from one of Scotland's most experienced homicide detectives, who tells them he wants to help. DISCLAIMER: This podcast is a factual exploration of the events surrounding the death of Kirsty Maxwell. The information presented is based on publicly available sources, official records and interviews. No accusations or assumptions...
Apr 28, 2025•34 min•Season 8Ep. 3
Kirsty's family travel to Spain to identify the body of their daughter and bring her home, but when they arrive and discover the circumstances surrounding her death, alarm bells start ringing.... loudly. DISCLAIMER: This podcast is a factual exploration of the events surrounding the death of Kirsty Maxwell. The information presented is based on publicly available sources, official records and interviews. No accusations or assumptions are made about any individual or party. The intent is to infor...
Apr 28, 2025•30 min•Season 8Ep. 2
On the 29th of April 2017, Kirsty Maxwell died in suspicious circumstances whilst on a 'hen do' in Benidorm, Spain. She was just 27 years old. For the last eight years, her family and friends have been fighting for answers. With exclusive access to her family, the case files and experts bought in to help to get to the truth, this six-part podcast series offers a factual account of what we know, a review of the evidence in this case and a strong appeal to anyone who might have more information in...
Apr 28, 2025•35 min•Season 8Ep. 1
On the 4th of June 2004, 7-year-old Kyron Horman disappeared from his school in Oregon. His step-mother was the last person to see him. The evidence in this case is strange and telling, but so far no convictions have been made, even though Kyron's parents and the police believe they knew who took him. This is Real. If you'd like to donate to the 24-hour live stream for Victim Support UK, please do so here. Thank you so much. https://www.justgiving.com/page/24hourpodcast https://www.facebook.com/...
Apr 22, 2025•42 min
The 27th of September 2023 was supposed to be a normal school day for 15-year-old Elianne Andam. But she would never make it to school, leaving a community in despair when they heard her life had been taken by another child. In 2022/23, 99 young people aged 16–24 were victims of homicide, compared to 87 in 2012/13. In the same year, 467 children were treated in hospital for knife or sharp object injuries, a 47% increase from 2012/13’s 318 instances - Youth Endowment Fund. This is Real. If you'd ...
Apr 15, 2025•28 min
In the year 2000, a beautiful young teenager called Kacyee Nicole Swenson broke the hearts of millions. She was one of the first people to blog about her battle with cancer. But another blogger had noticed something.... something strange. And in one of the internet's first web sleuth investigations, a very dark secret was exposed. This is Real. If you'd like to support the show, you can do so here, thank you: https://buymeacoffee.com/podcast4justice To vote for 'REAL' in the Listeners Choice cat...
Apr 08, 2025•28 min
On the 21st of July 2024, 35-year-old British man Brett Dryden was found dead in his home in Mojacar, Spain. The police initially told his mother Sandra, that he had died a violent death. But what followed has left Brett's family distraught. They have been left high and dry by the Spanish authorities, so Sandra and her husband Rob have had to do what no parent should ever have to do - they are now investigating their son's death. This is Real. If you'd like to support the show, you can do so her...
Apr 01, 2025•35 min
On the 6th of August 2021, 23-year-old Megan Newborough left her family home to go and meet someone. Her parent's weren't sure who she was meeting, but when she hadn't returned home the next day, they frantically filed a missing persons report. What unfolded from here is enough to break the coldest of hearts. This is Real. If you'd like to support the show, you can do so here: buymeacoffee.com/podcast4justice The Megan Newborough Foundation: https://www.themegannewboroughfoundation.com/ If you'd...
Mar 26, 2025•32 min
In July 2022, 23-year-old Kiena Dawes took her own life after suffering continuous domestic abuse at the hands of her ex-partner, Ryan Wellings. Kiena was not the only woman who reached breaking point. The Domestic Homicide Project has found that more victims of domestic abuse killed themselves, than were murdered by their abuser. This is Real. If you'd like to support the show, you can do so here: buymeacoffee.com/podcast4justice The Domestic Homicide Project https://www.vkpp.org.uk/vkpp-work/d...
Mar 19, 2025•42 min
In March 2025, UK government specialists said that viewing extreme online violence may be linked to the rise of something they are calling the ‘0 to 100 killers. People who go on to commit murder but have no prior convictions. There is no build up, no progression of violence that has a likely chance of being caught by the authorities, before the worst happens. Because the violence they are engaging in, is progressing in the digital world, in private, behind online identities. But for many, there...
Mar 12, 2025•34 min
When Mihrican Mustafa, lovingly known as Jan, went missing in London in May 2018, her family knew something was wrong. And when the police looked at who she had last called on her phone, they were concerned. The number belonged to Zahid Younis, a man who had terrorised underage girls and women for most of his life. But it was only when someone called to ask for a welfare check on Zahid, did the extent of his crimes become known; as well as a large number of missed opportunities to stop a potenti...
Mar 05, 2025•28 min
In 2024 I received a message from a listener's family, their much loved brother and uncle, 29-year-old Vincent Shaw was murdered in his own home in 1999 in Lewisham, London. Since the year 2000, the family haven't heard a thing from the police and the murder hasn't been reported on since either. They feel Vincent has been forgotten. Today, that changes. This is Real. If you'd like to read an article on Vincent's murder, you can do so here: https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/352373.family-is-prom...
Feb 26, 2025•37 min
On a snowy day in 2011, 27-year-old Ellen Greenberg was found dead in her home by her fiancé Samuel Goldberg. But when the medical examiner looked at her injuries, he ruled her death a homicide. But the police had a theory, and the medical examiner changed his mind... After a 14 year fight for the truth, in January 2025, Ellen's parents got the news they have been fighting for. This is Real. If you'd like to support the show, you can do so here, thank you: buymeacoffee.com/podcast4justice Ellen'...
Feb 19, 2025•39 min•Season 5Ep. 86
On the 7th of November, 19-year-old Gaia Pope went missing in her hometown of Swanage, Dorset, on the south coast of England. What transpired is truly heartbreaking and Gaia's legacy is needed now more than ever. This is Real. If you'd like to support the show, you can do so here, thank you: buymeacoffee.com/podcast4justice Gaia's website can be found here: https://justiceforgaia.com/ Tribute to Gaia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofwAWGhT1MI&t=2s If you have been affected by any of the is...
Feb 12, 2025•47 min•Season 5Ep. 85
It wasn't only the media that were now paying attention to the Children of God survivors, so were the authorities. In this episode, we hear from Mary Mahoney, who joined the Children of God when she was just 16 years old and raised eight children under the reign of David Berg, until she found the strength to escape. This is Bad Grandpa. WARNING: This series contains descriptions of abuse against minors, sexual abuse, suicide and murder. Whilst the descriptions are not explicit, please take extra...
Jan 29, 2025•47 min•Season 7Ep. 6
In the 1990s, more survivors who had escaped the Children of God started appearing on television around the world, sharing their stories. And it wasn't just the media the survivors were talking to... it was also the authorities. In this episode we meet Hope Bastine, a survivor of the cult and one of the first people to get a successful conviction against one of her abusers, here in the UK. This is Bad Grandpa. WARNING: This series contains descriptions of abuse against minors, sexual abuse, suic...
Jan 29, 2025•41 min•Season 7Ep. 5
It is estimated that over 100 people who were part of the Children of God have taken their own lives. The abuse they endured and the control they were placed under whilst in the cult has had tragic lasting consequences on so many people. This is Bad Grandpa. WARNING: This series contains descriptions of abuse against minors, sexual abuse, suicide and murder. Whilst the descriptions are not explicit, please take extra care whilst listening. To listen to Kacey's podcast, where cult survivors share...
Jan 29, 2025•49 min•Season 7Ep. 4
Ricky Rodriguez was Davidito. The story of his childhood had been shared in a book produced by the 'Children of God' called 'The Story of Davidito' - a 'childcare manual' sent to thousands of families in the cult, detailing the abuse this child had endured, disguised as religious teachings. As Ricky grew up, the abuse he suffered at the hands of those who were supposed to protect him continued to hurt him and he wanted revenge. Ricky had a plan. In 2005, Ricky sat in his apartment, facing a camc...
Jan 29, 2025•35 min•Season 7Ep. 3
David Berg's 'Children of God' cult now had thousands of members across the globe. But he didn't want them to consume media from the outside world, so he produced his own. He sent hundreds of letters, books and videos out to his followers, encouraging them to take part in deeply disturbing and abusive practices. Within this media, was the darkest children's tv show the world has ever seen... and it was being seen by thousands of children in the cult. This is Bad Grandpa. WARNING: This series con...
Jan 29, 2025•28 min•Season 7Ep. 2
In the 1960s, David Brandt Berg formed a cult that would become widely known as the 'Children of God'. He declared himself a prophet and he was known too many of his followers, as 'Grandpa'. But 'Grandpa' was a highly dangerous man who normalised the abuse of women and children and he did all of this in plain sight. This is a six-part series on the crimes of David Berg and others who belonged, and still belong, to the Children of God... and the cult is still operating today... all over the world...
Jan 29, 2025•28 min•Season 7Ep. 1
When 21-year-old Lynsey Quy was reported missing in February 1999 by a social worker, the police soon discovered that she had last been seen two months prior, in December 1998. Lynsey had been in an abusive relationship with her husband Mitchell, and he was the prime suspect. But when he invited a documentary crew into his home, people were intrigued and suspicious... would a guilty man really parade himself on television? The answer to this would shock everyone. This is Real. If you'd like to s...
Jan 22, 2025•30 min•Season 5Ep. 84
On the 3rd of January 2022, Sheila and Clay Fletcher called 911. They had found their daughter Lacey unresponsive on the couch. When the officers arrived, they entered a scene that was so horrific, they couldn't believe what they were seeing. But... This is Real. If you'd like to support the show, you can do so here, thank you: buymeacoffee.com/podcast4justice Support services for carers: https://www.carersuk.org/ - UK https://familycarers.ie/carer-supports/help-guidance - Ireland https://www.ni...
Jan 15, 2025•28 min•Season 5Ep. 83
On the 10th of May 2013, Premier Inn hotel staff discovered the bodies mother and daughter Margaret and Nicola McDonough. They had severe injuries and nobody could figure out why these two kind and harmless women had their lives ended like this. As the police started their investigation, they uncovered an incredible web of lies and the reality seemed truly unbelievable. But.... This is Real. If you'd like to support the show, you can do so here, thank you: buymeacoffee.com/podcast4justice If you...
Jan 08, 2025•29 min
