Crime Next Door
Gripping True Crime stories from neighbourhoods across the UK.
Episodes
20. The Repercussions
This final episode, recorded in December 2024, considers what the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry will achieve, and what might change as a result. BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner, legal commentator Joshua Rozenberg and Dan O’Brien from BBC News discuss what we’ve heard, what happens next, and what impact the Salisbury Poisonings have had around the world.
This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.
09/12/24•23m 5s
19. The Closing Statements
After 7 weeks and over a hundred hours of evidence, the public hearings of the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry come to an end. In this episode, the main participants, including Dawn’s family, make their final statements to the Chair.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.
04/12/24•19m 29s
18. The Bottle and the Blind Spot
When the agents suspected of poisoning Sergei and Yulia Skripal with Novichok left Salisbury, what did they do with the nerve agent and how did the deadly chemical weapon end up in the hands of Charlie Rowley four months later? In this episode, we hear the most likely theories from Counter Terror Police and discover why some parts of this mystery are still unsolved. The Russian state and the suspects have always denied any involvement.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien. Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.
28/11/24•17m 10s
17. Marina Litvinenko
The widow of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko explains why she feels lessons weren’t learned between her husband’s assassination and the Salisbury Poisonings. Marina Litvinenko warns that British citizens need to be protected from foreign agents who ‘come to play their games’ in the UK and she recalls the moment she heard about the Salisbury nerve agent attack.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien. Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.
25/11/24•21m 31s
16. Protecting the Public
As Salisbury starts to reopen in the summer of 2018, the authorities weigh up how to keep the public safe, when they know there could be more Novichok out there. Questions are asked about whether enough was done to protect people from accidentally picking up a discarded chemical weapon. This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien. Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.
23/11/24•18m 31s
15. The Suspects
Two Russian men visit Salisbury just as the former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter are poisoned with a nerve agent. They say they simply wanted to see the famous cathedral spire, but that’s not the view of the UK authorities who believe they came to kill. In this episode we learn more about the men, their movements and their real identities. Plus, we learn more about the Russian intelligence agencies from writer and historian Mark Galeotti. This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien. Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley. Audio credit: JJ Extra, Salisbury Museum, ViaTravelers and British Pathe.
21/11/24•26m 54s
14. The Hunt for the Poison
When Sergei and Yulia Skripal were poisoned with a nerve agent, police faced one of the most complex investigations in their history. They had to trace a weapon which they could neither see nor smell, but it could kill thousands. In this episode, we hear how they checked everything from coins to car keys in the hunt to find the source of the poisoning.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.
15/11/24•15m 14s
13. Science in Secret
When Dawn Sturgess and Charlie Rowley were taken to hospital, the emergency services tried to piece together what had happened to them. We hear how they questioned whether it was a coincidence that they had treated two people for nerve agent poisoning four months earlier or whether the events could be connected. And we find out about Porton Down, the UK government’s secretive laboratory which identified the Novichok and speak to a former military officer who has been inside.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.
13/11/24•20m 0s
12. The Poisoned Detective
One of the first police officers to go inside Sergei and Yulia Skripal’s house after they were poisoned with a nerve agent was Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey. He then became critically ill himself, after touching the front door handle. It had been smeared with the deadly chemical. He relives the events of 2018, which would change his life forever.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.
08/11/24•13m 7s
11. Saving the Skripals
When the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia collapsed on a bench in Salisbury, it was Sunday shoppers who first stepped in to help. Amazingly, two of them were highly qualified medics. We hear their stories. Also, how the consultants at Salisbury District Hospital realised these were no ordinary patients.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.
05/11/24•16m 57s
10. The Spy Next Door
Who is Sergei Skripal? The former Russian spy was poisoned by Novichok in March 2018, but until now very little has been known about him, his life in England, and his mysterious past.
His friend and neighbour tells the Inquiry what he was like and how they became close. Plus, the BBC‘s Security Correspondent Gordon Corera describes Sergei’s life as a spy in Russia, and reveals how he ended up in Salisbury.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.
31/10/24•20m 34s
9. An act of war?
An in-depth interview with the Head of Counter Terror Policing at the time of the poisonings, Neil Basu. He relives how dangerous the investigation was for the officers involved, what it took to find the suspects, and 6 years on, how he feels about Dawn Sturgess’ death.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.
27/10/24•20m 50s
8. What is Novichok?
Andrea Sella, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at University College London, answers the big questions about Novichok. The deadly nerve agent killed Dawn Sturgess and poisoned many more in Salisbury and Amesbury in 2018. What is it, when was it developed, and what does it do to our bodies?This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.
25/10/24•20m 44s
7. Russia responds
As the inquiry prepares to move from Salisbury to London, Andy Howard and Marie Lennon review a momentous week of evidence, which saw the emergency services interrogated and the communication between them questioned. Dawn's family ask for President Putin to appear at the inquiry in person to answer questions about her death and the Russian Ambassador to the UK gives his response. Focus turns to the protection given to Sergei Skripal; should he have been living in the UK under his own name without surveillance?This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.
23/10/24•16m 13s
6. The 999 Calls
Paramedics and police relive the moments they were called to Charlie Rowley's flat in Amesbury. First Dawn Sturgess is found unresponsive, and then several hours later Charlie falls ill too. The emergency services disagree about what has caused him to be so unwell. The Inquiry investigates whether Dawn could have survived if the initial treatment had been different.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.
18/10/24•12m 14s
5. Dawn: A mother’s tribute
Caroline, Dawn’s mother, speaks publicly for the first time about her daughter and sets the record straight about who Dawn was. The police apologise to her family for the way she was portrayed, plus we hear evidence from the only person who saw what happened to Dawn on the day she was poisoned, her boyfriend Charlie Rowley.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.
16/10/24•14m 22s
4. The Inquiry begins
Marie Lennon and Andy Howard reflect on an extraordinary first day at the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry. We hear that there was enough nerve agent hidden in a perfume bottle to kill thousands. Dawn is described as an “innocent victim, caught in the crossfire of an illegal and outrageous assassination attempt.” As the finger is pointed at Putin, Dawn’s family call on the Russian president to give evidence and look them in the eye.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.
15/10/24•16m 9s
3. Baroness Theresa May
Theresa May, who was prime minister at the time of the attack, recalls when she first heard about the Salisbury poisonings.Baroness May describes how it felt to stand in the House of Commons and blame the Russian state for the attack, the moment she heard that a British citizen had been killed and shares her hopes for the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.
10/10/24•24m 44s
2. Poison Perfume
More people fall ill from Novichok poisoning.It’s four months since the nerve agent attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Salisbury is starting to return to normal and then, it happens again.Local mum Dawn Sturgess is given a bottle of perfume that contains the deadly chemical Novichok.Days later, Dawn dies in hospital leaving her family and friends wondering how she was poisoned with a Russian-made chemical weapon.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.
10/10/24•19m 48s
1. The Novichok Attack
Salisbury becomes the scene of a major international incident. Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia are found poisoned on a park bench.Then, an astonishing discovery: he’s a former Russian spy and they've been poisoned with Novichok, one of the deadliest substances in the world. Parts of Salisbury are locked down as police try to find the poison.This episode has been updated to reflect Sergei Skripal’s role as former GRU officer.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.
10/10/24•16m 22s
Introducing...The Salisbury Poisonings
Six years after a mum was poisoned by a Russian nerve agent in Wiltshire, will a public inquiry bring answers?
In 2018, Dawn Sturgess came into contact with one of the most dangerous substances in the world: Novichok. She thought it was perfume.
Four months earlier, a former Russian spy and his daughter had been found slumped on a park bench having been poisoned too.
How could this happen and where does responsibility lie?
As an inquiry begins into Dawn’s death, this podcast will follow the key moments with analysis, context, and exclusive interviews.Presenter / Producers: Marie Lennon and Andy Howard Producer: Tom Ryan Senior Reporter: Dan O’Brien Consultant: Jake Williams Online Producer: Rachael Smith Executive Producers: Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley Commissioning Editor: Alistair Miskin
10/10/24•2m 54s
6. In Plain Sight
In this final episode of Death On The Farm - the community is still battling for a different verdict. We hear how the police are conducting a forensic review, which may or may not reveal new clues. But patience amongst the locals is wearing thin... and many fear that the opportunity to clear Griff's name has come and gone. But perhaps a modern day expert can find new clues from within the original police report. Dr Brett Lockyer is a Home Office Pathologist - who has studied hundreds of crime scenes and unexplained deaths. His analysis of the scene at Ffynnon Samson, and the events which took place there, differs from the conclusion police came to at the time. What's more - there is documented evidence which he believes could offer a very different sequence of events, and the presence of a third party. But will the community rest easy with this new information coming to light? Or will they remain in a state of limbo - until the police offer can offer an official response? For Huw Absolom, Huw Gibby, and for everyone in Llangolman, they won't stop fighting to change the course of justice, or to clear the name of one of their own.Death On the Farm is narrated by Bettrys Jones. It's produced by What's The Story Sounds for BBC Wales
08/10/24•33m 52s
5. Blood Money
The official police report into the deaths at Ffynnon Samson is the most details account of the scene, and the events which took place.
But that report, completed in 1977, led to a conclusion that it was Griff who was ultimately responsible. A claim the community rejects.
Now, in this episode, that report is held up to the light, as the locals ask where the evidence was which led police to that conclusion. Is there a smoking gun hidden amongst the statements and observations? Or does the report leave them with more questions than answers.
The episode hears from acclaimed forensic psychologist Prof David Canter, who reveals his own misgivings about the report, and his own theories on what may have taken place.
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#Produced by What's The Story for BBC Wales
03/10/24•31m 47s
4. Only Murderers yn y Bwthyn
Pembrokeshire is a safe and secure place to live. But for a time in the 1980's, the feeling for many was different. Two violent murders once again had communities in fear. But for some, these latest crimes had parallels with Ffynnon Samson. And questions began to be asked as to whether the same person could be responsible.In this episode we meet Aled Scourfield - the reporter who first learned about these crimes at the trial of a man called John Cooper. A man who is now in prison for multiple murders. It was Aled who, after hearing rumours of a link, first asked whether Cooper might have been in Llangolman back in 1977. Whether John Cooper might have found his way to the remote farmhouse, and face to face with Griff and Patty. It's a question which has divided this community... a theory which lacks any evidence. But for some it's more compelling the closer that you look.
26/09/24•29m 8s
3. Judgment
It's a matter of weeks since the crime scene at Ffynnon Samson was discovered, but the loose ends are already being tied into a neat bow.The police investigation led by DCI Pat Molloy has come to an end, the evidence all gathered and conclusions drawn. His file is passed to a coroner to conduct a formal inquest and close the case.But before that, the men of Llangolman are invited to attend a funeral service for the couple... a service which doesn't allow women to attend. And there's more controversy, as the bodies of Griff and Patty are barred from entering the local chapel.How will the community respond? Can they come to terms with the findings of the police? And will they be able to close the lid on this dark chapter? Or will the rumour mill continue to swirl long after the couple are laid to rest?
19/09/24•36m 28s
2. The Investigation
By the end 1976, the community in Llangolman was still waiting for answers. Police officers had taken over the village, conducting their investigation into the deaths of Griff and Patti Thomas.
Their work included building up a picture of their victims - learning their habits, understanding their relationship as siblings, and asking who was set to benefit from their death. And they scour the crime scene, looking for the clues and evidence which might help them to understand exactly what happened, and who was responsible.
But as more information emerges, clarity remains hidden. And there's no stopping the rumour mill which is in overdrive. This episode chronicles those events from early 1977. And it tells the story of the investigation and how it was reported by local media. By the end, there's an alarming new theory which threatens to derail everything the community believed to be true.Narrated by Bettrys Jones
Produced by What's The Story Sounds
12/09/24•33m 31s
1. What The Postman Saw
When a postman makes a grim discovery in the course of his morning rounds, the shockwaves are felt far and wide.
This series begins in 1976, with the memories of Nigel Rossiter, the postman who saw things he wished he hadn't seen. He was still learning the ropes, as a postman in the rural Pembrokeshire village of Llangolman. But that December day would change pretty much everything around here.
We hear how the events of the next hours, days and weeks, would leave a community first in fear, and then in disbelief, as they learned the identity of the victims, and began to wonder who could be responsible.
As the ripples of the crime, and the investigation start to spread - can anyone make sense of what's happened? Are there clues which could make anything clearer?
This is the first episode of a six-part series which examines this case, exploring if justice was ever served, and telling the story of a community who won't let the case fade away.
Narrated by Bettrys Jones
Produced by What's The Story Sounds
05/09/24•37m 47s
Introducing... Death on the Farm
It is almost fifty year since the bodies of Griff and Patti Thomas were found in their remote farmhouse in Llangolman, Pembrokeshire. And yet - exactly what happened to them, and who was responsible, is a question which still hangs over the community. Because there is the official police version of events. And then there is the other version.
This series from BBC Wales examines the case in detail. It takes listeners back to 1976, via first hand testimony from the people who refuse to forget what they saw. And it puts the evidence from the case back under the microscope. After nearly half a century, could the community finally get the justice they've been campaigning for?
29/08/24•2m 42s
6. Hope
The ‘Church-With-No-Name’ has flown under the radar for more than a century but today is making headlines the world over. Why? Allegations of child sexual abuse and a failure from leadership to deal with the alleged perpetrators.
There are hundreds of posts across multiple websites and social media platforms
But do the members of this fellowship simply want to live a quiet and devoted life? Or are they hiding for a reason?
18/07/24•27m 36s
5. Dying to Self
The ‘Church-With-No-Name’ has flown under the radar for more than a century but today is making headlines the world over. Why? Allegations of child sexual abuse and a failure from leadership to deal with the alleged perpetrators.
There are hundreds of posts across multiple websites and social media platforms
But do the members of this fellowship simply want to live a quiet and devoted life? Or are they hiding for a reason?
18/07/24•19m 50s
4. Hotline
The ‘Church-With-No-Name’ has flown under the radar for more than a century but today is making headlines the world over. Why? Allegations of child sexual abuse and a failure from leadership to deal with the alleged perpetrators.
There are hundreds of posts across multiple websites and social media platforms
But do the members of this fellowship simply want to live a quiet and devoted life? Or are they hiding for a reason?
18/07/24•18m 37s
3. Undercover
The ‘Church-With-No-Name’ has flown under the radar for more than a century but today is making headlines the world over. Why? Allegations of child sexual abuse and a failure from leadership to deal with the alleged perpetrators.
There are hundreds of posts across multiple websites and social media platforms
But do the members of this fellowship simply want to live a quiet and devoted life? Or are they hiding for a reason?
18/07/24•12m 19s
2. Dying in the Harness
The ‘Church-With-No-Name’ has flown under the radar for more than a century but today is making headlines the world over. Why? Allegations of child sexual abuse and a failure from leadership to deal with the alleged perpetrators.
There are hundreds of posts across multiple websites and social media platforms
But do the members of this fellowship simply want to live a quiet and devoted life? Or are they hiding for a reason?
18/07/24•17m 43s
1. The Truth
The ‘Church-With-No-Name’ has flown under the radar for more than a century but today is making headlines the world over. Why? Serious allegations of the worst kind and, according to former members, a failure from leadership to deal with the alleged perpetrators.
There are hundreds of comments on message boards across multiple websites and social media platforms but no one wants to go on the record. So what are they afraid of?
But do the members of this fellowship simply want to live a quiet and devoted life? Or are they hiding for a reason?
18/07/24•15m 12s
6. The Aftermath
The fallout from the shooting at Glen Lyon Road continues to reverberate as the Steduls take stock and look at the legacy their family has forged.An Assassin Comes to Town was presented by Kaye Adams.
Series Producers Debbie McPhail, Jack Kibble White and Elizabeth-Ann Duffy
Original Music and Sound Design by Fraser Jackson
Script Assistant: Marisha Currie
Executive Producers Heather Kane-Darling and Elizabeth Clark
Commissioning Editor Gareth Hydes
An Assassin Comes to Town is a BBC Scotland Production for BBC Sounds.
10/05/24•15m 13s
5. The Trial
Kaye and the Stedul family relive a trial full of explosive testimony, accusation, counter-accusation and political revelation.An Assassin Comes to Town was presented by Kaye Adams.
Series Producers Debbie McPhail, Jack Kibble White and Elizabeth-Ann Duffy
Original Music and Sound Design by Fraser Jackson
Script Assistant: Marisha Currie
Executive Producers Heather Kane-Darling and Elizabeth Clark
Commissioning Editor Gareth Hydes
An Assassin Comes to Town is a BBC Scotland Production for BBC Sounds.
10/05/24•16m 0s
4. The President In Exile
As the full story emerges, the residents of Glen Lyon Road come to terms with the truth about the family living next door and their role on the international stage.An Assassin Comes to Town was presented by Kaye Adams.
Series Producers Debbie McPhail, Jack Kibble White and Elizabeth-Ann Duffy
Original Music and Sound Design by Fraser Jackson
Script Assistant: Marisha Currie
Executive Producers Heather Kane-Darling and Elizabeth Clark
Commissioning Editor Gareth Hydes
An Assassin Comes to Town is a BBC Scotland Production for BBC Sounds.
10/05/24•14m 39s
3. The Swiss Passport
The police investigation into who shot Nikola Stedul takes a dramatic turn as officers uncover shocking information about the hitman.An Assassin Comes to Town was presented by Kaye Adams.
Series Producers Debbie McPhail, Jack Kibble White and Elizabeth-Ann Duffy
Original Music and Sound Design by Fraser Jackson
Script Assistant: Marisha Currie
Executive Producers Heather Kane-Darling and Elizabeth Clark
Commissioning Editor Gareth Hydes
An Assassin Comes to Town is a BBC Scotland Production for BBC Sounds.
10/05/24•15m 8s
2. The Black Car
Edinburgh Royal Infirmary is flooded with armed police officers as the hospital’s cardiac unit battles to save the life of Nikola Stedul.An Assassin Comes to Town was presented by Kaye Adams.
Series Producers Debbie McPhail, Jack Kibble White and Elizabeth-Ann Duffy
Original Music and Sound Design by Fraser Jackson
Script Assistant: Marisha Currie
Executive Producers Heather Kane-Darling and Elizabeth Clark
Commissioning Editor Gareth Hydes
An Assassin Comes to Town is a BBC Scotland Production for BBC Sounds.
10/05/24•15m 10s
1. Glen Lyon Road
Kaye Adams returns to Glen Lyon Road in Kirkcaldy, the location of her first major news story. It was here that a shooting took place that shocked the nation.An Assassin Comes to Town was presented by Kaye Adams.
Series Producers Debbie McPhail, Jack Kibble White and Elizabeth-Ann Duffy
Original Music and Sound Design by Fraser Jackson
Script Assistant: Marisha Currie
Executive Producers Heather Kane-Darling and Elizabeth Clark
Commissioning Editor Gareth Hydes
An Assassin Comes to Town is a BBC Scotland Production for BBC Sounds.
10/05/24•14m 20s
Introducing... An Assassin Comes to Town
As the hunt for a hitman gets underway, a Scottish town finds itself at the centre of an escalating political story of a disintegrating nation and a leader in exile.
03/05/24•2m 1s