Scotland Yard Confidential

From Noiser, Detectives Don’t Sleep is the new podcast that takes you beyond the police tape to shadow the real detectives who worked history’s most intriguing cases. In this taster episode, we’re in the Bahamas in 1943. One of the wealthiest men in the islands, Sir Harry Oakes, has been murdered - bludgeoned and burned in his mansion. The prime suspect is Oakes’s son-in-law, Count Alfred de Marigny. But Oakes’s daughter Nancy refuses to believe in her husband’s guilt and hires New York-based PI Ray Schindler to clear de Marigny’s name. Ray flies to the paradise island of New Providence and gets straight down to work, interviewing witnesses, following up clues, and piecing together the circumstances of Oakes’s death. Before long, he finds himself drawn into a complex mystery straight from the pages of a classic whodunnit. Part Two of Murder in Paradise is live now on the Detectives Don’t Sleep podcast. If you enjoy this taster episode, search ‘Detectives Don’t Sleep’ in your podcast app and hit follow to get new episodes every Tuesday. Or, listen at noiser.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Thursday, April 24th, 1975, a group of six well-dressed men let themselves into the Bank of America in London's Mayfair. They had one intention: to break into the vault and make off with over 8 million pounds worth of gold, valuables and cash. Little did they know that the inside man who'd helped them set up the job would also be a part of their downfall. Scotland Yard's Intelligence Division, and the detectives from the Flying Squad were about to make history, turning the criminals against each other as they chased each one of them down and tried to recover the record-breaking haul. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On November 7th, 2000, a professional gang of thieves attempted an audacious robbery in London. Their target: the largest flawless diamond collection in the world. Its location: the Millennium Dome in Greenwich. It's an outrageous plan, but can these crooks really steal such a prize, in broad daylight, from such a public place, and make their escape? Not if Scotland Yard has anything to do with it. The plot reads like something from a Bond film — speedboats, firearms, ram raids, and elaborate undercover surveillance. With limited information to go on, it's a high-stakes game of cat and mouse, or rather cops and robbers. In the end, timing will be everything. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On October 17th, 1898, a most daring theft took place on a train at Paris’s Gare du Nord station. In the blink of an eye, and in broad daylight, a priceless collection of jewels was taken from under the nose of their owner — the Dowager Duchess of Sutherland. The culprit was one of the most cunning, lightest-fingered crooks in Europe. The original gentleman thief. Unparallelled in his abilities, he was a man known to both the law, and the underworld world only by his alias — Harry 'the Valet'.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

June 23rd, 1946. Police Constable Arthur Collins was at home with his wife Marjorie in Warwick, England. Whilst getting ready for bed, he heard the sound of shattering glass. He put on his uniform and rushed out into the night without hesitation. That decision would cost him dear. Unknown assailants would beat him within an inch of his life using his own truncheon. If it weren’t for the heroic intervention of his wife, it would’ve almost certainly been a murder. In the aftermath of the bloody attack, local cops only had one lead: the scrap of cloth Marjorie had ripped from the attacker’s jacket. Warwick Police called in Scotland Yard for what would be the final case of the incomparable Robert Fabian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On a sunny August day in 1966, on a quiet street near Wormwood Scrubs Common, an unmarked police car flagged down a battered blue Vanguard to ask about a missing tax disc. What happened next was the brutal slaying of three police officers in the line of duty, which became known as the Braybrook Street Massacre. Under the guidance of Detective Chief Superintendent Richard Chitty, officers of Scotland Yard carried out the largest manhunt of the century in an attempt to find one of the cop-killers who had gone on the run. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In October 1946, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor - Prince Edward and Wallis Simpson - were staying at Ednam Lodge, in the genteel countryside on the outskirts of London. The royal visit alone was enough to cause a press frenzy, but when the Duchess's collection of priceless jewels was stolen in broad daylight, the ensuing furore was quite something else altogether. Naturally, the very best from Scotland Yard were brought in to investigate the high-profile, audacious theft. With their sights set on capturing the most successful jewel thief of his generation, detectives were led on a merry dance through London and the surrounding countryside. But could they finally bring the enigmatic and elusive character known only as Johnny the Gent to justice and recover the Windsor jewels? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was an ordinary Sunday evening in February, 1939, in London's brightly lit West End. Legendary detective, Robert Fabian, known to all as Fabian of the Yard, was enjoying a quiet duty at Vine Street Police Station. Or so he thought. When a musician stumbled into the station, screaming bloody murder, Fabian became entangled in a shadow-play of sleaze, vice and violence. A beautiful singer known as The Black Butterfly had been found brutally murdered in her flat, lying in a pool of her own blood, her killer still on the loose. The cunning inspector had nothing to go on except for a shred of black foil and the vague mention of a man in a nightclub offering the victim drinks. Fabian knew he had to move fast. Or else, risk the knife man striking again... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In December 1970, Julian Sessé, the long-serving butler to Granada TV Chairman, Lord Bernstein, was found brutally murdered in his basement flat in Belgravia. With little hope for a successful investigation, and two murder cases already on their books, local police quickly handed the case to Scotland Yard. Evidence gathered from the flat revealed that the elegant 65-year-old butler was in the habit of picking up younger men and entertaining them at his home. He was discreet and private in these affairs, and his personal acquaintances were equally secretive. Was his killer a stranger or a friend? And how would detectives trace him if no one was willing to talk? It fell to Detective Chief Superintendent John “Ginger” Hensley to crack the case of the Peer's Butler. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

February 1947 is one of the snowiest months on UK record. As roads and rail are forced to close, in London, a six-man criminal gang organized a robbery targeting the Midland Bank of Kentish Town. Their mark was the unsuspecting bank manager, Mr. Snell. But all good plans are bound to go awry. Before they could act, word reached Scotland Yard's mysterious undercover intelligence unit - the Ghost Squad. Detective Inspector Len Crawford quickly came up with a cunning but dangerous play to snare the robbers - but it's a high-risk game that could prove fatal to his men. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amid the heatwave of July 1948, a gang of London's top thieves came up with an audacious plot to steal half a million pounds worth of gold bullion and other valuables from the customs warehouse at the newly opened London Airport. The Head of Security at the airport - which later became known as Heathrow - was former Scotland Yard Detective, Donald Fish. He wasted no time in alerting his old pals on the force. The heist, and the resulting royal rumble between cops and robbers became known as The Battle of Heathrow. It went down in Scotland Yard folklore as the most bloody, but most successful sting operation in Flying Squad history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On September 6th, 1988, 28-year-old British photographer, Julie Ward disappeared while driving through the Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya. Four days later, her father, John Ward, began a search for the truth, which would cost several million pounds and span three decades. Accident? Animal attack? Or murder? The case saw both police in Kenya and detectives from Scotland Yard plagued by conspiracies and cover-ups, secrets and lies. The investigation reached the highest levels of Kenyan politics, but the only true constant was a distraught father, determined to find the truth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is the story of a legendary figure of the Wild West… The man widely believed to have inspired the Lone Ranger… Who was born into slavery — and became one of America’s most revered lawmen. His name was Bass Reeves. Follow Solved Murders to catch the four-part miniseries, Bass Reeves: No Master But Duty. Listen free, only on Spotify. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1854. A shipwreck was found off the coast of Brazil. On board was a young English aristocrat, 25-year-old Sir Roger Tichborne. But his mother, a wealthy dowager, could not accept his death. When, years later, rumors circled that the survivors were taken to Australia, she placed ads in the papers, but heard nothing. Then, over a decade after the shipwreck, an impoverished man emerged from the Australian outback, making the sensational claim that he was in fact the long-lost Sir Roger. It led to scandal, sensation, and one of the most infamous legal battles in 19th-century Britain. So, just who was the claimant? Jack Whicher, legendary Scotland Yard inspector, was determined to find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2006. On a quiet street in Wembley, London, special constable Nisha Patel-Nasri, was found bleeding to death on her driveway. With no obvious enemies, police initially struggled to find any suspects. But the investigation led them through a twisted, shocking tale of lust, deceit and greed. Detectives from Scotland Yard tackled a crime born of age-old motives with 21st century technology. Using CCTV footage and mobile phone data, they pieced together a trail of evidence that blew the case wide open. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On February 14th, 1945, 75-year-old farm worker, Charles Walton, was brutally murdered while working in some fields. His body had been pinned to the ground with his own pitchfork, his throat cut with his hedging blade, and the sign of a cross carved into his chest. As superstitious villagers shared rumors of witchcraft and ritual sacrifice, local police realised they were out of their depth and called for help from Scotland Yard. Detective Superintendent Robert Fabian was assigned to the case. The most famous detective of his time, Fabian found himself leading an investigation so frustrating and exasperating that it would remain one of the very few unsolved murders on his record — despite being confident he knew who killed Charles Walton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1935. Up in the picturesque hills of Moffat, Scotland, a gruesome discovery is made. Beneath an old bridge, a humble country police constable stands amid human body parts. The public will soon be as mystified as they are shocked, and the case will be dubbed The Jigsaw Murders. Those body parts will form the building blocks of 'the first modern murder investigation', going on to define criminal forensics itself. But under that bridge, horror strewn around his feet, the constable asks himself the question: Who could do something like this? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On December 29th, 1969, Muriel McKay disappeared from her home in London's affluent suburb of Wimbledon. Her husband, the newspaper executive Alick McKay, was convinced she'd been abducted. When the call came demanding one million pounds in ransom for her safe return, he was proved right. The problem was, the kidnappers had taken the wrong woman. They had meant to abduct Anna Murdoch, wife of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who was McKay's boss at the time. In fact, the first-time kidnappers bungled every step of their ridiculous plan, and yet managed to evade the clutches of Scotland Yard for nearly two months. The investigation, dogged by a media frenzy, was the largest of its kind, taking over 250 officers some 40 days to solve.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On June 8th, 1946, London was in a party mood. A Victory Parade to celebrate the end of World War II saw the city consumed with pomp and fanfare. However, in the lull between the parade ending and the evening fireworks, a brutal murder took place. In the affluent suburb of Belgravia, in a house owned by the exiled King of Greece — George II — Elizabeth McLindon was shot in the back of the head. Finding her killer would take a combination of inspired detective work from one of Scotland Yard's finest, coupled with ground-breaking forensic science in a case that set the standard for ballistic analysis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Four years after the disappearance of Camille Holland, Detective Inspector Elias Bower of Scotland Yard was called upon to see if he could shed any light on the mysterious case. Camille's husband, Samuel Dougal, was a hard-drinking, womanising fraudster, whom many suspected was involved in her disappearance. But with no body and no weapon, the case seemed impossible to solve. That was, until DI Bower came along, and made a grim discovery on the farmland… Using a gunsmith and ballistic experts, the Scotland Yard Inspector finally found out the chilling truth behind this tragic case. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On a dark night in the summer of 1864 two bankers boarded a first-class rail carriage only to discover that it was covered in blood. Clearly, a violent act had occurred, but the attacker and victim had somehow disappeared from the train. Only a few clues are left behind: a briefcase, a cane, a broken watch link, and a crumpled hat. It was now up to Detective Richard Tanner of Scotland Yard to put together pieces and solve Britain’s very first railway murder... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The spree continues into Christmas Day and beyond, during which the teen gang murders their third, fourth, fifth and sixth victims. After a tip, police catch the group wearing victims’ clothing, driving a victim’s stolen car, and in possession of the guns they used in their murders. A Parcast holiday special from Serial Killers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the early hours of Christmas Eve 1992, a senseless murder in Dayton, Ohio, marks the beginning of a rampage. What started as a desire for Christmas cash turns into a three-day killing spree that leaves six people dead. Even more shocking was that the brazen killers were just teens. A Parcast holiday special from Serial Killers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the 16th of July, 1913, an exquisite string of pale pink pearls — the most expensive necklace of its kind — is stolen while on its way back to London from Paris. But how? Who could possibly pull off a heist so audacious? Detective Inspector Alfred Ward suspects it to be the work of one man: his nemesis, Joseph Gizzard — the leader of a vast criminal network in London, and a master jewel thief. The case revives an ongoing battle between leading detective and expert criminal. In a long game of cat and mouse, will DI Ward recover the pearls before they're split up and sold off? And is this the case which will finally see him bring his old adversary, Joseph Gizzard, to justice? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the late summer of 1848, two officers of the newly formed Metropolitan police force discovered the body of a missing man at 3, Miniver Place in Bermondsey, South London. Buried in quicklime underneath the floor of the kitchen, Patrick O'Connor was the victim of a brutally violent crime. The obvious culprits were Frederick Manning and his wife Marie but they had already fled the scene with a fortune in stolen shares from O'Connor. What followed was one of the most memorable manhunts in Scotland Yard's early years — one that saw the police employ cutting edge technology to bring their fugitives to justice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On 26th April, 1999, BBC TV presenter, Jill Dando, was shot on the doorstep of her home in South West London. Killed outright by a single bullet to the head from a lone, unknown gunman. The hunt for her murderer and the motive behind her death proved to be one of the largest and most difficult enquiries ever conducted by Scotland Yard. So, who shot one of Britain's best loved presenters, and why? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's World War 2 and London is still reeling from the Blitz. Although the blackout gives some protection from German bombers, it also provides the perfect hunting ground for criminals. When a woman is found strangled in an air raid shelter, and soon after another woman is brutally butchered, police suspect a serial killer is at work. The press dub him the Blackout Ripper.  Chief Superintendent Fred Cherrill, head of Scotland Yard's fingerprint department and a pioneer in this area of forensics, joins the case. Armed with his magnifying glass, Cherrill discovers marks left behind on makeshift weapons that show the murderer is left-handed. But with little else to go on, and another woman's body discovered, police are struggling to crack the case. However, as the sadistic killer becomes more frenzied, he begins to make mistakes and leaves behind two crucial clues to his identity. When the police finally trace him, he does not fit the usual profile of a killer. In the face of lies and cover-ups, Superintendent Cherrill must use his skills to build a case that will see the Blackout Ripper convicted and stopped, once and for all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's 1967. Leonard 'Nipper' Read has been promoted to the Murder Squad at Scotland Yard. It's a timely appointment, since his old adversaries — the Kray twins — have each just killed a man. The murder of George Cornell by Ronnie Kray, and the murder of Jack 'The Hat' McVitie by Reggie Kray, will be the acts that lead to their downfall. Nipper will be the man to break through the wall of silence that has protected the twins, and bring them to justice.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1966, the East End of London was ruled by a vicious gang run by Ronnie and Reggie Kray. The notorious, identical twins had a vice-like grip fuelled by fear and intimidation. Police know that their violent crimes are escalating, and yet they can't get a single witness to testify against the twins. The man from Scotland Yard charged with bringing them down is Leonard 'Nipper' Read, and he's got his work cut out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In December 1915 in Highgate, London, a new bride was found drowned in her bath the day after her wedding. At first, it appeared to be a tragic accident. But when two more similar deaths came to light, Inspector Arthur Neil of Scotland Yard had two mysteries to solve: What was the real identity of the man involved in all three murders, and how did he make it look like his wives' deaths were accidents? With the help of the legendary Home Office pathologist, Bernard Spilsbury, Inspector Neil pieced together all the evidence to convict the killer of the Brides in the Bath. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At around 10:30 PM on 31st October, 1908, 12-year-old Edwin Haskell, known as Teddy to his many friends, was discovered dead at his home in Salisbury. His throat had been cut while he was sleeping. Teddy lived with his widowed mother, Flora, and was disabled. One of his legs had been amputated when he was six because of tuberculosis in his hip. He was saving up for an artificial leg, and some of that money was missing, apparently stolen by his attacker. Chief Inspector Walter Dew from Scotland Yard was sent to assist the local police in their investigation. An experienced detective with an impressive track record, Dew was not afraid to ask the questions that needed asking. And to follow the evidence, wherever it led. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the early hours of December 20th 1988, police get a report of a young woman who went missing on the short walk from the train station in Raynes Park to her friend’s house. Police fear the worst, knowing that there have been a number of attacks in that part of South London recently. When a body is found in the dense undergrowth of some playing fields, just yards from the main road, their missing persons case becomes a murder investigation — one that will be solved thanks to Scotland Yard’s forensic scientists, and the recent advancements in a technique called DNA profiling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In October 1946, an unidentified woman's body was found hidden behind a hedge by the side of the A20 in Kent, the main road between London and Dover. Local police turned to Detective Chief Inspector Robert Fabian of Scotland Yard to lead the investigation. After two high-profile failures, Fabian desperately needed to crack this case. Calm, methodical and at times inspired, Fabian tenaciously followed the clues until he found himself face-to-face with the man he believed to be the perpetrator. But did he have enough evidence to prove his case, or would another murderer slip through his fingers? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1860, Mary Emsley, a well-known landlady of the East End of London, is found brutally murdered in her own home. Police openly admit they don't know where to start. Emsley was a miserly, merciless business woman — and universally disliked. When ex-police officer James Mullins places the blame on a local cobbler, it looks as though the crime has been solved. Inspector Tanner of Scotland Yard uses budding forensic knowledge to build a case against Mullins. But is it enough to convict the right man? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by John Hopkins, Short History Of is a transportive podcast, taking you back in time to witness history’s most remarkable events. Today, get the true story behind the legend that inspired the hit TV series. Between the 1890s and 1910s, the British city of Birmingham was in the grip of a gang: the Peaky Blinders. But were they really champions of the working class, driven by a code of loyalty and morality? Or was theirs simply a reign of terror, marked by dishonour and violence? Short History Of is a Noiser production. New episodes every Monday! Written by Luke Kuhns. With thanks to Professor Carl Chinn, social historian and author of Peaky Blinders: The Real Story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In June 1946, Divisional Detective Reginald Spooner was called to the Pembridge Court Hotel in London's Notting Hill Gate, where an out-of-work artist named Margery Gardner was found brutally murdered. The hotel room was registered to Lieutenant-Colonel Neville Heath, but he was missing. Fearing his suspect might flee the country, Detective Spooner triggered a nationwide manhunt for a man who would soon be labelled "the most dangerous criminal modern Britain has known" and whose capture would be a crowning jewel in the detective's career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In October 1942, Royal Marines find the badly decomposed body of a woman buried on Hankley Common in Surrey. The gruesome discovery kicks off an investigation by one of Scotland Yard's finest: DCI Edward Greeno. The first mystery is to identify the victim, and police soon discover that she was a nomadic, emotionally troubled young woman called Joan Pearl Wolfie — known locally as the Wigwam Girl, due to the tent-like structures she lived in on the Common. The hunt for her murderer leads DCI Greeno and his team to a French-Canadian soldier on the local barracks. But will the forensic evidence they slowly piece together be enough to get a conviction? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's the Swinging Sixties, and in Bromley, Kent, a newly married woman is slaughtered after inviting an unexpected guest in for a cup of coffee. But with no murder weapon and no fingerprints, police struggle to find the culprit...until they see a familiar name on a Christmas card written to the victim... We join Margaret Pereira, the first woman on the Scientific staff at the Metropolitan Science lab, as she pieces together the evidence to solve the mystery of the Bromley Bride murder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In March 1973, a pair of British tourists are attacked while camping in the South of France. Jeremy Cartland is injured, but his father, John Cartland, is brutally hacked to death. It is not the first time French police have to work with the detectives at Scotland Yard, but the case highlights how differently the two forces investigate homicide. Scotland Yard are meticulous in their record-keeping, interviewing processes and evidence logging. The French are not. The result is a catalogue of errors, leaving police on both sides of the pond with a handful of solid suspicions, a number of conspiracy theories, and no concrete evidence to catch their killer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1891, just three years after the serial killer known as Jack the Ripper carried out his horrific crimes in Whitechapel, another sadistic murderer began targeting sex-workers in a different area of London. The Lambeth Poisoner had killed four young women before Scotland Yard detectives began to suspect murder. This time they were determined that the prolific killer would not escape justice. The task of catching the poisoner eventually fell to one of Scotland Yard's star detectives, as Inspected John Bennett Tunbridge began the most challenging and high-profile case of his career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the leafy suburb of Richmond, on 5th March 1879, a strange box washes up on the banks of the Thames near Barnes Railway Bridge. Inside, the dismembered remains of a woman kick off a case that will become known as the Barnes Mystery. At first unable to even identify the victim, Scotland Yard are at a loss — until a couple of concerned witnesses step up, and the whole gruesome case unravels. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the 1980s, London was rocked by a wave of violent armed robberies. One of the most daring was the raid on the Brink’s Mat security warehouse in Hounslow. It was also the most lucrative by far, netting the thieves a cool £26 million in gold bullion, and leaving in its trail a wake of violence and death. An elite unit was tasked with bringing the gang to justice, Scotland Yard’s Flying Squad. From the outset, Flying Squad officers suspected the robbers had inside help. But which of the guards was responsible, and how to prove it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In February 2011, police on patrol in Blackheath, London, spot a burning car half-hidden up a quiet lane. When the fire is put out and they’re able to investigate, they discover the burned body of a young man in the boot. With no way to identify him from the charred remains, they set about tracing the vehicle registration and find it belongs to a young man called Gagandip Singh. Gagandip told his family he went to a party the night before, but he didn’t come home and hasn’t been seen since. Is the body in the car the missing Gagandip? Or has he committed a terrible crime and fled the scene? DCI Damian Allain knows that the next 24 hours will be crucial to finding the killer. What they uncover is a chilling tale of a love triangle, a honey-trap, and a plot for revenge taken too far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Investigating the murder of 3-year-old Saville Kent in Wiltshire in 1860, Inspector Whicher of Scotland Yard couldn’t help ruffling feathers. His theory about the killer’s identity brought him into conflict with the local police, but his hunt for a crucial piece of evidence ended in frustration. Although he believed he knew who the murderer was, the case remained unsolved when he retired from the force four years later, his reputation in tatters. Then a startling confession blew the case wide open and vindicated the great detective. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When the body of 3-year-old Saville Kent was found with his throat cut at his home in Wiltshire, local magistrates appealed for a detective from London to solve the case. In 1860, Inspector Jonathan Whicher was Scotland Yard’s star detective, making him the natural choice for the job. But by the time he arrived on the scene, much of the evidence had either been removed or destroyed. And Wiltshire police had already arrested a suspect. The only problem was, Inspector Whicher was not at all convinced they had the right person. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Fingerprint Department at Scotland Yard was established in 1901, growing out of a system of detailing body measurements to validate evidence at crime scenes. Despite early enthusiasm for the ground-breaking technique and some good support from leading detectives, by 1905, the department had still only managed to secure one conviction using the technique — for a burglary that took place in 1902. So when police find a clear thumbprint at the scene of a double murder, they throw their best men at solving the case and getting their first-ever murder conviction using fingerprint technology. Three Scotland Yard heavyweights — Detective Chief Inspector Fox, a leading detective at the Yard; Inspector Charles Stockley Collins, head of the fingerprint department; and none other than Assistant Commissioner for Crime, Sir Melville Macnaghten — are about to make history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2010 the body of young MI6 agent Gareth Williams was found locked inside a holdall. Scotland Yard was called in to investigate, but from the beginning it was clear that MI6 wanted detectives to keep their distance. Some claim that Gareth somehow climbed into the bag and died by accident...but that doesn’t explain how it got locked from the outside. Was Gareth Williams’ death the result of a foreign intelligence hit? And if so, how could Scotland Yard possibly investigate it without upsetting the most powerful espionage agencies in the world? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Early in his career, the great Scotland Yard detective Robert Fabian pitched himself against a suave and daring cat-burglar. Robert Augustus Delaney was responsible for a one-man crime wave targeting London’s wealthiest homes in the 1920s. His exploits even gained the admiration of the police who were chasing him. But behind the glamorous exterior of the gentleman thief, lay the secrets of a dark past. For Fabian, capturing the elusive thief was an opportunity not just to put a master criminal behind bars, but also to make his own reputation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Once, Anthony Hardy’s life seemed to be going along conventional lines. He married his university girlfriend, got a good job after graduating, and settled down to have a family. Then something went wrong. Just how wrong became clear in 2002 when a homeless man made a grisly discovery in a Camden bin. Police followed a trail of body parts to Hardy’s sinister lair, where they found the remains of his latest victim. They knew that he had killed before. If they didn’t stop him, he would certainly kill again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On a dark night in the summer of 1864 two bankers boarded a first-class rail carriage only to discover that it was covered in blood. Clearly, a violent act had occurred, but the attacker and victim had somehow disappeared from the train. Only a few clues are left behind: a briefcase, a cane, a broken watch link, and a crumpled hat. It was now up to Detective Richard Tanner of Scotland Yard to put together pieces and solve Britain’s very first railway murder... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1949, detectives investigating the disappearance of Mrs. Olive Durand-Deacon found themselves facing a dilemma. They had a suspect – a man called John Haigh – but they didn’t have a body. Haigh was convinced it was the legal loophole that would secure his release. But he hadn’t reckoned on the forensic experts of Scotland Yard. As the net closed in on Haigh, he stunned police with an extraordinary confession to not one, but a whole series of murders. He even spiced up his account with macabre details. Was Haigh the victim of paranoid delusions that drove him to kill? Or a cold-blooded monster whose only motive for murder was to support his lavish lifestyle? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1949, wealthy widow Olive Durand-Deacon went missing. WPS Alexandra Lambourne’s suspicions were aroused. Her instincts told her that this was not a missing person’s case. It was murder. But without a body, how could the police prove anything? It was a job for the forensic scientists of Scotland Yard, led by expert pathologist Dr. Keith Simpson. They may not have had a body, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t uncover the truth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Saturday, January 13, 2007, 28-year-old Catherine Marlow went into the office to catch up on a backlog of work. When she failed to turn up for a prearranged lunch, friends grew alarmed. Local police followed a trail of blood from the office reception area to find Catherine’s body in a shower cubicle. Scotland Yard was called in and a major homicide investigation launched. Was the killer someone known to Catherine? Or a random stranger off the street? And what was the motive for this brutal attack? Scotland Yard detectives were determined to find the answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In November 1917, Zeppelin bombs rained down on a war-torn London, spreading fear and despondency throughout the capital. Then, one morning, the discovery of a headless torso in a residential square turned general anxiety into widespread terror. A cryptic note reading “BLODIE BELGIM” was found on the body, together with a number of intriguing clues. The case fell to Chief Detective Inspector Frederick Wensley of Scotland Yard, once dubbed “the greatest detective of all time.” If anyone could solve this perplexing mystery, he was the man. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the Easter bank holiday weekend of 2015, one of the most daring diamond heists in British history occurred in London’s Hatton Garden District. With potentially 40 million pounds worth of jewels missing, Scotland Yard’s elite robbery and organized crime unit — the Flying Squad — was put on the case. It was clear from the beginning that the heist was carried out by a highly-skilled group of thieves, but the Flying Squad officers struggled to uncover their identity. That is until CCTV footage revealed they were a rag-tag gang of criminals that have been on their radar for a long, long time.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In June 1910 Detective Chief Inspector Walter Dew of Scotland Yard landed the biggest case of his career. Cora Crippen, a failed music hall singer, had gone missing several months prior and her friends were concerned. Her husband said she died while visiting family abroad but inconsistencies in his story made Detective Dew doubt his story. His suspicions were confirmed after a thorough search of the Crippens’ coal cellar revealed a horrifying discovery. What ensued was one of the greatest manhunts in British history, testing the detective’s wits as the whole world was consumed by the question “What happened to Cora Crippen?” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Enter the minds of some of the greatest detectives in history, and join us as we follow in their footsteps, hunting down suspects and cracking seemingly impossible cases. Scotland Yard Confidential premieres May 19th with episodes airing weekly every Thursday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices