True Criminals

In this first of two special episodes of True Criminals, journalists Helen Fospero and Martin Brunt are joined by investigative journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown, whose reporting helped expose the extraordinary corruption at the heart of Malaysia’s 1MDB scandal.

Rewcastle Brown’s investigation began in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, where the destruction of tropical rainforest and the loss of indigenous land led her to investigate political corruption. Following the money would eventually take her to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the Malaysian state investment fund established under former prime minister Najib Razak.

US prosecutors later alleged that more than $4.5bn was misappropriated from 1MDB, with money funnelled through shell companies and offshore accounts and spent on luxury property, jewellery, priceless art, a superyacht and assets connected to the financing of The Wolf of Wall Street.

Rewcastle Brown reveals how leaked documents and whistleblower Xavier Justo helped her uncover a money trail involving PetroSaudi International and Malaysian financier Jho Low, the fugitive businessman alleged by US authorities to have played a central role in the scheme.

Working from her kitchen table in London, she found herself taking on some of the most powerful people and institutions in international finance and politics. She describes legal threats, surveillance and intimidation, being targeted by Malaysian authorities – and the extraordinary moment she took her evidence to the FBI, helping to trigger a major US investigation into international kleptocracy and money laundering.

From Goldman Sachs and offshore banking to Hollywood celebrities, Beverly Hills mansions and billions in missing money, this is the remarkable inside story of how determined investigative journalism helped expose a scandal that shook Malaysia, contributed to the downfall of a government and reverberated through financial institutions around the world.

And this is only Part One.

In Part Two, the investigation turns to Jho Low’s extraordinary Hollywood connections, his life as an international fugitive and Rewcastle Brown’s latest investigation into the alleged efforts to cover up the 1MDB financial hole – a trail that leads to China.

Clare Rewcastle Brown’s latest book, The China Contract: The Inside Story of the World's Biggest Financial Scandal … and How It Was Covered Up, continues her investigation into the 1MDB affair.

Find The China Contract here:https://backstory.london/products/china-contract

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Listen ad-free and access our full catalogue, including a True Criminals coffee mug, on Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/truecriminals

As an independent podcast, we rely on listener support. You can also donate via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=YQVFJR5766BJE

FOLLOW TRUE CRIMINALS

Instagram: @true.criminalsTikTok: @truecriminalspodcast

CONNECT WITH MARTIN BRUNT

Follow Martin on Twitter at @skymartinbrunt.

Discover more about his career and the cases he’s covered by reading his book, No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter, available here:

https://amzn.eu/d/g1WisSY

CONNECT WITH HELEN FOSPERO

Follow Helen on Instagram at @helenfospero and check out her podcast, The Convex Conversation, here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575

CREDITS

True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global.

Visit:

https://www.audiobleachglobal.com/truecriminals

Executive Producer: Lee MannProducer: Russell BarnesAudio Production: BLEACHEDMusic Composition: BLEACHEDArtwork: BLEACHED
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Please enjoy this complimentary extended episode! If you’d like more episodes like this, you can become a Patreon Insider Member, where you’ll get access to extended and bonus episodes, listen completely ad-free, and unlock our full back catalogue. Membership also includes a True Criminals coffee mug.

Join us on Patreon and get even more from True Criminals:

Become a True Criminals Patreon Insider

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In Part One, Bill Clegg KC revealed how the case against Colin Stagg collapsed, leaving Rachel Nickell’s real killer free. In Part Two, the story turns to the man who actually murdered her: Robert Napper.

Helen Fospero and Martin Brunt are once again joined by Bill, who found himself in an extraordinary position. Having defended Colin Stagg, he later represented Napper after he was charged with the brutal murders of Samantha Bissett and her four-year-old daughter Jasmine.

Within an hour of reading the case papers, Bill became convinced Napper was also the man who had killed Rachel. He explains the striking similarities between the crimes, the warning signs and missed opportunities surrounding Napper, and why police tunnel vision may have allowed the real killer to remain free.

Years later, advances in forensic science finally linked Napper to Rachel’s murder. Sixteen years after her death, he admitted killing her on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Bill also reflects on the wider lessons of the case: the pressure on police to find a suspect in high-profile investigations, the danger of assumptions taking the place of evidence, and the devastating human cost when an investigation goes wrong.

Bill Clegg KC's book, Under the Wig: A Lawyer's Stories of Murder, Guilt and Innocence:

⁠https://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/titles/william-clegg/under-the-wig/9781529401240/⁠

SUPPORT THE SHOW

As an independent podcast, we rely on listener support. You can also donate via PayPal:

⁠https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=YQVFJR5766BJE⁠

FOLLOW TRUE CRIMINALS

Instagram: @true.criminalsTikTok: @truecriminalspodcast

CONNECT WITH MARTIN BRUNT

Follow Martin on Twitter at @skymartinbrunt.

Discover more about his career and the cases he’s covered by reading his book, No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter, available here:

⁠https://amzn.eu/d/g1WisSY⁠

CONNECT WITH HELEN FOSPERO

Follow Helen on Instagram at @helenfospero and check out her podcast, The Convex Conversation, here:

⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575⁠

CREDITS

True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global.

Visit:

⁠https://www.audiobleachglobal.com/truecriminals⁠

Executive Producer: Lee MannProducer: Russell BarnesAudio Production: BLEACHEDMusic Composition: BLEACHEDArtwork: BLEACHED
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Part One, Bill Clegg KC revealed how the case against Colin Stagg collapsed, leaving Rachel Nickell’s real killer free. In Part Two, the story turns to the man who actually murdered her: Robert Napper.

Helen Fospero and Martin Brunt are once again joined by Bill, who found himself in an extraordinary position. Having defended Colin Stagg, he later represented Napper after he was charged with the brutal murders of Samantha Bissett and her four-year-old daughter Jasmine.

Within an hour of reading the case papers, Bill became convinced Napper was also the man who had killed Rachel. He explains the striking similarities between the crimes, the warning signs and missed opportunities surrounding Napper, and why police tunnel vision may have allowed the real killer to remain free.

Years later, advances in forensic science finally linked Napper to Rachel’s murder. Sixteen years after her death, he admitted killing her on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Bill also reflects on the wider lessons of the case: the pressure on police to find a suspect in high-profile investigations, the danger of assumptions taking the place of evidence, and the devastating human cost when an investigation goes wrong.

Bill Clegg KC's book, Under the Wig: A Lawyer's Stories of Murder, Guilt and Innocence:

https://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/titles/william-clegg/under-the-wig/9781529401240/

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Listen ad-free and access our full catalogue, including a True Criminals coffee mug, on Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/truecriminals

As an independent podcast, we rely on listener support. You can also donate via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=YQVFJR5766BJE

FOLLOW TRUE CRIMINALS

Instagram: @true.criminalsTikTok: @truecriminalspodcast

CONNECT WITH MARTIN BRUNT

Follow Martin on Twitter at @skymartinbrunt.

Discover more about his career and the cases he’s covered by reading his book, No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter, available here:

https://amzn.eu/d/g1WisSY

CONNECT WITH HELEN FOSPERO

Follow Helen on Instagram at @helenfospero and check out her podcast, The Convex Conversation, here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575

CREDITS

True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global.

Visit:

https://www.audiobleachglobal.com/truecriminals

Executive Producer: Lee MannProducer: Russell BarnesAudio Production: BLEACHEDMusic Composition: BLEACHEDArtwork: BLEACHED
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In July 1992, Rachel Nickell was murdered in broad daylight on Wimbledon Common, with her two year old son nearby. The killing shocked Britain and triggered one of the most controversial murder investigations in modern British history.

Helen Fospero and Martin Brunt are joined by Bill Clegg KC, the barrister who defended Colin Stagg, the innocent man police accused of Rachel's murder.

With no forensic evidence or confession linking Stagg to the crime, investigators launched an extraordinary undercover "honey trap", using a female police officer to try to persuade him to confess. The confession never came.

Bill reveals what went wrong inside the investigation, how he dismantled the prosecution at the Old Bailey, and what happened when the case against Stagg spectacularly collapsed.

Meanwhile, Rachel Nickell's real killer was still free.

Bill Clegg KC's book, Under the Wig: A Lawyer's Stories of Murder, Guilt and Innocence:https://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/titles/william-clegg/under-the-wig/9781529401240/

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Support the Show

Listen ad free and access our full catalogue, including a True Criminals coffee mug, on Patreon at ⁠⁠www.patreon.com/truecriminals⁠⁠.

As an independent podcast, we rely on listener support. You can also donate via PayPal

⁠https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=YQVFJR5766BJE⁠

Follow True Criminals

Instagram: ⁠⁠@true.criminals⁠⁠
TikTok: @truecriminalspodcast

Connect with Martin Brunt

Follow Martin on Twitter at ⁠⁠@skymartinbrunt⁠⁠. Discover more about his career and the cases he’s covered by reading his book, No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter, available here: ⁠⁠https://amzn.eu/d/g1WisSY⁠⁠.

Connect with Helen Fospero
Follow Helen on Instagram at ⁠⁠@helenfospero⁠⁠ and check out her podcast, The Convex Conversation, here: ⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575⁠⁠.

Credits
True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global.

Visit ⁠⁠www.audiobleachglobal.com/truecriminals⁠⁠ for more information.

Executive Producer: Lee Mann.
Producer: Russell Barnes.
Audio Production: BLEACHED
Music Composition: BLEACHED
Artwork: BLEACHED
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We welcome Kerry Daynes back to True Criminals for the second of two conversations with one of Britain’s leading consultant forensic psychologists.

Last time, we explored Kerry’s encounters with serial killer Dennis Nilsen. This time, the story is Kerry herself and an extraordinary career spent sitting opposite some of the most dangerous and complex people in the criminal justice system.

Kerry takes us back to Wakefield Prison in 1996, when, aged just 21, she entered a deeply intimidating and misogynistic environment to begin her career in forensic psychology. She recalls interviewing men convicted of rape and murder, being deliberately locked in a cell with a killer, and the lessons she learned about fear, authority and maintaining control.

There are darker stories and some unexpectedly funny ones. Kerry tells us why a convicted double murderer repeatedly dropped his prosthetic eye into her tomato soup, and how learning not to react became a lesson in psychology she still uses today.

We explore what forensic psychologists actually do, how Kerry builds rapport with dangerous offenders without becoming their audience, and why understanding someone’s behaviour is very different from excusing it. She explains her approach of “rational compassion” and the importance of remaining authentic when interviewing and assessing people capable of extreme violence.

Kerry also discusses occasions when offenders have successfully deceived her, the cases that have got under her skin, and the day a man she was assessing stabbed her in the stomach with a kebab skewer, an incident she remarkably describes as a bad day, but not the worst of her career.

We also turn to two criminals previously examined on True Criminals: conman Mark Acklom, and one of Britain’s most notorious prisoners, Charles Bronson, now Charles Salvador. Kerry, who has worked professionally with Salvador and gave evidence at his public parole hearing, offers a fascinating psychological perspective on the man behind the mythology and asks how decades of imprisonment have shaped the person he became.

Finally, Kerry talks candidly about losing her hearing, why it led her to step away from expert witness work, and why forensic psychology remains not simply a career but a vocation.

It’s a conversation about violence and vulnerability, nature and nurture, punishment and rehabilitation, but above all, about the human beings behind some of the darkest acts imaginable.

Find more from Kerry Daynes

The Profiler with Kerry DaynesKerry examines British murder cases and the psychology behind them.Listen to The Profiler

The Dark Side of the MindKerry’s Sunday Times bestselling account of life and work as a forensic psychologist.The Dark Side of the Mind

What Lies BuriedKerry goes deeper into the psychology behind extreme and disturbing behaviour and the question of what makes someone dangerous.What Lies Buried

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Follow True Criminals

Follow us on Instagram at ⁠⁠⁠⁠@true.criminals⁠⁠⁠⁠ and subscribe to our YouTube channel at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@True-Criminals⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Connect with Martin Brunt

Follow Martin on Twitter at ⁠⁠⁠⁠@skymartinbrunt⁠⁠⁠⁠. Discover more about his career and the cases he’s covered by reading his book, No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter, available here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.eu/d/g1WisSY⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Connect with Helen Fospero

Follow Helen on Instagram at ⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenfospero⁠⁠⁠⁠ and check out her podcast, The Convex Conversation, here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Credits

True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.audiobleachglobal.com/truecriminals⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more information.

Executive Producer: Lee Mann.

Producer: Russell Barnes.

Audio Production: BLEACHED

Music Composition: BLEACHED

Artwork: BLEACHED
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices