The Murder of Brianna Ghey

The first case in this episodes examines the murder of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey in Warrington in 2023. Brianna had built a following online through her TikTok videos, but in everyday life she had struggled to find close friendships. That changed when she was befriended by 15-year-old Scarlett Jenkinson.

On 11 February 2023, Brianna arranged to meet Jenkinson, who brought along Eddie Ratcliffe. The three went to Culcheth Linear Park. Not long afterwards, a dog walker found Brianna lying on the ground with multiple stab wounds and saw two people running from the scene.

Detectives got an early lead when Jenkinson’s mother contacted police to say her daughter may have been one of the last people to see Brianna alive. Jenkinson claimed she and Ratcliffe had parted ways with Brianna before the attack, but investigators were not convinced. Both teenagers were arrested and their homes searched.

Expert witness and forensic scientist Jayne Roughley was tasked with examining the exhibits recovered from both suspects’ homes, including a bloodstained knife, clothing and footwear. Her analysis helped connect Jenkinson and Ratcliffe to the attack. Both were charged with Brianna’s murder, convicted and given life sentences.

The programme includes insightful interviews from forensic psychologist Dr Sohom Das and BBC special correspondent Judith Moritz.

The second case looks at the Boxing Day murder of PC Ian Broadhurst, who was shot when he and colleagues tried to stop a suspected car thief. The gunman escaped, armed and on the run. His voice, however, had been captured on a police car dashcam. After a public appeal, his former wife identified him as a Canadian called Nathan Wayne Coleman. When police finally arrested him, they discovered his real name was David Bieber and that he was wanted in Florida for conspiracy to murder.

Investigators believed Bieber was the killer, but PC Broadhurst’s colleagues could not make a positive identification. They turned to forensic speech analyst Professor Peter French, who established that Bieber was not Canadian but American. Further analysis revealed traces of a Yorkshire accent, linked to where he had been living, and distinctive pronunciation that helped identify him as the gunman.

Despite pleading not guilty and claiming another man from America had committed the crime, Bieber was convicted and sentenced to a whole-life tariff. The case also features revealing interviews from BBC journalist Cat Hepple and Alan Curry, a former superintendent at Northumbria Police.