Blood Ties Podcast

In this episode of Blood Ties, Geoffrey and Molly Wansell examine one of the most controversial criminal cases of the 21st century: the killing of Reeva Steenkamp by South African Paralympian Oscar Pistorius. On Valentine’s Day 2013, Steenkamp was shot dead at Pistorius’s home in Pretoria.Pistorius claimed he believed an intruder was hiding in the bathroom, but prosecutors argued the shooting was intentional. The case gripped the world, leading to a highly publicised trial that initially resulted in a conviction for culpable homicide rather than murder.Following appeals, the verdict was overturned, and Pistorius was ultimately convicted of murder and sentenced to 15 years in prison, less time served. Geoffrey and Molly explore the events leading up to the shooting, the courtroom drama, and the lasting impact on all those involved.CREDITS: Presenters: Geoffrey and Molly WansellProducer: Peter Shevlin https://pod60.com/Artwork: George LeighMusic: Dan WansellCONTACT: Twitter: @BloodTies_PodInstagram:@bloodtiespodcastEmail: bloodties.podcast@gmail.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bloodtiespodcastSupport: patreon.com/bloodtiespodcastPlease complete our survey if you have time: http://bit.ly/bloodtiespodcast-survey

In this episode of Blood Ties, Geoffrey and Molly Wansell examine the crimes of serial killer Robert Black, whose abduction, rape and murder of young girls shocked the UK throughout the 1980s. From the disappearance of Susan Maxwell, Caroline Hogg and Sarah Harper to the later conviction for the murder of Jennifer Cardy, they trace the painstaking police investigation that became one of the largest manhunts in British criminal history. Geoffrey and Molly explore how Black evaded capture for years while travelling the country as a delivery driver, and why investigators suspected him in a string of unsolved child murders across Britain and Europe. They uncover the disturbing psychology of a predator who hid in plain sight, leaving devastation in his wake until his eventual arrest, conviction and death in prison in 2016.CREDITS: Presenters: Geoffrey and Molly WansellProducer: Peter Shevlin https://pod60.com/Artwork: George LeighMusic: Dan WansellCONTACT: Twitter: @BloodTies_PodInstagram:@bloodtiespodcastEmail: bloodties.podcast@gmail.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bloodtiespodcastSupport: patreon.com/bloodtiespodcastPlease complete our survey if you have time: http://bit.ly/bloodtiespodcast-survey

In this episode of Blood Ties, Geoffrey and Molly Wansell uncover the terrifying story of Gordon Frederick Cummins, the RAF serviceman who became known as the Blackout Killer.Over just five days in wartime London, Cummins murdered four women and brutally attacked two others while the city lay hidden beneath the enforced blackout of the Blitz.His victims were strangled, and several were shockingly mutilated, crimes so savage they stunned even seasoned detectives.Dubbed the Blackout Ripper and the Wartime Ripper, Cummins preyed on vulnerable women as bombs fell across the capital during the darkest days of the Second World War. Convicted of murdering Evelyn Oatley, he was sentenced to death and hanged at Wandsworth Prison in June 1942, becoming the only murderer in British history executed during an air raid.CREDITS: Presenters: Geoffrey and Molly WansellProducer: Peter Shevlin https://pod60.com/Artwork: George LeighMusic: Dan WansellCONTACT: Twitter: @BloodTies_PodInstagram:@bloodtiespodcastEmail: bloodties.podcast@gmail.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bloodtiespodcastSupport: patreon.com/bloodtiespodcastPlease complete our survey if you have time: http://bit.ly/bloodtiespodcast-survey

Three women murdered. One city terrified. And a killer who vanished without a trace. In this gripping episode of Blood Ties, Geoffrey and Molly Wansell investigate the chilling case of Bible John, the unidentified serial killer who preyed on young women in Glasgow between 1968 and 1969.Each victim met a sharply dressed stranger at the famous Barrowland Ballroom before suffering a brutal death. Charming, intelligent and obsessed with quoting scripture, the man became known as Bible John after condemning adultery and reciting passages from the Bible to his final victim.Despite one of the biggest manhunts in Scottish history, and decades of speculation linking suspects including serial killer Peter Tobin, the case remains unsolved. Who was the monster behind the polite smile and biblical sermons? And how did he evade justice for more than half a century?CREDITS: Presenters: Geoffrey and Molly WansellProducer: Peter Shevlin https://pod60.com/Artwork: George LeighMusic: Dan WansellCONTACT: Twitter: @BloodTies_PodInstagram:@bloodtiespodcastEmail: bloodties.podcast@gmail.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bloodtiespodcastSupport: patreon.com/bloodtiespodcastPlease complete our survey if you have time: http://bit.ly/bloodtiespodcast-survey

In this episode of Blood Ties, Geoffrey and Molly Wansell uncover the terrifying story of Gordon Frederick Cummins, the RAF serviceman who became known as the Blackout Killer.Over just five days in wartime London, Cummins murdered four women and brutally attacked two others while the city lay hidden beneath the enforced blackout of the Blitz.His victims were strangled, and several were shockingly mutilated, crimes so savage they stunned even seasoned detectives.Dubbed the Blackout Ripper and the Wartime Ripper, Cummins preyed on vulnerable women as bombs fell across the capital during the darkest days of the Second World War. Convicted of murdering Evelyn Oatley, he was sentenced to death and hanged at Wandsworth Prison in June 1942, becoming the only murderer in British history executed during an air raid.CREDITS: Presenters: Geoffrey and Molly WansellProducer: Peter Shevlin https://pod60.com/Artwork: George LeighMusic: Dan WansellCONTACT: Twitter: @BloodTies_PodInstagram:@bloodtiespodcastEmail: bloodties.podcast@gmail.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bloodtiespodcastSupport: patreon.com/bloodtiespodcastPlease complete our survey if you have time: http://bit.ly/bloodtiespodcast-survey

Part 2 of this Blood Ties special with Geoffrey and Molly Wansell. Confronting one of Britain’s most chilling killers: Dennis Nilsen. Calm, calculated, and hiding in plain sight, he murdered at least twelve young men between 1978 and 1983. Luring victims back to his North London flats, he strangled them, then carried out grotesque rituals, keeping bodies for days, even weeks, before dismembering and disposing of them. It is a story that still shocks.Dubbed the Muswell Hill Murderer, Nilsen was finally caught and convicted at the Old Bailey, sentenced to life, later a whole life term. But the question remains: how did he get away with it for so long?Geoffrey and Molly Wansell dig into the detail, the failures, and the psychology behind the headlines, asking what made Nilsen who he was, and why nobody stopped him sooner.CREDITS: Presenters: Geoffrey and Molly WansellProducer: Peter Shevlin https://pod60.com/Artwork: George LeighMusic: Dan WansellCONTACT: Twitter: @BloodTies_PodInstagram:@bloodtiespodcastEmail: bloodties.podcast@gmail.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bloodtiespodcastSupport: patreon.com/bloodtiespodcastPlease complete our survey if you have time: http://bit.ly/bloodtiespodcast-survey

In this episode of Blood Ties, Geoffrey and Molly Wansell investigate the terrifying case of Barry Prudom, the fugitive killer known as the 'Phantom of the Forest'. An electrician turned murderer, Prudom sparked the biggest manhunt in British history after shooting dead PC David Haigh in June 1982.Over the following days, he killed two more men while evading capture across the forests and countryside of northern England. Armed, highly dangerous, and trained in survival techniques linked to the SAS, Prudom stayed one step ahead of police for eighteen days.His ability to disappear into the wilderness shocked the nation and exposed the limits of Britain’s police forces. Geoffrey and Molly unravel the story of the manhunt, the fear that gripped the country, and the extraordinary final pursuit that brought Prudom’s deadly escape to an end.CREDITS: Presenters: Geoffrey and Molly WansellProducer: Peter Shevlin https://pod60.com/Artwork: George LeighMusic: Dan WansellCONTACT: Twitter: @BloodTies_PodInstagram:@bloodtiespodcastEmail: bloodties.podcast@gmail.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bloodtiespodcastSupport: patreon.com/bloodtiespodcastPlease complete our survey if you have time: http://bit.ly/bloodtiespodcast-survey

Blood Ties with Geoffrey and Molly Wansell confronts one of Britain’s most chilling killers: Dennis Nilsen. Calm, calculated, and hiding in plain sight, he murdered at least twelve young men between 1978 and 1983. Luring victims back to his North London flats, he strangled them, then carried out grotesque rituals, keeping bodies for days, even weeks, before dismembering and disposing of them. It is a story that still shocks.Dubbed the Muswell Hill Murderer, Nilsen was finally caught and convicted at the Old Bailey, sentenced to life, later a whole life term. But the question remains: how did he get away with it for so long?Geoffrey and Molly Wansell dig into the detail, the failures, and the psychology behind the headlines, asking what made Nilsen who he was, and why nobody stopped him sooner.CREDITS: Presenters: Geoffrey and Molly WansellProducer: Peter Shevlin https://pod60.com/Artwork: George LeighMusic: Dan WansellCONTACT: Twitter: @BloodTies_PodInstagram:@bloodtiespodcastEmail: bloodties.podcast@gmail.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bloodtiespodcastSupport: patreon.com/bloodtiespodcastPlease complete our survey if you have time: http://bit.ly/bloodtiespodcast-survey