Crime World

Killer Edward Johnston shot dead in Malta after a standoff with police had been projecting himself as a self-help guru living the dream life.Videos he has left behind on social media show a successful, fit, wealthy man urging others to follow his lead so they can experience happiness too.But as he was filming himself he was also conducting a terrifying stalking and harassment campaign against his ex-girlfriend Nicolette Ghirxi who he stabbed to death before a standoff with police that led to his death.So what can we learn from Johnston and his internet persona and how are domestic violence and stalking issues handled by police?

Killer Graham Dwyer has a new female friend who is writing to him in prison and who told journalist Ali Bracken that she simply wants his side of the story.But why do evil murderers like Dwyer attract female attention and why do women strike up relationships with some of the most dangerous inmates?Nicola speaks with criminologist Trina O’Connor about the psychology of women who fall in love with prisoners.

Mob boss Fat Andy Connors will be 10 years dead this month but has his murder investigation gone cold.Nicola speaks with Eamon Dillon about the life and death of Connors, about the notorious burglary gang he headed up, about his role as a banker to the underworld, about his claims of financial links to the fallen Mansfield Empire and about his end in a hail of bullets at the home he called the ranch.

An Irishman gunned down in Malta after he is suspected of stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death emerges as a stalker and a fantasist claiming to be a millionaire in online videos.But who is Edward Johnston, and what is his background? Nicola speaks to Eimear Rabbitte about the shooting in Malta, drug overdoses in prison and a significant cocaine arrest in Peru.

Limerick criminal Eds McCarthy joined forces with Thomas ‘Bomber’ Kavanagh some years ago joining him in Birmingham and cementing his position as a new underworld boss.But now the former underling of the McCarthy Dundon gang may have to pay for his ambitious move with a National Crime Agency investigation into his activities with Kavanagh and a case for extradition underway.Nicola is joined by Eamon Dillon to talk about McCarthy and the others who are being taken out in the fall of the mighty Bomber.

A mass overdose in Portlaoise Prison as three remain in intensive care.An investigation focuses on how the deadly consignment made its way through the most secure prison in the country to inmates on C wing.Nicola speaks to Eamon Dillon about the major incident - was it an inevitable result of overcrowding and illegal smuggling or something even more sinister?

It’s four years since tragic 21 year old showjumper Katie Simpson was laid to rest in her native Tynan in County Armagh - a day when her killer Jonathan Creswell, posed as a chief mourner and stood in false grief as she was lowered into her grave.Nicola speaks to journalist Tanya Fowles about the incredible and ongoing battle for justice for Katie since the events of August 2020. They discuss a 1400-page Police Ombudsman’s report, yet to be released, which details the failings of the PSNI investigators who categorised Katie’s murder as suicide and the unanswered questions which remain around her death.

Forensic psychology professor Katherine Ramsland has penned more than 70 books on crime, forensic science and criminal justice.Her latest work, The Serial Killer's Apprentice, tells the bizarre story of 14-year-old Elmer Wayne Henley Jr, who was groomed by a serial killer into becoming his protege.Speaking to Crime Worlds Clodagh Meaney at CrimeCon, Katherine details working with serial killers and a relationship with Wayne Henley.

To Britain's criminal underworld, Freddie Foreman is the Godfather. Held responsible for the gangland killings of Ginger Marks and Frank 'The Mad Axeman' Mitchell, he was the enforcer to those who broke the underworld's strict code of Omertà.His dramatic story as a bank-robbing, safe-blowing hard man for the Kray twins made him London’s most feared gangster. In the pages of his book The Godfather of British Crime, the details of the heists, double-crossing, shootouts and audacious plans behind his criminal career play out.Today in a Crime World holiday special we bring you an extract from his book The Godfather of British Crime narrated by his godson Nick Reynolds. So sit back enjoy the sun and listen to a story from the underworld.