Why would anyone want to chop down the world famous Sycamore Gap tree that had stood by Hadrians Wall for more than a century? The two hapless locals found guilty showed no remorse and still haven't explained their actions. Called cowards and morons during their trial, if they wanted infamy they succeeded but now they face up to ten years in jail. Martin Frizell and Professor of Criminology David Wilson discuss this absorbing case just hours after the jury returned the unanimous guilty verdict.
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30:30
Episode 4: Natalia Grace -The bizarre case that shocked the world.
Was she a toddler with dwarfism or a grown woman who tricked a family into adopting her then threatened to murder them  as they slept? Emeritus Professor of Criminolgy David Wilson and reporter/broadcaster Martin Frizell explore the odd story of Natalia Grace now made into the Disney+ production Good American Family. Somehow there’s a feeling the story’s not over yet.
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22:39
Episode 3: Modern Crime Families
Drug running, money laundering, extortion and racketeering, its all in a day's work for Britain's crime families and they are alive and well in the modern age. The Kray brothers may have cornered the market in likeable villains (unless you were a target) but there is a rash of new dramas based on gangster families in Britain and Dublin. If you are a fan of Kin, MobLand or This City is Ours, Martin Frizell and Professor David Wilson explore how true they are to the violent families whose turf wars are still as murderous as ever.
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24:49
Episode 1: America's worst ever serial killer?
The bodies of eleven women and counting are the believed victims of the Long Island serial killer but there may be many more . It's a crime that had to wait for years to be taken seriously by corrupt police and would have gone neglected were it not for a band of grieving but determind mothers.Gone Girls is the powerful docu series from Netflix and we're looking at the case and the prospect that the main suspect is an even bigger monster than first thought.
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Episode 2: Prison guards in danger of being murdered?
Three UK prison officers were viciously attacked by Manchester bomb plotter Hashem Abedi who threw boiling oil in their faces and slashed one so badly they were within minutes of death. Join Martin Frizell and ex prison governor and Professor of Criminology David Wilson as they discover why terrorist prisoners have special treatment and why it must change. How long before there's a murder of a prison guard on duty? Also the astonishing revelation that crime bosses have planted gang members within prison officers ranks after going through the official recruitment process.
Ever wonder why serial killers kill or why ordinary people sometimes do extraordinary things, sometimes downright evil things? This Much is True Crime is a weekly look at crime making the headlines and that includes crime drama and docuseries that are making news themselves. The hosts are news reporter and tv producer Martin Frizell and Britain's top criminologist Professor David Wilson.
UK