News of the Times - Unlocking the vaults of historical crime

Bridget Durgan: The Maid, The Murder, and the Smile That Haunted 1867
News of the Times | Episode 515  | 1867
Domestic Servant or Cold-Blooded Killer? The Gruesome Case That Shocked 1867

In a quiet New Jersey town in 1867, a physician’s wife is found brutally murdered — stabbed, slashed, and burned — and the only suspect? Her Irish maid, Bridget Durgan. With 50 wounds, bite marks, and a suspicious lack of robbery, this was no ordinary Victorian murder…

Was Bridget a jealous killer or the perfect scapegoat in a time steeped in prejudice and paranoia?

Join us as we unravel o...

The Murder of Emma Hunt: Cold Case or Victorian Injustice?
News of the Times | Episode514 | 1896
Step into the shadows of 1893, where a quiet Essex town is shaken to its core by the brutal murder of a respected widow, Emma Hunt. Her body is found in a brook — throat slashed, umbrella shattered, and no weapon in sight. Was it suicide, murder, or something far more sinister?

A teenage boy is arrested. A six-year-old gives chilling testimony. The public is torn. And as the case unfolds, whispers begin to spread — could Jack the Ripper have returned?

...

Murder in the Woods: The Forgotten Case of the Wigwam Girl
News of the Times | Episode 513 | 1942
[In one of wartime Britain’s most haunting and tragically overlooked murder cases, 19-year-old Joan Pearl Wolfe—forever remembered as the "Wigwam Girl"—is found hastily buried on Hankley Common.

Who was this quiet, vulnerable girl? And why was a Canadian soldier—August Sangret—accused of her brutal killing?

With love letters, forensic breakthroughs, and courtroom drama that gripped the nation, this is a tale of young love turned deadly.

Betrayal, mystery, and murder beneath the heathe...

The Regent’s Park Murder of 1888
News of the Times | Episode 511 | 1888
While all eyes were fixed on the shadowy lanes of Whitechapel, murder found its way into the genteel heart of London.

In this gripping episode, we unravel the tragic and mysterious killing of Joseph Rumbold — a young printer, stabbed to death under the gaslights of Regent’s Park. Was it mistaken identity? Gang rivalry? Or something more sinister lurking in the shadows of respectable society?

Featuring period newspaper accounts and vivid testimony from the time, we walk through a case that stunned a city...

The Man Who Vanished: Whitechapel’s Other Attacker
News of the Times | Episode 510 | 1888
Before Jack the Ripper cast his long shadow over London, Whitechapel was already soaked in fear. In this gripping episode, we follow the shocking case of Richard Patterson, a dock labourer turned violent fugitive, whose stormy night of rage left two victims gashed and bleeding — and the police scrambling.

On 26 June 1888, just weeks before the Ripper’s infamous spree began, a thunderstorm roared over Grove Street. Amid the rain and lightning, a young woman — her throat slashed — stumbled into the street. Behind her, her b...

The Chilling Walthamstow Mystery That Shocked Victorian London 1888
News of the Times | Episode 509| 1888
London, 1888 — the Ripper loomed large in the East End’s imagination… but just a few miles away, another case was unfolding. One with no mutilations, no blood-stained alleys—just a quiet note, a mysterious bottle, and a young woman who never came home.
When newlywed Annie French stepped into a local chemist’s parlour in Walthamstow, she expected pain relief—perhaps a friendly chat. Two hours later, she was unconscious. The air reeked of chloroform, the till was empty, and William Barber, the nervous chem...

Was This the Ripper’s Comeback? The 1889 Whitechapel Murder
News of the Times | Episode 508 | 1889
Welcome to News of the Times — where sinister shadows of history refuse to stay buried.
In this chilling episode, we return to the gaslit alleys of Victorian London. It’s July 1889, and another woman is found brutally slain in Castle Alley — her throat cut, her body mutilated. The location? Just streets away from Jack the Ripper’s infamous killing grounds.

Was this the return of the Ripper himself?
Or a cunning copycat exploiting London’s darkest fears?

Meet Alice M...

Bradford’s Jack the Ripper: The Mutilation of John Gill
News of the Times | Episode 507 | 1888
In December 1888, the brutalised body of 8-year-old John Gill sent shockwaves through Bradford — a young boy mutilated and arranged in a grotesque parcel, echoing the horrors of Jack the Ripper just weeks earlier. As panic swept the streets, suspicion fell on a familiar milkman, and London detectives were summoned to examine the boy’s remains for Ripperesque parallels. The case exploded into national headlines, yet despite the chilling circumstantial evidence, the trial ended in discharge… and the crime remains an open wound in Victo...

The Ripper Fever Spreads: The Gateshead Mutilation Murder of 1888 
News of the Times | Episode 506 |1888
In the swirling fear of 1888, with the shadow of Jack the Ripper stretching far beyond Whitechapel, terror came to Birtley.

This episode brings us to the unsettling murder of 28-year-old Jane Beatmoor—a quiet woman in delicate health, found savagely mutilated at the foot of a railway embankment in the North East of England. It was the same day the inquest closed on Mary Ann Nichols, one of the Ripper's canonical victims. And with that eerie timing and grotesque wounds, panic eru...

Jack's Last Shadow? - Whitechapel Chronicles 6 
News of the Times Episode 505 | 1888
By November 1888, the East End of London was no stranger to fear.
The shock of earlier murders had settled into a grim, uneasy silence—until one final killing shattered it completely.
Behind the locked door of a tiny room at 13 Miller’s Court, Mary Jane Kelly was found horrifically mutilated. This wasn’t just another Ripper murder. It was an escalation—grotesque, personal, and chilling in its precision.
In this final episode of The Whitechapel Chronicles, we follow the tragic final hours of Mary Jane...

One Night, Two Murders - Whitechapel Chronicles5
News of the Times Episode 504 | 1888
September 30th, 1888: London awoke to horror.
In less than an hour, two women—Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes—were murdered in separate locations. The press dubbed it “The Double Event.” For the people of Whitechapel, it was the night terror took hold.

In this episode of The Whitechapel Chronicle, we follow the chilling events of that night through the words of newspapers, police reports, and public outcry. From Dutfield’s Yard to Mitre Square, the killer moved quickly—and with escalating brutality. Stride’s mur...

Leather Apron and the City on Edge - Whitechapel Chronicles4
News of the Times Episode 503 | 1888
As fear gripped Whitechapel after the brutal murder of Annie Chapman, the press gave that fear a name: Leather Apron.
This episode of The Whitechapel Chronicles follows the frantic days after Chapman's body was found—when suspicion fell on local bootmaker John Pizer, infamously dubbed “Leather Apron.” His arrest, driven by media frenzy, raised more questions than it answered.
Using only 1888 newspaper reports, we trace the missteps of the investigation: false leads, public panic, and a press beginning to question not ju...

The Butcher Escalates - Whitechapel Chronicles 3
News of the Times Episode 502 | 1888
By September 1888, fear in Whitechapel had turned to full-blown panic. When Annie Chapman’s mutilated body was found in a narrow yard on Hanbury Street, it became clear—these murders were no longer isolated horrors, but part of something far more chilling.

In this episode, we revisit the scene through the eyes of Victorian newspapers, witnesses, and police reports.
A whispered sound before the violence.
A cryptic message: “Five: Fifteen more, and then I give myself up.”
A killer growing bolder.

Blood in Buck's Row - Whitechapel Chronicles2
News of the Times Episode 501| 1888
Episode Two: The Murder of Mary Ann Nichols
August 31, 1888 — a woman is found brutally murdered on a quiet East End street. Her name is Mary Ann Nichols, known as Polly, and her death marks a turning point in Whitechapel’s descent into fear.
This episode dives into the chaos that followed Polly’s killing: eerie silences, vanishing cries for help, and a bloodied crime scene that offered more mystery than clarity. Was the killer a lone madman? A ruthless gang? Or something far worse...

Before Jack: The Cases They Dismissed - Whitechapel Chronicles1
News of the Times Episode 500 | 1888
"Before the name carved itself into history… before the letters, before the myth… there was only blood.”
Step into the smoke-choked alleys of 1888 Whitechapel, where dread slinks behind every corner and the gaslight barely pierces the gloom. In this premiere episode of Whitechapel Chronicles, we delve into a London not yet haunted by Jack the Ripper — but already gripped by his shadow.
The world remembers the Canonical Five. But before them came other names, almost forgotten:
Ada Wilson. Annie Millwood. Emma Smi...

Murder, Matrimony & Misfortune: The Curious Case of Mrs Portbury
News of the Times Episode 499 | 1872
In 1871 London, scandal brews as the respectable widow of a beloved doctor, Amelia Muldola, shocks society by marrying her 17-year-old groom, Henry Portbury. What begins as a salacious romance spirals into a Victorian nightmare: theft, kidnapping, and ultimately—matricide.
When Amelia’s fortune vanishes, and her children are taken by the courts, chaos erupts. A courtroom circus, deceitful oaths, and a violent family feud culminate in the death of her mother under deeply suspicious circumstances.
Was it a tragic accident or a ca...

Hidden Wealth, Brutal Death: The Murder That Rocked Blaw Wearie
News of the Times Episode 53 | 1840
When greed turns deadly in the Scottish hills
In today’s episode, we travel back to 1844, to the windswept isolation of Blaw Wearie, near West Calder, Scotland.
A remote and quiet community is shaken to its core by the brutal murder of 60-year-old John Geddes — a solitary man, whispered to be sitting on hidden wealth.
When neighbours grow concerned after days without sight of him, they force open his door... and uncover a scene of unthinkable violence. Geddes is foun...

The Blood-Covered Publican: David Owen’s Rampage in 1818 London
News of the Times Episode 497 | 1818
Step back in time to the year 1818, in the quiet suburb of Edmonton, North London—where a shocking and violent event gripped the local community.
David Owen, a 50-year-old widower and well-known publican, was regarded as a mild and peaceful man. But one day, in a fit of apparent madness, he arrives at his sister’s home armed with several knives—and attempts to kill her, her husband, and their maid.
As chaos erupts inside the house, it takes a team of polic...

The Mysterious Tragic Affair at Kidwelly
News of the Times Episode 53 | 1840
Southwest Wales, 1881.
Eleven-year-old John Thomas sets off on a simple errand — to deliver a pair of shoes made by his father, a local shoemaker. He completes his task, collects ten shillings, and begins the short walk home.
But he never arrives.
Along the way, John encounters two local boys — David Mazey, aged 12, and his younger brother Benjamin, aged 10. A neighbor watches him enter the Mazey home… and that is the last time John Thomas is seen alive.
What follows is a disturbing tale t...

The Case of the Frightful Outrage Near Norwich
News of the Times Episode 494 | 1873
1873. A quiet hamlet just six miles south of Norwich, where the silence of the night is shattered by cries of murder. An 11-year-old girl, Lucy Goodrum, barefoot and in her nightdress, desperately pounds on the door of the village washerwoman, begging for help.
Inside the house she fled from lies a horrifying scene: Edna Mitchell, a widow in her 60s who had taken Lucy into her care, is found barely alive—allegedly the victim of a brutal axe attack. The accused? Her own so...

Was It Suicide—or Murder by His Own Brother? | True Crime Case of Dr. William Lyddon
News of the Times Episode 493 | 1891
When Dr. William Lyddon is found lifeless on the floor of his stepmother’s bedroom, all signs initially point to a tragic overdose. But as investigators dig deeper, the story begins to unravel—revealing a twisted web of jealousy, greed, and long-standing family tensions.
What begins as a possible case of morphia self-poisoning quickly evolves into something far more sinister. Could this be a modern echo of Cain and Abel, or a bitter rivalry like Richar...

The Curious Case of the Perryman Affair
News of the Times Episode 53 | 1840
In a modest lodging house, tensions run high between a mother and her son—Frances and Thomas Perryman—both known for their frequent clashes over money and mutual struggles with alcohol. But one February day, something much darker unfolds.

Lodgers hear disturbing sounds from the Perrymans' room. Thomas is seen frantically rushing in and out. When concerned neighbors investigate, they discover a horrifying scene: Frances Perryman, dead—apparently strangled.

What initially appears to be a clear-cut case soon spirals into a comple...

Poisoner in the Family: The Dark Tale of Ellen Heesom
News of the Times Episode 491 | 1878
In today’s story we’re going back to Cheshire in the year 1878, where beneath the quiet surface of Warrington, a dark and deadly secret is about to be revealed.

It begins in late November 1877 with the sudden and tragic death of Lydia Sykes, aged 59, while visiting her daughter Ellen Heesom and her family. In good health when she arrived, Lydia became violently ill within hours and, despite receiving the usual treatments, passed away the very next day.

Her...

The Matricide in Chisenhale Street
News of the Times Episode 490 | 1873
***A warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions, quoted from original 19th-century newspaper accounts***
Today, we journey back to Liverpool, 1873, where a crime of unspeakable brutality shocked Victorian society — a son accused of the cold-blooded murder of his own mother.
There were no pleas of insanity. No haze of drink to blame. What unfolded was an act so savage, so devoid of compassion, it can be described only as evil.
The details stunned the public: her face, witnesses said, was left looking like pulp. Even th...

The Case of The Vengeful Grandmother
News of the Times Episode 489 | 1874
Frances Stewart, 42, lives with her daughter, son-in-law, and their one-year-old child. But life under one roof has become tense. Frances, whispered to have a drinking problem, has worn out her welcome.

The young family makes a decision: they’re moving to new lodgings—and Frances is not coming with them.

What happens next is shocking.

Determined to express her heartbreak in the most devastating way, Frances disappears from the house… taking her infant grandson with her.

Left behind is a c...

Murder at Plummers Plain House
News of the Times Episode 488 | 1927
In today’s episode, we journey to 1927 Sussex—where autumn’s quiet beauty masks something far more sinister.

At a peaceful country home, a brutal attack leaves a young woman fighting for her life... and her brother accused of an unthinkable crime.

James Gillon, a gardener from Scotland, allegedly turned on his sister with a knife and razor—over a breakfast dispute and a trip to Brighton. The result? A severed spine... and a family shattered.

What truly happened that morning?
And...

The Case of Backstabbing Henry Bevan
News of the Times Episode 487 | 1887
In today’s episode, we journey back to the year 1887—Crewe, Cheshire. A modest labourer, Henry Griffiths, returns home for a quiet midday meal… only to stumble upon a scene of unimaginable horror.

His wife lies savagely beaten, ribs shattered and torn from her spine—as though someone had trampled her with brutal intent. Beside her, nine-year-old Mary—his niece—clings to life, battered nearly beyond recognition, the fireplace tongs used in the attack now twisted and warped from the force.

But before slipp...

Murderous Mary Brophy
News of the Times Episode 486 | 1886
In today’s episode, we journey back to 1886 Ireland, where a bitter sibling rivalry within the struggling Brophy family takes a shockingly violent turn.

The Brophys are a large, impoverished family—two older sons, two younger boys, a daughter, and 23-year-old Mary Brophy, the eldest. But it’s Mary’s turbulent relationship with her 18-year-old brother Timothy that becomes antagonistic —and ultimately, horrifying.

Their animosity isn'ta secret. The two are known to come to blows—witnessed not only by family, but by neighbors as well.

But...

A Derby Poisoning Case Whodunit
News of the Times Episode 485 | 1881
Today’s episode brings something a little different for our fantastic subscribers and curious newcomers.

We’re heading back to Derby, 1881, where a landlady makes a chilling accusation: she believes one of her lodgers is being poisoned—by her own husband.

So, what truly happened?
Was the wife truly being poisoned?
Is the husband behind it?
Or... could this be a clever scheme by the wife herself—perhaps to win back the attention of a straying spouse?

We set the...

The Sinister Mr Salmon
News of the Times Episode 484 | 1900
Today, we take you back to East London in the year 1900, to the working-class district of Bow—a modest but respectable community.

At the heart of our story is Lucy Smith, her husband, and their young daughter, living a seemingly peaceful and content life. In a gesture of generosity, the couple invites Lucy’s down-on-his-luck cousin, Sampson Salmon, to lodge with them. Mr. Smith even helps him find work.

But goodwill soon turns to terror.

Sampson’s behavior takes a dark and distur...

The Killing in Couty Mayo
News of the Times Episode 482 | 1881
n today’s episode, we journey to Balla, County Mayo, in the year 1881 — a quiet Irish village soon to be rocked by a brutal and deeply disturbing crime.

The body of Edward Lavelle, a local laborer recently returned from England, is discovered — his lifeless form bearing the marks of savage blows and multiple stab wounds, believed to be inflicted with a hay pitchfork. The attack is nothing short of frenzied.

But what shocks the community most? The alleged culprits: Edward’s own wife, Mary Lav...

Tragic Love Story Unfolds at Blackburn Mill in 1912
News of the Times Episode 481 | 1912
Welcome to today’s episode. We’re going back to the year 1912, in the bustling industrial town of Blackburn, Lancashire — a place known for its weaving mills and working-class spirit.
Our story centers on 18-year-old Alice, a young mill worker who has been seeing 22-year-old Arthur, her co-worker, for just over a month. Their courtship seemed innocent enough — until Alice decides she no longer feels the same way. What follows is a devastating turn of events that shook the town to its core.
This...

The Grimsby Murder of 1887
News of the Times Episode 480 | 1887
In today’s episode, we travel back to 1887 in Grimsby — a quiet, murder-free port town... or at least it was. The last known murder here took place in 1831
Sarah Ann and her husband Richard, a fish trade worker, were no strangers to conflict. Their relationship was turbulent. Six months prior, Richard had been taken to court and convicted of abusing Sarah Ann. He served time and was ordered to pay her maintenance, while she moved back in with her mother.

But Richard wasn’t ready to let...

Investigating the Mysterious Death of Mary Jenkins
News of the Times Episode 479 | 1920
Welcome to today’s episode—set in 1920s Wales.
At the quiet Cross Hands Inn, nestled about ten miles from Carmarthen and run by married couple Mary and Griffith Jenkins, tragedy strikes. In the early morning hours, 33-year-old Mary Jenkins is found fully clothed, lying lifeless on a bed. The scene sends shockwaves through the small, tight-knit community.
At first, her death appears to be natural—her husband suggests heart failure. But the truth is far more sinister. An autopsy reveals extensive bruising to her...

The Chilling Story Of The 1920 Ipswich Murder Trial
News of the Times Episode 478 | 1920
In this episode, we delve into the harrowing and heart-breaking case of Mrs Howard — a woman in her 30s, mother to a four-year-old child, and working as a housekeeper — whose life was violently cut short. Her body was found discarded beneath a railway fence near Ipswich, brutally murdered, her skull crushed by repeated blows from a blunt weapon. It was a death both cruel and callous.
As detectives dig deeper, a curious detail emerges: before taking on housekeeping work, Mrs. Howard had been empl...

What Really Happened In The Clonbrook Murder Case?
News of the Times Episode 477 | 1902
In 1902 Ireland, a chilling crime captured international headlines and left one haunting question hanging in the air—who was truly guilty?
Mary Taylor, a 40-year-old mother of two, was trapped in a loveless marriage with her husband John, a coal carter. She was open about her hatred for him. But what began as whispers of marital misery soon spiralled into something far darker.
Enter Joseph Taylor—a 25-year-old man with whom Mary was allegedly having an affair. Just five weeks before a shoc...

A Case of Family Obsession and Murder
News of the Times Episode 476 | 1920
In today's episode we dive back in time to 1920 Plymouth where a courting couple of two years is having relationship issues.  But, the relationship in question is between cousins, one a young orphan of 17 years. 
Wishing to break off her 2 year relationship, she finds that her cousin violently forbids it.
And in today's end of episode further particulars segment, a phantom bus, seen by many locals over time, screeches around the neighbourhood, vanishing when people wish to get on it.  Was this the ins...

Joseph Auerman's Descent Into Debt And Murder
News of the Times Episode 475 | 1806
In today’s episode, we dive into a gripping tale from the year 1806—a story of mounting debt, quiet desperation, and a man pushed to his limits. Once a respected family man and a diligent baker, he’s now hunted by a relentless bill collector who seems to take pleasure in his downfall.
When tragedy strikes, the court is left to decide: was it murder… or manslaughter?
It’s a case unlike our usual stories, but its themes—financial pressure, moral struggle, and justice—feel...

Uncovering the Haunting Truth Behind the Walsoken Tragedy Case
News of the Times Episode 474 | 1885
Welcome to today’s episode — where we go back to the year 1885, deep in the countryside of Norfolk, England...
Bathsheba Goodale bursts from her home in a panic, pleading for help — her husband, Robert, is threatening to kill her. The village, all too familiar with the couple’s long-standing and volatile relationship, watches as things seem to settle once again... for now.
But then — Bathsheba vanishes.
As neighbors and family frantically search for her, Robert appears oddly calm, repeatedly insisting she’s fine...

Uncovering The Shocking Truth Behind Edinburgh's 1818 Murder
News of the Times Episode 473 | 1818
In today’s episode, we travel back to Edinburgh in 1818, where the chilling case of a missing 8-year-old boy unfolds. When his body is finally discovered, the gruesome truth is undeniable—he has been in the hands of surgeons, used for dissection.
Regular viewers will know that the Hollywood version of Burke and Hare as mere grave robbers is pure fiction. In reality, they were ruthless serial killers who preyed on society’s most vulnerable, smothering their victims to leave no trace before selling the bo...