Crime Next Door

On the 10th of April 1991, Diane Watson and Barbara Glover stand in the middle of a school playground, surrounded by a circle of children. Barbara has come armed with a knife. Why?

Written and produced by Audrey Gillan and Laurence Cook

Series Editor: Shelley Jofre

Commissioner: Heather Kane Darling

Head of Audio for BBC Scotland: Victoria Easton-Riley

Legal Advisor: Ros McInnes

Editorial Policy Advisor: Nikki O’Donnell

Assistant Producer: Jax Sinclair

Original music, sound design and mixing: Joel Cox

Se...

In 1991 – a teenage girl takes a knife to school and commits murder in the middle of a playground full of children. The killing of Diane Watson devastates her family and shocks a whole country. Following her trial, the killer, 15-year-old Barbara Glover, is detained ‘without limit of time’.

But, for the Watson family, the grief and pain is far from over.

Audrey Gillan traces the ripple effects of the murder of a child, by a child – uncovering how the words of two journalists spark a bitter and decades-long crusade which transforms a dinner lady into a feroci...

The story of Lesley Howell and Trevor Buchanan. In 1991 they were murdered by their spouses who then staged a scene to make it look like they had taken their own lives. 18 years later - one of the killers decided to confess.

Episode 6– The Ring

Dr Lauren Bradford Clarke was just four years old when her mother Lesley Howell was murdered by her father Colin. He was assisted in the killing by the woman he was having an affair with – Hazel Stewart.

Now an assistant professor of criminology at Nottingham university, Lauren is determined that...

The story of Lesley Howell and Trevor Buchanan. In 1991 they were murdered by their spouses who then staged a scene to make it look like they had taken their own lives. 18 years later - one of the killers decided to confess.

Episode 5 – The Trial

Colin Howell’s police interviews reveal the true extent of Hazel’s role in the murders of Lesley and Trevor, but Hazel claims she was under his control.

During Hazel’s trial for double murder, Lesley’s daughter Lauren is shocked to hear her police interviews played in court - and beli...

The story of Lesley Howell and Trevor Buchanan. In 1991 they were murdered by their spouses who then staged a scene to make it look like they had taken their own lives. 18 years later - one of the killers decided to confess.

Episode 4 – The Secret

After the killing of Lesley and Trevor, Colin and Hazel continue their secret affair.

Lesley’s daughter Lauren begins to see Hazel as a mother figure, unaware of the dark secret she shares with her father Colin. But years later, when Hazel and Colin have ended their affair, remarried and...

The story of Lesley Howell and Trevor Buchanan. In 1991 they were murdered by their spouses who then staged a scene to make it look like they had taken their own lives. 18 years later - one of the killers decided to confess.

Episode 3 – The Innocent

On the day of their son’s second birthday, Colin Howell prepares to murder his wife Lesley and phones Hazel to confirm the plan is going ahead that night.

With assistance from Hazel, while their children sleep, Colin carries out the murders of Lesley and Trevor and prepares to stag...

The story of Lesley Howell and Trevor Buchanan. In 1991 they were murdered by their spouses who then staged a scene to make it look like they had taken their own lives. 18 years later - one of the killers decided to confess.

Episode 2 - The Affair

In a close-knit Baptist church community in Coleraine, Northern Ireland - Hazel Buchanan, married to a local RUC officer - begins a secret affair with married dentist Colin Howell.

When the affair is discovered, the church arranges counselling for both couples - but Colin Howell begins plotting with...

The story of Lesley Howell and Trevor Buchanan. In 1991 they were murdered by their spouses who then staged a scene to make it look like they had taken their own lives. 18 years later - one of the killers decided to confess.

Episode 1 - The 12 Apostles

When the bodies of Trevor Buchanan and Lesley Howell are found in a garage in the quiet coastal village of Castlerock, Northern Ireland - police believe it is a suicide pact. While witness statements show their partners lied to police and there are a number of red flags at the...

The story of Lesley Howell and Trevor Buchanan. In 1991 they were murdered by their spouses who then staged a scene to make it look like they had taken their own lives. 18 years later - one of the killers decided to confess.

In Crime Next Door: The Confession; family, friends, former police officers and journalists tell the story of a much loved mother and sister, an adored father and brother – and the devastation when the truth about their deaths was finally revealed.

As police put out a renewed appeal, we question whether long ignored patterns of sexual violence raise the possibility of a serial offender and whether Diane’s killer could have been stopped.

We are also reminded that Diane Sindall’s murder is not just about the past as we visit a vigil for victims of violence against women.

Presenter: Olivia Graham. Producers: Kate Bissell, Gemma Maull and Olivia Graham. Sound Design and Music Composition: Phil Channell. Mixing: Ivan Eastley. Story Consultants: Neil McCarthy, Jack Kibble-White and Kirsty Williams. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Development was by BBC...

A Geographical Profiler looks at the two locations connected to Diane Sindall’s murder. It’s suggested that Diane’s killer was local and may have struck before.

As new testimony suggests Diane may not have been attacked in the alleyway and emerging accounts name a local figure, the investigation edges closer to a new suspect.

Presenter: Olivia Graham. Producers: Kate Bissell, Gemma Maull and Olivia Graham. Sound Design and Music Composition: Phil Channell. Mixing: Ivan Eastley. Story Consultants: Neil McCarthy, Jack Kibble-White and Kirsty Williams. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Development was by BBC Audio Scotla...

Returning to Birkenhead in the wake of Peter Sullivan’s release, we focus on Diane Sindall and the community still living with her murder.

Peter shares details of his arrest, interviews and alleged police pressure, alongside renewed police enquiries that revisit overlooked witnesses and potential suspects.

As officers collect fresh DNA and old memories resurface, the search begins anew for the man known only as 'Unknown Male One'.

Presenter: Olivia Graham. Producers: Kate Bissell, Gemma Maull and Olivia Graham. Sound Design and Music Composition: Phil Channell. Mixing: Ivan Eastley. Story Consultants: Neil McCarthy, Ja...

Recorded on the day of Peter Sullivan’s appeal as judges consider DNA evidence unavailable in 1987.

As the new evidence points to an unknown male, decades-old evidence crumbles under scrutiny.

The court delivers its decision leaving one devastating truth intact: Diane’s killer has not been found.

Presenter: Olivia Graham. Producers: Kate Bissell, Gemma Maull and Olivia Graham. Sound Design and Music Composition: Phil Channell. Mixing: Ivan Eastley. Story Consultants: Neil McCarthy, Jack Kibble-White and Kirsty Williams. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Development was by BBC Audio Scotland and BBC Merseyside. Executive Editors: Gillian Whee...

Years after Peter Sullivan’s conviction, community whispers claim the police convicted the wrong man.

Peter refuses to admit guilt and as advances in DNA testing offer a possible breakthrough for him. His legal team battle missing records, discredited forensic methods and a system reisitant to reopening old wounds.

Until one crucial test changes everything.

Presenter: Olivia Graham. Producers: Kate Bissell, Gemma Maull and Olivia Graham. Sound Design and Music Composition: Phil Channell. Mixing: Ivan Eastley. Story Consultants: Neil McCarthy, Jack Kibble-White and Kirsty Williams. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Development was by BBC Au...

Diane Sindall’s murder ignites a movement with women across Birkenhead. Fueled by anger and grief they challenge police attitudes, confront society’s view of women and demand change.

Against this backdrop Peter Sullivan stands trial. We examine the case built against him with contested confessions, disputed forensic evidence and testimony the jury never heard.

Presenter: Olivia Graham. Producers: Kate Bissell, Gemma Maull and Olivia Graham. Sound Design and Music Composition: Phil Channell. Mixing: Ivan Eastley. Story Consultants: Neil McCarthy, Jack Kibble-White and Kirsty Williams. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Development was by BBC Audio Scotland and...

The hunt for Diane Sindall’s killer uncovers another victim who was dressed in yellow and attacked near the scene on the same night, raising fears of a serial attacker in Birkenhead.

A police appeal focuses on the mysterious “woman in yellow”. As the investigation continues, the police uncover more attacks on women in the area and frustrations grow as leads collapse.

Meanwhile, details of Diane’s injuries intensifies public fear and puts pressure on the police to find an answer.

Presenter: Olivia Graham. Producers: Kate Bissell, Gemma Maull and Olivia Graham. Sound Design a...

In 1986, Diane Sindall leaves work to drive home but never arrives. What happened that night marks the start of a decades long unsolved case.

Through testimony from those who knew her and those who encountered the crime scene, we look at Diane’s final movements, the violent nature of her attack and the growing fear gripping Birkenhead, a town on the Wirral in Merseyside.

As we find out more, troubling questions emerge about how such brutality could occur in a public place unseen and unheard, setting the stage for what would become one of Britain’s mo...

The murder of Diane Sindall in Birkenhead, Merseyside led to Britain’s longest miscarriage of justice when local man Peter Sullivan's conviction collapsed after 38 years.

This series returns to the streets, alleyways and estates of Birkenhead where it all happened, retracing Diane’s final movements.

Follow through eyewitness testimony, unheard accounts and modern forensic science as we uncover how a brutal crime in a public place went unsolved for decades, while a killer may still be alive and closer to home than anyone realised.

At the heart of this story is Diane: who she...

With the crime apparently solved, one unanswered question continues to hang over the village - and everyone connected to the case - a quarter of a century on.

Presenter: Meic Parry Story Producer: Andrew Dickson Assistant Producer: Katie Hill Executive Producer: Leonie Thomas Production Management: Amy Wheel and Janice Jardine Pre-production research: Jess Gunasekara Legal advice: Clare Hoban. Music: Cerys Hafana Mixing and Sound Design: Mike Woolley Series Producer: Steven Rajam

An Overcoat Media production for BBC Sounds

As journalists get a first glimpse of the accused in court, they face strict secrecy around reporting his identity. Meanwhile, detectives face a reckoning – will the case hold up?

Presenter: Meic Parry Story Producer: Andrew Dickson Assistant Producer: Katie Hill Executive Producer: Leonie Thomas Production Management: Amy Wheel and Janice Jardine Music: Cerys Hafana Mixing and Sound Design: Mike Woolley Series Producer: Steven Rajam

An Overcoat Media production for BBC Sounds

With a prime suspect no-one ever expected, detectives race against time to uncover the truth behind his unassuming appearance – and secure the evidence that could prove his guilt.

Presenter: Meic Parry Story Producer: Andrew Dickson Assistant Producer: Katie Hill Executive Producer: Leonie Thomas Production Management: Amy Wheel and Janice Jardine Music: Cerys Hafana Mixing and Sound Design: Mike Woolley Series Producer: Steven Rajam

An Overcoat Media production for BBC Sounds

As police make an appeal for information on primetime TV, a phone call promises to unlock the entire case. The tip-off leads detectives somewhere they could have never expected.

Presenter: Meic Parry Story Producer: Andrew Dickson Assistant Producer: Katie Hill Executive Producer: Leonie Thomas Production Management: Amy Wheel and Janice Jardine Music: Cerys Hafana Mixing and Sound Design: Mike Woolley Series Producer: Steven Rajam

An Overcoat Media production for BBC Sounds

As Christmas approaches, the village is left reeling by a new death in their midst. As the rumour mill goes into overdrive, a ghostly piece of evidence appears before police eyes.

Presenter: Meic Parry Story Producer: Andrew Dickson Assistant Producer: Katie Hill Executive Producer: Leonie Thomas Production Management: Amy Wheel and Janice Jardine Music: Cerys Hafana Mixing and Sound Design: Mike Woolley Series Producer: Steven Rajam

An Overcoat Media production for BBC Sounds

Fear spreads as the village realises what might be walking among them.

Presenter: Meic Parry Story Producer: Andrew Dickson Assistant Producer: Katie Hill Executive Producer: Leonie Thomas Production Management: Amy Wheel and Janice Jardine Music: Cerys Hafana Mixing and Sound Design: Mike Woolley Series Producer: Steven Rajam

An Overcoat Media production for BBC Sounds

An elderly woman is murdered in her own living room – and nothing about it makes sense.

In the days after Mabel’s murder, fear takes hold as the village wonders if something uncanny is still among them. Then, just metres from the crime scene, there’s a shocking turn.

Presenter: Meic Parry Story Producer: Andrew Dickson Assistant Producer: Katie Hill Executive Producer: Leonie Thomas Production Management: Amy Wheel and Janice Jardine Music: Cerys Hafana Mixing and Sound Design: Mike Woolley Series Producer: Steven Rajam

An Overcoat Media production for BBC Sounds

How a brutal, occult-tinged murder shook a Welsh village to its core.

The family of Tony Parsons waited three years for answers on what happened to him. Now they face a longer wait - for justice. Prosecutors face a difficult decision - is this simply a case of dangerous driving? Or could the suspects face trial for murder? This episode includes exclusive access to the prosecutor tasked with making that decision, as well as advocates for the defence, as the case reaches the end game.

Presented by Jane MacSorley. Produced by Firecrest Films.

Having new information is one thing. Finding out if it's true - is quite another! Armed with new evidence, police recruit specialist help to find the body of Tony Parsons. This episode hears how experts analysed the land - found clues in the soil - and launched an intricate operation to try and locate Tony Parsons.

Presented by Jane MacSorley. Produced by Firecrest Films.

Missing Persons cases are never closed. In the case of Tony Parsons - the active search had ceased. But officers were ready to revisit the case if ever new information came to light. So when a phone call came in, making an extraordinary claim to know exactly what happened to Tony, officers responded immediately. This episode tells the story of that phone call, and the police response. Could the claims be true?

Presented by Jane MacSorley. Produced by Firecrest Films.

The search for Tony Parsons is extensive. It's painstaking. And it's fruitless. But there are signs that they're inching closer to finding out what happened, and where he is. Officers discover a last sighting, and use CCTV to narrow down Tony's progress. Do the answers lay in a small stretch of the Highland route, which police have already searched?

Presented by Jane MacSorley. Produced by Firecrest Films.

Tony Parsons didn't know how long his cycle ride would take. It might be one day. it could be three. All his family knew was that he'd come back through the door before too long. So when he didn't, they began to worry. This episode tells the story of their immediate search... an agonising journey along his planned route, looking for any sign of Tony taking shelter. And we hear how a phone call to the police sparked an urgent search on land and in the air.

Presented by Jane MacSorley. Produced by Firecrest Films.

When Tony Parsons announced that he had a new idea to raise some money it raised few eyebrows. He'd already walked the Highland Way, and Hadrian's Wall. But this time, he wanted to do something different... a cycle ride...through the Highlands of Scotland and all the way home. It was a challenge which would test his resolve, and his endurance - but one he was sure he could complete, how ever long it took. This episode plots the first part of Tony's journey, as he embarks on his mission. But there are immediate challenges.

Hosted by...

When Tony Parsons set off for a charity cycle ride through the highlands of Scotland - his family assumed he would return with tales to tell. But Tony Parsons never came back.

How could someone vanish on a busy road, with no trace of what happened?

This series tells the story of Tony's final journey, and the exhaustive search for answers. With exclusive access to his family, and the team from Police Scotland who conducted one of their largest searches in the force history - we tell the story of mystery which threatened to never...

The monster becomes a man, British policing is changed forever and deposed Detective Bob Booth has a final shot at redemption in the Lesley Whittle case.

Hear a chilling account of heroic acts and the actual voice of 'The Black Panther'.

Presenter: Susan Hanks. Producer: Susan Hanks and Rob Howell. Sounds Producer: Rob Howell. Story Consultant: Luke Eldridge. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producers: Arran Bee and Aftab Gulzar. Commissioning Editor: Alistair Miskin.

ARCHIVE: Bob Booth’s secret recording audio sourced from ‘Real Crime – The Heiress & The Kidnapper’ produced by ITV, 2002

As Bob Booth’s reputation plummets, 'The Black Panther's' is reinforced in the minds of an increasingly terrified population.

For the first time, we begin to discover the motivation behind his actions and why he targeted Lesley Whittle.

This series contains rare and original archive, some not broadcast since the time.

Presenter: Susan Hanks. Producer: Susan Hanks and Rob Howell. Sounds Producer: Rob Howell. Story Consultant: Luke Eldridge. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producers: Arran Bee and Aftab Gulzar. Commissioning Editor: Alistair Miskin.

Faced with deceptions and dead-ends, Detective Chief Superintendent Bob Booth devises an audacious plan to catch the so-called ‘Black Panther' and save Lesley Whittle.

What follows is an elaborate deception of his own, involving the Whittle family and an unsuspecting national media.

This series contains rare and original archive, some not broadcast since the time.

Presenter: Susan Hanks. Producer: Susan Hanks and Rob Howell. Sounds Producer: Rob Howell. Story Consultant: Luke Eldridge. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producers: Arran Bee and Aftab Gulzar. Commissioning Editor: Alistair Miskin.

The case takes a dramatic turn when a seemingly unconnected crime reveals a chilling back-story. Lesley Whittle’s kidnapper is far more dangerous than they imagined.

'Perfect detective' Bob Booth is faced with a far-from-perfect investigation and the growing realisation that they’re dealing with a monster.

This series contains rare and original archive, some not broadcast since the time.

Presenter: Susan Hanks. Producer: Susan Hanks and Rob Howell. Sounds Producer: Rob Howell. Story Consultant: Luke Eldridge. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producers: Arran Bee and Aftab Gulzar. Commissioning Editor: Alistair Miskin.

AR...

Detective Chief Superintendent Robert 'Bob' Booth from West Mercia Police is tested by the rarest of crimes.

He faces an unprecedented challenge after 17-year-old Lesley Whittle is kidnapped from her home in Highley, Shropshire, and a ransom note is found.

The case gripped the nation in 1975 and created widespread public fear.

This series contains rare and original archive, some not broadcast since the time.

Presenter: Susan Hanks. Producer: Susan Hanks and Rob Howell. Sounds Producer: Rob Howell. Story Consultant: Luke Eldridge. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producers: Arran Bee and Aftab...

Lesley Whittle is kidnapped from her home by a man known as 'The Black Panther'.

A ransom note is found and Detective Chief Superintendent Robert Booth from West Mercia Police becomes involved in a race across the country to solve the rarest of crimes and bring the teenager home.

The story is now retold by the people who lived through it and will never forget it.

This series contains rare and original archive, some of which has not been broadcast since the time.

Presenter: Susan Hanks. Producer: Susan Hanks and Rob...

What do you do when someone you trust turns out to not exist? 

When ‘Chloe’ starts messaging other teenage girls on social media she is friendly. Fun. Interested. Soon she sends explicit photos, and asks her new friends to send some back. That’s when she changes and the blackmail begins. Because ‘Chloe’ isn’t a real girl. She’s a catfish. And her depraved demands have fatal consequences.