
Crime Next Door
Gripping True Crime stories from neighbourhoods across the UK.Series 6: Who Killed The Shakoors?
A father is the sole survivor of a house fire that killed his wife and five children. Follow his story of unimaginable loss and the on-going fight for justice.Previously on Crime Next Door:Series 1. An Assassin Comes to Town
Gunshots kickstart an extraordinary tale of state terrorism. Series 2. Servants and Saints
Exploring the story and allegations of a global religious group.Series 3. Death on the Farm
After fifty years the community of Llangolman seek justice. Series 4. The Salisbury Poisonings
Follow the public inquiry into the death of Dawn Sturgess.Series 5. The Golden Toilet Heist
Exploring a story of art, mystery and a solid gold toilet stolen from a British palace.
Latest episodes

Oct 10, 2024 • 25min
3. Baroness Theresa May
Theresa May, who was prime minister at the time of the attack, recalls when she first heard about the Salisbury poisonings.Baroness May describes how it felt to stand in the House of Commons and blame the Russian state for the attack, the moment she heard that a British citizen had been killed and shares her hopes for the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.

Oct 10, 2024 • 20min
2. Poison Perfume
More people fall ill from Novichok poisoning.It’s four months since the nerve agent attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Salisbury is starting to return to normal and then, it happens again.Local mum Dawn Sturgess is given a bottle of perfume that contains the deadly chemical Novichok.Days later, Dawn dies in hospital leaving her family and friends wondering how she was poisoned with a Russian-made chemical weapon.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.

Oct 10, 2024 • 16min
1. The Novichok Attack
Salisbury becomes the scene of a major international incident. Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia are found poisoned on a park bench.Then, an astonishing discovery: he’s a former Russian spy and they've been poisoned with Novichok, one of the deadliest substances in the world. Parts of Salisbury are locked down as police try to find the poison.This episode has been updated to reflect Sergei Skripal’s role as former GRU officer.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.

Oct 10, 2024 • 3min
Introducing...The Salisbury Poisonings
Six years after a mum was poisoned by a Russian nerve agent in Wiltshire, will a public inquiry bring answers?
In 2018, Dawn Sturgess came into contact with one of the most dangerous substances in the world: Novichok. She thought it was perfume.
Four months earlier, a former Russian spy and his daughter had been found slumped on a park bench having been poisoned too.
How could this happen and where does responsibility lie?
As an inquiry begins into Dawn’s death, this podcast will follow the key moments with analysis, context, and exclusive interviews.Presenter / Producers: Marie Lennon and Andy Howard Producer: Tom Ryan Senior Reporter: Dan O’Brien Consultant: Jake Williams Online Producer: Rachael Smith Executive Producers: Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley Commissioning Editor: Alistair Miskin

Oct 8, 2024 • 34min
6. In Plain Sight
In this final episode of Death On The Farm - the community is still battling for a different verdict. We hear how the police are conducting a forensic review, which may or may not reveal new clues. But patience amongst the locals is wearing thin... and many fear that the opportunity to clear Griff's name has come and gone. But perhaps a modern day expert can find new clues from within the original police report. Dr Brett Lockyer is a Home Office Pathologist - who has studied hundreds of crime scenes and unexplained deaths. His analysis of the scene at Ffynnon Samson, and the events which took place there, differs from the conclusion police came to at the time. What's more - there is documented evidence which he believes could offer a very different sequence of events, and the presence of a third party. But will the community rest easy with this new information coming to light? Or will they remain in a state of limbo - until the police offer can offer an official response? For Huw Absolom, Huw Gibby, and for everyone in Llangolman, they won't stop fighting to change the course of justice, or to clear the name of one of their own.Death On the Farm is narrated by Bettrys Jones. It's produced by What's The Story Sounds for BBC Wales

Oct 3, 2024 • 32min
5. Blood Money
The official police report into the deaths at Ffynnon Samson is the most details account of the scene, and the events which took place.
But that report, completed in 1977, led to a conclusion that it was Griff who was ultimately responsible. A claim the community rejects.
Now, in this episode, that report is held up to the light, as the locals ask where the evidence was which led police to that conclusion. Is there a smoking gun hidden amongst the statements and observations? Or does the report leave them with more questions than answers.
The episode hears from acclaimed forensic psychologist Prof David Canter, who reveals his own misgivings about the report, and his own theories on what may have taken place.
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#Produced by What's The Story for BBC Wales

Sep 26, 2024 • 29min
4. Only Murderers yn y Bwthyn
Pembrokeshire is a safe and secure place to live. But for a time in the 1980's, the feeling for many was different. Two violent murders once again had communities in fear. But for some, these latest crimes had parallels with Ffynnon Samson. And questions began to be asked as to whether the same person could be responsible.In this episode we meet Aled Scourfield - the reporter who first learned about these crimes at the trial of a man called John Cooper. A man who is now in prison for multiple murders. It was Aled who, after hearing rumours of a link, first asked whether Cooper might have been in Llangolman back in 1977. Whether John Cooper might have found his way to the remote farmhouse, and face to face with Griff and Patty. It's a question which has divided this community... a theory which lacks any evidence. But for some it's more compelling the closer that you look.

Sep 19, 2024 • 36min
3. Judgment
It's a matter of weeks since the crime scene at Ffynnon Samson was discovered, but the loose ends are already being tied into a neat bow.The police investigation led by DCI Pat Molloy has come to an end, the evidence all gathered and conclusions drawn. His file is passed to a coroner to conduct a formal inquest and close the case.But before that, the men of Llangolman are invited to attend a funeral service for the couple... a service which doesn't allow women to attend. And there's more controversy, as the bodies of Griff and Patty are barred from entering the local chapel.How will the community respond? Can they come to terms with the findings of the police? And will they be able to close the lid on this dark chapter? Or will the rumour mill continue to swirl long after the couple are laid to rest?

Sep 12, 2024 • 34min
2. The Investigation
By the end 1976, the community in Llangolman was still waiting for answers. Police officers had taken over the village, conducting their investigation into the deaths of Griff and Patti Thomas.
Their work included building up a picture of their victims - learning their habits, understanding their relationship as siblings, and asking who was set to benefit from their death. And they scour the crime scene, looking for the clues and evidence which might help them to understand exactly what happened, and who was responsible.
But as more information emerges, clarity remains hidden. And there's no stopping the rumour mill which is in overdrive. This episode chronicles those events from early 1977. And it tells the story of the investigation and how it was reported by local media. By the end, there's an alarming new theory which threatens to derail everything the community believed to be true.Narrated by Bettrys Jones
Produced by What's The Story Sounds

Sep 5, 2024 • 38min
1. What The Postman Saw
When a postman makes a grim discovery in the course of his morning rounds, the shockwaves are felt far and wide.
This series begins in 1976, with the memories of Nigel Rossiter, the postman who saw things he wished he hadn't seen. He was still learning the ropes, as a postman in the rural Pembrokeshire village of Llangolman. But that December day would change pretty much everything around here.
We hear how the events of the next hours, days and weeks, would leave a community first in fear, and then in disbelief, as they learned the identity of the victims, and began to wonder who could be responsible.
As the ripples of the crime, and the investigation start to spread - can anyone make sense of what's happened? Are there clues which could make anything clearer?
This is the first episode of a six-part series which examines this case, exploring if justice was ever served, and telling the story of a community who won't let the case fade away.
Narrated by Bettrys Jones
Produced by What's The Story Sounds