Anthony Horowitz’s Moonflower Murders is a delicious buffet of detective-story Englishness
Blood stains, Battenberg cakes and a brilliant older woman – what a treat this series is.
ByCrime
How true crime became “victim-centred”
The genre can no longer justify itself in terms of entertainment value alone. Enter the ubiquitous invocation of the victim.
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Is Labour prepared to be radical to solve the prisons crisis?
Sentencing reform is a tough sell for the law-and-order loving British public.
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Why Gisèle Pelicot is a hero
The horror of the mass rape trial in France has shaken the world.
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The riots have exposed just how broken the justice system is
It’s difficult to be tough on crime when the court system is on the brink of collapse.
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Is cocaine driving the British riots?
Easy highs have become a national addiction.
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When women fight back
Three accounts of women who met male brutality on its own terms reveal the limits of justice – both within…
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JK Rowling is right to scorn Scotland’s new Hate Crime Act
The SNP sees itself as a vanguard of progressive values. But this priggish law is at odds with the notion…
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The narcotopian dilemma
Why liberal societies are helpless in the face of the global illegal drugs trade.
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Why we need more neighbourhood policing
People are worried about crime and anti-social behaviour. Tackling these issues is essential to improving pride in place.
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Esther Ghey: “The internet unleashed horrific things”
The mother of the murdered teenager Brianna Ghey on how to protect children online.
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“The next Post Office scandal”: how HMRC persecutes the victims of fraud
People who have lost their savings or had their identities co-opted have found themselves being pursued by the tax authorities.
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To catch a catfish
How one detective took on an international network of romance fraudsters.
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The UK is starting to accept that prison doesn’t work
As the Justice Secretary has recognised, short sentences are not effective in reducing reoffending.
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ITV’s The Long Shadow trivialises the crimes of Peter Sutcliffe
For all its professed sensitivity, this drama turns the most terrible crimes committed against women into mere entertainment. I’m sad…
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How the MeToo backlash helped Russell Brand
Also this week: Bring on by-election season, and my predictions for Strictly Come Dancing.
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The Daily Mail’s Lucy Letby podcast makes for queasy listening
Its pious concern masking voyeuristic excitement, the in-depth trial coverage is typical “true crime entertainment”.
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Lucy Letby true crime content should worry us all
Countless TikToks, podcasts and even a documentary made by the police have emerged since Letby’s trial. When will we stop…
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Why we’ll never understand Lucy Letby
The nurse’s motive will remain unknown, but there are irrefutable systemic failures which can be addressed.
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The chaos and confusion of Donald Trump on trial
The criminal charges against Donald Trump could send him to prison — or help propel him back into the White…
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