The Trial

In October 2021, David Parfett tragically found his son, Tom, dead in a hotel room in Surrey. Tom was just 22 years old.

David was determined to find the truth behind his son’s death. He followed Tom’s digital footprint and made a shocking discovery.

A man called Kenneth Law had set up an online company to exploit vulnerable people suffering from mental illness. He helped them take their own lives by sending them poison through the post.

David soon discovered that Tom wasn’t the only person to have received the lethal substance. Law had sent more than 1,200 packages to 40 countries around the world.

With the help of a journalist, David tracked down Law and confronted him about his crimes. Law was then arrested in Canada and formally admitted to causing the deaths of 73 victims from England and Wales. However, following a plea deal, Law pleaded guilty to 14 counts of aiding and abetting suicide in Canada.

In this episode, we hear from some of the victims’ families at the Supreme Court of Ontario, where a hearing took place last week. More than 50 relatives of Canadian and British victims gave incredibly moving statements to the judge.

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Presenter: Caroline Cheetham and Liz Hull
Guest: David Parfett
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Assistant Producer: Harriet Muckle
Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Caroline and Liz speak to David about tracking down Law and the impact his horrific actions had on his family.
The Trial series uses actors and some voices generated by AI. Their words are taken as verbatim from the official court transcript.

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It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

A Daily Mail production.
Seriously Popular.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can new government measures really improve the experience of rape victims in the criminal justice system? With thousands of rape and sexual assault cases waiting to reach court, ministers are promising dedicated courtrooms, fixed trial dates and more support for victims.

In this episode, Liz speaks to senior barrister Mary Prior KC about whether the proposals can make a meaningful difference. Mary explains why delays are so damaging for both victims and those accused, the practical problems facing courts across England and Wales, and why she believes much more investment is needed to fix a system struggling under years of pressure.

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Presenter: Liz Hull
Guest: Mary Prior KC
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Assistant Producer: Harriet Muckle
Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.
The Trial series uses actors and some voices generated by AI. Their words are taken as verbatim from the official court transcript.

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

A Daily Mail production.
Seriously Popular.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We now know for certain, babies should not have died at the Countess of Chester Hospital. In her scathing report into the failings which allowed Lucy Letby to harm babies for months, Lady Justice Thirlwall said three babies should not have died and seven more should not have been harmed. In her scathing report she condemned a fundamental lack of understanding of basic safeguarding regulations, a “tribal” approach from nurses, and an “exercise in spin” from senior leaders to delay police being called in to investigate. She also said the parents of the babies were treated reprehensibly. In this episode Caroline and Liz have her key findings and her urgent recommendations.

Subscribe via https://plus.thecrimedesk.com
Follow us on TikTok @DailyMailCrime
Email us thetrial@dailymail.com
WhatsApp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)

Presenter: Caroline Cheetham and Liz Hull
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Assistant Producer: Harriet Muckle
Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.
The Trial series uses actors and some voices generated by AI. Their words are taken as verbatim from the official court transcript.

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

A Daily Mail production.
Seriously Popular.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could Lucy Letby have been stopped sooner? Could babies have been saved? Was there an orchestrated hospital cover up? Were parents consistently lied to? Did a toxic hospital culture allow a serial killer to remain undetected for months?

Today Lady Justice Thirlwall is likely to answer these questions and more when she publishes her long-awaited report into the failings at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
In this bonus episode Caroline and Liz dissect the key moments from the seven month inquiry as they prepare to read her findings.

Subscribe via https://plus.thecrimedesk.com
Follow us on TikTok @DailyMailCrime
Email us thetrial@dailymail.com
WhatsApp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)

Presenter: Caroline Cheetham and Liz Hull
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Assistant Producer: Harriet Muckle
Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.
The Trial series uses actors and some voices generated by AI. Their words are taken as verbatim from the official court transcript.

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

A Daily Mail production.
Seriously Popular.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on the podcast Caroline and Ryan have the extraordinary allegations against a Church of England Priest, who ran what's been called a "cult" service to abuse his female "disciples". Chris Brain admits having sexual relations with worshippers at the infamous Nine O'Clock Service in Sheffield in the 1980s and 1990s, but he's now accused of criminal offences. The allegation is the women he targeted were so vulnerable, isolated and frightened that they did not have the capacity to consent.

Also today, Caroline chats to Liz about the imminent report by Lady Justice Thirlwall into the crimes of Lucy Letby.

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Follow us on TikTok @DailyMailCrime
Email us thetrial@dailymail.com
WhatsApp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)

Presenter: Caroline Cheetham and Ryan Hooper
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Assistant Producer: Harriet Muckle
Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.
The Trial series uses actors and some voices generated by AI. Their words are taken as verbatim from the official court transcript.

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

A Daily Mail production.
Seriously Popular.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.