Episode 1270: Two men linked to ‘Irish Mafia’ arrested in armed raid in Colombia

A rugby legend capped for Ireland. A politician steeped in the beliefs of loyalism. A giant who claimed family values as his flag.But behind the mask Davy Tweed was a monster and sex offender who terrorised his family and left a legacy of pain for his daughters.This week, in a long-read special, Hugh Jordan is taking the microphone to tell you the story of Tweed – the monster behind the legend. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Maalis 202258min

It was still bright on the evening of September 2, 2016 when a man walking his dogs made a gruesome discovery in Rahin Woods, close to Carbury in County Kildare.Using a stick, he had poked at the ground and the brambles where his dog 'Bobby' had circled, only to see a foot protruding from the undergrowth.Later, forensic experts would surmise that 24-year-old Philip Finnegan had died where he lay in the foetal position, his remains decapitated and charred from an attempt to burn his body. He’d been stabbed to death in a frenzied attack.His murder and torture, gardai would later tell a court, happened the previous August 10 and his remains had gone undiscovered in the shallow grave until that September night.So, who was Philip Finnegan and how did he come to such a brutal end at the hands of his one time friend Stephen Penrose. What happened in Rahin Woods and how did a gangland feud end in such a remote place?Nicola Tallant chatds with Sunday World Deputy Editor Niall Donald about one of gangland's most brutal kills.What effects has such violence on society, on families and on strangers who walk their dogs in lonely woods? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

26 Helmi 202229min

He was a loner and a misfit who lived with his parents until his early 30s but went on to become a serial killer who stalked his victims on dating apps and gay hook-up sites.But, Stephen Port was no cunning killer, and when he was tried for four murders in the Old Bailey the failings of police in their investigations into mysterious deaths in the Barking area of London was as stark as his horrific legacy of crimes.Nicola Tallant chats with author Sebastian Murphy Bates, whose book 'Easy Kills' traces the story of Port and how police missed the blatant murders of gay men. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Helmi 202243min

It’s known as the city of dreams - where models, actors and artists seek fame and fortune in the shadow of the Hollywood Hills.But alongside the glitter and glamour of the California Dream is a very different Los Angeles, one with a sprawling homeless population which has fast become the biggest social issue in America’s richest State.Nicola Tallant talks with with LA local Glenna Gordon, a photographer whose work has appeared in the New York Times and more recently an emergency medicine technician with the city ambulance service.She tells of the vast homeless encampments at well-known areas like Venice Beach, Skid Row and Eagle Rock, about her work on the front line of emergency healthcare, which is often a sticking plaster for chronic addicts and the mentally ill, and about the failings of housing supply and planning in a city fast serving as a warning to the rest of the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22 Helmi 202236min

An 'ISIS bride' lured to the Caliphate in fear of the fires of hell, a glamorous former radical who escaped Syria and unshackled herself from her extremist past and counter terrorism FBI agents called in after the fall of Raqqa.It sounds like the plot from a series of 'Homeland' - but it is playing out in Ireland’s Special Criminal Court where Dundalk woman Lisa Smith has pleaded not guilty to funding and membership of a terrorist organisation.Nicola Tallant talks with courts reporter Eoin Reynolds, who has been covering this fascinating trial for the last three weeks as the story of Lisa Smith’s journey from Irish army cadet to the beating heart of ISIS has unfolded. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 Helmi 202252min

Innocent women flee their homes in fear of grenade attacks, a business shuts its doors terrorised by teenage thugs, while a community lives in fear of warring drug gangs brazenly attacking each other in broad daylight with hammers and wheel braces and displaying their gunfire on social media.The scenes playing out in a Dublin suburb seem more at home in Mexico, yet for the hard-working people of Finglas this is the reality - as a gang headed up by a young dealer known as 'Mr Flashy' goes to war with three rival outfits in a terrifying feud.Nicola Tallant chats with Crime Correspondent Ken Foy who tells of the rising tensions in an underworld populated by gun-toting teenage boys directed by mega-rich cocaine dealers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Helmi 202233min

A shocking mass murder at a bookies office in Belfast, 30 years of unanswered questions for those left behind and now an Ombudsman's report that cites collusive behaviour and failings by police.At the heart of the Sean Graham bookmakers atrocity and seven other loyalist attacks carried out by the UDA which claimed the lives of 11 people, lie the use of RUC informants who were also killers.In the murky world of cops and gangsters, where information is whispered in the shadows, did a corrupted system protect the bad and are institutions now more concerned about their reputations or the quest for justice?Nicola Tallant chats with Hugh Jordan about murder on the Ormeau Road and the legacy of decisions made in a time of extremes. He reveals the injustices caused by secrecy and silence, with the consideration of letting sleeping dogs lie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Helmi 202232min

The brutal attack on bachelor farmer Thomas ‘Tom’ Niland in rural Sligo has struck fear into the elderly community across Ireland.In a worrying spate of attacks on our most vulnerable citizens, many pensioners living in rural areas no longer feel safe in their own homes.So, who are the criminals who are targeting older members of the community and are they organised mobs or more chaotic and opportunistic criminals living day to day in a tangle of addiction, drug debt and desperation for cash?Nicola Tallant chats with journalist Eamon Dillon, who has spent years reporting on some of the most high-profile crimes against the elderly. He recalls the criminals behind some of the most shocking attacks on our pensioners, about the brutal rapist about to taste freedom again and of the random nature of the robberies that terrorise communities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 Helmi 202234min