Episode 132: The death of feared loyalist terrorist Sam 'Skelly' McCrory

In April 1975, a young Irish-American from Long Island headed on a mission to enlist in an elite unit of the US Marine Corps. His goal: to receive the most intensive and rigorous military training possible, and then move to Ireland to join the IRA and fight to end British occupation of the north.John Crawley has lived an extraordinary life – working with notorious American mobster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger before working with the IRA in an attempt to knock out England’s power supply in a bomb plot gone wrong.Here’s an extract from his memoir The Yank: My Life as a Former US Marine in the IRA, published by Merrion Press. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Aug 42min

Robbie Lawlor's response to the taunting of the teenagers who stole his gym bag could not have been predicted — the murder of Keane Mulready-Woods shocked the world.This episode of Double Cross: The Murder of Robbie Lawlor was originally broadcast by Crime World Presents in December 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Aug 21min

The Troubles’ most notorious and sinister figure Freddie Scappaticci was the ‘jewel in the crown’ of a British infiltration system designed to cause mayhem and chaos in the IRA’s military operations from the late 1970s through to his eventual exposure in 2003.Codenamed Stakeknife, he headed the IRA’s secretive Internal Security Unit – also known as the ‘Nutting Squad’.His former comrades reveal extraordinary details about Scappaticci, state-sanctioned murder, and the political scandal that brought him down in Stakeknife’s Dirty War.The following is an extract from the sensational book by Richard O’Rawe, published by Merrion Press. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

31 Juli 21min

Robbie Lawlor's involvement in the burgeoning Drogheda feud sparks fear amongst the gardaí, while his erratic and violent behaviour terrifies those close to him.This episode of Double Cross: The Murder of Robbie Lawlor was originally broadcast by Crime World Presents in December 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

31 Juli 22min

Journalist Chris Moore spent his career digging into the details of a story he first came across as a young BBC journalist in the 1980s.This is an extract from his new book Kincora: Britain’s Shame – a culmination of a decades-long investigation which weaves a tangled web of sexual abuse in a boys' home in Belfast with the murky workings of MI5 and the secret activities of Lord Henry Mountbatten.If you liked this, why not check out my chat with Chris in the Crime World studio earlier this year, where we discuss the origins of Kincora Boys' Home and the predators that worked there. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Juli 25min

How did Robbie Lawlor earn his fearsome reputation as a cold-blooded killer? Nicola looks at his early crimes and the ruthless murders that made his name.This episode of Double Cross: The Murder of Robbie Lawlor was originally broadcast by Crime World Presents in November 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Juli 25min

Austin Stack was just 14 when his dad was shot and left with horrific life altering injuries at the hands of an IRA assassin. He survived for 18 months before dying from complications.Now 42 years on, Austin says he would like to look his father’s killers in the eye and tell them how his death has affected him.Here is an extract from his book Justice for My Father, which is published by Bonnier and available bookshops and audio streaming now.If you liked this, why not check out my chat with Austin in the Crime World studio earlier this year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

29 Juli 14min

When Robbie Lawlor was murdered outside a house in the Ardoyne area of Belfast in April 2020, reporters were left with more questions than answers. What was one of Ireland's most feared criminals doing in the north? Why had he crossed the border? Who had the audacity to arrange for him to be shot while up there?Double Cross: The Murder of Robbie Lawlor was originally broadcast by Crime World Presents in November 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

29 Juli 20min