Episode 1160: What happened to Jonathan Dowdall's torture victim?

He’s 30 years covering tales of murder and once began his day being briefed on the nightly body count of New York city, where he knocked on doors and fronted-up killers on the tough daily beat.But tabloid man Brad Hunter says that despite covering hundreds of stories there have always been those that stayed with him - and decades into a career in murder he says that there are many victims he can’t forget.Hunter tells Nicola Tallant about a career in the fast lane of crime journalism and about the stories that have made it into his new book Cold Blooded murder.From religious zealots living secret double lives to seemingly normal couples who plot to kill, they discuss money, sex and crime from a shocking collection of killers and psychopaths who have marked his lengthy career. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Aug 202146min

It was once a clearly divided underworld where paramilitary groups ruled with fear in a strictly organised way. There were rules, sides and an unwritten code where everyone knew their place and the terrorists were king.But over the past few decades things have changed and Northern Ireland’s gangland now resembles a mixing bowl of hungry-for-work former terrorists, Instagram mobsters and dangerous young street soldiers who are loyal to just one thing – Money.Here, Nicola Tallant talks to Belfast Telegraph Crime Correspondent Allison Morris, who tells me about the 90 gangs who rule the North and who vie for drug money while recruiting children and teenagers.We discuss hot tubs, veneers and the new generation of criminal who are fast taking over and taking on the old rules and codes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

31 Juli 202138min

Killer Dave Mahon walked free from prison this week after serving five years for the manslaughter of his stepson, 23-year-old Dean Fitzpatrick, who he knifed to death in 2013.Just five years previous, Dean’s sister Amy went missing without a trace on Spain’s Costa Del Sol aged just 15 after Mahon and their mother Audrey relocated there to start a new life.But with both children gone in horrific circumstances Audrey has waited patiently for Mahon’s release. Here, Nicola Tallant chats to journalist Eugene Masterson about the dreadful events that have defined their marriage.We discuss the mysterious disappearance of Amy, the dreadful knife attack on Dean and the extraordinary love that their mother still holds for a killer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Juli 202131min

It’s a time for celebration and a place to remember the values and morals which shape an individual’s journey through life. But sometimes funerals can be hijacked and turned into a display of wealth and power, which is totally at odds with the values of society.As the dust settles on the funeral of prolific burglar Dean Maguire, which made headlines across the world, Nicola Tallant chats to journalist Eamon Dillon about what mistakes were made by gardai and church officials who dropped the ball and allowed the business of crime to take centre stage on an altar.We discuss the reasons why criminals like to bow out surrounded by their bling and how a new generation of Instagram gangsters desperate to show off their wealth may find themselves as ripe pickings for the Criminal Assets Bureau. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

28 Juli 202120min

It’s a missing-person’s case that has cast a dark shadow over a small town in County Mayo where the haunting face of Sandra Collins stares out from posters more than 20 years since she was last seen.However, Sandra has not been forgotten despite the passage of time. Her brother and sister still hope that they can one day lay her to rest and find their own peace from the nightmare of her mystery disappearance.Sandra had just found out she was pregnant on the night she was last seen buying chips from a takeaway in Killala.Today, Bridie Conway and Patrick Collins remember their fun-loving sister and recall her lonely life caring for an elderly aunt in a small town of secrets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Juli 202133min

He headed up one side of two notorious feuding gangs that claimed 15 lives in 10 years in Ireland’s first cocaine war.And even behind bars Brian Rattigan organised assassinations, drug deals and terrorised communities with his fearsome reputation.Now, as he prepares for release from jail, claims that he is a changed man who has made peace with his arch enemy are being taken with a grain of salt and Gardai have already drawn up a policing plan.Today I’m talking to Irish Independent crime correspondent, Ken Foy, who says the jury is out on what Brian Rattigan will do next amidst fears that tensions will rise in the organised crime landscape. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Juli 202125min

A half tonne of cocaine disguised as charcoal, which landed in Rotterdam, was seized at the port after an intelligence-led operation headed up by Irish gardai.The drugs, worth more than €30 million, were destined for the Irish market where a generation of young and educated cocaine users are directly funding violent drug cartels who are getting filthy rich and ever more powerful.So how does a half-tonne seizure affect the millionaire cocaine bosses and how can we ebb the tide of white powder flooding Europe?This week, I’m talking to Michael O’Sullivan, the former garda who is the chief executive of the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre in Lisbon.He co-ordinates the efforts of seven countries: Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Holland, Portugal and the UK in tackling maritime drug smuggling in Europe.He tells me how seizures of the ‘mother-load’ can damage even the biggest organised crime gangs, how Colombian Cartels have power bases in Rotterdam and Amsterdam to bribe and intimidate port staff and how a young generation of Irish high-flyers are making narco terrorists rich beyond their wildest dreams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22 Juli 202130min

A half tonne of cocaine disguised as charcoal which landed in Rotterdam was seized at the port after an intelligence-led operation headed up by Irish gardai.The drugs worth more than €30 million were destined for the Irish market where a generation of young and educated cocaine users are directly funding violent drug cartels who are getting filthy rich and ever more powerful.So how does a half tonne seizure affect the millionaire cocaine bosses and how can we ebb the tide of white powder flooding Europe.Today, I’m talking to Michael O’Sullivan, the former garda who is the chief executive of the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre in Lisbon. There he co-ordinates the efforts of seven countries: Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and the UK in tackling maritime drug smuggling in Europe.He tells me how seizures of the ‘motherload’ can damage even the biggest organised crime gangs, how Colombian Cartels have power bases in Rotterdam and Amsterdam to bribe and intimidate port staff and how a young generation of Irish high flyers are making narco terrorists rich beyond their wildest dreams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Juli 202130min