Switchblade Sisters Social Club

Three people were executed for murder. Two years later, their victim walked back into town.This week on Switchblade Sisters Social Club, Dee takes Isla back to 1660 and the picturesque Cotswolds town of Chipping Campden for one of the strangest and most shocking miscarriages of justice in British history.When 70-year-old William Harrison, a trusted steward and rent collector for a wealthy Gloucestershire estate, disappeared while conducting business, his family feared the worst.A search uncovered his bloodstained clothing, including a slashed hat, but no body.Suspicion soon fell on Harrison's servant, John Perry, whose increasingly contradictory statements led to an extraordinary accusation: his own mother and brother had helped rob and murder their employer.Despite the absence of a body, murder weapon or eyewitness, John, Richard and Joan Perry were convicted and executed in 1661.Case closed.Except it wasn't.In 1662, William Harrison returned to Chipping Campden. Very much alive.More than 350 years later, the mystery known as the Campden Wonder remains unsolved.Subscribe, follow and leave us a review wherever you listen to your podcasts.Sources Thomas Overbury (1676) – A True and Perfect Account of the Examination, Confession, Trial, Condemnation, and Execution of Joan Perry, and Her Two Sons, John and Richard Perry, for the Supposed Murder of William Harrison. The British Library The National Archives (UK)Chipping Campden History SocietyHistoric England Encyclopaedia Britannica

A dead husband. A locked closet. An impossible secret hidden just overhead.When wealthy Los Angeles businessman Fred Oesterreich was found shot dead in his home in 1922, his wife Dolly claimed a burglar had murdered him before locking her in a bedroom closet. Police believed her. For years.But the truth was far stranger than anyone could have imagined.SOURCESJack V. Cain, "The Strange Case of Dolly Oesterreich and the Attic Lover", Los Angeles TimesMilwaukee Magazine – "The Strange Tale of Milwaukee's Attic Man"Atlas Obscura – "The Curious Story of Dolly Oesterreich and the Man in the Attic"Historical True Crimes PodcastWikipedia for images

On 15 April 1989, ninety-seven Liverpool supporters lost their lives in Britain's worst sporting disaster.But for many families, the tragedy did not end that afternoon.In Part 2 of our Hillsborough series, Dee and Isla examine what happened after the crush. The official narrative that blamed Liverpool supporters. The role of the media in spreading false allegations. The infamous Sun front page that became one of the darkest moments in British journalism. And the decades-long campaign by bereaved families to uncover the truth.We explore the Taylor Report, the shocking findings of the Hillsborough Independent Panel, altered police statements, fresh inquests, criminal proceedings, and the continuing campaign for a Hillsborough Law.This is the story of one of the most significant cover-ups in modern British history—and the extraordinary determination of ordinary people who refused to let the truth be buried.SOURCES: Taylor, Lord Justice. The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster: Interim Report (1989).Taylor, Lord Justice. Final Report into the Hillsborough Stadium Disaster (1990).Hillsborough Independent Panel Report (2012).Second Hillsborough Inquests (2014–2016).Jones, James. The Patronising Disposition of Unaccountable Power (2017).Scraton, Phil. Hillsborough: The Truth.Scraton, Phil. No Last Rights.Williams, Anne. With Hope in Her Heart.Hillsborough Independent Panel document archive.The National Archives.Witness testimony from the Taylor Inquiry.Witness testimony from the 2014–2016 Hillsborough Inquests.Contemporary newspaper reporting (cross-referenced against official findings).If you've enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify - it really helps independent podcasts reach more listeners.Justice for the 97.

On 15 April 1989, ninety-seven Liverpool supporters lost their lives at an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield.For years, many people believed it was simply a tragic accident caused by overcrowding. The truth was far more disturbing.In the first part of this two-part series, Dee takes you back to 1980s Britain to uncover the chain of events that made the disaster almost inevitable. From football hooliganism and Margaret Thatcher's Britain to the Heysel disaster, the Bradford City fire, ignored safety warnings and the fatal design flaws of Hillsborough Stadium, this is the story of how years of negligence, poor planning and institutional attitudes created the conditions for catastrophe.If you enjoy our work, the best way to support independent podcasts is to:⭐ Leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts🎧 Follow or subscribe wherever you listen📱 Share the episode with a friendIt really does make a huge difference.SOURCES:Hillsborough Independent Panel Report (2012)The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster: Final Report – Lord Justice Taylor (1989)The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster: Inquiry Report – Lord Justice Taylor (1990)The Patronising Disposition of Unaccountable Power – Bishop James Jones (2017)Stand Up Sit Down – A Choice to Watch Football – Peter Caton (2012)Stick It Up Your Punter! – Peter Chippendale & Chris Horrie (1990)Pies and Prejudice – Stuart Maconie (2008)Liverpool – Wondrous Place – Paul Du Noyer (2012)Writing Liverpool: Essays and Interviews – edited by Michael Murphy & Deryn Rees-Jones (contains Paul Du Noyer chapter)Charity Fund-Raising and the Public Interest – Peter Luxton (1990)80s Chart-Toppers: Every Chart-Topper Tells a Story – Sharon Davis (2012)How Much Is That in Real Money? – J.J. McCusker (1992 & 1997 editions)Phil Scraton – Death on the Terraces: The Contexts and Injustices of the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster (Soccer & Society, 2004)BBC The GuardianThe TelegraphThe IndependentLiverpool EchoLiverpool Daily PostEvening StandardFinancial TimesThe Huffington PostITV NewsAl JazeeraReutersAssociated PressSheffield StarGOV.UKHillsborough Independent PanelIndependent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC)Crown Prosecution ServiceUK Parliament / HansardFootball Licensing AuthorityLiverpool FCThe FAUEFASpirit of ShanklyRoyal College of Surgeons of EnglandThe Liverpool MuseumContrast.orgLive4LiverpoolMillwall HistoryRed ImpsArchive.orgAwful AnnouncingWorld Soccer TalkFind and Update Company Information (Companies House)Southport.TVBBC Sounds Merseyside – Hillsborough: The Full StoryBBC Panorama – How They Buried the Truth

Marvin Gaye gave the world some of the most enduring songs of the twentieth century. Behind the unmistakable voice of I Heard It Through the Grapevine, What's Going On, Let's Get It On and Sexual Healing, however, was a life marked by childhood abuse, extraordinary success, devastating grief, addiction, financial problems and, ultimately, a shocking death.In this episode of Dee-Brief, Dee explores the extraordinary life and tragic death of one of Motown's greatest stars.From Motown heart-throb to socially conscious musical pioneer; from his beautiful partnership with Tammi Terrell to What's Going On and Sexual Healing; and from an abusive childhood to a death at the hands of his own father, this is the remarkable and deeply tragic story of Marvin Gaye.Sources Motown Museum – Marvin GayeMotown Museum – Tammi TerrellRock & Roll Hall of Fame – Marvin GayeLos Angeles Times – “From the Archives: Marvin Gaye, Top Soul Recording Artist, Shot” (2 April 1984)Los Angeles Times – “Inside the tragedy that silenced soul legend Marvin Gaye” (20 August 2025)United Press International – “Father of Marvin Gaye admits shooting son” (9 April 1984)Ben Edmonds – What's Going On? Marvin Gaye and the Last Days of the Motown Sound

In January 1964, police arrived at a remote ranch in the Mexican state of Guanajuato and discovered eleven women being held in secret.What those women told investigators would expose a network of exploitation, violence, corruption and death that had operated for around two decades and turn the González Valenzuela sisters, better known as Las Poquianchis, into some of the most infamous women in Mexican criminal history.In this episode of Dee-Brief, Dee travels back to Mexico in the 1940s, 50s and 60s to examine how sisters Delfina, María de Jesús, María Luisa and Carmen González Valenzuela built a network of brothels across Jalisco and Guanajuato.Content warningThis episode discusses human trafficking, sexual exploitation, violence against women and girls, sexual assault, starvation and murder.SOURCESGuinness World Records “Most prolific murder partnership”

In November 2021, primary school teacher Fiona Beal told her headteacher that she and her partner, Nicholas Billingham, had tested positive for COVID and needed to isolate.It was the perfect cover story.Neither of them had COVID. And by the end of those ten days, Nick was dead and buried in the garden of the Northampton home they had shared.In this episode of Dee-Brief, Dee examines the extraordinary case of Fiona Beal: a highly regarded Year 6 teacher with no previous criminal record who meticulously planned the murder of her partner and then spent months constructing an elaborate fiction designed to convince his family and friends that he was still alive.Content warningThis episode discusses domestic abuse allegations, sexual violence, suicide and self-harm, murder, and the concealment of a body.Sources

In the early 1980s, women began disappearing from the streets of Chicago. Some were later found murdered. Others, remarkably, survived. And the distinctive injuries inflicted upon them would eventually lead police to believe they weren’t dealing with isolated attacks at all.Their investigation led to four men: Robin Gecht, Edward Spreitzer and brothers Andrew and Thomas Kokoraleis. The press would give them the suitably horrifying name the Ripper Crew or Chicago Rippers. Dee, however, refuses to give them a nickname they might actually have enjoyed - so welcome to the story of the Loser Crew.Content warning: This episode discusses murder, sexual violence and mutilation. Some details are disturbing, although graphic descriptions have been kept to what is necessary to understand the case.🎧 Listen to Dee-Brief wherever you get your podcasts.Sources People v. Spreitzer (1988), Supreme Court of IllinoisRead via JustiaPeople v. Kokoraleis (1989), Supreme Court of IllinoisRead via JustiaPeople v. Kokoraleis (1990), Illinois Appellate CourtRead via CaseMinePeople v. Gecht (2008), Illinois Appellate Court Read via FindLawSpreitzer v. Peters (1997), US Court of Appeals for the Seventh CircuitRead via JustiaKokoraleis v. Gilmore (1998), US Court of Appeals for the Seventh CircuitRead via JustiaUnited Press International archives (1982–1987)UPI report, 10 November 1982UPI report, 11 November 1982Illinois Department of Corrections.Robin Gecht recordEdward Spreitzer recordAssociated Press and ABC7 Chicago, 2019Associated Press reportABC7 Chicago reportCBS Chicago, 2019 CBS Chicago interview and reportAmnesty International, 1999Read the Amnesty International document“Satanic Abuse, False Memories, Weird Beliefs and Moral Panics”Read via City St George’s, University of London

Dee-Brief: The Not So Merry Widow of BicesterThe wartime love triangle that ended in triple murderDee explores one of Britain's most sensational murder cases of the Second World War, a story of jealousy, deception, and a relationship so unconventional it shocked 1940s Britain.When successful publisher Walter Fisher began living openly with his mistress, Florence Ransom, while his wife Dorothy pursued a relationship of her own, the arrangement appeared to work.Until July 1940.One summer afternoon, Dorothy Fisher, her daughter Freda, and housekeeper Charlotte Saunders were all shot dead at a cottage in rural Kent.Police quickly focused on Florence Ransom after witnesses reported seeing a well-dressed woman travelling more than one hundred miles carrying a suspicious parcel wrapped in brown paper.What followed was one of the most talked-about murder trials of wartime Britain.Dee examines the extraordinary investigation, the forensic work of the legendary Sir Bernard Spilsbury, the evidence that convicted Florence, and why her death sentence was ultimately commuted when doctors declared her insane.Although later true crime writers dubbed her "The Merry Widow of Bicester," there's nothing merry about this tragic story, one that left three innocent women dead and many questions unanswered.🎙 Follow Switchblade Sisters Social Club wherever you get your podcasts, and don't forget to leave us a rating and review—it really helps independent podcasts reach more listeners.SourcesThe Times archivesDaily Telegraph archives

Was Ol' Blue Eyes simply well connected… or something more?Frank Sinatra sold more than 150 million records, won an Academy Award, helped define Las Vegas, and became one of the most recognisable entertainers in history.But alongside the music was another story.One involving Mafia bosses, FBI surveillance, politicians, casinos, Hollywood, and a 2,300-page FBI file.Did Sinatra simply move in circles where organised crime figures were impossible to avoid? Or were his relationships with some of America's most powerful mobsters closer than he ever admitted?Dee separates fact from fiction, exploring Sinatra's early arrest, his friendship with notorious gangster Willie Moretti, the famous Tommy Dorsey contract rumours, the Cal-Neva Lodge scandal, his connections to John F. Kennedy, and why the FBI spent decades watching one of America's favourite singers.Despite years of surveillance, one fact remains clear: Frank Sinatra was never convicted of any organised crime offence.So how much was evidence……and how much became legend?🎙 Follow Switchblade Sisters Social Club wherever you get your podcasts, and don't forget to leave us a rating and review—it genuinely helps independent podcasts reach new listeners.SourcesFBI Records: The Vault – Frank SinatraSmithsonian Magazine websiteHistory.com