On 14 May 2018, pharmacist Mitesh Patel called 999 from his home in Middlesbrough, telling the operator his wife Jessica had been attacked during a burglary. But as forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes reveals in this Season One finale of The Profiler, the true story was one of coercive control, a secret gay double life, and a chillingly calculated murder plot. Drawing on 999 recordings, CCTV footage, and interviews with detectives and journalists, Kerry unpicks how a ‘loving husband’s’ carefully staged crime scene unravelled — exposing a hidden relationship, a plan to start a new life in Australia, and a motive rooted in greed and betrayal.Key psychological themesThis episode explores: coercive control and domestic abuse as a predictor of lethal violence • staged crime scenes and offender behaviour • the psychology of a ‘double life’ • victimology and how investigators build a motive • so-called ‘honour killings’ • warning signs missed by professionalsContributors featured in this episode●      Kerry Daynes — Forensic psychologist, presenter, and author of Dark Side of the Mind and What Lies Buried.●      Tom Wilkinson — Press Association journalist who covered the Mitesh Patel trial.●      Gary Cunningham — Former homicide detective.●      Tracy Alexander — Forensics lecturer and crime scene management expert.What you’ll learn in this episode●      What Mitesh Patel told the 999 operator when he ‘discovered’ his wife Jessica bound, gagged and dying at their Middlesbrough home — and why detectives suspected him from the start●      Why the lack of forced entry immediately pointed detectives towards someone Jessica knew●      The pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour Jessica’s family described to police, and why it should have been treated as more than a ‘red flag’●      How CCTV footage, a health-tracking app, and a hidden roll of duct tape unravelled Mitesh Patel’s carefully constructed alibi●      The secret life detectives uncovered on his laptop — including a relationship with a GP living in Australia — and the plan police believe lay behind Jessica’s murder●      Why a Homicide Review, published two years after Patel’s conviction, concluded that critical warning signs were presentRelevant links and further reading●      Kerry Daynes — Dark Side of the Mind (Endeavour, 2019)●      Kerry Daynes — What Lies Buried (Endeavour, 2021)●      BBC News: Mitesh Patel jailed for murdering wife Jessica — bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-53389877●      Domestic Homicide Review into the murder of Jessica Patel — homicide-review.homeoffice.gov.uk●      The Halo Project: Jessica Patel’s story — haloproject.org.uk●      Domestic abuse support — Refuge (0808 2000 247) • National Domestic Abuse Helpline • Men’s Advice LineSubscribe & followIf you’re gripped by The Profiler, with Kerry Daynes, follow the show in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. A rating or review takes a matter of seconds and genuinely helps new listeners find us.Visit theprofiler.co.ukFor updates on the podcast, an exclusive filmed interview with Kerry, and to join her mailing list visit theprofiler.co.uk.Credits●      Presented by Kerry Daynes●      Produced by Shearwater Media●      Executive Producers: Jeff Anderson and Steve Anderson●      Editing and Music by Rob Warner●      Assistant Editor: Kay HomanContent noteThis episode contains descriptions of domestic abuse, coercive control, and murder. Listener discretion is advised. If you have been affected by the issues raised, support is available from Refuge (0808 2000 247), the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, and the Samaritans (116 123). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By April 1989, John Cannan had been convicted of kidnapping and murdering Bristol newlywed Shirley Banks, raping another woman, and attempting to abduct a third at gunpoint — crimes that led one psychiatrist to conclude he could “dispose of a human life with as much emotion as you and I throw away a toffee wrapper.” But was Cannan also responsible for the 1986 disappearance of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh, missing three years before his trial? In Part 2, forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes examines the number plate that almost gave Cannan away, revisits a 2000 police re-interview in which his meticulous alibi collapses hour by hour, and asks why — despite compelling circumstantial evidence — he was never charged before his death in prison in November 2024.Key psychological themesThis episode explores: performative charm masking predatory violence • narcissistic slips of the tongue • fabricated alibis unravelling under interrogation • third-person distancing as a psychological defence • the limits of circumstantial evidence • grief, campaigning and unfinished justiceContributors featured in this episodeKerry Daynes — Forensic psychologist, presenter, and author of Dark Side of the Mind and What Lies Buried.Rod Chaytor — Veteran crime correspondent (Daily Mirror) who covered the Cannan trial and the Lamplugh case.Michael Barley — Former Detective Sergeant, Metropolitan Police; interviewed Cannan after his arrest and again during the 2000 review.Jim Dickie — Former Detective Superintendent, Metropolitan Police; led the 2000 review into Suzy Lamplugh’s disappearance.What you'll learn in this episodeHow John Cannan’s 1989 trial for the murder of Shirley Banks and other offences ended in three life sentences, and what the judge’s sentencing remarks revealed about his psychologyWhy the number plate on Shirley Banks’s car, found in Cannan’s garage — SLP 386 S — became one of the case’s most chilling detailsWhat happened when Detective Sergeant Mike Barley asked Cannan, ‘Is that man you, John?’ — and why the answer still divides investigatorsHow Cannan’s detailed alibi for the weekend Suzy disappeared — the Euston train, a cinema date, lunch with his mother — fell apart inside a recorded 2000 police interviewWhy the CPS found insufficient evidence to charge Cannan, and what happened when he died in prison in November 2024Relevant links and further readingKerry Daynes — Dark Side of the Mind (Endeavour, 2019)Kerry Daynes — What Lies Buried (Endeavour, 2021)Faking It: Tears of a Crime (Warner Bros. Discovery) — some interviews in this episode were originally featured in the series. Watch on discoveryplus.comsuzylamplugh.org — The Suzy Lamplugh Trust: Suzy’s story and the Trust’s safety campaigningSupport for families of missing or murdered people — Missing People (UK) • Victim SupportSubscribe & followIf you’re gripped by The Profiler, with Kerry Daynes, follow the show in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. A rating or review takes thirty seconds and genuinely helps new listeners find us.Visit theprofiler.co.ukFor an exclusive filmed interview with Kerry Daynes on the cases behind the series — and to join Kerry’s weekly email list - visit theprofiler.co.uk. CreditsPresented by Kerry DaynesProduced by Shearwater MediaExecutive producers: Jeff Anderson and Steve AndersonEditor: Jeanette SmedleyMusic: Rob WarnerContent noteThis episode contains descriptions of kidnap, rape and murder, and discussion of a presumed murder victim whose body has never been found. Listener discretion is advised. If you have been affected by the issues raised, support is available from Victim Support (0808 168 9111) and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust (020 7091 0014). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 28 July 1986, estate agent Suzy Lamplugh left her office in Fulham, west London, for a  house viewing with a client she recorded in her diary as 'Mr Kipper'. She never returned.  Despite one of the largest missing-persons investigations in UK police history, no body has ever been recovered — and no-one has ever been charged. In Part 1 of this story Kerry Daynes revisits the streets where 25-year-old Suzy was last seen, examines the original investigation, and follows the trail of a chilling lead:  just three days before the disappearance a convicted sex offender named John Cannan was freed from a nearby prison. Within a year he would be linked to the abduction and murder of another young woman in Bristol. Was he, as many detectives believe, the real Mr. Kipper?Key psychological themesThis episode explores: opportunistic predation • the psychology of women's safety in public-facing work • the language of identification — Photofits, witness recall and trauma • the recklessness of a serial offender Contributors featured in this episode•     Kerry Daynes — Forensic psychologist, presenter, and author of Dark Side of the Mind and What Lies Buried.•     Richard Lamplugh — Suzy's brother.•     Michael Barley — Former Detective Sergeant, Metropolitan Police; assigned to the original Suzy Lamplugh investigation in 1986.•     Rod Chaytor — Veteran crime correspondent (Daily Mirror) who covered the Lamplugh case, the Cannan investigation and trial.What you'll learn in this episode•     What the 'Mr Kipper' entry in Suzy's office diary actually said — and why every other appointment that day checked out except this one•     The exact movements of Suzy on Monday 28 July 1986, and the witness who described seeing her in Shorrolds Road, Fulham, alongside a tall, well-dressed man•     The scale of the original police inquiry: hundreds of officers, thousands of statements, and the year-long search that brought back nothing•     How a serial sexual offender named John Cannan, released from a Wormwood Scrubs pre-release hostel on Friday 25 July 1986, came into the frame more than a year later•     Kerry's psychological profile of an offender who collects, returns to and goads — and what that pattern suggested about the man at the centre of two of the worst cases of the 1980sRelevant links and further reading•     Kerry Daynes — Dark Side of the Mind (Endeavour, 2019)•     Kerry Daynes — What Lies Buried (Endeavour, 2021)•     Faking It: Tears of a Crime (Warner Bros. Discovery) — some interviews in this episode were originally featured in the series. Watch on discoveryplus.com.•     https://www.suzylamplugh.org/suzys-story — The Suzy Lamplugh Trust: Suzy's story, in her family's own words•     https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-66298929 — BBC News: timeline of the Suzy Lamplugh investigation•     Personal safety advice and bereaved-family support — Suzy Lamplugh Trust • Missing People (UK) • Victim SupportSubscribe & followIf you're gripped by The Profiler, with Kerry Daynes, follow the show in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. A rating or review takes thirty seconds and genuinely helps new listeners find us.Visit theprofiler.co.ukFor an exclusive filmed interview with Kerry Daynes and to join her mailing list visit theprofiler.co.uk..Credits•     Presented by Kerry Daynes•     Produced by Shearwater Media•     Executive producers: Jeff Anderson and Steve Anderson•     Edited by Jeanette Smedley•     Music by Rob WarnerContent noteThis episode contains descriptions of abduction, sexual violence, and a long-unsolved disappearance presumed to be a murder. Listener discretion is advised. If you have been affected by the issues raised, support is available from Victim Support (0808 168 9111), the Suzy Lamplugh Trust (020 7091 0014) and the Samaritans (116 123) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oxford, April 1991. English student Rachel McLean vanishes from the house she shares with friends, mid-way through a weekend of exam revision. Her tutor calls 999. Her boyfriend — a British-born New Zealander named John Tanner — tells detectives he last saw her at Oxford station chatting to a mystery stranger. He gives a detailed description. He fronts a televised appeal. He plays the grieving boyfriend to perfection. But police soon discover that the ‘stranger’ is a figment of his imagination. And, by the time they arrest Tanner, Rachel’s body has been found under the floorboards of her home. Forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes traces a case that changed the way Britain looked at controlling relationships, and asks what Tanner's later New Zealand conviction — for serious violence against another partner — reveal about a man who has always insisted he simply 'snapped' as a result of provocation. Listen now to The Profiler with Kerry Daynes.Key psychological themesThis episode explores: coercive control disguised as devotion • the psychology of the manufactured appeal • jealousy, possession and staged grief • the 'crime of passion' myth • the pattern of a serial domestic abuserContributors featured in this episode•     Kerry Daynes — Forensic psychologist, presenter, and author of Dark Side of the Mind and What Lies Buried.•     Catherine Houlihan — Then a young reporter with the Oxford Mail; covered Rachel's disappearance and the trial.•     Colin Sutton — Retired homicide detective; expert commentator on the original investigation.•     Rod Chaytor — Veteran crime correspondent (ex-Daily Mirror); covered the case throughout.•     John Tanner — In archive footage of the 1991 press-conference appeal for information.What you'll learn in this episode•     Why Rachel's disappearance immediately struck detectives as ‘out of character’.•     How Tanner's 'man at the train station' story unravelled.•     The polished press-conference performance that made Colin Sutton uneasy from the very first viewing.•     Where Rachel's body was found, and how the forensics at the house pointed straight to the person she loved.•     Why Tanner's later New Zealand convictions aren't a coda to this case — they're confirmation of who he always was.•     Kerry's reframing: why 'crimes of passion' are more accurately called crimes of possession.Relevant links and further reading•     Kerry Daynes — Dark Side of the Mind (Endeavour, 2019)•     Kerry Daynes — What Lies Buried (Endeavour, 2021)•     Faking It: Tears of a Crime (Warner Bros. Discovery) — some interviews first featured here. Watch on discoveryplus.com.•     BBC News archive — contemporary coverage of the Rachel McLean investigation and 1991 trial.•     Support — Refuge • Women's Aid • Suzy Lamplugh Trust • Victim SupportSubscribe & followIf you're gripped by The Profiler, with Kerry Daynes, follow the show in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. A rating or review takes just seconds and genuinely helps new listeners find us.Visit theprofiler.co.ukFor an exclusive filmed interview with Kerry Daynes on the cases behind the series — including on the McLean investigation — visit theprofiler.co.uk. Sign up to the mailing list for weekly news and updates from Kerry. Credits•     Presented by Kerry Daynes•     Produced by Shearwater Media•     Executive producers: Jeff Anderson and Steve Anderson•     Editing and Music by Rob Warner•     Edit Assistant: Kay HomanContent noteThis episode contains descriptions of the murder of a young woman by her partner, references to strangulation, and discussion of serial domestic abuse. Listener discretion is advised. If you have been affected by the issues raised, support is available from Refuge (0808 2000 247), Women's Aid, and the Samaritans (116 123). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In November 2015, schoolgirl Kayleigh Haywood told her parents she was going to stay at a friend’s house. She wasn’t. For the previous two weeks the fifteen-year-old had been groomed online by Luke Harlow, a man twelve years her senior. He had bombarded her with over a thousand Facebook messages persuading her to come to his flat in Ibstock, Leicestershire. After she finally agreed, he plied her with alcohol, assaulted her, then introduced her to a rapist and killer. In this episode, forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes examines how two predators — a calculating online groomer and a violent opportunist living next door — converged on one teenage girl who had no idea her life was in danger. Listen now to The Profiler with Kerry Daynes.Key psychological themesThis episode explores: online grooming and the psychology of digital predation • the escalation from flattery to control in sustained coercive communication • the ‘bubble’ dynamic — how secrecy isolates victims from protection • opportunistic sexual violence and male social networks that enable harm • the devastating consequences of a child’s trust exploited by multiple offendersContributors featured in this episode•       Kerry Daynes — Forensic psychologist, presenter, and author of Dark Side of the Mind and What Lies Buried.•       Phil Mackie — BBC News Midlands correspondent who covered the investigation, search, and trial.•       Miranda Moore — Barrister and Crown Prosecutor who led the case against Luke Harlow and Stephen Beadman at Leicester Crown Court.What you’ll learn in this episode•       How Harlow used Facebook to target Kayleigh — and what the thousand-plus messages he sent her reveal about the mechanics of online grooming•       Why Kayleigh kept her contact with Harlow secret — and how that secrecy removed the one protection that might have saved her•       What happened when Harlow introduced his neighbour Stephen Beadman to Kayleigh on the Saturday night — and what that decision set in motion•       How a neighbour’s account of what he believed was a police arrest helped detectives reconstruct Kayleigh’s final hours•       What the physical evidence — bloodstained clothing hidden in an unlit bonfire — revealed about Beadman’s attempts to conceal his crime•       Kerry’s psychological analysis of how two men with very different criminal profiles came together to destroy one young lifeRelevant links and further reading•       Kerry Daynes — Dark Side of the Mind (Endeavour, 2019)•       Kerry Daynes — What Lies Buried (Endeavour, 2021)•       Faking It: Tears of a Crime (Warner Bros. Discovery) — some interviews in this episode were originally featured in the series. Watch on discoveryplus.com.•       https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-36651220 — BBC News: coverage of the Kayleigh Heywood case and trial•       Kayleigh’s Love Story — NSPCC educational film inspired by this case, used in schools to teach young people about online grooming•       Support for those affected — NSPCC Helpline (0808 800 5000) • Victim Support (0808 168 9111)Subscribe & followIf you’re gripped by The Profiler, with Kerry Daynes, follow the show in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. A rating or review takes thirty seconds and genuinely helps new listeners find us.Visit theprofiler.co.ukFor Kerry’s exclusive notes on the cases in this series visit theprofiler.co.uk. Whilst there, subscribe to the newsletter for case updates. Credits•       Presented by Kerry Daynes•       Produced by Shearwater Media•       Executive Producers: Jeff Anderson and Steve Anderson•       Editing & Music: Rob WarnerContent noteThis episode contains descriptions of the grooming and murder of a child, references to sexual violence, and details of a police investigation. Listener discretion is advised. If you have been affected by the issues raised, support is available from the NSPCC (0808 800 5000), Victim Support (0808 168 9111), and the Samaritans (116 123). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Three months after Helen Bailey vanished, a search team lowered themselves into a hidden cesspit beneath her luxury home. What they found there ended a twelve-week missing-person search — and led to Ian Stewart being exposed  as a calculating, money-driven killer who had drugged his fiancée with his own sleeping tablets, dumped her body, and then spun a defence about phantom blackmailers. In the conclusion of this story, forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes follows Stewart’s trial, conviction and sentence – then rewinds to 2010 as police begin investigating the mystery of his first wife’s death.  Listen now to The Profiler with Kerry DaynesKey psychological themesThis episode explores: psychopathy and the absence of empathy • the financial motive and the 'serial widower' pattern • the construction and collapse of an alibi • coercive control culminating in homicide • the role of forensic preservation in cold-case justice Contributors featured in this episode•     Kerry Daynes — Forensic psychologist, presenter, and author•     Colin Sutton — Former Senior Investigating Officer, Metropolitan Police•     Jack Hardy — Press Association journalist who covered both the Helen Bailey and Diane Stewart trials•     Kate Bradbrook — Journalist who covered the 2022 trial for the murder of Diane Stewart.•     Mavis Drake — Helen Bailey's neighbour in Royston, whose intervention proved crucial.What you'll learn in this episode•     What was found in the converted well beneath the garage at the Royston house — and how a 48-hour excavation finally ended the search for Helen.•     How Hertfordshire Police pieced together Stewart's 'phantom blackmailers' defence and demonstrated that it could not be true•     The forensic significance of Zopiclone in Helen's hair — and how it linked her, chemically, to her killer's own prescription•     Why police were drawn back to the death of Stewart's first wife, Diane — and what one hospital had quietly preserved that made a second prosecution possible•     The 999 call from June 2010 that’s been described as 'a complete sham from start to finish'•     Kerry's psychological assessment of why the label 'psychopath' — so often over-used in true-crime — applies to Ian Stewart with unusual precisionRelevant links and further reading•     Kerry Daynes — Dark Side of the Mind (Endeavour, 2019)•     Kerry Daynes — What Lies Buried (Endeavour, 2021)•     Faking It: Tears of a Crime (Warner Bros. Discovery) — some interviews in this episode were originally featured in the series. Watch on discoveryplus.com.•     https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/16/ian-stewart-guilty-of-murdering-first-wife-diane-stewart — The Guardian: 'Ian Stewart found guilty of murdering first wife Diane Stewart'•     https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-60413716 — BBC News: full coverage of the Diane Stewart trial and verdict•     https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/what-happened-helen-baileys-beloved-12646909 — Cambridge News: aftermath of the Helen Bailey case•     Support for those bereaved by homicide — Victim Support • AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse)Subscribe & followIf you're gripped by The Profiler, with Kerry Daynes, follow the show in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. A rating or review takes thirty seconds and genuinely helps new listeners find us.Visit theprofiler.co.ukFor Kerry’s in-depth notes accompanying each episode in the series visit theprofiler.co.uk. Subscribe to the newsletter for case updates, parole-hearing alerts, and early access to new episodes.Credits•     Presented by Kerry Daynes•     Produced by Shearwater Media•     Executive producers: Jeff Anderson and Steve Anderson•     Editing & Music: Rob WarnerContent noteThis episode contains descriptions of homicide, references to the discovery of human remains, and the re-investigation of a previous suspected death. Listener discretion is advised. If you have been affected by the issues raised, support is available from Victim Support (0808 168 9111), AAFDA (0207 186 8270), and the Samaritans (116 123). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In April 2016, the bestselling children's author Helen Bailey vanished from her £1.4 million home. Her fiancé Ian Stewart called the police, then wrote an open letter begging her to return. But, behind the public grief, he was hiding a terrible secret. Forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes traces how 51-year-old Helen fell for a quiet, unassuming father of two she met on a Facebook bereavement group after her husband’s death. She and Stewart got engaged. But as the wedding approached, she grew exhausted and forgetful. Then, on Monday April 11th, every trace of her online life suddenly went dark. This is the story of how detectives saw past Stewart's lies and began to suspect he was a man who had not only murdered once – but twice. Key psychological themesThis episode explores: the predatory courtship of a grieving widow • performative grief and manufactured intimacy • coercive control disguised as care • the psychology of a killer who stays close to the investigationContributors•     Kerry Daynes — Forensic psychologist, TV presenter, and author.•     Colin Sutton — Former Senior Investigating Officer, Metropolitan Police; expert commentator on the Stewart case.•     Jack Hardy — Press Association journalist who covered the Helen Bailey investigation and trial.•     Mavis Drake — Neighbour and close friend of Helen Bailey in Royston.•     Trevor McCallum — Close friend of Helen and her first husband, John Sinfield.•     Helen Bailey — In archive video-blog material from October 2015.What you'll learn in this episode•     How a Facebook group for the bereaved became the meeting place that would change — and end — Helen Bailey's life•     What Kerry Daynes calls the 'predatory courtship' — how some offenders identify, isolate and emotionally re-shape a grieving partner•     Why Helen's friends were taken aback by the man she chose to marry — and why their unease did not, on its own, protect her•     The chronic fatigue, confusion and memory loss Helen began suffering in the months before her disappearance — and what toxicology reports revealed•     How police pieced together what happened on April 11th 2016 — and why Stewart's own account of his fiancée's disappearance kept shifting•     The reason a passing remark from a neighbour became one of the most important moments in the case•     Why detectives, by the end of this episode, were no longer sure that Helen was Ian Stewart's first victimRelevant links and further reading•     Kerry Daynes — Dark Side of the Mind (Endeavour, 2019) What Lies Buried (Endeavour, 2021)•     Faking It (Warner Bros. Discovery) — some interviews in this episode were originally featured in the series. Watch on discoveryplus.com.•     https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/feb/23/helen-bailey-murder-ian-stewart-jailed-years-killing-author — The Guardian: contemporary trial coverage and verdict•     https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4105158/ — Daily Mail: 'Partner of children's author Helen Bailey goes on trial'•     Helen Bailey — When Bad Things Happen in Good Bikinis (Blink, 2015) — her own writing on grief and the early days with Ian Stewart•     Support for those bereaved by homicide — Victim Support • AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse)Subscribe & followFollow the show in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. A rating/review is quick and helps new listeners find us.Visit theprofiler.co.ukFor an exclusive filmed interview with Kerry Daynes on the cases behind the series — including untold detail on the Ian Stewart story - visit theprofiler.co.uk. Subscribe to the newsletter for case updates, parole-hearing alerts, and early access to episodes.Credits•     Presented by Kerry Daynes•     Produced by Shearwater Media•     Executive producers: Jeff Anderson and Steve Anderson•     Editing & Music by Rob WarnerContent noteThis episode contains descriptions of homicide, the drugging and isolation of a partner, and the discovery of human remains. Listener discretion advised. If you have been affected by the issues raised, speak to Victim Support (0808 168 9111) and the Samaritans (116 123). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Easter Sunday 2023, retired couple Stephen and Carol Baxter were found dead in the conservatory of their home on Mersea Island, off the Essex coast. Initially their deaths were - until toxicology revealed both had been poisoned with the powerful opioid fentanyl. Suspicion fell on Luke D’Wit, the unassuming IT consultant who had spent a decade quietly embedding himself in the Baxters’ lives as friend, employee and unofficial carer. In this episode, forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes profiles a real-life puppet master — a man who built twenty fake online identities to control his victims, forged a will to inherit their business, and watched on a hidden phone feed as they died. Listen now to The Profiler, with Kerry Daynes. Key psychological themesThis episode explores: psychopathy and the urge for control • the long con — grooming adults over a decade • catfishing and the use of fake online identities • performative care and the "surrogate son" persona • power, patience and the puppet-master mindset Contributors featured in this episodeKerry Daynes — Forensic psychologist, presenter, and author of Dark Side of the Mind and What Lies Buried.Ellis Whitehouse — Chief Reporter, Essex Live; covered the case from the day the bodies were discovered.Hannah Pettifer — ITV News reporter; reported on the investigation and trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.Gary Cunningham — Former homicide detective.Professor Atholl Johnston — Professor of Clinical Pharmacology; expert on fentanyl and overdose.Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby — Senior investigating officer, Essex Police  What you'll learn in this episodeHow Luke D’Wit spent ten years embedding himself in the Baxters’ lives as IT consultant, friend and carer for CarolWhy fentanyl — fifty times stronger than heroin and a hundred times stronger than morphine — was the near-perfect murder weaponHow D’Wit created twenty fake online identities, including a Florida-based doctor and a confidante called "Jenny", to control Carol Baxter’s medical treatmentWhat a metal tack found inside Carol’s body, more than a year before the murders, revealed about D’Wit’s earlier intentionsWhy a hidden phone live-streaming the Baxters’ final hours back to D’Wit’s home was the "silver bullet" piece of evidenceWhat Kerry Daynes identifies as the true motive — power and control, not money — once D’Wit’s plan to inherit a failing business unravelled Relevant links and further readingKerry Daynes — Dark Side of the Mind (Endeavour, 2019)Kerry Daynes — What Lies Buried (Endeavour, 2021)https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/listen-999-call-between-accused-9100011 — Essex Live: the harrowing 999 call from the sceneEssex Police — DI Rob Kirby on convicted killer Luke D’Wit (court-steps statement, available on Essex Police’s YouTube channel)BBC News and The Guardian — contemporary coverage of the Mersea Island murders and the Chelmsford Crown Court trialSupport for those affected by sudden bereavement, poisoning and coercive control — Cruse Bereavement Support • Victim Support • Hourglass (for older victims of abuse) Subscribe & followIf you’re gripped by The Profiler, with Kerry Daynes, follow the show in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. A rating or review takes thirty seconds and genuinely helps new listeners find us. Visit theprofiler.co.ukFor an exclusive filmed interview with Kerry Daynes on the cases behind the series — including untold detail on the Luke D’Wit investigation — visit theprofiler.co.uk. Subscribe to the newsletter for case updates, parole-hearing alerts, and early access to new episodes. Content noteThis episode contains an emergency-services recording made at the scene of two sudden deaths, and descriptions of poisoning, coercive control and the deliberate killing of vulnerable adults. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If you have been affected by the issues raised, support is available from Cruse Bereavement Support (0808 808 1677) and Victim Support (0808 168 9111). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By the summer of 1997, eight-year-old Jamie Lavis had been missing for nearly a month — and the Manchester bus driver who killed him, Darren Vickers, had vanished too. Tracked down to a North Wales fairground, where he was strapping children in and out of rides, Vickers was arrested, then released for lack of evidence, and welcomed back to the Lavis family home with a celebration party. In Part 2, forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes follows the police hunt for Jamie’s body in Reddish Vale Park, the trial that exposed Vickers as a grooming predator and child sexual abuser, and the chilling jailhouse confession he made only after the verdict was in. This is the story of how detectives finally broke through one of Britain’s most brazen killers. Listen now to The Profiler, with Kerry Daynes. Key psychological themesThis episode explores: brazen manipulation • performative empathy and staged grief • the predator who returns to the scene • grooming and child sexual abuse • blame-shifting and false allegations • the psychology of a post-conviction confession Contributors featured in this episodeKerry Daynes — Forensic psychologist, presenter, and author of Dark Side of the Mind and What Lies Buried.Roy Rainford — Retired Senior Investigating Officer, Greater Manchester Police; led the Jamie Lavis murder investigation.Asif Husein — Former Greater Manchester Police Family Liaison Officer to the Lavis family; arrested Vickers in North Wales.David Ward — Former Northern Correspondent for The Guardian; covered the case and the trial.Jeff Anderson — Former Head of News, ITV Granada, Manchester. What you'll learn in this episodeHow Darren Vickers tried to evade arrest by fleeing to a North Wales fairground job that put him in daily contact with childrenWhy Vickers kept returning to Reddish Vale Park — and what Kerry Daynes says that compulsion reveals about himHow a single jaw bone, identified through dental records, finally gave detectives enough to charge himWhat QC Brian Leveson’s courtroom address exposed about the grooming and sexual abuse of Jamie LavisWhy Vickers confessed to senior detective Roy Rainford only AFTER the jury’s guilty verdictHow Karen Lavis went from defending her son’s killer to telling the press, on the courthouse steps, that justice had been done Relevant links and further readingKerry Daynes — Dark Side of the Mind (Endeavour, 2019)Kerry Daynes — What Lies Buried (Endeavour, 2021)Faking It: Tears of a Crime (Warner Bros. Discovery) — some interviews in this episode were originally featured in the series. Watch on https://www.discoveryplus.comhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/326657.stm — BBC News archive: contemporary coverage of the Jamie Lavis casehttps://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/disturbing-picture-shows-how-evil-15392826 — Manchester Evening News: how an evil child killer wormed his way into his victim’s familySupport for families of missing or murdered children — Missing People (UK) • Victim Support • NSPCC Subscribe & followIf you’re gripped by The Profiler, with Kerry Daynes, follow the show in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. A rating or review takes thirty seconds and genuinely helps new listeners find us. Visit theprofiler.co.ukFor an exclusive filmed interview with Kerry Daynes on the cases behind the series — including untold detail on the Jamie Lavis investigation — visit theprofiler.co.uk. Subscribe to the newsletter for case updates, parole-hearing alerts, and early access to new episodes. CreditsPresented by Kerry DaynesProduced by Shearwater MediaExecutive producers: Jeff Anderson and Steve AndersonEditing & Music by Rob Warner Content noteThis episode contains descriptions of the abduction, sexual abuse and murder of a child, and references to the discovery of human remains. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If you have been affected by the issues raised, support is available from the NSPCC (0808 800 5000) and Victim Support (0808 168 9111) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In June 1997, eight-year-old Jamie Lavis vanished on his way home in Manchester. As his family launched a desperate search, a local bus driver — Darren Vickers — led appeals, comforted Jamie's mother, and walked the same streets where, days earlier, he had killed the boy. Forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes profiles a manipulative predator who weaponises trust and proximity to deflect suspicion: a killer who didn't run, but moved closer. This is the story of how the search for Jamie was, quietly, being steered by the man who already knew where he was. Listen now to The Profiler, with Kerry Daynes.Key psychological themesThis episode explores: manipulative predators • hiding in plain sight • staged grief and performative empathy • the psychology of proximity to an investigation • how communities mis-read familiarity as safetyContributors featured in this episode•       Kerry Daynes — Forensic psychologist, presenter, and author of Dark Side of the Mind and What Lies Buried.•       Roy Rainford — former detective who led the investigation into Jamie’s disappearance.•       Asif Hussain – former police family liaison officer who first raised suspicions about Vickers.•       Jeff Anderson, former Head of News, ITV Granada•       David Ward — former Guardian journalist who interviewed Vickers before he became the prime suspect.What you'll learn in this episode•       Why some predators move toward an investigation rather than away from it — and what that behaviour reveals about their psychology•       How Vickerss used everyday roles — bus driver, neighbour, helper — to gain access to the Lavis family•       What Kerry Daynes calls "performative empathy": the way manipulative offenders mimic grief to disarm suspicion•       Why the small town familiarity that should have protected Jamie became the cover that allowed his killer to operate•       How the case changed the way Greater Manchester Police thought about volunteers in missing-child investigationsRelevant links and further reading•       Kerry Daynes — Dark Side of the Mind (Endeavour, 2019)•       Kerry Daynes — What Lies Buried (Endeavour, 2021)•       http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/326657.stm  — BBC News archive: contemporary coverage of the Jamie Lavis case•       https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/disturbing-picture-shows-how-evil-15392826  — Manchester Evening News: "The Disturbing Picture Which Shoes How An Evil Child Killer Wormed His way Into His Victim’s Family”•       Support for families of missing or murdered children — Missing People (UK) • Victim SupportSubscribe & followIf you're gripped by The Profiler, with Kerry Daynes, follow the show in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. A rating or review takes thirty seconds and genuinely helps new listeners find us.Visit theprofiler.co.ukFor an exclusive filmed interview with Kerry Daynes on the cases behind the series — including untold detail on the Jamie Lavis investigation — visit theprofiler.co.uk. Subscribe to the newsletter for case updates, parole-hearing alerts, and early access to new episodes.Credits•       Presented by Kerry Daynes•       Produced by Shearwater Media•       Executive producers: Jeff Anderson and Steve Anderson•       Editing and Music by Rob WarnerContent noteThis episode contains descriptions of the abduction and murder of a child. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If you have been affected by the issues raised, support is available from the NSPCC (0808 800 5000) and Victim Support (0808 168 9111). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.