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RGU Crime Files

RGU Crime Files

By: Pete McIntosh Mearns & Gill
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Welcome to RGU Crime Files, the podcast that unearths the North-east of Scotland's most gripping true crime stories and the legal and social questions they raise.

Hosted by Pete McIntosh and featuring expert voices from Robert Gordon University’s School of Law and Social Sciences, each episode explores a real-life historic case that shook communities, tested the justice system, and still resonates today.

This isn’t just about what happened, it’s about why it matters. Through compelling storytelling and expert discussion, we’ll examine the lasting impact of these crimes on society, law, and public perception.

Whether you're a true crime fan, a student of justice, or simply curious about how the past shapes our world today, RGU Crime Files invites you to go beyond the headlines and into the heart of the case.

© 2025 RGU Crime Files True Crime
Episodes
  • Episode 5 - The Last Man to be Hanged in Scotland

    Episode 5 - The Last Man to be Hanged in Scotland
    Oct 23 2025

    Aberdeen, 1963. As the death penalty nears its end across the UK, a crime of passion shatters the city’s uneasy calm. Henry John Burnett, a young fishmonger, is consumed by an obsessive love that ends in murder.

    Captured after Scotland’s largest manhunt, Burnett becomes the last man to be executed in Scotland.

    In this episode, with expert insight from Robert Gordon University’s School of Law and Social Sciences, we explore the gripping true story behind the killing, the final days of capital punishment, and the complex questions of justice and closure it left behind.

    Curious to learn more? Turn curiosity into a career and explore RGU’s range of law and criminology courses at rgu.ac.uk/lawandsocialsciences.
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    31 mins
  • Episode 4 - Witches in Aberdeen

    Episode 4 - Witches in Aberdeen
    Oct 23 2025

    In the late 16th century, Aberdeen became a hotspot for one of the darkest chapters in Scottish history. Accusations of witchcraft spread like wildfire, fuelled by fear, superstition, and the influence of King James VI.

    In 1597 alone, 31 people were accused. 27 were executed. This episode explores the paranoia behind the witch trials, the brutal treatment of the accused, and the societal forces that enabled the persecution.

    Featuring expert insights from Robert Gordon University’s School of Law and Social Sciences, we reflect on what these events reveal about justice, fear, and the dangers of unchecked power.

    Curious to learn more? Turn curiosity into a career and explore RGU’s range of law and criminology courses at rgu.ac.uk/lawandsocialsciences.
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    33 mins
  • Episode 3 - Body Snatching and the Anatomy Riot

    Episode 3 - Body Snatching and the Anatomy Riot
    Oct 23 2025

    In 19th-century Aberdeen, the dead were no longer safe. As medical schools struggled to meet the demand for dissection cadavers, grave robbers began to raid local kirkyards, fuelled by profit and a growing market for bodies.

    But when the public discovered what was happening, outrage turned to violence, leading to the Anatomy Riot.

    Featuring expert insight from Robert Gordon University’s School of Law and Social Sciences, we uncover the chilling world of body snatching, the ethical and legal dilemmas it exposed, and how it shaped the future of medical law in Scotland.

    Curious to learn more? Turn curiosity into a career and explore RGU’s range of law and criminology courses at rgu.ac.uk/lawandsocialsciences.
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    34 mins
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