Real Cases. Real Cops. Real Talk.
Crime Time Inc.
Former detectives Tom Wood and Simon McLean bring you inside Scotland's most gripping criminal cases. Real investigations. Real insight. No fluff.
5
Seasons
268+
Episodes
★ 5
Apple Podcasts
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S7 · E4 · 19:45
Lockerbie: The Mas'ud Confession, the Evidence and the Trial Ahead
Lockerbie: The Mas'ud Confession, the Evidence and the Trial Ahead Former Scottish detectives Tom Wood and Simon McLean examine the case against Abu Agila Mas'ud — and what the US trial could reveal about Pan Am Flight 103. More than three decades after the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, the investigation is once again heading into a courtroom. In this episode, Tom and Simon look ahead to the US prosecution of Abu Agila Mas'ud and discuss one of the most significant recent developments in the case: a federal judge's decision allowing prosecutors to put Mas'ud's alleged 2012 confession before the jury. But a confession alone is not enough. Drawing on their own experience as detectives, Tom and Simon examine how prosecutors will need to build a coherent chain of supporting evidence — and how the defence will attempt to break that chain and create reasonable doubt. They also discuss the extraordinary scale of the original Lockerbie investigation, the international cooperation between police and intelligence agencies, the painstaking recovery and cataloguing of evidence across a vast area, and the challenges of presenting evidence accumulated across almost four decades. The conversation also turns to the continuing controversy surrounding Lockerbie, the conviction of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the acquittal of Lamin Khalifah Fhimah, and allegations that have been made about the Scottish investigation and judiciary. Tom speaks personally about detectives and senior figures involved in the case whom he knew and worked alongside, and explains why he strongly rejects suggestions that the Scottish investigation or judges were corrupt. As the Mas'ud case develops, Crime Time Inc. intends to keep following the evidence and return to the trial as significant developments emerge. Timestamps 00:00 — Cold open: Mas'ud, the alleged confession and the evidential chain 00:55 — Lockerbie returns to court nearly four decades later 01:14 — Why conspiracy theories grow around major investigations 02:25 — Police, intelligence agencies and competing national interests 03:41 — The unprecedented international scale of the Lockerbie investigation 04:07 — What Tom hopes the new trial will finally establish 04:49 — Tom's personal connection to detectives involved in Lockerbie 05:29 — The Netflix portrayal and the reality of a huge police inquiry 06:00 — Recovering, cataloguing and tracing evidence across hundreds of square miles 08:18 — Lockerbie's response to victims' families and the human side of the disaster 09:56 — The major development: Mas'ud's alleged 2012 confession can go before the jury 10:48 — Confessions, recorded interviews and lessons from detective interviewing 11:56 — The enormous volume of evidence facing prosecution and defence 13:12 — Why Crime Time Inc. plans to follow the trial closely 13:46 — Building the prosecution's evidential chain — and how the defence can break it 14:23 — Could the trial produce evidence affecting others connected to the case? 15:14 — Megrahi, Fhimah and the previous Lockerbie trial 15:50 — Tom strongly defends the integrity of the Scottish judges 18:21 — Tom and Simon lighten the mood 18:51 — Remembering Lockerbie and the detectives who devoted years to the investigation Crime Time Inc. — Real cases. Real detectives. Real talk. About Crime Time Inc. Season 5 of Crime Time Inc. broadens its reach across two sides of the Atlantic. This season features cases from Scotland and across the wider UK — rooted in real investigative experience — alongside deep dives into some of the most infamous murder cases in American history. Hosted by former detectives Simon and Tom, with experience in both the UK and the United States, including time working alongside the FBI, the show strips away sensationalism to explain how crime and justice really work. Two crime worlds. One podcast. New episodes released regularly throughout the season. Our Website: https://crimetimeinc.com/ If you like this show please leave a review. It really helps us. Please help us improve our Podcast by completing this survey. http://bit.ly/crimetimeinc-survey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S7 · E3 · 18:10
Simon Levy: Two Murders, Multiple Failures — What Went Wrong?
How can repeated failures across the criminal justice system allow a dangerous offender to remain a threat? In this episode of Crime Time Inc. Weekly News, former detectives Tom Wood and Simon McLean examine the case of Simon Levy and the murders of Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and Sheryl Wilkins. Tom and Simon look beyond the crimes themselves to the series of decisions and system failures surrounding Levy's offending history. They discuss acknowledged errors involving the Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police and Crown Prosecution Service, and examine how information was handled as his offending escalated. The discussion includes delays in charging, failures to place crucial information before the court when bail was being considered, inadequate monitoring as a registered sex offender, missed court appearances and the decision to downgrade his risk assessment from high to medium. Drawing on decades of real investigative experience, Tom and Simon consider where responsibility lies when individual officers may be capable and conscientious but the systems around them fail. Tom reflects on his own experience as a Senior Investigating Officer, the importance of supervision, properly resourced murder squads, intelligence systems such as HOLMES, and the need to make sure critical information is actually joined together. They also discuss accountability when investigations go wrong — including the extraordinary prospect of officers involved in the Levy investigation themselves facing investigation — and ask whether these were isolated mistakes or evidence of a much wider systemic problem. As Tom puts it, policing needs good people and good systems. In this case, their conclusion is stark: The dots were not joined up. Tom Wood and Simon McLean bring decades of experience in murder investigations, serious crime, undercover policing and senior operational command to examine what happened, what should have happened, and what lessons policing must learn. Contains discussion of murder, sexual offending and violence. Chapters 00:00 Cold Open 00:48 Simon Levy: Two Murders and a Criminal Justice Failure 01:46 Sex-Offender Risk & Missed Warning Signs 02:58 The Timeline: Assaults, Rape, Bail and Murder 04:08 Inconclusive Postmortems & Forensic Delays 06:28 SIO Accountability & Investigating the Investigators 08:50 Arrested, Released — Then a Second Murder 10:48 “The Dots Were Not Joined Up”: Resources, HOLMES & Murder Squads 12:07 Bail, Monitoring, Missed Court Dates & Risk Downgrade 13:28 Portobello, Robert Black & Why Appearances Can Deceive 15:44 Assumptions, Bias & Judging People by Appearance Real cases. Real detectives. Real talk. CrimeTimeInc.com About Crime Time Inc. Season 5 of Crime Time Inc. broadens its reach across two sides of the Atlantic. This season features cases from Scotland and across the wider UK — rooted in real investigative experience — alongside deep dives into some of the most infamous murder cases in American history. Hosted by former detectives Simon and Tom, with experience in both the UK and the United States, including time working alongside the FBI, the show strips away sensationalism to explain how crime and justice really work. Two crime worlds. One podcast. New episodes released regularly throughout the season. Our Website: https://crimetimeinc.com/ If you like this show please leave a review. It really helps us. Please help us improve our Podcast by completing this survey. http://bit.ly/crimetimeinc-survey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S7 · E2 · 21:54
Facial Recognition: The Future of Policing? | Ex-Detectives Analyse
Could facial recognition become the biggest breakthrough in catching criminals since DNA matching? Live facial recognition is becoming an increasingly powerful tool for police — but as the technology expands, so does the debate over privacy, surveillance, regulation and the rights of innocent people caught on camera. In this episode of Crime Time Inc., former Scottish detectives Tom Wood and Simon McLean examine the growing use of facial recognition technology, CCTV and digital evidence in modern policing. Tom argues that facial recognition could become as important to criminal investigations as fingerprints, CCTV and DNA, while Simon puts the opposing arguments to him: should police be able to routinely scan thousands of innocent people simply because the technology can identify wanted suspects? They discuss the need for safeguards, regulation and courtroom scrutiny, as well as the increasing importance of CCTV, doorbell cameras and other visual evidence in major investigations. The conversation also explores identification evidence and corroboration in Scottish criminal law. Tom explains why identifying a suspect is only part of the evidential picture — and why another independent strand of evidence can be crucial. Then the discussion turns to police warrants and the reality of tracking down wanted people. Tom and Simon explain the different types of warrants officers encounter, including non-payment warrants, non-appearance warrants, arrest warrants, search warrants, European Arrest Warrants, extradition and surveillance warrants. Drawing on their own policing careers, they recall the days of folders containing hundreds of outstanding warrants, early-morning attempts to trace wanted suspects, prisoner escorts across Britain — and one memorable flight involving a prisoner facing 22 years behind bars and a final whisky. Finally, Tom considers what happens when artificial intelligence, facial recognition and police databases begin working together. Could officers eventually receive real-time alerts identifying wanted people as they move through towns and cities? And could technology help policing compensate for growing pressure on resources across the criminal justice system? In this episode: 00:00 — Cold Open 00:59 — Facial Recognition: The Future of Policing? 03:00 — Privacy, Regulation & CCTV Evidence 06:21 — The Biggest Breakthrough Since DNA? 07:48 — Identification, ID Parades & Corroboration 10:34 — Warrants and Wanted Suspects 14:06 — Prisoner Escorts & the “Last Whisky” 16:55 — Arrest, Search, European & Surveillance Warrants 19:53 — AI, Facial Recognition & Police Resources Hosted by former detectives Tom Wood and Simon McLean. Real cases. Real detectives. Real talk. About Crime Time Inc. Season 5 of Crime Time Inc. broadens its reach across two sides of the Atlantic. This season features cases from Scotland and across the wider UK — rooted in real investigative experience — alongside deep dives into some of the most infamous murder cases in American history. Hosted by former detectives Simon and Tom, with experience in both the UK and the United States, including time working alongside the FBI, the show strips away sensationalism to explain how crime and justice really work. Two crime worlds. One podcast. New episodes released regularly throughout the season. Our Website: https://crimetimeinc.com/ If you like this show please leave a review. It really helps us. Please help us improve our Podcast by completing this survey. http://bit.ly/crimetimeinc-survey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Hosts
Straight From the Case Files
Tom Wood
Co-Host
Tom Wood is a retired detective, former Deputy Chief Constable and bestselling author of "Ruxton: The First Modern Murder". With decades of experience in Scottish law enforcement, Tom brings unparalleled insight into criminal investigations and forensic history.
Simon McLean
Co-Host
Simon McLean is a former detective and undercover cop. His experience spans organised crime, serious assault, and complex criminal networks across Scotland.
Chris Burt
Producer
Chris Burt is the producer of Crime Time Inc, handling all aspects of audio production, post-production, and digital content.
Listener Reviews
What Listeners Say
Absolutely Gripping
“Tom and Simon bring an authenticity to true crime that you just can't fake. Having two actual detectives walk you through these cases is incredible. Essential listening.”
— ScottishCrimeFan · Apple Podcasts
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