Week 11-
They Walk Among Us: real-life crimes that are scarily close to home
This cult podcast uncovers the stories of the UK’s most chilling crimes. And it’s a real nightmare-inducer.
True-crime podcasts have been a winning genre in 2016, with impeccable storytelling from series such as Serial, Criminal and Unsolved.
Now a new British podcast, They Walk Among Us (iTunes), retraces some of the UK’s most intriguing crimes. Don’t be fooled by the understated and businesslike style of mysterious narrator, Benjamin: these stories unfold in a sinister and often surreal way.
What is chilling about They Walk Among Us is its focus on cases that are close to home; its tales are simultaneously unexpected yet familiar (all have been headline-grabbers). It is co-written by husband-and-wife team Benjamin and Rosie (we are not given their last names), who are obsessed with true crime and record the show in their bedroom.
The opening episode tells the tale of Sadie Hartley, who died after being stabbed on her doorstep. It is painstakingly well researched, recounting the backstory of Sarah Williams, who was found guilty of the murder. Portrayed in the media as a “bunny boiler”, she became infatuated with Hartley’s husband, Ian Johnston, after a fling and left a tangled web of explicit texts, menacing letters and damning evidence. It is the stuff of 9pm TV drama, except it is all real.
The opening episode tells the tale of Sadie Hartley, who died after being stabbed on her doorstep. It is painstakingly well researched, recounting the backstory of Sarah Williams, who was found guilty of the murder. Portrayed in the media as a “bunny boiler”, she became infatuated with Hartley’s husband, Ian Johnston, after a fling and left a tangled web of explicit texts, menacing letters and damning evidence. It is the stuff of 9pm TV drama, except it is all real.
Jeremy Hunt proposes ban on sexting for under-18s
Social media companies should use technological solutions to bar young people from sending explicit messages and cyberbullying, says health secretary
Under-18s should be prevented by social media companies from texting sexually explicit images, the health secretary has said. Giving evidence to the Commons health committee on suicide prevention efforts, Jeremy Hunt also called for a crackdown on cyberbullying by the technology industry via the introduction of software that can detect when it is happening.
Hunt said social media firms needed to do more to combat the culture of online intimidation and sexual imagery, which is having a negative impact on the mental health of young people.
“I think social media companies need to step up to the plate and show us how they can be the solution to the issue of mental ill health amongst teenagers, and not the cause of the problem,” he said. “There is a lot of evidence that the technology industry, if they put their mind to it, can do really smart things.
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