True Nightmare Stories

Creator at Obomedia

Some experiences stay with people because they are difficult to explain and even harder to forget. A strange sound in the dark, an unsettling encounter, or a night that takes an unexpected turn can become the kind of story that is repeated for years. True Nightmare Stories brings together disturbing accounts, frightening situations, and moments that leave people questioning what really happened. The podcast focuses on stories that feel close to real life, whether they involve unexplained events, dangerous situations, or fear that grows from something ordinary. Not every story offers a clear answer, and that uncertainty is often what makes the memory linger long after the moment has passed.

  1. 11h ago

    Satan, Speedos and a Cold Shepherd's Pie: The Southwark Murder

    Satan, Speedos and a Cold Shepherd's Pie: The Southwark Murder The first sight: a man in pink speedos and aviator sunglasses answering the door with a calm confession - "I've killed a police officer. Satan told me to do it." A shepherd's pie cooling in Dartford and eighteen unanswered calls sat alongside that moment; how did ordinary domestic life collide with a six-day descent into murder and concealment? In this episode, we follow the timeline from the April 1st meeting on Southwark Street through the days that followed, outlining the actions, purchases and missed signals that preceded discovery. What choices and missed chances allowed one man to disappear while another sat home waiting for his dinner? Person: Stefano Brizzi Person: Gordon Semple Date: April 1, 2016 Location: Southwark Street, South London Event: Missing person reported April 2; smell reported April 4; body discovered after April 5 - Gordon Semple was 59 years old and a police officer with 30 years' service. - Stefano Brizzi was born June 26, 1966, and moved to London in 2012. - Semple's partner called his phone 18 times over 90 minutes the evening he disappeared. - Brizzi entered a DIY store on April 5 and was filmed measuring buckets by putting his head and shoulders inside them. - Neighbors and a caretaker noticed a smell on April 4 and logged it; discovery actions continued for three more days. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    Satan, Speedos and a Cold Shepherd's Pie: The Southwark Murder
  2. 1d ago

    He Walked Into A Hospital With Someone Else's Name-and Killed Trust

    He Walked Into A Hospital With Someone Else's Name-and Killed Trust The thought that a stranger could walk into a hospital, put on a white coat, and instantly be trusted is quietly terrifying - and it happened again and again over twenty-five years. Paul Bint used at least twenty-four different identities, posed as doctors and aristocrats, and once told grieving parents their seventeen-year-old daughter would be fine before she died six hours later; how did institutions keep saying yes? In this episode, we follow the chronology of Paul Bint’s deceptions and the moments that reveal why people believed him, from teenage intrusions in 1983 to convictions across the 1980s and 1990s. We trace the incidents that exposed gaps in verification and ask what made a hospital corridor accept a stranger as authority. Person: Paul Bint Period: 1983-1993 (noted incidents) Age at 2003 interview: 41 Sentence (2003): Four years and four months Convictions mentioned: five years (1984 sentence), additional four years (aristocratic con) - In 1983 he first entered a hospital in Kettering wearing a white coat and stethoscope as a teenager. - By 1984 he worked under the name Dr. Dominic York at Whittington Hospital and other London hospitals. - He administered twelve stitches to a patient with a head injury and attended a patient with a collapsed lung during his fake shifts. - Over twenty-five years he accumulated more than one hundred offences, more than twenty court appearances, and at least twenty-four different identities. - In 1993 at St. James's and York District Hospitals he told parents their 17-year-old daughter would survive; she died six hours later. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    He Walked Into A Hospital With Someone Else's Name-and Killed Trust
  3. 2d ago

    The Trail That Swallowed Her: Greens Creek's Unseen Witnesses

    The Trail That Swallowed Her: Greens Creek's Unseen Witnesses The suburbs felt safe until a summer trail became a crime scene: Ardith Wood was found partially buried 25 meters from Greens Creek with algae in her lungs, her borrowed bicycle submerged, and no DNA or fingerprints linking anyone to the bank. How did a shirtless man seen approaching multiple women vanish from the physical evidence, and what did the teenager who heard the scream decide when her thumb hovered over 911? In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning Ardith borrowed her brother’s bicycle to the discovery of her body five days later, following witness accounts, search efforts, and the eventual conviction that relied on a partial confession and a hand-drawn sketch. What failures and near-misses on those trails changed one afternoon into a five-year investigation? Person: Ardith Wood Date: August 6-11, 2003 Location: Greens Creek trails, Orleans, Ottawa Cause of death: Drowning Evidence status: No DNA or fingerprints recovered from creek bank - Ardith was 27 years old and borrowed her brother’s bicycle on the morning of August 6, 2003. - The bicycle was found submerged in Greens Creek before Ardith’s body was recovered. - Ardith’s body was found partially buried behind two large trees, 25 meters from the east bank, on August 11, 2003. - Algae from Greens Creek was found in Ardith’s lungs, indicating she drowned in the creek. - Investigators had no forensic evidence linking anyone to the creek bank; the conviction relied on a partial confession, a hand-drawn sketch, and witness testimony. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    The Trail That Swallowed Her: Greens Creek's Unseen Witnesses
  4. 3d ago

    The Night an Eight-Year-Old Vanished: The White Van Clue

    The Night an Eight-Year-Old Vanished: The White Van Clue The quiet of a West Sussex field was shattered by one ordinary detail: a white van seen driving away as an eight-year-old girl stepped through a hedgerow. Within 60 seconds Sarah Payne had disappeared; within days the search swelled to over a thousand officers and a single petrol receipt would change everything. How did one scrap of paper become the linchpin that exposed a killer? In this episode, we tell what happened the evening Sarah Payne vanished, how the police expanded a local search into a massive operation, and how a found receipt contradicted a suspect’s alibi and shifted the case. What the receipt revealed and why it mattered is the question that drives the story. Person: Sarah Payne Age: eight Location: Kingston Gorse, West Sussex Date: 1 July 2000 Suspect: Roy Whiting, 41 - Sarah was with four of her five siblings in a field in front of her grandparents' home the evening she disappeared. - Lee, her thirteen-year-old brother, followed her through a gap in the hedgerow and found her gone within seconds. - The emergency call was made at 9:00 p.m. and within two hours over 100 officers were deployed. - By Sunday morning the search involved 500 officers, and within three to four days it exceeded 1,000 personnel. - A petrol receipt dated 1 July 2000 found in Roy Whiting’s white van placed him on a route toward Crawley, contradicting his claim he had been at a fair in Hove. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    The Night an Eight-Year-Old Vanished: The White Van Clue
  5. 4d ago

    The Hidden Psychiatric Report That Let a Fake Spy Walk Free

    The Hidden Psychiatric Report That Let a Fake Spy Walk Free A sealed psychiatric report, never shown to the judge and buried by a defense team, may be the single document that explains how a man convinced multiple people he was an MI5 agent. The case includes a decade of manipulation, at least £390,000 extracted from one victim's family, and the fact that the man described in the report walked free after five years - so what did the report say? In this episode, we follow the timeline from a pub in Newport in January 1993 to Heathrow in autumn 2003, tracing how Robert Hendy-Freegard constructed a total fiction that trapped victims into isolation, money transfers, and fear, and we return again to the sealed psychiatric report as the key unresolved element that could change everything. Person: Robert Hendy-Freegard Date of birth: 1 March 1971 Location of first con contact: Newport, Shropshire Amount given by John Atkinson to Freegard: approximately £390,000 Heathrow meeting: autumn 2003 - Freegard was born in Derbyshire on 1 March 1971. - In January 1993 Freegard began telling students at Harper Adams he worked for MI5. - Sarah Smith had an inheritance of £188,000. - John Atkinson eventually gave Freegard approximately £390,000, mostly his family's money. - The man described in the sealed psychiatric report was released after serving five years in prison. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    The Hidden Psychiatric Report That Let a Fake Spy Walk Free
  6. 5d ago

    She Had the Key: The Forgotten Aconite That Killed "Lucky"

    She Had the Key: The Forgotten Aconite That Killed "Lucky" A quiet West London kitchen hid a lethal secret: a jar of curry laced with Aconitum ferox, a plant whose active compound pseudoaconitina is described as the most virulent aconite known. The first attack in December 2008 left both victims hospitalized and undiagnosed; weeks later the same jar proved fatal - who used the key and why was the poison almost forgotten by modern toxicology? In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the unexplained December illness to the fatal call on January 28, 2009, follow the forensic work that involved Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Victorian medical texts, and ask how a plant from Uttar Pradesh became the instrument of a calculated poisoning. Person: Lakhvinder Cheema ("Lucky") Person: Gurjeet, aged 19 Person: Lakhvir Singh Date: January 28, 2009 Location: Feltham, West London - Both Lucky and Gurjeet fell violently ill on December 8, 2008 with numbness around the mouth, vomiting, and inability to stand. - The fatal incident occurred on January 28, 2009 after both ate from the same jar of curry stored in Lucky’s refrigerator. - Lakhvir Singh traveled to India in October 2008 and returned with material from Uttar Pradesh where Aconitum ferox grows. - The poison identified was Aconitum ferox, whose active compound is pseudoaconitina, noted in the transcript as the most virulent form of aconite. - Investigators consulted the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and referenced Victorian medical texts to recognize and explain the poisoning. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    She Had the Key: The Forgotten Aconite That Killed "Lucky"
  7. 6d ago

    She Said a Stranger Did It-Forty-Two Stabs, Orchestrated Lie

    She Said a Stranger Did It-Forty-Two Stabs, Orchestrated Lie Forty-two stab wounds, a woman kneeling beside the body in the dark, and a public appeal naming a phantom road-rage attacker who was never found - but the evidence said otherwise. How did a story with a specific vehicle, a direct plea to a supposed driver, and precise details survive when the scene left no trace of a second car? In this episode, we lay out the facts of the December 1, 1996 death on Cooper's Hill and the statements that followed, contrasting the physical scene with the woman’s public account to ask whether the narrative was created or observed. What did the investigators notice in those early moments that made them doubt the stranger story? Date: December 1, 1996 Location: Cooper's Hill, Bromsgrove, West Midlands Victim: Lee Harvey, age 25 Witness/Key Person: Tracy Andrews, age 27 Lead Investigator: Detective Superintendent Ian Johnston - The victim had forty-two stab wounds, including a wound to the carotid artery. - Lee Harvey was found dead by 11:00 PM on December 1, 1996. - Tracy Andrews gave a public appeal on December 3, 1996 describing a dark Ford Sierra with an F-registration. - Neighbors reported ongoing domestic shouting in the couple's flat prior to the incident. - Keepers Cottage resident saw a woman standing with her back to the car and a body on the ground and called police. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    She Said a Stranger Did It-Forty-Two Stabs, Orchestrated Lie
  8. Sep 23

    The Van, the Freezer, and the Man Who Was Never Found

    The Van, the Freezer, and the Man Who Was Never Found A monstrous strength, a vanished body, and a composure so cold it reads like a construction plan: a 250-pound man simply ceased to exist on Christmas Eve 1966, and not a single bone or thread was ever found. What really happened in the back of a van on Ladysmith Avenue, and who carried out a disappearance so complete that even those closest to the Krays could not fully explain it? In this episode, we tell the story of Frank Mitchell and the people who moved around him-how he was taken from Dartmoor, held in a flat on Barking Road, and why the men who promised him freedom turned him into a problem instead. Can the quiet professionalism of those who acted explain a crime with no physical trace? Person: Frank Mitchell Date: December 24, 1966 Location: Ladysmith Avenue; Barking Road; Dartmoor Prison Person: Freddie Foreman Person: Ronnie and Reggie Kray - Frank Mitchell weighed over 250 pounds and was nicknamed "The Mad Axeman." - Mitchell was on a work detail outside Dartmoor Prison when the Krays' men collected him on December 12, 1966. - Mitchell was held in a flat on Barking Road for twelve days before he disappeared. - Freddie Foreman had stayed at the Adelina Grove flat where Ronnie Kray was hidden after escaping Long Grove Asylum. - George Foreman was shot in the chest on December 17, 1964, survived after three operations, and the shooter Jimmy Evans was never charged. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    The Van, the Freezer, and the Man Who Was Never Found

About

Some experiences stay with people because they are difficult to explain and even harder to forget. A strange sound in the dark, an unsettling encounter, or a night that takes an unexpected turn can become the kind of story that is repeated for years. True Nightmare Stories brings together disturbing accounts, frightening situations, and moments that leave people questioning what really happened. The podcast focuses on stories that feel close to real life, whether they involve unexplained events, dangerous situations, or fear that grows from something ordinary. Not every story offers a clear answer, and that uncertainty is often what makes the memory linger long after the moment has passed.