Fear or Favour Fear or Favour

A mixed bag of subjects this week as so much has happened since our last episode. Mark and Nazir start by discussing the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and her impact on the monarchy as well as what lies ahead for King Charles III.

They also look at the High Court action being taken by the DPP against judges refusal to detain defendants for longer. They then look at the role The Teacher’s Pet podcast has played in getting a successful conviction for Lynette Dawson’s 1982 murder and at the way police perceive the media's role in investigations.

Nazir and Mark close by talking about the death of Mahsa Amini in Iran. Mahsa was detained, tortured and killed by Iran's Morality Police for failing to properly wear her hijab. Her death has sparked protests and outrage worldwide.

Mark and Nazir start this week's episode with an update on the investigation in to the shooting of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Merseyside and then continue with the scheduled topic of racism in the criminal justice system.

They discuss implicit race bias and institutionalised racism in policing and in the justice system, giving examples of where they and others have witnessed this first-hand.

Nazir's new book, "The Race to the Top: Structural Racism and How to Fight It", is out now. He knows what it’s like to break the glass ceiling, challenge prejudice and shake up predominantly white institutions. Born in Birmingham to first generation Pakistani immigrants, he was the first Muslim to be appointed as a Chief Crown Prosecutor and the most senior Muslim lawyer in the Crown Prosecution Service.

In this episode Mark and Nazir begin by discussing the increase in gun-crime in Merseyside and in particular the recent tragic shooting of 9-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel.
And they take a light-hearted look at life within the fire service; Nazir and Mark are joined this week by special guest, Leigh Hosy-Pickett, whose new book "Up In Smoke: Stories From a Life on Fire" tells all about what he has seen in his twenty-five years as a firefighter.

A bit of a mixed bag in this episode. Nazir and Mark tackle subjects including the latest crime statistics which show that the police are failing to tackle, or even respond to, certain crimes such as burglaries and theft.
They look at the awful situation surrounding local authorities sending children in care  to stay in homes hundreds of miles away in Blackpool, and the risks that those children are then exposed to. 
Plus a lot more - even the cost of living crisis comes under close scrutiny with a warning from Mark and Nazir that it could lead to civil unrest if something isn't done about it very soon.

WARNING: This episode contains detailed descriptions of injuries and crime scenes relating to multiple murder cases.
Mark and Nazir are joined this week by guest, David Collins, the Northern Editor at the Sunday Times to discuss his book "The Hunt For The Silver Killer".
In June 2021 Stephanie Davies, a senior coroner's officer who works for the Cheshire Police, was suspended over her suggestion that elderly couples were being murdered by a serial killer.
In David's book, he investigates Stephanie's findings and examines the evidence to see if an unknown serial killer could be at large in the North West of England.

In this episode, Mark and Nazir are joined by special guest Carolyn Bunting MBE to discuss the impact online pornography and sexting have on children. Asking is the industry doing enough to protect children and could the Government do more.

They also give some important advice on how parents can address these issues with their children.

Carolyn is the CEO of Internet Matters, an independent, not-for-profit organisation which helps families keep their children safe online. Their website contains lots of useful and educational material for parents, children and educators: internetmatters.org