RGU Crime Files

Episode 5 - The Last Man to be Hanged in Scotland

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.

Episode 4 - Witches in Aberdeen

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.

Episode 3 - Body Snatching and the Anatomy Riot

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.

Episode 2 - The Child Kidnappings

In 18th-century Aberdeen, children began to vanish - hundreds of them. What at first appeared to be isolated disappearances soon revealed a dark and organised operation, led not by criminals in the shadows, but by the city’s own elite.  This episode uncovers the chilling story of Aberdeen’s child kidnapping scandal and the fight for justice led by Peter Williamson, known as Indian Peter.  With expert insight from RGU’s School of Law and Social Sciences, we examine what this case reveals about power, profit, and the cost of silence.  Curious to learn more? Turn curiosity into a career and explore RGU’s range of law and criminology courses at rgu.ac.uk/lawandsocialsciences.

Episode 1 - Murder at The Saltoun Arms

In 1901, a fatal encounter in an Aberdeen pub shocked the city and led to a landmark murder trial. In this episode, we revisit the chilling events that unfolded at The Saltoun Arms and explore the legal and societal questions the case raised. How did public perception, media coverage, and courtroom drama shape the outcome? Featuring expert insights from Robert Gordon University’s School of Law and Social Sciences, we unpack a case that still resonates in today’s criminal justice debates.  Curious to learn more? Turn curiosity into a career and explore RGU’s range of law and criminology courses at rgu.ac.uk/lawandsocialsciences.