Crime World

 At around midnight on August 5 2025, the lifeless body of Irish woman Martha Nolan-O'Slatarra was discovered on a boat docked at a marina in the exclusive Montauk Yacht Club in the US. Originally from Co Carlow, the 33-year-old entrepreneur had moved to New York ten years previously and was forging a successful career in sunglasses and swimwear design. Earlier that evening, Martha had arranged to meet with millionaire investor Christopher Durnan to discuss how her business was going. In an interview last year, Durnan's lawyer claimed that his client told police that Martha suddenly went limp between 10.30pm and 11pm and that he thought she was having a heart attack. According to witnesses, Durnan was seen at around midnight, running naked through the marina, screaming for help. On the first anniversary of Martha's tragic death, her family filed a wrongful death proceedings for $50 million against Christopher Durnan. Their lawyers have stated that the results of an independent postmortem examination commissioned by the Nolan family is at odds with the one carried out by the state of New York and their summons is seeking damages for wrongful death and for the personal injuries and conscious pain and suffering that Martha sustained before her death. Jenny Friel speaks to the Irish Independent's Special Correspondent Catherine Fegan, who has covered this case since the beginning. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Innocent mechanic Thomas McDonnell had his life turned upside down when two men told him his son owed a €100,000 drug debt.If he didn’t pay up there would be retribution, he was told. Months later, a gunman shot him repeatedly at his place of work. His life was only saved when a gun jammed but in the years since, the victim has served his own sentence away from family and his home as he continues to fear for his life.So what can we learn from the jailing of Jason Dunne and Craig Hayes, who got seven and a half years for conspiring to murder McDonnell? Should such sentences be reformed to reflect the seriousness of such cases of drug debt intimidation?Nicola speaks to Eamon Dillon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daniel Kinahan has asked for a copy of the Quran and a prayer mat in Portlaoise Prison where he remains on remand after his extradition to Ireland.He has also been allowed spend time with his Cartel number two Sean McGovern, who has loaned him a stereo and flip flops.Nicola talks to Niall Donald about Kinahan and his prison regime.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A man is stabbed to death in Wheatfield prison, overcrowding in jails means many don’t finish out their sentences and bails of cocaine are stamped with the image of a famous footballer.These and other stories from our Crime World weekly wrap up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Few Irish crime figures sum up the boom and bust of the Celtic Tiger years better than Lee Cullen, who has passed away in the UK following an illness.The one-time socialite enjoyed a gilded life before his whole world came crashing down - more times than one.Nicola talks to Jenny Friel about the car salesman who tried desperately to look legitimate but who constantly found himself on the wrong side of the law. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Which actor will play Daniel Kinahan? Which criminals are coming to dinner and what are we doing at Electric Picnic. These and other queries are answered in a Crime World Q&A. Nicola and Niall answers your questions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The daughter of prominent publican Charlie Chawke has been released weeks after being jailed for a serious assault because of overcrowding at Limerick prison.Alison Chawke was jailed alongside her brother Bill for assaulting John McHugh and Gerard Cox at the Dunraven Arms Hotel in Adare, Co Limerick, on November 9, 2023 in a row over food.However, she has been released under a community return scheme as the prison is running at 159pc capacity in the women’s section.Nicola speaks to Niall Donald. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Daniel Kinahan settles down to day to day life in prison in Ireland, he leaves behind his father, brother, cousin, and best friend in Dubai, all of whom remain sanctioned and under investigation.So what is next for the remainder of the Kinahan inner circle identified and named by the US Treasury as part of a global and murderous drug cartel?Today, in part two of this two-part podcast we cover the future prospects for Daniel Kinahan’s army of underlings and associates, Nicola speaks with Niall Donald. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Twenty-three-year-old Kelly-Marie Lynch disappeared after a night out in Monaghan on 16 March 2024. The following day, her body was recovered from the Ulster Canal, close to where she had last been seen.At the time, her death received little public attention, and the Garda investigation concluded that there were no foul play involved.But Kelly-Marie's family have never accepted that finding. They say the 93 injuries documented during her post-mortem raise serious questions about what happened in the hours before her death, and they continue to challenge the way the investigation was carried out.Now, a new RTÉ documentary, The Girl in the Water, examines Kelly-Marie's final hours, the conflicting forensic opinions, and her family's ongoing search for answers.Chloë McPolin is joined by the documentary's director and producer, Alan Bradley, to discuss the making of The Girl in the Water and how Kelly-Marie Lynch's death still remains unanswered. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Daniel Kinahan settles down to day to day life in prison in Ireland, he leaves behind his father, brother, cousin, and best friend in Dubai, all of whom remain sanctioned and under investigation.So what is next for the remainder of the Kinahan inner circle identified and named by the US Treasury as part of a global and murderous drug cartel?Today, in part one of a two-part podcast on the future prospects for Daniel Kinahan’s army of underlings and associates, Nicola speaks with Niall Donald. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cash and property linked to one of the world’s biggest boiler room scams run by the so-called ‘Ferrari Fugitives’ has been seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau.The infamous Cartu brothers, who are wanted by US authorities, ran a bogus investors scheme that netted €186m.The cash paid by victims mostly from the United States was then laundered through Irish-registered firms.Nicola talks with Eamon Dillon who explains the story.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daniel Kinahan has been playing chess behind bars and making new friends with cellmates on the A4 landing including triple killer Andy Cash, members of the Hennessey gang, and breaking bad dad Nathan McDonnell.Kinahan has settled down well in Portlaoise prison were he was given fresh bed sheets, six bottles of water, and even the Governor on his arrival.Nicola speaks to Niall Donald about the new life for the billionaire Cartel boss in Ireland’s most secure jail. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A man who attacked Love Island star Charleen Murphy after sending her text messages on her social media channels is back before the courts having pled guilty to harassing and threats to kill another victim.Murphy is one of a long line of celebrities to become the focus of unwanted stalking attention because of her profile.Nicola speaks with Eimear Rabbitt about stalkers who become obsessed with well known women. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daniel Kinahan was charged before the Special Criminal Court with directing a criminal organisation after his dramatic extradition from Dubai this weekend.In court, the cartel boss looked pale and shocked but he spoke confidently when he addressed the three Judges and told them ‘we all know I won’t be getting bail.’The Government jet flew to the Emirates to collect Kinahan this weekend, 10 years after he relocated there after the outbreak of the Kinahan-Hutch feud.Nicola speaks to Niall Donald. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The MV Matthew container ship which was seized when it was nabbed in Irish territorial waters with 2.2 tonnes of cocaine on board has finally been offloaded after costing the taxpayer and incredible €19m for repairs, storage, and crew costs.The cocaine super ship has been sold for a nominal value of $1 and is expected to be used for scrap.Nicola speaks to Niall Donald about the cost of the war on drugs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gangster's moll Anita Freeman has returned to Ireland for the first time in a decade with partner Sean McGovern beginning his lengthy sentence behind bars.Nicola speaks with Pat O’Connell about the Kinahan WAG and how she is back living where it all began. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daniel Kinahan’s imminent return to Ireland likely to happen within days, Anita Freeman jets in from Dubai to visit Cartel partner Sean McGovern, and the other stories that have dominated the headlines.Nicola is joined by Eimear Rabbitt and Eamon Dillon for a Crime World wrap up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daniel Kinahan has told a podcaster that he would be happy to fly economy back to Ireland and is looking forward to a Tayto crisp sandwich when he returns.In a second series of bizarre clips from an interview he has conducted from a Dubai jail, Kinahan even claims that he is not suicidal and that if he should die by poisoning in custody it will not be by his own hand.Today, Nicola speaks to Eimear Rabbitt about the increasingly odd Daniel Kinahan and his imminent extradition to Ireland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The seizure last week of a bomb containing almost 400g of Semtex plastic explosive has put the New IRA back on to the front pages after a lull in violence.Two people connected to the political group Saoradh have been charged in relation to the incident. The sophisticated device has fuel fears that the group has gained access to fresh stocks of military-grade explosives.The New IRA has been long been associated with but the group also has a presence in Dublin.Who are the New IRA and what are they capable of? The Bel Tel's Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Robin Schiller, News and Security Correspondent with the Irish Independent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Double killer Derek Boyd has been jailed for life for murdering a father-of-four at his north Dublin home and told that his sentence for the manslaughter of his sister four years ago will now be referred back to the Circuit Court.Nicola speaks to Eimear Rabbitt about the 31-year-old killer and his chaotic lifestyle that has resulted in the death of two innocent people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The son and daughter of legendary publican Charlie Chalke are doing porridge in a Limerick jail for a brutal and unprovoked assault after a day of celebrations went bad. Mother-of-three Alison and newlywed Bill Chalke were stunned when their custodial sentences were handed down last month.But should they have been surprised that they were jailed due to the nature of the assaults on their victims? And would an appeal now be a gamble or a chance of freedom? Nicola speaks to Jenny Friel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Killer Lorcan Murphy tried to hide his identity in a Hungarian court where he was convicted of the murder of US nurse Makenzie Machalski.But the 38-year-old loner from Dublin has been identified by the Irish media in the public interest due to his sinister diary entries showing how he travelled Europe hunting women.Nicola talks to Crime World's Jenny Friel about the posh private schoolboy turned killer who murdered and dumped his victims remains in a suitcase before telling a court that the innocent 31 year old had instigated her own death. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Crime World’s Ken Foy goes in search of a statement from Daniel Kinahan about the Panorama programme.Much to his surprise, he ends up in a 35-minute-long phone conversation with the man himself.Ken gets his statement, and the reaction to the BBC documentary is fierce, prompting yet another release from Daniel denying any involvement in the drugs trade. It’s just a ‘witch-hunt’ he claims.But his attempts to ‘sportswash’ his reputation are truly scuppered when in April 2022 when an extraordinary press conference at Dublin City Hall is jointly held by the Irish, American and British law enforcement agencies.Are the Kinahans finally KO’d? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MTK Global gets a major boost when US boxing promoter legend Bob Yalen is announced as their new president.Nothing is going to stop Daniel Kinahan’s attempt to break America. A bizarre book, rap song and film about the Regency Hotel attack are released that paint the event in a very different light.For a while it seems to work, MTK sign tournament contracts with Sky Sports and ESPN.However, Daniel’s connection to the company proves troublesome again.And then begin whispers about a new BBC documentary in the works, charting Daniel’s ongoing rise in the boxing world and his links to criminality. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daniel Kinahan is determined to dominate the boxing world – not even an attempt by a rival gang to assassinate him at The Regency Hotel in Dublin can slow him down. He continues to woo top level boxers onto his books. However, things get too hot on the Costa for the Kinahan brothers, they move to Dubai and eventually intense attention from policing authorities sees Daniel step down as the public face of MGM. But he’s still expanding the business with major signings like Carl Frampton. In the meantime, his cartel business is facing major disruption, by the end of 2018 more than 70 Irish Kinahan associates are convicted or awaiting trial. Daniel doubles down on his propaganda war to sportswash his reputation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s late January 2021 and Crime World reporter Ken Foy is waiting by his phone for a call from one of Ireland’s most notorious mob bosses. It takes several hours for the call to come through and when it does Foy can’t quite believe that he is talking directly to Daniel Kinahan - head of an international drugs cartel. But Kinahan is not calling to discuss his main business, instead he wants to talk boxing and an upcoming BBC documentary that’s promising to highlight his criminal links. He wants some positive publicity - it’s a propaganda push. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During the making of Caught In The Crossfire, Nicola sat down with retired Detective Brian Sherry to discuss the Anthony Campbell and Martin ‘Marlo’ Hyland murder investigations. What you heard throughout the series were snippets of that interview. As a bonus, we’re releasing the full interview so you can hear Brian’s full unabridged account of his time working on the case. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During the making of Caught In The Crossfire, Nicola sat down with the former head of the Garda Serious Crime Review team Christy Mangan to discuss the ins and outs of the department dubbed the Cold Case Unit.What you heard throughout the series were snippets of that interview. As a bonus, we’re releasing the full interview so you can hear Christy’s full unabridged account of how Gardai work to solve cold cases.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nicola talks to Anthony Campbell’s mother, Christine, about her reaction to hearing the podcast, and her desire to write a letter to the Garda Commissioner in the hope that Anthony’s case will be taken up again by the Cold Case unit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Almost twenty years after his violent death, Anthony Campbell’s murder is still unsolved. What are the routes to justice now? And what would it mean to his mother?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A podcaster who flew to Dubai to interview Daniel Kinahan has claimed the mob boss will be back in Ireland within days and is looking forward to touching down on home soil.James English interviewed Kinahan over three hours in 2022, in the run up to sanctions being levelled on his cartel, but never broadcast their chat.Now he claims Kinahan has lost his fight against extradition in Dubai and will be back in Ireland within days.Nicola speaks to Eimear Rabbitt about the mob bosses forecasted arrival. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former detective inspector Brian Sherry talks to Nicola about the hunt for the men behind the killings of Marlo Hyland and Anthony Campbell. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The news that Marlo Hyland had been shot dead rocked the criminal underworld. But then word started to emerge that another young man had also been killed at the scene, and the full horror of that morning’s events became clear. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the peak of his criminal powers, Marlo Hyland seemed untouchable. But the senseless murder of an innocent mum in Dublin brought increased pressure from both the Gardaí and others in the criminal underworld, and soon the cracks were beginning to show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode two, the Crime World team talk to Joey ‘The Lips’ O’Callaghan about his meeting with Marlo Hyland, and discuss his bloody rise to power. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first episode of Caught In The Crossfire, the Crime World team travel to Leeds to meet Anthony Campbell’s mother, Christine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Collins family must come to terms with the decision of the court. They decide to finally erect a plaque in Killala as a reminder to people that Sandra’s body is still missing. Their father Joe dies, but during his short illness he makes them promise to never give up in trying to find Sandra. They swear they won’t. During a clear out of their uncle and aunt’s home in Liverpool in 2022, they find a cache of letters from Sandra that she sent to them when she was just a young girl. They also find a cassette tape marked Kids Fotish September 1984.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During Martin Earley’s murder trial the Collins family sit through almost five weeks of evidence. They hear about his various statements made to the gardai and about allegations that claim he’s asked people if the Collins family got some evidence of Sandra’s death, ‘like a bone’, would they give up looking for her. They learn about her movements on the last day she was seen, and the amount of time she spent in a local phone box, where she was spotted behaving in a distraught manner. A GP gives evidence where he tells how he confirmed to Sandra a couple of days before she went missing that she was pregnant again. When the prosecution rests their case, the defence ask the judge to dismiss the case on account of lack of evidence. The Collins family must wait for his decision.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Collins family are completely blindsided by Martin Earley’s arrest. None of them have ever heard of him. Ann O’Grady has since died but never mentioned his name to them or any involvement a local married man might have had with Sandra. Earley is charged with Sandra’s murder, and her family must now prepare themselves for his trial. When it finally starts in May 2024 they are shocked to finally hear details of her life in Killala that they were clueless about.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Retired garda detective Eddie Naugton spent the last 16 years of his career working on the Sandra Collins case. He remembers all the details and who was investigated. He recalls how few days after Sandra went missing, a local plasterer called Martin Earley dropped into the garda station to inquire how the search was going. Suspicions are raised about this married man and why he’s so interested in what has happened to a woman he claims to have only met in recent weeks. There is no sign of Sandra, her family cling on to hope that she has simply moved away. But in 2010 her case is finally upgraded to a murder inquiry.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 5th December 2000 Ann O’Grady rings the Collins family to tell them Sandra has failed to return home after being out the night before. A major search is launched, covering miles of the surrounding countryside. Lifeboats comb the nearby waters, but there’s no sign of Sandra, apart from her dark pink coloured fleece jacket, which mysteriously turns up on the pier five days after she goes missing. There are two scraps of paper in the pockets, one has the phone number for an abortion clinic in the UK, the other has a mobile number for a local man. But the Collins family aren’t told who he is or what his connection to Sandra is about.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sandra visits home every Sunday evening to see her family, however, they know little about her day-to-day existence in Killala. They are shocked when she reveals her pregnancy in the late 90s but are also completely supportive. Sandra makes the difficult decision to give her baby daughter up for adoption. The Collins family are deeply saddened by the move but understand it. A short time later, they experience a huge tragedy when their brother James is killed in a horrific workplace accident. It takes a toll on all of them, and Sandra must deal with her grief without them close by.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hailed as one of the oldest settlements in Ireland, Killala has a long and chequered history. St Patrick is rumoured to have brought a dead woman back to life in the centre of the village, while a French general landed there with more than 1,000 troops to kick off the 1798 Rebellion against English rule. In the late 80s, Ann O’Grady gets a small council flat on Courthouse Street in the village and brings her niece Sandra Collins to live with her. Shy and quiet, the locals know little about the teenager, apart from that she’s very young to be taking care of a disabled aunt. Her siblings try to persuade her to come home to them, but for some reason, Sandra insists on staying in Killala. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite early tragedy and straitened circumstances, the Collins family enjoy a loving and stable childhood in the townland of Fotish, near Crossmolina. They may have little in the way of material wealth, but the six children are doted on by their parents, and two aunts, Bridie and Ann.However, when Ann develops a painful degenerative condition, and her marriage breaks up, one of the Collins children is expected to go stay with her. In the end it’s Sandra who moves in. It’s supposed to be for just a few weeks, but turns into months, and then years.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While clearing out their aunt and uncle’s house in Liverpool, the Collins family find a tape recording of their eldest sister, Sandra, reading out a poem she learned in school. It has been more than two decades since they last heard her voice. The 28-year-old disappeared on a bitterly cold winter’s night in 2000 from Killala, a fishing village on Mayo’s north coast. For years her family hold out hope that she has simply run away from her domineering aunt and would one day return to them. But as time goes on it becomes clear that something much more sinister has happened to Sandra, and there is much about her life in Killala they have never known.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The disappearance of Sandra Collins remains one of the most frustrating murder cases on the books of An Garda Síochána.Aged 28, she was pregnant and planning an abortion when she disappeared on a bitterly cold December night in 2000 from the fishing village of Killala in County Mayo.Ten years later, her case was upgraded to a murder inquiry and a subsequent trial heard she had been having a relationship with a local married man Martin Earley.A jury at his trial were ordered to acquit him after five weeks of evidence yet the hunt goes on for the remains of a beloved sister, daughter, and friend.Nicola speaks with Jenny Friel about our nine-part podcast special Ghost: The Disappearance of Sandra Collins. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Three men have been arrested and charged for their involvement in the murder of Robbie Lawlor. Who are the suspects, and why are they the only people before the courts?This episode of Double Cross: The Murder of Robbie Lawlor was originally released in January 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Police in Northern Ireland assemble a list of twenty people under investigation for the murder of Robbie Lawlor. While some of the names are very familiar, others are not.This episode of Double Cross: The Murder of Robbie Lawlor was originally released in January 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robbie Lawlor's time in Belfast is short. In the aftermath of his death, who is in the frame for his murder?This episode of Double Cross: The Murder of Robbie Lawlor was originally released in January 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the murder of Keane Mulready-Woods, Robbie Lawlor heads to Belfast, and a whole new world of trouble.This episode of Double Cross: The Murder of Robbie Lawlor was originally released in January 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.