This week we’re joined by Justine Shanahan — a CSI with over 25 years’ experience and a part-time lecturer at the University of Lincoln.

Justine takes us back to the beginning: a teenager spending her pocket money on true crime books (long before CSI was cool), arranging her own attachments, and attending a post-mortem at just 17.

And then comes the moment every new CSI fears most: her first night on call — and she’s deployed to a double murder!

In this episode, Justine shares:

- What it was really like starting as a CSI in the early 2000s

- Major crime investigations early in her career in a “quiet” county

- The long-term impact the job can have on mental health

- Why she loves teaching and what she thinks CSI will look like in the future

- The one case that still haunts her — the unsolved murder of Alan Wood (2009)

As always, we take you back under the barrier tape — real stories, realities, and the parts of the job TV never shows.

🎟️ Don't forget you can come to see us at CrimeCon UK! Birmingham (25 April 2026) & London (3–4 Oct 2026). Use code INSIDERS for 10% off your ticket at crimecon.co.uk.

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In this episode of The Crime Scene Insiders, we focus on the murder of Judith Richardson, a 77-year-old woman living independently in Hexham, Northumberland, whose life was taken in August 2011.

Judith was known in her community for her kindness, her love of music, and her regular attendance at organ recitals at Hexham Abbey. She lived a quiet life, rooted in routine and connection.

Her murder came to light after the discovery of a discarded handbag — a seemingly ordinary item that led police to Judith’s home. Once she was found, the handbag became central to the investigation, triggering CCTV enquiries and ultimately helping to identify the suspect: Graeme Jarman. Known for his extremely violent past, his identification sparked a nationwide manhunt, turning the investigation into a race against time to apprehend him and prevent any further crimes.

We explore how forensic evidence, CCTV, and careful investigative work came together — including Ange’s role as crime scene photographer at the post-mortem — while keeping Judith at the heart of the story.

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In this episode of The Crime Scene Insiders, it’s just the two of us — and we’re sharing a case that hits much closer to home.

Angela recounts her experience of being burgled while asleep in her own home — and what followed was a forensic and investigative process that raised serious questions about triage decisions, evidence recovery, and the wider criminal justice system.

From being told no CSI would attend, to carrying out our own scene examination and uncovering footwear marks that later linked multiple burglaries, this episode explores what happens when assumptions are made too early — and when vital evidence is dismissed.

We discuss the realities of being a victim of crime after years working as investigators, the risks of phone-based crime triage, and why context, intelligence, and evidence-led decisions matter far more than tick-box processes.

As always, we go back under the barrier tape to talk honestly about where systems work, where they don’t, and why evidence should always be allowed to speak for itself.