Behind the Crimes
Behind the Crimes with Robert Murphy
Decoy: Going undercover to catch a killer
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Decoy: Going undercover to catch a killer

Updated and reissued: How a team of rookie cops put their lives on the line in a covert operation to catch a murderer in 1970s England.

To coincide with the launch of my true crime book ‘Decoy’ I’ve updated and reissued this podcast featuring a rare and exclusive interview with Chris Gould.

In the 1970s, the city of Bristol was terrorised by a man nicknamed ‘The Clifton Rapist.’ The stranger-attacker assaulted seven women over a two-year period.

PC Chris Gould suggested a daring honeytrap: Avon and Somerset Police should set up an innovative undercover sting, using young rookie police officers as decoys to catch him.

This was a monumental gamble, putting the lives of their youngest, least-experienced female officers on the line.

But 12 women volunteered.

As the weeks passed, with no further attacks, commanders made an even more innovative move. And Chris’s career was never the same again.

How was the predator caught and justice achieved? Chris has never spoken in this detail before.

+++ Grab your copy of Decoy here in the UK: https://tinyurl.com/fd759pmh +++

+++ Or here in the USA: https://tinyurl.com/yethzdum +++

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NB: This is a reissue of a podcast episode first released in November 2023

Discussion about this podcast

Behind the Crimes
Behind the Crimes with Robert Murphy
### WINNER 'Outstanding Indie Podcast at the True Crime Awards 2024. ###
What makes a criminal? What makes a truly great detective?
Award-winning TV crime correspondent Robert Murphy speaks with people involved with some of the most fascinating true crime cases of recent years: detectives, victims, experts and sometimes even the criminals themselves.
What drives a person to ignore the morals, laws and conventions of normal society and pushes them to perform the darkest acts?
Sex? Money? Revenge? Love? Humiliation?
Are criminals born bad or are they a creation of their circumstances?
How can detectives catch people who are intent on causing truly dreadful harm to others? What happens when that criminal has done a brilliant job covering their tracks?
This podcast and newsletter explores some of our biggest crime stories - and some of the lesser-known, compelling cases which deserve a better understanding.
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