The Trial

60-year-old Christopher Phillips kept his mother’s body in a freezer for almost three years, talking to her about her favourite television programmes and holding her hand as if she were still alive. A court heard that he was suffering from a little-known mental health condition called Prolonged Grief Disorder. But he also kept collecting her pension money - and he's now been sent to prison.

In this episode, Liz speaks to Dr Michael Duffy, a psychotherapist and specialist in trauma therapy, about what happens when grief becomes prolonged and overwhelming. They discuss Christopher Phillips’s unusual case, how the condition differs from normal grief and depression, why it can be missed by doctors, and whether a better understanding of Prolonged Grief Disorder could have prevented his grief from spiralling into crime.

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Presenter: Liz Hull
Guest: Dr Michael Duffy
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Assistant Producer: Harriet Muckle
Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.
The Trial series uses actors and some voices generated by AI. Their words are taken as verbatim from the official court transcript.

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It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

A Daily Mail production.
Seriously Popular.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Liz speaks to Ellen Roome, the mum who has spent the past four years fighting for answers about the tragic death of her 14-year-old son Jools. After an inquest that lasted just 23 minutes and failed to properly examine his phone or social media activity, Ellen has now succeeded in getting the original verdict quashed by the High Court and a new inquest opened.

Ellen tells Liz why she believes social media could hold the key to understanding what happened to Jools, how her campaign has helped change the law, and why she is continuing to push for stronger protections for children online.

She also gives an update on the legal action she and other bereaved parents are taking against TikTok in the US.

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Follow us on TikTok @DailyMailCrime
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Presenter: Liz Hull
Guest: Ellen Roome
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Assistant Producer: Harriet Muckle
Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.
The Trial series uses actors and some voices generated by AI. Their words are taken as verbatim from the official court transcript.

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

A Daily Mail production.
Seriously Popular.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simon Levy will never be released from prison. A judge today decided his crimes against three women were so horrific, so depraved, that he should spend the rest of his life behind bars.

In this episode, Liz and Nick have all the details from an emotional day at the Old Bailey, including the words of Sheryl Wilkins’ mum Mary and sister Lindsay, and Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo’s daughter Nazly. They also hear from Levy’s surviving victim, who told the court he had taken away her soul and her dignity. But as those women described the devastation his crimes had caused, Simon Levy sat emotionless in the dock.

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WhatsApp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)

Presenter: Liz Hull and Nick Fagge
Actors: Beth Hale and Sophie Ashley
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Assistant Producer: Harriet Muckle
Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.
The Trial series uses actors and some voices generated by AI. Their words are taken as verbatim from the official court transcript.

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

A Daily Mail production.
Seriously Popular.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Emeritus Professor of Criminology David Wilson tells Caroline that Simon Levy was a textbook sexual predator who should have never slipped through the net. He says the way Levy was attacking women on the tube always had the potential to escalate to rape and to murder and until all men are more willing to stand up and call out predatory behaviour, the danger men like Simon Levy pose will continue to be underestimated.

Subscribe via https://plus.thecrimedesk.com/simon-levy
Follow us on TikTok @DailyMailCrime
Email us thetrial@dailymail.com
WhatsApp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)

Presenter: Caroline Cheetham and Nick Fagge
Guest: Prof. David Wilson
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Assistant Producer: Harriet Muckle
Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.
The Trial series uses actors and some voices generated by AI. Their words are taken as verbatim from the official court transcript.

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

A Daily Mail production.
Seriously Popular.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simon Levy has just been convicted of murdering two women and of raping a third. After hearing six weeks of evidence the jury at the Old Bailey decided his crimes did escalate, from serial sexual assault in public places to rape and murder. But we can know now he should and could have been stopped sooner. In this episode Caroline and Nick have all the details from the case including the catastrophic failures which allowed him to remain free for months. Failures of two police forces, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the courts. And we ask the question: Is violence against women and girls ever going to be taken seriously?

Subscribe via https://plus.thecrimedesk.com/simon-levy
Follow us on TikTok @DailyMailCrime
Email us thetrial@dailymail.com
WhatsApp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)

Presenter: Caroline Cheetham and Nick Fagge
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Assistant Producer: Harriet Muckle
Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.
The Trial series uses actors and some voices generated by AI. Their words are taken as verbatim from the official court transcript.

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

A Daily Mail production.
Seriously Popular.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.