Professor David Wilson, the UK's leading criminologist, presents the third series of Crime Files, this time focusing on cold cases. In episode 7, David retraces the last known steps of Glenrothes man Allan Bryant and asks ‘how does someone go missing without a trace in the digital age?'.
Dr Kirsty Bennett from Leeds Beckett University has a special interest in missing people. She talks to David about her research into the methods of locating missing people as well as the missing continuum and the various reasons why people might disappear.
David, this series, is joined in studio by our resident Forensic Scientist Helen Meadows. This week Helen talks to David about where to start when someone goes missing and how to build up a picture of their movements. She also looks at the murder of Louise Tiffney in 2002. Even though Louise had not been found she was presumed dead and her son faced trial. He was given a Not Proven verdict but when her body was eventually discovered in a shallow grave in 2017 new evidence provided further links to the crime.
Professor Lorna Dawson, soil expert and head of forensics at the James Hutton Institute tells David how she was tasked with gathering soil evidence and carrying out analysis in order to bring the accused back to trial under the double jeopardy principle.

Professor David Wilson, the UK's leading criminologist, presents the third series of Crime Files, this time focusing on Cold Cases. In episode 9, he looks at the concept of police confirmation bias and how miscarriages of justice can occur when police are selective about the evidence available to them.
David goes to Dunfermline to examine the story of Andrew Forsyth from 1995 that led to one of the gravest miscarriages of justice in Scottish history and a former police officer being sentenced to 5 years in prison.
David's first guest is Professor James Chalmers. An expert in miscarriages of justice, Professor Chalmers discusses how we all possess inherent bias and that police must work to recognise and lean into their bias to avoid targeting the wrong perpetrator and reduce the possibility of wrongful convictions.
David, this series, is joined in studio by our resident Forensic Scientist Helen Meadows. Helen takes us through the evidence left behind after the murder of young woman Margaret McLaughlin in David's hometown of Carluke in 1973. David travels back there to examine the murder of the young woman who was taking a shortcut to the train station when she was stabbed 19 times and her body left in a wooded area. Despite what seemed an obvious false confession, George Beattie spent nearly two decades in prison for what many people believe was a crime he did not commit.
In the studio, David speaks to former Scottish Crime Squad detective Bob Beveridge who was part of the investigating team at the time. He recalls carrying out house to house enquiries. David makes the case for someone he believes could have been responsible for Margaret's murder.