Crime Monthly: June 2025
Scientific Evidence, Lenient Sentences, Sports, and Fiction.
This post is late. I recently returned from spending twenty days in Japan, and had to prepare the flat so the movers could collect the stuff we will take to our new flat in Manchester. Keeping up with the newsletter has been more difficult than planned.
Despite these, I still wanted to share some excellent posts. Next month, I hope to share links from within Substack, as well as include links to articles from other platforms (as we have done before).
This month’s collection of articles highlights two factors affecting convictions (evidence and motivation), as well as two other articles that explore fighting against crime and corruption in sports, and an analysis of crime fiction.
1. Science Enters the Courtroom
In this riveting, surprising, and spicy post, you can see how scientific evidence was first used in a murder trial. Dr Angela Buckley shares the story of Mary Blandy, who was convicted and hanged for allegedly killing her father with arsenic.
This article is provocative because it prompts readers to consider what constitutes evidence and who has the authority to make claims. It made me think of the following questions: How does the use of “scientific” and “medical” evidence affect court outcomes, and how is this evidence used by prosecutors, defence attorneys, and interpreted by the judge and jury?
2. Your Wife Cheated? Claim Leniency
This is a wonderfully written and researched post that makes me think deeply about injustice. Sophie Michell documents how one Mr. Smith was given a lenient sentence after being found guilty of murdering her because he claimed she was having an affair.
The audacity of this defendant shocks me. Their efforts to justify their acts seem laughable if they were not sadly true. I sense that this line of argument was used because it often seemed to work. This case makes me wonder about the kind of constellation of ideas, theories, and observations that supported such claims. It also makes me think that it was deeply unjust.
One of my favourite parts of reading Sophie’s work is that it always makes me think. It makes me want to know more and do research. Some of the best work here leaves me thinking, rather than neatly solving an issue.
3. Destroying Sports By Loving Them
Chris Dalby writes a fascinating Substack on Sports and Crime. I love football (FC Barcelona in particular). I think we often forget how much bigger sports have gotten over the past decades. Dalby writes about corruption, betting schemes, doping, and other criminal activity within the world of sports.
In this interview with Jens Seher Andersen, they explore factors that have contributed to the increase in cheating and crime in sport and discuss how institutions can take action. If you enjoy sports and value fairness, this is a must-read.
4. Crime in Fiction
I always look forward to Jason Frowley PhD’s posts because they are informative, entertaining, and thought-provoking. In this post, Frowley contrasts fiction with crime stories, which often explore both the crime and the ensuing investigation.
One of the great pleasures of Substack is to interact with others. As I said, the past few weeks have been busier than usual, but I hope to have more stability in the future. Yet, I think, the move to the UK will be more taxing, so apologies in advance if we are a bit off schedule over the coming month.
I beseech you to subscribe — each subscription makes a difference and affirms that this is a worthwhile endeavor. I promise to give extra cuddles to Huxley (pictured below).
Thank you so much for including my post 😊