BREAKING NEWS FOR TRUE CRIME FANS - CRIMECON IS COMING TO THE UK

The world’s number one live true crime event, CrimeCon, hits London for the first time ever on the 25-26 September 2021, offering fans of the world’s fastest growing genre the ultimate true crime weekend through education, advocacy, and discovery. 

Partnering with true crime TV channel, Crime + Investigation®, CrimeCon UK will bring together renowned criminologists, pathologists, leading law enforcement representatives, top level documentary makers, investigative journalists, prime podcasters and true crime authors, creating over 50 wide-ranging hours of compelling and informative content through live shows, panels, immersive experiences, and podcast row.

CrimeCon visitors aren’t passive viewers, they participate themselves, joining leading criminologists to get inside the minds of serial killers and renowned forensic experts to help examine evidence. Pathologists will help attendees discover what it’s like to be a real-life CSI, getting hands-on by examining forensic evidence. They’ll learn interrogation techniques, test their detective skills, meet police K9 counterparts, question reformed criminals, deep-dive into unsolved cases and, most importantly, meet survivors and victim’s families - ensuring that those whose lives have been impacted by crime are never forgotten.

Confirmed are over 90 guest speakers including: Deanna Thompson, from the popular Netflix docuseries “Don’t F**k With Cats,” who dedicated herself to tracking down a brutal killer; Nazir Afzal who during a 24-year career as Chief Crown Prosecutor prosecuted some of the most high profile cases in the country; Kerry Daynes, instantly recognisable as the UK’s best known and most respected forensic psychologist; Christopher Berry-Dee, the world’s best-selling true-crime author and Chris Atkins, ex-con author and BAFTA-nominated filmmaker. 

The well-known true crime TV personalities, broadcasters and newsmakers will be joined by survivors’ families including Richard Lamplugh, Marie McCourt & Amanda Eales along with Survivors Bethany Merchant, and Sammy Woodhouse. 

Suzy Lamplugh was abducted and murdered in 1986, her remains have not been found. Her brother, Richard Lamplugh, and Criminologist Dr Cheryl Allsop will discuss the lessons for today about solving historic cold cases. Marc Sigsworth, the filmmaker behind ‘The Vanishing of Suzy Lamplugh’, described by The Times as an “an excellent, meticulous documentary”, will lead this discussion. 

On 9 February 1988, Marie McCourt’s 22-year-old daughter Helen disappeared. Overwhelming forensic evidence resulted in local pub landlord Ian Simms being charged with her murder, but he has never disclosed the whereabouts of Helen's body. Marie has spent the last three decades both searching for her daughter’s remains and campaigning for families of missing murder victims resulting in 'Helen's Law' being added to the statute book in January this year.

Coventry teenager Nicola Payne left her seven-month-old son at her boyfriend's home when she took a 10-minute walk to her parents’ house in December 1991. She never arrived. The police believe she was murdered. But her body has never been found. It’s one of Britain’s biggest unsolved murder cases and has baffled detectives for nearly three decades. At CrimeCon formidable Investigative Reporter Mark Williams Thomas, best known for exposing Jimmy Savile; will present unseen evidence and welcome representative from the Payne family Amanda Eales to share their story.  Mark's research means that we will be able to reveal new information and evidence that has never been in the public domain. We have detailed interviews with Nicola’s family, friends and witnesses, and will be following up on lines of inquiry and new leads. This is very much a real time live investigation. 

Bethany Marchant, Survivor. At the age of 24 and with no previous warning signs of abusive behaviour Bethany’s ex-partner Stefan Carr subjected her to a three-hour torture session resulting in significant physical and mental trauma.

Sammy Woodhouse, Survivor. At only 14 Sammy became a victim of  the Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal where more than 1,000 children were abused between 1997 and 2013 at the hands of the child exploitation gang. Sammy suffered horrendous sexual abuse, physical assaults and coercion at the hands of the gang leader.

Both women feature in the Crime+Investigation® hit series, Survivors with Denise Welch, broadcast in April this year, and at CrimeCon UK will talk to Denise about how they not only survived their terrifying ordeals but are determined to help others avoid a similar fate. The session also features crime author and ex-Metropolitan Police Detective Inspector, Neil Lancaster.

Nancy Baughen CrimeCon’s UK Event Director says, “Fans of true crime are not ghoulish macabre fans of serial killers or psychopaths but instead are sympathetic and empathetic fans of justice who are intrigued by the mysteries.”

The last decade has seen an inexorable global rise in true crime, driven by armchair sleuths. Propelled by the popularity of true crime channels such as Crime + Investigation which is home to top-ratings series such as Murdertown, I am A Killer, The Jail: 60 days in, Crimes that Shook Britain and Homicide Hunter, it has become one the fastest growing genres in the world of media, recently challenging comedy and sport as the number one podcast subject. Social media’s unprecedented interest through Instagram, Facebook and YouTube is immense, and the momentum continues to build with TikTok where viewing figures are astronomical. A sharp uptake from traditional media including the launch of dedicated publications such as Crime Monthly, as well as shows premiering on Netflix, ITV, C4, C5 to Sky Crime has fulfilled the need to better educate and inform the ever-increasing true crime communities. 

Novelist Lynda La Plante’s bestsellers have long been celebrated for their authentic depictions of crime scenes and police procedures – something she achieves through meticulous research with her colleague, former Met detective and CSI Cass Sutherland. Both will be appearing at CrimeCon having teamed up with Bonnier Books UK on a true crime podcast, ‘Listening To The Dead’, delving into the secret world of forensics. Bonnier Books have formed a partnership with CrimeCon to showcase over 10 of their renowned true crime authors. 

Woodcut Media, one of the fastest growing Indies and leading true crime producers in the UK who specialise in a broad range of factual programming, will present their TV brands as part of CrimeCon’s live experience. During the ‘How I Caught the Killer’ case focus session, visitors will be able to take a deep dive into a high-profile crime case with a panel of experts looking at how the killer was brought to justice. ‘The Murders That Shocked A Nation’ feature will look at some of the most infamous British crimes of the 20th century, including the Moors Murders, John Haigh and 10 Rillington Place, the disappearance of Lord Lucan and Ruth Ellis.

Partnering with Audioboom, Podcast Row welcomes some of the world’s favourite true crime podcasters, including ‘They Walk Among Us’, ‘Mens Rea’, and ‘UK True Crime’. In addition, new British content will be championed such as ‘Handcuffed’ and ‘Crimepedia’ and joining from overseas, international podcasters ‘Generation Why’, ‘Once Upon A Crime’ and ‘True Crime Garage’. 

With more exciting features, content and speakers confirmed, check out the full line up

Live Discussions | Live Show | Authors | Law Enforcement Officers | CrimeCon UK

Mark Thomas, Head of Marketing UK, Benelux, Nordics at A+E Networks® UK - owner of the Crime + Investigation channel says: “We’re incredibly excited to be the headline partner for the first ever CrimeCon event in the UK. Speaking to such a dedicated and enthusiastic true crime audience is a fantastic opportunity to cement Crime + Investigation’s authority in the true crime space. We’re looking forward to bringing the brand into the real world with some exciting activations that will allow us to communicate with true crime fans across all our platforms.”

CrimeCon was created in 2017. Kevin Balfe, co-founder of Exhibit A Events Ltd, says; “Year after year UK true crime fans ask us if we’ll ever bring CrimeCon across the pond. We’re thrilled to have found the right partners so we can finally answer yes! As new fans will soon find out, CrimeCon is more than just an event: it is a platform for advocacy, education, compassion, and justice. From cold cases to forensics, from psychology to cybercrime - it’s a weekend experience that has something for everyone.”

Michael Dynan, co-founder of Exhibit A Events Ltd, says in response to the latest Government COVID-19 announcements; “We launched CrimeCon UK on 24th September 2020 during the pandemic and it’s been a very challenging past year but extensive focus group feedback demonstrates a real desire to look ahead and plan experiences. Having needed to move our original June date, we are preparing positively for September 2021 and putting in place all the necessary measures to react swiftly to any future changes due to COVID-19. We’ve had an incredible amount of support from the true crime community, five major international partners are confirmed and actively working on the event, and we’ve sold COVID-proof tickets including to international visitors, the audience is capped at 700 guests, and we are at 90% occupancy with 3 weeks to go with only SILVER tickets remaining.”