David Wilson's Crime Files

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A BBC TV channel for Scotland which will broadcast every evening and will show drama, factual, comedy and news programmes made in Scotland

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Factual: Crime & Justice

Professor David Wilson explores Scottish crimes.

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David Wilson

Harry Bell

David Wilson's Crime Files: Series 2: Spree Mass Killers

Spree Mass Killers

Series 2

BBC Scotland - David Wilson's Crime Files, Series 2, Spree Mass Killers

Criminologist David Wilson explores the dark world of spree and mass killings.

Criminologist David Wilson examines Scotland’s dark history with spree and mass killings and tries to find motives behind these truly heinous and unprovoked attacks.

Professor David Wilson, the UK’s leading criminologist, and his guests try to comprehend what could motivate a person to go on a spree or mass killing.

David travels to the notorious Carstairs State Hospital in South Lanarkshire to investigate one of Scotland’s worst spree killings. The atrocity occurred on one cold November night in 1976, leaving three people dead and at least three others injured. David tracks the movements of the two killers, Robert Mone and Thomas McCulloch, from their brutal escape from the hospital to the night-long manhunt across the border.

In the studio, David speaks with former senior police officer Graeme Pearson, who was given the task of escorting Robert Mone back to Scotland. Graeme gives his first-hand account of being called onto the scene and the fear of having to chase these deranged killers. He recounts what it was like to come face to face with the cold-hearted killer and how his conversations with Mone that night showed no remorse for his callous actions.

Graeme even tried to get to the bottom of what Mone’s motives were for the night’s events, and his answer is truly shocking.

David’s next guest is forensic clinical psychologist David Cooke, who speaks about his specialist knowledge of one of Scotland’s worst mass killings, the Dunblane Massacre. David Cooke was called in to examine Thomas Hamilton after the event for the Cullen Inquiry. He speaks to David about his examination of Hamilton’s life and how he uncovered clear signs of paedophilia and other troubling issues in Hamilton’s past. He also talks about the personality traits of a mass killer and which of these Hamilton displayed prior to the shooting.

David’s final guest is Dr Mick North, whose daughter Sophie was tragically killed during the shooting at Dunblane Primary School. He speaks about his own feelings towards Hamilton and how we need to stop dehumanizing these killers. He also highlights his journey campaigning for gun control in the UK and how that activism moved from the UK to America. He chats about the current state of America and their continued issue with gun violence and how he feels it is an impossible situation to fix.



David Wilson's Crime Files: Series 2

A BBC TV channel for Scotland which will broadcast every evening and will show drama, factual, comedy and news programmes made in Scotland


Professor David Wilson and guests discuss Scottish crimes.

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David Wilson's Crime Files

Series 2

Spree Mass Killers

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