In September 2003, 17-year-old Shafilea Ahmed vanished from her home in Warrington, Cheshire, leaving behind a worrying trail of unanswered questions. A bright and ambitious student, she had dreams of independence, but those dreams clashed with the expectations placed upon her by her family.

For years, her disappearance remained a mystery, until a shocking revelation finally exposed the horrifying truth. What really happened to Shafilea that night? And why did it take nearly a decade for justice to be served?

By covering Shafilea's story, I hope to raise awareness of the devastating reality of so-called "honour-based" abuse and the urgent need to challenge it. If you or someone you know is at risk or are experiencing it currently, please seek help from one of the below resources:

• Karma Nirvana (karmanirvana.org.uk)

• Savera UK (saverauk.co.uk)

• Halo Project (haloproject.org.uk)

• Freedom (freedomcharity.org.uk)

• True Honour (truehonour.org.uk)

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Intro music:⁣

David John Brady - 'Throw Down the Gauntlet'⁣

davidjohnbrady.com

Disclaimer:

The case discussed in this podcast episode is real and represents the worst day in many people's lives. I aim to cover such stories with a victim-focused approach, using information from publicly available sources. While I strive for accuracy, some details may vary depending on the sources used. You can find the sources for each episode on my website. Due to the nature of the content, listener discretion is advised. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In December 1994, 33-year-old Dr Michael Meenaghan was in his kitchen making a cup of tea when a single shotgun suddenly tore through his window, striking him in the chest. He somehow managed to dial 999 but collapsed before he could say a word.

When officers arrived, they found him slumped on the floor, the phone still hanging off the hook, surrounded by a pool of his own blood.

Over 30 years later, his murder remains a complete mystery. No weapon, no suspects, and no clear motive - just one chilling question: Who wanted Dr Meenaghan dead, and why?

If you have any information about this case, no matter how insignificant you think it might be, please contact Thames Valley Police on the link below or call 101:

Update a crime report | Thames Valley Police

Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via the secure online form below:

Give information anonymously | Crimestoppers

Join my Patreon community at patreon.com/britishmurders for exclusive perks, including early access to ad-free episodes, bonus episodes and content, exciting giveaways, and welcome goodies!

Follow me on social media:

Facebook | British Murders with Stuart Blues

Instagram | @britishmurders

TikTok | @britishmurders

Join the private Facebook group:

British Murders Podcast - Discussion Group

Visit my website:

britishmurders.com

Intro music:⁣

David John Brady - 'Throw Down the Gauntlet'⁣

davidjohnbrady.com

Disclaimer:

The case discussed in this podcast episode is real and represents the worst day in many people's lives. I aim to cover such stories with a victim-focused approach, using information from publicly available sources. While I strive for accuracy, some details may vary depending on the sources used. You can find the sources for each episode on my website. Due to the nature of the content, listener discretion is advised. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m joined by actor-producer duo Aaron Vodovoz and Annelise Bianchini in this interview episode to discuss the UK revival of 𝘋𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘢𝘥 from award-winning playwright Lee Blessing.

𝘈 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦-𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦 (𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘈𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘦) 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘉𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩, 𝘢 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨, 𝘴𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬, 𝘋𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘯 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩'𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

The play is a gripping psychological thriller that explores the complex intersection of true crime, ethics, and the allure of killers in our culture.

𝘋𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘢𝘥, partnered by CrimeCon, has a limited run at London's brand-new Playhouse East theatre and runs from 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟰 to 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟮𝟵, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱.

British Murders listeners can enjoy an exclusive 𝟮𝟬% 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧 on tickets by using the code '𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗦𝗛' at checkout via the Eventbrite link below:

Down the Road by Lee Blessing Tickets | Eventbrite

Head to americantheatreoflondon.co.uk for more information, and follow their socials below for updates on the play's production:

Facebook | American Theatre of London

Instagram | @amertheatreldn

TikTok | @amertheatreldn

X | @AmerTheatreLDN

***This interview was recorded on January 28, 2024.

Join my Patreon community at patreon.com/britishmurders for exclusive perks, including early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exciting giveaways, and much more!

Social Media:

Facebook | British Murders with Stuart Blues

Instagram | @britishmurders

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Private Facebook Group:

British Murders Podcast - Discussion Group

Website:

britishmurders.com

Do you have a guest request? Please send it to contact@britishmurders.com or fill out a Contact Form at britishmurders.com/contact

Intro music:⁣

David John Brady - 'Throw Down the Gauntlet'⁣

davidjohnbrady.com

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