New podcast digs into one of Britain’s long-running extradition battles
A new true crime podcast explores how a 1999 murder in Florida led to a legal and family saga spanning decades and continents.
A Murder Without End, by award-winning Canadian reporter Tristan Stewart-Robertson, explores the shooting of Joshua Hayes on 10 August 1999 and the dark and twisting drama that followed.
The series stretches from Florida to a tragedy in Scotland to the European Court of Human Rights.
It reveals a significant gap in what Scots can learn from their “deeply secretive justice system” compared to Florida’s open records laws.
Tristan said: “This is an international story, but the UK part was only possible to report thanks to the transparency in Florida.
“That should rightly raise questions for how crime is reported in Scotland and the UK, and how the justice system is held to account.
“But this series was also not possible without the considerable openness of the victim’s family. This is ultimately a story of loss and a mother’s long fight for justice.”
Creator Tristan Stewart-Robertson spent more than five years pouring over thousands of pages of police reports, depositions and court records, looking for the truth from judges, prosecutors and the victim’s family.
Joshua Hayes’ death led, through many unexpected turns of events, to a tragedy in Scotland, then to one of the longest extradition battles in British legal history.
The podcast focuses on these two cases through the eyes of Josh’s mother, Patricia Gallagher, who continued to fight for justice on two continents.
Tristan said: “The UK loves to talk about – and complain about – human rights and who should get them, and this podcast looks at that in detail with a case that stretched for so many years.
“I have spent many years sitting in courts, from Halifax, to Philadelphia, to Toronto, to extensive time across Scottish courts. But A Murder Without End is very much about what doesn’t usually get covered by reporters, about access to information, and about how those left behind experience the justice system when a loved one is killed.”
He added: “I hope people will listen to the full story to appreciate what a crime looks like beyond headlines or court reports.
“There is so much more that is never reported, never shared. This is just one crime of many in the world, and maybe appreciating loss and grief will give someone else a sense of appreciating their own life and loved ones or find commonality in what others have gone through.”
A Murder Without End is available now on most podcast platforms.