The number 1 hit true crime series is back with more women fighting crime, battling injustice and seriously kicking ass.In Season 1 of The Girlfriends: Spotlight, our global gang of girlfriends grew to include P***y Riot&rsquo;s punk icon and political prisoner Nadya Tolokonnikova, British Nigerian beauty queen and founder of Miss Trans Global, Miss saHHara and &lsquo;The Erin Brockovich of East Africa&rsquo;, environmental activist Phyllis Omido. Now host Anna Sinfield returns with more incredible stories of women like bodyguard Jacquie Davis, who set out on a daring mission to free a pregnant British woman trapped in Pakistan. We&rsquo;ll hear the story of Helene, a member of the French Resistance plotting to escape the brutality of a concentration camp. We&rsquo;ll also meet Visaka Dharmadasa, a Sri Lankan mother who sat face to face with notorious terrorists and helped end a civil war.
The Girlfriends: Spotlight is produced by Novel for iHeartPodcasts. For more from Novel visit Novel.Audio

The Girlfriends: Spotlight

Re-listen to the best of The Girlfriends: Spotlight:
 Rose Brady’s job running Baltimore County’s SVU was a frustrating one. The sexual violence crimes she and her team were investigating were just the tip of the iceberg. Her department was sitting on thousands of unsolved rape cases, dating back decades - with little hope of ever finding the perpetrators.
 That was until Rose made an incredible discovery: At a local hospital, a diligent forensic pathologist had kept in storage all the biological evidence from every rape exam he had ever performed. This could be the key to getting justice for hundreds of desperate women.
 This is a story of hard work, dogged persistence and a series of incredible coincidences…
 Rose has her own show with her daughter, Sam: Sgt. Brady's Crime Podcast (not affiliated with The Girlfriends: Spotlight): https://podfollow.com/1560081982
  
 If you’ve been affected by sexual violence, there are organisations which can help. 
 In the US: https://www.nsvrc.org/survivors
 In the UK: https://survivorsnetwork.org.uk/get-help/ 
  
 The Girlfriends: Spotlight is produced by Novel for iHeartPodcasts.
 For more from Novel visit Novel.Audio
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relisten to The Girlfriends: Spotlight: Rose Solves, At Least, 86 Cold Cases

In 1992, the Bombay Stock Exchange in India was skyrocketing. And at the centre of this chaotic, testosterone fuelled world was Harshad Meta: a man with aviator shades, a Lexus, and a reputation as a financial wizard. To millions, he was "The Big Bull," a self-made hero who promised wealth to anyone who followed his lead.
But Sucheta Dalal, one of the only female journalists covering the financial markets, wasn’t buying the hype. When she started digging into Harshad Meta, she uncovered something explosive. She had 24 hours to get to the bottom of it - with her career, and the fate of the Indian economy on the line.
This is the story of how one dogged journalist exposed a scam so big it sparked a financial revolution.
  
 The Girlfriends: Spotlight is produced by Novel for iHeartPodcasts.
 For more from Novel visit novel.audio
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Girlfriends: Spotlight, E24: Sucheta Exposes the Big Bull

Anna Rowe thought she’d found the perfect man: attentive, caring and totally devoted to his children. But Anna gradually started to suspect that things weren’t quite what they seemed… Her doubts led her to some late night dating app sleuthing.
 What Anna discovers will unravel everything she thought she knew about love, trust, and the man she was madly in love with. And it will set her on a path to save thousands of women from romance fraud.
  
 The Girlfriends: Spotlight is produced by Novel for iHeartPodcasts.
 For more from Novel visit novel.audio
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Girlfriends: Spotlight, E23: Anna Catches a Catfish

On Valentine's Day 2000, Carolyn Moor's life changed forever when a hit-and-run accident killed her husband Chad. She was left a widow in her 30s - and with two young daughters to raise alone. And she discovered that when you’re a young widow, there’s not very much support - especially not the sort of support you need to get through the long years of grief-stricken child rearing. So, Carolyn founded The Modern Widows Club - dedicated to enabling women of all ages and backgrounds to embrace life after widowhood. She calls it ‘a wisterhood’.
 Plus we hear from the nurse who witnessed Carolyn’s darkest moment, and used it to fight for positive change.
  
 The Girlfriends: Spotlight is produced by Novel for iHeartPodcasts.
 For more from Novel visit novel.audio
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Girlfriends: Spotlight, E22: Carolyn Builds a Wisterhood

The number 1 hit true crime series is back with more women fighting crime, battling injustice and seriously kicking ass.
In The Girlfriends: Spotlight, our global gang of girlfriends grew to include Pussy Riot’s punk icon and political prisoner Nadya Tolokonnikova, British Nigerian beauty queen and founder of Miss Trans Global, Miss saHHara and ‘The Erin Brockovich of East Africa’, environmental activist Phyllis Omido. Now host Anna Sinfield returns with more incredible stories. 
The Girlfriends: Spotlight is produced by Novel for iHeartPodcasts.
For more from Novel visit Novel.Audio
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Girlfriends: Spotlight Is Back...

When Morrell Andrews’s attacker was convicted of her sexual assault, she thought her fight was over. But it was just beginning. Because in Canada, where Morrell lives, ‘Publication Bans’ were enshrined in law. These bans meant that no one, including the survivor themselves, is allowed to publicly name the victim of a sexual offense. Effectively, if Morrell talked about her story in the press, or on her own social media - or even if she texted her friends or emailed her therapist about it - she could face a criminal conviction and a fine. 
 Morrell wasn’t going to stand for that. With the support of a group of other survivors, she began an extraordinary legal and media battle to change the Canadian criminal code forever…
  
 The Girlfriends: Spotlight is produced by Novel for iHeartPodcasts.
 For more from Novel visit novel.audio
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Girlfriends: Spotlight, E21: Morrell Breaks the Ban

Why did it take law enforcement so long to pay proper attention to Derek Alldred’s pattern of fraud against women all over the country? 
 In bonus episode four, Anna takes a deep dive into the investigation that finally brought Derek down, and the shortcomings of the many that came before. 
 In this four part mini-series, we take a deep dive into our archive of never before heard interviews, to take a closer look at the key themes that underpinned Trust Me Babe. 
  
 If you’re affected by any of the themes in this show, our charity partners NO MORE have available resources at https://www.nomore.org.
 To learn more about romance scams, and to access specialised support, visit https://fightcybercrime.org/ 
  
 The Girlfriends: Trust Me Babe is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/. 
 You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Trust Me Babe completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts.
 Open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “iHeart True Crime+, and subscribe today!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Girlfriends S5/Bonus Ep 4: How to Catch a Con-artist

When Derek Alldred was finally convicted in 2017, it was far from his first run-in with the law. 
 In fact, more than a decade earlier, he found himself in the crosshairs of one determined California fire investigator, named Tom Oldag, who suspected him of a very different kind of fraud. 
 In bonus episode three, Anna takes a deep dive into one strand of Derek Alldred’s colourful criminal history. Featuring real archival recordings from Captain Tom Oldag’s extensive investigation. 
 In this four part mini-series, we take a deep dive into our archive of never before heard interviews, to take a closer look at the key themes that underpinned Trust Me Babe. 
  
 If you’re affected by any of the themes in this show, our charity partners NO MORE have available resources at https://www.nomore.org.
 To learn more about romance scams, and to access specialised support, visit https://fightcybercrime.org/ 
  
 The Girlfriends: Trust Me Babe is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/. 
 You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Trust Me Babe completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts.
 Open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “iHeart True Crime+, and subscribe today!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Girlfriends S5/Bonus Ep 3: Blazing Lies

Confronting your bestie’s terrible boyfriend about his toxic behaviour can be tempting, but is it always the best course of action? How do you strike a balance between protecting your friend from becoming isolated, and being honest with them about your fears?
 In bonus episode two, Anna talks to social worker - Jen Lawrence - to learn more about the red flags of romance scammer behaviour, and what you can do about them. 
 In this four part mini-series, we take a deep dive into our archive of never before heard interviews, to take a closer look at the key themes that underpinned Trust Me Babe. 
  
 If you’re affected by any of the themes in this show, our charity partners NO MORE have available resources at https://www.nomore.org.
 To learn more about romance scams, and to access specialised support, visit https://fightcybercrime.org/ 
  
 The Girlfriends: Trust Me Babe is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/. 
 You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Trust Me Babe completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts.
 Open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “iHeart True Crime+, and subscribe today!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Girlfriends S5/Bonus Ep 2: Help! My Bestie’s Dating a Scam Artist

In the years leading up to Derek’s conviction, his victims sometimes came forward to the media about their experiences. 
 But when they did so, the reaction from the public wasn’t always sympathetic. 
 In bonus episode one, Anna takes a closer look at the stigma that surrounds romance fraud with journalist Rachel Monroe, who covered Derek’s sentencing for The Atlantic back in 2018.  
 In this four part mini-series, we take a deep dive into our archive of never before heard interviews, to take a closer look at the key themes that underpinned Trust Me Babe. 
  
 If you’re affected by any of the themes in this show, our charity partners NO MORE have available resources at https://www.nomore.org.
 To learn more about romance scams, and to access specialised support, visit https://fightcybercrime.org/ 
  
 The Girlfriends: Trust Me Babe is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/. 
 You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Trust Me Babe completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts.
 Open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “iHeart True Crime+, and subscribe today!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.