Glasgow has a reputation for resilience, but some crimes cut so deep they change how a city moves, watches, and trusts. We’re telling the story of Angus Robertson Sinclair, a dangerous sexual predator who attacked children across Glasgow, often striking at weekends and grabbing victims from behind so they never saw his face. This episode contains distressing details and references to sexual violence, handled with care, but it is not an easy listen.
We follow the investigation led by Detective Inspector Joe Jackson as he pulls together scattered reports and finds the link others missed: timing. When a young victim finally gives a clearer description, it points police towards Sinclair and to a detail that feels almost unbelievable until it is confirmed in custody, green specks of paint in his hair and ears, and paint spots across his shoes. With evidence thin and victims traumatised, Jackson tries a risky interview approach that helps unlock admissions, leading to a rare life sentence for rape in Scotland.
The story does not end at conviction. We trace how advances in forensic science and DNA profiling later bring justice in cold cases, including Mary Gallagher’s murder, and how new evidence eventually leads to Scotland’s first retrial under double jeopardy reforms for the World’s End murders of Helen Scott and Christine Eady. We also confront the unanswered questions around other unsolved murders Sinclair is believed to be linked to, and what happens when warnings are shared but not acted on.
If you care about true crime in Glasgow, Scottish criminal history, cold case investigations, and how DNA evidence changes what courts can prove, you’ll want to hear this. Subscribe to A Dark City, share the episode with someone who’ll discuss it with you, and leave us a review. What do you think should change to stop cases like this being missed for so long?
