Mens Rea: Because the UK & Ireland have crime, too

The Premise (from Apple Podcasts):

Mens Rea is the legal principle of intent that must be proved in a number of crimes, such as murder. It means literally, "guilty mind".

Mens Rea Podcast explores the most notorious crimes from Ireland and the UK and the court cases that followed. Join your host, Sinead, every fortnight when a new case is discussed.

Series or standalone:

Standalone

Begin listening to:

Any episode--there are 88 at present

Format:

True crime (solo)

Host(s):

Sinead McHugh

Sound/production quality:

Very good

Rating/age suitability:

Older teen/adult (the murders can be gruesome)

Approximate length of episodes:

Usually around 60 minutes; up to 90 minutes on occasion

Curricular ties:

n/a

Similar recommended pods:

I know there are a lot of true crime pods that focus on just one case per episode, but I typically don’t listen to those.

Podcast Librarian’s Review:

I’m not an obsessive true crime fan, but it’s definitely a genre I enjoy. To my knowledge, there are not a ton of podcasts that focus on UK crime, and even fewer that focus on Ireland. Mens Rea more than fills that gap . The pod is hosted by a single narrator, Sinead, who clearly puts a great deal of research into each comprehensive episode. The cases are fairly modern, and the episodes include information about the case, including quoted material from friends, family, and other people who spoke about the victim. I have a pet peeve about pods that sound like they’re just reading information off of Wikipedia, and this pod is not that. While I don’t think there’s original research, it’s well-compiled and presented. The audio is good, and there are some musical interludes, but it’s a minimalist style of recording. My only critique is the episodes are sometimes overly long (most are right around an hour, but some are up to 75-90 minutes), and there is some information that is slightly redundant and unnecessary. But overall, if you are interested in non-US true crime (and love a host with a great accent), you’ll likely enjoy this pod.