Rob Rinder, known for his role on ITV's Judge Rinder, is set to revisit a murder case that has haunted him for nearly two decades in a new documentary titled Rob Rinder: The Crime I Can't Forget. The programme, airing on Crime + Investigation, sees the former criminal defence barrister return to Liverpool to examine the unsolved murder of 22-year-old Lucy Hargreaves.
Lucy, a mother of three, was murdered in her home in 2005 when three men burst in, shot her as she slept on the sofa, and set the property on fire. The attack horrified the nation. A police investigation led to arrests and a trial, with Rinder serving on the defence team. However, the judge upheld a submission of insufficient evidence, and the defendants were formally acquitted, leaving the case unsolved.
Reflecting on the case, Rinder told Radio Times: 'There are some cases that follow you home... For nearly 20 years, that case for me has been the unsolved murder of Lucy Hargreaves.' In the documentary, he meets Lucy's family and those close to her, describing it as 'one of the most moving experiences of my professional life'.
Rinder also reunites with his former lead defence counsel, Rod Johnson KC, and speaks with former Metropolitan Police detective Peter Bleksley. The documentary asks whether developments in the law, such as the possibility of a trial in absence, might offer a route to further scrutiny of the evidence.
Rob Rinder: The Crime I Can't Forget is available to watch or stream from Monday, June 8, on Crime + Investigation.
