fair cop by unfair cops?

This starts off in a promising format; some cheeky lobster fishermen may or may not have been helping out in a huge drugs import. They are framed by the police and sent down, but are they innocent? All good so far.

SPOILER ALERT do not read below as contains spoilers.
As the plot progresses there is very little pointing to innocence and more and more points to yes they did the deal. A good alibi would be they weren't there and didn't do those things (crossing the wake of the other ship, turfing bags over the ship into the sea etc.) But they were and they did. Apparently.

Also, and this is the clincher, they had an Eastern European gangster (who had got off with 2 murder charges) with them. His story was he'd come all this way to work for £60 a day on a trawler when he suffered terrible seasickness. Aye right. (Fake passport and identity.) The coincidences mount up until you can no longer suspend disbelief.

The only reason they maybe shouldn't have been sent down was the police REALLY fumbled the case. Surveillance crew without cameras. Laughable. (Or more likely, make believe.) So they found the bags of drugs and reversed engineered their story. Almost certainly fabricating events to em... match events. Which doesn't make the lobster crew innocent.

Nobody comes out of this smelling of roses, and sadly that kind of includes our fearless narrator journalist, who gets to the point of suggesting those nice lads might just have got a bit in over their heads, and wasn't it a shame they got such long sentences. Well, yes, but innocence would have made a more compelling story. Then there's the lovely lawyer who rights wrongs and miscarriages of justice. Difficult to see what role she was playing other than to underline the Police bad practice.

It all plays out quite well but a case of fact not being stranger than fiction. And not quite as gripping as a result. Never recovers from that tail spin. Worth a listen though and value for money. Smiley winky face!
Manky theme tune.

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None the wiser but a very balanced report

don't know guilt or innocence but then I suppose only the 5 really know ( or 7). 100% believe we should not have our whole lives judged by our worst 15 minutes, but the court of public opinion often judges harshly.

Well worth a listen

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interesting

I don't know what I think but well investigated and presented. I just don't believe that what people have done in the past should be enough to convict them of a crime. The police came across as corrupt, as always.

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Quality reporting

Listened to the whole series in one sitting. Really good reporting from Raphael and his team, narrated in his signature style. Twists to keep the story moving. Definitely recommended listening.

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Good podcast series

Better than the Guardian podcast as it’s more even handed. There’s a lot more background and information which may sway your opinion but ultimately there isn’t a clear judgement upon innocent or guilt of the Freshwater Five (Seven). In saying that the narrator is good and the facts laid out well. Well worth a download

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Things are rarely 'black and white'

I enjoyed this podcast for casual listening. It's quite clear to me that the individuals concerned (the freshwater 5) are guilty, but I suspect they were coerced and they likely had no idea of the gravity of the situation. Maybe they were offered a couple of grand each and were naive/stupid enough to accept it without considering the implications. That's my conclusion!

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Who knows

Very well presented by the Raphael Rowe. Brilliant and thorough research. Will leave judgment to others. You never know what will emerge in the future.

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A great listen

very well presented and thought out . Both a fascinating an easy listen. Not what a usually listen to but will certainly look out for similar again.

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Gripping

Rafael Rowe is a compelling narrator. Interesting take on this case. Full of twists. Well worth downloading.

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It's a conundrum.

I found this podcast very interesting. It was clearly and concisely presented and I am unable to decide if they were innocent or not. Well worth listening to.

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9 people found this helpful