Michael October, aka Mikaere Oketopa, has been in jail for years for a crime that he swears he didn't commit. Then one night, in a whirlwind of bomb threats, pizza deliveries and rioting skinheads, a group of inmates make demands that will change the trajectory of Oketopa's life.

In part two of this two-part series, Adam Dudding and Eugene Bingham trace the long and frustrating campaign of Mikaere Oketopa and his supporters to prove his innocence.

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After a 22-year-old woman is found murdered in the grounds of a school, police swiftly ID three key suspects.

There’s just one problem: one of them says he was fast asleep on the other side of town at the time of the killing. And his co-accused swear they never met him. So why was Michael October (also known as Mikaere Oketopa) jailed all the same?

In part one of this two-part series, Adam Dudding and Eugene Bingham kick the tyres of a baffling and disturbing murder investigation.

If you value this kind of storytelling and want to help us keep making it, you can become a Long Story Short supporter at LSSpodcast.com. You’ll get early, ad-free access to episodes, and we’ve got some subscriber-only bonus content in the pipeline as well. You can also sign up to our free newsletter so you’ll hear from us each time a new story drops.

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In 1986, the Russian cruise liner Mikhail Lermontov sank in the Marlborough Sounds.

Decades later, questions still float around. Why was the ship sailing through dangerous waters? Why did the captain resist help to save it? And did Vladimir Putin really attend the inquiry?

Adam Dudding and Eugene Bingham dive into a strange maritime mystery – a tale of tragedy, intrigue and Cold War paranoia.

If you value this kind of storytelling and want to help us keep making it, you can become a Long Story Short supporter at LSSpodcast.com. You’ll get early, ad-free access to episodes, and we’ve got some subscriber-only bonus content in the pipeline as well. You can also sign up to our free newsletter so you’ll hear from us each time a new story drops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.