Birmingham City University criminologist features in Netflix documentary about unsolved murder

A criminologist from Birmingham City University has been featured in a new Netflix documentary exploring one of the UK’s most chilling unsolved murders.

The programme features insights from leading criminologist and lecturer Dr Mohammed Rahman and explores the killing of Scottish banker Alistair Wilson, who was shot on the doorstep of his family home.

Dr Rahman said: “The case is one of the most unusual and troubling unsolved murders in the UK.”

Although the case has been characterised as a suspected contract killing, no one has ever been charged.

For Dr Rahman, the documentary was a rare chance to bring academic research into a live criminal case.

His work between 2014 and 2017 examined the psychology of so-called “hitmen” - how they justify extreme violence, the methods they use, and how contract killings operate within organised crime.

“My research has long examined how contract killers rationalise and operationalise serious violence,” said Dr Rahman.

“The documentary provided an important opportunity to bring that academic insight into a live and still deeply significant case.”

The killing of Wilson, he explains, contains several hallmarks historically linked to contract hits.

“My contribution to the documentary was to apply established criminological research to help contextualise what we know - and what remains uncertain - about the offence,” he said.

“I hope viewers see how criminological research can help make sense of complex crimes. Even when cases remain unsolved, research can highlight patterns and dynamics that deepen our understanding of serious violence.”

Several documentaries have examined the killing of Alistair Wilson, including the BBC’s Big Cases: The Doorstep Murder.