The second True Crime Forum runs at the Maldron Hotel Newcastle on Saturday 10 October: six workshops, lunch and a 90-minute team detective finale.
The True Crime Forum returns to Newcastle on Saturday 10 October for its second year. The full-day event is at the Maldron Hotel Newcastle on Newgate Street, about 15 miles south of Morpeth and a few minutes’ walk from Newcastle Central Station.
It is run by True Crime Collab, an independent North East community that started as a discussion group in Newcastle. The organisers describe the day as “education rather than sensationalism, and exploration rather than fandom”.
The six workshops
Everyone picks one morning and one afternoon workshop, from three in each slot. The Forum’s programme lists them as:
| Session | Subject | Led by |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Media and true crime: how does media change the narrative? The Lucy Letby case and the media narratives around it | Dr Bethany Usher |
| Morning | Theatre and violence: can theatre change how we understand violence against women? | Workie Ticket Theatre |
| Morning | Forensic investigation: what does TV get wrong about crime scenes? | The Crime Scene Insiders |
| Afternoon | Manosphere and psychology: why does the manosphere appeal to men and boys? | Dr Rebecca Owens |
| Afternoon | Wildlife crime: how do we out-think wildlife offenders? | Paul Bateman, wildlife crime investigator |
| Afternoon | The Sutcliffe investigation: was the investigation ever really finished? | Tanita Matthews |
The wildlife crime session is the one that stands out on the list. The press release calls it “a form of offending rarely associated with conventional true crime events”.
At 3pm the whole room comes together for a 90-minute Detective Experience run by The Detective Rooms. Tables work in teams on a case file: timelines, witness statements, crime scene photographs and physical exhibits. New information is released as the session goes on. No previous experience is needed.
The day at a glance
- Date: Saturday 10 October 2026
- Venue: Maldron Hotel, 17 Newgate St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 5RE
- Times: registration from 10am, first session 10.30am, finishes at 5pm
- Included: two workshops, the Detective Experience, lunch and refreshments
- Ages: 18 and over; under 18s can attend with a supervising adult
- Access: the organisers say the hotel is step-free and wheelchair accessible, with lifts to all event floors
- Food: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and other diets are catered for, and you can state requirements before the day
- Tickets: through the Forum’s ticket page
The organisers say plenty of people come on their own. There are shared tables, a lunch break and the team session at the end, so you will not spend the day alone.
From a club table to a full-day event
Joccoaa Gray started a True Crime Club in Newcastle in 2022. The group met to talk about cold cases, missing people and mysteries. It still meets every fortnight.
According to the press release, the conversations kept moving beyond the cases themselves: into psychology, policing, forensic evidence, justice, the media and victims. And people in the North East who wanted specialist true crime talks usually had to travel south for them.
That led to the first Forum, held on 11 October 2025 at Blackfriars in Newcastle. The organisers’ 2025 retrospective says it sold out.
Joccoaa, who founded True Crime Collab, said:
“The Forum really grew from our local community. We started with people sitting around a table discussing cases together, and we found that the questions very quickly went beyond what happened and who did it.
“People wanted to talk about evidence, psychology, justice, the media and the wider issues surrounding crime. We also realised that there weren’t many opportunities to explore those subjects through events here in the North East.”
She added:
“Curiosity brings people through the door, and the Forum gives people somewhere thoughtful to take that curiosity. We approach true crime through education and exploration. We want people to hear different perspectives, ask questions and hopefully leave knowing something they didn’t know when they arrived.
“Being independent is important to us too. This has grown here, from a local community, and we want to keep that sense of people actually coming together. You can come with friends or completely on your own. You can ask questions or simply listen. There isn’t one particular type of person the Forum is for.”
The Forum is not part of a national touring convention. It is organised locally, by the same person who runs the community through the year.
What it means for you
If you are in Northumberland, the Forum is a short train or bus ride away: Newcastle Central Station is a few minutes’ walk from the hotel. The day runs from 10am to 5pm, so it works as a day trip from Morpeth, Cramlington or Hexham. Pick your two workshops when you book, because each one runs only once.
For more events across the county, see our things to do in Northumberland page.
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