Carrie Jade Williams. Sadie Harris. Lucy Fitzwilliams. Jade Cookes. Samantha Black. Rebecca Fitzgerald.  


These are just some of the fabricated identities used by serial con artist Samantha Cookes.  


In 2024, her Walter Mitty-style life finally collapsed as online communities, journalists and a WhatsApp group of victims cross-referenced the inconsistencies in her story, joining the dots that authorities had missed.  


In March 2025, Samantha Cookes was jailed for three years for deception and theft.  


Yet her story keeps getting fresh chapters.  


On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Katie Byrne is joined by Alan Bradley, documentary filmmaker and author of Unmasking Samantha Cookes: The Many Lives of a Serial Fraudster, to discuss the breadth and the impact of an incredible deception.

This episode of The Indo Daily was first released in May 2026

The Indo Daily is part of the Trust Project. You can see our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism

Carrie Jade Williams. Sadie Harris. Lucy Fitzwilliams. Jade Cookes. Samantha Black. Rebecca Fitzgerald.&nbsp; 
 
These are just some of the fabricated identities used by serial con artist Samantha Cookes.&nbsp; 
 
In 2024, her Walter Mitty-style life finally collapsed as online communities, journalists and a WhatsApp group of victims cross-referenced the inconsistencies in her story, joining the dots that authorities had missed.&nbsp; 
 
In March 2025, Samantha Cookes was jailed for three years for deception and theft.&nbsp; 
 
Yet her story keeps getting fresh chapters.&nbsp; 
 
On this episode of&nbsp;The Indo Daily, host Katie Byrne is joined by Alan Bradley, documentary filmmaker and author of Unmasking Samantha Cookes: The Many Lives of a Serial Fraudster, to discuss the breadth and the impact of an incredible deception.
This episode of The Indo Daily was first released in May&nbsp;2026
The Indo Daily is part of the Trust Project. You can see our ethics policies at <a href="https://independent.ie/ourjournalism" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">independent.ie/ourjournalism</a>

Stay in the know, on the go. The Indo Daily brings you in-depth, 20 minute stories that fit into your day.

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The many masks of serial fraudster Samantha Cookes

It was supposed to be an oral record of the Troubles, made by those who were there.

Initially, the ‘Boston Tapes’ project seemed like a good idea, albeit one which would unavoidably include descriptions of violence and terror.

The concept was simple – former paramilitaries would be interviewed; the tapes would then be kept in storage, and their stories only revealed after the interviewees' deaths.

However, it became clear that the scheme was flawed and that the recordings were not as secret as participants had assumed.

Earlier this year, the Belfast Telegraph revealed that the Boston College tapes archive has been formally closed - and will remain shut for 75 years from when it was first created.

On this episode, host Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph reporter, Andrew Madden, to look at what went wrong with the project and why the records have been sealed.

This episode is brought to you by our sister podcast The BelTel and was first released in April 2026.

The Indo Daily is part of the Trust Project. You can see our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism

It was supposed to be an oral record of the Troubles, made by those who were there.
Initially, the ‘Boston Tapes’ project seemed like a good idea, albeit one which would unavoidably include descriptions of violence and terror.
The concept was simple – former paramilitaries would be interviewed; the tapes would then be kept in storage, and their stories only revealed after the interviewees' deaths.
However, it became clear that the scheme was flawed and that the recordings were not as secret as participants had assumed.
Earlier this year, the Belfast Telegraph revealed that the Boston College tapes archive has been formally closed - and will remain shut for 75 years from when it was first created.
On this episode, host Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph reporter, Andrew Madden, to look at what went wrong with the project and why the records have been sealed.
This episode is brought to you by our sister podcast The BelTel and was first released in April 2026.
The Indo Daily is part of the Trust Project. You can see our ethics policies at <a href="https://independent.ie/ourjournalism" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">independent.ie/ourjournalism</a>

How a secret academic project blew open the Troubles’ darkest murder cases

The five teenage boys killed in a horror crash when their car was driven the wrong way on the M9 motorway were all aged between 15 and 18 years of age.

Post-mortem examinations will now be carried out on the bodies of Joey Carthy (15) and Jack Kennedy (17) from Athy, Co Kildare; Alex McCarthy (17) and his cousin Jeremy O’Brien (18) from Carlow; and Kamil Pustkowski (17) from Limerick.

The teenagers, including some members of the so-called Lucky Dip gang, were killed when the stolen BMW car they were driving sped the wrong way down the M9 motorway and ploughed head-on into another vehicle.

Three women and a seven-year-old boy who were travelling in the other Hyundai vehicle were hospitalised with injuries ranging from serious to critical following the early-morning smash on Sunday.

The women and child were on their way to Dublin Airport at the time of the crash which occurred shortly after 3am near Moone, Co Kildare, on the northbound lane.

Gardaí believe that the five juveniles were travelling in a suspected stolen BMW and are alleged to have been involved in a burglary and attempted break-ins in Carlow and Athy, Co Kildare, before the fatal smash.

We want to earn your trust and are members of the Trust Project. See our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism

The five teenage boys killed in a horror crash when their car was driven the wrong way on the M9 motorway were all aged between 15 and 18 years of age.
Post-mortem examinations will now be carried out on the bodies of Joey Carthy (15) and Jack Kennedy (17) from Athy, Co Kildare; Alex McCarthy (17) and his cousin Jeremy O’Brien (18) from Carlow; and Kamil Pustkowski (17) from Limerick.
The teenagers, including some members of the so-called Lucky Dip gang, were killed when the stolen BMW car they were driving sped the wrong way down the M9 motorway and ploughed head-on into another vehicle.
Three women and a seven-year-old boy who were travelling in the other Hyundai vehicle were hospitalised with injuries ranging from serious to critical following the early-morning smash on Sunday.
The women and child were on their way to Dublin Airport at the time of the crash which occurred shortly after 3am near Moone, Co Kildare, on the northbound lane.
Gardaí believe that the five juveniles were travelling in a suspected stolen BMW and are alleged to have been involved in a burglary and attempted break-ins in Carlow and Athy, Co Kildare, before the fatal smash.
We want to earn your trust and are members of the Trust Project. See our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism

Extra: Horror M9 crash and social media trend gardaí seem powerless to stop

Robert Sangster later recounted how he then poured himself a ‘generous glass’ of Roederer Cristal champagne, “and I inhaled it as if it was draft lager, and I kept on saying over and over, ‘I like it John. I like it. I really like it.’”

It sounds like a scene from a film where the plot is about to go into overdrive.

For the young John Magnier, it was the eureka moment.

But how exactly did he set a cunning plan in motion that would pave the way for his envious billionaire bloodstock empire? What did he see in America that Ireland sorely lacked? And, given his recent and chastening high-profile defeat in court, what is the ultimate legacy for the man who changed horse-racing in this country forever?

On this episode of The Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Sunday Independent journalist Liam Collins to profile the early days of Magnier and examine how one of our most intriguing and reclusive figures built his fortune.

This episode of The Indo Daily was first released in January 2026

The Indo Daily is part of the Trust Project. You can see our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism

Robert Sangster later recounted how he then poured himself a ‘generous glass’ of Roederer Cristal champagne, “and I inhaled it as if it was draft lager, and I kept on saying over and over, ‘I like it John. I like it. I really like it.’”
It sounds like a scene from a film where the plot is about to go into overdrive.
For the young John Magnier, it was the eureka moment.
But how exactly did he set a cunning plan in motion that would pave the way for his envious billionaire bloodstock empire?&nbsp;What did he see in America that Ireland sorely lacked? And, given his recent and chastening high-profile defeat in court, what is the ultimate legacy for the man who changed horse-racing in this country forever?
On this episode of The Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Sunday Independent journalist Liam Collins to profile the early days of Magnier and examine how one of our most intriguing and reclusive figures built his fortune.
This episode of The Indo Daily was first released in January 2026
The Indo Daily&nbsp;is part of the Trust Project. You can see our ethics policies at&nbsp;<a href="https://independent.ie/ourjournalism" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">independent.ie/ourjournalism</a>

The many masks of serial fraudster Samantha Cookes

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