Richard Hoskins (born 1964) is an author and

criminologist Criminology (from Latin , "accusation", and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'' meaning: "word, reason") is the study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in both the behavioural and so ...

, with expertise in African ritual crime.'' Sunday Times''. 1 July 2012.

Early life

Hoskins was born in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, in February 1964, and educated at

Uppingham School Uppingham School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils 13-18) in Uppingham, Rutland, England, founded in 1584 by Robert Johnson, the Archdeacon of Leicester, who also established Oakham School. The headma ...

, at Bedford School, and at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, before a Special Short Service Commission in 3rd Battalion the

Royal Anglian Regiment The Royal Anglian Regiment (R ANGLIAN) is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It consists of two Regular battalions and one Reserve battalion. The modern regiment was formed in 1964, making it the oldest of the Line Regiments now operating i ...

. At the age of twenty-one Hoskins travelled to Africa intending a gap year, but stayed from 1986 until 1992.The Boy in the River, , Pan Macmillan Upon returning to Britain, Hoskins enrolled at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

to read theology and took a double First, before completing a PhD at King's College London. Hoskins went on to be a senior lecturer at

Bath Spa University Bath Spa University is a public university in Bath, England, with its main campus at Newton Park, about west of the centre of the city. The university has other campuses in the city of Bath, and one at Corsham Court in Wiltshire. The insti ...

, and a senior research fellow at King's College London. He has taught religious studies at Shebbear College in Devon.

Expert witness

Whilst working at Bath Spa University, Hoskins was called upon by the Metropolitan Police Service to work as an

expert witness An expert witness, particularly in common law countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, is a person whose opinion by virtue of education, training, certification, skills or experience, is accepted by the judge as ...

in the

Torso in the Thames "Adam" was the name police gave to an unidentified male child whose torso was discovered in the River Thames in London, United Kingdom, on 21 September 2001. Investigators believe the child was likely from southwestern Nigeria, and that several ...

case. He has since been called as an expert witness in over a hundred criminal cases, including numerous high-profile murders, such as those of

Victoria Climbié Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Jodi Jones and the Eric Bikubi and Magalie Bamu case. Hoskins has been called upon to provide commentary on these cases and the related field by numerous press organisations. He is an expert on African religions.Hoskins, Richard 2005 ‘African Religions and Nature Conservation’ Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature ContinuumHoskins, Richard 2005 ‘Biodiversity and Religion in Equatorial Africa’ Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature ContinuumHoskins, Richard 2005 ‘Muti and African Healing’ Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature ContinuumHoskins, Richard 2005 ‘Muti Killings’ Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature ContinuumHoskins, Richard 2006 ‘The Torment of Africa’s ‘child witches’’ Sunday Times 5 February 2006Hoskins, Richard 2006 Witch Child BBC2 60-minute documentary broadcast 6 April 2006 October Films He is the only registered multi-cultural expert on the UK national police SOCA database.Hoskins, Richard 2012 'The Witchcraft Monster Reared in our Midst' The Sunday Times 4 March 2012 Hoskins has made television and radio appearances concerning numerous cases, most notably a documentary for the BBC entitled "Witch Child", a documentary concerned with the

case and a BBC Radio 4 programme. He is a Patron of the Build Africa charity. More recently, Hoskins was asked by detectives of

Wiltshire Police Wiltshire Police, formerly known as Wiltshire Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Wiltshire (including the Borough of Swindon) in South West England. The force serves 722,000 people over an area ...

to examine claims made by "Lucy X" of a VIP satanic sex-abuse ring which included the former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath, as part of two separate investigations by the force into sexual abuse. Fearing that he may be removed from the police database of experts as a result of his revelations,

Personal life

Hoskins has been married twice. He currently lives in London where he writes crime fiction. He is a keen runner and completed the 2014 London Marathon in 2 hours 45 minutes, placing him 7th for all over 50.

Publications

Hoskins' first book, '' The Boy in the River'', was published by

Pan Macmillan Pan Books is a publishing imprint that first became active in the 1940s and is now part of the British-based Macmillan Publishers, owned by the Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group of Germany. Pan Books began as an independent publisher, es ...

and became a ''Sunday Times'' bestseller, receiving critical praise in several press publications. ''The Boy in the River'' was named Gold Winner in the Crime Writers' Association Dagger Awards 2013. The panel of judges "highly commended" the "gripping story".

References

External links

Dr Richard Hoskins Writer and CriminologistRichard's Youtube ChannelLAW – Writers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoskins, Richard 1964 births Living people People educated at Uppingham School People educated at Bedford School Alumni of the University of Oxford Alumni of King's College London Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst People from Beaconsfield