
After the confession, Kirat goes to the police. But their reaction to her case isn’t what she’s expecting. Alexi tries a new approach with the catfisher...
Loading summary
Alexei Mostras
Thank you for listening to Sweet Bobby. This podcast has been on an incredible journey since we released it back in 2021, and since then I've gone on to investigate a whole range of other stories. There's hoaxed about one of the most serious conspiracies in the UK and my search for the people behind it. Who trolled Amber, which digs into the bot campaign against Amber heard during the celebrity trial of the century, which Johnny Depp. And this autumn I released Elon's Spies, all about the private investigators used by one of the most powerful men on the planet, Elon Musk. So if you liked what you heard with Sweet Bobby and you want to try another of my investigative podcasts, just search for Tortoise Investigates. That's Tortoise Investigates. It's the home of all our best investigations, all in one place.
Sword and Scale Host
Get ready for your next True Crime binge.
Kirat
It's all a blur. My Aunt Ilsa called me and she just said, get to the hospital. The doctor came in and told us that there's really not much more that they could do for her and that we need to go say goodbye.
Sword and Scale Host
This doesn't happen to people like me. A new True Crime 10 part series from the makers of Sword and Scale launches March 3rd. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Charlotte Proudman
Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but some opinions are more useful than others. And we all want the good ones, the ones that shake things up, spark debates and change minds. Financial Times readers know that their opinions are reliable because they're shaped by trusted journalism, robust opinions, confident decisions. Source FT to subscribe, go to FT.comSourceFT do you remember the brand that popped up while you were scrolling your social feed? No, but I bet you remember who sponsors your favorite podcast. That's because 74% of listeners recall the brands they hear when listening to podcasts. If you want your business to be top of mind, podcast advertising with Acast is the way to go. Book your campaign today by visiting go.acast.com ads.
Alexei Mostras
Wish me luck. Good luck. All right, I'm going up to Simran's house now, a couple of doors away. A few days after episode three of this podcast goes out, I drive to West London one Monday morning to try and talk to Simran in person. Okay, we're at the door. I'm gonna ring the bell. By now, quite a few people have heard this show and Simran's name. It's out in the public and I'm thinking maybe that changes her calculations. Maybe now Simran has more incentive to speak to me, but still I recognise it's a long shot. So as a backup plan, I've written her a letter explaining why I think it's important we hear from her. I think there's someone at the window. He's probably seen the microphone there. A man who I think is Simran's dad peers out from behind a curtain but just as quickly disappears. And then I hear a female voice. Hello? Hello? They have one of those video doorbells and the voice, it sounds familiar. Yes? I'm sorry to disturb you. My name is Alexi Mostres from Tortoise Media and I wondered if I could speak to Simran Bogle. She's not here at the moment. She's not here? Do you know when she'll be back? No, unfortunately not. Okay, fantastic. Thank you very much. I'm going to drop off a letter if that's okay, and it would be great if you could ask her to read it. Okay, thank you very much. I'm pretty sure that's Simran on the intercom pretending not to be at home. I'm putting the letter in the letter box. I think that was similar. You know, I think that that was a really. Oh, hold on. Won't go through. There you go. Right. Letter dropped off. Okay, we have to go. Well, that's all we can do. As I walk away from the house, I feel deflated. All I've heard from Simran so far is the short legal statement you've heard at the end of each episode. Not exactly insightful and I have to face facts, My chances of speaking to her aren't looking good. I mean, she sounded quite calm speaking through the doorbell. So if it was Simran, she didn't seem particularly spooked or outraged that we'd come up to her door, cool as a cucumber. If my aim has shifted in these later episodes away from just reporting this story to helping hold Simran accountable for what she did to Kierat, then I wasn't getting very far. But then again, I'm just a journalist and I was thinking Simran confessed to the Catfish more than three years ago and back then Kirat spoke to someone else, an authority far better placed than me to hold Simran to account. The police received evidence of Simran's deception in 2018, so I wanted to know, what have they done since and what are they doing now to help bring Kierat some justice? And it doesn't seem fair to me, maybe speaking on a personal level rather than a legal level. What do you think?
Amrit Man
I think she's been let down enormously by the authorities and I think they should have rigorously scrutinized it and looked at whether there is an angle here to prosecute the case. I mean, it just doesn't seem fair that Kirata's left in this position of devastation, a whole world upside down, years of her life taken away from her and meanwhile her perpetrator's able to continue living her life and get on with it as normal.
Alexei Mostras
I'm Alexei Mostros and from Tortoise Media, you're listening to sweet Bobbie. Episode 5 Injustice. When Kiret learnt that Simran had been Bobbie all along, that she had been scammed by her cousin for so many years, tricked into an online relationship, well, she didn't hang about. Kirat went straight to the police station that evening in London, despite Simran's parents asking her not to go. And Kirat didn't just go to the police because she was angry and upset, although she was both of those things. She'd been told to go by a police officer, you see, the real Bobby, who if you remember, lived in Brighton, had reported Simran to his local police station as soon as he found out that she was behind at all. But Brighton police, they'd told Bobby that since Simran lived in London, that's where the case needed to be filed. As far as Brighton was concerned, this wasn't a matter for them. And a Brighton police officer also told Kirat this. He phoned her just after he spoke to Bobby and this police officer. He advised Kirat to go to her local police station immediately. Why? Because he said a serious crime may have been committed, one that she needed to report as soon as possible. So when Kirrat went to Hounslow police station that night, she thought it would be the first step towards holding Simran to account. Except it didn't work out like that at all.
Wondery Host
Imagine this. You help your little brother land a great job abroad, but when he arrives, the job doesn't exist. Instead, he's trapped in a heavily guarded compound, forced to sit at a computer and scam innocent victims while armed guards stand by with shoot to kill orders. Scam Factory, the explosive new true crime podcast from Wondery, exposes a multi billion dollar criminal empire operating in plain sight. Told through one family's harrowing account of sleepless nights, desperate phone calls and dangerous rescue attempts, Scam Factory reveals a brutal truth. The only way out is to scam their way out. Follow Scam Factory on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Scam Factory early and ad free right now by joining Wondry.
Amrit Man
Plus.
Sword and Scale Host
Get ready for your next True Crime binge.
Kirat
It's all a blur. My Aunt Elsa called me and she just said get to the hospital. The doctor came in and told us that there's really not much more that they could do for her and that we need to go say goodbye.
Sword and Scale Host
This doesn't happen to people like me. A new True Crime 10 part series from the makers of Sword and Scale launches March 3rd. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Boost Mobile Advertiser
And now a next level moment from ATT Business. Say you've sent out a gigantic shipment of pillows and they need to be there in time for International Sleep day. You've got AT and T5G so you're fully confident, but the vendor isn't responding. And International Sleep Day is tomorrow. Luckily, AT&T 5G lets you deal with any issues with ease, so the pillows will get delivered and everyone can sleep soundly, especially you. 8 ATT 5G requires a compatible plan and device. Coverage not available everywhere. Learn more@att.com 5G Network we all have that one friend whose opinion we trust on everything. For 63% of podcast listeners, that friend is their favorite podcast host. When Acast's podcasters endorse a brand, their audience listens and takes action. So if you want a recommendation that really sticks, put your brand in their hands. Book a host Red sponsorship today by visiting go.acast.com ads.
Charlotte Proudman
We'Re in that sort of kind of a police cubicle thing. And I was explaining and I said I'd been asked by Brighton police station to come in, explained like an overview of what had happened. And he said, you know, I can't see that what crime's been committed against you, you know, you've just been duped kind of thing. And I was like, but this has happened. X amounts happened. I've been forced to do this. I was being bullied, I was being intimidated, I was scared for myself. I was made to stop talking to people. You know, lots of things. I explained all of these things that it was just a case of. But the guys in Brighton have had their identity stolen. They need to report it in Brighton.
Alexei Mostras
So you were being told that the victims were in Brighton? The victims were the real Bobby?
Charlotte Proudman
Yeah.
Alexei Mostras
There are 43 police forces in England and Wales. In fact, each region of the country has its own independent force and they're supposed to collaborate. But often this just doesn't Happen. What's the phrase? Sometimes the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. When Kirat went to her local police station that night, on the evening of Simran's confession, I think that's what happened to her. Hounslow police told her, bobby's the victim, he's the one whose identity has been stolen. Whereas Brighton police, they were saying, no, no, Simran is in London. So London is where the case should be looked at. It was a frustrating situation and it was only going to get worse.
Charlotte Proudman
I was slowly beginning to realize how crazy and fantastic the story was and that people just weren't getting it. What was, for me, so straightforward because it happened to me. I know it happened. You were suddenly creeping in that people were going, this is really crazy. This is really stupid. This is really weird. This is. What could this happen? It's like too fantastic.
Alexei Mostras
And their default position was not to engage with it.
Charlotte Proudman
Yeah.
Alexei Mostras
After her first meeting, Kirat went back to Hounslow police station a few days later.
Charlotte Proudman
First thing that happened is I'd walked in and we'd had the officer behind the desk. I'd called my aunt into the cubicle and he'd said, oh, you know, is she the right frame of mind? Is she a bit doolali?
Alexei Mostras
Basically, the officer suggested that you might have mental health problems.
Charlotte Proudman
Yeah, that I might not be right in the head. And I could hear him from where I was standing.
Alexei Mostras
How did that make you feel?
Charlotte Proudman
I actually left the police station. I walked out of that police station waiting room and I had a panic attack.
Alexei Mostras
Kirat persisted that week. She found herself in and out of Hounslow. It was basically potluck whether she was listened to or not. But there was one officer, a female officer, who seemed to get it.
Charlotte Proudman
She was very, you know, she was really good. She was really empathetic. She listened.
Alexei Mostras
This seemed like progress. The police seemed to say they'd investigate, but then things went quiet. And it was only in October 2018, almost five months after she'd first reported it, that Hounslow called Kirat in again to give a video interview. And let's just say it doesn't go great. Kira is interviewed for a few hours, but the police officer doing the interview, they have no knowledge of the case. So Kira has to start from the very beginning, explaining how Bobby first made contact all the way back in 2010. And that means she only gets about 20 minutes to go through the worst period, the three years between 2015 and 2018, when she was in a controlling relationship with Bobby. And when I heard that, I was thinking. It took me about a week to get my head around Kierat's story. And that was with the benefit of legal documents. So 20 minutes or so, that's barely scratching the surface. So you felt when you got back in that almost the most important section of the story, certainly from the police's perspective, that was rushed.
Charlotte Proudman
Absolutely. And I said it at the end and I was like, so, what's gonna happen next, then? And she said, well, we'll need to take your phone, which had other evidence on it. And she said, we'll probably bring Simran in for questioning.
Alexei Mostras
After her October meeting with Hounslow Police, things seemed to stall. And every time Kirat phoned up the station, they'd fobber off. Maybe her story was too difficult, maybe there was just too much social media evidence. Police forces in Britain are notoriously bad at dealing with digital evidence, even though in this case, Kirat tried to make it easy for them. At this stage, a family member was helping Kirat to compile evidence.
Charlotte Proudman
When we found specific evidence of certain things that we just screenshot it, attach it in the title, put a date, put whatever, brief description. So everything was really easy for them. Oh, literally. And even she was saying to me, you shouldn't be doing this. This should be them doing this. It's like you're on trial here. She kept saying, why does it feel like you're on trial?
Alexei Mostras
And how did you know at this point, and in fact, in general, that the police hadn't called in Simran? We're kind of making a very educated assumption that she hasn't been questioned by the police, but we don't know that for sure.
Charlotte Proudman
Oh, no, we know, I know. Police haven't. They've confirmed that they haven't.
Alexei Mostras
So this period in 2018 feels like a low point for Kierat. She's doing everything she can to hold Simran to account, and yet her claims just weren't being taken seriously. And there was an added cruelty, too. Around this time, Kierat hears on the grapevine that Simran has got a big promotion at work. And it turns out that was true. I've seen the press release. Simran was made a vice president at a British bank. You'd know the name, and it was a pretty big deal. Plus, her Twitter feed, it shows that she's recently gone on holiday to a wellness retreat. Her posts, they mention yoga, they have pictures of palm trees and sunsets. And at the same time as this was happening, Kirat was at Home struggling with the police, she was having nightmares, she couldn't sleep and worst of all she started getting anonymous texts and phone calls from an unknown number. I've seen these messages, they are pretty sexually explicit, pretty nasty. And when Kirat phoned the number she heard Indian music in the background. The same sort of music she heard in the background when she was speaking to Simran's characters. Was this Simran? We've got no way of knowing for sure but it made Kirat feel like this whole trauma was far from over.
Charlotte Proudman
I'd come to that realization that everywhere I turned doors were shutting and as I worked through the reasoning why it all ended up with Simran, why was it difficult for me to get a job right now? Because of this, because of that, because of whatever, because of what Simran did. Why am I not in a relationship right now and is it going to be easy for me to be in one? All comes back to Simran, you know, am I ever going to be a mum? Maybe, maybe not. Why? You know, I can't say all because you never know what's written in your future but that probability is reduced and reason why high percentage of it is Simran.
Alexei Mostras
At this point I started thinking maybe one of the obstacles Kirat was bumping up against was the word catfishing itself. After all, to many people it sounds like an online joke, maybe someone pretending to be someone else on Tinder to get a date. More embarrassing than genuinely harmful. And perhaps this is what the police were thinking, that Kirat was the victim of a prank that got out of hand. Serious yes, but not a police matter. And if this was the police's view it wouldn't actually be that unreasonable because catfishing itself is not a criminal offence in Britain. It seems extraordinary to me but you can deceive someone online for years without any criminal consequences. So however frustrated Kirat was getting with the police, maybe legally speaking they had a point.
Amrit Man
This case. Oh my God, where to start? What the hell has been going on? Is this really true?
Alexei Mostras
Charlotte Proudman is a barrister. She specializes in gender based violence and coercive control.
Amrit Man
I'm gonna have to have my notes up for this and normally I don't have my notes up when I do interviews but this one is just so extraordinary and there's so much going on.
Alexei Mostras
Yeah, there is so much going, so much going on. I just couldn't believe that someone could do what Simran did and get away with it. So I asked Charlotte, did Simran do anything in her opinion to Kierat which crossed the line into criminality. And it just makes me think maybe, you know, maybe there is a criminal case here.
Amrit Man
Yeah, yeah, I think that there is. I think, looking at this hearing, the evidence that's available to support does fit within the legislation and within the guidance on coercive and controlling behavior. So certainly there seems to be a public interest in prosecuting this, because this type of behaviour should never be tolerated. And there seems to be evidence available to support a prosecution.
Alexei Mostras
What Charlotte was telling me was that Hounslow police actually had ample grounds to investigate Simran Bogle, not for catfishing, perhaps, but for another criminal offence altogether. Coercive and controlling behaviour has been illegal in England and Wales since 2015. And what Charlotte was telling me was that Simran may not have behaved illegally by pretending to be Bobby, but she may have crossed a line when she used Bobbie to control Kierat to the extent that she did.
Amrit Man
In my view, it fits squarely within the current legislation.
Alexei Mostras
Forcing her to quit her job, to quit her friends, to stay at home waiting for Bobby's call, deactivating Facebook to.
Amrit Man
Prove she's not flirting with other people. He's prone to mood swings, blames her for this. She turns down a promotion because of the stress of dealing with Bobby, the fact that she had to be signed off with stress, losing weight.
Alexei Mostras
Charlotte told me that coercive control might not be the only law that Simran breached. She may have broken laws preventing harassment, sexual offences and something called the Malicious Communications Act. And the police response to all this, given all those potential breaches, was it justified in all the circumstances? According to Charlotte, that's a big fat no.
Amrit Man
Yeah. I think it was quite interesting to see that the police had asked her whether she. Or in fact, not even asked her, but asked an aunt whether she was suffering from psychiatric or mental health conditions. That was their response. So, again, victim blaming, suggesting that she's somehow complicit in this deception and web of lies because she's mentally ill, rather than recognizing that actually this could potentially happen to anybody. And I think the police either finding it too difficult to get involved with, or thinking that it's a family incident, it's a family affair, or as it's referred to, it's just a domestic, no crime committed here. Something that I see quite a lot on police records.
Alexei Mostras
What do you think should have happened?
Amrit Man
I think that they should have carefully looked at where the offence of coercive and controlling behavior was made out. I mean, we've been through the different limbs of coercive and controlling behavior. And I think arguably it is made out on the evidence that's available. And I question whether the police actually looked at all of that evidence. And I question what evidence that they received from Simran.
Boost Mobile Advertiser
Come on down to Boost Mobile and turn your tax refund into six months of savings. Nope, all wrong. You're on the radio touting Boost Mobile's 5G network. You gotta use your radio voice like this. Come on down to Boost Mobile and get six months free when you buy. Six months on our best unlimited plans. Now you go.
Charlotte Proudman
This is just how my voice sounds.
Boost Mobile Advertiser
Just say it like you mean it.
Alexei Mostras
Okay.
Boost Mobile Advertiser
Plus, enter to win up to $10,000 and double your tax refund. Oh my. Requires upfront payment, taxes and fees. Extra terms and exclusions apply. Visit boostmobile.com for full number terms and sweeps details.
Sword and Scale Host
Get ready for your next True crime binge.
Kirat
It's all a blur. My Aunt Ilsa called me and she just said, get to the hospital. The doctor came in and told us that there's really not much more that they could do for her and that we need to go say goodbye.
Sword and Scale Host
This doesn't happen to people like me. A new True Crime 10 part series from the makers of Sword and Scale launches March 3rd. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Alexei Mostras
Hey Amra, how are you doing?
Simran Bogle
Morning.
Alexei Mostras
Nice to see you.
Simran Bogle
Likewise. How are you?
Charlotte Proudman
Good. You look tired.
Simran Bogle
Like me.
Alexei Mostras
Yeah, well, not enough. In October 2018, Kirat didn't have access to Charlotte like I did. In fact, months after she reported Simran to the police, it looked like she was running out of options. Despite handing the police evidence that Simran had coercively controlled Kirat through Bobby. The investigation was going nowhere. And then came a chance meeting with a guy called Amrit Man.
Simran Bogle
So welcome to my humble abode. Coffin Garden. All rows lead to the Punjab. Come on in.
Alexei Mostras
Imagine if a fairy godmother owned an Indian restaurant and you'd come quite close to Amrit. This is where the story all started for me. This was where I first met you and I first met Kirat. He's the fourth generation owner of the Punjab, an institution of a restaurant in the middle of Covent Garden in central London. And he's the type of person, when you meet him once, you don't forget. Always smiling, always wearing a suit.
Simran Bogle
We've been here since the early 1950s.
Alexei Mostras
The walls of the restaurant are lined with pictures of celebrities who have eaten his food.
Simran Bogle
This gentleman over here is a Shaheed, a freedom fighter. He was a very close friend to my, my great Grandfather, the founder of the Punjab.
Alexei Mostras
The place is like a character itself. And everyone in this story has been here at one time or another. The Punjab is where I first met Kirat. And our initial conversation was fueled by King Prawn Booners and Chikhin Madras.
Simran Bogle
You have some drive.
Alexei Mostras
Well, you got some good food to keep us all going. And it was also where Kirat first met Amrit in autumn of 2018, around five months after Simran's confession. And she didn't know then that he would help revitalise her case. I've come here to hear how that happened. And we're sitting in a private room upstairs, a place Amrit calls his war room. There's a dumbwaiter that runs directly up from the restaurant below and you'll hear it clunk when it arrives. Well, should we start? Should we just start with the start, basically, which is, how did you first meet Kierat?
Simran Bogle
Yep. It was 3rd of October, 2018. She walked in, she had a meeting with me because I had signed up to this crazy television advertising for an international channel.
Alexei Mostras
Kirat had turned up to sort out the terms of a business contract. She was working for a Punjabi TV channel and they were planning to showcase Amrit's restaurant.
Simran Bogle
But I picked something up and I don't know what it was, I remember and I was intrigued. Shakespeare always says that the eyes are a window to the soul. And I picked something up and I looked and I looked her eyes. I knew something was not right and I knew she was suffering in silence.
Alexei Mostras
Despite not mentioning her case, Amrit felt that there was something not quite right.
Simran Bogle
And towards the end of the meeting, she mentioned she dropped this nugget, this golden nugget that she had the legal case. I'm talking to the police. It's not going anywhere.
Alexei Mostras
Amrit thought he could help because he isn't just the owner of the Punjab.
Simran Bogle
She had no clue that in my spare time I. I am a pro bono solicitor and I work with victims of crime.
Alexei Mostras
A few weeks later, Ankirat was back in the restaurant. And this time she revealed a little bit more about what happened.
Simran Bogle
And it was all about listening. It took me up to about three months for the pain to drop to understand fully the magnitude of the whole Bobby, the fake Bobby stuff. But from day one, from that second meeting in person, I believed her.
Alexei Mostras
Did she give you the witness statement at this point, around this point that she had prepared? No, that came later. So this was just. You didn't even have a written document to rely on?
Simran Bogle
No, it was just my mind, my fragile mind.
Alexei Mostras
Even with Amrit's legal background, it took him a long time to appreciate the full extent of what had happened. But as soon as he did, he became Kirat's supporter. Finally someone she could rely on to fight her corner.
Simran Bogle
I never get emotionally connected to my clients, but this one, I don't know. My blood boiled and I put down to my mum's linkage. My mum's blood would get quite emotional and I felt angry. I felt, this is not right, this. This is appalling.
Alexei Mostras
So with that, Kierat had the first member of what would later become a team around her. And team Kirat wasn't going to settle for the police doing nothing.
Simran Bogle
I said, akharet, let's go, let's go to the police station. Let's go and find out what's the status. So turn up suited and booted with Kirat and suddenly no one wants to come down, no one wants to see us. They took offence. Why was there a lawyer there? And the investigating officer was doing her job. We just wanted to just ask her, where are we? How can we assist, how can we support, how can we, you know, help with investigation? But it just was clear they wanted us to go away.
Alexei Mostras
While Amrit was putting pressure on the police to give Kierat an update, they also decided to go down another route. If Simran dodged criminal liability, they thought maybe she could be held accountable in the civil courts. Although Amrit was a solicitor, he acted more as an informal advisor to Kierat. So Kierat looked for another lawyer, a specialist, and she found him just by googling something like catfishing lawyer and seeing what turned up. And the lawyer she found, a guy called Yair Cohen, is actually someone I know from way back. He is a specialist in online harms and Internet stalking. And together Amrit, Yeheir and Kirat, they drafted something to Simran called a letter before action, which is basically a letter telling someone that you're thinking of taking legal action against them.
Simran Bogle
Vinci got to a point where. Where we were ready, ready to serve.
Alexei Mostras
Kierat's letter accused Simran of misusing her private information, harassment and breach of data protection laws. So when you were going for the civil case, what were your kind of objectives? What did you want to get out of it?
Charlotte Proudman
Reputation. That's it.
Alexei Mostras
And that involved what you hope would be a public apology?
Charlotte Proudman
Yes. I mean, I thought it would happen really quickly. I thought she'd be just scared by the legal letter and do what she needed to do. But it wasn't the case.
Alexei Mostras
When she got the letter before action, Simran didn't buckle. In fact, she did the opposite. She doubled down. She was going to fight. And this, this is very interesting in terms of Simran's psychology, something that feels like a puzzle that we're constantly trying to put together because I would have thought the same as Kierat. Here's someone who has already confessed, who had a good job, who wants to get on with their life. Wouldn't someone in that position cave to a legal threat? Wouldn't they just want it all to go away? But once again, Simran defied expectations.
Simran Bogle
Simran's lawyers, they came back with this kind of allegation that Simran was young and Harker was an adult, Simran was a child and Kira went ballistic. Oh, she's on the phone. To be accused of that was awful. And again, I think, I think the.
Alexei Mostras
Lawyers even use the word grooming.
Simran Bogle
Yeah, yeah.
Alexei Mostras
Simran called in her lawyers and they argued something pretty extraordinary. Despite her double confession, once to Bobby and then to Kirat, the lawyers argued that Simran was the real victim. They accused Kirat, as an adult, of grooming her younger cousin while she was still at school. In fact, I know exactly what they said because I've seen the letter. It is our case that your client groomed our client to play her part in this elaborate but ludicrous interaction. We would agree that there has been extensive manipulation, but it is the defendant's case that this has been carried out by your adult client. Now, I should say I've seen cases where lawyers go off on one, acting aggressively to try and make the claimant back down. But ultimately a legal response reflects the position of the client. So when I quote from these legal letters, I have to presume that they broadly represent Simran's own view. And Simran's lawyers also claimed that Kirat had always known that that Simran was Bobby. And why should Kirat have allowed that situation to continue? Well, Simran's lawyers said, and again, I'm quoting, because Kirat received attention and excitement in what otherwise may have been a life absent these ingredients. And there's more. They threatened to go public with their allegation if Kirat pursued the case further. I mean, that's seriously harsh to me. The letters are very clearly victim blaming, basically a lawyerly way of saying, you asked for it, you knew what was happening all the time. When Kirat received these letters last year, it was a massive blow. And if I was her, honestly, I think I'D be pretty close to giving up because despite Amrit and Yair's help, Kirat seemed no closer to holding Simran to account. Almost two years after the confession, the police investigation was going nowhere and Simran had come out all guns blazing.
Charlotte Proudman
Yeah, so it's outrageous. So I just thought, that's so low and so disgusting of you.
Alexei Mostras
You've already confessed, so the tactics reinforced your determination.
Charlotte Proudman
It just told me how low she was as a person, how low she was willing to go to scare me and intimidate me into silence. So I just stuck to my guns. It was terrifying. But I'm just, you know something, the truth is the truth.
Alexei Mostras
Next week on Sweet Bobby, the final episode, Kierat makes a breakthrough in her case. But Simran has one more card to play. While making the series, Simran's lawyers gave us this statement on her behalf. This matter concerns a family dispute over events that began over a decade ago when I was a schoolgirl. As far as I'm concerned, this is a private family matter that has been resolved and I strongly object to the numerous unfounded and seriously defamatory accusations that have been made about me, as well as details of private matters that have been shared with the media. An investigation by the Metropolitan Police into Kiratasi's case found that that their officers made significant efforts to understand her account, but they concluded that no existing laws were broken. Thanks for listening to this episode. Sweet Bobby was written and reported by me, Alexey Mostras Produced by Gary Marshall with additional reporting and production by Claudia Williams. Sound design is by Carla Patella. The executive producer is Basha Cummings.
Boost Mobile Advertiser
To get people excited about Boost Mobile's new nationwide 5G network, we're offering unlimited talk, text and data for $25 a month. Forever. Even if you have a baby. Even if your baby has a baby. Even if you grow old and wrinkly and you start repeating yourself, Even if you start repeating yourself, even if you're on your deathbed and you need to make one last call or text, right? Or text the long lost son you abandoned at birth, you'll still get unlimited talk, text and Data for just $25 a month with Boost Mobile Forever. After 30 gigabytes, customers may experience slower speeds. Customers will pay $25 a month as long as they remain active on the Boost Unlimited plan.
Alexei Mostras
Forever.
Podcast Information:
The episode begins with Alexei Mostras reflecting on his journey since the release of Sweet Bobby in 2021. He mentions investigating various other stories, including one about Elon Musk's private investigators in "Elon's Spies" (00:00). This sets the tone for the depth and breadth of investigative journalism undertaken in the series.
Kierat's story is central to this episode. After discovering that Simran Bogle had been deceiving her for years, Kierat took immediate action:
Reporting to the Police: Despite Simran's parents advising against it, Kierat went to the police following Simran's confession (07:05). She believed that bringing Simran to account was crucial for her healing and justice.
Interpersonal Struggles: Kierat's relationships and personal life suffered drastically. She struggled with employment, relationships, and even contemplated motherhood, all hindered by the trauma inflicted by Simran (18:35).
Continued Harassment: As Kierat grappled with her case, she began receiving anonymous, sexually explicit messages, suggesting that the harassment from Simran was far from over (17:00).
Kierat's attempts to seek justice were met with significant obstacles within the police system:
Confusion Among Police Forces: England and Wales have 43 independent police forces, leading to miscommunication and jurisdictional confusion. Brighton police deflected the case to London, while Hounslow police struggled to categorize the crime as catfishing isn't a criminal offense in the UK (12:10).
Dismissive Attitude: During her initial visit to the Hounslow police station, Kierat faced skepticism. CP Charlotte Proudman recounts how an officer suggested Kierat might have mental health issues, leading to her experiencing a panic attack and feeling invalidated (13:26; 13:57).
Lack of Action: Despite Kierat providing substantial evidence, the police stalled, failing to move the investigation forward. Even after multiple attempts and legal involvement, progress remained minimal (15:59).
Notable Quote:
"It just doesn't seem fair that Kierat's left in this position of devastation... and meanwhile her perpetrator's able to continue living her life and get on with it as normal."
— Amrit Man, Pro Bono Solicitor (06:33)
Given that catfishing isn't explicitly criminalized in the UK, legal experts weighed in on Simran's actions:
Coercive Control: Charlotte Proudman, a barrister specializing in gender-based violence and coercive control, argued that Simran's behavior could fall under coercive and controlling behavior, which has been illegal in England and Wales since 2015 (21:31).
Potential Criminal Offenses: Beyond coercive control, Simran's actions could breach harassment laws, sexual offenses, and the Malicious Communications Act. However, the police failed to act on these possibilities effectively (21:31; 22:10).
Notable Quote:
"I think that there is a criminal case here... this type of behavior should never be tolerated."
— Charlotte Proudman (21:05)
With the criminal route proving ineffective, Kierat and her team turned to civil litigation:
Formation of Team Kirat: Amrit Man, leveraging his legal background, alongside Kierat and lawyer Yair Cohen, began strategizing to hold Simran accountable through civil courts (31:09).
Letter Before Action: They drafted a "letter before action," accusing Simran of misusing private information, harassment, and breaches of data protection laws. Their objective was not only legal resolution but also a public apology from Simran (32:04).
Simran's Counterattacks: Contrary to expectations, Simran responded aggressively. Her legal team shifted the narrative, accusing Kierat of grooming her, thereby turning the tables and attempting to paint the victim as the perpetrator. These tactics included threats to go public with misleading accusations if Kierat pursued the case further (33:23).
Notable Quote:
"So it's outrageous. So I just thought, that's so low and so disgusting of you."
— Charlotte Proudman (36:28)
Simran's response was not just legal but also psychological:
Victim Blaming: Simran's lawyers suggested that Kierat was complicit in the deception, labeling her actions as grooming—a severe misrepresentation aimed at discrediting Kierat's legitimacy as a victim (33:50).
Intimidation: Threatening to make unfounded allegations public was a strategy to intimidate and silence Kierat, adding emotional strain to her quest for justice (33:53).
Notable Quote:
"How can we assist, how can we support... help with investigation?"
— Simran Bogle (30:29)
Despite facing significant setbacks, Team Kirat remained resolute:
Support Network: Amrit Man and Yair Cohen provided unwavering support, helping Kierat navigate the complexities of civil litigation and media strategies (31:09).
Legal Strategy: By meticulously compiling evidence and leveraging legal expertise, they aimed to dismantle Simran's facade and bring her actions to light, not just legally but also publicly.
As Episode 5 wraps up, the struggle between Kierat and Simran intensifies. While Kierat gains momentum with her support team, Simran continues to fight back through legal and psychological means. The episode sets the stage for the final installment, promising a breakthrough in Kierat's case juxtaposed with Simran's relentless defense.
Notable Quote:
"The truth is the truth."
— Charlotte Proudman (36:33)
Simran's official statement at the episode's conclusion vehemently denies the accusations, labeling the matter as a resolved family dispute and criticizing the media for defamation (37:20).
Systemic Failures: The episode highlights significant shortcomings within the UK police system, especially concerning non-traditional crimes like catfishing.
Legal Gray Areas: It underscores the challenges victims face when existing laws do not adequately address modern forms of deception and emotional manipulation.
Psychological Impact: Beyond legal battles, the emotional toll on victims like Kierat is profound, affecting every facet of their lives.
Resilience and Support: The formation of dedicated support teams can empower victims to seek justice, even when institutional systems falter.
Amrit Man:
"It just doesn't seem fair that Kierat's left in this position of devastation... and meanwhile her perpetrator's able to continue living her life and get on with it as normal."
— 06:33
Charlotte Proudman:
"I think, the police either finding it too difficult to get involved with, or thinking that it's a family incident, it's a family affair, or as it's referred to, it's just a domestic, no crime committed here."
— 22:55
Charlotte Proudman:
"It just told me how low she was as a person, how low she was willing to go to scare me and intimidate me into silence."
— 36:33
Simran Bogle:
"How can we assist, how can we support... help with investigation?"
— 30:29
Episode 5 of Sweet Bobby delves deep into the complexities of seeking justice in a modern, digitally-driven deceit case. It paints a vivid picture of the emotional turmoil faced by victims, the systemic challenges within law enforcement, and the resilience required to fight against formidable opposition. As the series approaches its final episode, listeners are left with a sense of suspense and anticipation for the resolution of Kierat's quest for justice.
Note: Timestamps are based on the provided transcript and correspond to the points mentioned in the summary.