My Boyfriend Made Me Do It | Preview (Channel 5)

New series meet the women who were coerced, tricked and forced by their partners into committing serious crimes. They describe first-hand the terrifying moments they were caught, the horrors they faced in brutal prison systems around the world, and how they were forced to fight to endure to clear their names.

Featuring expert commentary from criminologists, extraordinary archive and stylish reconstructions, My Boyfriend Made Me Do It reveals how easily people can be controlled by criminal masterminds who convince them to break the law in ever more heinous ways, from smuggling kilos of cocaine across international borders to setting up a multi-million-pound heist.

In the first episode, we hear the stories of two people who were sentenced to jail after their partners involved them serious crime. In 2022, Suzana spent almost a year in a notorious Hong Kong prison for smuggling a kilo of cocaine into the country.

After bereaved Canadian mother of three Suzana was scammed out of $200,000 by a man she’d met online, she returned to the world of internet dating and met a handsome military man called James who worked abroad.

They fell in love and James bought Suzana a ticket to Addis Ababa so they could meet for the first time. But when Suzana arrived, James wasn’t there. Instead, he bought her a flight to Hong Kong, and arranged for an associate to give her some new dresses and help her pack.

Landing in Hong Kong, officials found 1kg of cocaine hidden in the dress buttons. Suzana was thrown into a violent prison for 9 months. Suzana describes how she is trying to come to terms with being duped by James and is now rebuilding her life.

This episode also features the story of Robert, husband of Terry and father to six-year-old daughter Hannah. In 2002, after a doctor’s appointment, Terry told Robert that Hannah had been diagnosed with Leukaemia.

Robert worked to pay for treatment while Terry took care of Hannah’s medical needs, and they began raising money to help support their daughter. Terry claimed Hannah only had weeks to live. They continued to raise money totalling over $30,000.

Eventually, Terry confessed that the leukaemia was fake. Robert claimed he was duped into the scam by his wife, but both were arrested and given a total of 11 years in jail.

Throughout the episode, we hear expert analysis from criminologists and investigative journalists who provide insight into the lying partners’ behaviour, revealing the tricks criminals use to coerce others into crime.

My Boyfriend Made Me Do It begins Tuesday 12th November on Channel 5.