An investigative journalism course which will give students the chance to crack a real live case is being launched by the University of Strathclyde.

The Masters course in Investigative Journalism has been developed by journalist Eamonn O’Neill, whose work regularly appears in The Herald.

And the Glasgow university says the groundbreaking MSc will be the first in Europe.

Eamonn said: “The course will arm students with the knowledge they need to dig out the facts people don’t want them to find.

“The students will be asked to examine police and witness statements, confessions, forensics material, legal opinions.

“When they come up against a brick wall, they’ll learn how to look at new sources and ask the right questions.

“I firmly believe the only way to learn how to become an investigative journalist is to get out there and investigate.”

The first students are expected to begin the course this autumn.

In 2005 Eamonn was shortlisted for the Paul Foot Award for his work investigating the 1977 murder conviction of Robert Brown, uncovering a key piece of evidence which helped secure Brown’s release after 25 years in prison for a crime he always insisted he did not commit.

His work has also included interviewing the widow of the first British soldier killed in controversial circumstances in Iraq, uncovering the story of Gary McKinnon, who hacked into the Pentagon’s military computers, and examining the forensic aspects of the 7/7 terrorist attacks in London.

He has also already worked with a group of students to investigate the case of Ray Gilbert, who was convicted in 1981 of murdering a Liverpool bookmaker, John Suffield.

The students’ work caught the attention of BBC Radio Scotland, which has commissioned a documentary about it.

Eamonn said: “The students went to work immediately – they relished the opportunity. They turned up around 20 anomalies in the case, all of which are in the hands of the Gilbert legal team now.

“The method of teaching academic theory through hands-on work is attracting applications for the course from across the world.”