In Brazil, the pursuit of ratings goes too far.

A TV crime show host faces jail after allegedly ordering MURDERS in a bid to boost ratings

Wallace Souza is accused of arranging crimes and then broadcasting exclusive footage of the scenes.

His show built up a huge audience by showing dramatic film of police raids and arrests, with presenters often shown following police chases in a helicopter.

But police chief Thomas Augusto Correa said: “Investigations indicate they created scenes themselves. They determined which crimes would be committed in order to generate news for the programme.”

Ex-cop Moacir Jorge da Costa claimed he had carried out at least one hit on behalf of the presenter.