Crownies (2011) s01e01 Episode Script
Episode 1
1 Seems everyone around town has an opinion about the Billy Evans trial.
This is the young man whose best mate Simon Grady was murdered in broad daylight.
But have they got the right guy? The jury can't decide.
They've been out for days.
On the line we have Drown your sorrows - that's my advice.
I haven't lost yet.
Oh, if the jury gets into a second week out, then the odds are not looking good.
Party starts in half an hour.
You getting frocked up? Ben, please! Your timing's terrible.
Personally, I'm surprised you ever wanted to run this case.
Come on, Tony.
That's how Simon Grady was murdered.
Wouldn't you wanna lock up the bastard who did that? Yes, but we all know this case had a problem.
So what? Billy Evans was gonna leave the country.
We had to run the trial now.
And despite the problem, we we still had enough.
Not in the court of public opinion.
Yeah, well, they don't hear all the evidence.
Oh, and the jury do? If they don't, the failure's mine.
Well, just as long as you know the cost of gaining a media profile is, uh, your failures become horribly public.
Thanks.
Just being a realist.
Oh, I hope they put you out of your misery soon.
Can you give me five, please? As soon as possible.
Thank you.
Tatum! You're needed at reception.
OK.
There you go, mate.
Don't mind the fancy dress.
We're still working.
Hi.
Can I help you? We're looking for Janet King.
Uh, yeah, sure.
Um Come through.
Right.
Welcome to the Department of Public Prosecutions.
Thank you.
Mark, Sue! Lina, hi.
No news? They're still out, I'm afraid.
I'm sorry I can't chat.
I've just got to dash over the road to court.
But is Tatum looking after you? Uh, tea? Coffee? Uh, black tea, please.
Sure.
Uh, Ben.
One black tea.
Do you mind? In Janet's office.
Thank you.
What? They're Simon Grady's parents.
Oh.
Tea? OK.
Knew I got a law degree for something.
Hey, any chance you could do this for me? It's just a pre-trial, not court.
Tony will do all the talking.
Please! I just really feel as if I should You know what? They're more important right at this second.
Go on.
Thank you.
Oh! Oh! Urn, I'm sorry.
Um I'm sorry.
Um I'll just go see if I can find her.
I'm so sorry.
It's OK.
IFS OK.
Where is Janet? Do you know? I haven't seen her.
Try the conference room.
Forget Simon Grady for a second.
This new matter is dynamite.
Just imagine you and me I'm the director of public prosecutions.
Yes.
And I have been publicly and highly critical of the state government for as long as I can remember.
Heated, toe-to-toe arguments with a premier of breathtaking stupidity.
And now it's alleged that two years ago, this attorney-general, Nicholas Quinn, the premier's right-hand man, âlured two female parliamentary cleaners to his rural property âwhere he held them against their will âand forced them to wear turtleneck jumpers whileâ Turtleneck jumpers? â.
.
While he committed numerous serious sexual assaults on them âinvolving leather masks, candles, lead weights, âand a glass phallus.
â Turtleneck jumpers? No accounting for taste, I suppose.
You're a big boy there, hey? You're a big man.
Janet'? Try David.
You're a big boy.
Thanks, Tracey.
You're Mummy's big man, aren't you? You will note, however, there are no admissions.
No forensics.
In fact, the A-G insists they were only there to clean his house.
And these allegations were only made after the girls were sacked.
On the other hand, their statements are detailed and compelling.
They're not completely consistent.
But still, taking everything into account, is there enough to prosecute? In other words, I could decide not to proceed.
And almost certainly be accused of allowing a very serious crime to go unpunished in order to secure better funding.
Or you could pursue a prosecution And be accused of running a shaky case for nothing more than vindictive political purposes.
Only COPY- I don't suppose I need to tell you how Sensitive.
Yes, of course.
Ah, success! Excuse me, Mr Sinclair.
Simon Grady's parents - they're in your office.
What are you wearing? Oh, for the Christmas party tonight.
It's 1930s themed.
I did tweet everyone.
Very authentic.
I know.
I'm setting the standard.
You two need to improve.
Oh, Christ! The photos.
I turned them over.
Did they see them? Yes.
I didn't know.
OK, don't worry.
Forget it.
Mark, Sue! Sorry to keep you.
It hasn't been that long.
Just wanted to say thanks.
And we've brought in a little Chrissie present.
Oh! Thank you! I've told them that the police will call as soon as we have any news.
But they'll I mean, the jury, it can't be much longer, can it? We don't know.
It's entirely in their hands.
Yeah, but nine days? I mean, this is hell, just waiting.
Don't they know what it's like? Is it always like this? What are they thinking about? The way you summed it up, they had to see it's the truth, didn't they? Just because you couldn't find who was at the computer, so what? It's still the truth.
I just want to hear him say he did it.
Filthy piece of shit! He mightn't ever say that, Sue, even if he is convicted.
No, no.
He's got to be convicted.
Billy Evans killed our son.
Anyway, I'm not sure I deserve this yet.
No, no, no.
Look, whatever happens, we just wanted to say thanks.
Thank you.
JANET'.
Members of the jury, the Crown will show that Simon Grady was killed by a young man he considered a friend.
It was a murder committed for trivial reasons.
Many would call the accused nondescript, an ordinary bloke.
The South Pole is as warm as toast compared to the blood in this young man's veins.
Hi.
Um, change of plan.
Where's Lina'? Putting out another bushfire.
Are you across this matter, or are you just gonna be a warm body in the room? Um, no, I know the facts more or less.
More or less? We've talked about it.
I've read the statements.
I think I'll be able to help.
Alright, let's see.
Come on.
Hi, Sophie.
Um, I'm Erin O'Shaughnessy from the DPP.
Now, this shouldn't take long.
It's a pre-trial conference.
It's where we meet the lawyers representing the man who assaulted you.
But he's not here.
You don't have to worry.
Um, they'll be talking to him on the phone if they have to, but he's not in this building.
Do you understand? She says, âI understand completely.
â âI'm not stupid.
â Sure.
50"')!- Um, well, faced with the evidence, and your statements, he should plead guilty, which will save everyone from going to court - him and you.
She says, âThank you.
â That's OK.
Good girl.
Stay brave, yeah? Right, let's see if we can get to a meeting of minds.
Ah, there you are.
I hear you have drinks on tonight over there on the dark side.
Yes, a bit of a knees-up.
Pub full of Crownies.
Uh, Crowns, thank you, not Crownies.
Crownies and tiaras - should be a ball.
Yes, very droll.
Uh, Paula's client's pleading not guilty, so I thought we might rephrase some of the facts and see if we can persuade him to change his mind.
I doubt it.
Possibly, we could strike out any references to hair pulling and marks on the neck and leave it simply as a sexual assault with less aggravation.
But still, a sexual assault There was a sexual assault.
Thank you, Erin.
Well, if there was, it wasn't committed by my client.
Sophie has described what happened and described your client Yes, well, possibly We have her client seen leaving the house Leaving the front yard, not the house.
And we have the state in which Sophie was found.
For which my client categorically denies responsibility.
You really want to test this evidence in front of a jury? Why not? He has every right to face his accuser, hear her accuse him and let a jury decide who they believe.
OK, then.
Good.
Do it.
OK.
Good.
Thank you.
That's it.
She's mad! Or just chasing the money.
Maybe she thinks she may as well get paid for a three-or four-week trial rather than cut a deal now.
Oh, Erin! Even if it means selling her client down the river.
Don't be so naive.
She knows we can't take it to court.
Please tell me you're joking.
They have every right to ask Sophie to take the witness stand and repeat all her evidence in court.
And you don't think that'll convict him? Erin, who can understand her? Her carer can.
Oh, she could say anything.
Weeks of tortuous examination.
The judge will get frustrated.
The jury will fall asleep.
And Paula Corvini knows it.
Shouldn't we make a judge do that? Why make it our call? Why not make it their call? Because, without a reasonable prospect of conviction, we'll get a costs order against us.
It's not about money.
Oh! Paula's client threw Sophie on the ground and raped her four times in three hours.
Did you see Sophie? Inside that body is a very smart young girl.
It takes forever to communicate.
Ironically, it'd be an easier case to win if he'd killed her.
Oh, this is ridiculous! She went through three hours of torture and now What? What do I say to her? âSorry, you're too disabled to get any justice.
â I wouldn't say 'sorry'.
But, yes, that is the truth of it.
And despite the goals of five centuries of common law, truth and justice rarely intersect.
Here we go, Miss Janet! Oh! Thoughtful! Oh, don't mention it.
I saw you looking a little stressy, so I thought, uh âBenâ I thought That is my name, so it's always a good way to start a sentence when I'm talking to myself.
So I said, âBen, what can you do to help Janet?" May not be entirely true, but I've gotta get points for a quick recovery, right? And waiting for a jury is stressful, so what can I do to help? Anything? Actually, yes.
This brief came straight to the director.
It is highly sensitive and cannot - I repeat, cannot-leave this office.
OK.
But reviewing it, we'll start with a solicitor, like every other matter.
And your last couple of summaries haven't been too bad, so memo of advice and draft presentment, please.
False imprisonment, kidnap, rape - elements of each charge.
âWe could prosecute, but do we want to?â Not a problem.
Oh, Christmas party starts in half an hour.
By midday tomorrow.
Actually, uh, none of my other matters were due for mention until next year.
So I wasn't really You can't do it? No, that's fine.
it's all good.
Cheers.
Thanks.
- Hello Ooh, sorry.
- Bloody Tony Gillies.
You'll go mad if you take everything personally.
Says the woman who can't sleep until her jury comes back.
- I thought you were sure he'd done it.
- We are.
Except he's claiming he's got an alibi.
Claiming? Well, Simon and Billy both played this sort of complex online war game, and Simon's avatar stole a sword from Billy's avatar and sold it to another one of the players.
Like, for real money? Yeah.
That's why Billy got so pissed off.
So Billy went off his rocker - not hard for a psychopath - and at 9:30 on Saturday morning, went to Simon's house, picked up a kitchen knife and stabbed him.
Witnesses? None.
But the knife was found in a skip out the front with two sets of prints on it - one being Billy's, the other I don't know, some passer-by.
But the clincher The clincher is that Simon was stabbed the same way Billy's avatar kills other avatars.
So, you know, we had everything - motive, opportunity, forensics - except, well, Billy claims he was home on the computer at the time and his computer shows he was.
He was logged on and playing the game.
Well, that's it, then.
If there's any doubt, he's fine.
Oh, there isn't any doubt.
There must be.
He could've been at his computer and there were two sets of prints on the knife.
Tell you what, Tatum, read the brief, look at how she made the case, then we'll talk about it.
Are those gonna stay up without some of these? I can even do the cancan, apparently.
Janet's asked you to find out how expensive that is, right? Oh, yes! The answer's 49.
95.
Any more, she'll have to log it as a gift.
Ah, thanks.
- See you soon! - 'Bye! Tatum? Two more assaults and an arson that's due for a mention first week next year.
If you can't handle a mention, get Erin to help.
Enjoy.
Now where's Richard? Candles, whips, lead weights, leather masks This is appalling.
Yep.
Told you it's hot.
And he runs our legal system? Richard? Coming.
Check out what Ben's got.
It's unbelievable.
Yep.
It's not Not what? It's just that I've got 26 briefs at the moment and 22 of those are rape, incest and procuring a minor.
What do you want me to do? Send out a group email to the state's sex offenders asking them to back off for a few months? I just thought maybe you could spread them round a bit, the the nasty ones, the the really nasty ones.
If you can't cope, I'm more than happy to write a glowing reference.
Hey, girls, check this out.
It's so disgusting.
Here.
- The Attorney-General.
- Yep.
Fuck.
That's unbelievable.
Anyway, schtum.
I don't get the whole turtleneck jumper thing.
What do they mean by turtleneck, anyway? Like a like a skivvy? I think it's more of a polo neck.
Hmm.
What, like a T-shirt? Nah, not a polo shirt - a polo neck.
Like, um, that classic photo of Audrey Hepburn In that black thingy with the rollneck.
A jumper with foreskin.
Yes, exact No.
Not exactly.
Thanks for that image.
Although, it sort of suits a dickhead.
Why is that a turn-on? That's just weird.
And lead weights and candles are normal? Hey, did you decide about Julie? Do you reckon we can get her to come tonight? Well, as long as the invite didn't come from me.
No, no, no.
Of course not.
Did you bring a spare frock? Sequins or feathers? Ooh! Feathers.
Yeah.
That's in.
That's in! JANET'.
Members of the jury, let's not dwell on the amazing similarities between Simon's real injuries and those of Billy's victim in his online war game.
Let's just consider what we've learned.
Simon Grady was Billy's only friend because he'd hurt all the others.
That's the pattern of Billy Evans's life.
People upset him and they pay for it.
The only credible explanation for Simon Grady's death is staring us in the face.
What? This animal is His daughter's 17 and he pimped her to his truckie mate for $100.
It How could anyone think that that's I just can't under Erin? Yep! Can you take this? Well I'll square it with Tracey.
That brief goes back in my office when you're not working on it, yes? Yep.
I'll just fax a copy to the leader of the opposition first.
See you downstairs.
How old are you, Tatum? My first Christmas party here, you were a foetus.
That's random.
Something always happens at Christmas parties.
Hasn't happened to me yet.
Nonetheless, it happens.
Sometimes I wonder what Christ makes of it all.
Well, given he's been dead for 2,000 years, I'd imagine he's fairly relaxed about it.
He did rise again.
Right, but there's a lot of hearsay in that proposition.
So, in your view, the core plank of Christianity is more or less hearsay? No, it's it's all hearsay.
Come on, Tatum.
Hey, has Janet gone? Uh, yep, it's just us, I think.
You're my witness.
Hmm.
It's going back where it belongs.
OK.
You got work tomorrow? Can you take a break? Oh, no.
Pre-trial conference tomorrow.
That Estonian man who bashed the parking attendant half to death is now claiming that two mutated sequences of his genome code means he can't help hitting people.
âMy genes made me do it,â huh? Kind of.
I'm up to my eyeballs in genetics.
Good luck.
See you downstairs.
Yep.
Evening, Your Honour.
Hope you're not planning to drive tonight.
Wouldn't even consider it.
Tatum, sweetness, Tracey Samuels is not a cuddly mummy.
She plays favourites, she destroys careers and she hates people being too skinny or too happy - you're both.
You've seen what she's doing to Richard.
But he's a New Zealander.
This is not funny! You want to stay, play the game.
Hey! Especially with a woman who's writing your annual Conrad! .
.
review.
We're not gonna be the only two wearing this stuff, are we? Kidding me? DPP looks like Al Capone's house.
Passed yourjudge on the way in.
He knows all about you, you know.
Hmm, sure he does.
He does.
Turn around.
The only thing he knows is I'm that highly intelligent solicitor advocate who, last November, asked that poor girl where she was when her daughter was conceived.
âOn the ground being raped, you fuckwit.
â That was the response, wasn't it? Can't say I've tried too hard to remember it, to be honest.
Everyone else has.
Oh! Thanks.
Oi.
Are the drinks on the DPP tonight? Up to 500 bucks, I think.
But Tony Gillies is going, so that's not gonna last too long.
Bloody tight-arses.
Oh, please! We are responsible for the sober taxpayers of the whole state.
Anyway, when court was adjourned and we got back here, he said, âThat's Geoff McMahon's boy.
â In a good way or a bad way? It was nothing to do with you.
It was all about your dad, actually.
In fact, he kept gloating about how the A-G had appointed him to the bench and kept knocking your dad back.
Hmm.
OK.
Wow! Nice.
Ah, the good old Attorney-General - what a top bloke he is.
Yeah.
So why does a judge's associate have a chimp on the back of her door? That's not a chimp.
It's a bonobo.
Well, unlike chimps, they're an endangered species native to the Congo.
They are also the only primates, including us, whose society is female-dominant.
They're therefore remarkably peaceful.
Almost no fights, no signs of male aggression.
In fact, when they find food, they all have sex before eating it.
That way, they're happy sharing the food rather than fighting over it.
To be a bonobo! Well, you'd have to get used to their way of saying hello first.
Which is what? The bonobo handshake, it's called.
OK.
You want me to say hello to you in bonobo? I don't know.
Do I? Anthropologically, it's very interesting because it seems to resolve potential conflict before it escalates into a situation that, in our society, would end up in court.
OK.
Well I'd feel rude in not saying hello in return.
Let's go party- on, fuck! So have you heard anything from the jury in the Simon Grady murder? I was wondering how long it would take you to ask something totally inappropriate.
Hopefully, we'll know tomorrow.
Well, I can tell you they're not gonna get sequestered but they'll still have to come in every day.
What, even over Christmas? Yeah.
Plus, their lunch is getting cheaper.
There's no more pizza and sushi.
Tomorrow we're down to egg and lettuce sandwiches.
Ugh! That usually speeds up a decision.
Yeah, I hope so.
Janet says you've been given the brief about the dad who rented his daughter out to other truckies.
Yes, and even though she's slow, this girl can take the stand and she can talk and she can give evidence.
Ooh, let's hope she gets an even break.
I love watching your white cape flutter in the breeze of optimism.
Drink up.
It's still an open bar for the moment.
Hi.
Hi.
Rhys Kowalski.
I know - Kowalski.
I'm Erin O'Shaughnessy.
You were up against me last month.
Oh, yeah, well, you know No, really, you did very well.
So how long have you been at the DPP? Nine months.
Big change from the corporate slog.
There you are! I've had to squeeze my way around this whole bacchanalian spectacle.
Paula, this is Erin O'Shaughnessy of the DPP.
Erin, this is Paula Corvini, my wife.
Yes, we've met.
Hi.
Hi! Nice to see you again.
Anyway, I should mingle.
See you around the courts maybe.
She was flirting with you, wasn't she? Was she? What? Of course she was Come on, you've made an appearance.
Can we go now? Alright, let me just find David, OK? Those guys are fantastic.
I heard a whisper something big landed with you guys today.
Yeah, he got that one, lucky bastard.
What is it? Can't say.
Can't say? No.
- Trust me, he really can't.
- Can't say what? The 'Turtle Brief', I'm calling it.
My God, who let you in? G'day, Erin! Have you met our veteran court reporter? Yep.
And Detective Sergeant Andy Campbell? Yeah, I've been watching him give evidence.
You're Justice Rosenberg's associate.
Mmm.
So you've been doing the Billy Evans trial.
How's that prick? Kills the only friend he's got like it's part of a game, and he'll probably get off.
Because truth and justice so rarely intersect.
First time I've seen Janet look worried, actually.
Where is she? Janet! You know your main problem? Funnily enough, we do, yes.
You needed to find whoever sat at his computer while he committed the murder.
Really'? Did you even do a doorknock? Make any attempt to find out? Only for about the last six months.
Why didn't you make a big deal of it? Because we couldn't find him, so we had to say it was unimportant.
But it's crucial.
Oh, bullshit.
It's only his alibi, Lina.
He grabbed some guy to sit at his computer for an hour or two while he went off and stabbed Simon four times and cut his throat.
So what? Who cares who it was? Why does it matter? Because he'd played that game for months and he'd only just gotten up to level six.
Yeah, by stabbing demons four times and cutting their throats.
He wouldn't just log on and leave his avatar in the hands of a mate he met in the pub.
It doesn't make sense.
And, yes, I have read both closing addresses.
Look, don't get me wrong, I'm sure Billy did it.
And the worst thing is, if he does get off, he's the sort of nut case who'll kill someone else who pisses him off.
But that's the system.
Maybe we just need a better one.
Or maybe we need to learn from bonobos.
What do you say? What? Nothing.
Nothing.
Please - be my guest.
Same again? it's my turn.
Absolutely.
Let's go.
Hey, man.
it's a cool party.
Um, mate Oh! Um, dig in.
On me.
You do realise that there are cops out there and barristers and? The rest of us are lawyers.
Jesus.
I don't have enough for everyone.
What? What sort of a stupid fucking idiot? God, you're lucky it was Richard.
You're so fucking lucky.
If that had been anyone else Can you imagine what that would've meant? Fine.
Maybe a good behaviour bond.
I'm not talking about you, Conrad.
I meant me.
Imagine what that would've meant for me.
Can you just think about me for one second? I have just graduated as a lawyer and I've organised the Christmas party for all the lawyers I've started working with.
And these are lawyers that spend half their working life prosecuting drug dealers, and my boyfriend - my boyfriend! - brings drugs to the Christmas party.
You could've killed my career in five seconds.
Give me one reason, just one, why I shouldn't dump you right here.
What's that? It's a ring.
Tiffany's? Is it alright? I l I thought, you know, like an engagement.
See, we sold that red Lotus at the shop, so the boys said I ought to do the right thing, kind of, so, um I hope you like it, because I love you.
What's not to love? Anytime I can do something for you in return.
Any sort of favour, I'm yours.
Good luck, mate.
You've got none and Buckley's if you ask me.
Hello! Seen Lina'? Nuh.
Ben? What do you want to chat about, Jimmy? Off the record? We've heard a rumour that Group 5 solicitor advocates at the DPP have a weekly competition called Penetration of the Week.
Off the record, we get over a dozen sex matters a day.
We've just got to find some way of staying sane.
So all the work sex is, like, over there, which is totally different from The good sex over here.
Back in a tick.
OK.
What are we doing? You'll see.
He should be here.
It says he's here.
Yep! You beauty! Family supreme? Yes! There you go, brother.
Thanks, champ.
OK, so I should've asked you what pizza you like but I just got the one I like instead.
Well, you're welcome to a couple of pieces or perhaps even three.
That's so generous.
Well, I wouldn't want to fight over it.
I hate fighting over food.
I would much rather share it if I could.
Sorry, I've forgotten how it goes.
What comes first? Uh, with the bonobo? Yeah.
Well, if we were bonobos, we'd have sex now and happily share the pizza half-half.
But seeing as we are in fact human beings, we can hopefully use language instead of sex to agree that half-half is a fair and equitable split.
Let's use a desk.
My desk has got a lot of stuff on it.
No, not yours.
The director's.
What? Are you serious? What? Just keep going.
Just keep saying hello.
it's nice.
Oh.
Lookie, lookie! - What do you think? Isn't it gorgeous? - Wonderful.
What's wrong? You read both closing addresses.
Yes, I did.
I, um l loved it when Janet said, âLet's not focus on the bloody knife covered in Billy's fingerprintsâ and âThere's no need to dwell on the similarity between how Simon was killedâ and blah, blah-blah, blah.
I mean, that's smart.
By saying, âDon't focus on it,â she's, like, putting it right in front of their minds.
It's called a paralipsis.
She's also really good at making herself one of them.
It's never 'you' should or shouldn't.
It's always 'we' should or shouldn't.
So she's never, like, telling them what they ought to think.
She's just, like, thinking aloud for all of them.
Exactly! And if we win, that will be why, because the way she tells the story, you know she's telling the truth, not just a series of possible events.
Of course, whether it is the truth is still debatable.
Well, no, it isn't.
He's a fucking murderer.
Or he was sitting at home with his computer.
You couldn't prove he wasn't.
Yeah, well, you try prove he was.
Hey, you want a lift home? No, no.
I'm still I'm talking to Jimmy.
He's just somewhere.
Are you sure? Andy's only had a couple of beers.
He can take us.
Mm-mm.
Do you want me to leave your key out? Thank you.
Alright.
Ciao.
Mmph! Ohhh! Ouch! Ugh! Morning.
When we went down to the party, didn't I leave this in my office? Mm-hm.
So how did it get in my bedroom? If you can't remember, we may never know- What happened to your other stocking? Dunno.
Took it off, I guess.
Hmm.
But everything else stayed on, though, yeah? Yes.
Course it did.
Fuck! Janet.
Shit! Um, where do you keep the jury? I'm not gonna see them like this.
Where's home? Oatley Road, off Old Northern.
What? Oh, shit! My backpack, my backpack.
It's got my swipe card's in it.
Home! Oatley Road, please! Ben! Whoa, hang on.
Did I have my bag with me at the pub? Just come back and get it.
I've gotta get home.
OK, OK.
Oatley Road.
What are you going back in for anyway? Aren't you on your summer break? Not quite.
One last advice to write.
On this new big mystery thing? Maybe.
Who's in trouble? Yeah, me, if I don't get it finished.
This place is like a ghost ship over Christmas.
Richard! Coming! Right, what have you got? Who's texting this early? Tatum.
âNo-one was sitting at Billy Evans's computer.
âHe programmed it, then left it for an hour, then came back.
â Holy fuck.
A British geneticist first called it the bad gene in 2007 Morning.
.
.
but so far I thought you would've been in here at the crack of dawn.
Summary and presentment all due by midday, yes? Please.
Got it.
Right, that'll have to do.
We'd better not keep our learned friends waiting.
This is gonna be fun.
Mm-hm.
Look at this - Tatum has 1,493 Facebook friends.
And one of them is a software designer in the Silicon Valley.
So she gets in early, looks up the brief, finds the police forensic records of Billy Evans's computer, scans it, emails it, and for 63 minutes and 14 seconds, Billy's avatar follows responses that could've been programmed if you're good enough.
It doesn't engage with anything.
When faced with a decision, it just backtracks.
And then it all changes.
Yeah, then there's someone controlling it.
Ohh! If you applied to see the judge, explained you had new evidence Oh, it's too late.
Even if it was admissible, we'd have to dismiss the whole jury and start a whole new trial.
But if he's acquitted now, that's it - you'll never be able to use it.
I couldn't just slip it to the jury? No! Don't even think about it.
You would.
I wouldn't.
Would.
Wouldn't.
Wouldn't even be tempted? I would never do that.
Much as it drives me mental, I would never cheat.
OK? Yes.
No.
Don't worry.
It's something else.
Sorry, I'm not in the mood for crap this morning.
Language aside, we have expert witnesses and a wealth of scientific evidence.
Wealth? What wealth? The human DNA was only fully sequenced half a year ago.
The Human Genome Project was completed in 2000.
Yes, but that wasn't the full sequence.
If you refer to 'Scientific American' vol OK, whatever - the point is studies were conducted on this particular gene over the course of a two-year period, and the results are compelling.
Over 78% of the population with assault convictions in Estonia were found to have this genetic mutation, when it only occurs in 8% of the general population.
Ipso facto, those with this defect have a natural predisposition to violence they cannot control.
So what are you saying? We're not pleading.
Our client does not have mens rea.
Have you read the depositions? We have 17 witnesses who saw this assault from beginning to end and the entire thing was captured on CCTV.
And you, you are going to force the state to spend half a million dollars on a full criminal trial? You could no bill it.
His victim is still in a coma.
There was no malicious intention.
He couldn't help what he did any more than a bird can help migrating for winter.
For Christ's sake! If we can't debate this calmly and rationally Forget about rational.
If you seriously think a DNA code can get you acquitted of assault, we've left 'rational' way behind.
Conscious decisions define our behaviour, not blind instinct, which is why we're not seagulls and why I'm not smashing a chair across your head right now.
Your client's assault was not a momentary reaction to danger or provocation.
It went on for 12 minutes.
And we have 17 witnesses.
Does your client realise, if he doesn't plead, we'll show the jury the tape of what he did? The fact remains he could not control those reactions.
He really wants to risk the maximum sentence, does he? 12 years.
Oh, Janet, come on.
He's very remorseful.
Even in the unlikely event he's convicted, I doubt whether he'll be looking at anything like the maximum sentence.
Remorse means little if the odds of reoffending are high, and by your own argument, he's 100% certain to reoffend, which is another reason why he'll be convicted.
Either plead guilty or see him go down for the maximum - those are your choices, Mr Calletti.
I've had enough of this.
Where's Tatum? Well, technically on leave until the New Year.
Although, she was in this morning.
This morning.
Yes, I know.
See if she's answering her phone.
Yes.
That email from Lina, I forwarded.
Just reading it now.
How was last night? Short for me, but enjoyable.
Yes, I had a good night too.
Young people today.
No inhibitions.
Ah Etiquette, schmetiquette.
'If it's legal, go for it' seems to be the motto of the current generation.
And even then, it's with a loose interpretation of the word 'legal'.
Oh, yes.
Yes, well, that's very interesting.
Pity we didn't discover it sooner.
We could still make a submission.
With a view to what? Well, with the jury already out, it'll have to be a retrial.
We might not need one.
But by the time we find out we do, we would've missed the boat.
As soon as we hear the jury's out, it's too late.
You don't think you did enough to get a conviction? I think with that, with knowing no-one had to be at the computer, the case is vastly stronger.
If if that stacks up.
I mean, what do we know about this person? It's the last piece of the jigsaw.
Can he come to Australia to give evidence? How much of an expert is he? What happens when the defence comes up with an expert to contradict him? It makes sense.
It explains everything.
Janet, you've explained it all already.
Billy left his apartment, stabbed Simon, threw the knife in a skip and went home.
This is another piece of evidence to support that.
It doesn't change it.
Why risk all that money? All that embarrassment? Because I never want to think I could've done better, and if he's acquitted When I first came here, you advised me to have a glass of champagne every night so I could have a glass after a case without it looking like a celebration.
Because prosecution isn't about winning or losing, you said.
We're not representing the victim.
We're not obliged to feel for the victim or feel we have to give our best for them, but we do, David.
We do.
What's up? âAttorney-General in rape scandal.
âDPP planned cover-up.
â How much? Oh all of it' Jimmy Butcher must've seen the whole file.
Oh, God! Where did you put it? In my office.
Harry, I'm gonna need all the swipe card records from last night.
They're all going to have to come back in now.
So many questions unanswered, in particular, the internal memo accompanying this bombshell of a file that reads âWe could prosecute, but do we want to?â This despite the long and detailed statements within the file itself that chronicle appalling crimes and a bizarre fetish for which the Attorney-General may or may not now ever stand trial.
The extraordinary memo was signed by senior Crown prosecutor Janet King.
She has not returned any of our calls and is currently unavailable for comment.
Wow, did you guys see all the cameras downstairs? Tatum, please take a seat.
Thank you.
Did you all bring in your swipe cards? Well, I l don't have mine because my brother's got my car but I l came in with Erin.
But you had it this morning? It is at home? Well, yes, I thi Yeah, it is.
Well, we know that the file on the Attorney-General was in Janet's office overnight.
But security records show each one of you came back into the building at least once between 8pm and 8am this morning.
Now, unless one of you wants to explain to me what happened, the Premier has insisted on a police investigation which will commence immediately.
Well "depending, of course, on what such an investigation might reveal, the consequences of this could be severe.
A moment of carelessness - that's understandable.
But you are all officers of the court.
And if an investigation was to reveal that this was an attempt to deliberately pervert the course of justice, a custodial sentence is a real possibility.
Now, I want you all to think about that very seriously.
What were you doing back here? I don't know.
Just getting something.
What? Your straightener.
Her straightener? Yeah, she left it in the office.
That's not what you said this morning.
Yes, it was.
David.
Can you believe those smug little smart-arses? Do you think they have any idea what they've done? Tatum's evidence - can I move for a retrial? You may.
Oh, dammit! What now? Oh, the jury's back.
Do you want me to call Julie? God, I feel sick.
Good luck! What do you think he was doing back here? Updating his Facebook profile.
No, he's not on it.
He's not on Facebook? Well, that's suspect right there.
What were you doing back here? I was eating.
I ordered a pizza, so I had it delivered up here.
What about you? Very good question.
Not all of last night is totally clear.
But you do remember dancing naked on the bar, though, don't you? Mmm! Joke.
Well, not really.
I mean Shut up.
Oh, Lina showed me what you were doing in here this morning.
Great work.
Oh, yeah.
it's no big deal.
You want something for your head? Thank you.
You've never had to pray for help yet, have you, Tatum? Got me on that one.
I prayed for those jurors last night.
You mean you prayed they'd find him guilty, as opposed to maybe trying to find out what actually happened? I prayed God would give them the strength to make the right decision.
What? Well, you can't lose that race, can you? I mean, it's just such a stupid thing to say.
No offence.
Ha.
If the defendant could rise.
Members of the jury on the count of murder, how do you find the defendant - guilty or not guilty? Guilty, Your Honour.
This is the young man whose best mate Simon Grady was murdered in broad daylight.
But have they got the right guy? The jury can't decide.
They've been out for days.
On the line we have Drown your sorrows - that's my advice.
I haven't lost yet.
Oh, if the jury gets into a second week out, then the odds are not looking good.
Party starts in half an hour.
You getting frocked up? Ben, please! Your timing's terrible.
Personally, I'm surprised you ever wanted to run this case.
Come on, Tony.
That's how Simon Grady was murdered.
Wouldn't you wanna lock up the bastard who did that? Yes, but we all know this case had a problem.
So what? Billy Evans was gonna leave the country.
We had to run the trial now.
And despite the problem, we we still had enough.
Not in the court of public opinion.
Yeah, well, they don't hear all the evidence.
Oh, and the jury do? If they don't, the failure's mine.
Well, just as long as you know the cost of gaining a media profile is, uh, your failures become horribly public.
Thanks.
Just being a realist.
Oh, I hope they put you out of your misery soon.
Can you give me five, please? As soon as possible.
Thank you.
Tatum! You're needed at reception.
OK.
There you go, mate.
Don't mind the fancy dress.
We're still working.
Hi.
Can I help you? We're looking for Janet King.
Uh, yeah, sure.
Um Come through.
Right.
Welcome to the Department of Public Prosecutions.
Thank you.
Mark, Sue! Lina, hi.
No news? They're still out, I'm afraid.
I'm sorry I can't chat.
I've just got to dash over the road to court.
But is Tatum looking after you? Uh, tea? Coffee? Uh, black tea, please.
Sure.
Uh, Ben.
One black tea.
Do you mind? In Janet's office.
Thank you.
What? They're Simon Grady's parents.
Oh.
Tea? OK.
Knew I got a law degree for something.
Hey, any chance you could do this for me? It's just a pre-trial, not court.
Tony will do all the talking.
Please! I just really feel as if I should You know what? They're more important right at this second.
Go on.
Thank you.
Oh! Oh! Urn, I'm sorry.
Um I'm sorry.
Um I'll just go see if I can find her.
I'm so sorry.
It's OK.
IFS OK.
Where is Janet? Do you know? I haven't seen her.
Try the conference room.
Forget Simon Grady for a second.
This new matter is dynamite.
Just imagine you and me I'm the director of public prosecutions.
Yes.
And I have been publicly and highly critical of the state government for as long as I can remember.
Heated, toe-to-toe arguments with a premier of breathtaking stupidity.
And now it's alleged that two years ago, this attorney-general, Nicholas Quinn, the premier's right-hand man, âlured two female parliamentary cleaners to his rural property âwhere he held them against their will âand forced them to wear turtleneck jumpers whileâ Turtleneck jumpers? â.
.
While he committed numerous serious sexual assaults on them âinvolving leather masks, candles, lead weights, âand a glass phallus.
â Turtleneck jumpers? No accounting for taste, I suppose.
You're a big boy there, hey? You're a big man.
Janet'? Try David.
You're a big boy.
Thanks, Tracey.
You're Mummy's big man, aren't you? You will note, however, there are no admissions.
No forensics.
In fact, the A-G insists they were only there to clean his house.
And these allegations were only made after the girls were sacked.
On the other hand, their statements are detailed and compelling.
They're not completely consistent.
But still, taking everything into account, is there enough to prosecute? In other words, I could decide not to proceed.
And almost certainly be accused of allowing a very serious crime to go unpunished in order to secure better funding.
Or you could pursue a prosecution And be accused of running a shaky case for nothing more than vindictive political purposes.
Only COPY- I don't suppose I need to tell you how Sensitive.
Yes, of course.
Ah, success! Excuse me, Mr Sinclair.
Simon Grady's parents - they're in your office.
What are you wearing? Oh, for the Christmas party tonight.
It's 1930s themed.
I did tweet everyone.
Very authentic.
I know.
I'm setting the standard.
You two need to improve.
Oh, Christ! The photos.
I turned them over.
Did they see them? Yes.
I didn't know.
OK, don't worry.
Forget it.
Mark, Sue! Sorry to keep you.
It hasn't been that long.
Just wanted to say thanks.
And we've brought in a little Chrissie present.
Oh! Thank you! I've told them that the police will call as soon as we have any news.
But they'll I mean, the jury, it can't be much longer, can it? We don't know.
It's entirely in their hands.
Yeah, but nine days? I mean, this is hell, just waiting.
Don't they know what it's like? Is it always like this? What are they thinking about? The way you summed it up, they had to see it's the truth, didn't they? Just because you couldn't find who was at the computer, so what? It's still the truth.
I just want to hear him say he did it.
Filthy piece of shit! He mightn't ever say that, Sue, even if he is convicted.
No, no.
He's got to be convicted.
Billy Evans killed our son.
Anyway, I'm not sure I deserve this yet.
No, no, no.
Look, whatever happens, we just wanted to say thanks.
Thank you.
JANET'.
Members of the jury, the Crown will show that Simon Grady was killed by a young man he considered a friend.
It was a murder committed for trivial reasons.
Many would call the accused nondescript, an ordinary bloke.
The South Pole is as warm as toast compared to the blood in this young man's veins.
Hi.
Um, change of plan.
Where's Lina'? Putting out another bushfire.
Are you across this matter, or are you just gonna be a warm body in the room? Um, no, I know the facts more or less.
More or less? We've talked about it.
I've read the statements.
I think I'll be able to help.
Alright, let's see.
Come on.
Hi, Sophie.
Um, I'm Erin O'Shaughnessy from the DPP.
Now, this shouldn't take long.
It's a pre-trial conference.
It's where we meet the lawyers representing the man who assaulted you.
But he's not here.
You don't have to worry.
Um, they'll be talking to him on the phone if they have to, but he's not in this building.
Do you understand? She says, âI understand completely.
â âI'm not stupid.
â Sure.
50"')!- Um, well, faced with the evidence, and your statements, he should plead guilty, which will save everyone from going to court - him and you.
She says, âThank you.
â That's OK.
Good girl.
Stay brave, yeah? Right, let's see if we can get to a meeting of minds.
Ah, there you are.
I hear you have drinks on tonight over there on the dark side.
Yes, a bit of a knees-up.
Pub full of Crownies.
Uh, Crowns, thank you, not Crownies.
Crownies and tiaras - should be a ball.
Yes, very droll.
Uh, Paula's client's pleading not guilty, so I thought we might rephrase some of the facts and see if we can persuade him to change his mind.
I doubt it.
Possibly, we could strike out any references to hair pulling and marks on the neck and leave it simply as a sexual assault with less aggravation.
But still, a sexual assault There was a sexual assault.
Thank you, Erin.
Well, if there was, it wasn't committed by my client.
Sophie has described what happened and described your client Yes, well, possibly We have her client seen leaving the house Leaving the front yard, not the house.
And we have the state in which Sophie was found.
For which my client categorically denies responsibility.
You really want to test this evidence in front of a jury? Why not? He has every right to face his accuser, hear her accuse him and let a jury decide who they believe.
OK, then.
Good.
Do it.
OK.
Good.
Thank you.
That's it.
She's mad! Or just chasing the money.
Maybe she thinks she may as well get paid for a three-or four-week trial rather than cut a deal now.
Oh, Erin! Even if it means selling her client down the river.
Don't be so naive.
She knows we can't take it to court.
Please tell me you're joking.
They have every right to ask Sophie to take the witness stand and repeat all her evidence in court.
And you don't think that'll convict him? Erin, who can understand her? Her carer can.
Oh, she could say anything.
Weeks of tortuous examination.
The judge will get frustrated.
The jury will fall asleep.
And Paula Corvini knows it.
Shouldn't we make a judge do that? Why make it our call? Why not make it their call? Because, without a reasonable prospect of conviction, we'll get a costs order against us.
It's not about money.
Oh! Paula's client threw Sophie on the ground and raped her four times in three hours.
Did you see Sophie? Inside that body is a very smart young girl.
It takes forever to communicate.
Ironically, it'd be an easier case to win if he'd killed her.
Oh, this is ridiculous! She went through three hours of torture and now What? What do I say to her? âSorry, you're too disabled to get any justice.
â I wouldn't say 'sorry'.
But, yes, that is the truth of it.
And despite the goals of five centuries of common law, truth and justice rarely intersect.
Here we go, Miss Janet! Oh! Thoughtful! Oh, don't mention it.
I saw you looking a little stressy, so I thought, uh âBenâ I thought That is my name, so it's always a good way to start a sentence when I'm talking to myself.
So I said, âBen, what can you do to help Janet?" May not be entirely true, but I've gotta get points for a quick recovery, right? And waiting for a jury is stressful, so what can I do to help? Anything? Actually, yes.
This brief came straight to the director.
It is highly sensitive and cannot - I repeat, cannot-leave this office.
OK.
But reviewing it, we'll start with a solicitor, like every other matter.
And your last couple of summaries haven't been too bad, so memo of advice and draft presentment, please.
False imprisonment, kidnap, rape - elements of each charge.
âWe could prosecute, but do we want to?â Not a problem.
Oh, Christmas party starts in half an hour.
By midday tomorrow.
Actually, uh, none of my other matters were due for mention until next year.
So I wasn't really You can't do it? No, that's fine.
it's all good.
Cheers.
Thanks.
- Hello Ooh, sorry.
- Bloody Tony Gillies.
You'll go mad if you take everything personally.
Says the woman who can't sleep until her jury comes back.
- I thought you were sure he'd done it.
- We are.
Except he's claiming he's got an alibi.
Claiming? Well, Simon and Billy both played this sort of complex online war game, and Simon's avatar stole a sword from Billy's avatar and sold it to another one of the players.
Like, for real money? Yeah.
That's why Billy got so pissed off.
So Billy went off his rocker - not hard for a psychopath - and at 9:30 on Saturday morning, went to Simon's house, picked up a kitchen knife and stabbed him.
Witnesses? None.
But the knife was found in a skip out the front with two sets of prints on it - one being Billy's, the other I don't know, some passer-by.
But the clincher The clincher is that Simon was stabbed the same way Billy's avatar kills other avatars.
So, you know, we had everything - motive, opportunity, forensics - except, well, Billy claims he was home on the computer at the time and his computer shows he was.
He was logged on and playing the game.
Well, that's it, then.
If there's any doubt, he's fine.
Oh, there isn't any doubt.
There must be.
He could've been at his computer and there were two sets of prints on the knife.
Tell you what, Tatum, read the brief, look at how she made the case, then we'll talk about it.
Are those gonna stay up without some of these? I can even do the cancan, apparently.
Janet's asked you to find out how expensive that is, right? Oh, yes! The answer's 49.
95.
Any more, she'll have to log it as a gift.
Ah, thanks.
- See you soon! - 'Bye! Tatum? Two more assaults and an arson that's due for a mention first week next year.
If you can't handle a mention, get Erin to help.
Enjoy.
Now where's Richard? Candles, whips, lead weights, leather masks This is appalling.
Yep.
Told you it's hot.
And he runs our legal system? Richard? Coming.
Check out what Ben's got.
It's unbelievable.
Yep.
It's not Not what? It's just that I've got 26 briefs at the moment and 22 of those are rape, incest and procuring a minor.
What do you want me to do? Send out a group email to the state's sex offenders asking them to back off for a few months? I just thought maybe you could spread them round a bit, the the nasty ones, the the really nasty ones.
If you can't cope, I'm more than happy to write a glowing reference.
Hey, girls, check this out.
It's so disgusting.
Here.
- The Attorney-General.
- Yep.
Fuck.
That's unbelievable.
Anyway, schtum.
I don't get the whole turtleneck jumper thing.
What do they mean by turtleneck, anyway? Like a like a skivvy? I think it's more of a polo neck.
Hmm.
What, like a T-shirt? Nah, not a polo shirt - a polo neck.
Like, um, that classic photo of Audrey Hepburn In that black thingy with the rollneck.
A jumper with foreskin.
Yes, exact No.
Not exactly.
Thanks for that image.
Although, it sort of suits a dickhead.
Why is that a turn-on? That's just weird.
And lead weights and candles are normal? Hey, did you decide about Julie? Do you reckon we can get her to come tonight? Well, as long as the invite didn't come from me.
No, no, no.
Of course not.
Did you bring a spare frock? Sequins or feathers? Ooh! Feathers.
Yeah.
That's in.
That's in! JANET'.
Members of the jury, let's not dwell on the amazing similarities between Simon's real injuries and those of Billy's victim in his online war game.
Let's just consider what we've learned.
Simon Grady was Billy's only friend because he'd hurt all the others.
That's the pattern of Billy Evans's life.
People upset him and they pay for it.
The only credible explanation for Simon Grady's death is staring us in the face.
What? This animal is His daughter's 17 and he pimped her to his truckie mate for $100.
It How could anyone think that that's I just can't under Erin? Yep! Can you take this? Well I'll square it with Tracey.
That brief goes back in my office when you're not working on it, yes? Yep.
I'll just fax a copy to the leader of the opposition first.
See you downstairs.
How old are you, Tatum? My first Christmas party here, you were a foetus.
That's random.
Something always happens at Christmas parties.
Hasn't happened to me yet.
Nonetheless, it happens.
Sometimes I wonder what Christ makes of it all.
Well, given he's been dead for 2,000 years, I'd imagine he's fairly relaxed about it.
He did rise again.
Right, but there's a lot of hearsay in that proposition.
So, in your view, the core plank of Christianity is more or less hearsay? No, it's it's all hearsay.
Come on, Tatum.
Hey, has Janet gone? Uh, yep, it's just us, I think.
You're my witness.
Hmm.
It's going back where it belongs.
OK.
You got work tomorrow? Can you take a break? Oh, no.
Pre-trial conference tomorrow.
That Estonian man who bashed the parking attendant half to death is now claiming that two mutated sequences of his genome code means he can't help hitting people.
âMy genes made me do it,â huh? Kind of.
I'm up to my eyeballs in genetics.
Good luck.
See you downstairs.
Yep.
Evening, Your Honour.
Hope you're not planning to drive tonight.
Wouldn't even consider it.
Tatum, sweetness, Tracey Samuels is not a cuddly mummy.
She plays favourites, she destroys careers and she hates people being too skinny or too happy - you're both.
You've seen what she's doing to Richard.
But he's a New Zealander.
This is not funny! You want to stay, play the game.
Hey! Especially with a woman who's writing your annual Conrad! .
.
review.
We're not gonna be the only two wearing this stuff, are we? Kidding me? DPP looks like Al Capone's house.
Passed yourjudge on the way in.
He knows all about you, you know.
Hmm, sure he does.
He does.
Turn around.
The only thing he knows is I'm that highly intelligent solicitor advocate who, last November, asked that poor girl where she was when her daughter was conceived.
âOn the ground being raped, you fuckwit.
â That was the response, wasn't it? Can't say I've tried too hard to remember it, to be honest.
Everyone else has.
Oh! Thanks.
Oi.
Are the drinks on the DPP tonight? Up to 500 bucks, I think.
But Tony Gillies is going, so that's not gonna last too long.
Bloody tight-arses.
Oh, please! We are responsible for the sober taxpayers of the whole state.
Anyway, when court was adjourned and we got back here, he said, âThat's Geoff McMahon's boy.
â In a good way or a bad way? It was nothing to do with you.
It was all about your dad, actually.
In fact, he kept gloating about how the A-G had appointed him to the bench and kept knocking your dad back.
Hmm.
OK.
Wow! Nice.
Ah, the good old Attorney-General - what a top bloke he is.
Yeah.
So why does a judge's associate have a chimp on the back of her door? That's not a chimp.
It's a bonobo.
Well, unlike chimps, they're an endangered species native to the Congo.
They are also the only primates, including us, whose society is female-dominant.
They're therefore remarkably peaceful.
Almost no fights, no signs of male aggression.
In fact, when they find food, they all have sex before eating it.
That way, they're happy sharing the food rather than fighting over it.
To be a bonobo! Well, you'd have to get used to their way of saying hello first.
Which is what? The bonobo handshake, it's called.
OK.
You want me to say hello to you in bonobo? I don't know.
Do I? Anthropologically, it's very interesting because it seems to resolve potential conflict before it escalates into a situation that, in our society, would end up in court.
OK.
Well I'd feel rude in not saying hello in return.
Let's go party- on, fuck! So have you heard anything from the jury in the Simon Grady murder? I was wondering how long it would take you to ask something totally inappropriate.
Hopefully, we'll know tomorrow.
Well, I can tell you they're not gonna get sequestered but they'll still have to come in every day.
What, even over Christmas? Yeah.
Plus, their lunch is getting cheaper.
There's no more pizza and sushi.
Tomorrow we're down to egg and lettuce sandwiches.
Ugh! That usually speeds up a decision.
Yeah, I hope so.
Janet says you've been given the brief about the dad who rented his daughter out to other truckies.
Yes, and even though she's slow, this girl can take the stand and she can talk and she can give evidence.
Ooh, let's hope she gets an even break.
I love watching your white cape flutter in the breeze of optimism.
Drink up.
It's still an open bar for the moment.
Hi.
Hi.
Rhys Kowalski.
I know - Kowalski.
I'm Erin O'Shaughnessy.
You were up against me last month.
Oh, yeah, well, you know No, really, you did very well.
So how long have you been at the DPP? Nine months.
Big change from the corporate slog.
There you are! I've had to squeeze my way around this whole bacchanalian spectacle.
Paula, this is Erin O'Shaughnessy of the DPP.
Erin, this is Paula Corvini, my wife.
Yes, we've met.
Hi.
Hi! Nice to see you again.
Anyway, I should mingle.
See you around the courts maybe.
She was flirting with you, wasn't she? Was she? What? Of course she was Come on, you've made an appearance.
Can we go now? Alright, let me just find David, OK? Those guys are fantastic.
I heard a whisper something big landed with you guys today.
Yeah, he got that one, lucky bastard.
What is it? Can't say.
Can't say? No.
- Trust me, he really can't.
- Can't say what? The 'Turtle Brief', I'm calling it.
My God, who let you in? G'day, Erin! Have you met our veteran court reporter? Yep.
And Detective Sergeant Andy Campbell? Yeah, I've been watching him give evidence.
You're Justice Rosenberg's associate.
Mmm.
So you've been doing the Billy Evans trial.
How's that prick? Kills the only friend he's got like it's part of a game, and he'll probably get off.
Because truth and justice so rarely intersect.
First time I've seen Janet look worried, actually.
Where is she? Janet! You know your main problem? Funnily enough, we do, yes.
You needed to find whoever sat at his computer while he committed the murder.
Really'? Did you even do a doorknock? Make any attempt to find out? Only for about the last six months.
Why didn't you make a big deal of it? Because we couldn't find him, so we had to say it was unimportant.
But it's crucial.
Oh, bullshit.
It's only his alibi, Lina.
He grabbed some guy to sit at his computer for an hour or two while he went off and stabbed Simon four times and cut his throat.
So what? Who cares who it was? Why does it matter? Because he'd played that game for months and he'd only just gotten up to level six.
Yeah, by stabbing demons four times and cutting their throats.
He wouldn't just log on and leave his avatar in the hands of a mate he met in the pub.
It doesn't make sense.
And, yes, I have read both closing addresses.
Look, don't get me wrong, I'm sure Billy did it.
And the worst thing is, if he does get off, he's the sort of nut case who'll kill someone else who pisses him off.
But that's the system.
Maybe we just need a better one.
Or maybe we need to learn from bonobos.
What do you say? What? Nothing.
Nothing.
Please - be my guest.
Same again? it's my turn.
Absolutely.
Let's go.
Hey, man.
it's a cool party.
Um, mate Oh! Um, dig in.
On me.
You do realise that there are cops out there and barristers and? The rest of us are lawyers.
Jesus.
I don't have enough for everyone.
What? What sort of a stupid fucking idiot? God, you're lucky it was Richard.
You're so fucking lucky.
If that had been anyone else Can you imagine what that would've meant? Fine.
Maybe a good behaviour bond.
I'm not talking about you, Conrad.
I meant me.
Imagine what that would've meant for me.
Can you just think about me for one second? I have just graduated as a lawyer and I've organised the Christmas party for all the lawyers I've started working with.
And these are lawyers that spend half their working life prosecuting drug dealers, and my boyfriend - my boyfriend! - brings drugs to the Christmas party.
You could've killed my career in five seconds.
Give me one reason, just one, why I shouldn't dump you right here.
What's that? It's a ring.
Tiffany's? Is it alright? I l I thought, you know, like an engagement.
See, we sold that red Lotus at the shop, so the boys said I ought to do the right thing, kind of, so, um I hope you like it, because I love you.
What's not to love? Anytime I can do something for you in return.
Any sort of favour, I'm yours.
Good luck, mate.
You've got none and Buckley's if you ask me.
Hello! Seen Lina'? Nuh.
Ben? What do you want to chat about, Jimmy? Off the record? We've heard a rumour that Group 5 solicitor advocates at the DPP have a weekly competition called Penetration of the Week.
Off the record, we get over a dozen sex matters a day.
We've just got to find some way of staying sane.
So all the work sex is, like, over there, which is totally different from The good sex over here.
Back in a tick.
OK.
What are we doing? You'll see.
He should be here.
It says he's here.
Yep! You beauty! Family supreme? Yes! There you go, brother.
Thanks, champ.
OK, so I should've asked you what pizza you like but I just got the one I like instead.
Well, you're welcome to a couple of pieces or perhaps even three.
That's so generous.
Well, I wouldn't want to fight over it.
I hate fighting over food.
I would much rather share it if I could.
Sorry, I've forgotten how it goes.
What comes first? Uh, with the bonobo? Yeah.
Well, if we were bonobos, we'd have sex now and happily share the pizza half-half.
But seeing as we are in fact human beings, we can hopefully use language instead of sex to agree that half-half is a fair and equitable split.
Let's use a desk.
My desk has got a lot of stuff on it.
No, not yours.
The director's.
What? Are you serious? What? Just keep going.
Just keep saying hello.
it's nice.
Oh.
Lookie, lookie! - What do you think? Isn't it gorgeous? - Wonderful.
What's wrong? You read both closing addresses.
Yes, I did.
I, um l loved it when Janet said, âLet's not focus on the bloody knife covered in Billy's fingerprintsâ and âThere's no need to dwell on the similarity between how Simon was killedâ and blah, blah-blah, blah.
I mean, that's smart.
By saying, âDon't focus on it,â she's, like, putting it right in front of their minds.
It's called a paralipsis.
She's also really good at making herself one of them.
It's never 'you' should or shouldn't.
It's always 'we' should or shouldn't.
So she's never, like, telling them what they ought to think.
She's just, like, thinking aloud for all of them.
Exactly! And if we win, that will be why, because the way she tells the story, you know she's telling the truth, not just a series of possible events.
Of course, whether it is the truth is still debatable.
Well, no, it isn't.
He's a fucking murderer.
Or he was sitting at home with his computer.
You couldn't prove he wasn't.
Yeah, well, you try prove he was.
Hey, you want a lift home? No, no.
I'm still I'm talking to Jimmy.
He's just somewhere.
Are you sure? Andy's only had a couple of beers.
He can take us.
Mm-mm.
Do you want me to leave your key out? Thank you.
Alright.
Ciao.
Mmph! Ohhh! Ouch! Ugh! Morning.
When we went down to the party, didn't I leave this in my office? Mm-hm.
So how did it get in my bedroom? If you can't remember, we may never know- What happened to your other stocking? Dunno.
Took it off, I guess.
Hmm.
But everything else stayed on, though, yeah? Yes.
Course it did.
Fuck! Janet.
Shit! Um, where do you keep the jury? I'm not gonna see them like this.
Where's home? Oatley Road, off Old Northern.
What? Oh, shit! My backpack, my backpack.
It's got my swipe card's in it.
Home! Oatley Road, please! Ben! Whoa, hang on.
Did I have my bag with me at the pub? Just come back and get it.
I've gotta get home.
OK, OK.
Oatley Road.
What are you going back in for anyway? Aren't you on your summer break? Not quite.
One last advice to write.
On this new big mystery thing? Maybe.
Who's in trouble? Yeah, me, if I don't get it finished.
This place is like a ghost ship over Christmas.
Richard! Coming! Right, what have you got? Who's texting this early? Tatum.
âNo-one was sitting at Billy Evans's computer.
âHe programmed it, then left it for an hour, then came back.
â Holy fuck.
A British geneticist first called it the bad gene in 2007 Morning.
.
.
but so far I thought you would've been in here at the crack of dawn.
Summary and presentment all due by midday, yes? Please.
Got it.
Right, that'll have to do.
We'd better not keep our learned friends waiting.
This is gonna be fun.
Mm-hm.
Look at this - Tatum has 1,493 Facebook friends.
And one of them is a software designer in the Silicon Valley.
So she gets in early, looks up the brief, finds the police forensic records of Billy Evans's computer, scans it, emails it, and for 63 minutes and 14 seconds, Billy's avatar follows responses that could've been programmed if you're good enough.
It doesn't engage with anything.
When faced with a decision, it just backtracks.
And then it all changes.
Yeah, then there's someone controlling it.
Ohh! If you applied to see the judge, explained you had new evidence Oh, it's too late.
Even if it was admissible, we'd have to dismiss the whole jury and start a whole new trial.
But if he's acquitted now, that's it - you'll never be able to use it.
I couldn't just slip it to the jury? No! Don't even think about it.
You would.
I wouldn't.
Would.
Wouldn't.
Wouldn't even be tempted? I would never do that.
Much as it drives me mental, I would never cheat.
OK? Yes.
No.
Don't worry.
It's something else.
Sorry, I'm not in the mood for crap this morning.
Language aside, we have expert witnesses and a wealth of scientific evidence.
Wealth? What wealth? The human DNA was only fully sequenced half a year ago.
The Human Genome Project was completed in 2000.
Yes, but that wasn't the full sequence.
If you refer to 'Scientific American' vol OK, whatever - the point is studies were conducted on this particular gene over the course of a two-year period, and the results are compelling.
Over 78% of the population with assault convictions in Estonia were found to have this genetic mutation, when it only occurs in 8% of the general population.
Ipso facto, those with this defect have a natural predisposition to violence they cannot control.
So what are you saying? We're not pleading.
Our client does not have mens rea.
Have you read the depositions? We have 17 witnesses who saw this assault from beginning to end and the entire thing was captured on CCTV.
And you, you are going to force the state to spend half a million dollars on a full criminal trial? You could no bill it.
His victim is still in a coma.
There was no malicious intention.
He couldn't help what he did any more than a bird can help migrating for winter.
For Christ's sake! If we can't debate this calmly and rationally Forget about rational.
If you seriously think a DNA code can get you acquitted of assault, we've left 'rational' way behind.
Conscious decisions define our behaviour, not blind instinct, which is why we're not seagulls and why I'm not smashing a chair across your head right now.
Your client's assault was not a momentary reaction to danger or provocation.
It went on for 12 minutes.
And we have 17 witnesses.
Does your client realise, if he doesn't plead, we'll show the jury the tape of what he did? The fact remains he could not control those reactions.
He really wants to risk the maximum sentence, does he? 12 years.
Oh, Janet, come on.
He's very remorseful.
Even in the unlikely event he's convicted, I doubt whether he'll be looking at anything like the maximum sentence.
Remorse means little if the odds of reoffending are high, and by your own argument, he's 100% certain to reoffend, which is another reason why he'll be convicted.
Either plead guilty or see him go down for the maximum - those are your choices, Mr Calletti.
I've had enough of this.
Where's Tatum? Well, technically on leave until the New Year.
Although, she was in this morning.
This morning.
Yes, I know.
See if she's answering her phone.
Yes.
That email from Lina, I forwarded.
Just reading it now.
How was last night? Short for me, but enjoyable.
Yes, I had a good night too.
Young people today.
No inhibitions.
Ah Etiquette, schmetiquette.
'If it's legal, go for it' seems to be the motto of the current generation.
And even then, it's with a loose interpretation of the word 'legal'.
Oh, yes.
Yes, well, that's very interesting.
Pity we didn't discover it sooner.
We could still make a submission.
With a view to what? Well, with the jury already out, it'll have to be a retrial.
We might not need one.
But by the time we find out we do, we would've missed the boat.
As soon as we hear the jury's out, it's too late.
You don't think you did enough to get a conviction? I think with that, with knowing no-one had to be at the computer, the case is vastly stronger.
If if that stacks up.
I mean, what do we know about this person? It's the last piece of the jigsaw.
Can he come to Australia to give evidence? How much of an expert is he? What happens when the defence comes up with an expert to contradict him? It makes sense.
It explains everything.
Janet, you've explained it all already.
Billy left his apartment, stabbed Simon, threw the knife in a skip and went home.
This is another piece of evidence to support that.
It doesn't change it.
Why risk all that money? All that embarrassment? Because I never want to think I could've done better, and if he's acquitted When I first came here, you advised me to have a glass of champagne every night so I could have a glass after a case without it looking like a celebration.
Because prosecution isn't about winning or losing, you said.
We're not representing the victim.
We're not obliged to feel for the victim or feel we have to give our best for them, but we do, David.
We do.
What's up? âAttorney-General in rape scandal.
âDPP planned cover-up.
â How much? Oh all of it' Jimmy Butcher must've seen the whole file.
Oh, God! Where did you put it? In my office.
Harry, I'm gonna need all the swipe card records from last night.
They're all going to have to come back in now.
So many questions unanswered, in particular, the internal memo accompanying this bombshell of a file that reads âWe could prosecute, but do we want to?â This despite the long and detailed statements within the file itself that chronicle appalling crimes and a bizarre fetish for which the Attorney-General may or may not now ever stand trial.
The extraordinary memo was signed by senior Crown prosecutor Janet King.
She has not returned any of our calls and is currently unavailable for comment.
Wow, did you guys see all the cameras downstairs? Tatum, please take a seat.
Thank you.
Did you all bring in your swipe cards? Well, I l don't have mine because my brother's got my car but I l came in with Erin.
But you had it this morning? It is at home? Well, yes, I thi Yeah, it is.
Well, we know that the file on the Attorney-General was in Janet's office overnight.
But security records show each one of you came back into the building at least once between 8pm and 8am this morning.
Now, unless one of you wants to explain to me what happened, the Premier has insisted on a police investigation which will commence immediately.
Well "depending, of course, on what such an investigation might reveal, the consequences of this could be severe.
A moment of carelessness - that's understandable.
But you are all officers of the court.
And if an investigation was to reveal that this was an attempt to deliberately pervert the course of justice, a custodial sentence is a real possibility.
Now, I want you all to think about that very seriously.
What were you doing back here? I don't know.
Just getting something.
What? Your straightener.
Her straightener? Yeah, she left it in the office.
That's not what you said this morning.
Yes, it was.
David.
Can you believe those smug little smart-arses? Do you think they have any idea what they've done? Tatum's evidence - can I move for a retrial? You may.
Oh, dammit! What now? Oh, the jury's back.
Do you want me to call Julie? God, I feel sick.
Good luck! What do you think he was doing back here? Updating his Facebook profile.
No, he's not on it.
He's not on Facebook? Well, that's suspect right there.
What were you doing back here? I was eating.
I ordered a pizza, so I had it delivered up here.
What about you? Very good question.
Not all of last night is totally clear.
But you do remember dancing naked on the bar, though, don't you? Mmm! Joke.
Well, not really.
I mean Shut up.
Oh, Lina showed me what you were doing in here this morning.
Great work.
Oh, yeah.
it's no big deal.
You want something for your head? Thank you.
You've never had to pray for help yet, have you, Tatum? Got me on that one.
I prayed for those jurors last night.
You mean you prayed they'd find him guilty, as opposed to maybe trying to find out what actually happened? I prayed God would give them the strength to make the right decision.
What? Well, you can't lose that race, can you? I mean, it's just such a stupid thing to say.
No offence.
Ha.
If the defendant could rise.
Members of the jury on the count of murder, how do you find the defendant - guilty or not guilty? Guilty, Your Honour.