Steeltown Murders (2023) s01e01 Episode Script

1
This programme contains some scenes
which some viewers may find upsetting
and strong language
# Looking out from my lonely room
# Day after day
# Bring it home, baby
# Make it soon
# I give my love to you. #
They've still got it, haven't they?
Who?
Badfinger.
You do know it's a cover band,
right?
I was wondering.
LAUGHTER
Hey, er, I seen Micky Potts
the other day.
Oh, yeah? Yeah, he says CID are
looking at Llandarcy again.
Who at CID?
New boss.
Jackie Roberts, as in Jackelyn.
Have they got new evidence
or something?
I don't know.
Well, has it been assigned yet?
Should've kept my mouth shut,
shouldn't I?
Oh, ta. Cheers.
SEAGULLS SQUAWK
MUSIC: Babylon
by David Gray
Thought these might come in handy.
Life-saver.
PAUL GROANS
Thanks, love.
Wish me luck in the Wild West.
Wild North-West.
What?
I knew you'd forget.
The match.
Neath Rugby Club.
You hate rugby!
That is not true.
That is an untruth.
Name three members of
the national team.
Er, Barry John.
Two to go.
All right, it's a schmooze.
A long, boring but essential
schmooze
if I'm going to climb
the greasy pole.
What time does it start tonight?
Er, be ready by seven.
Here, why don't you get yourself
something, eh?
Don't be late!
Don't be late yourself!
ON RADIO: Hello, my friends.
Saturday morning is here.
Five minutes to ten, it's sunny,
and this is Stuart with you live
and ready to start your day.
# There she stood in the street
# Smiling from her head to her feet
# I said, hey, what is this?
# Now, baby, maybe she's in need
of a kiss
# I said, hey, what's your name,
baby?
# Maybe we can see things the same
# Now don't you wait
or hesitate #
MUSIC WARPS
HORN BEEPS
# All right now
# Baby, it's all right now
# All right now
# Baby, it's all right now #
PHONE RINGS
What do you want for your tea,
Geraldine?
Something quick. We're going out.
Quick's not a food I've ever
heard of. Have you, Sita?
No, Mrs H, I can't say I have.
What about your favourite?
Fish fingers?
Mam! You can't go out on
an empty stomach!
You tell her, Mrs H. You tell her.
What I'm saying, Ma'am,
is if you're looking at
the Llandarcy murders,
well, nobody knows the case like me.
Plus, I'm not exactly overworked
and my boss will second me
in a heartbeat.
That's not much of a recommendation,
is it?
No, seriously, the bottom line is
I'd like in, Ma'am.
Look, I don't deny we're looking
at it again
and so far it hasn't been assigned.
Truth is, it's the scientists
who are pushing it.
Based on new evidence?
Yes. DNA.
He's not in the system, is he?
And does the DNA prove that Sandra's
killer was the same man
that killed the other two?
I can't divulge that.
Ma'am, you can trust me
And nor will I until I assign
the case.
Ahem.
And it's Boss or Jackie,
not Ma'am.
You were CID here at the time?
Very junior.
But, er, one of the good guys.
Look
Oh, Paul.
Paul.
I'm still getting my feet under
the table, and I'll be frank,
I'm more into fresh starts than
raking over past mistakes.
Oh, sure, I understand that,
but DNA is DNA.
I hadn't finished.
I did not get where I am by taking
the easy path.
So if there's a snowflake's chance
we can bring this man
to justice, rest assured I will
give it my best shot.
Thanks for coming in and staking
your claim so fulsomely, Paul.
Thank you, Ma'am.
Er, Boss.
Oh, and, er, thank you
for your time.
CHEERING
Hey-hey! There he is!
Go on, Phil boy!
Size isn't everything!
Fucking boring, innit? Rugby?
Not sure this is the game
at its finest, Boss.
You can't fool me, Paul.
TONY SIGHS
Poor Sandra.
If only she'd got killed
in Port Talbot,
she'd have a real detective
investigating her case
with a chance of a result.
Not fucking funny, Tony.
The truth hurts, mate.
Look, we know who it was and we're
going to nail the bastard.
Oh, yeah? Biding your time, are you?
Waiting for your optimum moment?
It's been three months, boys.
Fuck this.
Let's even the odds!
So, you think you've found
someone for Sandra?
Oh, he's good, isn't he?
He's very good. Silky.
Well? Do you?
Come on, boys.
Sandra's boyfriend.
He's married, he's got form and he
was this close to cracking
when we sweated him.
What happened? Fucking solicitor
pulled the plug.
OK.
So this bloke was seeing her
behind his wife's back?
You must have more than that?
You know what I'm thinking, Si?
Solicitors don't work on Saturdays.
And the ones that do are tough
to get hold of. Mm.
What do you say, Paul? Want to meet
our prime suspect?
Sure.
Price of admission.
Right, let's have some fun.
You coming?
What's this? John, meet our
colleague from Port Talbot.
He wanted to make your acquaintance,
didn't you, Paul?
Hop in the car, John.
Don't make us cuff you in front
of the street. All right.
I'll get my coat.
Yes, good. Well-timed.
Good stuff. And again, then.
Let's see you.
Phil!
Keep going, I want to see 'em.
All right? Doing your bit
for the community?
How's it going, Paul? All right?
Yeah, can't complain. You?
Oh, hanging in there, you know.
Listen, Phil, I've been talking
to the new boss.
She wants to take a look at
the Llandarcy murders.
Huh?
Yeah, I know.
Why?
There's new evidence.
Including DNA.
Bring it! Go on, then!
Bloody hell! Oi!
Fucking pack it in! Gethin!
PAUL CHUCKLES
You know what I'm going to ask.
Sorry, mate.
Too many ghosts, too painful.
Yeah, but ghosts need to be laid
to rest, don't they?
Plus DNA's not all it's cracked
up to be, is it?
Says who? They had DNA on
the Lambert murder.
Couldn't solve it, could they?
Nah.
Sandra should've been linked to the
Llandarcy murders from day one.
You of all people know
better than anyone,
that's where the rot started.
Flattery will get you nowhere.
Where are you basing yourself?
Well,
we haven't had the official
green light yet, but, er
Getting ahead of yourself as usual?
PAUL CHUCKLES
I need this, Phil.
We both do.
And so do those rape victims.
Including your friend, Jane.
I mean, don't get me wrong,
I'm pleased she's moved on. I am.
But, er, how real is it?
A husband and two kids real.
OK, good.
But when she's in Tesco
buying their tea,
bloke in front of her might be him.
Bloke behind the till.
How can she be free of anything
while he's still out there,
unpunished?
Unless he's dead.
He's not dead.
You been here before, John?
No.
Well, you have now.
This is
Save it, John.
Just point out where for our guest.
The very spot, if you please.
No, this is bullshit!
Easy now!
I am not confessing to something
that I didn't do.
We're not after a confession, John.
Just need you to confirm the facts.
You had glass on your jeans.
Sandra had glass on her skirt
and tights.
We did it in the scrapyard.
The old van with broken windows
You dirty bastard
And then there was blood.
It was glass from the window!
She had her period! How many times?!
At least once more!
Where was she left?
Sandra? Where was she left?
Down there.
Fucking middle of nowhere.
By design.
You could take your time.
And no-one could hear her scream.
I don't own a car.
I can't drive a car.
So how did I get her down here?
Magic carpet?
And there we were about to
offer you a lift home
to the door.
Let's go, Paul.
What?
We're just leaving him here?
You got a problem with that?
Let's go!
Hey!
LAUGHTER
PAUL SIGHS
DOOR BANGS
What's this?
Good behaviour?
I wouldn't go that far.
Slow day, you know?
Right.
I'll, er, put the kettle on.
Slow down.
We're coming up on Sandra's house.
That's her mother, Pat.
And her dad?
Stepdad. Dai Williams.
Did you look at him?
Alibi.
Out driving his taxi that night.
BELL RINGS
All right, girls? You miss working
here, Pauline?
Don't be daft. What is there
to miss?
Let her answer!
Not really.
There you go. She always wanted
to work in a clothes shop.
I mean, I miss you two.
Having a laugh.
Bit up themselves at the shop,
are they?
Not really.
Just
..different, you know?
What about that dress in the window?
The turquoise one?
You said you'd get me a discount.
She said maybe she'd get you
a discount.
I thought you weren't allowed out?
I'll sneak off just as Generation
Game starts.
SITA SIGHS
Face the music tomorrow.
They're doing my bloody head in
at the moment.
It's that girl from Neath.
Sandra something.
What girl?
The one who got murdered.
Dad won't shut up about it.
Murdered? I
..never heard about that.
You probably just forgot.
It was ages ago.
People are always getting
murdered in Neath.
They are not, Geraldine
Come on!
Busy?
Well, I, er
I didn't want to jinx it, OK,
by telling you.
Jinx what?
They might be reopening the case.
They might ask me to work
on it again.
There's a lot of "mights".
And you honestly thought I'd
be averse to the idea?
We share everything now, OK?
That's the rules.
Well, that's if they give it
to me.
Of course they'll bloody
give it to you.
HORN HONKS
You were the one who said
to be ready by seven.
I couldn't get Warren
out of the bar.
Come.
HORN HONKS
Cheers.
You ready, Mrs Bethell?
Yes.
# Baby, if you just say you care
# Follow you most anywhere
# Roll away the stone
Roll away the stone
# And in the darkest night
# I'll keep you safe and all right
# Roll away the stone
Roll away the stone
# Won't you roll away the stone?
# Why be cold and so alone?
# Won't you roll away the stone #
LAUGHTER
Lovely.
Thank you!
Everything all right?
Yeah.
You're a bloody awful liar, you are.
Go on inside.
Don't leave me with them all night.
Promise. Just let me talk to Phil
and I'll come and save you,
all right?
Hiya, ladies, how are you?
Looking good.
Er, G&T?
Yes, please.
All right. Bye.
Hi.
Where the fuck did you get to?
I had to get a lift with Phil!
Me, in a Reliant Robin,
with Neath CID fucking pissing
themselves.
Sorry, boss.
Large scotch, darling -
one for yourself.
Thanks for cheering us on!
You win, then?
Don't pretend you care.
PAUL LAUGHS
I won't!
Look, Phil, I
I did something stupid.
Really fucking stupid.
LAUGHTER
Barman's got his eyes on you,
Pauline.
No, he doesn't! She's young enough
to be your daughter! Geraldine!
Are you trying to get us
thrown out?
We'll have one more in here and then
get the bus to Swansea.
Hey, if we're not drinking drinking,
let's just get the bus now.
If you want to get sloshed,
don't let us stop you.
How about we stop here for the night
and forget Swansea?
Oi, you!
Oh, shit
You! Out!
What've I said about hanging
around in pubs?
We're not drinking or anything
I'm not talking to you!
What the hell are you wearing?
They're not looking at local
sex offenders,
they're not even looking
at her stepfather
who was out in his taxi the night
she was killed.
And they're not looking at a DC from
Port Talbot to solve it, either.
Well, they wanted my opinion
this afternoon,
let me tell you. Or just an unpaid
driver who'd keep his mouth shut.
Point being, Morgan can't drive.
How does he dump Sandra at the
colliery without a car?
It's not our case, Paul.
Look, you know me.
I do know you. I don't care
about the messenger
as long as the message
gets delivered.
If they're focused on
this Morgan bloke,
the killer gets a free pass.
So plenty of time to find
a new victim.
Hello, girls.
Evening, Mr Watkins.
I was saying to my wife,
it's warm for September,
but the nights'll draw in
all the same
Bye, Mr Watkins.
Have a good night.
APPLAUSE
You should talk to Chris Wynne
maybe.
Why? He was seconded to Neath
a while back.
He might know something.
Wait, wait, wait, wait,
wait, wait
Come on, Pauline, let's go!
I can't find my keys, Geraldine!
It was an ongoing case when
I was up in Neath.
Three or four rapes, as I recall.
They catch the bloke?
No. But with Griffiths in charge,
I'm not surprised.
So, potentially, the rapist could
be Sandra's killer?
Moving up through the gears,
so to speak?
He's not fucking talking shop again,
is he? Can't take him anywhere!
Sabrina says you're neglecting her.
Karina.
# Karina. #
I'll tell you something I do know.
Look upon that face.
Look in those eyes.
Clever. Misses nothing.
Chief Inspector by 40, I reckon.
Oh
ON TV: Enter Tony Blair, arriving in
Blackpool today
where trade union leaders are asking
for exactly the same,
proof that war against Iraq
is justified.
We say, before you contemplate
any war anywhere,
show the people the evidence.
Show the people the evidence.
Sandra didn't know them, did she?
Pauline and Geraldine?
No.
We looked and looked for a link
between them.
You know, club, pub.
Nothing.
Are you still sure there was a link?
They were killed by the same man,
there's no question.
PHONE RINGS
Paul Bethell.
Paul, Jackie Roberts.
Late for a bloody dinner,
so I'll be brief.
Yes, boss.
The Llandarcy job is yours.
In answer to your earlier question,
attempts to link Sandra Newton to
Geraldine and Pauline via DNA
are inconclusive but ongoing.
Right, I understand.
Good. I need to go.
Thank you.
And thank you for trusting me
with this.
O ye of little faith.
HORN HONKS
ON TV: That programme will be
shown again on Thursday
at three o'clock on BBC Two.
Well, it's now just 17 minutes
past midnight,
time on BBC One for us to wish you
a very goodnight.
Goodnight.
INDISTINCT SPEECH
CHORAL SINGING
PHONE RINGS
RINGING CONTINUES
Ahem.
Bethell house?
It's a bad one, Paul.
We need you in.
Boss?
All hands on deck.
Llandarcy woods, off the
Swansea road.
All right, I'll be there now.
Just round the corner, up the top
of the hill there.
Denver!
She's not here.
Well, they must've stopped
at Pauline's.
DOGS BARK
Local farmer made the discovery.
Walter Watkins.
Admits knowing the girls.
He saw them last night
at the bus stop.
Girls?
Looks like she ran for the road.
Almost made it, too.
Tripped on a bramble.
RUSTLING
Whoa! What are you doing, son?!
Bloke says his daughter's
missing, sir. Stop there!
Hang on! Stop there, please, sir!
Oh! Oh! Oh!
Come on, come on.
No! No!
No!
No!
Want me to, er, come in
with you, sir?
No.
No, thanks.
What's your name?
Er, DC Bethell.
Paul.
Thank you, Paul.
PHIL: Of all the places!
Tell me about it.
So we've got the killer's DNA,
and that's it?
More or less.
And he's not on the database?
They're sure of that?
We're building our own database.
Swabbing men who lived locally
in '73
aged between 16 and 50.
16 and 50?
That's a lot of shoe leather!
Yeah, it is.
Welcome home.
Hello?
So, how big's our team?
Just the three of us for now.
What?!
You said low double figures!
What can I tell you?
I don't know, Paul,
but three is seven
short of double figures.
I asked for 12, I got two.
No, sorry.
You assured me this
would be properly staffed.
And I signed up on that basis.
Hello?
Geraint! In here.
Hey, Geraint, Phil. Phil, Geraint.
Good to meet you, Phil.
Yeah. Likewise.
I thought this place shut years ago.
It's an evidence store now.
I see.
Rolling out the red carpet,
are they?
OK, if I grab a coffee, boss?
Erm, later.
Er, I want to get started first.
You serious?
I've only had a sip, man.
PHONE RINGS
TV: LLandarcy today is a
village haunted by fear.
Fear that a maniac strangler
who's already struck twice
could strike again.
It's a place where housewives
double-check their door locks at
night and where young girls are
warned to stay indoors.
Killed within yards of each other,
sustaining head wounds
and strangulation
Whoa. A proper incident room.
And we ain't going
home till we get him.
Warren said the postmortem was
interesting Yeah?
Have we got the
bastard's dabs? Nope.
They found grass and
mud on their feet.
Under their tights.
These two?
So? So they got dressed
after he raped them.
He let them get dressed.
What does that prove? I don't know.
Maybe he didn't mean to kill
them but changed his mind, or
..lost control and
Geraldine ran for it.
Hey, Paul. Paul.
Where do you think you're going?
Scratching an itch.
Well, scratch it later.
We've got a team briefing at two.
Big boss is coming down.
KNOCKING
What do you want?
Just a minute of your time, John.
No, thanks.
Took me over an hour
to walk home last time.
That was Owen and Griffiths.
You were driving the fucking car!
You going to let me in or what?
What time did the film start?
Er, 9:30.
Ten.
It started at ten.
That's late.
It was like a special showing.
You can check with the cinema.
What was the name of the film?
Er, The Exorcist.
Any good?
Yeah, not bad.
I mean, it's a bit slow
to begin with but, erm
Er, sorry. What's this in aid of?
Let's say it'sin your interests
to provide an alibi for
your movements last night.
The two girls from LLandarcy?
Oh, fuck off.
He's trying to help, John.
You think the man who killed them
is the same one who killed S-Sandra.
I think there's a chance, yeah.
Julie Stone.
She's an usherette at the cinema.
I know her a bit. We were
in a typing pool together.
And she saw you last night?
Talked to us.
On the way in and out.
You're a lucky man, John.
Some of you may have heard that
we're being aided and abetted
by Scotland Yard.
Like all the best stories,
it's half-true.
The Yard did offer to send someone
down to show us how it's done,
but that offer was robustly,
if politely, declined.
Hear, hear. Right.
Eyewitnesses, eyewitnesses,
eyewitnesses.
And did I say
..eye
..witnesses.
House-to-house is ongoing,
we're working through
the local taxi drivers,
and the hotline's up and running.
Good. What else?
Fair few sightings of the girls
leaving the Top Rank on Kingsway.
Two more sightings on Fabian Way,
heading east to Port Talbot.
Any local sex pests standing
out from the crowd?
No, Gov.
MURMURED DECLINES
I think we should consider
a Neath connection, sir.
Neath?
A John Morgan's in the frame for the
murder of a young girl up there.
Sandra Newton.
Someone mentioned her
at the start of the meeting,
and I warned against
getting side-tracked.
If you'd been here on time,
you'd know that.
PHONE RINGS
Stymied again.
Sorry, sir.
Point is, Morgan's alibi
checks out for last night.
Point is, not our case, Bethell!
But if one bloke killed all three,
he could well come from Neath.
Key word there being "if".
This is a double murder, and there
is no room for idle speculation.
All our focus, and I mean all,
stays on Geraldine and Pauline.
Clear?
Yes, sir.
Taxi driver spotted two girls in a
light-coloured Austin 1100 or 1300.
Where? Parked in a lay-by roughly
here between 1.45 and 2.15am.
Now that's a lead.
Ta.
Why wasn't Sandra linked to the
LLandarcy killings at the time?
Given the proximity?
The sexual nature of
Sandra's murder was dismissed
because there was
no evidence of rape.
But they found semen on her?
Explained away by
Morgan having sex with her
on the night she was murdered.
There was no forensics to prove
more than one source of semen
and no vaginal injuries,
so they dismissed it as
an extramarital affair.
So cos this girl
was sexually active,
they took rape off
the table, basically.
Basically.
Which was problematic, because
Geraldine and Pauline's murders
were treated as sexually
motivated from day one.
A link should've been
made right there. Yeah.
They were looking for a serial
killer, they just didn't know it.
Or they didn't want to know.
Depends how
charitable you want to be.
You said our budget will limit
how many men we can swab?
500 max, so we have to be selective.
No point swabbing blokes not living
locally at the time of the murders.
Or too young to have committed them.
We have to get our man in focus.
What kind of bloke was he?
What age? Possible job?
Did he live in Neath?
That would fit with Sandra
being his first time he killed.
He took what he saw every day.
Then he moves further afield.
Don't shit where you eat.
So everyone on our list
has to be a contender.
I'll make a start on the database.
Thanks, Geraint.
If we're tracking back
to when he got started,
how he got started,
we need to be asking
If he raped those girls in
Neath before he became a killer?
A lot of evidence suggests he did.
And there's a lot says he didn't.
That's true.
But if he did
..we have potential witnesses.
Victims, Paul, they're victims.
But at the least
it could yield an e-fit.
Question I'm asking is,
why are we doing this?
Honestly?
Well, it's to find the truth.
To get
..not closure,
but the next best thing.
For us or the victims?
The victims.
And if we fail?
If all we do is upend their lives
and rip off the scabs that
have helped them carry on,
where's your closure then?
Look, we're taking a risk.
All right, it's a big one.
Good to hear you acknowledge that.
Look, Phil, right,
we have to look at the rapes.
We have to.
And that includes your friend Jane.
I'll order down the
evidence as a first step.
Anything actionable,
we move on to step two.
Fair?
Fair.
Thank you.
These sexual assaults,
they predated Sandra's murder, then?
That's right, yeah.
Want a hand going through them?
Er, no, it's OK, thanks.
Suit yourself.
Do I know everything
there is to know here?
Far from it.
OK. Fair enough.
But if we're going to
be any kind of team
Yeah, er
Late '72, early '73,
there was a series of rapes.
One of the victims, Jane,
she, er
Well, she grew up on my street.
She was 16, but she didn't
come forward for five years.
That explains a few things.
Neath's a small place.
When Sandra was killed,
you'd think it'd be linked to the
rapes straight away, but, erm
But prevailing wisdom says a certain
John Dilwyn Morgan was to blame.
Yeah.
And now?
Now I'm keeping an open mind.
I'm sorry about your friend.
BELL RINGS
DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES
All right?
Just spoke to Jane.
She's expecting us tomorrow morning.
Have you found something?
December '72, hitchhiker Susan Ferry
was picked up outside
Neath by a man who tied her
with a ligature and raped her.
Said her attacker had bushy
hair and stank of tobacco.
That's exactly how Jane described
the man who attacked her.
Right, this ligature's tied
with a granny knot. Mm-hm.
The same knot that
was used on Pauline.
We tried to link the murders
to the Neath rapes before.
Jurisdictional cock-up.
Susan was picked up in Neath
but assaulted in a park
in Llangyfelach,
so Swansea got the case.
So it wasn't linked to the
Neath rapes?
Not at the time, no.
Right, so maybe we should speak to
Susan Ferry before we speak to Jane?
I wish we could.
She died in a car crash in 1979.
This is Paul. This is Jane.
People say, "I remember my wedding
or my first day of school
"like it was yesterday."
Well, I really do remember
that night like it was yesterday.
He must've lain in wait for me
..in the trees.
The first thing I felt
was my hair being pulled.
And I mean hard,
like he was going to pull it out.
Then he was grabbing me
and punching me.
He said,
"Don't scream or I'll kill you.
"And don't struggle."
He got me down to the ground.
And he tied a rope around my neck.
He was really quiet
when he did that,
like he was concentrating.
I could feel it just
digging into my throat.
Then he asked me if I was a virgin.
I was.
I didn't tell him that, though.
I-I didn't say anything.
I was too scared.
Then he raped me.
I know it sounds weird,
but my strongest
memory is of his smell.
He stank of tobacco.
I mean, reeked of it.
For years, that smell
would set me off.
I'd walk into a smoky pub,
and I'd just start bawling.
It got so bad,
my mam gave up smoking.
We used to joke at least
some good had come of it.
Afterwards
..afterwards, he stood up
while I lay there shivering.
I could see a shape.
He was touching himself
He said,
"Don't open your eyes, girl.
"I'm going to have this cigarette
"and think about whether
I'm going to kill you."
Was that the last
thing he said to you?
No, he told me to get dressed.
And that's when I knew
he wasn't going to kill me.
Jane, you said that you
remember it like it was yesterday.
Would you be prepared to
sit with a police artist
and tell them as much as you can
about the man that attacked you?
Jane, if there's anything
you don't Of course I would.
We're pretty certain he's
being shielded by someone.
Could be a woman, could be a
relative or someone close to him.
That Sunday morning,
his shoes must have been muddy,
his clothing could
have been blood-stained.
This man is sick and
needs medical attention.
He could kill again..
..unless we can get him to a doctor.
Let the police know about him
..before he kills again.
We will look after him,
you have my word.
PHONE RINGS
Hello, Colin.
Yeah, I'm sorry to call so late,
but we've had the
results back on the DNA,
and I thought you'd want
to hear as soon as possible.
You thought right.
Comparative mitochondrial
testing has shown a compelling link
between Sandra Newton
and Geraldine and Pauline.
All three were
killed by the same man.
You are dealing with a serial killer
and all that comes with that.
Paul?
Yeah, I'm still here.