Steeltown Murders (2023) s01e02 Episode Script

1
Paul. The Llandarcy job is yours.
Hang on! Stop there, please, sir!
No, no, no
No, no. That's my daughter!
That's my daughter! No!
Thank you.
And thank you for trusting me.
Stepdad. Dai Williams.
Did you look at him? Alibi -
out driving his taxi that night.
Comparative mitochondrial testing
has shown a compelling link
between Sandra Newton
and Geraldine and Pauline.
You're dealing with a serial killer
and all that comes with that.
I thought this day would never come.
He might still tell us
to bugger off.
Well, he might.
What's the plan then?
Turn the other cheek.
Tea and sympathy
till we get his DNA.
DI Paul Bethell.
I remember you perfectly, thank you.
May we come in, Dai?
Hello, Pat.
HE SCOFFS
PHONE RINGS
TYPEWRITERS CLACK
Christmas came early.
To be opened later.
How the hell did you get this?
Can't tell you, mate.
Chris Wynne?
I said I can't tell you!
SOMEONE CLEARS THROA
Gentlemen.
Right. Listen up.
I urge you to remember this.
The parents of both girls are
adamant, absolutely adamant,
they were sensible lasses
who wouldn't have got
in a stranger's car.
So, anyone with links to the girls,
even just a casual acquaintance,
goes to the top of the list.
Yes, Bethell?
Sir, I really think
we should be looking
at Sandra Newton
alongside these girls.
Her stepfather, Dai Williams,
is worth another look.
Did you not hear me the first time?
Was I, uh, unclear?
Did I mumble?
No, sir.
Did I not say we stay focused
on Geraldine and Pauline,
come hell or high water?
Yes, sir. Good.
You and Philip are on tapings.
Tapings?
Detective Sergeant Jenkins
will show you the ropes.
Here we go, boys.
PAUL: We're reopening the
investigation into Sandra's murder,
and we thought
you should hear it first.
Why?
There's some new DNA evidence, Pat.
Tells us certain things,
important things.
Sandra was killed
by the same man that killed
Geraldine Hughes and Pauline Floyd.
No.
It's the DNA, confirms it.
It's John Dilwyn Morgan, isn't it?
Got to be.
I always said
he was soft in the head, didn't I?
Bothering Sandra
when he had a wife at home.
Have you checked his DNA yet?
No, not yet, Dai.
Well, what are you waiting for?
We haven't checked anyone's DNA yet,
but we will.
We'll be mounting
a targeted swabbing operation.
When the police told me
about Sandra and John Morgan
..I think they expected me
to be shocked
..and think less of her
..grieve less for her.
Was I thrilled about her seeing
a married man? No.
Did it mean anything
in the face of losing her?
What's a targeted
swabbing operation?
Basically taking DNA
from lots of men
..to find a match for our killer.
I'm afraid that'll include you, Dai.
Me? It's just for purposes
of elimination.
As Sandra's stepdad,
we have to clear you, that's all.
Oh, you do, do you?
"Purposes of elimination."
I like that. Nice.
Is it his blood?
Sorry, Pat? You say
the DNA tells you the same man
killed Sandra
and the Llandarcy girls.
Is it his blood?
Erm, no.
No, the DNA profile
was taken from his semen.
There you go.
Morgan was seeing Sandra,
we know that.
It's got to be him, right?
There is something else
we need to share with you.
The DNA tells us
that there was semen
from two different men
on Sandra's clothes.
Now, if one was a result of
Sandra and Morgan being intimate
..that suggests the other
was left by her killer. No.
No. We were told over and over
she wasn't raped.
Over and over.
We were, weren't we? We were.
Categorically.
See? She wasn't raped.
She wasn't.
She and Morgan had a row,
and he lost his head.
And it was all over quick.
Very quick.
SHE WEEPS
I'm so sorry, Pat.
DNA, it's like, um,
a very powerful torch.
It lets you see in the corners
that you couldn't see into before.
Well, that's a good thing, is it?
That's a fair question, Dai.
"That's a fair question, Dai."
Don't insult my intelligence, OK?
Just don't.
I was on CID's shit list
from day one.
Dai And I have it
on very good authority
that you were the one
who put me there.
If you were a gambling man
Yeah, which I'm not.
That's why I said "if", Phil.
He looked like a worried man.
"Might do a runner" worried?
Who might do a runner?
Oh sorry, Geraint.
Erm, Dai Williams.
Sandra's stepfather.
Taxi driver, perfect cover, didn't
have an alibi for the three murders.
Did he own an 1100?
No, but, er
The drivers shared cars back then,
so could've got hold of one easy.
We've had a new e-fit
from one of the rape victims.
Oh, and that's a '73-era photo
of Dai Williams.
We won't be taking his DNA, then?
Thank you, sir.
Not so fast, lads.
We have another proud owner
round the corner.
Mr Joseph Kappen.
Right, rinse and repeat.
I'll get his statement,
you do the car.
Catch.
KEYS JANGLE
If this lands on my foot,
I'm blaming you.
How's that?
"I really think we should be
looking at Sandra Newton, boss."
We should!
Not even trusted to take
a statement!
One more fucking word, all right?!
Thank you.
Right, we're off.
Give her back the keys.
Thank you, Mrs Kappen.
Well?
The car's been on bricks all summer.
What else? What was Kappen like?
Bit of an oddball.
Think it's worth
speaking to the neighbours?
Check the bricks story?
I'll put it in my report.
Uniform to follow up.
And I'll make another suggestion.
Smarten yourself up, Bethell.
We're the public face
of the constabulary.
Remember that.
Right. Who's next?
Press conference?
I'm not gonna lie to you,
I'm bloody bricking it.
Say the wrong thing,
the wrong body language,
the press jump on you.
Becomes the whole bloody story.
Oh, that's not the spirit.
I know, I know.
Just be yourself.
When you talk about the case,
the girls, the families
..you're impressive.
People listen.
I listen, OK?
OK.
RADIO IS ON
Ugh.
OK. What is this?
An empty milk bottle?
Ha-ha.
Come on. Fess up.
Why does she always think it's us?
It's like living
with a bunch of students.
I'm off.
Oh, I can run you in if you want.
I'm fine. Sure? Yeah.
Love you. Love you.
Ta-ra love. Ta-ra.
Love you. Love you.
Love you! Love you!
LOVE YOU! LOVE YOU!
Bus is good for her, socially.
I think on some level,
she knows that.
You're the expert.
I am. Love you.
I know.
You OK, Paul? Yeah.
It's just, erm,
once bitten, you know?
We had a right shitshow
with the press back in '73.
Still bear the scars.
Well, don't worry. I wasn't
expecting you to say anything.
You weren't? No.
It's important you're here,
but I'll be doing the talking.
Right you are, ma'am.
Thank you for coming, everyone.
South Wales Police are today
commencing the reinvestigation
of the unsolved murders
of Geraldine Hughes
and Pauline Floyd in 1973.
A breakthrough in DNA forensics
has now formally linked the murders
of Geraldine and Pauline
to the murder
of Sandra Newton in July 1973.
In other words, we are now
actively trying to find
and apprehend a serial killer.
The killer is still out there
enjoying their freedom,
enjoying their life,
but we are committed
to bringing them to justice.
Operation Magnum will
involve an intelligence-led
DNA swabbing campaign,
and we are asking the public
to cooperate, come forward
and assist the investigation with
any information they may have.
Someone out there knows,
or suspects who this man is.
We only need a name.
Why are you wasting time
on old cases
when the crime rate's
through the roof?
Sadly, the passage of time
takes nothing away
from the horror and pain
the families of these girls
have endured.
Therefore we will do
everything we can
to bring this man to justice
so they can experience something
resembling closure.
Hey, he smashed it,
Jackie couldn't get a word in.
Freezer's arrived, boss.
So I see.
All right, we're in business, boys.
So, we store the DNA swabs here
and then we submit them
to Colin Dark at the laboratory.
Daily? Weekly?
The first of every month.
Before that,
we need a prioritisation matrix
to determine the first batch
of 500 men for swabbing.
What's that when it's at home?
A way to triage our top suspects.
See, now I understand.
I did a course on
prioritisation matrices once.
A man of hidden talents.
Just a two-day thing.
It was that or health and safety.
Oh, speaking of which,
it's incumbent on me
to warn you that most of
the case papers in there
are plus 25 years old,
so there's a danger of paper mites
and associated allergies.
Good to know.
The matrix,
what parameters are you scoring?
Well, were they suspects
back in the day and/or
resemble physical descriptions
provided by key witnesses
and/or own a white
Austin or Morris 1100?
Then your usual markers.
We need to go back through the files
and get our list of
possible contenders.
That'll give us a lot more
than 500 suspects.
Yes, it will.
We'd better get cracking, then.
TV: Three teenage girls were
murdered in West Glamorgan.
The bodies of Pauline Floyd
and Geraldine Hughes
were found in woods near Llandarcy.
Three months earlier, teenager
Sandra Newton had been murdered
15 miles away. This year,
DNA tests confirmed that the girls
were killed by the same person,
but they say recent
forensic intelligence
has given them cause
to investigate further.
A breakthrough in DNA forensics
has now formally linked
the murders of Geraldine and Pauline
to the murder of Sandra Newton
in July 1973.
In other words,
we are now actively trying to find
and apprehend a serial killer.
The killer is still out there
enjoying their freedom,
enjoying their life
These were the girls you knew,
weren't they?
Geraldine and Pauline, yeah.
How?
Er, I was at school with them
for a bit,
and then I worked at the factory
with Geraldine and her mum.
You worked in a factory?
Yeah. I did!
What about the other one?
Er, no, I didn't know
the Neath girl.
Erm, I didn't know Sandra.
When we moved from Coventry,
it was tough.
It was like landing on the moon.
Mum just couldn't handle it,
and Dad said we had to keep smiling
at all times,
be "good immigrants", you know?
Geraldine and Pauline were the first
people I met in the playground.
It was Geraldine's birthday,
and she'd smuggled a cake in.
She offered me a slice, and, uh
..that meant everything.
This must be a shock. Well,
if they're looking at it again,
it's got to be a good thing, right?
Yeah.
Are you sure?
At his house?
Then what happened?
Oh, my God. No way!
Really?
SHE LAUGHS
No!
SHE LAUGHS
So with these 500 men,
what will you do if they refuse?
What do you mean?
Well, if they won't give their DNA?
Well, we can't force them.
Not legally.
Won't be an easy ride, mind.
I've got history with more
than a few of them on the list.
Let Phil and Geraint
do those house calls, please.
Paul
..you have to go into this knowing
that you might not find him
..and having some inkling
as to how you will deal with that.
Well, sometimes
it's the things you don't do
that come back to haunt you.
Like I knew
John Dilwyn Morgan was innocent.
But after Ray Allen tore a strip
off me, I did fuck all to help him.
Nothing. Just kept my head down.
Yeah, well,
sometimes that's the smartest move.
WATER DRAINS FROM SINK
That's what I told myself
at the time.
Hello, Mrs Morgan.
DI Paul Bethell. Is John in?
You're joking.
I chucked him out years ago.
You'll probably find him
down the Labour Club.
You want my DNA?
That's right, John.
What's to stop you putting it
on a dead body?
Screwed then, aren't I?
I told everyone and their mother
..you didn't kill Sandra.
Big deal. I didn't believe it then,
I don't believe it now.
I'm gonna fucking burst into tears.
Look, John
..you give us your DNA now
..and we can clear you
once and for all. Clear me?
I was tried
in the court of public opinion.
And found guilty.
I'm well aware of that, John.
Yeah, well,
you'll know I lost everything.
How will a DNA test change that, eh?
It's too late.
Oi!
Where do I spit?
So if you'll just let us
have a DNA sample,
we can eliminate you
from our enquiries.
I'll tell you what,
I'll give you a DNA sample when
you give me my fucking clothes back.
Sorry?
October '73, you took
my denim jacket for testing.
Hawkwind and Sabbath patches
on the back.
Never bloody saw it again!
BELL RINGS
I don't see how it took DNA
for them to link those murders.
It was obviously the same bloke.
Yeah, what're the chances of two
killers living five miles apart?
Maria.
My schedule is creaking, might
need to off-load some classes.
Yeah, OK.
Can we go over everything later?
I can do five.
Sure, no problem. Thanks.
Here we are.
15 down, 485 to go.
Where's the boss?
Oh, there's one test
he wanted to do himself.
Can you open your mouth, please,
Dai?
Dai?
Open your mouth, please, Dai.
Thank you.
Oi!
What do you want?!
What do you want?!
This is bloody harassment!
We're taping half the cars
in South Wales. Why not one more?
Cos Dai Williams is not on our list.
The end.
You need to start packaging
your samples.
You're behind.
Yes, sir.
Let me tell you something, Bethell.
Every station I've ever set foot in,
there's a bloke in the corner on his
own, long face, in-tray up to here.
A bloke no-one wants
anything to do with
unless they dump their shit on him.
You know why?
Cos once upon a time,
he thought he was different.
Golden.
Too clever not to follow orders,
too good not to be in a team,
too sharp not to chase down
his own leads.
He thought he was fucking special,
and the rules didn't apply.
But guess what?
He wasn't and they did?
Ah, shit.
You all right?
Fancy a pint?
Fuck, aye.
Give me a solid on this, Colin?
And rush it through.
We have a system in place, Paul.
I know, I helped to design it.
We're still not prepped
for the first 500.
Call it a sneak preview.
The exception that proves the rule.
Dai Williams.
Oh, I'll be in touch, Paul,
fear not.
Where the fuck have you been?
You said you'd be home at seven!
It's gone ten!
Something came up. I cooked.
Lamb chops. I didn't ask you to.
You did, actually.
I said, "What do you fancy to eat?"
You said, "Lamb chops."
Well, I'm not hungry.
Listen to me,
I sound like my bloody mother!
I'd kill for a beer, though.
I'm 23 years old.
I don't want to play the part
of the bloody nagging wife!
Then, do us both a fucking favour.
I don't deserve this.
You and me, we're a team
or we're nothing.
Where've you been?
Sandra Newton's stepdad.
I've been keeping an eye on him
when I can.
Like, off your own bat?
Is that a good idea?
Probably not.
But it's keeping me sane.
I suppose.
Every job has their bad days.
I'm not doing my job, Karina,
that's the fucking point!
We're still on the tapings.
They're not inclined
to come and speak to us.
I would ask them
It's come to this.
Watching the bloody news
to find out what's going on.
I would be, or my colleagues
would be the only person
to know who they are.
So at the end of that round,
the scores are like
the legs on a GM turkey.
Remember your promise.
I'm here.
I don't know what I'll do
if Dai isn't a match.
Always had such a strong feeling
about him.
Yeah, well, DNA trumps
strong feelings.
Apparently.
There's no doubts on that score.
Phil has.
Always asking if DNA's
everything it's cracked up to be.
Did I tell you he came forward
as a witness?
Dai, not Phil?
You never told me anything
back then.
Just walked straight into the
station saying he wanted to help.
Is that so weird?
I mean, he had lost his daughter.
Stepdaughter.
That's not an indicator of guilt.
I'm just saying.
When you have a feeling
about someone, there's a reason.
PHONES RING, TYPEWRITERS CLACK
You all right there, sir?
Er, yeah, I just want
to talk to somebody.
Please. OK.
Is that our man, according to you?
Yeah.
The stepdad? Yeah.
Leave him to me.
When I came back,
he was still in the lay-by.
And, like, hunkered down
behind the wheel.
Like he didn't want you to see him?
Exactly.
And what colour was the car? Navy.
Maybe purple.
Or black. Oh, I see.
All the colours
of the fucking rainbow.
What? No. I'm telling you the truth.
Three weeks, Dai. Three weeks
it's taken you to come in
and tell us about Lay-by Man.
Why? You know why.
I'm Sandra Newton's stepdad.
You've got a bloke parked
outside my house every night.
We certainly do not.
That's most likely
gentlemen of the press.
Do you know what my old dad
used to say, God rest his soul?
Any time anyone does you a turn,
always ask why -
what's in it for them? Hang on, hang
on, I came in here in good faith.
Don't interrupt me, Dai.
I've got some questions
about Sandra,
and it's very important
you answer them truthfully.
Do you understand me?
Did Sandra look upon you
as a father?
I certainly like to think so.
So you got along? The two of you?
We had our ups and downs.
Oh, well, let's focus on the downs,
if we may.
Did you ever get physical? What?
You slap her? Punch her? No!
I bet she drove you up the wall,
though, pretty girl like that,
under your roof, in your bathroom,
passing you on the stairs
That's disgusting!
I get it. I get it.
You raise her, you clothe her,
sweets, pocket money, all that.
But you expect something back,
right?
You want a return
on your investment.
I don't know what you're on about.
You lose it.
You lose it,
and then two things happen.
You get away with it,
and then you get a taste for it.
Before you know it, you've got
two live birds in the back of your
taxi with only one thing
on your mind! Stop it!
No, YOU stop it, Dai. Right now!
And tell me what happened,
save us all a lot of grief.
I'll write it down,
all you got to do is sign it.
Make it easy for yourself, Dai,
make it easy for Pat.
Pat doesn't know I'm here.
You see?
Yeah.
I think I do see, Dai. Yes.
There was no man in that lay-by,
was there?
Guv.
What? Mr Allen wants to know
what's going on.
He says, and I quote,
"If this has got anything to do with
"the bloody Neath girl,
there'll be hell to pay."
Right.
To be continued, Mr Williams.
Chris, take his clothes
for full forensic examination.
DOOR BUZZES
Hello. Hi, Sita Anwar.
Yeah, sure, come in. Thank you.
We're upstairs. OK.
Could you take a seat in there
for me. Thank you.
We've got a visitor.
Sita Anwar.
Says she was a friend
of Geraldine and Pauline's.
Says she was with them
on the night they were taken.
I thought it was worthy
of the boss's time. Yeah.
Shit, I'm, erm,
supposed to update Jackie.
Geraint?
Sita Anwar. See what she wants?
Best china, please. All right?
Right, can we get on top of
the next batch of samples?
I don't want Colin sitting there
twiddling his thumbs,
and Jackie's going to ask for
an update, so, uh.
Sure.
Right.
See you later.
I thought I'd give you my contacts
in case I can be helpful
in any shape or form.
OK. Well, that's appreciated.
Do you want a tea or a coffee, Sita?
Er, no, thank you, I've got
to get back to work. Busy day.
And what do you do for work,
if you don't mind me asking?
I work at Oakcross school.
I'm the head teacher. Right.
Wow.
You must be busy.
Do you want to tell me something,
Sita?
Such as?
I don't know.
About that night, maybe?
Erm, I was supposed to go
to the Top Rank with them.
But my dad put a stop to it.
I think it's great
you're doing this.
Fresh eyes is what it needs.
What makes you say that?
About fresh eyes?
Oh, nothing. Just, er
No disrespect to you,
but some of the '73 lot
were a winning mix of useless,
arrogant and drunk.
Right.
No surprise they never solved it.
Tell me what you really think.
Oh, you weren't, erm
No, too young to have worked
on it, right?
Much too young. Yeah.
Is there anything else
I can do for you?
No, no, thank you.
Nice to meet you, Sita.
Yeah, nice to meet you.
PHONE RINGS
Is it him?
If you mean, "Is it Dai Williams?"
I'm afraid to tell you, no.
His DNA doesn't match the
control profile of our killer.
Sorry, it doesn't match? No.
Colin, are you sure?
Have you checked?
Dai Williams is not our man, Paul.
Shit.
It's not just Dai Williams -
the first batch of 50 swabs
have all come back negative.
Shit. Yeah.
A fair few healthy candidates
in there.
ALL our candidates were in there.
All our favourites anyway.
I suppose we have to manage
our expectations and our hopes.
What do you mean?
I mean, we're in this
for the long haul, aren't we?
Yeah, we are.
Can you get me in front of
the Chief Officer Group?
Yeah, course.
Getting the begging bowl out
already, are we?
Just on testing alone,
we're gonna blow our budget
in four months, three maybe.
We need to buy some time
to get through that list.
I'll call them first thing.
As per your request,
we've expedited your application.
But I have to inform you, we see
no grounds to increase your budget
or extend the lifespan
of Operation Magnum.
With respect,
I think the grounds
are self-evident.
We haven't caught this man yet
because we haven't matched his DNA.
But the swabbing programme
is in full swing
so now's the time to hold our nerve.
I'm sorry, Jackie.
We'd like to help,
but we're stretched,
and, frankly,
this was always a bit of a punt.
Sorry, but Jackie's right.
This is the time to hold our nerve.
He's out there. And we're close,
and I've got a feeling,
but if an old copper talking
about his gut doesn't cut it
..let's not forget why we've
reopened
this case in the first place.
Sir, we owe it to these girls
to find him.
KNOCKING
He's in, you know, Mr Willoughby.
Police? How'd you guess?
Jan Stiles.
Number seven.
What makes you think he's in, Jan?
Never answers the door, does he?
Postman,
Jehovah's, Cancer Research
He rarely comes out in the day.
And you won't see a light on, ever.
Not from January to December.
Does he live alone?
Got a wife and two sons,
would you believe?
Home-schooled his kids.
Doesn't trust the state.
Doesn't trust anyone.
Do you know, I've lived four doors
down from him for 25 years
and never had a conversation.
He's missing out.
You know I'm famous
for my heavy knock, right?
Not THAT famous.
Took the door off a Securicor once.
Let's hear it, then.
HE KNOCKS
Mr Willoughby?
South Wales CID.
Fuck off!
LORRY HORN WAILS
So much for your heavy knock,
we got our first refusal.
That's about the size of it.
Anything in the file about him
in '73?
Not a lot, but what we got fits.
Fits how?
Fredrick Thomas Willoughby,
33 at the time of the murders.
Came into the system as
the identified owner
of a white 1100, which he used to
keep round the corner of the house,
even though he had parking outside.
Was the car taped?
If it was, there's no record of it.
But there's an old
intelligence report in the file.
Complaints from neighbours
that he'd approach kids.
"That's a lovely dress
you're wearing," etc
Maybe he was just a friendly bloke?
Maybe.
But his resemblance
to the witness description
was noted at the time, bushy hair,
thick moustache, well-built.
He'd apparently leave
his house of an evening,
but when questioned, his wife said
she had no idea where he went.
Do you look in the Stop Check log?
Yeah, he crops up a few times.
Always driving his white 1100
late at night.
Stopped locally
in Port Talbot, Swansea
and on two occasions the
Jersey Marine to Llandarcy Road.
Christ, boys, we need to swab him
before we do anything else.
How? He's told us to fuck off.
Well, he's told you to fuck off.
Set up a meeting.
I'll work my magic on him.
This I've got to see.
I've got some homework to finish.
OK, love. All right.
Oi, plate.
Bloody hell.
I ran into Maria in the supermarket.
Yeah? Hmm.
She mentioned
you'd dropped your teaching.
Right. What else DID she say?
Nothing.
But I got the sense
that she was worried about you.
Well, one, she needn't be, and two,
she had no business
conveying that to you.
Whoa, now,
that was only my impression.
OK. You done? Er, yeah
Sita
What is it?
Nothing. Just, er, usual.
Too much work,
not enough hours in the day.
Can I? Sure?
Yeah, sure.
I don't want Maria to get it
in the neck now, OK,
cos she didn't really say anything.
Oh, no, no. Don't be silly.
I overreacted. It's fine.
OK?
Yeah, OK.
Well, the good news is,
he will meet you.
And the bad? He has conditions.
Bizarre, man.
It's full view of as many people
as possible. Clever.
Hello, Mr Willoughby.
I'm Detective Inspector
Paul Bethell.
I believe we've followed
your instructions to the letter,
please say if we haven't.
To cut a long story short,
we're trying to solve the murders
of three young girls in 1973.
Through DNA testing,
we're hoping to bring the man
responsible to justice.
But above all, we're hoping to bring
a degree of peace and closure
for the parents and families
the girls left behind.
Well, Mr Willoughby,
I hope I've put your mind at rest.
Can I arrange for my officers
to return at a convenient time
to collect a mouth swab from you?
No chance.
Boss wants to see you.
Come in.
Sit down.
Detective Inspector Warren informed
me of your sensitivity at the scene.
He did?
Some imbecilic constable allowed
Mr Hughes into the wood.
Yes, sir.
And then you drove him home.
Poor man.
It's the least I could do, sir.
Well, in that light,
I think you're the man to go
and update Mr Hughes and his wife.
Important that they
feelkept abreast.
What am I telling them exactly?
Keep it vague.
Talk about our general progress,
the dedication of the team,
the thorough nature
of the investigation.
Right, sir.
And if they ask for, er
..examples of this progress?
Tell them - to divulge more
would be to jeopardise our inquiry.
What I'd like to emphasise is the
thorough nature of our investigation
and the dedication of our team.
Well, we appreciate you taking the
time to come and tell us, I'm sure.
I'm not sure Detective Constable
Bethell's told us anything.
Jean Are you any nearer
catching him?
We have several active leads,
Mrs Hughes.
To say more would jeopardise
the inquiry.
We understand.
Thank you.
I'll leave you in peace.
Thanks for the tea.
And er, tell Mr Allen
he needn't worry.
We're not gonna run
our mouths in public,
vent our frustration to the papers.
I mean,
that's why you're here, isn't it?
We just wanted to keep you abreast
with our progress.
Right, well, next time you come,
let's hope you've made some.
Not that it'll make
a blind bit of difference.
So, how do we get his DNA?
What, surreptitiously, you mean?
Sorry, but I'm afraid the whole idea
is fraught with problems.
I'm all ears.
Well, if you followed Willoughby
into a pub
and nabbed his glass, say,
there'll be scores of DNA traces
all over the vessel
and no way to tell which is his.
And let's say he hadn't wiped
the sweat stains off your car,
and I'd been able to get DNA,
I would have taken it
without consent.
So? So it'll very much prove
inadmissible, Paul.
DNA's our new shiny toy.
We must protect it scientifically
and reputationally.
With respect, that doesn't fly.
You started all this.
You came to us.
Now it's getting a bit choppy
out there, you want to
Play it by the book?
You bet I do, yeah. I have to.
All I'm asking is you test his DNA.
And when I take that DNA
into a lab, any lab,
they're gonna want to see a warrant.
Come on, don't give me that.
Or some other supportive
legal documentation
that I will not be able to furnish
them with.
Where there's a will,
there's a way.
I know Willoughby did it,
I just need to prove it.
Yeah, you knew it was Dai Williams,
too, didn't you?
All right, you stubborn bastard.
Find me a way that won't sully
DNA's good name or yours.
All right, such as?
I've no idea, Colin,
I got a D in O-level Biology.
I bet you bloody didn't.
Night, Paul.
PHONE RINGS
Geraint?
You've been summoned, boss.
High-ups need a progress report.
Right, it's been three months.
Where are we? Briefly.
Yeah. Well, sir, we've no positive
results from the swabs
but we have a strong suspect.
A man who was living in the area
in '73 and resembles our e-fit
and is refusing to provide us
with a DNA sample.
How many men have you swabbed
to date?
Sorry, sir,
did you hear what I just said?
And did you hear what I said?
265, sir.
Yeah.
I'm afraid we'll have
to start thinking about
a cut-off point as a date.
I think mid-January
would be sensible.
Sir, I've got a suspect
who's refusing to give us his DNA.
"Sensible"? And I've got to consider
the drain on day-to-day resources
in the light
of historically harsh budget cuts.
We completely understand, sir.
And we'll do everything we can
to bring a charge by mid-January,
if not before.
TV: Good evening.
The relatives of four young men
are in mourning tonight
after an horrific accident.
The four were in a car which plunged
into the River Usk near Newport.
A fifth man managed to escape
and swim to the river bank.
He's been released from hospital
after being treated
for shock and hypothermia
HGV can reveal tonight that
one of the four had previously
It's all right, Dad,
I've got it. I've got it.
You've got physio on Friday
as normal,
but it's not with Gemma
because she's on holiday, OK?
Now, sit down.
OK?
OK.
We need to talk
about the house, Dad.
Do you remember I said
..we need to start clearing it out
soon?
I was thinking of making a start
next week.
OK?
Yeah Yeah?
We have to work out
what we're gonna keep
and what we're gonna throw away.
Don't worry, I'll sort it all out.
Sita?
Why did you think
you always knew best, Dad?
Always!
You never asked me what I wanted.
You just tried to control me
the way you controlled Mum.
Why did you have to come that night?
Why?!
Why did you make me leave them?!
Oh, God, sorry.
Oh, I'm sorry, Dad.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, Dad.
I'm sorry, Dad.
It's all right bach, it's OK.
Why don't we have some water,
some paracetamol?
I had a B in O-level biology,
actually.
Oh.
Commiserations.
I've been speaking to a colleague.
I really think we need to roll
the dice on this, Paul,
think laterally.
I told YOU that.
50% of the killer's DNA
would have been passed on
to any children he may have had.
Moreover, he has
a distinctive genetic marker,
which also would have been
passed on to any offspring.
A marker? Mm-hm, a double allele.
Is that rare? Rare-ish.
I could search for individuals
with the same feature.
That's a big pool? Vast.
So initially I would focus
on Port Talbot and Neath.
All right, go on, I'm interested.
Well, you should be interested.
If we're successful,
we'd be making history.
Familial DNA has never been used
to identify a suspect.
Right. We'll be going where
no man has ever gone before.
Not to strike a too mundane note,
what about my suspect, Willoughby?
Well, if his male relatives are on
the database, then, yes,
we may well get him.
And if I put in the double allele
into the database
with geographic parameters
Yeah, but those parameters,
I mean, they're guesses.
Oh, that's harsh. This is based on
a statistic that 80% of killers
live within a four-mile radius
of the murder scenes.
Still guesses.
I did say that we'd be rolling
the dice on this one, Paul.
Go on.
My search could yield a shortlist
of around about 50, say.
What do you think? Achievable?
Very fucking achievable.