Accused (2010) s01e03 Episode Script
Helen's Story
This programme contains some strong language.
They're starting again.
'Would you like to take the oath on the Bible or by affirmation? 'Affirmation.
'I don't believe in God any more.
' You'll notice I no longer have anyone representing me.
I told my lawyer that I was going to take the stand and say to you, "Yes, I did it.
And here's why.
" She said if I did that she'd quit.
And she has.
Yes, I did it.
And here's why.
Forward.
Reverse.
Right? No brakes, so you reverse to lose speed.
Right? Dave! Yeah.
Two minutes! Big red button cuts the power.
Up, down.
It's going to raise by about ten to 15 feet I need you.
Now! And that there.
Ten minutes practice and you start order picking.
Fat bastard, in't he? Yes! Yes! But one at a time, please.
Now.
How old do you think our solar system is? Tegan.
Really old, like 156 million years, Miss.
Good guess, Tegan but it's much, much older.
It's 4.
6 billion years old.
So if you think that human life has been around for about 200,000 years, and we live to be, say, 75 years of age, well, that's not much, is it, compared to the age of the solar system? If it's on answer, I'll kill him.
'Hi, it's Robleave a message.
' Siobhan's eating your sandwiches.
What's the point of making them if you're always going to leave them? I'm not stupid, you know, I know you do it on purpose.
Don't just eat chips! And he's not answered? He should have been back for six.
Have you got a number for Michael? Can I call you back in a minute? 'I hid.
Don't ask me why, but I hid.
' I'm out of view.
They're out of view.
Maybe they're next door.
Nothing to do with me, nothing to do with Rob, it's next door.
As long as the bell doesn't ring.
Please, God, do not let that bell ring.
Bloody hell! We're in extra time! Helen.
Mrs Ryland? Are you in on your own? Frank.
Frank! What is it? Can we come in? Come in.
We've come to inform you that your son, Robert, was fatally injured at Maxfield's Wholesalers this morning.
Injured.
Where is he? Is he in the hospital? Helen, he's dead.
What happened? I'm afraid we don't have any more information.
You'll have to call the station for more details.
If you ring this number, and quote this reference.
You'll need to phone the Coroner's office in the morning.
No point doing it now, there'll be nobody there.
'Hello, can I help you?' Yes, erm Two officers have just been.
And they, they told me my son .
.
my son's been killed and they said I should 'Have you got a reference number there?' Yes.
DOA DOA 9461.
'Just hold on a minute, please.
' 'Sorry about the wait, Mrs Ryland.
According to the paperwork 'your son's body is being held at Failsworth General.
' Mum's here.
You did a post mortem.
Yes.
Did you use anything? Sorry? Did you use any of his organs? No, I promise you we didn't take anything.
He's Is it too late now? Because he wanted to be a donor, you see.
In the event of something like this, he wanted his organs used.
It is too late, I'm sorry.
We needed to know at the time of death.
But nobody told us he was dead.
'Welcome to the answering service.
'You have one new message.
Main menu.
To listen to your messages' 'Siobhan's eating your sandwiches' You cope your way.
I'll cope mine.
You're Rob's mother? Helen.
Alan.
Alan Maxfield.
Good to meet you.
And you.
This is his dad, Frank.
How d'you do? Dave Price, general foreman.
And this is Stephen Simpson.
Right.
Shall we? I spoke to Rob and his mate.
Michael.
Michael, yeah.
Good lads.
I said to Dave, "How come two lads like that are doing agency work "when we've got full timers not a patch on them?" He was a credit to you.
A credit to you both.
Thanks.
It was here.
He hit that section there.
The whole lot came down.
How? He lost control of the truck.
I'd just like to say that if there's anything we can do, we'll do it.
Nothing like this has ever happened to us before, you see.
We put the welfare of our workers above everything else.
The boy he was with Sorry.
Michael.
Michael will tell you they did all the Health and Safety stuff, and they did it conscientiously, but if there are any questions or any problems, please shout.
Thanks.
Did you have a question? Did he suffer? No.
From what I've heard it was almost instantaneous.
I'll walk back with Frank and Helen.
Is Michael in? No, he's at work.
Can I come in? Please.
Yeah.
Come on, sweetheart.
I'm sorry about the Oh, no.
Did Michael say what Ryan, what is that you've got in your mouth? No, take it out of your mouth, it's dirty.
What have I said about putting things in your mouth? Where's the dog? We haven't got one.
The sign's just to keep smack heads at bay.
I think Michael probably just popped into his mum's.
I have no idea how long he is going to be before he Say hello to Daddy! Come here, sweetheart.
Here you go! That agency still getting you work? Ryan didn't want to go to nursery today.
Kicked up a real fuss, felt really bad.
Been lucky enough to get a full time job.
Michael, you were there.
You were with him.
Did he suffer? Are you sure? You see, I've arranged my son's funeral for next Thursday, and I've been told to cancel it because I haven't got Alan Maxfield's permission.
It's Angela, isn't it? Well, that's my problem, Angela, I need your boss's permission to bury my son.
That's my problem.
I will do it.
I need a shirt.
Just leave the bloody thing alone, for God's sake! I need a shirt! Have you got a mobile number for him, please? I'm coming round.
Just try not to burn the place down.
Good to see you again.
Good to see you.
Alan's out on business or he'd be talking to you himself.
I've been waiting 11 days for permission to bury my son.
11 days.
I can't believe for a moment that Alan Maxfield knows about this because he would not treat a grieving mother in such an appalling fashion.
So, please, bring him here.
I can't.
Right.
I'll wait.
Helen, I am so sorry.
I knew absolutely nothing about this.
I'm going get on to everybody right away and it'll all go ahead on Thursday as planned.
My fault.
I'm absolutely fuming about this, Helen.
It should never have happened.
I'm so, so sorry.
All my fault.
I objected without consulting Alan.
You objected? Yes.
I'm sorry to be rude.
I don't mean to be rude, but what's my son's funeral got to do with you? I'm Alan's lawyer.
Michael! Hi.
You're working here? Yeah.
Permanent? Yeah.
Well, six months probation and then permanent, yeah.
He said you impressed him, you both impressed him.
Did he? The funeral's Thursday.
Two o'clock.
Right.
You'll be there? I can't make it.
What? I'm working, aren't I? You'll get time off.
He died in there, Michael, they'll give you time off.
I'm sorry.
You were his friend, Michael, so, ring me, please.
Lads I served my time with we stuck together.
I need you to come with me tomorrow.
We should have let him join the navy.
You learn a trade in the navy.
Talk about ironic, keeping him out the armed forces cos it's dangerous and sending him to You're blaming me? No.
You are.
I made him go to that place, so you're blaming me.
I'm not.
I'm going to the police station tomorrow.
I don't want to go there on my own.
Will you come with me, please? You're wasting your Will you come with me, please? It's a Health and Safety issue, really.
So, yes, just me.
Did you look at the CCTV film? No.
No? The cameras weren't working that day.
They told you that? Yes.
And you believed them? Well, why not? For God's sake.
You prick.
Sorry! He was with his friend.
Michael.
He must've seen everything.
Yes, we got a statement from him.
It absolves the company of all blame.
He says it was all your son's fault, Mrs Ryland.
'I know something stinks.
' CCTV cameras not working.
Alan Maxfield frightened to open his mouth unless his lawyer's there.
Michael too ashamed to look me in the eye.
You're only here so you can say, "I even attended the boy's funeral, your honour.
" I swear that's not why I'm here.
You lied to me.
You told me he didn't suffer.
Michael lied too, but he lied for good reasons.
You lied for bad reasons, for money reasons, or legal reasons, orGod knows what reasons.
So please go.
'I was run over once when I was a kid, 'and I lay there for a couple of minutes wondering if I was dead.
'And then someone tried to move me and the pain came flooding in.
'That's what it was like when I realised that 'Rob's death was suspicious, everything hurt.
'But I was alive again.
'But not Frank.
'He saw no good in such pain.
'He wanted it numbed 'with booze.
' Can you just leave that, I'll clean it up before I come to bed.
It stinks.
And if I don't do it now, it will still be here in the morning! Look, I'll sort it.
I'm capable of moving an ashtray! Yes.
"Have you drunk all this?" Yes.
And don't even think about bollocking me, Helen.
Today of all days, don't even think about it cos I've got a few home truths for you.
I'm listening.
It's about time you heard a few home truths.
I'm listening.
First, nobody gives a shit that Rob is dead.
Nobody gives a shit so you can shove your decorum up your arse, shove your dignity up your arse, cos nobody gives a shit.
Secondly, I am sick of you looking down your nose at me.
I am sick of you treating me like a child.
What you see here is grief.
This is acceptance of grief.
A mature and adult acceptance of grief.
Adult! That's not what I see when I look at you.
I see a woman running round like a blue-arsed fly cos she's too scared, too bloody immature, to face the fact that our son is dead.
ROBBIE IS DEAD.
You're immature, you're a big kid! And all this Sherlock Holmes stuff, this detective shite, is not going to change that fact.
Since when has binge drinking been the answer to anything? No, no, no, you listen to me.
Time for me to do a bit of spouting, a bit of pontificating.
You're drunk.
'Sometimes when an ape dies the other animals withdraw, 'stare into space, refuse to interact with each other.
'We were worse than apes, we turned on each other.
' You don't know what grief is, because you're too stubborn to feel it! Sorry.
All those things we did with him before he was, say, five I resented them.
I knew he wouldn't remember them, see.
But after five traipsing round Alton Towers and Disney, fishing, footie, he'd remember them.
And 50, 60 years after us going, he'd still remember them.
But he's gone before us.
And so have those memories.
And I feel I feel so cheated.
Sing to me.
I can't.
Sing to me.
Oh, you are a mucky kid Your face just like a dustbin lid When he hears the things that you did You'll get a belt from your dad.
This is an inquest into the death of Robert Ryland.
Now, this might be a little confusing to you, but I'm opening and adjourning this inquest, because the Crown Prosecution Service might bring a manslaughter charge in connection with Robert's death.
And they might not, of course.
We'll re-open when they've decided.
Morning.
Good morning, 5R.
Good morning, Miss.
Now, if you could all get out your planners and turn to the week starting June.
Miss.
Yes, Tegan? Miss, we got you something, the class.
We all got it.
It's a plant for your son.
It's an oak tree, so it lasts a long time.
Is that all right, Miss? Right, now So if you could all get out your planners I'm sorry, Helen, but the Crown Prosecution Service is not going to bring charges.
And that's it? Yes, I'm sorry.
So my son is killed and no-one held to account, no-one asked to explain.
Would YOU accept that? Michael.
Sorry.
I don't know anything.
I'm sorry.
She's sat down.
She's sat down.
Tell her to go.
If that had been you Do you want to move out? Imagine it was me left like that.
You're always going on at me that you're desperate to get out of this dump! Imagine it's your mum.
If it was your mother, would you leave her out there? Do you want Ryan to be the only kid that gets walked to school in the morning cause all the other mums are too out of it? She needs to know.
You can't just leave her in limbo, it's cruel! Too off their head to walk their own bloody kids to school.
I don't want that, and this is the price we pay! You don't want to stay here, do you? No.
If we want Ryan to go to a decent school in a decent area, this is what it costs! You're a lot of things, Michael, but you're not cruel.
Will you help me, Michael? Yeah.
I've never had a job, not a proper one with regular money and that.
We need to get out of that house.
We've been robbed twice this year.
I'm ashamed of what I did, but .
.
I did it for Leanne and I did it for Ryan.
On the day Rob died, Alan Maxfield offered me a permanent contract.
All I had to say was we'd been trained to use that fork-lift truck, but we weren't.
We had a five-minute demonstration, that's all, and that's not training.
And I said in my statement that we'd had a full Health and Safety rundown, but we hadn't.
We could use Michael's statement to go for review.
Review of the decision not to prosecute.
But it's risky and expensive.
Your costs could be 15 grand.
15 grand! And if we lose We won't lose.
15 grand! But if we did, you'd have to pay the other side's costs too.
Could you manage that? If we win, they prosecute Alan Maxfield? 15 grand.
Yes.
We'll get a second mortgage.
We can't afford a first one, never mind a second.
We can.
We can't.
We'll leave you to talk.
No, you're leaving her to talk.
You're leaving me to listen.
Frank.
Who are you doing this for anyway? It's not for Rob.
It's not going to bring him back.
I know.
And do you think that he would want this? Do you think he'd want us to get up to our eyes in debt just for you to prove a point? How dare you? This is the fitted kitchen moment, isn't it? Man slices his dick off at work.
Surgeon says, "You're going to get 40 grand comp.
"You can get the four-inch penis for 20 grand, the six-inch for 30, "or you can get the big eight-inch penis for the full 40!" He says he fancies the eight-inch, but his wife's there, so the surgeon says, just as that lawyer has, "I'll leave you to talk.
" Five minutes later, the surgeon comes back.
"Have you made up your mind what you're having?" The man nods.
"We're having a fitted kitchen.
" I'm afraid we won't reach a decision today, but we'll meet again tomorrow.
What are you doing? Oxfam.
I use them.
No, you don't.
When did you last play cricket? You don't play anything anymore.
You don't do anything anymore.
You just sit in front of the telly and drink and smoke and rot.
Thank you for your patience.
I realise we've been deliberating for what may seem an inordinate amount of time .
.
but we felt it was crucial to give this case proper consideration.
However, Michael Lang did not seem to us to be a sufficiently believable witness.
In view of this, we feel a successful prosecution would be very difficult.
With this in mind, we uphold the Crown Prosecution Service's decision NOT to prosecute.
It's a fucker.
Tonight, I'm getting you pissed and laid.
I've been married 20 years.
You'll be used to doing it in that order then.
Beer and tequila! I'm only staying an hour, Siobhan.
Ah, you're not! Last night, my tight bastard of a husband says to me, "Get your coat.
" I says, "Why, where you taking me?" He says, "Nowhere, I'm turning the bloody 'leccy off.
" So, if you go, I'll have to go too, so come on! Like there's no fucking tomorrow! Like there's no tomorrow! Aah Oh.
I've got me mate back.
We're having another! No! Aye.
Oh Oh, come on! Oh, for God's sake! Will I just do my own version? Yeah! Right, right, right, right, right A pair of knickers With a stain between them A spot of petrol where you tried to clean them A brothel sign that swings These foolish things remind me of you You may remember that last time we met, I adjourned the inquest into Robert Ryland's death pending the Crown Prosecution Service's decision on whether or not to prosecute.
That matter is now settled, and so I'm now re-opening this inquest.
I'd like to hear from the family first.
Mrs Ryland, would that be agreeable to you? 'Time and time again, the law had failed us, but 'I clung to the idea that the inquest would right everything, that the truth would come out, 'that Alan Maxfield would be held responsible for my son's death.
' 'All those courtrooms, "all those knock-backs,' but I still had hope.
I was like a battered wife, getting hurt, but thinking, "One last go.
This time, it'll be different.
" Did Robert go out the night before he died? There was a match on Sky.
He watched it in the pub.
Where he had several drinks? He didn't come home drunk, so if you're trying to infer that Rob was drunk the next morning, forget it.
He went out with a tenner, a tenner that I gave him, and he came back with £5.
40 having spent £4.
60 on two pints of lager.
I know this because there was £5.
40 in theplastic bag, along with his phone and his wallet and his other .
.
effects.
Michael Lang is mistaken.
Both boys were given detailed instructions on operating the fork-lift, and they had two or three hours' training.
Now, whether they listened, whether they paid enough attention I know that when they were outside the office, Ryland seemed to be cracking jokes all the time.
The door was open and I found it distracting.
I'd just like to express my deepest sympathies.
I know how hard it must be for you, but I hope this verdict helps.
The verdict is accidental death.
I hope you find some comfort from the fact that no-one was to blame for your son's death.
Accidental death.
Blood drains.
You know, you hear people say that all the time.
"The blood drained from him.
" Well, when you get told that your son is dead, the blood really does drain.
You can feel it drain.
You feel your veins widen and the blood just drops.
And it drained again when the coroner said no-one was responsible for my son's death.
Someone WAS to blame.
Alan Maxfield.
Have you ever been to Ibiza? The Carthaginians founded it, lived there till the Romans wiped them out.
Then the Arabs settled there for 500 years, until the Catalans laid siege, tore down the mosques and built churches.
How did you get in? The bohemians arrived in the '60s and '70s and turned it into a party island.
Rob was saving up to go there.
How did you get in here? His swipe card.
It was in the plastic bag.
Another of hiseffects.
All his mates knew about Ibiza was clubbing, but Rob was different.
Yes, he'd stay up all night dancing, but the next day, he'd be wandering around the house with a book in his hand.
And after he died, I found this book on Ibiza beside his bed.
What do you want, Mrs Ryland? I want you to say that you're sorry Rob never got to Ibiza .
.
that he never made his 21st, or even finished his book.
Say he didn't need to die in your warehouse, that you coated him in so much .
.
so much shit, there was none left to stick to you.
I want you to say that you are sorry for all that.
And when you have, I'll go away and get on with my life.
It was an accident.
There's no-one here but me and you.
It's just between us.
I need to hear it.
Just sayI'm sorry.
People say it all the time.
They bump into each other in supermarkets and they say it automatically, instinctively.
"I'm sorry.
" Even when it's not their fault.
"I'm sorry!" My lawyer won't let me.
Oh Oh, Jesus! Do you know who killed your son? Shall I tell you who killed your son, you stupid bitch?! A billion Chinese, half a billion Indians.
all working for a pound a day.
I'm paying 50 a day and I'm supposed to compete! That's who killed your son, you stupid, mad bitch! When you lose someone you love, it hurts.
Of course it hurts.
But imagine losing them over and over.
Every time the law let me down, Rob died again.
There's only so many times you can take that.
I teach, I'm used to being lied to.
But the difference between Alan Maxfield and a child is that when you confront a nine-year-old child with the fact that they're lying, they own up, they say sorry.
And when you've lost your child, an apology isn't all that much to ask.
I wouldn't be here talking to you now if Alan Maxfield had just said sorry.
My lawyer said that saying all this to you was stupid, that you'd throw the book at me.
Well, fine, throw that book.
The law's hit me so many times, I'm numb, I won't feel it.
To hell with the law.
Yes.
I can speak to you like this because I've learned so much.
I'm an expert.
I've paid the highest tuition fees in the world, you see .
.
the death of my son.
When you go away and consider what I've done, I'm asking you to reach a verdict based not on law, but on something I've been thirsting for .
.
something that Rob deserved and never got.
Something I'm frightened may no longer exist.
Justice.
I'm asking you to give me justice.
However sympathetic you may feel, Helen Ryland stands accused of a very serious crime What's going on here? Who are you, please? Frank Ryland, husband of the accused.
And, yes, this is to show my contempt for this court, my contempt for any court, my contempt for anything to do with the law Mr Ryland My wife said that the law was a joke and I argued, but not because I thought that she was wrong Mr Ryland.
.
.
but because I didn't have her courage.
If I had half the guts she has, it'd be me in that dock.
Sorry.
Mr Ryland, have you finished? I'm going to call an officer of the court.
I'll deal with you when this case is finished.
Do you understand? Yes.
By her own admission, she set fire to that warehouse and showed a total disregard for human life.
Now, I'm not going to direct you to return a guilty verdict, but all the evidence Desperado Why don't you come to your senses? You've been out ridin' fences For so long now Oh, you're a hard one I know that you've got your reasons These things that are pleasin' you Can hurt you somehow Don't you draw the Queen of Diamonds, boy She'll beat you if she's able You know the Queen of Hearts Jury's coming back.
Members of the jury are you agreed upon a verdict? We are.
Do you find the defendant guilty or not guilty of arson and wilful destruction of property? Not guilty.
And is that the verdict of you all? Yes, it's unanimous.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Guilty? Not guilty.
What? Not guilty.
They're starting again.
'Would you like to take the oath on the Bible or by affirmation? 'Affirmation.
'I don't believe in God any more.
' You'll notice I no longer have anyone representing me.
I told my lawyer that I was going to take the stand and say to you, "Yes, I did it.
And here's why.
" She said if I did that she'd quit.
And she has.
Yes, I did it.
And here's why.
Forward.
Reverse.
Right? No brakes, so you reverse to lose speed.
Right? Dave! Yeah.
Two minutes! Big red button cuts the power.
Up, down.
It's going to raise by about ten to 15 feet I need you.
Now! And that there.
Ten minutes practice and you start order picking.
Fat bastard, in't he? Yes! Yes! But one at a time, please.
Now.
How old do you think our solar system is? Tegan.
Really old, like 156 million years, Miss.
Good guess, Tegan but it's much, much older.
It's 4.
6 billion years old.
So if you think that human life has been around for about 200,000 years, and we live to be, say, 75 years of age, well, that's not much, is it, compared to the age of the solar system? If it's on answer, I'll kill him.
'Hi, it's Robleave a message.
' Siobhan's eating your sandwiches.
What's the point of making them if you're always going to leave them? I'm not stupid, you know, I know you do it on purpose.
Don't just eat chips! And he's not answered? He should have been back for six.
Have you got a number for Michael? Can I call you back in a minute? 'I hid.
Don't ask me why, but I hid.
' I'm out of view.
They're out of view.
Maybe they're next door.
Nothing to do with me, nothing to do with Rob, it's next door.
As long as the bell doesn't ring.
Please, God, do not let that bell ring.
Bloody hell! We're in extra time! Helen.
Mrs Ryland? Are you in on your own? Frank.
Frank! What is it? Can we come in? Come in.
We've come to inform you that your son, Robert, was fatally injured at Maxfield's Wholesalers this morning.
Injured.
Where is he? Is he in the hospital? Helen, he's dead.
What happened? I'm afraid we don't have any more information.
You'll have to call the station for more details.
If you ring this number, and quote this reference.
You'll need to phone the Coroner's office in the morning.
No point doing it now, there'll be nobody there.
'Hello, can I help you?' Yes, erm Two officers have just been.
And they, they told me my son .
.
my son's been killed and they said I should 'Have you got a reference number there?' Yes.
DOA DOA 9461.
'Just hold on a minute, please.
' 'Sorry about the wait, Mrs Ryland.
According to the paperwork 'your son's body is being held at Failsworth General.
' Mum's here.
You did a post mortem.
Yes.
Did you use anything? Sorry? Did you use any of his organs? No, I promise you we didn't take anything.
He's Is it too late now? Because he wanted to be a donor, you see.
In the event of something like this, he wanted his organs used.
It is too late, I'm sorry.
We needed to know at the time of death.
But nobody told us he was dead.
'Welcome to the answering service.
'You have one new message.
Main menu.
To listen to your messages' 'Siobhan's eating your sandwiches' You cope your way.
I'll cope mine.
You're Rob's mother? Helen.
Alan.
Alan Maxfield.
Good to meet you.
And you.
This is his dad, Frank.
How d'you do? Dave Price, general foreman.
And this is Stephen Simpson.
Right.
Shall we? I spoke to Rob and his mate.
Michael.
Michael, yeah.
Good lads.
I said to Dave, "How come two lads like that are doing agency work "when we've got full timers not a patch on them?" He was a credit to you.
A credit to you both.
Thanks.
It was here.
He hit that section there.
The whole lot came down.
How? He lost control of the truck.
I'd just like to say that if there's anything we can do, we'll do it.
Nothing like this has ever happened to us before, you see.
We put the welfare of our workers above everything else.
The boy he was with Sorry.
Michael.
Michael will tell you they did all the Health and Safety stuff, and they did it conscientiously, but if there are any questions or any problems, please shout.
Thanks.
Did you have a question? Did he suffer? No.
From what I've heard it was almost instantaneous.
I'll walk back with Frank and Helen.
Is Michael in? No, he's at work.
Can I come in? Please.
Yeah.
Come on, sweetheart.
I'm sorry about the Oh, no.
Did Michael say what Ryan, what is that you've got in your mouth? No, take it out of your mouth, it's dirty.
What have I said about putting things in your mouth? Where's the dog? We haven't got one.
The sign's just to keep smack heads at bay.
I think Michael probably just popped into his mum's.
I have no idea how long he is going to be before he Say hello to Daddy! Come here, sweetheart.
Here you go! That agency still getting you work? Ryan didn't want to go to nursery today.
Kicked up a real fuss, felt really bad.
Been lucky enough to get a full time job.
Michael, you were there.
You were with him.
Did he suffer? Are you sure? You see, I've arranged my son's funeral for next Thursday, and I've been told to cancel it because I haven't got Alan Maxfield's permission.
It's Angela, isn't it? Well, that's my problem, Angela, I need your boss's permission to bury my son.
That's my problem.
I will do it.
I need a shirt.
Just leave the bloody thing alone, for God's sake! I need a shirt! Have you got a mobile number for him, please? I'm coming round.
Just try not to burn the place down.
Good to see you again.
Good to see you.
Alan's out on business or he'd be talking to you himself.
I've been waiting 11 days for permission to bury my son.
11 days.
I can't believe for a moment that Alan Maxfield knows about this because he would not treat a grieving mother in such an appalling fashion.
So, please, bring him here.
I can't.
Right.
I'll wait.
Helen, I am so sorry.
I knew absolutely nothing about this.
I'm going get on to everybody right away and it'll all go ahead on Thursday as planned.
My fault.
I'm absolutely fuming about this, Helen.
It should never have happened.
I'm so, so sorry.
All my fault.
I objected without consulting Alan.
You objected? Yes.
I'm sorry to be rude.
I don't mean to be rude, but what's my son's funeral got to do with you? I'm Alan's lawyer.
Michael! Hi.
You're working here? Yeah.
Permanent? Yeah.
Well, six months probation and then permanent, yeah.
He said you impressed him, you both impressed him.
Did he? The funeral's Thursday.
Two o'clock.
Right.
You'll be there? I can't make it.
What? I'm working, aren't I? You'll get time off.
He died in there, Michael, they'll give you time off.
I'm sorry.
You were his friend, Michael, so, ring me, please.
Lads I served my time with we stuck together.
I need you to come with me tomorrow.
We should have let him join the navy.
You learn a trade in the navy.
Talk about ironic, keeping him out the armed forces cos it's dangerous and sending him to You're blaming me? No.
You are.
I made him go to that place, so you're blaming me.
I'm not.
I'm going to the police station tomorrow.
I don't want to go there on my own.
Will you come with me, please? You're wasting your Will you come with me, please? It's a Health and Safety issue, really.
So, yes, just me.
Did you look at the CCTV film? No.
No? The cameras weren't working that day.
They told you that? Yes.
And you believed them? Well, why not? For God's sake.
You prick.
Sorry! He was with his friend.
Michael.
He must've seen everything.
Yes, we got a statement from him.
It absolves the company of all blame.
He says it was all your son's fault, Mrs Ryland.
'I know something stinks.
' CCTV cameras not working.
Alan Maxfield frightened to open his mouth unless his lawyer's there.
Michael too ashamed to look me in the eye.
You're only here so you can say, "I even attended the boy's funeral, your honour.
" I swear that's not why I'm here.
You lied to me.
You told me he didn't suffer.
Michael lied too, but he lied for good reasons.
You lied for bad reasons, for money reasons, or legal reasons, orGod knows what reasons.
So please go.
'I was run over once when I was a kid, 'and I lay there for a couple of minutes wondering if I was dead.
'And then someone tried to move me and the pain came flooding in.
'That's what it was like when I realised that 'Rob's death was suspicious, everything hurt.
'But I was alive again.
'But not Frank.
'He saw no good in such pain.
'He wanted it numbed 'with booze.
' Can you just leave that, I'll clean it up before I come to bed.
It stinks.
And if I don't do it now, it will still be here in the morning! Look, I'll sort it.
I'm capable of moving an ashtray! Yes.
"Have you drunk all this?" Yes.
And don't even think about bollocking me, Helen.
Today of all days, don't even think about it cos I've got a few home truths for you.
I'm listening.
It's about time you heard a few home truths.
I'm listening.
First, nobody gives a shit that Rob is dead.
Nobody gives a shit so you can shove your decorum up your arse, shove your dignity up your arse, cos nobody gives a shit.
Secondly, I am sick of you looking down your nose at me.
I am sick of you treating me like a child.
What you see here is grief.
This is acceptance of grief.
A mature and adult acceptance of grief.
Adult! That's not what I see when I look at you.
I see a woman running round like a blue-arsed fly cos she's too scared, too bloody immature, to face the fact that our son is dead.
ROBBIE IS DEAD.
You're immature, you're a big kid! And all this Sherlock Holmes stuff, this detective shite, is not going to change that fact.
Since when has binge drinking been the answer to anything? No, no, no, you listen to me.
Time for me to do a bit of spouting, a bit of pontificating.
You're drunk.
'Sometimes when an ape dies the other animals withdraw, 'stare into space, refuse to interact with each other.
'We were worse than apes, we turned on each other.
' You don't know what grief is, because you're too stubborn to feel it! Sorry.
All those things we did with him before he was, say, five I resented them.
I knew he wouldn't remember them, see.
But after five traipsing round Alton Towers and Disney, fishing, footie, he'd remember them.
And 50, 60 years after us going, he'd still remember them.
But he's gone before us.
And so have those memories.
And I feel I feel so cheated.
Sing to me.
I can't.
Sing to me.
Oh, you are a mucky kid Your face just like a dustbin lid When he hears the things that you did You'll get a belt from your dad.
This is an inquest into the death of Robert Ryland.
Now, this might be a little confusing to you, but I'm opening and adjourning this inquest, because the Crown Prosecution Service might bring a manslaughter charge in connection with Robert's death.
And they might not, of course.
We'll re-open when they've decided.
Morning.
Good morning, 5R.
Good morning, Miss.
Now, if you could all get out your planners and turn to the week starting June.
Miss.
Yes, Tegan? Miss, we got you something, the class.
We all got it.
It's a plant for your son.
It's an oak tree, so it lasts a long time.
Is that all right, Miss? Right, now So if you could all get out your planners I'm sorry, Helen, but the Crown Prosecution Service is not going to bring charges.
And that's it? Yes, I'm sorry.
So my son is killed and no-one held to account, no-one asked to explain.
Would YOU accept that? Michael.
Sorry.
I don't know anything.
I'm sorry.
She's sat down.
She's sat down.
Tell her to go.
If that had been you Do you want to move out? Imagine it was me left like that.
You're always going on at me that you're desperate to get out of this dump! Imagine it's your mum.
If it was your mother, would you leave her out there? Do you want Ryan to be the only kid that gets walked to school in the morning cause all the other mums are too out of it? She needs to know.
You can't just leave her in limbo, it's cruel! Too off their head to walk their own bloody kids to school.
I don't want that, and this is the price we pay! You don't want to stay here, do you? No.
If we want Ryan to go to a decent school in a decent area, this is what it costs! You're a lot of things, Michael, but you're not cruel.
Will you help me, Michael? Yeah.
I've never had a job, not a proper one with regular money and that.
We need to get out of that house.
We've been robbed twice this year.
I'm ashamed of what I did, but .
.
I did it for Leanne and I did it for Ryan.
On the day Rob died, Alan Maxfield offered me a permanent contract.
All I had to say was we'd been trained to use that fork-lift truck, but we weren't.
We had a five-minute demonstration, that's all, and that's not training.
And I said in my statement that we'd had a full Health and Safety rundown, but we hadn't.
We could use Michael's statement to go for review.
Review of the decision not to prosecute.
But it's risky and expensive.
Your costs could be 15 grand.
15 grand! And if we lose We won't lose.
15 grand! But if we did, you'd have to pay the other side's costs too.
Could you manage that? If we win, they prosecute Alan Maxfield? 15 grand.
Yes.
We'll get a second mortgage.
We can't afford a first one, never mind a second.
We can.
We can't.
We'll leave you to talk.
No, you're leaving her to talk.
You're leaving me to listen.
Frank.
Who are you doing this for anyway? It's not for Rob.
It's not going to bring him back.
I know.
And do you think that he would want this? Do you think he'd want us to get up to our eyes in debt just for you to prove a point? How dare you? This is the fitted kitchen moment, isn't it? Man slices his dick off at work.
Surgeon says, "You're going to get 40 grand comp.
"You can get the four-inch penis for 20 grand, the six-inch for 30, "or you can get the big eight-inch penis for the full 40!" He says he fancies the eight-inch, but his wife's there, so the surgeon says, just as that lawyer has, "I'll leave you to talk.
" Five minutes later, the surgeon comes back.
"Have you made up your mind what you're having?" The man nods.
"We're having a fitted kitchen.
" I'm afraid we won't reach a decision today, but we'll meet again tomorrow.
What are you doing? Oxfam.
I use them.
No, you don't.
When did you last play cricket? You don't play anything anymore.
You don't do anything anymore.
You just sit in front of the telly and drink and smoke and rot.
Thank you for your patience.
I realise we've been deliberating for what may seem an inordinate amount of time .
.
but we felt it was crucial to give this case proper consideration.
However, Michael Lang did not seem to us to be a sufficiently believable witness.
In view of this, we feel a successful prosecution would be very difficult.
With this in mind, we uphold the Crown Prosecution Service's decision NOT to prosecute.
It's a fucker.
Tonight, I'm getting you pissed and laid.
I've been married 20 years.
You'll be used to doing it in that order then.
Beer and tequila! I'm only staying an hour, Siobhan.
Ah, you're not! Last night, my tight bastard of a husband says to me, "Get your coat.
" I says, "Why, where you taking me?" He says, "Nowhere, I'm turning the bloody 'leccy off.
" So, if you go, I'll have to go too, so come on! Like there's no fucking tomorrow! Like there's no tomorrow! Aah Oh.
I've got me mate back.
We're having another! No! Aye.
Oh Oh, come on! Oh, for God's sake! Will I just do my own version? Yeah! Right, right, right, right, right A pair of knickers With a stain between them A spot of petrol where you tried to clean them A brothel sign that swings These foolish things remind me of you You may remember that last time we met, I adjourned the inquest into Robert Ryland's death pending the Crown Prosecution Service's decision on whether or not to prosecute.
That matter is now settled, and so I'm now re-opening this inquest.
I'd like to hear from the family first.
Mrs Ryland, would that be agreeable to you? 'Time and time again, the law had failed us, but 'I clung to the idea that the inquest would right everything, that the truth would come out, 'that Alan Maxfield would be held responsible for my son's death.
' 'All those courtrooms, "all those knock-backs,' but I still had hope.
I was like a battered wife, getting hurt, but thinking, "One last go.
This time, it'll be different.
" Did Robert go out the night before he died? There was a match on Sky.
He watched it in the pub.
Where he had several drinks? He didn't come home drunk, so if you're trying to infer that Rob was drunk the next morning, forget it.
He went out with a tenner, a tenner that I gave him, and he came back with £5.
40 having spent £4.
60 on two pints of lager.
I know this because there was £5.
40 in theplastic bag, along with his phone and his wallet and his other .
.
effects.
Michael Lang is mistaken.
Both boys were given detailed instructions on operating the fork-lift, and they had two or three hours' training.
Now, whether they listened, whether they paid enough attention I know that when they were outside the office, Ryland seemed to be cracking jokes all the time.
The door was open and I found it distracting.
I'd just like to express my deepest sympathies.
I know how hard it must be for you, but I hope this verdict helps.
The verdict is accidental death.
I hope you find some comfort from the fact that no-one was to blame for your son's death.
Accidental death.
Blood drains.
You know, you hear people say that all the time.
"The blood drained from him.
" Well, when you get told that your son is dead, the blood really does drain.
You can feel it drain.
You feel your veins widen and the blood just drops.
And it drained again when the coroner said no-one was responsible for my son's death.
Someone WAS to blame.
Alan Maxfield.
Have you ever been to Ibiza? The Carthaginians founded it, lived there till the Romans wiped them out.
Then the Arabs settled there for 500 years, until the Catalans laid siege, tore down the mosques and built churches.
How did you get in? The bohemians arrived in the '60s and '70s and turned it into a party island.
Rob was saving up to go there.
How did you get in here? His swipe card.
It was in the plastic bag.
Another of hiseffects.
All his mates knew about Ibiza was clubbing, but Rob was different.
Yes, he'd stay up all night dancing, but the next day, he'd be wandering around the house with a book in his hand.
And after he died, I found this book on Ibiza beside his bed.
What do you want, Mrs Ryland? I want you to say that you're sorry Rob never got to Ibiza .
.
that he never made his 21st, or even finished his book.
Say he didn't need to die in your warehouse, that you coated him in so much .
.
so much shit, there was none left to stick to you.
I want you to say that you are sorry for all that.
And when you have, I'll go away and get on with my life.
It was an accident.
There's no-one here but me and you.
It's just between us.
I need to hear it.
Just sayI'm sorry.
People say it all the time.
They bump into each other in supermarkets and they say it automatically, instinctively.
"I'm sorry.
" Even when it's not their fault.
"I'm sorry!" My lawyer won't let me.
Oh Oh, Jesus! Do you know who killed your son? Shall I tell you who killed your son, you stupid bitch?! A billion Chinese, half a billion Indians.
all working for a pound a day.
I'm paying 50 a day and I'm supposed to compete! That's who killed your son, you stupid, mad bitch! When you lose someone you love, it hurts.
Of course it hurts.
But imagine losing them over and over.
Every time the law let me down, Rob died again.
There's only so many times you can take that.
I teach, I'm used to being lied to.
But the difference between Alan Maxfield and a child is that when you confront a nine-year-old child with the fact that they're lying, they own up, they say sorry.
And when you've lost your child, an apology isn't all that much to ask.
I wouldn't be here talking to you now if Alan Maxfield had just said sorry.
My lawyer said that saying all this to you was stupid, that you'd throw the book at me.
Well, fine, throw that book.
The law's hit me so many times, I'm numb, I won't feel it.
To hell with the law.
Yes.
I can speak to you like this because I've learned so much.
I'm an expert.
I've paid the highest tuition fees in the world, you see .
.
the death of my son.
When you go away and consider what I've done, I'm asking you to reach a verdict based not on law, but on something I've been thirsting for .
.
something that Rob deserved and never got.
Something I'm frightened may no longer exist.
Justice.
I'm asking you to give me justice.
However sympathetic you may feel, Helen Ryland stands accused of a very serious crime What's going on here? Who are you, please? Frank Ryland, husband of the accused.
And, yes, this is to show my contempt for this court, my contempt for any court, my contempt for anything to do with the law Mr Ryland My wife said that the law was a joke and I argued, but not because I thought that she was wrong Mr Ryland.
.
.
but because I didn't have her courage.
If I had half the guts she has, it'd be me in that dock.
Sorry.
Mr Ryland, have you finished? I'm going to call an officer of the court.
I'll deal with you when this case is finished.
Do you understand? Yes.
By her own admission, she set fire to that warehouse and showed a total disregard for human life.
Now, I'm not going to direct you to return a guilty verdict, but all the evidence Desperado Why don't you come to your senses? You've been out ridin' fences For so long now Oh, you're a hard one I know that you've got your reasons These things that are pleasin' you Can hurt you somehow Don't you draw the Queen of Diamonds, boy She'll beat you if she's able You know the Queen of Hearts Jury's coming back.
Members of the jury are you agreed upon a verdict? We are.
Do you find the defendant guilty or not guilty of arson and wilful destruction of property? Not guilty.
And is that the verdict of you all? Yes, it's unanimous.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Guilty? Not guilty.
What? Not guilty.