Judge John Deed (2001) s01e04 Episode Script

You're too late.
Came as quick as we could.
He's gone, has he? About two hours ago.
Shouldn't you close his eyes, Doctor? - We couldn't just leave the shop.
- It's for the best.
He was suffering.
I'll arrange the death certificate.
There's no need to contact the coroner.
I'll take those.
There is only one beneficiary in your uncle's will, Maureen.
Yes, we were always very close.
Oh, no, it's his GP.
He changed it two months ago in favour of Dr Bellew.
- What? - You can't be serious.
What about Maureen? Dr Bellew gets everything.
He must have been demented.
He was quite lucid when he called me in.
Maureen was everything to him.
She was all he had.
What did he leave her? The cottage, 20-acre fields and about £300,000 before duty.
You're joking.
I'm surprised it took her as long as two months before she did him in.
I love this, you know.
- Dad, it's awful.
- It is not.
The first thing any court will ask, if it gets that far, is why wouldn't an HIV-positive mother want her baby tested? Why doesn't she? If it's positive, the doctors will want to treat him.
- Well, I should hope so.
- What, even if he's well? - Which he is.
- That's for the test to show.
Kate says doctors have got it all wrong about HIV.
She's managed her own HIV for 10 years without doctors or drugs.
Well, then, she's lucky.
HIV equals AIDS equals death, doesn't it? She works at her health.
Lots of exercise, a brilliant diet.
Healthy and pure, no additives, no animal products, no alcohol.
Sounds like fun.
Can Social Services test the baby without Kate's consent? If they could, they would have done so already.
You coming up to Coventry at the weekend, to see Grandad? I'll try, I've got a stack of work on.
Persuade your friend to have the baby tested.
Then take a view.
We have Dr Bellew back.
The prosecution couldn't locate the forensic they were after.
Good.
I like this doctor.
She's very attractive.
But that wouldn't necessarily mean she didn't kill her patient, Judge.
My lord, might I ask for another adjournment in order for the police to exhume one of Dr Bellew's former patients? Well, I suppose it was worth a try, Mr Phillips.
Unless you want to risk a retrial, you're going to have to proceed with what you've got.
The Crown Prosecution Service was convinced there was a prima facie case to answer.
Mr Taylor, you run a hardware shop, you sit on the local council, you're a church warden, a life we might describe as a service to the community.
If you don't work at community there wouldn't be any community left.
You work many hours unpaid on council business? Yes.
More than the shop, probably.
Now, just so that the jury understands that you're not a man motivated by material needs.
This is important.
The murder on which Dr Bellew has been indicted was supposedly motivated by greed.
£300,000 and the property the deceased man left to her.
Now, I'm obliged, my lord.
Can you tell us what happened on the 15th of April this year? Dr Bellew rang the shop to say Uncle Reg was poorly.
We'd had similar calls from her.
Maureen didn't want to go over there without me.
Why was that? The doctor was often quite rude.
She always seemed to be judging us.
Why was that? Did she say? She seemed to think she was the only one who cared for Reg.
We would do anything humanly possible.
We couldn't get away when she called.
We were expecting a big delivery.
Well, what happened when you got to the house? We found him dead.
It was shocking.
Your wife said that you'd been expecting this, Mr Taylor.
You still don't know what to expect.
His eyes were wide open, sort of in surprise.
Was Dr Bellew still present? Yes.
Sitting in the dark.
- It was really odd.
- Why odd? She didn't seem at all bothered.
I mean, she made such a thing about being the one who cared, she hadn't even bothered to close his eyes.
What was it that aroused your suspicions? There were two empty phials of diamorphine and a wrapper from a hypodermic I found on the bed.
Dr Bellew snatched them from me and hid them in her pocket.
Hadn't you seen her use this drug before? Oh, yes, she'd use all sorts of drugs, but mostly through the pump in his arm.
Do you know if she had injected the drug before? No, I don't think so.
But I remember her saying that he was getting as much as his heart could take through the pump.
I'd pointed out that he was in pain.
Might I continue, my lord? Um, yes.
Yet you found two empty 30 milligram ampoules of diamorphine.
The autopsy showed a huge quantity of the drug in his body.
This is something you discovered later, Mr Taylor, it couldn't have aroused your suspicions.
No, it was the two phials, and her manner.
- Her cool indifference to her deceased patient? - Yes.
Could the doctor have been upset earlier? That wasn't my impression, Your Honour.
What gave you that impression? Might I remind Your Lordship that I prosecute the case and Mrs Mills defends? And I'm the judge? Yes, all right, Mr Phillips.
I believe Dr Bellew told you that a coroner's decision wasn't necessary, that another doctor would sign the death certificate.
Yes.
Did she say why she didn't sign it? No.
Were you and Mrs Taylor very close to her uncle? Yes, we were all he had.
How often did you visit him? As often as we could.
Maureen couldn't do enough for him.
So it would not be unreasonable to expect to be remembered in his will? Maureen never once thought about that.
She took care of all his needs.
She couldn't nurse him, he was in too much pain.
She visited what, three, four times a week? I'm not sure.
Or would once a week be nearer? Once a month? I'm not sure.
Why is it that neither the district nurse nor the Macmillan nurse ever saw either of you at the house? Maureen couldn't bear to see Reg suffering, it upset her too much.
- Are you calling the nurses? - I am, my lord.
Mr Taylor, how did you alert the authorities to what you suspected about Dr Bellew? Did you go to the police? No, I went to the town clerk.
Who is a friend of yours.
We have contact in any council work.
He sent you to the police, did he? No, not directly.
He suggested I have a word with the coroner.
Who you also know.
Through my council work, yes.
And he appointed a pathologist, a Dr Smith.
Yes, and alerted the police.
Is that the same Dr Duncan Smith who carried out the initial postmortem on Mr Moore, the same one that sits with you on the council? Yes, it is.
Did Dr Duncan Smith carry out the initial postmortem on Mr Moore? Are you suggesting wrongdoing on the part of the coroner, Mrs Mills? Overzealousness as a result of a personal relationship with this witness might better describe it, my lord.
The pathologist found huge quantities of morphine in the old boy's body.
If you had grave suspicions as to the death, why did it take you so long to report them? We didn't like to trouble Dr Bellew.
Until you learned that she was Mr Moore's sole beneficiary? We didn't do it for the money.
I have no further questions, my lord.
What she did to Uncle Reg, it's an outrage! Thank you, Mr Taylor.
What animal is that? What animal is that? - Is Mummy being silly? - Brandon.
Is she? - Hello, hello.
- Is he laughing? Steve? You can't ignore this, Kate.
Miss Rankin, I have something for you.
I'm a High Court bailiff.
This is a summons to appear.
Why don't you go after real child abusers and stop harassing us? Be sensible, your baby needs to be tested.
Who says? He's perfectly well.
Look at him.
He may look fine now, but he'll get ill.
- And what do you know about it? - Kate, calm down.
If you don't respond, he'll be taken into care.
Just you try.
Tells you when and where to go, love.
You will never take him away from me.
Dr Davis, would you tell the court what drug residues you found in the old man's body? Large amounts of an opiate alkaloid, almost certainly taken as a commercial painkiller.
Would the liquid morphine, Hypnoctol, be the likely source? We identified traces of the buffers found in Hypnoctol.
The quantity would indicate a large dose.
- Now, what in your opinion would be - Would you tell Would you tell the jury what the buffers in this drug are? You can't give someone opiate alkaloids orally, they're too bitter.
They gag.
They have to be softened and supported with other ingredients.
Those are buffers.
Why don't these show up in the same quantities as the morphine? They're absorbed at a much faster rate.
Faster than the substance that killed him? Yes, my lord.
Was Mr Moore receiving high levels of diamorphine for his pain? Yes, I believe he was.
As much as 1,000 milligrams by infusion over a 24-hour period? I believe so.
That's a huge tolerance.
Can opiate alkaloids accumulate in the liver over a long period with fatal consequences? No, they don't build up in the body.
They don't? Can I refer you to a paper that you wrote in 1995? "In patients with poor liver or kidney function, "the build-up of toxic metabolites and neurotoxins in the body "can have fatal results.
" Did you write this? Yes, I did.
Can these metabolites result from diamorphine breaking down? Yes, they can, but they don't accumulate.
Thank you, Doctor.
Have you since changed your opinion? The paper was to provoke discussion, my lord.
To get GPs to question their prescribing and what might result.
Is there any foundation in the statement? It's a theory.
Most drugs are broken down in the liver within 24 hours.
The metabolites are usually broken down in another 24 hours.
Do you want to come back, Mrs Mills? Not at this point.
How's your friend with HIV? Really desperate.
She's been summoned to appear in court.
Hmm.
- She got a lawyer? - No.
She doesn't trust them.
She's scared she won't get a fair hearing.
I think she's going to ignore it.
Well, if she does, Chas, the Social Services will get everything they want.
Why don't you go to court with her? Be her McKenzie friend.
Get real, Dad.
What advice could I give her? Well, you could always ask me, Chas.
I'm fine.
You shouldn't have bothered, John.
You're not fine, Dad.
You were screaming in pain earlier.
We'll get you through this, Dad.
She shouldn't have bothered you.
Are you staying up? No, I'm in the middle of a murder trial.
- I told her not to worry you.
- I'll look back in later, Alice.
I'll see you out.
Grandad, you promised you'd come and see me in Sussex.
I'll get rid of this case and we'll spend some more time together.
Eh, Dad? - I told her - She's worried about you, Dad.
He shouldn't have come rushing up here.
He'll do what he likes, Dad.
Maybe we should take him away with us for a while.
The doctor says he should really be back in hospital.
I don't want to go there.
I went in for a new hip and came out with all this.
I could barely get you out of bed and into the bath yesterday.
I think you've been wonderful, the way you've coped.
Did you tell him, Dad? Don't bother about that.
Tell me what, Dad? We'll talk another time, when I'm well.
I'm a bit tired now.
I'll do that.
You go and sit down.
I haven't forgotten how to lay a table, you know.
What was it he wanted to tell me? Oh, I don't know.
You'll have to ask him.
My lord, with your leave, the defence calls Dr Bellew.
I treated Mr Moore at home for nearly six months.
He didn't like hospitals.
He wouldn't go in.
Did his previous GP refuse to treat him at home? Yes, he felt the cancer was too serious.
He refused to treat anyone at home.
But you didn't mind doing home visits? No, some patients respond better at home.
Were you giving Mr Moore powerful drugs? Lots of them, bigger doses all the time.
With what object, Doctor? To manage the pain.
Hoping he'd slip away.
Mr Moore was in a huge amount of pain? Yes, it got worse as the cancer spread.
What sort of a relationship did you have with Mr Moore? Well it depended how much pain he was in.
Sometimes he'd call me a a clumsy bitch, a stupid cow.
- But you still kept going to see him? - Yes.
Why was that, Doctor? I couldn't just abandon him.
How conscious was Mr Moore during this? Well, the drugs made him sleepy, but the pain was so intense, it didn't let him sleep.
Was he able to make conscious choices? Yes.
More drugs, less drugs.
Okay.
On the day Mr Moore died, can you describe that visit? I called in after surgery, late, I had lots of other calls.
I made him tea.
He was in a great deal of pain.
The diamorphine he was getting wasn't working.
How much diamorphine was he having? 500 milligrams, BD.
- Bis in die - Twice daily.
Yeah, a lot of morphine.
But it didn't free him from the pain? No.
I gave him an injection to boost what he was getting via the syringe drive.
His pain got worse, so I gave him more diamorphine.
- Intravenously? - Yes.
Finally, the pain ebbed away.
We had tea and cake.
He was happy.
He said I was his best friend.
Wasn't it possible that you were his best friend? You saw him the most, you were kind to him.
It was the drugs talking.
Did you ever think of releasing Mr Moore from his pain? - Giving him a lethal overdose? - Yes.
But then I'd think, well, maybe he'd get better.
Did you realise that he was dying that day? Yes.
Which is why I called Mr Taylor.
But you did nothing about it? He was an old man with primary cancer of the lungs, and massive secondaries of the bone and liver.
Dr Bellew, what happened after your patient died? I said goodbye to him.
I told him I'd miss him.
And then I waited with him for about an hour, or maybe two.
Until Mr and Mrs Taylor came.
So, after your patient died, you sat by his bedside for two hours.
Why wait so long? Isn't this unusual for such a busy doctor? Perhaps.
But it takes time to say goodbye to an old friend.
Especially one who'd left you all his money? When did you know about being left this money? Well, when the solicitor wrote to me.
But the Meals On Wheels lady told us that you knew about being left this money well before Mr Moore's death.
No, I didn't.
Well, you heard her evidence, is she a liar? I wouldn't have thought so.
She said you told her about being left the money.
No, I might've said that he wanted to.
Did you know about his will before his death? I think he said that he wanted to make it out to me.
When, precisely, did you know of the existence of Mr Moore's will in your favour? When the solicitor wrote to me.
But before that he'd said he'd leave you something, but he didn't appear to be wealthy? Yes, Judge.
Just wanted to clear that up for the jury, Mr Phillips.
I'm so obliged, my lord.
Did you tell Mr Taylor that there was no need to inform the coroner? Yes, it wasn't a reportable death.
Why didn't you sign the death certificate? I didn't have one.
Dr Medalovich was nearby.
Why didn't you sign the one that he brought? I I don't know.
The death certificate reads "death by natural causes".
Could it be that you didn't want to endorse the lie? Well, he did die of natural causes.
How did you meet Dr Medalovich? We met in Kosovo, when I worked for the Red Cross.
Are you and Dr Medalovich lovers? We were, in Kosovo.
While he was married? His wife had disappeared two years before.
Have you continued to have sexual relations with him in this country? - My lord, is this relevant? - Might be, Mrs Mills.
Dr Bellew? Yes.
We have been together here, yes.
So you were lovers in Kosovo, and you resumed the sexual relationship when he arrived here.
Yes, but we're not together anymore.
Are you an honest and reliable doctor? I try to be.
Did you work at the Mordiford Hospital in Birmingham in 1990? Yes.
And while you were working at that hospital, did you give a year-old baby in anaphylactic shock a massive injection of adrenaline into its vein, causing it to die of a heart attack? My lord, Dr Bellew was exonerated by a subsequent inquiry.
The baby had a weak heart.
I've allowed the prosecution to put the question, you can re-examine on that.
Dr Bellew? Yes.
I did kill little Malcolm Darlow, yes.
I think this might be a convenient moment.
What's your feeling on this one, Coop? Well, I know what yours is.
You think she's not guilty.
I tend to agree.
Where do you disagree? Her friend signing the death certificate.
She's human and she's busy.
Not too busy to sit by a dead man for two hours.
Clerk to Mr Justice Deed.
Yes, miss.
It's your sister.
Yes, Alice.
He's lost consciousness,John, The drugs are making no difference, Can you come up? I'm sorry, Dad.
I'll come if you want me to.
No, no, no.
You go to court with your friend.
Who's she in front of? Mr Justice Nivan.
It's only a hearing about a hearing.
If Kate makes a good case, Michael might throw it out.
They can't take the baby away, can they? That's what they're scared of.
She has rights just like anybody else.
I hope you're right.
- Oh, there's my bus.
Give Grandad my love.
- Will do.
Chas, make a case.
The doctor's only just gone.
He's not sure how long he's got.
The infection's getting worse.
Isn't there anything he can do? He's trying everything.
Dad was in such pain.
That's what scares me.
It just got worse and worse, he was screaming and screaming.
I'd sooner Rama gave him something to end it, rather than see him suffer like that.
The case I'm trying at the moment involves a doctor accused of killing a patient.
Did he? She.
It's for the jury to decide.
I can understand why she might.
It's terrible seeing him like that.
He kept calling your name.
The other day when you said he had something he wanted to tell me, do you know what it was? Alice.
Alice.
Oh, come on.
He should have told you.
The longer he left it, the harder it got.
You're not his son.
What you mean Mum had an affair? They adopted you.
You're kidding, aren't you? You didn't say.
Why didn't you say? I'm sorry.
I'd see you look at him at times and think, "He must know.
" You were always so different, so clever, so questioning.
Well, he taught me that! He used to back me into a corner intellectually, and say, "Don't accept anything, question everything.
" You should have told me.
I'm sorry.
I wanted to, I tried to, so many times.
He was always too scared to tell you.
He was so proud of you going to Oxford.
Getting the highest marks at bar school.
As time went on, he got more scared to tell you.
He couldn't bear to think of losing you.
He was afraid you'd leave and wouldn't come back.
He was my father.
You were my sister.
Mum was my mother, I I never felt left out.
Why don't you tell him, John? That's all that matters to him.
Dad.
Nothing changes, Dad.
It was a bit of a surprise, I mean It took you 52 years, doesn't make any difference.
Might have done when I was at Oxford, for a while, but I don't know what I wanted you to be, just not a baker.
I couldn't have had a better father.
Everything that I value, you taught me.
So, um I don't know if you can hear me, Dad, but thank you.
Have a safe journey, Dad.
As we're informal in the Family Division, I think Miss Deed might speak on behalf of Miss Rankin and Mr Sarasy, also assist as a McKenzie friend, bearing in mind the European Convention on Human Rights.
Are there any objections from the council? The council has no objections, my lord.
When would the council want the hearing? The day after tomorrow, if convenient, my lord.
There is an increasing danger to the baby from breastfeeding.
The mother is not breastfeeding Brandon, my lord.
She never has breastfed.
How long would the parents need to prepare? A month at least.
The council would be obliged to go for an Emergency Protection Order to prevent further abuse.
We're not abusing Brandon.
If we could avoid emotive language, Mr Parsons.
Two days is as impractical as a month.
I'm setting this down for 10 days' time.
With the utmost respect, my lord, it must be sooner.
There is a real threat to the baby.
The parents need time to prepare, Mr Parsons.
- Are you seeking legal representation? - No.
We're not.
I think you'd be advised to.
You must come back here on the 27th.
Kate and Steve are concerned about who'll hear this case.
The judge's vested interests.
What vested interests are those? Well, if the judge's immediate family were doctors, or if he took orthodox views on HIV and AIDS.
Or, if he had, say, financial interest in pharmaceuticals.
That's a valid concern.
Can we go back to how you came to be practicing medicine in this country, Dr Medalovich? - You came here in 1997.
- Correct.
And you said that you hadn't lived here before.
Correct also.
Yet according to the records of Durham University, you were here in 1979 studying psychology.
Does that mean that you lied on your asylum application? I did not lie.
You omitted to tell the truth, Doctor.
Is that because you were deported for shoplifting? I did not shoplift.
They made a mistake.
Then let us look at your dubious credentials as a qualified medical practitioner.
Are you offering evidence to support this? I will show that this witness is unreliable in a way that puts a question mark over the view expressed by his signature on the death certificate.
Unless you have evidence to challenge his qualifications, I'm not going to allow this.
The witness has proved himself to be a liar over his entry here as a refugee.
Well, that's a matter for Immigration to take up.
I wonder if any of us might not make a similar omission in similar circumstances? Dr Medalovich, were you convicted of shoplifting in 1979? I did not shoplift, sir.
That's not what I asked.
No.
The authorities revoked my visa.
Members of the jury, you must try to disregard the matter of Dr Medalovich's possible criminal activity.
I will deal with that in summing up.
You can make what you will of the omission that he made on his asylum application or consider his subsequent actions, working in an overstretched NHS and, presumably, doing a good job.
- Mr Phillips.
- On March the 25th this year, did you order a new BMW Z3 sports car? Correct.
That was two full weeks before Mr Moore's death.
How did you intend paying for this car? I hoped out of my salary.
And what does a junior hospital doctor earn? Not enough.
Well, this car costs £27,000.
Is it not true that you anticipated paying for it out of your lover's inheritance? No.
In return for the helpful evidence that you gave her? No.
I tell the truth.
Then we must assume that your optimism about paying for it deserted you.
You cancelled the car immediately after Dr Bellew was charged.
Thank you.
Mr Phillips, in my court, counsel will ask questions, not make speeches.
Further, they will allow the witness a chance to answer.
I do apologise, my lord.
Well, it's the witness to whom you owe the apology, not me.
Dr Medalovich, do you want to comment on what he just said? She did not kill him.
All right.
Do you want to come back, Mrs Mills? If I may, my lord, I'd like to call an expert witness for whom notice wasn't given to my learned friend.
Who is this witness? Dr Margot Briones, a pathologist who specialises in toxicity and sudden death.
Does the prosecution have any objection? We weren't served with a report.
I have it here.
My lord, the defence had two months to come up with this.
He has a point, Mrs Mills.
Why wasn't the prosecution given notice of your witness? She was leading a forensic team in Rwanda.
Well, couldn't you have called someone equally qualified and more readily available? There is no one more qualified.
Is this new evidence that she will bring forward? Entirely new.
How long do you need for background checks, Mr Phillips? 24 hours would be helpful.
Shall we say tomorrow morning? I can't believe your doctor friend did that.
Did you know about the car? No, of course not.
Well, yes.
I mean, not that particular car.
I didn't know about that.
But it's what he does.
He ordered a Porsche the moment he got his job.
Before that, it was a Mercedes.
He finds them irresistible.
Did he cancel those cars? Yes.
He hadn't a hope in hell in paying for them.
Good.
Forget it, Michael.
I'm taking this legal seminar or I'd do it.
You're the most senior judge with Family Division experience.
My daughter is appearing for the parents.
Only as a McKenzie.
She'll be able to see just how interfering you are at first hand.
What, me interfere, Michael? Complaints from barristers are legion.
All off the record, of course.
No, the only alternative is Mary Baker and her husband is a consultant.
Well, why not trust her to be objective? I think the mother should have the baby tested.
Don't we all? Thank you, John.
Not with my daughter.
They need proper representa Come, Rosie.
Come on.
Come on.
Would you take it, pro bono? That's what most of it feels like working for Legal Aid.
It would be something if they paid you in under two years.
Well, the human rights aspect ought to appeal to you.
Little mother against the state.
Sounds like it appeals to you.
Would you like to come back tonight? Oh, John, I love your persistence.
It's so very reassuring.
Is that a yes? I'll talk to Charlie.
I was trying to help, Charlie.
You should have asked me first.
- Jo was available.
- Look, just stay out of it, okay? - They don't want another lawyer.
They want me.
- You're emotionally involved.
Anyway, it's now been set down in front of me.
You still shouldn't have asked Mrs Mills.
Your friends should count yourselves lucky.
Jo will negotiate a deal.
Get the council to settle for a non-actionable test.
They don't want a deal.
Well, then they're very foolish.
At least talk to her.
Well, why don't you? She's your girlfriend! Dr Briones, are you the author of Unexplained Death, A Study In Fatal Pathology? Yes, I am.
What is fatal pathology, Dr Briones? Disease of an organ within the body structure that leads to death.
Isn't that what all death is, Doctor? Death is the cessation of the heartbeat.
In reality, everyone dies of a heart attack.
Fatal pathology is what brings it on.
It could be cancer, liver failure, a stricture in the airway or toxins causing paralysis.
Many causes are not readily explained.
Would you describe your book as a standard text? Well, I suppose that's what it's become.
It's been a teaching reference for 20 years.
In your book, in Chapter 5, Section 3, page 157, Stasis As A Cause Of Fatal Toxicity, you state that "when the patient is elderly and suffers from a condition where bodily function slows, "metabolites are retained by the kidneys or liver with fatal consequences.
" Does diamorphine break down into non-excretable metabolites? In the elderly, where bodily functions slow down, yes.
They stick to the molecules that form the cells of the liver and the kidney and can't be eliminated.
Have you examined the liver of the late Mr Moore? I did an autopsy.
It's clear there was stasis in the digestive system, the blood, the liver and the kidneys.
His liver had been retaining large amounts of metabolites from the morphine sulphate and diazepam he had been receiving.
The huge doses of morphine he was given by his GP, intravenously, to ease the pain combined with that retained by the liver, caused first the liver to fail, and then the heart.
Can there be any doubt about that, Doctor? None.
Would a GP be alert to it? That would depend on how busy the GP is.
Most are too busy trying to help people get well.
Or in this case, to ease the patient's pain.
Would a pathologist be alert to the possibility? Well, that would depend on the pathologist.
We tend to be employed for a specific purpose.
We're scientists, but we're human and want to please our employers.
But you tell the truth just the same? Well, the older I get the more I realise there are many versions of the truth.
I am asked by the defence team to examine a body.
I try to be objective, as I'm sure the Home Office pathologist does.
Steve? Kate! Get your hands off her! You can't take him! You can't take him! We have a court order to take the baby for his own protection.
Don't make matters worse, love.
- No, leave him.
You can't take him.
- Where are you taking him? Please don't let them take my baby.
Please! If you come to the station, they'll tell you where they're taking him.
Chas, I don't care what sort of court order the council's obtained, they're not going to test the baby.
Don't be stupid.
They'll just do it anyway.
Well, then I'll hold them in contempt.
All they've got is an Emergency Protection Order from a magistrate.
Because they thought the baby was in immediate danger.
And are you sure they won't just go ahead? Come on, Chas, have a bit more faith in the system.
Talk to Jo.
Get her to consolidate both cases.
I'll hear the new case and the blood test case in my court.
I'm not going to let anybody pull a stroke.
I promise.
How's Grandad doing? He's a tough old bird.
He's hanging in there.
I'll see you later.
Dr Briones, is it correct that all death is the cessation of the heartbeat? Yes.
But presumably there are multiple reasons for this, - not all of them innocent.
- Yes, by no means innocent.
Might one of those less-than-innocent reasons be that a doctor administered a massive intravenous injection of diamorphine, knowing that the patient's liver was already loaded with metabolites from the opiate alkaloids that hadn't broken down? That's hardly something for this witness to speculate on.
No my lord, it is entirely for the jury to visit.
Thank you, Doctor.
Thank you, Dr Briones, you can step down.
I'd like to recall the Home Office pathologist, Dr Davis.
Dr Davis, you're still under oath.
Do you accept, Dr Davis, that in Mr Moore's medical condition the liver may have retained toxic metabolites, as Dr Briones suggests? I accept it's a possibility.
You see, you didn't say as much in evidence.
Now, Dr Davis, would you now accept that toxic metabolites, the by-product of opiate alkaloids, built up in Mr Moore as a result of stasis in various bodily functions and that this was the probable cause of death in Mr Moore? On reflection, I would say yes.
I'd like to see counsel in my chambers.
Unless I get a compelling argument, I'm going to direct the jury to find her not guilty.
Oh, no way! My lord, the pathologist's evidence was credible but not convincing.
Where are you unconvinced? Dr Medalovich.
The man's a liar.
- Oh, come on.
He's struggling for survival here.
- Isn't that what most criminals do? He was expecting a sports car out of the deal, at the very least.
It doesn't necessarily follow that she was going to supply it.
Your own expert was against you there.
Yes, I I must admit that was a bit of a blow.
Well, I'm not hearing anything to persuade me not to direct the jury to acquit her.
What if the doctor pleads to manslaughter? Forget it.
She'd be better off before the jury.
Well, she knew about her inheritance before the old man's death.
There's no evidence of that.
Jo's witness shut the door, yours bolted it.
Manslaughter.
After all, she did give him the injections.
There is no evidence of gross negligence, Maurice.
CPS thought I'd hammer her.
- They didn't see Dr Briones.
- Exactly.
I suppose I should have seen that coming.
Oh, fine! Fine, let's give this lady a happy ending.
She's suffered enough.
Judge, I I would just like to thank you.
God, I'm so sorry.
I'm - Forgive me.
- No, it's your counsellor you should thank, not me.
No, no.
But you set me free.
- Thank you.
- Excuse me.
Well, that should certainly get the LCD spies reporting back.
Maybe I should give them something to talk about.
Best not, John.
Annie? Laurence James.
Is Sir Ian there? I'll make this as informal as possible.
I hope we'll all be civil to each other despite the informality.
Has counsel explained to the parents that this is a consolidated hearing? Firstly, about whether the local authorities should take Brandon into care for his own protection, and then secondly, whether they can carry out a test to find out if he's HIV-positive? The parents understand both actions.
And do you understand who speaks for whom? Miss Wort for the baby, and Mr Parsons for the council.
And do you understand that these cases are entirely separate and that one doesn't necessarily fall because of the other? If the council fails in the first case, they may not necessarily fail in the second.
Yeah, we understand, - but we didn't do anything to harm Brandon.
- Yeah, okay.
We'll hear that in evidence.
Is the baby here at court? No, my lord.
He's with the foster mother.
I don't think that's entirely satisfactory, Miss Wort.
Could you arrange to have the baby brought here and given to the mother for the duration? But that puts the baby at risk.
I thought I was the judge here.
Your statement presumes that the baby is at risk.
I'll determine whether he is or not.
Let's have the baby brought here.
Are the expert witnesses available? They are, my lord.
The parents have no expert witnesses, but the mother offers herself as such.
And to what extent is she an expert, Mrs Mills? Well, as someone who has managed her own HIV successfully for 10 years, she feels herself highly qualified.
All right.
I'll accept her expertise on advice.
- Mr Parsons, ready for the council? - Yes, my lord.
Our case is entirely medical.
We infer nothing about the lifestyle of the parents, who are unmarried.
The first action was entered in the family court because the council felt it entirely appropriate to ascertain if the nine-month-old baby of an HIV mother was infected.
The second resulted out of an incident reported by the baby's GP.
She felt the baby to be seriously at risk.
An Emergency Protection Order was then sought.
Kate and Steve are close, loving, responsible parents.
Steve is a computer programmer and Kate is a mature student reading Theoretical Physics.
There are two central issues.
First, forcing a test on a nine-month-old baby, without evidence of illness, against the parents' wishes contravenes Section 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights.
Secondly, we would argue that the mother's scrupulous maintenance of her health in spite of this persisting medical condition in no way puts the baby at risk.
Would you state your name and occupation? Gail Smith, GP at the Wayley Street Health Centre.
How long have you known Miss Rankin, Mr Sarasy and their baby? Approximately eight weeks.
The mother came in to register the baby when he developed eczema.
Was it then you learnt she was an HIV-positive mother breastfeeding her baby and contacted the council? I don't breastfeed.
I told her I didn't.
Have you ever breastfed your baby, Miss Rankin? No.
I couldn't.
But even if I could, I wouldn't.
It wouldn't be responsible.
Mr Parsons? My Lord, the council had reason to suspect otherwise.
Well, doubtless, we will hear these reasons at some point.
Can you tell us, Doctor, why you contacted the council about this HIV-positive mother? I called at the home Miss Rankin shares with her partner one evening last week to once again try and persuade her to have Brandon tested.
I found that Kate had a deep cut to her hand, the baby had eczema, I thought there was a real risk she could infect the baby with her blood.
What statistics are available for HIV-positive mothers to so infect their babies? I really don't know.
Do you have any other patients who have infected their babies in this way? No, but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen.
Do you know of actual infections occurring this way, Doctor? Only what I've read in journals.
I see.
So how did you assess the risk to Brandon? I spoke to one of the partners in our health centre.
Is he or she an expert in HIV? No.
We're GPs.
Would it be true to say, Doctor, that in Kate Rankin you found a highly intelligent young mother who knew an awful lot more than you, not only about her illness which she treats, but an awful lot more than you generally about this illness? She is intelligent.
She's also arrogant and foolhardy.
She beat 300 other applicants for funding for a place on one of the top Theoretical Physics courses in the country.
She is highly informed about health issues and the pitfalls of treatment.
Did you feel threatened by this superior knowledge? No.
Isn't that why you approached the council? Mrs Mills, are you wishing to turn this into a hostile action? Kate and Steve feel that this doctor and the council are being hostile towards their baby.
And the council may be acting in a way that experience tells them is best for the baby.
Do you wish to say anything else, Doctor? Well, I didn't feel threatened.
We tried to negotiate with her.
You can't treat something as complex as HIV with alternatives, as she seems to be suggesting.
You can.
Yes.
We will be coming to you, Miss Rankin.
Thank you, Doctor.
I think that might be a convenient place to stop.
My lord, is the baby to be returned to the foster mother for the night? I think I am honour-bound to do so, yes.
How could you let the baby go back like that? Chas, you know better than to approach me like this.
I at least thought you'd be decent.
Chas, please stop this now.
Great, just give them everything! Oh, fine.
Reason fails, walk out.
What a perfect argument.
Do women drive you crazy, Stephen? All the time, Judge.
A lady asked me to give you this.
Anyone nice? Mmm.
That good? - You gave the council a really easy time.
- Yeah, Charlie's been on my case already.
- I had an invite from your client, Dr Bellew.
- Ex-client.
You directed the jury to acquit her, remember? I have no need to continue that relationship, and nor must you.
- She's invited me to dinner.
- Yeah, well, she can certainly afford it now.
John, it could be career suicide if you do.
- She was wholly innocent.
- Yeah, well, that's not what the LCD spies will see.
- You'd be playing straight into their hands.
- Ooh.
Then maybe you should save me from myself.
Someone ought to.
- I must go.
- Bye.
Judge.
I wanted to see you.
This is not a good idea.
- Yeah, but I just wanted to say thank you.
- You already have, Dr Bellew.
My name is Helena.
Can I talk to you in private? Deed actually met this woman socially? In the wine bar.
She's been sending him notes.
It's a gross breech of judicial etiquette.
He acquitted her on a direction.
Are we sure she is not pursuing him? To be certain, we'd need to have him followed.
Is that the only way? Much as I'd welcome Deed's fall from grace For His Lordship's own protection, it might be prudent, Sir Ian.
That's to invite scandal of another kind.
I'd better take some serious legal advice on this.
I would like to call Dr Capstick.
It seems sensible, my lord, to have the medical experts together.
Yes, that does seem like a good idea.
The risk to a small baby of a mother infecting him with HIV mustn't be over-exaggerated, but it is very real.
Is there any way of knowing if the baby is HIV without testing? We could wait until it gets ill from the various AIDS-related problems.
If the baby were found to be HIV-positive, you would do what? Treat him prophylactically with Septrin and protease inhibitors.
To do what? To prevent progression to full-blown AIDS.
Thank you.
How long would such treatment last for? For the rest of its life.
To prevent, as I said, the progression into AIDS.
- Dr Capstick, have you seen this baby? - Yes, I have.
Apart from a little eczema in the form of a nappy rash, he's very healthy.
Are there side effects to this treatment, the treatment you would give to the baby were he HIV? Of course, but minor compared with AIDS.
Do all HIV-positive people develop AIDS? Certainly not under my regime.
There are long-term survivors, who we call non-progressors.
They have rejected treatments, like Kate.
The sort of health regime Kate Rankin has adopted, is it likely to help her fight the onset of any AIDS-related illness? I believe she practises yoga, meditates, has a healthy vegetarian diet and has herself treated with herbal therapies.
All these things would help.
But it would be foolish to suggest that this alone is enough.
Despite the apparent good health of Brandon, you would still treat him against the mother's wishes? We do what we know to be right.
Isn't that medical dogma, Doctor? The exercise of your opinion against the equally valid opinion of the mother? The mother's view is entirely emotional.
That's what mothers are like, Doctor, when we fight for what we hold most sacred, the lives of our babies.
Ah, Ian, I'm so sorry.
That PVS hearing took far longer than any of us expected.
Has Frederick offered you a sherry? The health system is throwing up a lot of persistent vegetative state cases.
Science keeps the old motor running long after the ghost has left.
"Thou shalt not kill; but needst not strive Officiously to keep alive.
" Arthur Hugh Clough in The Latest Decalogue, Now that these civil service examinations have become so risibly easy, Ian, I daresay you're getting a number of PVSs amongst your own staff.
- Oh yes, sit down.
- Thank you.
We might have a little local difficulty, Joe.
We are taking soundings for Lords Justice appointments.
There is a school of opinion favouring your former son-in-law.
What? It can't happen.
The baker's dust of his childhood has barely left his jacket.
His liberal and humane concerns have resonated in the media and in influential political circles.
The Lord Chancellor feels he should be on the list for consideration.
He's hardly been on the bench for five minutes! And, well, what have we seen? He uses our common law heritage as if it were plasticine from which to mould justice in accordance with his own warped notions.
I was on the bench seven years before I was elevated to the Court of Appeal.
- I take it you're against it.
- No.
Neither I, nor my brethren will allow Deed to ascend to the appellate bench.
His rise would precipitate discomfort in quarters well beyond this corridor.
Surely you simply have to advise that he is unsuitable.
Ordinarily, I would so advise the Lord Chancellor.
Yet I have reason to despise that wretched man far longer than you have.
A newspaper recently referred to Deed's judgements as "the law with justice flowing through its veins".
What? A picture of an altogether more sinister character is what is needed.
I take it you have some means of revealing that character? I have, Joe.
What I urgently need to know is how sound my move might be legally.
For obvious reasons, I can't take advice from our people in the department.
You intrigue me.
That young couple must be breaking their hearts.
Give me a break.
I got Charlie and Mrs Mills on my back about this one.
Dr Bellew left another of these at the reception desk.
- She's very persistent.
- And possibly dangerous.
I'll alert security to stop her entering the building, my lord.
Yeah, okay, that might be the best thing to do.
Excuse me, Sir John.
There is a woman at the gate asking for you.
She says it's urgent.
Who is she? A Dr Bellew, my lord.
She seems rather emotional.
Yes, she is, very.
Ask Stephen to deal with her, will you? Your policeman is off duty, sir.
Did she say what it was about? Only that it's imperative she sees you.
I could call the police, sir.
You didn't leave her standing out in the rain, did you? I cannot admit unannounced visitors, my lord.
Let her in before she drowns.
Dr Bellew, my lord.
- God, you're absolutely soaked.
- I'm sorry about this.
I'm I'm sorry.
Mr Johnson, would you get the doctor some coffee and brandy, please? Let me take your mac.
You know, I could get into serious trouble just letting you in here.
You really must stop pursuing me like this.
I'm sorry, I tried not to come here.
I thought I'd go to the police or my solicitor, but you're the only one I trust.
- What I have to say, I can't say in a letter.
- Sit down.
My lord, Sir Ian Rochester wonders if you might spare him a moment in his office at adjournment.
Concerning what, Mr James? This is a matter for Sir Ian, my lord.
We believe it concerns Dr Bellew.
Then the mountain might have to come to Mohammed.
Do they watch my every move? What is it about me? Do you really want me to tell you, Judge? - Mrs Mills, Judge.
- Thanks, Coop.
Breakfast in His Lordship's chambers.
Do you want to give yourself a reputation? Dr Bellew came to my digs last night.
Well, it was just a matter of time.
Lord Chancellor's people know about it.
What do you want from me, a character reference? That is not the problem.
Well, it couldn't get worse.
Jo, please, I've had a really sleepless night.
That's what you wanted, presumably.
She claims to have murdered the old man.
It's not possible.
She says he was in terrible pain and he pleaded with her to end it.
His pain or his life? She gave him four ampoules of diamorphine, not two.
- Did she know about the will? - Says she didn't.
Are you going to inform the police? What for? We can't try her again.
They might want to dig up some of her dead patients.
The Lord Chancellor's people think they've caught you in the worst possible circumstances with this doctor.
Was there such a circumstance, John? No, of course not.
Well, then, you simply tell them what you've discovered.
And there the matter ends as far as the LCD are concerned.
What's your gut feeling on this, Jo? I still think she's innocent.
I think your direction to acquit was right.
Yeah, maybe.
John.
What a dilemma.
I don't know what's happened to Steve.
He had to go and pick up a recorded delivery.
Well, he knows we need him in court with you.
I want you to be clear about your evidence.
Try to be calm and unemotional.
How can I be if they take Brandon? Well, you're a good mother, Kate.
All we have to do is impress that on the judge.
I don't think they've made a case about the risks.
Supposing he won't let me have him? It's going really well.
Come on.
- Kate.
- Steve, what happened? The letter's from the Edinburgh Health Authority.
They found Frankie's health records.
They want to know where Brandon is.
They've contacted the local health authority here.
But they can't.
They can't, not now.
- I know.
- It's not fair.
- I know.
Miss Rankin? - Come on.
Come on, we can do this.
- Yeah.
Hello.
He's great.
You okay? Do you want a delay? Not unless you can delay it forever.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
Can we take our seats, please? The conventional wisdom is that if you are HIV-positive and you don't seek treatment, then you are likely to develop full-blown AIDS.
Why have you avoided treatment? I saw some of my friends who had it die quite quickly.
They had all been pushed into the medical treatment system.
I became infected from a blood transfusion so I wasn't keen to go back into the system.
Somehow, I worked out that if you treat a person with HIV without any symptoms, it's like it's like voodoo.
Tell someone they have a fatal illness and they'll almost certainly develop it.
I don't believe doctors go about treating the problem in the right way at all.
I don't believe they even know what they're looking for, and then, when they think they've found it they start bombarding the immune system as though it were separate from the whole person, while that person continues to do all the things that compromise the immune system, such as bad diet, stress, bad attitude - drug taking.
- So, you've kept yourself in good health.
Yes, I've tried to.
I think it works.
If your child were to prove HIV-positive, would it be your intention not to seek orthodox medical treatment for him? He's not HIV.
I know he's not.
But if he were, I would keep him well my way.
Miss Rankin, when you consulted a doctor on your condition, how long did he say you might live for? -10 years.
- How long ago was that? About 10 years ago.
So, to put it indelicately, Miss Rankin, if the medical prognosis is correct, you could die tomorrow, and your baby could expect to live about the same length of time.
To put it indelicately, you're pretty stupid.
- Miss Rankin, I understand that you're feeling - He doesn't know the first thing about HIV or related illnesses.
You don't just drop dead.
There is a long period of poor health.
I am not going to die.
And nor is my baby.
He is not.
I have no further questions.
Thank you, Miss Rankin.
I think this might be a convenient moment to adjourn for lunch.
My lord, should the baby go back to the foster mother for the adjournment? No, I think we can trust the parents over lunch.
There's no other way out.
The nursery doors are alarmed.
- What about the loo windows? - Barred.
The security doors are the only way out.
We have to do it soon before the court sits again.
But they're watching us.
Kate, we could lose him forever.
How could you live with that, if we don't at least try? - I'm scared.
- So am I.
Come on, let's do it.
Kate, there is a way to cut the ground right from under the council.
- If you agree to a test - No.
Let me finish.
If he tests positive we can ask the judge to stop the council forcing you to seek treatment for him - under the Human Rights Act.
- No, we can't.
Well, why not, if you don't have to get him treated? One small pinprick and it's all over.
They'll find out he's not our baby.
What? You can't be serious.
Whose baby is he? The real mother died when he was eight weeks old.
We've looked after him ever since.
- You mean you just took him? - No.
His mum died of breast cancer.
I mean, that was the start.
By the end, it was all over her.
I met her at the healer's.
We had Brandon while she was in and out of hospital.
We grew very attached to him.
There wasn't anybody else, Frankie had no parents or siblings.
I kept thinking someone would come for him, but they never did.
Then I got my place at university and we came down here.
Did she will you the baby, make you the testamentary guardian? Well, yeah, sort of.
- She wanted to, but she died before she could.
- That's not enough, Kate.
You don't have the right to keep him.
She wanted me to have him, she did.
I'm an officer of the court, I can't simply ignore this.
You can't let them take the baby away, Jo, you They can't.
They can and they will.
Charlie, I can't just unhear this, I wish I could, I have to inform the court.
I'm sorry.
It's okay, it's okay.
You coming to see me? Oh, Chas, darling.
Come on.
Your friend's evidence was very impressive.
Coop, could you get us some tea, please? - Well, you're due in court, Judge.
- They're not going to start without me, are they? I don't want tea, thanks.
Well, let's talk anyway, come on.
Charlie, you don't need me to tell you what this means.
I'm bound to sanction the child's removal into care.
But no one could care for the baby like Kate and Steve do.
Do you really think foster parents would be more caring? Probably not, but under the law they have no rights.
You can change that, Dad.
You can.
Oh, Chas.
I love your optimism about what I can and can't do.
And the law says if you're not related and have lived with the baby for less than three years, you have no legal claim.
Well, how could they? The baby's only nine months old.
One right they might have is to foster baby Brandon themselves.
It's a start.
But the local council has to agree.
- I can't steamroller through this one, Chas.
- Why not? You act like Spider-Man most of the other times.
It's in statute is why, Chas.
Their not being the child's natural parents changes everything.
When you found out Grandad wasn't your real father, did it make a difference to you? My lord, there's something I've just learned that entirely changes the nature Before you go on, Mrs Mills, I'm going to adjourn for 48 hours while I do some research.
No, my lord, I mean, with respect, my lord, the matter is of the utmost importance.
Well, I fail to see why, Mr Parsons, with Brandon in care.
Is the baby to continue in care, my lord? Yes, I think that might be best, but the parents are to have reasonable access to him.
48 hours.
Do we have a problem that requires a stenographer? My concern is that the department isn't embarrassed.
Well, be brief.
It's come to the department's attention that you had at your lodgings last night a defendant you had recently directed the jury to acquit of murder.
Well, you've got me bang to rights.
You know that sense of propriety dictates it should never happen.
- The lodgings butler was present.
- The whole two and a half hours she was observed entering and leaving your rooms? These were extenuating circumstances.
She was observed passing you notes.
I often get letters from people I've acquitted.
With whom His Lordship subsequently has contact? These were exceptional circumstances.
- Yes, I gather she's very attractive.
- Yeah, a real looker.
Your department will be very embarrassed if I go public about your spying on me.
I'm trying to protect your reputation, my lord.
Will you undertake not to see this woman again? Nope.
On principle.
I didn't think High Court judges were answerable to civil servants.
Now, if you'll excuse me.
I had hoped to dispose of this informally.
I find this most regrettable, Sir John.
My God, this is a baker's son.
You promised to rid me of him.
Thank you, Mrs Laynen.
These are the papers from Dr Bellew's trial, Judge.
- I'll get the rest.
- Thank you, Mr Harrison.
Thanks, Coop.
- Could you - Just get you some coffee.
Coffee.
- You look terrible.
- Thank you.
- Mrs Cooper says you've been up all night.
- I have.
- In a good cause.
- Helena Bellew? Partly.
I really needed to know did I get it wrong when I acquitted her? I don't think so.
You saw her drugs records in evidence.
You saw that she only signed out two, not four, ampoules of diamorphine.
Doesn't mean to say that she couldn't have got two more from somewhere else.
Maybe.
I've been reading about false confession syndrome, you know, you keep coming across the same thing.
People need to be punished, they need to be seen to be guilty.
Well, it figures with her.
She told me she still dreams about the baby she's supposed to have killed all those years ago.
The thing is, John, is that no one will ever know about old Mr Moore.
So stop beating yourself up about it and move on.
Okay.
Baby Brandon.
Well, if the council know what I think you know, you're going to have to grant the care order.
Oh, they know, all right.
They asked for an order without notice hearing this morning.
- Well, I hope you'll insist it's inter partes, - No.
Don't want the parents there.
If they are, I shall have to question them directly about baby Brandon.
John, I hope you're not thinking what I think you are.
Well, it's legal, just.
Provided I don't find against the parents.
- No, I'm not here, I don't want to know.
- Hang on.
- Dr Briones still in the country? - I'll find out.
- We could just take him and run.
- Kate, we've talked about this.
We're fitter than they are, Steve.
We are.
Be sensible.
Hello.
Hello, my darling.
You mustn't get out of our sight.
It's all right.
We're not gonna run off with him.
It wouldn't do any good, anyway.
- We know about his real mum.
- Come on.
- It's okay.
- Steve.
It is a matter of grave urgency, my lord.
The council has reason to believe that Miss Rankin and Mr Sarasy are not the real parents of Brandon.
It seems their reluctance to have the baby tested was merely a ploy to prevent their unmasking.
They have since learned that the mother was one Frankie McWilliams.
Is there evidence of it? I have Miss McWilliams' death certificate and the baby's birth certificate.
Well, all this tells me is that a woman died and a baby was born.
That's why we must have a paternity test, my lord.
That's what this hearing is about, Mr Parsons, I had adjourned the hearing for 48 hours.
It was a very fortuitous adjournment, my lord.
We will resume the hearing this afternoon.
Mr Harrison, if you could notify the other side.
Meanwhile, this application is denied.
Charlie, wherever you are, call me.
It's urgent.
Isn't she great? - She's my daughter substitute.
- She's very beautiful.
The doctor on whose behalf you gave evidence now claims to have murdered the old man.
Good heavens.
Well, only she and God know.
Could she have killed him intentionally? - Did I get it wrong? - No.
She said she gave him four ampoules, not two.
The old man's liver was loaded with opiate alkaloid metabolites.
Almost any additional amounts of morphine could have caused fatal pathology.
Doesn't help me very much.
She could still have intended to kill him.
I'm a pathologist.
You should talk to a psychiatrist.
I don't want to talk to somebody who's going to tell me what they think I need to hear.
If it helps, I've seen this before.
She's the sort of doctor who blames herself for anything and everything.
I knew another one like that.
In the end it stopped me being a useful doctor.
A long time ago, a baby in her care died.
She was cleared of any wrongdoing.
She still feels she should be punished for it.
- She substituted the old man for the baby? - I'll tell you what I think.
She gave the old man half a 30 milligram ampoule and then another half, then half of the second 30 milligram ampoule, then the final half.
You could convince yourself that was four, if you were in a state.
Hmm.
You're a very unusual judge, doing this.
Why don't you just move on? Do you know you're the second person today who's told me that? Well, how many more do you need? Dr Bellew.
Do you know who this is, Doctor? - Yes, of course.
Could you come to my chambers? I want to talk to you.
Oh, but I thought Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I think someone's following me.
No, you're not being paranoid, you are being followed.
It's the Lord Chancellor's security people.
Hang on.
Can you wait a minute? Don't worry, come to the rear entrance and I'll tell security, I wonder if you could do something for me? Chas, we have to move fast if I'm to be Spider-Man.
Can you get here right away? Mr James? Dr Bellew has just arrived at the court.
Okay? Yeah? I'm just going to change Brandon.
No, it's all right.
She can't go anywhere.
- Ready with your closing argument, Mrs Mills? - Uh, yes, my lord.
Can you hold him for just two seconds? My lord, the conflict hinges on whether Kate and Steve are good parents, and if, by refusing the current test for HIV, they're shown to be lesser parents than if they had done otherwise.
I'm waiting for someone.
I'm waiting for someone.
In actions such as this, there are never any real winners, simply a ruling favouring one side.
I'm reminded of the judgement of Solomon in Kings 3, Faced with two women fighting over which was the rightful mother, Solomon threatened to cut the child in two with a sword.
One of the women instantly gave up her claim in order to protect the child, and her compassion caused Solomon to declare that she was the rightful mother and he was recognised as a great judge.
I'm not convinced by either party's argument.
Whilst accepting that there are merits in both, it is clear that Kate and Steve are parents of the highest order.
In resisting the council, they have chosen not to presuppose a medical condition that we pray does not exist.
That is a wholly tenable position to adopt.
It is not, however, one that I entirely support.
The council, for its part, has acted honourably in bringing this action, though a few more hard facts to support their case might have been welcome.
So I am going to strike down the Emergency Protection Order because it is perfectly clear that Kate and Steve are the right and proper people to take care of Brandon.
But I am going to uphold the council's application to have Brandon tested for HIV, as this current state of uncertainty cannot be allowed to continue.
With respect, my lord, might we do that as a matter of urgency? How soon would you propose to do this, Mr Parsons? Well, immediately.
The council does have Dr Smith standing by to take a blood test.
Then it seems sensible to proceed.
- Can we take the child? Yes.
- I think she needs changing.
- She? - It's not Brandon.
- Really? Where's Brandon? Where were you? I panicked when you weren't there.
- Were you followed? - I'm not sure.
I was too scared to look.
Well, it worked.
Just like Charlie's dad said it would.
Hello, gorgeous.
Come on, gorgeous.
- Ooh, where's your mummy? Dad, you were brilliant, - You really are Spider-Man.
- Why, thank you.
Kate needs three uninterrupted years of looking after Brandon.
Then she can come home and make a care application.
I'll reserve the case for myself.
That's her.
- Are you sure? - It's Dr Bellew.
Would you return these with our thanks, Stephen? Thank you.
Yes! We've got him.
- When will you be back, my lord? - We'll let you know.
It's not her.
Thank you.
John, where did you say we were going? Le Touquet for dinner.
No, John, tea.
Let's try Bournemouth.
I have to be back this evening.
Bournemouth? I'm serious! Oh.
Okay, tea.
Tea.