Law and Order: UK (2009) s02e01 Episode Script
Samaritan
In the criminal justice system, the People are represented by two separate, equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime, and the crown prosecutors, who prosecute offenders.
These are their stories.
No, not tomorrow.
I'm on nights.
Friday night? Yeah, but I'm worth waiting for.
'Any unit?' Lima Oscar.
Deal with a disturbance on Creake Street.
Oscar Lima from 719, show me assigned to disturbance at Creake St.
Over.
Here you go, Maya.
Oh, you're a lifesaver.
Long night.
He's on tonight, the one I was talking about.
My favourite voice.
Nick Bentley.
'Lima Oscar.
' Oh, it's him again.
'719.
I have two suspects concerned drug dealing at Creake St.
' 'Both appear to have firearms.
' 'I need a Trojan unit and urgent assistance.
' All units, officer requires urgent assistance, Creake Street.
Can I have a Trojan unit, please? 'Lima Oscar from 713.
Show me assisting.
' Received.
First unit on scene a situation report please.
I'm hit' So's one suspect.
Other suspect now towards Cornwall Road.
I need an ambulance.
All units from Lima Oscar, suspect with firearm towards Cornwall Road, First unit on scene, a sitrep please.
Where's my backup? Where's Ray? '713 from Lima Oscar, were are you? 713?' Where's the backup? 'Nick? 719.
' 'Tell us you're OK.
' 'Nick?' This is PC Nick Bentley, 24, been on the beat for two years.
Took a bullet to the stomach and the thigh, hitting his femoral artery.
He bled to death.
Took around about four minutes.
Caught in the crossfire.
Nightmare.
Yeah.
Uniform say his partner was sorting a parking argument at Waterloo station.
When he got the shout, he misheard the address.
Well, this time of night round here, we'll be struggling for witnesses.
Got anything, Joy? Nine bullet shells scattered at the scene, from two weapons.
So our man had no chance.
It looks like he's just started shaving, this kid.
According to his ID he's 21.
Carrying a.
38 weapon.
Six of the shells came from him.
The other three from a.
22.
Bentley's partner over there.
What about the other drug dealer fella? Got any DNA traces on him? Fingerprints on a bag of crack.
Going to the lab now.
Bentley's partner's here.
Let's see how he's doing.
What do you tell your husband these nights, Joy? Never that it's one of us that got shot.
I was at the back of the station.
A taxi rank had been blocked in by a limo on a hen night.
Nick went on ahead, while I sorted the to-do out there.
I should've been with him.
Don't beat yourself up.
It could happen to anyone.
Yeah, but I misheard the shout.
I thought they said Leake Street, not Creake Street.
Was your radio working properly? Half a dozen people having a ding dong right in my ear didn't help.
Well, we'll need a proper debrief and a statement, Ray, at the station, when you're ready.
Yeah, course.
That's no age to die.
There's never a good age.
What have you got? Bag from the crime scene containing crack had two major sets of prints.
The first was from the corpse, Ade Young, 21.
Other prints belong to a Theo Carson.
Here's his PNC record.
Blinding, Teddy.
That is just the ticket after the old all-nighter.
A burglary, GBH, dealing heroin, ecstasy and ketamine.
A full house, and he got off on all charges.
Lucky boy.
Not any more.
That's gotta be the worst thing in the world.
What, losing a partner? Yeah.
Sorry.
I know you That's all right.
Big Bob Logan, lovely Northerner, from Whitby.
Used to like gravy on his chips.
Every chippie on our beat knew that was his favourite, and did it for him special.
Got stabbed in a pub breaking up a fight.
Nothing I could do.
Ron.
Target sighted.
Call it in.
Armed police, get on the floor! Get down, get down on the floor now.
Get down! Get on the floor! Get down, get down! Right.
Theo Carson? Hey, what is this? Like you don't know, son.
I'm arresting you on suspicion of the murder of PC Nick Bentley.
I didn't kill him! You - tell them so they understand! Fingerprints on a plastic bag don't even prove he was dealing.
He could've bought a sandwich, thrown the bag away, and someone else filled it with drugs.
See, she's good! Thank you very much, but if you let me do the talking Where were you at the time of the murder, Theo? Not there.
Show me the murder weapon and prove Mr Carson used it, or you're gonna have to let him go.
Exactly! We know you fired shots, Theo.
We've taken gunpowder residue from your hands and your clothes.
But you don't have a gun to match it.
What did you do with the gun, Theo? Did you take it home? Throw it away? Whatever you did with it, I promise you this, Theo.
Our lads in uniform will find it.
Maybe you two are hard of hearing, but they haven't, have they? So unless you have the weapon, you have to let my client go.
His brief's right.
With no weapon, we haven't enough to charge him.
We have CCTV of him running from the crime scene, a few minutes after Bentley was shot.
So he was out for a run.
No connection.
Really sorry to interrupt.
Metcall logged a call from a witness to the shooting.
Phone number and billing address.
Well, done, Ange.
It wasn't me.
I didn't phone no one.
This is your mobile number.
Maybe.
Do you have your mobile phone on you? Maybe.
How old are you, Jaya? Younger than you, for sure.
So was the bloke who got gunned down on the South Bank for doing his job.
Now can I have a look at your mobile phone, please? Thank you.
What did you see? Yeah - I didn't see nothing.
My dad says, 'Don't get involved.
You only bring trouble on yourself.
' With all due respect Jaya, your dad's an idiot.
If we all keep to ourselves, what happens to the community? Not my problem, is it? It is now.
Am I gonna have to speak in court? Just focus on identifying the right person for now.
It was number two.
I saw him shoot the other guy and leg it.
Good girl.
So you got a witness.
I am telling you, I didn't shoot the pig.
The copper.
So why don't you tell us what happened? We were finishing our deal.
Ade was all hyper, like.
But he'd been jittery all along.
Then a copper comes round a corner, no warning, sees us and shouted.
Ade just went off.
Ade shot the cop in the leg, then shoots him again in the stomach.
Then Ade started shooting at me, claiming it was a setup.
I'm shouting, telling him I hadn't done anything.
Then I started shooting too.
And you shot Ade Young.
It was self defence, man! I had to stop him! Well, you did that all right.
I thought the cop was all right.
He wasn't.
That's not my fault though.
That's down to you boys.
And how do you work that out? When I went round the corner, I see a copper in a doorway, just standing there, almost like he's hiding.
See, what I don't get is, that bloke was injured.
That copper.
He wasn't dead.
So why was this other copper just standing there? He could've been there, helped him.
He let him die, not me.
Guv! The bullet that killed Bentley matches Ade Young's gun.
So Theo Carson didn't shoot Nick Bentley.
But he did kill Ade Young.
Weapon was found on a building site, Carson's DNA's all over it.
Connects with the gunshot residue we took from his clothes.
Thanks, Teddy.
So no one gets charged with Nick Bentley's death? Not unless you want to arrest Ade Young's corpse.
What about Theo Carson's evidence? The copper round the corner, not going to help? Shut the door.
Do we believe Carson? Well, why would he lie? Same reason why dogs piss on lampposts.
It's their nature.
Nah, he knew his number was up.
And the way he said it, not like he was trying to stitch anyone up - it was the fact that he couldn't understand it.
Why are we even discussing this? Come on, Ron.
There's no way one plod leaves another to die.
Well, we've got a witness who says different, and it is our duty to follow it up, even if it is just to rule it out.
And you're gonna tell that to the uniform boys, are you? I don't want you to say a word to anyone.
This stays between us three for now.
Expand the CCTV collection to get us a wider view of the area.
See if there's any footage from buildings near the crime scene.
You are kidding.
You want to pursue this? A police officer died.
We follow every piece of evidence we've got.
CCTV? Don't have any.
Sorry.
You must own half the buildings round here.
I can see at least half a dozen cameras within 150 yards.
And you're telling me you had no closed circuit footage of that night? I didn't put new DVDs in the recorders.
Well, that's very unfortunate.
Have you got any DVDs of the night before the incident? I think so.
What about the night after? I think so.
Well, excuse me sir, butany other nights you forgot to put the DVD in? I don't think so.
I'm sorry about the policeman getting shot.
But like you say, it's unfortunate.
I can't help you.
No, he's been nobbled.
Someone's got to him.
Ron, seriously, can we knock this on the head, please? You're making up patterns.
There's probably a simple explanation.
Matt, open your eyes, son.
Someone's taking us for a couple of monkeys, mate.
I mean, who knows the procedure, eh? Who knows where to look first? It's other Old Bill.
Sorry, I just don't buy it.
It ain't the bleeding '70s! We're not knee deep in corrupt coppers.
And the kind of person who joins the force is not the kind who leaves a colleague to die.
this is the 1/100 that ain't so pure.
Just explain to me why you're so keen to take the word of a drug dealer over the word of a fellow officer? Fine then.
Coppers are saints.
That's not what I said.
We owe it to Nick Bentley to rule out Carson's claim.
How do we do that? Quiz uniform.
never lost one till now.
Well, I don't see as there was anything else you could've done.
We're all in shock down here.
Bentley was a good lad.
You know, popular.
Goalie in the five a side team.
Probably would've been CID material for you boys in a few months.
The, uh, the lad who killed Bentley didn't survive the shootout, but we have charged Theo Carson with his murder.
Right.
Anything you need to make the case against Carson, just yell.
We can make everything move a lot faster down here.
Well, a lot faster than Ray Griffin, hopefully.
Sorry? Well, I was just saying, Griffin was late to the scene.
Not much cop as Bentley's backup, eh? Back on the booze, Ron? No.
Just saying.
Unfortunate.
Mm, and he's torn up about it.
But there was an IRV and a Trojan unit that also didn't get there in time.
True, but they were a lot further away, to be fair.
Is there something you want to say, DS Brooks? Well, you must be disappointed in your men.
Ray Griffin's a good copper.
He didn't get there in time.
Sometimes it goes like that.
But not in 11 years under your command, eh? I've been round to tell Nick Bentley's mum her worst nightmare's come true.
We're all hurting down here.
If you start impugning my officers, you'll be taking your gonads back to CID in a paper bag.
Do we understand each other? Happy now? Or is there someone you've omitted to piss off? This is how we do it, poke 'em and see if they bite.
No! Not when it's one of ours and he's grieving for one of his boys.
So what, everyone here gets a free pass, do they? No.
They get what everyone gets - some basic courtesy and a little respect.
Let me explain something, son, just so as we understand each other.
We set an example to the rest of society.
So if anyone here falls below that standard, the gloves are off.
So if people get a bit prickly, or their feelings get hurt, tough.
I can live with that.
Got it? DI Chandler asked me to pass you this.
Quietly.
Nick Bentley's personnel files.
Very good, Ange.
You're a star.
I do my best.
Nick Bentley: perfect record until about three months ago.
Then there are a couple of written warnings, absences, turning up late.
Then he stopped playing five a side.
Right.
Now talking to the girls downstairs, there's something that's not there.
And what is that? He was gay.
He'd never told anyone, kept it hidden, until one of the PCs saw him outside a club in Soho, snogging a bloke.
And don't tell me - that was about three months ago.
So he was gay.
So what? Loads of coppers are gay.
And loads of people ain't happy about it.
I can believe Nick Bentley took some stick.
And maybe it knocked him a bit.
But everyone gets stick - you're too tall, too short, too fat, too thin.
They called me Mick for the first six months, cos my family are Irish.
It's just banter.
Late backup isn't banter, Matt.
What, so now his backup was late because he was gay? I'm saying it's a possibility.
Just humour me, right? I mean, why don't we check the facts in Griffin's statement, let him talk us through it? And if it all looks kosher, I will let it go.
I promise.
I was on the corner of Leake St when I realised the mistake, so I turned and ran the other way.
Fastest I've ever run.
Could barely breathe by the time I got there.
Nick was on the ground, big pool of blood coming out of his thigh.
The dealer had been shot in the head.
I tried CPR, but Nick was already dead by then.
The IRV and the Trojan turned up a few moments after that.
Well, erthanks, Ray.
You know how it is, mate.
Everything by the book.
We have to double check all the notes in your evidence book.
Just, having a look at this map though, for a second, you might be able to clear something up for us.
Course.
Crime scene was in Creake St, yeah? Now you said you was originally at Waterloo station, and then you mistakenly went to Leake St, which is there.
Yeah.
Well, me and Matty, just out of interest, we actually did that route.
Well, when I say we, I mean Matty did all the running! I just stood there with a stopwatch.
I don't get you, Ron.
Well, I'm pretty sure that you'd agree that Matty is probably a little bit fitter than you? A lot fitter I reckon, yeah.
Absolutely.
A lot fitter.
But from the time you got the shout .
.
to the time you actually radio'd in to tell 'em you was at the scene was four minutes.
If you say so.
Well, Matty had one a hell of a job running from Waterloo to Leake St, then up to Creake St, the crime scene, in that time.
Four minutes? I mean it took him almost eight minutes, and that was at full pelt.
If you weren't so sure, I'd go so far as to say it couldn't be done.
Well, I probably never made it all the way up to Leake St.
It just felt like it, you know.
Sorry, Ron - Yep.
You said you were on the corner of Leake Street.
Yeah.
I might have got a bit confused there.
Yeah.
Well, you know what, Ray? They're serving a disciplinary on you.
It's suddenly a disciplinary matter? Like I said, it's only procedure.
It's just that your memory and your statement aren't matching, are they? And we need to ask a few more questions, to make absolutely sure.
Now, is there anything else that's confusing you? No, Sarge.
My statement is my best memory.
Did you like PC Bentley, Ray? Sorry? You and Nick Bentley.
Did you get on? I didn't know him well.
The other night was only our second time out on the beat together.
He was a lot younger than me.
We mixed in different groups.
Did you know he was gay? No.
I didn't know that.
Really, was he? Got an opinion about gay men in the police force, Ray? Not especially.
Sorry - how does this relate to Bentley's death? Huh? He was shot by a dealer cos he was a copper, not cos he was a gay.
No.
You're right, Ray, absolutely.
Thanks.
That'll be all for now.
The more you look at Ray Griffin's account of events, the more it falls apart.
The evidence backs up Theo Carson's statement.
I still don't get the motivation.
There's no history of animosity between him and Bentley, or him and any gay officer.
All right.
So maybe you're right.
Maybe there is something dodgy.
Listen, I'm praying it's not, Matt, you gotta believe me.
What've you got? Ray Griffin is branch chairman of something called the League of Faith for Christian Officers.
It's a hard-line religious group within the station.
A lot of the older uniform movers and shakers are members.
So what? So they bar membership to all gay officers, saying it's, whatever, it doesn't fit with Bible teachings.
Anyway, I dug around.
Nick Bentley's a former member.
Ange said he'd never admitted to being gay.
What's the best way of putting people at their ease? Especially your immediate superiors? Be like them.
And until three months ago, Bentley was.
When he was spotted off duty with another bloke.
That really pissed off Ray Griffin.
Yeah, but still, piss him off enough to leave a man to die? Our guvnor's squared it with the DPS and the IPCC.
They're happy that this is a public interest case worth prosecuting.
Ray Griffin had a duty of care which he failed to provide.
You want to charge a serving officer with manslaughter-gross negligence? If we can't police ourselves, why should we expect the public to trust us? You've got to see the hornets' nest this'll stir up.
Isn't it best to keep it as an internal disciplinary issue? James, why do you do your job? To make a difference.
Make acontribution.
And you do brilliantly, if you don't mind me saying.
But let's assume .
.
someone in the CPS was wrongly prosecuting and victimising people, undermining all that wonderful work you do in the eyes of the public.
Ronnie - No, no, no.
Come on.
What would you want to happen to them? I'd want to see them exposed and punished.
Precisely.
Ray Griffin tars us all.
How are we supposed to get new blood into the police service if an officer like Griffin gets away with this? Late backup isn't manslaughter.
Have you any medical evidence? We saw the paramedics and pathologist.
If he'd helped Bentley two minutes earlier, he might have survived.
Ray Griffin left a fellow officer dying because the lad was gay.
We'll look at it.
Thank you.
Guv - yeah.
Ronnie's in there right now, talking through possible charges with James at the moment.
No, I haven't forgotten, Yep, will do.
Bye.
It's like having two mums.
How are you anyway? Some days are good.
Last week I thought the whole world knew everyone was looking at me.
Well, if you need anything You know, if you just want to talk.
Or not talk or just, just company you know Nothing funny.
I'm not cracking on to you.
Why not? I'm not broken, Matt.
Look umI think about what happened to you a lot.
I wasn't sure if I should mention it.
Um, I'm a bit crap at this.
Just be the same.
Same as always.
'The issues to be left to the jury are whether a duty of care was owed to the deceased; whether there had been a breach of that duty; whether the breach had caused death.
' Archbold.
Ray Griffin did not cause Nick Bentley's death.
Ade Young fired the bullets.
Defence will pile up ballistics, forensic and eyewitness evidence from Young's fellow drug dealer.
It is a non-starter.
I disagree.
Oh, do you now? The bullet caused Bentley's injury.
The omission to act caused death.
If he'd intervened, Bentley could still be alive.
Can I remind you we owe our whole existence to a good relationship with the police? If we go after this, I will have to explain to the DPP exactly why we are committing institutional suicide.
So we never prosecute police to keep their goodwill? No, correction.
We never prosecute anyone unless we have a rock solid case, and manslaughter-gross negligence is one hell of a leap.
Gay police have been out for years.
You heard of the GPA? George, we're talking about one man, not the entire police force.
Except when the media gets hold of it, he will be held up as representing the entire service.
That's the whole point! By prosecuting we'll show that he's not.
Ray Griffin had knowledge and experience.
His refusal to assist cost Bentley his life.
I'm not gonna let one bigoted police officer destroy the reputation of the entire police service.
Public office is an honour and a responsibility, and abuse of that position has to be punished.
You build me that rock solid case, but it'll need to be properly robust.
If a police officer was left to die because he was gay, then we'll get the bastard who abandoned him.
So are you a member of The League of Faith for Christian Officers? No.
I'm not a member of the darts team, or the line dancing either.
D'you think they're reasonable to refuse admission to gays? It's a club.
Clubs have membership rules.
I can't stop them.
Do I think some officers here aren't wild about gays? Yes I do.
Just as some of them are not wild about people with non-white skin.
Just cos people talk crap in their private lives, does not make them bad police officers.
D'you think Ray Griffin left Nick Bentley to die? Go and talk to people who live round here.
Ask them about Ray.
They love him.
And they feel safe when he's around.
You didn't answer my question.
He says he misheard his radio.
I believe him.
Do you mind if I speak to officers who knew Griffin and Bentley best? Ray looked after me ever since I joined.
He knows everyone, every corner of this manor.
What did he tell you about that night? Nothing.
He didn't talk about it with you? He mentioned it in passing.
In passing? Why are you trying to trip me up? I knew you'd do this.
Barney, I'm not trying to upset you.
I just want to get tothe truth.
No you don't! You just want toto stitch him up.
Why are you going after him? Nobody understands.
It could've been any of us.
We're all gutted for Bentley, but we can't bring him back.
That dealer killed Bentley.
Not Ray.
End of.
He was a laugh, Nick.
He was a great bloke to be on the beat with.
He could always see the funny side of things.
From the rota it seems you and Nick were paired together pretty often.
Yep.
Put the gays together.
You learn to expect it.
Is that why you transferred here? Listen, I've got a career to build.
If it looks like I'm snitching, trouble will just follow me.
Abbie, we're investigating whether Nick was left to die because he was gay.
Is there anything you think might be relevant? There was a leaflet pushed under the doors of mine and Nick's locker.
'"God gave them over to degrading passions.
" '"Men abandoned the natural use of women and burned in their desire towards one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error.
"' 'Romans I, 26 to 27.
' Ray Griffin's DNA was all over that leaflet.
That proves state of mind.
And what connects state of mind to the crime? Griffin did not act as a reasonable person in the circumstances.
He breached his duty of care.
Did that breach cause Bentley's death? No.
The bullet did.
But he could have prevented it.
There was deliberate recklessness.
We have to prove criminal omission and we haven't enough! Now, you tried, but it ends here.
No manslaughter charge against Ray Griffin.
George, please - I said no.
All right, then - misconduct in public office.
Same sentencing power as manslaughter.
Ray Griffin misconducted himself by leaving Bentley to die.
James is right.
Griffin lied in his police interview about how far he ran, about knowing Nick Bentley was gay - he's undermining the uniform.
I'm not letting this go.
Maybe, maybe you might make it home with misconduct, if you had that missing CCTV.
It's too much of a coincidence that it went missing.
Who's Griffin close to? Was there anyone he might confide in? Barney Goodison.
Griffin was his mentor since he joined.
I just want to keep my head down.
I don't want to upset anyone.
Why would you be upsetting anyone, Barney? I wasn't there that night.
I don't know what happened.
Then what are you scared about? I'm not.
Think you won't have a future in the force if you upset Ray Griffin? You're putting words in my mouth.
He said you'd do that.
Then tell me your version.
You don't understand.
He's a good bloke, Ray.
He looks after a lot of people.
He's been good to me.
Did he tell you what happened the night of Nick Bentley's death? You have a duty as an officer to tell me.
Barney, if we don't find out what happened, we can't stop it happening again, and you'll be responsible.
He asked me to get something for him.
What was it? Ray sent me round to the property owners to get hold of the footage before anyone else did.
He told me to destroy it.
He said things might get misinterpreted.
This looks pretty clear to me.
I didn't know what do, he's been so good to me, Ray.
I was just going to bin it, but then .
.
I took a look.
There are six cameras from around the scene.
And according to the transcripts of the calls, this is after Nick Bentley had been shot and was begging for help.
He stood there.
He just stood there and waited.
How long did he stand there for? Five minutes.
I've counted.
When he could have been giving his colleague first aid.
I told him I'd watched them.
He went mad.
He told me to hand them over, but I said no.
Ray said he wanted to explain.
He said .
.
he left it up to God.
He didn't get a sign from God, so he didn't go to help.
He said he thought it was God's will.
Ray? Is this how it happens? Raymond Griffin, I'm arresting you on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
No cuffs.
Head up.
I go with honour.
My lady, the charge of misconduct in public office is the last refuge of the desperate.
This might be a matter for internal police discipline, but not criminal proceedings.
Mr Steel? As a public officer, Mr Griffin deliberately, without justification, neglected his duty, resulting in PC Bentley's death.
Why not manslaughter-gross negligence? Because the Crown knows that such a charge would never succeed.
My lady, Mr Griffin's actions that night damage the service and character of every police officer in this city.
The Crown argues public officials must hold to the highest standards.
My client may have made an error of judgement for which he's been systematically victimised by the Crown.
Mr Griffin left the real victim of this crime bleeding to death on a London street.
The Crown will call evidence of Mr Griffin's homophobic beliefs that led to that action and to wilful misconduct.
Thank you, Mr Steel.
Mr Ridley, your application to dismiss is refused.
How is she? Have you asked her? Good God, no! Have you? Not really.
It's been hard to find the time.
Goodness' sake, you're her friend.
Find the right time, ask her how she is and then let me know.
So the key issue is whether the wounds were treatable, whether emergency assistance could have prevented or delayed death.
Listen, you should be more involved in this one.
We'll split the witnesses.
You call the pathologist and Sergeant Drake.
Really? Yeah.
Uh, keep them both focused on Griffin's duties and the extent of his misconduct.
What? You've done all the research, all the prep.
You know it better than I do.
And that's the only reason? You're ready.
You're doing this to make things better.
It's a sympathy thing.
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
You're ready to step up.
Thank you.
I won't let you down.
Sergeant Drake, how long have you known Ray Griffin? Ray Griffin and I have worked together for nine years, during which time I've found him to be an exemplary officer, highly valued by the community he serves.
Could you recite the first line of the police oath which you and Ray Griffin took when you joined the service, please? I'm sorry? The oath taken by police officers.
Could you recite the first line? I do solemnly and sincerely declare and affirm that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lady the Queen in the office of Constable, without favour or affection, malice or ill will.
Thank you.
Could you read the text on the front of this leaflet? '"If a man lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination and they shall surely be put to death.
" Leviticus XX, 13.
' Ray Griffin produced that leaflet and put it under the lockers of gay PCs Abbie Mellini and Nick Bentley.
Sgt Drake, would you agree that such an act contradicts the police oath by in fact demonstrating ill will and malice towards gay officers? We are a country that believes in free speech.
Do you expect officers under your command to go to the aid of a dying man? Well, every case is different.
There may well be risk - You regard it as an officer's public duty to assist a dying man? Yes.
So if an officer failed in this duty he wouldn't just be in breach of his oath, but guilty of misconduct? The bullet severed the femoral artery, causing massive loss of blood.
How long did it take for him to bleed to death? According to the evidence I read, a little over four minutes.
So if help had arrived within four minutes, would PC Bentley's chances of survival increase? Absolutely.
Thank you.
No further questions.
PC Bentley's chances of survival would have increased, you say.
But not certain? It's impossible to be certain.
You're certain of the cause of death.
Well, yes.
As I said, the bullet severed his femoral artery.
Bullet from a gun shot by Ade Young.
In your expert medical opinion, did PC Griffin cause any injury to PC Bentley? No.
Well, if PC Griffin had got to the scene more quickly, given medical support, would PC Bentley have survived? It's possible.
But notcertain.
She did well.
She'll be giving you a run for your money soon enough.
She does that anyway.
We've got a problem.
I just got the word from Ridley's junior.
They're challenging the admissibility of the CCTV footage.
Ah, it's Limbo Ridley, at it again.
It's a key part of your case.
If it's out, you're in big trouble.
My lady, this footage is such poor quality.
It's blurred and grainy.
It really ought to be excluded under Section 78 of PACE.
My lady, this is the first time the defence has raised the issue.
Section 78 is clear: where there is little or no probative value to the evidence, but the potential for serious prejudicial effect, the evidence ought not to be admitted.
It's simply not safe to leave this footage to a jury, my lady.
The quality's not good enough to be certain it's my client.
The jury should be left to decide that for themselves.
No, I'm not with you, Mr Steel.
The quality of the pictures leaves too much to be desired.
The prejudicial effect of the evidence far outweighs any probative value it might have.
The CCTV and any reference to it will be excluded.
What do we do now? I told you, I've got nothing worth saying in court.
Barney, the judge won't let the CCTV in.
We need you as a witness.
You've seen it.
Ray Griffin talked to you about it.
You have to tell the jury.
I dunno what you're talking about.
I never see's no CCTV of Ray.
What? Ray is a good man.
A great officer.
He was just late that night.
Barney, please.
We need you to tell the truth, or he mightn't be held accountable for Nick Bentley's death.
I've got nothing to say.
I needto get on with my job.
Someone must have got to Barney.
I imagine Griffin has friends everywhere, not just in the police.
They must've put Barney under pressure.
Then you do the same to Ray Griffin in the witness box.
Take him apart, James.
It's your only hope of winning.
I joined the force in 1989.
I have been proudly serving the community for 20 years.
My whole career has been about serving the public.
What's your opinion of gay police officers, PC Griffin? If they get on with the job, don't bother me, I don't mind.
I just follow what it says in the Bible.
What church do you attend? I've never found one that worked for me.
But my faith is very important.
You're not really a religious man at all, are you? I beg your pardon? You don't belong to a church.
You lift phrases from the Bible, out of context, devoid of comprehension, to justify your own prejudices.
This is bigotry masquerading as faith, isn't it? You're an insult to all those who actually have genuine faith - My lady, I fail to see how the private matter of PC Griffin's faith is relevant.
PC Griffin's beliefs are central to his motive for misconducting himself.
Move on please, Mr Steel.
Where were you when PC Bentley lay bleeding to death? I was making my way down from Leake Street.
I misheard my radio.
I got there as fast as I could.
You're quite certain about that? Hundred per cent.
How many times in your career have you misheard your radio? I couldn't say offhand.
It's rare but it happens.
I ran to Creake Street as soon as I realised my mistake.
Why don't the times of your run add up, PC Griffin? Because I didn't make it all the way there.
It didn't happen as you describe, did it? You didn't mishear your radio.
You heard Nick Bentley being shot.
You went to Creake St, and refused to give medical assistance that could have saved him.
Not true.
In failing to help, you misconducted yourself, negating every value you claim to work for.
I tried my best that night.
You didn't just let Nick Bentley die.
You betrayed every ounce of trust the public places in its police officers, didn't you? I'm not the one who fired the gun, sir.
Do you know the parable of the Good Samaritan, PC Griffin? Course I do.
What sort of Samaritan are you? I did that boy no harm.
Nick Bentley was 24.
He was respected and loved by all who knew him.
He had a bright future ahead of him - a future cut short by Ray Griffin's failure to assist him .
.
because Nick Bentley was gay.
In failing to help Nick Bentley, the defendant deliberately misconducted himself, and breached the trust we all place in our public officers.
There is no Good Samaritan law.
Put simply, we are not obliged to help one another.
Whatever the events of that night, PC Griffin did not commit misconduct.
That's a serious charge with grave consequences.
Would it be right to convict a well-respected police officer because a drug dealer killed his colleague? No.
I urge you not to convict.
In relation to the count of misconduct in public office, do you find the defendant guilty or not guilty? Not guilty.
Maybe we were wrong to go after him.
No.
We had a duty to Nick Bentley.
Well, at least we've drawn a line in the sand.
So it never happens again.
You really think we've come that far? It'll happen again.
And next time, we'll get them.
These are their stories.
No, not tomorrow.
I'm on nights.
Friday night? Yeah, but I'm worth waiting for.
'Any unit?' Lima Oscar.
Deal with a disturbance on Creake Street.
Oscar Lima from 719, show me assigned to disturbance at Creake St.
Over.
Here you go, Maya.
Oh, you're a lifesaver.
Long night.
He's on tonight, the one I was talking about.
My favourite voice.
Nick Bentley.
'Lima Oscar.
' Oh, it's him again.
'719.
I have two suspects concerned drug dealing at Creake St.
' 'Both appear to have firearms.
' 'I need a Trojan unit and urgent assistance.
' All units, officer requires urgent assistance, Creake Street.
Can I have a Trojan unit, please? 'Lima Oscar from 713.
Show me assisting.
' Received.
First unit on scene a situation report please.
I'm hit' So's one suspect.
Other suspect now towards Cornwall Road.
I need an ambulance.
All units from Lima Oscar, suspect with firearm towards Cornwall Road, First unit on scene, a sitrep please.
Where's my backup? Where's Ray? '713 from Lima Oscar, were are you? 713?' Where's the backup? 'Nick? 719.
' 'Tell us you're OK.
' 'Nick?' This is PC Nick Bentley, 24, been on the beat for two years.
Took a bullet to the stomach and the thigh, hitting his femoral artery.
He bled to death.
Took around about four minutes.
Caught in the crossfire.
Nightmare.
Yeah.
Uniform say his partner was sorting a parking argument at Waterloo station.
When he got the shout, he misheard the address.
Well, this time of night round here, we'll be struggling for witnesses.
Got anything, Joy? Nine bullet shells scattered at the scene, from two weapons.
So our man had no chance.
It looks like he's just started shaving, this kid.
According to his ID he's 21.
Carrying a.
38 weapon.
Six of the shells came from him.
The other three from a.
22.
Bentley's partner over there.
What about the other drug dealer fella? Got any DNA traces on him? Fingerprints on a bag of crack.
Going to the lab now.
Bentley's partner's here.
Let's see how he's doing.
What do you tell your husband these nights, Joy? Never that it's one of us that got shot.
I was at the back of the station.
A taxi rank had been blocked in by a limo on a hen night.
Nick went on ahead, while I sorted the to-do out there.
I should've been with him.
Don't beat yourself up.
It could happen to anyone.
Yeah, but I misheard the shout.
I thought they said Leake Street, not Creake Street.
Was your radio working properly? Half a dozen people having a ding dong right in my ear didn't help.
Well, we'll need a proper debrief and a statement, Ray, at the station, when you're ready.
Yeah, course.
That's no age to die.
There's never a good age.
What have you got? Bag from the crime scene containing crack had two major sets of prints.
The first was from the corpse, Ade Young, 21.
Other prints belong to a Theo Carson.
Here's his PNC record.
Blinding, Teddy.
That is just the ticket after the old all-nighter.
A burglary, GBH, dealing heroin, ecstasy and ketamine.
A full house, and he got off on all charges.
Lucky boy.
Not any more.
That's gotta be the worst thing in the world.
What, losing a partner? Yeah.
Sorry.
I know you That's all right.
Big Bob Logan, lovely Northerner, from Whitby.
Used to like gravy on his chips.
Every chippie on our beat knew that was his favourite, and did it for him special.
Got stabbed in a pub breaking up a fight.
Nothing I could do.
Ron.
Target sighted.
Call it in.
Armed police, get on the floor! Get down, get down on the floor now.
Get down! Get on the floor! Get down, get down! Right.
Theo Carson? Hey, what is this? Like you don't know, son.
I'm arresting you on suspicion of the murder of PC Nick Bentley.
I didn't kill him! You - tell them so they understand! Fingerprints on a plastic bag don't even prove he was dealing.
He could've bought a sandwich, thrown the bag away, and someone else filled it with drugs.
See, she's good! Thank you very much, but if you let me do the talking Where were you at the time of the murder, Theo? Not there.
Show me the murder weapon and prove Mr Carson used it, or you're gonna have to let him go.
Exactly! We know you fired shots, Theo.
We've taken gunpowder residue from your hands and your clothes.
But you don't have a gun to match it.
What did you do with the gun, Theo? Did you take it home? Throw it away? Whatever you did with it, I promise you this, Theo.
Our lads in uniform will find it.
Maybe you two are hard of hearing, but they haven't, have they? So unless you have the weapon, you have to let my client go.
His brief's right.
With no weapon, we haven't enough to charge him.
We have CCTV of him running from the crime scene, a few minutes after Bentley was shot.
So he was out for a run.
No connection.
Really sorry to interrupt.
Metcall logged a call from a witness to the shooting.
Phone number and billing address.
Well, done, Ange.
It wasn't me.
I didn't phone no one.
This is your mobile number.
Maybe.
Do you have your mobile phone on you? Maybe.
How old are you, Jaya? Younger than you, for sure.
So was the bloke who got gunned down on the South Bank for doing his job.
Now can I have a look at your mobile phone, please? Thank you.
What did you see? Yeah - I didn't see nothing.
My dad says, 'Don't get involved.
You only bring trouble on yourself.
' With all due respect Jaya, your dad's an idiot.
If we all keep to ourselves, what happens to the community? Not my problem, is it? It is now.
Am I gonna have to speak in court? Just focus on identifying the right person for now.
It was number two.
I saw him shoot the other guy and leg it.
Good girl.
So you got a witness.
I am telling you, I didn't shoot the pig.
The copper.
So why don't you tell us what happened? We were finishing our deal.
Ade was all hyper, like.
But he'd been jittery all along.
Then a copper comes round a corner, no warning, sees us and shouted.
Ade just went off.
Ade shot the cop in the leg, then shoots him again in the stomach.
Then Ade started shooting at me, claiming it was a setup.
I'm shouting, telling him I hadn't done anything.
Then I started shooting too.
And you shot Ade Young.
It was self defence, man! I had to stop him! Well, you did that all right.
I thought the cop was all right.
He wasn't.
That's not my fault though.
That's down to you boys.
And how do you work that out? When I went round the corner, I see a copper in a doorway, just standing there, almost like he's hiding.
See, what I don't get is, that bloke was injured.
That copper.
He wasn't dead.
So why was this other copper just standing there? He could've been there, helped him.
He let him die, not me.
Guv! The bullet that killed Bentley matches Ade Young's gun.
So Theo Carson didn't shoot Nick Bentley.
But he did kill Ade Young.
Weapon was found on a building site, Carson's DNA's all over it.
Connects with the gunshot residue we took from his clothes.
Thanks, Teddy.
So no one gets charged with Nick Bentley's death? Not unless you want to arrest Ade Young's corpse.
What about Theo Carson's evidence? The copper round the corner, not going to help? Shut the door.
Do we believe Carson? Well, why would he lie? Same reason why dogs piss on lampposts.
It's their nature.
Nah, he knew his number was up.
And the way he said it, not like he was trying to stitch anyone up - it was the fact that he couldn't understand it.
Why are we even discussing this? Come on, Ron.
There's no way one plod leaves another to die.
Well, we've got a witness who says different, and it is our duty to follow it up, even if it is just to rule it out.
And you're gonna tell that to the uniform boys, are you? I don't want you to say a word to anyone.
This stays between us three for now.
Expand the CCTV collection to get us a wider view of the area.
See if there's any footage from buildings near the crime scene.
You are kidding.
You want to pursue this? A police officer died.
We follow every piece of evidence we've got.
CCTV? Don't have any.
Sorry.
You must own half the buildings round here.
I can see at least half a dozen cameras within 150 yards.
And you're telling me you had no closed circuit footage of that night? I didn't put new DVDs in the recorders.
Well, that's very unfortunate.
Have you got any DVDs of the night before the incident? I think so.
What about the night after? I think so.
Well, excuse me sir, butany other nights you forgot to put the DVD in? I don't think so.
I'm sorry about the policeman getting shot.
But like you say, it's unfortunate.
I can't help you.
No, he's been nobbled.
Someone's got to him.
Ron, seriously, can we knock this on the head, please? You're making up patterns.
There's probably a simple explanation.
Matt, open your eyes, son.
Someone's taking us for a couple of monkeys, mate.
I mean, who knows the procedure, eh? Who knows where to look first? It's other Old Bill.
Sorry, I just don't buy it.
It ain't the bleeding '70s! We're not knee deep in corrupt coppers.
And the kind of person who joins the force is not the kind who leaves a colleague to die.
this is the 1/100 that ain't so pure.
Just explain to me why you're so keen to take the word of a drug dealer over the word of a fellow officer? Fine then.
Coppers are saints.
That's not what I said.
We owe it to Nick Bentley to rule out Carson's claim.
How do we do that? Quiz uniform.
never lost one till now.
Well, I don't see as there was anything else you could've done.
We're all in shock down here.
Bentley was a good lad.
You know, popular.
Goalie in the five a side team.
Probably would've been CID material for you boys in a few months.
The, uh, the lad who killed Bentley didn't survive the shootout, but we have charged Theo Carson with his murder.
Right.
Anything you need to make the case against Carson, just yell.
We can make everything move a lot faster down here.
Well, a lot faster than Ray Griffin, hopefully.
Sorry? Well, I was just saying, Griffin was late to the scene.
Not much cop as Bentley's backup, eh? Back on the booze, Ron? No.
Just saying.
Unfortunate.
Mm, and he's torn up about it.
But there was an IRV and a Trojan unit that also didn't get there in time.
True, but they were a lot further away, to be fair.
Is there something you want to say, DS Brooks? Well, you must be disappointed in your men.
Ray Griffin's a good copper.
He didn't get there in time.
Sometimes it goes like that.
But not in 11 years under your command, eh? I've been round to tell Nick Bentley's mum her worst nightmare's come true.
We're all hurting down here.
If you start impugning my officers, you'll be taking your gonads back to CID in a paper bag.
Do we understand each other? Happy now? Or is there someone you've omitted to piss off? This is how we do it, poke 'em and see if they bite.
No! Not when it's one of ours and he's grieving for one of his boys.
So what, everyone here gets a free pass, do they? No.
They get what everyone gets - some basic courtesy and a little respect.
Let me explain something, son, just so as we understand each other.
We set an example to the rest of society.
So if anyone here falls below that standard, the gloves are off.
So if people get a bit prickly, or their feelings get hurt, tough.
I can live with that.
Got it? DI Chandler asked me to pass you this.
Quietly.
Nick Bentley's personnel files.
Very good, Ange.
You're a star.
I do my best.
Nick Bentley: perfect record until about three months ago.
Then there are a couple of written warnings, absences, turning up late.
Then he stopped playing five a side.
Right.
Now talking to the girls downstairs, there's something that's not there.
And what is that? He was gay.
He'd never told anyone, kept it hidden, until one of the PCs saw him outside a club in Soho, snogging a bloke.
And don't tell me - that was about three months ago.
So he was gay.
So what? Loads of coppers are gay.
And loads of people ain't happy about it.
I can believe Nick Bentley took some stick.
And maybe it knocked him a bit.
But everyone gets stick - you're too tall, too short, too fat, too thin.
They called me Mick for the first six months, cos my family are Irish.
It's just banter.
Late backup isn't banter, Matt.
What, so now his backup was late because he was gay? I'm saying it's a possibility.
Just humour me, right? I mean, why don't we check the facts in Griffin's statement, let him talk us through it? And if it all looks kosher, I will let it go.
I promise.
I was on the corner of Leake St when I realised the mistake, so I turned and ran the other way.
Fastest I've ever run.
Could barely breathe by the time I got there.
Nick was on the ground, big pool of blood coming out of his thigh.
The dealer had been shot in the head.
I tried CPR, but Nick was already dead by then.
The IRV and the Trojan turned up a few moments after that.
Well, erthanks, Ray.
You know how it is, mate.
Everything by the book.
We have to double check all the notes in your evidence book.
Just, having a look at this map though, for a second, you might be able to clear something up for us.
Course.
Crime scene was in Creake St, yeah? Now you said you was originally at Waterloo station, and then you mistakenly went to Leake St, which is there.
Yeah.
Well, me and Matty, just out of interest, we actually did that route.
Well, when I say we, I mean Matty did all the running! I just stood there with a stopwatch.
I don't get you, Ron.
Well, I'm pretty sure that you'd agree that Matty is probably a little bit fitter than you? A lot fitter I reckon, yeah.
Absolutely.
A lot fitter.
But from the time you got the shout .
.
to the time you actually radio'd in to tell 'em you was at the scene was four minutes.
If you say so.
Well, Matty had one a hell of a job running from Waterloo to Leake St, then up to Creake St, the crime scene, in that time.
Four minutes? I mean it took him almost eight minutes, and that was at full pelt.
If you weren't so sure, I'd go so far as to say it couldn't be done.
Well, I probably never made it all the way up to Leake St.
It just felt like it, you know.
Sorry, Ron - Yep.
You said you were on the corner of Leake Street.
Yeah.
I might have got a bit confused there.
Yeah.
Well, you know what, Ray? They're serving a disciplinary on you.
It's suddenly a disciplinary matter? Like I said, it's only procedure.
It's just that your memory and your statement aren't matching, are they? And we need to ask a few more questions, to make absolutely sure.
Now, is there anything else that's confusing you? No, Sarge.
My statement is my best memory.
Did you like PC Bentley, Ray? Sorry? You and Nick Bentley.
Did you get on? I didn't know him well.
The other night was only our second time out on the beat together.
He was a lot younger than me.
We mixed in different groups.
Did you know he was gay? No.
I didn't know that.
Really, was he? Got an opinion about gay men in the police force, Ray? Not especially.
Sorry - how does this relate to Bentley's death? Huh? He was shot by a dealer cos he was a copper, not cos he was a gay.
No.
You're right, Ray, absolutely.
Thanks.
That'll be all for now.
The more you look at Ray Griffin's account of events, the more it falls apart.
The evidence backs up Theo Carson's statement.
I still don't get the motivation.
There's no history of animosity between him and Bentley, or him and any gay officer.
All right.
So maybe you're right.
Maybe there is something dodgy.
Listen, I'm praying it's not, Matt, you gotta believe me.
What've you got? Ray Griffin is branch chairman of something called the League of Faith for Christian Officers.
It's a hard-line religious group within the station.
A lot of the older uniform movers and shakers are members.
So what? So they bar membership to all gay officers, saying it's, whatever, it doesn't fit with Bible teachings.
Anyway, I dug around.
Nick Bentley's a former member.
Ange said he'd never admitted to being gay.
What's the best way of putting people at their ease? Especially your immediate superiors? Be like them.
And until three months ago, Bentley was.
When he was spotted off duty with another bloke.
That really pissed off Ray Griffin.
Yeah, but still, piss him off enough to leave a man to die? Our guvnor's squared it with the DPS and the IPCC.
They're happy that this is a public interest case worth prosecuting.
Ray Griffin had a duty of care which he failed to provide.
You want to charge a serving officer with manslaughter-gross negligence? If we can't police ourselves, why should we expect the public to trust us? You've got to see the hornets' nest this'll stir up.
Isn't it best to keep it as an internal disciplinary issue? James, why do you do your job? To make a difference.
Make acontribution.
And you do brilliantly, if you don't mind me saying.
But let's assume .
.
someone in the CPS was wrongly prosecuting and victimising people, undermining all that wonderful work you do in the eyes of the public.
Ronnie - No, no, no.
Come on.
What would you want to happen to them? I'd want to see them exposed and punished.
Precisely.
Ray Griffin tars us all.
How are we supposed to get new blood into the police service if an officer like Griffin gets away with this? Late backup isn't manslaughter.
Have you any medical evidence? We saw the paramedics and pathologist.
If he'd helped Bentley two minutes earlier, he might have survived.
Ray Griffin left a fellow officer dying because the lad was gay.
We'll look at it.
Thank you.
Guv - yeah.
Ronnie's in there right now, talking through possible charges with James at the moment.
No, I haven't forgotten, Yep, will do.
Bye.
It's like having two mums.
How are you anyway? Some days are good.
Last week I thought the whole world knew everyone was looking at me.
Well, if you need anything You know, if you just want to talk.
Or not talk or just, just company you know Nothing funny.
I'm not cracking on to you.
Why not? I'm not broken, Matt.
Look umI think about what happened to you a lot.
I wasn't sure if I should mention it.
Um, I'm a bit crap at this.
Just be the same.
Same as always.
'The issues to be left to the jury are whether a duty of care was owed to the deceased; whether there had been a breach of that duty; whether the breach had caused death.
' Archbold.
Ray Griffin did not cause Nick Bentley's death.
Ade Young fired the bullets.
Defence will pile up ballistics, forensic and eyewitness evidence from Young's fellow drug dealer.
It is a non-starter.
I disagree.
Oh, do you now? The bullet caused Bentley's injury.
The omission to act caused death.
If he'd intervened, Bentley could still be alive.
Can I remind you we owe our whole existence to a good relationship with the police? If we go after this, I will have to explain to the DPP exactly why we are committing institutional suicide.
So we never prosecute police to keep their goodwill? No, correction.
We never prosecute anyone unless we have a rock solid case, and manslaughter-gross negligence is one hell of a leap.
Gay police have been out for years.
You heard of the GPA? George, we're talking about one man, not the entire police force.
Except when the media gets hold of it, he will be held up as representing the entire service.
That's the whole point! By prosecuting we'll show that he's not.
Ray Griffin had knowledge and experience.
His refusal to assist cost Bentley his life.
I'm not gonna let one bigoted police officer destroy the reputation of the entire police service.
Public office is an honour and a responsibility, and abuse of that position has to be punished.
You build me that rock solid case, but it'll need to be properly robust.
If a police officer was left to die because he was gay, then we'll get the bastard who abandoned him.
So are you a member of The League of Faith for Christian Officers? No.
I'm not a member of the darts team, or the line dancing either.
D'you think they're reasonable to refuse admission to gays? It's a club.
Clubs have membership rules.
I can't stop them.
Do I think some officers here aren't wild about gays? Yes I do.
Just as some of them are not wild about people with non-white skin.
Just cos people talk crap in their private lives, does not make them bad police officers.
D'you think Ray Griffin left Nick Bentley to die? Go and talk to people who live round here.
Ask them about Ray.
They love him.
And they feel safe when he's around.
You didn't answer my question.
He says he misheard his radio.
I believe him.
Do you mind if I speak to officers who knew Griffin and Bentley best? Ray looked after me ever since I joined.
He knows everyone, every corner of this manor.
What did he tell you about that night? Nothing.
He didn't talk about it with you? He mentioned it in passing.
In passing? Why are you trying to trip me up? I knew you'd do this.
Barney, I'm not trying to upset you.
I just want to get tothe truth.
No you don't! You just want toto stitch him up.
Why are you going after him? Nobody understands.
It could've been any of us.
We're all gutted for Bentley, but we can't bring him back.
That dealer killed Bentley.
Not Ray.
End of.
He was a laugh, Nick.
He was a great bloke to be on the beat with.
He could always see the funny side of things.
From the rota it seems you and Nick were paired together pretty often.
Yep.
Put the gays together.
You learn to expect it.
Is that why you transferred here? Listen, I've got a career to build.
If it looks like I'm snitching, trouble will just follow me.
Abbie, we're investigating whether Nick was left to die because he was gay.
Is there anything you think might be relevant? There was a leaflet pushed under the doors of mine and Nick's locker.
'"God gave them over to degrading passions.
" '"Men abandoned the natural use of women and burned in their desire towards one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error.
"' 'Romans I, 26 to 27.
' Ray Griffin's DNA was all over that leaflet.
That proves state of mind.
And what connects state of mind to the crime? Griffin did not act as a reasonable person in the circumstances.
He breached his duty of care.
Did that breach cause Bentley's death? No.
The bullet did.
But he could have prevented it.
There was deliberate recklessness.
We have to prove criminal omission and we haven't enough! Now, you tried, but it ends here.
No manslaughter charge against Ray Griffin.
George, please - I said no.
All right, then - misconduct in public office.
Same sentencing power as manslaughter.
Ray Griffin misconducted himself by leaving Bentley to die.
James is right.
Griffin lied in his police interview about how far he ran, about knowing Nick Bentley was gay - he's undermining the uniform.
I'm not letting this go.
Maybe, maybe you might make it home with misconduct, if you had that missing CCTV.
It's too much of a coincidence that it went missing.
Who's Griffin close to? Was there anyone he might confide in? Barney Goodison.
Griffin was his mentor since he joined.
I just want to keep my head down.
I don't want to upset anyone.
Why would you be upsetting anyone, Barney? I wasn't there that night.
I don't know what happened.
Then what are you scared about? I'm not.
Think you won't have a future in the force if you upset Ray Griffin? You're putting words in my mouth.
He said you'd do that.
Then tell me your version.
You don't understand.
He's a good bloke, Ray.
He looks after a lot of people.
He's been good to me.
Did he tell you what happened the night of Nick Bentley's death? You have a duty as an officer to tell me.
Barney, if we don't find out what happened, we can't stop it happening again, and you'll be responsible.
He asked me to get something for him.
What was it? Ray sent me round to the property owners to get hold of the footage before anyone else did.
He told me to destroy it.
He said things might get misinterpreted.
This looks pretty clear to me.
I didn't know what do, he's been so good to me, Ray.
I was just going to bin it, but then .
.
I took a look.
There are six cameras from around the scene.
And according to the transcripts of the calls, this is after Nick Bentley had been shot and was begging for help.
He stood there.
He just stood there and waited.
How long did he stand there for? Five minutes.
I've counted.
When he could have been giving his colleague first aid.
I told him I'd watched them.
He went mad.
He told me to hand them over, but I said no.
Ray said he wanted to explain.
He said .
.
he left it up to God.
He didn't get a sign from God, so he didn't go to help.
He said he thought it was God's will.
Ray? Is this how it happens? Raymond Griffin, I'm arresting you on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
No cuffs.
Head up.
I go with honour.
My lady, the charge of misconduct in public office is the last refuge of the desperate.
This might be a matter for internal police discipline, but not criminal proceedings.
Mr Steel? As a public officer, Mr Griffin deliberately, without justification, neglected his duty, resulting in PC Bentley's death.
Why not manslaughter-gross negligence? Because the Crown knows that such a charge would never succeed.
My lady, Mr Griffin's actions that night damage the service and character of every police officer in this city.
The Crown argues public officials must hold to the highest standards.
My client may have made an error of judgement for which he's been systematically victimised by the Crown.
Mr Griffin left the real victim of this crime bleeding to death on a London street.
The Crown will call evidence of Mr Griffin's homophobic beliefs that led to that action and to wilful misconduct.
Thank you, Mr Steel.
Mr Ridley, your application to dismiss is refused.
How is she? Have you asked her? Good God, no! Have you? Not really.
It's been hard to find the time.
Goodness' sake, you're her friend.
Find the right time, ask her how she is and then let me know.
So the key issue is whether the wounds were treatable, whether emergency assistance could have prevented or delayed death.
Listen, you should be more involved in this one.
We'll split the witnesses.
You call the pathologist and Sergeant Drake.
Really? Yeah.
Uh, keep them both focused on Griffin's duties and the extent of his misconduct.
What? You've done all the research, all the prep.
You know it better than I do.
And that's the only reason? You're ready.
You're doing this to make things better.
It's a sympathy thing.
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
You're ready to step up.
Thank you.
I won't let you down.
Sergeant Drake, how long have you known Ray Griffin? Ray Griffin and I have worked together for nine years, during which time I've found him to be an exemplary officer, highly valued by the community he serves.
Could you recite the first line of the police oath which you and Ray Griffin took when you joined the service, please? I'm sorry? The oath taken by police officers.
Could you recite the first line? I do solemnly and sincerely declare and affirm that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lady the Queen in the office of Constable, without favour or affection, malice or ill will.
Thank you.
Could you read the text on the front of this leaflet? '"If a man lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination and they shall surely be put to death.
" Leviticus XX, 13.
' Ray Griffin produced that leaflet and put it under the lockers of gay PCs Abbie Mellini and Nick Bentley.
Sgt Drake, would you agree that such an act contradicts the police oath by in fact demonstrating ill will and malice towards gay officers? We are a country that believes in free speech.
Do you expect officers under your command to go to the aid of a dying man? Well, every case is different.
There may well be risk - You regard it as an officer's public duty to assist a dying man? Yes.
So if an officer failed in this duty he wouldn't just be in breach of his oath, but guilty of misconduct? The bullet severed the femoral artery, causing massive loss of blood.
How long did it take for him to bleed to death? According to the evidence I read, a little over four minutes.
So if help had arrived within four minutes, would PC Bentley's chances of survival increase? Absolutely.
Thank you.
No further questions.
PC Bentley's chances of survival would have increased, you say.
But not certain? It's impossible to be certain.
You're certain of the cause of death.
Well, yes.
As I said, the bullet severed his femoral artery.
Bullet from a gun shot by Ade Young.
In your expert medical opinion, did PC Griffin cause any injury to PC Bentley? No.
Well, if PC Griffin had got to the scene more quickly, given medical support, would PC Bentley have survived? It's possible.
But notcertain.
She did well.
She'll be giving you a run for your money soon enough.
She does that anyway.
We've got a problem.
I just got the word from Ridley's junior.
They're challenging the admissibility of the CCTV footage.
Ah, it's Limbo Ridley, at it again.
It's a key part of your case.
If it's out, you're in big trouble.
My lady, this footage is such poor quality.
It's blurred and grainy.
It really ought to be excluded under Section 78 of PACE.
My lady, this is the first time the defence has raised the issue.
Section 78 is clear: where there is little or no probative value to the evidence, but the potential for serious prejudicial effect, the evidence ought not to be admitted.
It's simply not safe to leave this footage to a jury, my lady.
The quality's not good enough to be certain it's my client.
The jury should be left to decide that for themselves.
No, I'm not with you, Mr Steel.
The quality of the pictures leaves too much to be desired.
The prejudicial effect of the evidence far outweighs any probative value it might have.
The CCTV and any reference to it will be excluded.
What do we do now? I told you, I've got nothing worth saying in court.
Barney, the judge won't let the CCTV in.
We need you as a witness.
You've seen it.
Ray Griffin talked to you about it.
You have to tell the jury.
I dunno what you're talking about.
I never see's no CCTV of Ray.
What? Ray is a good man.
A great officer.
He was just late that night.
Barney, please.
We need you to tell the truth, or he mightn't be held accountable for Nick Bentley's death.
I've got nothing to say.
I needto get on with my job.
Someone must have got to Barney.
I imagine Griffin has friends everywhere, not just in the police.
They must've put Barney under pressure.
Then you do the same to Ray Griffin in the witness box.
Take him apart, James.
It's your only hope of winning.
I joined the force in 1989.
I have been proudly serving the community for 20 years.
My whole career has been about serving the public.
What's your opinion of gay police officers, PC Griffin? If they get on with the job, don't bother me, I don't mind.
I just follow what it says in the Bible.
What church do you attend? I've never found one that worked for me.
But my faith is very important.
You're not really a religious man at all, are you? I beg your pardon? You don't belong to a church.
You lift phrases from the Bible, out of context, devoid of comprehension, to justify your own prejudices.
This is bigotry masquerading as faith, isn't it? You're an insult to all those who actually have genuine faith - My lady, I fail to see how the private matter of PC Griffin's faith is relevant.
PC Griffin's beliefs are central to his motive for misconducting himself.
Move on please, Mr Steel.
Where were you when PC Bentley lay bleeding to death? I was making my way down from Leake Street.
I misheard my radio.
I got there as fast as I could.
You're quite certain about that? Hundred per cent.
How many times in your career have you misheard your radio? I couldn't say offhand.
It's rare but it happens.
I ran to Creake Street as soon as I realised my mistake.
Why don't the times of your run add up, PC Griffin? Because I didn't make it all the way there.
It didn't happen as you describe, did it? You didn't mishear your radio.
You heard Nick Bentley being shot.
You went to Creake St, and refused to give medical assistance that could have saved him.
Not true.
In failing to help, you misconducted yourself, negating every value you claim to work for.
I tried my best that night.
You didn't just let Nick Bentley die.
You betrayed every ounce of trust the public places in its police officers, didn't you? I'm not the one who fired the gun, sir.
Do you know the parable of the Good Samaritan, PC Griffin? Course I do.
What sort of Samaritan are you? I did that boy no harm.
Nick Bentley was 24.
He was respected and loved by all who knew him.
He had a bright future ahead of him - a future cut short by Ray Griffin's failure to assist him .
.
because Nick Bentley was gay.
In failing to help Nick Bentley, the defendant deliberately misconducted himself, and breached the trust we all place in our public officers.
There is no Good Samaritan law.
Put simply, we are not obliged to help one another.
Whatever the events of that night, PC Griffin did not commit misconduct.
That's a serious charge with grave consequences.
Would it be right to convict a well-respected police officer because a drug dealer killed his colleague? No.
I urge you not to convict.
In relation to the count of misconduct in public office, do you find the defendant guilty or not guilty? Not guilty.
Maybe we were wrong to go after him.
No.
We had a duty to Nick Bentley.
Well, at least we've drawn a line in the sand.
So it never happens again.
You really think we've come that far? It'll happen again.
And next time, we'll get them.