Law and Order: UK (2009) s02e02 Episode Script
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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 the offenders.
These are their stories.
Police have been granted a further the father of 10-year-old Jodie Gaines, who's been missing for seven days.
Jodie went missing last Friday on her way to a music lesson in Central London.
Earlier this week, Lennie Gaines and his ex-wife Kayleigh made an emotional plea for Jodie's safe return.
If you saw Jodie, and you know where .
.
where she is Ohhhh.
.
.
please .
.
you've got to tell the police.
She's our baby.
And we need her home.
We need her home now.
Couple of Latvian skip rats found her about three hours ago.
They were after scrap metal.
She was under that radiator.
Time of death, about six to ten hours ago.
Cause, not obvious.
She'd only been dead an hour or so when they dumped her.
There's abrasions on the palms of her hands.
Looks like glass.
Is it her? Jodie had a scar on her left arm.
Any sign of her school bag or mobile? Nothing yet.
Anything else for us? Couple of mothballs, stuck to the sheet.
Who uses mothballs these days? Who tapes a kid's mouth shut, and shoves them in a skip? I don't know.
But it wasn't her dad.
Let's get him out of the cells, then.
We've told you everything we know.
Yeah, but it will just help us, Mr Gaines.
We just need to go over your statements again.
Routine, that's all.
And all the time she's been out there.
Alive.
Well, the other team, you know, made a bad call.
And I know it doesn't make it any easier.
But when a child goes missing, presumed dead, we have to consider every possibility.
Even the fact that maybe the dad did it.
Not this - Not this dad.
Just like to go over Jodie's after-school routine, if that's OK.
Just in case something may have been missed.
Guitar lesson, 4pm.
Poland Street.
It's about a mile from the school.
How does she get there? Same cab firm.
They're all CRB checked.
Look, Jodie knows all the drivers.
Been through this 100 times.
You don't think she's a bit young to be taking cabs on her own? Well, cabs, you know.
They're checked, so they're safe, eh? She's usually back ten minutes after me.
I waited and waited, but she didn't come home.
So, Jodie was staying with you, yeah? Jodie lived with me.
The family courts gave me custody.
Right.
I'll call Grebo.
Grebo? Grebo Moore, the guitar teacher.
Lovely.
Thanks.
They said she never showed up, but the school teacher said she saw her get into the cab.
Cause of death was suffocation.
Jodie had a stomach bug.
Her mouth was taped shut.
The vomit had to go somewhere.
It clogged up the nasal passages.
Jesus.
It could have been accidental.
He accidentally taped her mouth shut? How we gonna tell her dad? It's her mum I'm worried about.
She could barely speak.
At least Jodie wasn't sexually assaulted.
That's got to be SOME consolation.
Although that could have been the motive for the kidnapping.
They did pull over 50 glass splinters from her hands.
How did it get there? Could have been a scuffle.
Glass smashed, she tried to crawl over it.
And the sheet she was wrapped in? from any retro shop, jumble sale - Or could have been bought new and had half-a-century's worth of use.
Talk to the cabbie again.
And to the guitar teacher.
Like I told the other cops, she didn't show.
The thing is, Grebo - can I call you Grebo? We have a witness that saw her walk through your front door.
I don't know what to say.
You went through my flat.
You'll pay for the damages.
I'll give you the number of our complaints line.
Jodie comes to you every week for guitar lessons.
When she doesn't show up, you don't think to call her parents? I did the first time she tried it.
Her dad went mental.
What about the second or the third time? Her dad kept her on a tight leash.
If I thought for one second that she was in trouble, I'd have called her dad.
I've been driving Jodie over a year now.
Sparky kid.
Where exactly did you drop Jodie? Outside Food City on Poland Street.
Her music teacher lives above it.
And you watched her go in? Always do.
The school recommends us to parents.
It's part of the deal.
What route did you take? Shaftesbury Avenue, Wardour Street, Broadwick Street, then onto Poland Street.
Lads.
All right, how you doing? Just a quick question.
How long you been working here? Best part of a week.
And this diversion's been in place the whole time? Yeah.
Am I missing something? Our cabbie reckons he drove down Broadwick Street, and turned right onto Poland Street.
Maybe his cab's got wings.
OK, OK.
Maybe I took Noel Street and turned left into Poland Street.
No, that's one-way.
Then it must have been D'Arblay Street.
I thought these cabbies were meant to have a memory for routes.
Dom, I sympathise with you, I really do.
And I'll tell you for why.
When I was married to the first Mrs Brooks and I came home late, she would want to know every single detail.
And I used to struggle, because, I've gotta be honest, half the time I couldn't remember - What's it matter what road I took? Hey, hey.
It matters.
Because we reckon you took Jodie for a little detour.
Maybe school uniforms float your boat.
You're sick.
I've got four girls of my own.
You think you're a man of honour because you won't touch your own kids, but if they're not related, they're fair game.
This is crazy.
You've lied once - Dom.
Would you like a cup of tea? Yes.
Yeah.
Me an' all.
What about you, Matt? Fancy a cup of tea? Why don't you get us one? For the tape, DS Devlin is leaving the room.
Well.
You know what, Dom? I think you're telling the truth.
But I also think you're leaving something out.
Some little detail you're not telling us you know.
A bit like when I used to tell my wife I was working late, and forgot to mention I'd spent four hours in the Red Lion.
What's the little detail? Traffic was hell.
Jodie said she could walk it faster.
I .
.
dropped her off on Wardour Street.
Corner of Broadwick.
Promised her dad I would never leave till she was inside.
We've run his name through the system.
Not even a parking fine.
Right.
Do you want us to let him go, then, Guv? Don't you dare.
He's told one lie.
Maybe there'll be more.
We've been watching the wrong CCTV footage.
Now he's changed his mind about his route, different cameras might come up trumps.
Out she gets.
Ronnie? Got him.
Nice one.
Second after Jodie turns into Broadwick Street.
Can you rewind that bit? For you, anything.
So just after Jodie turns into Broadwick Street, one of the residents of the flats remembers seeing a white van hanging around the skip.
Do you know how many white vans there are in London? But not all of them have got racks on the side.
It's a glazier's van.
And Jodie was found with glass splinters in her hands.
Which could have come from the back of that van.
They're all side-shots.
The driver's in profile for maybe one frame.
IC1, IC2, maybe.
What about the van? Congestion zone cameras must have got the registration.
They got a beauty of the mud obscuring it.
What about the lettering on the side? The logo's all faded.
And the light hitting the glass means you can't make it out.
Basically, we're back to square one.
Is that a window? It's not standard.
Can't be many that shape around.
That is a modern take on the 19th century arch window, apparently.
That's very good, but does he have any idea what building it comes from? I reckon we've been there a few times.
You've lost me.
That is a window from the south block of the Old Bailey.
That's right, we did the Old Bailey job last week.
Wasn't easy matching it up.
Is this one of yours? What's this all about? We asked first, Mr Andreou.
Yeah, looks like one of my vans.
What was it, hit and run? We think the driver may have witnessed a crime.
I've got over 30 fitters.
I need to check the files.
Leave me your number and I'll get back to you.
You been sober long? Pardon? 'To thine own self be true.
' That's what mine says.
How long? That's good.
We need this information now, Mr Andreou.
You know the Grovewood Rehab Clinic? I read the brochure in between pints.
Yeah, Christos.
Who fitted the window on the Old Bailey job? Cheers.
Nick Carlton.
Lives in Kennington.
He's out on a job.
Don't tell my boss, right? I was moonlighting.
You got the address? Must have chucked it out.
The job wasn't worth my while.
Client's name? No memory for names.
That's a shame.
What did you do after that? Big job in Belgravia.
Traffic was mental, got there after six, so I packed it in and headed for the Westminster Bridge.
To Kennington? Surely Vauxhall Bridge would be quicker? My mum lives in Deptford.
Went round for dinner.
Who else was there? Just Mum.
And what time did the party finish at your mum's? Dunno.
Watched the footy and left.
Your mum'll vouch that you were there? Speed cameras'll do that.
Got done on the way.
going 40.
Nick Carlton is habitual.
He started off with a tour of Young Offenders Institutions at 15.
He graduated with the big boys.
You name a nick he hasn't been in.
What did he do? What didn't he do? Burglary, GBH, hit and run, one rape charge that never made it to court, one that got him eight years.
He served four.
The youngest victim was 20.
Killing little girls, though, that's a big leap.
He has been out six years, and nothing.
Maybe prison did him some good.
Or taught him how not to get caught.
Did you confirm that speed camera? Going 40 in a 30.
Doesn't mean he didn't have a dead girl in the back.
He goes straight on to his mum's house for spag bol.
Man's gotta eat.
He's got history.
He was at the scene of the kidnapping.
I want you to search his van.
Yeah.
We went through the van with a fine-tooth comb.
And I checked the material under the microscope.
No fibres, no hair.
What? Nothing? Apart from bad taste in music.
Well, go through it again.
If it was there, I'd have found it.
Actually, that makes sense, Matt.
Because Nick Carlton's been there and back and bought the T-shirt with the old hit-and-run caper.
The first thing he'll do is book his vehicle in for a valet.
But Jodie had glass in her hands.
There must be blood there.
Just abrasions on her hands with glass splinters embedded.
No actual blood, I'm afraid.
We've sent the glass off for analysis.
I've said it's a priority.
Oh, great.
Cheers, Teddy.
Thanks.
So, what now? Right.
Let's check his alibi.
Talk to his mum.
I made roast pork.
It's Nicky's favourite.
You know what I love, Mrs Carlton? Roast pork sandwiches.
Thick white bread, butter.
Bit of apple sauce.
Pepper.
Beautiful.
What about your Nicky? Did he make himself a sandwich before he left? I don't know.
I went to bed.
At what time? After the news.
Which do you prefer, BBC London, or London Tonight? They've all got the same bad news.
Bet the Hammers look good on that.
Nicky gave it me for Christmas.
To watch Chelsea.
Ronnie? Well, well.
We was talking about them the other day.
He was asking me who uses mothballs nowadays.
You get infestations.
Kept finding the little blighters all over.
Coming in through my airing cupboard.
Mind if we have a look? You already have.
My old mum had a set of them.
What's that, two pillowcases and bottom sheet? Top sheet would make the set.
Not gonna be a silly boy and try and do a runner, are you? No, you're an old hand at this.
Nicholas Carlton, I'm arresting you on suspicion of the kidnap and murder of Jodie Gaines.
Maybe you'd seen little Jodie before and picked her out especially.
No comment.
Look, Nick, the only thing that'll help you now is if you tell us exactly what happened.
Justsay how sorry you are for killing Jodie.
No comment.
It's your best chance of avoiding life without parole.
He's right.
If you didn't mean to kill her and it was, say, an accident, it's a whole other prison sentence between manslaughter and murder.
So, was it an accident? No comment.
Judge gives him life without parole, I wanna be there.
I wanna see the whites of his eyes.
The glass splinters found in Jodie's hands are an exact match with the glass found in the back of Carlton's van.
Let's charge him.
The defendant has a catalogue of previous convictions, many of them violent.
The Crown believes he poses a risk to children.
There is no suggestion that Mr Carlton has ever committed any offences against children.
His last conviction is ten years old.
My Lord, he is the sole carer for his elderly mother.
I am reluctantly granting bail on the following strict conditions.
Residence at his mother's address in Deptford.
An electronic tag and curfew between And twice daily reporting to Deptford Police Station.
They bailed the bastard.
Lennie, I am so sorry.
We'll get him at the trial.
Will you? You said he wouldn't get bail.
Kayleigh.
No, you stay here.
Kayleigh.
Kayleigh.
Get an ambulance, somebody.
CID, excuse me.
What's going on? Wait, you're bleeding.
No, I'm OK.
I'm OK.
Matt.
Kayleigh.
He killed Jodie.
Shut up, Kayleigh.
Just wait for your brief to get here.
I'm so sorry.
Mrs Gaines, please just listen to him, OK.
He's dead.
Nick Carlton's dead.
Mrs Gaines.
I'm arresting you on the murder of Nicholas Carlton.
You do not have to say anything Are you serious?.
.
if you do not mention when questioned something that you later rely on in court.
Anything you do say may be given in evidence.
He killed my little girl.
How the hell did this happen? It was over in a flash.
Where were the Family Liaison Officers? No-one knew that she'd react like that.
We can't have every victim of crime taking the law into their own hands.
Every van banger in the country cheering.
They're saying she deserves an OBE.
It doesn't take much effort to put yourself in her shoes.
Maybe not.
But it can't justify murder.
You wanna try her for murder? Of course.
What if the next grieving mum gets herself a gun? Any jury will see that she's out of her mind with grief.
She took a knife to the Old Bailey.
The whole thing was caught on camera.
Even so - We're backed into a corner.
I know it's tough, but we have to prosecute.
Except your jury will be wishing they'd stabbed him themselves.
I don't want a big messy trial.
Talk to the barrister.
Make a deal.
My client won't serve a day for this.
Murder has a minimum tariff, Bea.
Even you can't magic that away.
As soon as the jury see Nick Carlton's record, they'll be lining up to shake Kayleigh's hand.
If they ignore the fact that she stuck a knife in his chest.
The only fact that matters is that Jodie Gaines is dead because the criminal justice system can't keep scum like Carlton behind bars.
Thanks to Kayleigh Gaines, his crime spree is over.
For good.
It wasn't up to her to end it.
I'm so sorry.
Leave the talking to me, Mrs Gaines.
All I could see in my head was Jodie.
Dumped in that skip.
Please, Mrs Gaines.
I kept thinking about her last minutes alive.
Where he kept her.
Please.
What he done to her.
How scared she must have been.
I understand why you did it.
You killed a man - Yeah, he was - He was a monster.
If he killed your little girl .
.
tell me you wouldn't feel the same.
I'm sorry.
We're charging murder.
You know, I've always found your inflexibility truly irritating, James.
Then please don't let me keep you.
Manslaughter provocation, have we got ourselves a deal? This was a straight up revenge killing.
You know it.
You think she wasn't provoked? He kidnapped and murdered her only child.
No, that hadn't been proved.
Nick Carlton died an innocent man.
Why don't you tell that to the jury? We are on the side of the angels, James.
You force a murder trial and you're going to end up with egg on your face.
You shouldn't let her get to you.
I don't.
Really? George said to make a deal.
Kayleigh Gaines should do time.
Manslaughter provocation carries a custodial.
She could get 12 years.
Or as little as 12 months.
Isn't that enough? She lost a child.
She still killed Nick Carlton.
What if he was innocent? She believed he was guilty.
Irrelevant.
She'll get a fair trial, and the chance of rehabilitation.
He deserved the same.
All I'm asking is that we show a little mercy.
It isn't up to us to show mercy, Alesha.
So, what do we do? We do what she should have done.
We let a jury decide.
See the tabloids this morning? They've giving out pull-out posters to put in your window.
Kayleigh's our hero.
I can undress myself, thank you, Bea.
You'll never win.
The whole nation's on her side.
I'll take my chances.
It's not too late, you know.
Just say those two little words and the trial just disappears, just like that.
Manslaughter provocation.
The charge is murder.
Oh, come on.
What's a little provocation between friends? Gloves off, then.
Nick was my only child.
After my husband passed away, Nick looked after me.
Your son had convictions for violence, didn't he? I never said he was a saint.
If he'd anything to do with that little girl's death, he should have gone to prison.
No question.
I could've lived with that.
But this Who gave you the right to play God? Mrs Carlton, just answer Counsel's questions, please.
Her little girl's dead, and I'm sorry.
But who was she to kill my son? He was my baby.
After your divorce, the family court gave you custody of Jodie.
They said Kayleigh was unfit.
Why was that? When she had Jodie, the anaesthetist botched the epidural.
Messed up a nerve in her back.
GP gave her painkillers.
But Kayleigh had a problem getting off them.
Is it right Kayleigh was born addicted to crack cocaine? Yeah.
We heard from our expert witness earlier that crack babies have a predisposition to addictions.
So it must have been no surprise when Kayleigh became addicted to the painkillers.
She was addicted within weeks.
But she got off 'em.
After her recovery, what sort of mother was she? Good one.
Loving one.
No further questions.
Having gained custody of Jodie seven years ago, you've been her sole carer, haven't you? That's right.
So, surely you're the one who must feel the loss of Jodie most acutely.
You're the one who must feel most .
.
provoked.
Yeah, I suppose so.
And yet .
.
you didn't feel like killing Mr Carlton.
I'm not a violent man.
I couldn't do something like that.
No, you couldn't.
Provoked or not, no normal, decent person could, could they? Is my learned friend making a speech already, milord? Mr Steel, plenty of time for speeches later.
On count one, the murder of Nicholas Carlton, do you find the defendant guilty or not guilty? Not guilty.
On count two, the manslaughter of Nicholas Carlton, do you find the defendant guilty or not guilty? Guilty.
A man lost his life.
He may indeed have been responsible for the death of Mrs Gaines' daughter.
But it is not one person's right to end the life of another.
This offence is clearly so serious, only custody is appropriate.
The sentence I pass is one of 12 months in prison.
Mrs Gaines.
No doubt the real punishment for you is to bear the loss of your daughter.
You have my deepest sympathy.
The sentence is wholly suspended for two years.
He might as well have congratulated her on hitting a major artery.
Does that judge have any idea what he did in there? We go through all this, and for what? To hand a get-out-of-jail-free card to every knife-wielding maniac who cries provocation? Maybe not.
Alesha.
Just to let you know.
We found out Kayleigh Gaines was treated for heroin addiction last year.
Maybe she went further when the GP stopped her painkillers.
Maybe.
But it's not what, it's where.
At the Grovewood Rehab Clinic.
So she went to Grovewood.
Trial's over, what does it matter? She had company.
Nick Carlton's boss Farris Andreou, also dried out at the Grovewood.
Kayleigh Gaines and Farris Andreou both went through rehab last year.
Kayleigh was NHS funded.
So Farris Andreou knew that Kayleigh Gaines had a daughter.
Whatever he knew about her personal life didn't need to come from the sessions.
They had an affair.
They broke a cardinal rule.
We asked them to leave.
She had to know Andreou was Nick Carlton's boss.
Do you think all three of them were involved? Be a hell of a coincidence if they weren't.
Why else hide it? The Italian doctor had the hots for me.
I knocked her back.
She thought I was with Kayleigh.
Who you forgot to mention that you knew.
We know you've been inside.
For tax evasion.
White collar stuff.
Is that where you met Nick Carlton, in prison? We were pad-mates, till he got ghosted out to Ashbridge.
And after that you became penpals? He came knocking on my door looking for a job.
I felt sorry for him.
And you often employ convicted rapists, do you? What are you talking about? The young woman Nick Carlton raped.
She woke up and found him sitting on the end of her bed.
No.
He wouldn't.
He did.
He tied her up.
He gagged her, to stop her flatmates hearing her scream, then raped her.
Carlton was in for fraud, swindling some insurance company.
If you bought that story, you were the only one being swindled.
He would have been on the nonce's wing.
Maybe he had friends.
Friends like you, just turn a blind eye.
You have to believe me.
If I'd known he raped anyone, I wouldn't have given him a job.
You're facing quite a few charges here, Farris.
I didn't know! Kidnap, conspiracy to murder, perverting the course of justice.
To thine own self be true.
And it must follow, as the night the day.
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
That quote from Hamlet gets us through another day.
Be honest with ourselves, and we can stay sober.
Gotta be honest with others too.
Haven't you, Farris? Only then are we truly healed.
So, what have you and Kayleigh Gaines been hiding from us? I owed her.
They kicked her out of rehab because of me.
But I only gave her Nick Carlton's phone number.
I swear to God, that is all I did.
OK.
For the tape, Farris Andreou, who did you give Nick Carlton's phone number to? Kayleigh.
It was all Kayleigh.
She said she wanted Nick Carlton to do something for her.
Could she have hired Carlton to snatch Jodie? Why would she? Kayleigh, be straight with us.
Me and Farris? Just a fling.
He reckons you and Nick Carlton were in it together.
What? Why would he say that? He's lying.
Why is he doing this to me? Farris reckons you were trying to get back at Lennie.
Cos he wouldn't let you see Jodie.
We get on.
Me and Lennie - Kayleigh.
How can you even think What mum could do that to her own kid? Do you think she's telling the truth? What do you think? Could it be an act? Honestly, I don't know.
So, what now? You wanna know if someone's telling the truth, you talk to the person who knows them best.
Do youreally think Kayleigh did this? I'm sorry.
I can't take this in.
At the trial, you swore she was a good mother.
She was hurting enough.
Just said what her barrister told me to say.
What didn't you say, Lennie? There was this time, she was late bringing Jodie back.
Kayleigh had taken her down to Hastings.
Locked her up in some hole of a B&B and gone off to .
.
to score.
She was using again.
Jodie was terrified.
She said it was like Mummy was asleep with her eyes open.
So I stopped the visits.
You should have told the police.
I know.
Please, God, tell me she's not involved.
I mean, I saw these interviews.
The appeal.
She was shaking with grief.
It wasn't grief.
It was withdrawal.
But why would she stop using just when she needed it most? The stress must have been enormous.
No choice.
The minute Jodie was reported missing, she had Family Liaison Officers with her day and night.
Why didn't we see it? Addicts make very good liars.
The police knew it was someone close.
They got the wrong parent.
But why? What could possibly drive her to have her own daughter kidnapped? Kayleigh.
That mobile phone was found in your flat.
Hidden inside a resealed milk carton.
The phone is registered to a Mrs Gemma Miller.
We've been in touch with her.
She confirms that she sold the phone via an online auction site to a Kayleigh Gaines.
This .
.
is a record of the call traffic between that mobile phone, and Nick Carlton's.
We also know you were texting each other like teenagers the week Jodie went missing.
I did buy that phone, yeah.
But it was nicked the day I got it.
Maybe Farris took it.
I was thinking, Farris and Nick Carlton, maybe they was in on it together.
The problem here, Kayleigh, is that we can tell the location of the calls as well as the phone they came from.
The calls from your phone came .
.
from your flat.
So, you see, Kayleigh, we know you're involved.
Kayleigh? All right.
He was only supposed to hide her.
Kayleigh hired a sex offender to snatch Jodie off the street and keep her hidden for six days.
That's kidnap, false imprisonment and the child cruelty involved makes it unlawful act manslaughter.
Hang on.
Jodie died as a result of being gagged.
Are we saying Kayleigh knew Carlton would gag Jodie? You can add perverting the course of justice to that list cos she is a born liar.
So we charge her with all four offences.
But if we do, we do it right.
She will change her story ten times before she goes into that witness box.
You need to corroborate these witnesses.
Mrs Carlton, the police are going to charge you with assisting an offender.
Oh.
That's rich.
Lock me up.
A pensioner.
While that murdering bitch walks around free as you like.
Did your son tell you why Kayleigh Gaines wanted Jodie kidnapped? The more you can tell us about her involvement, the greater chance we have of putting her behind bars.
If Nick said anything After the girl got sick, Nick said he called Mrs Gaines.
Told her that they needed a doctor.
He wanted to take her himself, but Mrs Gaines said no.
Said they'd both get sent down, if anyone found out.
Nick told Mrs Gaines that the girl was crying and making a lot of noise.
She said .
.
tape her mouth up.
Stop her whining.
It was only meant to be a week.
Fortnight, tops.
You were prepared to let a total stranger look after Jodie for two weeks? It was a nice flat.
She had everything she needed.
Telly, X-Box, the lot.
Nick Carlton was a convicted rapist, wasn't he? Yeah, but he never touched her, did he? The police said she weren't abused.
You stabbed Nick Carlton to cover up your involvement, didn't you? I stabbed him cos he killed my little girl.
The papers called me a hero.
I'm still the same person.
Yes.
Yes, you are.
Why did you get Nick Carlton to kidnap Jodie? It was Farris.
It was his idea.
When a kid goes missing, the papers wanna talk to the mum, don't they? Farris said if there was a happy ending, papers would pay a fortune.
You put Jodie's life at risk, just so you could sell your story? I didn't know he'd kill her, did I? Kayleigh, make me understand why you would risk her life.
What did you need the money for? I wantedto be a proper mum.
The kind I never had.
She grew inside me, all safe.
And thenthe minute she was born it all went wrong.
Lennie just took her away from me.
He just - He justtook over.
I kept trying to find my way back, but I couldn't.
I needed the money .
.
to pay for rehab.
I was all booked in.
I - I was gonna get clean, so I could be with Jodie again, Then why didn't you do it the right way, the normal way? Get clean, then prove yourself to the courts? How? The NHS wouldn't fund me twice.
I begged for help.
I screamed and shouted for it.
But nobody listened.
Because people like you, like her .
.
all of you, you don't see me.
I'm that bit of shit on the pavement you step around, so you don't mess up your shoes.
I was gonna get clean and take her away.
We were going to Ibiza.
Me and Jodie.
Far away from London and Lennie.
And the drugs.
So we could be together.
So I could be her mum again.
You were going to take that little girl away from the only loving parent she knew? I loved her more than him.
You didn't think about the trauma of being snatched off the street by a total stranger.
It wasn't like that.
You didn't lose any sleep over Jodie being in the back of a van, tied up, her mouth taped shut.
You're wrong.
All because you wanted to be a proper mum again.
You don't deserve to be a mum.
The police, who investigate crime, and the Crown prosecutors, who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
Police have been granted a further the father of 10-year-old Jodie Gaines, who's been missing for seven days.
Jodie went missing last Friday on her way to a music lesson in Central London.
Earlier this week, Lennie Gaines and his ex-wife Kayleigh made an emotional plea for Jodie's safe return.
If you saw Jodie, and you know where .
.
where she is Ohhhh.
.
.
please .
.
you've got to tell the police.
She's our baby.
And we need her home.
We need her home now.
Couple of Latvian skip rats found her about three hours ago.
They were after scrap metal.
She was under that radiator.
Time of death, about six to ten hours ago.
Cause, not obvious.
She'd only been dead an hour or so when they dumped her.
There's abrasions on the palms of her hands.
Looks like glass.
Is it her? Jodie had a scar on her left arm.
Any sign of her school bag or mobile? Nothing yet.
Anything else for us? Couple of mothballs, stuck to the sheet.
Who uses mothballs these days? Who tapes a kid's mouth shut, and shoves them in a skip? I don't know.
But it wasn't her dad.
Let's get him out of the cells, then.
We've told you everything we know.
Yeah, but it will just help us, Mr Gaines.
We just need to go over your statements again.
Routine, that's all.
And all the time she's been out there.
Alive.
Well, the other team, you know, made a bad call.
And I know it doesn't make it any easier.
But when a child goes missing, presumed dead, we have to consider every possibility.
Even the fact that maybe the dad did it.
Not this - Not this dad.
Just like to go over Jodie's after-school routine, if that's OK.
Just in case something may have been missed.
Guitar lesson, 4pm.
Poland Street.
It's about a mile from the school.
How does she get there? Same cab firm.
They're all CRB checked.
Look, Jodie knows all the drivers.
Been through this 100 times.
You don't think she's a bit young to be taking cabs on her own? Well, cabs, you know.
They're checked, so they're safe, eh? She's usually back ten minutes after me.
I waited and waited, but she didn't come home.
So, Jodie was staying with you, yeah? Jodie lived with me.
The family courts gave me custody.
Right.
I'll call Grebo.
Grebo? Grebo Moore, the guitar teacher.
Lovely.
Thanks.
They said she never showed up, but the school teacher said she saw her get into the cab.
Cause of death was suffocation.
Jodie had a stomach bug.
Her mouth was taped shut.
The vomit had to go somewhere.
It clogged up the nasal passages.
Jesus.
It could have been accidental.
He accidentally taped her mouth shut? How we gonna tell her dad? It's her mum I'm worried about.
She could barely speak.
At least Jodie wasn't sexually assaulted.
That's got to be SOME consolation.
Although that could have been the motive for the kidnapping.
They did pull over 50 glass splinters from her hands.
How did it get there? Could have been a scuffle.
Glass smashed, she tried to crawl over it.
And the sheet she was wrapped in? from any retro shop, jumble sale - Or could have been bought new and had half-a-century's worth of use.
Talk to the cabbie again.
And to the guitar teacher.
Like I told the other cops, she didn't show.
The thing is, Grebo - can I call you Grebo? We have a witness that saw her walk through your front door.
I don't know what to say.
You went through my flat.
You'll pay for the damages.
I'll give you the number of our complaints line.
Jodie comes to you every week for guitar lessons.
When she doesn't show up, you don't think to call her parents? I did the first time she tried it.
Her dad went mental.
What about the second or the third time? Her dad kept her on a tight leash.
If I thought for one second that she was in trouble, I'd have called her dad.
I've been driving Jodie over a year now.
Sparky kid.
Where exactly did you drop Jodie? Outside Food City on Poland Street.
Her music teacher lives above it.
And you watched her go in? Always do.
The school recommends us to parents.
It's part of the deal.
What route did you take? Shaftesbury Avenue, Wardour Street, Broadwick Street, then onto Poland Street.
Lads.
All right, how you doing? Just a quick question.
How long you been working here? Best part of a week.
And this diversion's been in place the whole time? Yeah.
Am I missing something? Our cabbie reckons he drove down Broadwick Street, and turned right onto Poland Street.
Maybe his cab's got wings.
OK, OK.
Maybe I took Noel Street and turned left into Poland Street.
No, that's one-way.
Then it must have been D'Arblay Street.
I thought these cabbies were meant to have a memory for routes.
Dom, I sympathise with you, I really do.
And I'll tell you for why.
When I was married to the first Mrs Brooks and I came home late, she would want to know every single detail.
And I used to struggle, because, I've gotta be honest, half the time I couldn't remember - What's it matter what road I took? Hey, hey.
It matters.
Because we reckon you took Jodie for a little detour.
Maybe school uniforms float your boat.
You're sick.
I've got four girls of my own.
You think you're a man of honour because you won't touch your own kids, but if they're not related, they're fair game.
This is crazy.
You've lied once - Dom.
Would you like a cup of tea? Yes.
Yeah.
Me an' all.
What about you, Matt? Fancy a cup of tea? Why don't you get us one? For the tape, DS Devlin is leaving the room.
Well.
You know what, Dom? I think you're telling the truth.
But I also think you're leaving something out.
Some little detail you're not telling us you know.
A bit like when I used to tell my wife I was working late, and forgot to mention I'd spent four hours in the Red Lion.
What's the little detail? Traffic was hell.
Jodie said she could walk it faster.
I .
.
dropped her off on Wardour Street.
Corner of Broadwick.
Promised her dad I would never leave till she was inside.
We've run his name through the system.
Not even a parking fine.
Right.
Do you want us to let him go, then, Guv? Don't you dare.
He's told one lie.
Maybe there'll be more.
We've been watching the wrong CCTV footage.
Now he's changed his mind about his route, different cameras might come up trumps.
Out she gets.
Ronnie? Got him.
Nice one.
Second after Jodie turns into Broadwick Street.
Can you rewind that bit? For you, anything.
So just after Jodie turns into Broadwick Street, one of the residents of the flats remembers seeing a white van hanging around the skip.
Do you know how many white vans there are in London? But not all of them have got racks on the side.
It's a glazier's van.
And Jodie was found with glass splinters in her hands.
Which could have come from the back of that van.
They're all side-shots.
The driver's in profile for maybe one frame.
IC1, IC2, maybe.
What about the van? Congestion zone cameras must have got the registration.
They got a beauty of the mud obscuring it.
What about the lettering on the side? The logo's all faded.
And the light hitting the glass means you can't make it out.
Basically, we're back to square one.
Is that a window? It's not standard.
Can't be many that shape around.
That is a modern take on the 19th century arch window, apparently.
That's very good, but does he have any idea what building it comes from? I reckon we've been there a few times.
You've lost me.
That is a window from the south block of the Old Bailey.
That's right, we did the Old Bailey job last week.
Wasn't easy matching it up.
Is this one of yours? What's this all about? We asked first, Mr Andreou.
Yeah, looks like one of my vans.
What was it, hit and run? We think the driver may have witnessed a crime.
I've got over 30 fitters.
I need to check the files.
Leave me your number and I'll get back to you.
You been sober long? Pardon? 'To thine own self be true.
' That's what mine says.
How long? That's good.
We need this information now, Mr Andreou.
You know the Grovewood Rehab Clinic? I read the brochure in between pints.
Yeah, Christos.
Who fitted the window on the Old Bailey job? Cheers.
Nick Carlton.
Lives in Kennington.
He's out on a job.
Don't tell my boss, right? I was moonlighting.
You got the address? Must have chucked it out.
The job wasn't worth my while.
Client's name? No memory for names.
That's a shame.
What did you do after that? Big job in Belgravia.
Traffic was mental, got there after six, so I packed it in and headed for the Westminster Bridge.
To Kennington? Surely Vauxhall Bridge would be quicker? My mum lives in Deptford.
Went round for dinner.
Who else was there? Just Mum.
And what time did the party finish at your mum's? Dunno.
Watched the footy and left.
Your mum'll vouch that you were there? Speed cameras'll do that.
Got done on the way.
going 40.
Nick Carlton is habitual.
He started off with a tour of Young Offenders Institutions at 15.
He graduated with the big boys.
You name a nick he hasn't been in.
What did he do? What didn't he do? Burglary, GBH, hit and run, one rape charge that never made it to court, one that got him eight years.
He served four.
The youngest victim was 20.
Killing little girls, though, that's a big leap.
He has been out six years, and nothing.
Maybe prison did him some good.
Or taught him how not to get caught.
Did you confirm that speed camera? Going 40 in a 30.
Doesn't mean he didn't have a dead girl in the back.
He goes straight on to his mum's house for spag bol.
Man's gotta eat.
He's got history.
He was at the scene of the kidnapping.
I want you to search his van.
Yeah.
We went through the van with a fine-tooth comb.
And I checked the material under the microscope.
No fibres, no hair.
What? Nothing? Apart from bad taste in music.
Well, go through it again.
If it was there, I'd have found it.
Actually, that makes sense, Matt.
Because Nick Carlton's been there and back and bought the T-shirt with the old hit-and-run caper.
The first thing he'll do is book his vehicle in for a valet.
But Jodie had glass in her hands.
There must be blood there.
Just abrasions on her hands with glass splinters embedded.
No actual blood, I'm afraid.
We've sent the glass off for analysis.
I've said it's a priority.
Oh, great.
Cheers, Teddy.
Thanks.
So, what now? Right.
Let's check his alibi.
Talk to his mum.
I made roast pork.
It's Nicky's favourite.
You know what I love, Mrs Carlton? Roast pork sandwiches.
Thick white bread, butter.
Bit of apple sauce.
Pepper.
Beautiful.
What about your Nicky? Did he make himself a sandwich before he left? I don't know.
I went to bed.
At what time? After the news.
Which do you prefer, BBC London, or London Tonight? They've all got the same bad news.
Bet the Hammers look good on that.
Nicky gave it me for Christmas.
To watch Chelsea.
Ronnie? Well, well.
We was talking about them the other day.
He was asking me who uses mothballs nowadays.
You get infestations.
Kept finding the little blighters all over.
Coming in through my airing cupboard.
Mind if we have a look? You already have.
My old mum had a set of them.
What's that, two pillowcases and bottom sheet? Top sheet would make the set.
Not gonna be a silly boy and try and do a runner, are you? No, you're an old hand at this.
Nicholas Carlton, I'm arresting you on suspicion of the kidnap and murder of Jodie Gaines.
Maybe you'd seen little Jodie before and picked her out especially.
No comment.
Look, Nick, the only thing that'll help you now is if you tell us exactly what happened.
Justsay how sorry you are for killing Jodie.
No comment.
It's your best chance of avoiding life without parole.
He's right.
If you didn't mean to kill her and it was, say, an accident, it's a whole other prison sentence between manslaughter and murder.
So, was it an accident? No comment.
Judge gives him life without parole, I wanna be there.
I wanna see the whites of his eyes.
The glass splinters found in Jodie's hands are an exact match with the glass found in the back of Carlton's van.
Let's charge him.
The defendant has a catalogue of previous convictions, many of them violent.
The Crown believes he poses a risk to children.
There is no suggestion that Mr Carlton has ever committed any offences against children.
His last conviction is ten years old.
My Lord, he is the sole carer for his elderly mother.
I am reluctantly granting bail on the following strict conditions.
Residence at his mother's address in Deptford.
An electronic tag and curfew between And twice daily reporting to Deptford Police Station.
They bailed the bastard.
Lennie, I am so sorry.
We'll get him at the trial.
Will you? You said he wouldn't get bail.
Kayleigh.
No, you stay here.
Kayleigh.
Kayleigh.
Get an ambulance, somebody.
CID, excuse me.
What's going on? Wait, you're bleeding.
No, I'm OK.
I'm OK.
Matt.
Kayleigh.
He killed Jodie.
Shut up, Kayleigh.
Just wait for your brief to get here.
I'm so sorry.
Mrs Gaines, please just listen to him, OK.
He's dead.
Nick Carlton's dead.
Mrs Gaines.
I'm arresting you on the murder of Nicholas Carlton.
You do not have to say anything Are you serious?.
.
if you do not mention when questioned something that you later rely on in court.
Anything you do say may be given in evidence.
He killed my little girl.
How the hell did this happen? It was over in a flash.
Where were the Family Liaison Officers? No-one knew that she'd react like that.
We can't have every victim of crime taking the law into their own hands.
Every van banger in the country cheering.
They're saying she deserves an OBE.
It doesn't take much effort to put yourself in her shoes.
Maybe not.
But it can't justify murder.
You wanna try her for murder? Of course.
What if the next grieving mum gets herself a gun? Any jury will see that she's out of her mind with grief.
She took a knife to the Old Bailey.
The whole thing was caught on camera.
Even so - We're backed into a corner.
I know it's tough, but we have to prosecute.
Except your jury will be wishing they'd stabbed him themselves.
I don't want a big messy trial.
Talk to the barrister.
Make a deal.
My client won't serve a day for this.
Murder has a minimum tariff, Bea.
Even you can't magic that away.
As soon as the jury see Nick Carlton's record, they'll be lining up to shake Kayleigh's hand.
If they ignore the fact that she stuck a knife in his chest.
The only fact that matters is that Jodie Gaines is dead because the criminal justice system can't keep scum like Carlton behind bars.
Thanks to Kayleigh Gaines, his crime spree is over.
For good.
It wasn't up to her to end it.
I'm so sorry.
Leave the talking to me, Mrs Gaines.
All I could see in my head was Jodie.
Dumped in that skip.
Please, Mrs Gaines.
I kept thinking about her last minutes alive.
Where he kept her.
Please.
What he done to her.
How scared she must have been.
I understand why you did it.
You killed a man - Yeah, he was - He was a monster.
If he killed your little girl .
.
tell me you wouldn't feel the same.
I'm sorry.
We're charging murder.
You know, I've always found your inflexibility truly irritating, James.
Then please don't let me keep you.
Manslaughter provocation, have we got ourselves a deal? This was a straight up revenge killing.
You know it.
You think she wasn't provoked? He kidnapped and murdered her only child.
No, that hadn't been proved.
Nick Carlton died an innocent man.
Why don't you tell that to the jury? We are on the side of the angels, James.
You force a murder trial and you're going to end up with egg on your face.
You shouldn't let her get to you.
I don't.
Really? George said to make a deal.
Kayleigh Gaines should do time.
Manslaughter provocation carries a custodial.
She could get 12 years.
Or as little as 12 months.
Isn't that enough? She lost a child.
She still killed Nick Carlton.
What if he was innocent? She believed he was guilty.
Irrelevant.
She'll get a fair trial, and the chance of rehabilitation.
He deserved the same.
All I'm asking is that we show a little mercy.
It isn't up to us to show mercy, Alesha.
So, what do we do? We do what she should have done.
We let a jury decide.
See the tabloids this morning? They've giving out pull-out posters to put in your window.
Kayleigh's our hero.
I can undress myself, thank you, Bea.
You'll never win.
The whole nation's on her side.
I'll take my chances.
It's not too late, you know.
Just say those two little words and the trial just disappears, just like that.
Manslaughter provocation.
The charge is murder.
Oh, come on.
What's a little provocation between friends? Gloves off, then.
Nick was my only child.
After my husband passed away, Nick looked after me.
Your son had convictions for violence, didn't he? I never said he was a saint.
If he'd anything to do with that little girl's death, he should have gone to prison.
No question.
I could've lived with that.
But this Who gave you the right to play God? Mrs Carlton, just answer Counsel's questions, please.
Her little girl's dead, and I'm sorry.
But who was she to kill my son? He was my baby.
After your divorce, the family court gave you custody of Jodie.
They said Kayleigh was unfit.
Why was that? When she had Jodie, the anaesthetist botched the epidural.
Messed up a nerve in her back.
GP gave her painkillers.
But Kayleigh had a problem getting off them.
Is it right Kayleigh was born addicted to crack cocaine? Yeah.
We heard from our expert witness earlier that crack babies have a predisposition to addictions.
So it must have been no surprise when Kayleigh became addicted to the painkillers.
She was addicted within weeks.
But she got off 'em.
After her recovery, what sort of mother was she? Good one.
Loving one.
No further questions.
Having gained custody of Jodie seven years ago, you've been her sole carer, haven't you? That's right.
So, surely you're the one who must feel the loss of Jodie most acutely.
You're the one who must feel most .
.
provoked.
Yeah, I suppose so.
And yet .
.
you didn't feel like killing Mr Carlton.
I'm not a violent man.
I couldn't do something like that.
No, you couldn't.
Provoked or not, no normal, decent person could, could they? Is my learned friend making a speech already, milord? Mr Steel, plenty of time for speeches later.
On count one, the murder of Nicholas Carlton, do you find the defendant guilty or not guilty? Not guilty.
On count two, the manslaughter of Nicholas Carlton, do you find the defendant guilty or not guilty? Guilty.
A man lost his life.
He may indeed have been responsible for the death of Mrs Gaines' daughter.
But it is not one person's right to end the life of another.
This offence is clearly so serious, only custody is appropriate.
The sentence I pass is one of 12 months in prison.
Mrs Gaines.
No doubt the real punishment for you is to bear the loss of your daughter.
You have my deepest sympathy.
The sentence is wholly suspended for two years.
He might as well have congratulated her on hitting a major artery.
Does that judge have any idea what he did in there? We go through all this, and for what? To hand a get-out-of-jail-free card to every knife-wielding maniac who cries provocation? Maybe not.
Alesha.
Just to let you know.
We found out Kayleigh Gaines was treated for heroin addiction last year.
Maybe she went further when the GP stopped her painkillers.
Maybe.
But it's not what, it's where.
At the Grovewood Rehab Clinic.
So she went to Grovewood.
Trial's over, what does it matter? She had company.
Nick Carlton's boss Farris Andreou, also dried out at the Grovewood.
Kayleigh Gaines and Farris Andreou both went through rehab last year.
Kayleigh was NHS funded.
So Farris Andreou knew that Kayleigh Gaines had a daughter.
Whatever he knew about her personal life didn't need to come from the sessions.
They had an affair.
They broke a cardinal rule.
We asked them to leave.
She had to know Andreou was Nick Carlton's boss.
Do you think all three of them were involved? Be a hell of a coincidence if they weren't.
Why else hide it? The Italian doctor had the hots for me.
I knocked her back.
She thought I was with Kayleigh.
Who you forgot to mention that you knew.
We know you've been inside.
For tax evasion.
White collar stuff.
Is that where you met Nick Carlton, in prison? We were pad-mates, till he got ghosted out to Ashbridge.
And after that you became penpals? He came knocking on my door looking for a job.
I felt sorry for him.
And you often employ convicted rapists, do you? What are you talking about? The young woman Nick Carlton raped.
She woke up and found him sitting on the end of her bed.
No.
He wouldn't.
He did.
He tied her up.
He gagged her, to stop her flatmates hearing her scream, then raped her.
Carlton was in for fraud, swindling some insurance company.
If you bought that story, you were the only one being swindled.
He would have been on the nonce's wing.
Maybe he had friends.
Friends like you, just turn a blind eye.
You have to believe me.
If I'd known he raped anyone, I wouldn't have given him a job.
You're facing quite a few charges here, Farris.
I didn't know! Kidnap, conspiracy to murder, perverting the course of justice.
To thine own self be true.
And it must follow, as the night the day.
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
That quote from Hamlet gets us through another day.
Be honest with ourselves, and we can stay sober.
Gotta be honest with others too.
Haven't you, Farris? Only then are we truly healed.
So, what have you and Kayleigh Gaines been hiding from us? I owed her.
They kicked her out of rehab because of me.
But I only gave her Nick Carlton's phone number.
I swear to God, that is all I did.
OK.
For the tape, Farris Andreou, who did you give Nick Carlton's phone number to? Kayleigh.
It was all Kayleigh.
She said she wanted Nick Carlton to do something for her.
Could she have hired Carlton to snatch Jodie? Why would she? Kayleigh, be straight with us.
Me and Farris? Just a fling.
He reckons you and Nick Carlton were in it together.
What? Why would he say that? He's lying.
Why is he doing this to me? Farris reckons you were trying to get back at Lennie.
Cos he wouldn't let you see Jodie.
We get on.
Me and Lennie - Kayleigh.
How can you even think What mum could do that to her own kid? Do you think she's telling the truth? What do you think? Could it be an act? Honestly, I don't know.
So, what now? You wanna know if someone's telling the truth, you talk to the person who knows them best.
Do youreally think Kayleigh did this? I'm sorry.
I can't take this in.
At the trial, you swore she was a good mother.
She was hurting enough.
Just said what her barrister told me to say.
What didn't you say, Lennie? There was this time, she was late bringing Jodie back.
Kayleigh had taken her down to Hastings.
Locked her up in some hole of a B&B and gone off to .
.
to score.
She was using again.
Jodie was terrified.
She said it was like Mummy was asleep with her eyes open.
So I stopped the visits.
You should have told the police.
I know.
Please, God, tell me she's not involved.
I mean, I saw these interviews.
The appeal.
She was shaking with grief.
It wasn't grief.
It was withdrawal.
But why would she stop using just when she needed it most? The stress must have been enormous.
No choice.
The minute Jodie was reported missing, she had Family Liaison Officers with her day and night.
Why didn't we see it? Addicts make very good liars.
The police knew it was someone close.
They got the wrong parent.
But why? What could possibly drive her to have her own daughter kidnapped? Kayleigh.
That mobile phone was found in your flat.
Hidden inside a resealed milk carton.
The phone is registered to a Mrs Gemma Miller.
We've been in touch with her.
She confirms that she sold the phone via an online auction site to a Kayleigh Gaines.
This .
.
is a record of the call traffic between that mobile phone, and Nick Carlton's.
We also know you were texting each other like teenagers the week Jodie went missing.
I did buy that phone, yeah.
But it was nicked the day I got it.
Maybe Farris took it.
I was thinking, Farris and Nick Carlton, maybe they was in on it together.
The problem here, Kayleigh, is that we can tell the location of the calls as well as the phone they came from.
The calls from your phone came .
.
from your flat.
So, you see, Kayleigh, we know you're involved.
Kayleigh? All right.
He was only supposed to hide her.
Kayleigh hired a sex offender to snatch Jodie off the street and keep her hidden for six days.
That's kidnap, false imprisonment and the child cruelty involved makes it unlawful act manslaughter.
Hang on.
Jodie died as a result of being gagged.
Are we saying Kayleigh knew Carlton would gag Jodie? You can add perverting the course of justice to that list cos she is a born liar.
So we charge her with all four offences.
But if we do, we do it right.
She will change her story ten times before she goes into that witness box.
You need to corroborate these witnesses.
Mrs Carlton, the police are going to charge you with assisting an offender.
Oh.
That's rich.
Lock me up.
A pensioner.
While that murdering bitch walks around free as you like.
Did your son tell you why Kayleigh Gaines wanted Jodie kidnapped? The more you can tell us about her involvement, the greater chance we have of putting her behind bars.
If Nick said anything After the girl got sick, Nick said he called Mrs Gaines.
Told her that they needed a doctor.
He wanted to take her himself, but Mrs Gaines said no.
Said they'd both get sent down, if anyone found out.
Nick told Mrs Gaines that the girl was crying and making a lot of noise.
She said .
.
tape her mouth up.
Stop her whining.
It was only meant to be a week.
Fortnight, tops.
You were prepared to let a total stranger look after Jodie for two weeks? It was a nice flat.
She had everything she needed.
Telly, X-Box, the lot.
Nick Carlton was a convicted rapist, wasn't he? Yeah, but he never touched her, did he? The police said she weren't abused.
You stabbed Nick Carlton to cover up your involvement, didn't you? I stabbed him cos he killed my little girl.
The papers called me a hero.
I'm still the same person.
Yes.
Yes, you are.
Why did you get Nick Carlton to kidnap Jodie? It was Farris.
It was his idea.
When a kid goes missing, the papers wanna talk to the mum, don't they? Farris said if there was a happy ending, papers would pay a fortune.
You put Jodie's life at risk, just so you could sell your story? I didn't know he'd kill her, did I? Kayleigh, make me understand why you would risk her life.
What did you need the money for? I wantedto be a proper mum.
The kind I never had.
She grew inside me, all safe.
And thenthe minute she was born it all went wrong.
Lennie just took her away from me.
He just - He justtook over.
I kept trying to find my way back, but I couldn't.
I needed the money .
.
to pay for rehab.
I was all booked in.
I - I was gonna get clean, so I could be with Jodie again, Then why didn't you do it the right way, the normal way? Get clean, then prove yourself to the courts? How? The NHS wouldn't fund me twice.
I begged for help.
I screamed and shouted for it.
But nobody listened.
Because people like you, like her .
.
all of you, you don't see me.
I'm that bit of shit on the pavement you step around, so you don't mess up your shoes.
I was gonna get clean and take her away.
We were going to Ibiza.
Me and Jodie.
Far away from London and Lennie.
And the drugs.
So we could be together.
So I could be her mum again.
You were going to take that little girl away from the only loving parent she knew? I loved her more than him.
You didn't think about the trauma of being snatched off the street by a total stranger.
It wasn't like that.
You didn't lose any sleep over Jodie being in the back of a van, tied up, her mouth taped shut.
You're wrong.
All because you wanted to be a proper mum again.
You don't deserve to be a mum.