New Tricks s05e08 Episode Script
Mad Dogs
Crap! Absolute crap! They're a bloody disgrace.
of complete, five-star, total bloody rubbish! It was a friendly.
There's no such thing! We should never have lost.
Never in a million years.
Against Spurs?! We're non-league.
They're ten divisions above us! What d'you want to drink? Nothing! I'll just eat me bloody orange! Mark! Shit! Mark Lane! # Marky Park Lane, Marky Park Lane, Marky Park Lane, Tottenham! # Andy Merrill.
From school, do you remember me? Yeah Is this your old man? I am his father, yes.
Andy Merrill.
Ex-Tilworth Comp - ex-1st Battalion King's Guards! # Tottenham, till I die! # I'm Tottenham till I die! # I know I am, I'm sure I am, I'm Tottenham till I die! # Come on, you Spurs! # What you looking at?! Eh? Sorry 'bout that.
My, uh, brain's buggered That why you're a Spurs supporter? Ha ha, he's a geezer, your old man, in't he, he's a geezer.
You ever been in the army? Police.
Retired.
Yeah? Me too Army! Army, mate! If you haven't got what it takesit takes what you've got! Can you do that? No.
Nor me.
Spurs supporter.
# It's all right It's OK # Doesn't really matter if you're old and grey # It's all right I say it's OK # Listen to what I say # It's all right, doing fine # Doesn't really matter if the sun don't shine # It's all right I say it's OK # We're gettin' to the end of the day.
# You OK? Yeah Thanks.
Sorry about that.
I'm not supposed to drink but You got to, haven't you? How long you been on these? Ever since Iraq.
You just fought in Iraq? No The first lot! 1991.
My best mate was killed just before I went.
Eric Trimble.
We were like brothers.
volunteered for the IRU IR what? IRU.
It's the Influenza Research Unit.
It was two weeks of getting a dose of the sniffs, extra pay, a week's leave on top Sweet.
In the end me, Eric and the other two boys bunked off for a night on the piss.
I mean we weren't supposed to, but Then what happened? Eric never came back.
They found him.
Somebastard had battered the crap out Police never got anywhere.
Before you know it, the shit hits the Kuwaiti fan and we're all giving it left-right, left-right, left-right in the desert.
No leave.
No counselling.
No, no nothing.
Instead, I get to, I get to stare at a load of dead Iraqis with their faces on fire.
And me, me? I'm laughing.
I'm laughing mine off Honourable discharge, few hundred quid, 16 years with my head in a vice.
And er, just to top it all off, since this second lot, I've even started seeing him again.
Eric.
He and, er, "What you going to do? What you going to do for your old mate, you bastard?!" Morning.
Sandra, this is Mr Hamilton.
He's from the MoD.
Go ahead.
At 8.
43am somebody from this office attempted to gain access to a secure site within the Ministry of Defence without official authorisation.
Any takers? That must have been me.
But I had no idea the information was classified.
I was just Thank you, Mr Hamilton, I'll deal with this.
I can promise there will be no repetition of this incident.
What the hell do you think you were doing?! Have you any idea how potentially damaging this is? The MoD?! Are you insane? What is this case, anyway? Eric Trimble.
He was beaten to death in 1991.
It's on record, I was just having trouble locating the file.
Trimble being a soldier, I thought I'd try army records.
Army? Sir.
This happened before the first Gulf War.
So it should be on file? Yes, somewhere.
Sir? Well, in that case.
Keep going.
I'm not having some spook waltz in here, telling us what we can and can't do about a legitimate case.
Will you let me know how you get on? Is he on drugs? It was when you said the magic word "army".
What's up with him? Strickland was sponsored through college, but not by the Metby the army.
When he graduated he should have gone to Sandhurst.
Why didn't he? I don't know.
He was probably crap.
How d'you know all this? I always like to know about the people I'm working with.
For PHONE RINGS Got it! Come on! The four soldiers at the IRU, and they were the only ones there at the time, right? They were last seen drinking in the Rising Star pub on the evening of January 20th, 1991.
Now the landlord reckons that they all left together around ten o'clock.
Andy Merrill, Keith Sharratt and Ronnie Glazebrook were discovered back in their beds at 7 the next morning.
But Trimble Trimble was black?! Nothing escapes you No, no, no, no, Andy Merrill told you every thing he could remember about the best mate he ever had, apart from the fact that he was black? Well, this is 1991.
A black soldier is murdered.
You're talking about racism, bullying.
Yeah, no wonder the Secret Squirrels got nervous.
Anyway, a search was organised, and Trimble's body was discovered in Hopkins Wood at 3pm.
The police were informed around 3.
30, and Andy Merrill, Keith Sharratt and Ronnie Glazebrook were questioned under caution at five in the evening.
What did they say? Next to nothing.
They were all still in shock.
Could hardly remember a thing.
Are you saying these three squaddies got away with saying they couldn't remember anything? They'd all been drinking.
Now come on, Brian.
I mean a group of you can get totally pissed together, but you don't suffer collective memory loss.
Well, forensics couldn't find anything linking them to the body or the murder scene.
They checked their clothing.
Nothing.
What about this IRU? Well, it closed down in still there.
Dead man's family? They were living in Hammersmith.
Mum, dad, sister.
OK, Brian, we'll start with them.
You two try and track down those other squaddies.
Right.
So why you want to drag it up now? After all this time? Eric is dead.
We want to try and find out who killed your son, Mrs Trimble.
Really? Now? When the Lord has finally helped me to come to terms with my lossnow you want to stir up my heart all over again? We do realise how difficult this must be.
Especially with the added pain of not knowing who was responsible for Eric's death, but that's perhaps the most important reason for us doing what we do.
To try and put an end to not knowing.
Only God can take away the pain Mum.
How long will it take? Oh, we don't know.
Mrs Trimble, can I ask you? What was Eric like? Oh, he was a lovely boy.
Kind, generous, gentle.
And you can't think of anyone who might have wanted to hurt him? No.
Everyone liked him.
Do you remember the last time you saw him? Yes.
I was with Arthur - my husband.
It was, about a month Before Eric died.
Thank you.
Look, I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to upset your mother.
It's just that the photo It's of our dad.
He died only four months later.
The moment he heard about Eric, he justbroke.
Wouldn't eat, drink.
Nothing.
Mum never got over it.
It's OK, we understand.
Oh, sorry, I picked this up.
Keep it.
Bye.
Bye.
Come on, let's go pick the others up.
Well, the good news is that Keith Sharratt's still in the army.
Same regiment, even.
Although he's a sergeant major now.
In a barracks in Hounslow.
Ronnie Glazebrook, on the other hand, left the army in '92 and now lives in Penge.
Ah, pull over! Is this it? Well, where's the IRU? Well, according to the map There! Why are they wearing protective clothing? Oi! What do you think you're doing?! Just admiring the speed and efficiency with which you do your work.
Good.
Now bugger off.
Oi! Come, gentlemen, let us away.
Well, he had a face you'd never tire of kicking.
Brian checks on a dead black soldier.
We get a visit from MI5.
And the last place he was at before he died is suddenly being demolished.
And why bother cleaning up if it was only the flu? Using men in space suits.
One of whom calls me "ma'am".
Well, he's a spook, isn't he? Why don't we have a look at the crime scene? Here we are, Hopkins Wood.
Yeah, well, I'll stay in the car.
You still afraid of trees? You still afraid of cookers? All right.
Jack and me'll do it.
You two go find The Rising Star pub.
And make sure he doesn't drink.
Well, how we gonna get there? Try walking.
Well, it's here somewhere.
Ah, 17 years is a lot of wood.
Look.
Fully clothed, battered about the head but with no marks of any resistance.
So it was someone he knew, or he was taken by surprise.
Or both.
And no signs of any damage to the vegetation Single attacker? Well, it certainly wasn't three.
Any joy? What, in a Felspar's pub?! Well, apparently it hasn't changed much.
Just a different landlord.
I think we've got it all wrong.
I think Eric came in, took one look at this place and committed suicide.
I thought I told you not to drink? I'm not.
It's crap.
So.
What now? I'd like to know how those four soldiers got on with each other.
Hang on, I've been thinking.
Eric's body was found in Hopkins Wood, which is a mile that way.
But the IRU is almost two miles in the opposite direction.
So that wood's hardly en route, is it? Plus there are two other pubs closer to the IRU than this placeso why come here for a drink? Well, they weren't supposed to be out.
They'd know that if anyone was gonna check on them, they'd probably try the pubs nearer the IRU.
Let's go talk to the army.
I'll catch up with you, I'm just off to the loo.
OK.
All right! Colonel Bob Kilmartin.
Detective Superintendent Pullman.
This is Jack Halford.
How d'you do? Welcome.
Please make yourself at home.
are off trying to track down Sergeant Major Sharratt? Well, that'll prove interesting! Now then - Eric Trimble.
Do you remember the case? Oh, yes, very well, I'm afraid.
Well, I was only a junior officer at the time, but I knew all four men pretty well, so it's still pretty fresh, as you can imagine.
What was Eric Trimble like? What, as a soldier? Well, if truth be told he was a pain in the arse.
"Difficult" is the euphemism we normally use.
In what way? For a start, he'd been absent without leave on three separate occasions.
Why was that? Why? Well, because like most immature people, he didn't realise that the army isn't a holiday camp.
To put it at its most basic, he got homesick.
You don't sound very sympathetic.
Oh, I'm telling you what he was like.
That he was murdered is a tragedy.
But they're two very separate issues.
Now we despatched him to the IRU in order to try and keep him out of trouble.
Keep him out of harm's way.
"Despatched"? I thought soldiers volunteered for the IRU? Er, well yessometimes.
Not always.
Come on, lads! Keep it moving, come on.
You're in your own time now.
Get over that wall, let's have ya! One turn, you useless testicle! If you don't get over that wall in the next three seconds, I'm going to stick a flare up your arse and fire you over it! Sergeant Major Sharratt? Speaking.
Er, Gerry Standing, Brian Lane.
Kipling! You may make exceedingly good cakes but you make a god-awful bloody soldier.
A nice turn of phrase.
Thank you.
I try to be original.
Miller?! Miller! My granny can move faster than thatand she's dead! Get moving, you superannuated ponce! So, er, Eric Trimble? Can you tell us about the night he died? What you remember? We, erwe all went out for a drink.
Yeah, The Rising Star.
Yeah.
We had a few beers And d'you remember leaving there? With Eric? There was you, Andy and Ronnie.
I remember we We had a few beers.
How d'you get on with Eric? OK.
Why? Because somebody didn't, obviously.
You weren't close friends with him, then? Nobody was.
Oh, you remember that? Cos you didn't remember much at the time.
Listen, I don't remember anything after the pub, OK? But other bits of stuff have come back Yeah.
Stuff like you weren't his mate? What you trying to say? Nobody's saying anything.
But after 17 years, it's about time they did.
Bit too close, lads.
Did his colleagues get on with him? Some did.
Some didn't.
What about the three who were with him at the IRU? It was fine.
It wasn't an issue.
For how long did the soldiers get sent to the IRU? It varied.
We understand that Eric Trimble had been there before.
Yes.
And this ongoing arrangement between yourselves and the IRU? How did it work, exactly? Look, I'm sorry.
While I'm happy to help out in any way I can, I'm afraid that any questions you have about the Research Unit will have to be directed towards the appropriate department.
Oh I'm out of time.
My apologies.
We'll have to leave it there.
I'm sorry.
He seemed more concerned about the reputation of his regiment than any ex-member of it.
"Appropriate department"? Flu research, my arse.
Bloody hell.
I said go to the assault course, not through it.
THEY LAUGH There'll be a bill for this! Sharratt reckons that none of them were mates with Trimble.
Although that's not how Andy Merrill remembers it.
And Sharratt got quite heavy when we pushed him.
I'll drop you off at Ronnie Glazebrook's.
See what he can remember.
And Jack and I will dig up some info on the IRU.
Yeah, after I've cleaned up! All right.
No place like home(!) INTERCOM: Speak and make yourselves known.
Er Brian Lane and Gerry Standing.
We're from the Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad.
To see Ronnie Glazebrook.
And what is the purpose of your visit? Eric Trimble.
Compulsive hoarder.
You don't say(!) HE COUGHS Are you infected? Are you carrying disease? No, no.
It's the dust.
Careful.
That dust is me.
Er, where are you, Ronnie? X zero five, Roger.
Over.
Ronnie? Hello? Get back! We have contact.
What's the news? From the front? Front of what? Do the Arabs have control? Do they? Do they? Do the camel-jockeys still hold the desert? HE GIBBERS Come in, Big Boy.
Come in, Big Boy.
What is your position? Over.
We're here about Eric Trimble.
Do you remember him, Ronnie? He died.
Remember? Course I remember.
Eric.
Eric Trimble.
He was my mate.
Black as pitch.
And here comes Botham down the pitch On a charge! Good Lord, he's put it straight into the member's stand! Eric was your friend then? And Andy Merrill's, right? Andy?! Andy! Handy Andy?! Liar, liar Your pants are on fire! INCOMING! This is a bloody nightmare.
He's barking! What do you want to know? You were with Eric at the Influenza Research Unit, right? Flu! Flu! Who told you that?! Why What was it then? For bad boys.
Naughty-naughty.
Going down! We can't do this.
It's hopeless, come on.
Ronnie? Ronnie? We'll be back.
OK? Beer cans? The man's an alcoholic.
Then when we asked him what the IRU was, he said "for bad boys".
So Sharratt can suddenly turn aggressive.
Glazebrook's a dipsomaniac and Merrill may have been economical with the truth? Now Mark reckons that Merrill was always a liar at school.
And booze seems to send him loopy 'n' all.
I'm not sure we can believe any of them.
Being drunk seems to be a recurring theme.
Unlike the Flu Unit, which seems to have disappeared completely.
Hm.
Maybe.
All right, starting tomorrow, we'll track down the ex-landlord of The Rising Star.
See what he can remember.
Someone's got to have a decent memory of the bloody thing.
Night, night.
Oh, fancy a quick pint? No, I, er, I'm gonna ask Strickland a favour.
Now this I've got to see.
Of course, there is a possibility that Trimble's death is entirely unconnected to some strange research establishment which has now been knocked down.
But either way I am loath to try and gather more information when such action could endanger the integrity of the departmentsir.
You want me to do it.
Well, it is political, sir, and I'm not a political animal.
Is there a racial element? We don't know, sir.
But, er, if you do need an excuse Leave it with me.
Thank you, sir.
Much appreciated.
Sir.
Whatever happened that stopped him being an officer must really have pissed him off.
How you feeling this morning, Jack? Can't complain.
Well, you will anyway.
Yes, yes.
Um, the IRU's former director is a Dr Helena Matheson.
Virologist apparently.
School of Tropical Medicine.
She's expecting your call.
Cheers.
Result.
Dr Matheson? Thank you.
Ah, yes.
UCOS.
You want to know about the IRU Eric Trimble? Yeah, that's right.
It would help to know how long soldiers spent there, what they got up to.
That kind of thing.
Of course.
Er, well, soldiers could be there quite some time.
A month even.
And the four soldiers from the King's Guards We understand they were the only ones there at the time? Yes.
We were there the other day.
The IRU site.
It was being demolished by men in protective clothing.
Yes, well Any lab where there's been viral material stored or developed has to be thoroughly cleansed afterwards.
I didn't know the flu virus could live on in the soil? Ha! Well, given recent history, I don't think the government's taking any chances! Certainly less than in 1991.
Eric Trimble died just five days before his regiment moved to Kuwait.
They may give our men inadequate equipment and pay, but I think they draw the line at a dose of flu.
Care to tell us what else might have been going on at the IRU, apart from flu research? I think I've told you everything.
Dr Matheson, two of the men who were at the IRU with Trimble have drink problems.
All three have memory problems, particularly about the night that Trimble died.
Now, I don't believe they're faking it and I don't believe it's coincidence, but I'm beginning to believe that it was not accidental.
I'm sorry but even if I wanted to help you, I'm bound by the Official Secrets Act.
The Official Secrets Act is no protection against the charge of murder.
That is a ludicrous remark.
Not if what you gave those men caused one of them to kill.
Of course it didn't! Good.
Then you won't mind telling us what you were exposing them to.
Thank you very much, chaps.
We'll take over from here.
Says who? Says the chap who's asking you very nicely to be on your way.
OK, old man? I preferred you in the paper suit.
It's a cover up! That's why the original murder team didn't get anywhere.
MI5 made sure they didn't.
I don't know.
There's something else.
Something not right.
That's what I'm saying.
Yeah, but what can we do about it? The Spooks have put the block on us talking to Helena Matheson.
We solve the case.
We prove that one of the three soldiers did it, we charge him and we see him in court! Ha! M15 are gonna love that.
Fine.
Well, they can have that argument with the lawyers.
I'm not packing it in.
Kilmartin was evasive about the IRU.
the soldiers getting on.
We'll go back to the barracks.
Where are you going now? PHONE RINGS For a think.
Hello? Ah, hello, yeah, have you got some info for me? Yeah Great, thanks.
They've found a guy called Rod Erskine.
Ex-landlord of The Rising Dump.
He now runs a pub in Portobello.
Good, take Mr Happy with you.
Oi! You had your think? Er Yeah.
Come on, then, let's go! Oh, how are you getting on? Moving forward.
We need to ask you a few more questions.
Fire away.
You said Eric Trimble went AWOL.
Yes, several times.
And that you punished him by sending him to the IRU? Yes So it was a punishment? Wellnot a punishment exactly Colonel, I'm an experienced police officer and it's obvious to me when someone is trying to hide a lie.
And in this particular case, I'm getting bloody Now, why did you send Merrill, Glazebrook and Sharratt to the IRU? No! I'm sorry, I'm not allowing you to tarnish the reputation of men who fought with honour for this country.
Merrill and Glazebrook? Have you seen them recently? It isn't their reputations that are buggered up! Sorry.
I won't answer any more questions.
In that case we have no other option than to arrest you.
On what charge?! Obstructing the course of justice.
Trying to bribe a police officer.
Driving without due care and attention I don't care.
But what I do care about is that murdered and you don't give a shit! So unless you want to face the indignity of being handcuffed while in uniform and marched off to the local nick in full view of the entire regiment, then I suggest you start telling us what it is we want to know! That's absolutely outrageous! No, Colonel, no! That! That is outrageous! Colonel? I never got to the bottom of it.
Bottom of what? The fight.
What fight? Trimble and Sharratt.
They were caught fighting in the armoury.
It was very serious.
What happened? Well, I don't know.
Merrill and Glazebrook were involved as well.
I questioned all four of them, but none of them would tell me anything.
Sharratt and Glazebrook were bloody good soldiers.
I didn't want to discipline them.
So I sent them off to the IRU.
I told them that by the time they returned, they'd better have sorted themselves out, or else.
So that's what we did.
We sent them off to Major Matheson.
Major Matheson? Yes, yes.
Of the Territorial Army, yes.
God, look at that, proper old pub for a change.
Afternoon, gents.
Hiya.
What can I get you? Whoa, Pole Star SA, I'll have a pint of that, terrific.
Yeah, and he'll have some sparkling water.
I mean look at those mirrors, they're fantastic, aren't they? Why haven't I been in here before, eh? Gerry.
So, er, are you the landlord? Rod Erskine? That's right.
Gerry Standing.
Gerry.
What? It's a gay pub.
Something wrong? Er, we're from the Met.
Police.
We're here about a murder.
Eric Trimble? Who? You know who.
Eric Trimble? waiting for this Sorry.
Sorry for what? For lying.
For not Not what? What did you do? Oh, no, it wasn't me! I didn't kill Eric.
I swear! But? But I did know him.
I knew Eric.
You don't mean "biblically"? What, Eric was gay? Was when I finished with him.
Sorry.
Yeah.
I, I mean He wasso sweet.
Gorgeous.
Part of him didn't want to be, gay, I mean, but, oh, yeah.
Eric was big, black, loud and proud.
And how long did you know him? Just a few months.
Although we did see each other several times.
I told him about my pub.
The Rising Star? Told him to come out there.
If you'll pardon the pun.
Was The Rising Star the same aswell, the same as this place? In Uxbridge? Funny thing is, it was, actually.
Well, not overtly.
Not back then.
Well, what I didn't know was he was going to turn up with three big, butch squaddies in tow.
Maniac.
I was so pissed off.
Were you? Oh, no! Not like that! But they were! After a few drinks one of them went mental.
Screaming at Eric about dragging him to fairylandto a poof's palace! In the end I had to get them all out.
Hold on, hold on.
In your witness statement you said they all left quietly.
Well, course I did.
After we found out what had happened, me and the regulars agreed to keep schtum about it.
You mean lied.
Some of them were married men.
about me.
Listen, which one of the squaddies went mental? Can you remember? Had sandy hair.
Plus he was horrible.
D'you believe him? Well, it makes sense of where Eric was when he was AWOL.
Gadding around Soho with Hot Rod.
Certainly explains the fight in the armoury.
And Sharratt doesn't strike me as the type who'd be too happy to find out that he was in gay company.
Specially if Eric then took him to a gay pub.
Yeah.
No wonder he went mental.
Hold on.
There's no forensics linking Sharratt - well, linking any of these squaddies with the crime.
And it still doesn't explain why Eric was found in the opposite direction to the IRU.
They can't have been going back there.
They don't remember, remember? Maybe they all split up.
What, Eric went off on his own with Mr Maniac? I'm afraid I'm gonna have to call this investigation to a halt.
Is that official? No.
But it's been made clear to me that were you to continue, we would be put under the kind of pressure Sir, we're really close.
Look, I'm sorry.
I appreciate how determined you've been to solve this case but higher forces are at work and it would be foolish to even attempt to countermand them.
Ah, what a bastard! That's unfair, Gerry.
No, no, not him.
Bloody spooks.
That's the first time I've ever felt sorry for him.
So what are we going to do? Well, you heard him.
We're stuffed.
No, we're not.
Not if we get a confession, we're not.
This case has already gone public once.
If we get a confession, we get a court case.
MI5 can do about it.
But how do we get any of these blokes to confess? They can't remember anything.
You ever heard of agent provocateur? Yeah, yeah I bought my ex a pair of knickers there once.
Provocation.
Whisky, please.
Large one.
With ice.
Heavy day.
I'll say.
Tell me Why did you get sent to the Flu Research Unit? What? Like a spot of gay-bashing, do you? Who the hell are you? Take a running jump.
So, you find out that Eric was gay and then you made his life a misery.
Him? Make HIS life a misery? You don't know what you're on about! Why you getting so excited then? Oh, dear.
Do you have to take those to stop yourself from losing it? I take them when I have a drink.
When I drink, that's all.
I never knew Trimble was bent until he took us to that pub.
I don't believe you.
You know nothing about Trimble, do you? I know that he was beaten to death after he left the pub with you.
Not by me.
And we have a witness who says that you lost it with him in there.
Yeah, I did.
And you know why? Tell me.
I caught him bullying Andy Merrill.
Like I say.
You didn't know him.
But let me tell you.
Eric Trimble was a bully.
A big, nasty, bullying shit.
And the worst part of it was, the moment anyone stood up to him he played the race card! Oh, so that's what you were doing in the armoury.
You were standing up to him.
Except he was beating the shit out of me till Ronnie piled in.
And then you beat the shit out of him after you left The Rising Star? No, no, no, no, no, you don't.
I've only been on a charge once in my life and all cos of that shit! And now here you are, 17 years later, trying to fit me up for killing him?! Me?! Me?! I've put my balls on the line for this country! Iraq, Bosnia, Afghanistan! I've got medals you have to be bleeding dead to get in the Yank army! And now you want me to go down for that lowlife! No, it's all right.
She's just trying to Oh, hello, what have you come as, Swampy's dad?! All right, all right, take it easy! Calm down, all right.
What are you doing with this load o' poofs?! You want a man, darling! A real man.
Not these geriatrics! People like you think we're scum.
Dirt.
But when shit happens, when it all goes tits up, we're the people you want out there killing all those nasty bastards trying to kill us.
And I've done it.
I've killed menlots of them.
But I didn't kill him.
I didn't like him, but I didn't kill him.
Not exactly an overwhelming confession, was it? What about Merrillor Glazebrook? No.
I think we have to face the fact that they don't or can't remember.
Oh, my God.
"A Metropolitan Police Investigation into the unsolved murder of black "army private Eric Trimble in 1991, has been halted after the enquiry "team uncovered his involvement as a guinea pig at a secretive research facility near Uxbridge.
"Its former head, Helena Matheson, has served with the British army in both Afghanistan and Iraq" Admiring your handiwork? I suppose you think this is a clever way around the impasse? Yes, well, I've just spent the best part of an hour begging the Commissioner not to take action, assuring him the leak didn't emanate from this department.
But No.
This time I talk.
You listen.
If I ever find out who's responsible for this nightmare, they're out.
End of story.
Wait here! Don't look at me, it's the first time I've ever bought the bleedin' paper! Not me.
No.
But I wish I had.
Come on.
Don't be silly.
Who was it? Oh, of course, very good, very good.
Well, don't you get it? It was him.
What, ya? Mr Hamilton would like another word.
It's been agreed with great reluctance to allow Dr Matheson to answer any questions you may have regarding the death of Private Murder.
Let him finish, please.
.
.
regarding the death of Private Trimble.
The interview is to be conducted in the presence of a Security Services Official.
This should be interesting.
I told you.
Dr Matheson, can you tell me what the relationship was between the IRU and the MoD, that allowed soldiers No, she can't.
In fact she won't be answering any questions that pertain to national security.
I do hope you're not going to be too boring.
Ditto.
All right, then, can you tell me what the nature of the work was that was carried out on Private Trimble and the other three soldiers? I presume it wasn't to stop them from sneezing.
We were trialing a new drug.
Medicine? For the army - a prototype, Perfectly safe.
Formulated to remove feelings of vulnerability and inhibition in order to heighten aggression.
The drug had previously been tried out upon several other Guinea pigs? Trialists.
It proved to be highly effective, non-toxic and harmless.
Really? So why are Sharratt, Merrill and Glazebrook bonkers? The drug was not the problem.
So there was a problem? Because, despite very clear warnings, the men broke the curfew, left the unit and went to the pub.
And? The combination of drug and alcohol wasunfortunate.
The damage to their memory may have resulted from this.
It's why the trial was discontinued.
Oh, I see.
Not because a man died? When Glazebrook, Sharratt and Merrill returned to the IRU, they were difficult to control.
We had to sedate them.
So you're saying in that state, it's likely that one of them did kill Trimble.
I don't know.
Short of repeating the combination of test drug and alcohol - hardly a good idea - I don't see how you could prove it, either.
I wouldn't put it past her.
Did any of them confess? No.
So what happened after they were sedated? Dr Matheson contacted the MoD and a search was instigated.
So Trimble's body was found at 3pm the following afternoon? 4am.
What? The body was discovered at 4am.
We had to wait for the soldiers to come to.
When they did, it was clear they had no recollection of what happened after they got drunk.
If this case had gone to court, they would have been tied to a murder through no fault of their own.
Please! You mean the MoD would have ended up in the dock for not protecting its own men.
Merrill, Glazebrook and Sharratt are walking wounded.
They weren't part of a trial, they were part of an experiment.
Thank you for your expert opinion, Mr Halford.
But, as I understand it, the men are able to lead perfectly normal lives, providing they take the appropriate medication.
Interview terminated at 10.
07am.
The drug Eric took removed all his inhibitions about being gay, about being seen to be gay, which is probably why he had no qualms about taking the other three to meet his boyfriend.
It removed all their inhibitions as well.
They were out of their heads.
Sharratt almost certainly killed him, but I doubt if he even realised it.
Yeah, well.
They killed him! Scientists, MoD, M15.
Not those poor bloody squaddies.
And we're supposed to sit here and pretend that that's how it should be?! Yeah, well, you did what you could.
All of you.
You can't do more.
Sharratt, they look after.
He's still in the army.
It's a sheltered environment.
They can keep an eye on him, utilize him, find him a role.
Andy Merrill, they just throw back into Civvie Street without a second thought.
Unemployable, cocktail of drugs, mind only half there.
And as for Glazebrook?! Well, him, they just wash their hands of completely.
Post-traumatic stress, Gulf War Syndrome, whatever you want to call it - no aftercare, welfare, home help.
No-one to ensure he takes his medication.
Just dumped.
Just drink.
Gulf War Syndrome? It's all right.
I haven't got it.
Kiss me.
What?! I want you to kiss me.
What, now? Does there have to be a set time for you to show me your undying devotion? Oh, I see, no, I'm not drinking.
What's this? Oh, I'm developing religious mania.
Well, I can't see you as a Jehovah's Witness.
Where d'you get it from? The dead boy's parents' house.
What? Jehovah's Witnesses can't serve in the armed forces.
What are you talking about? It's not illegal.
They don't allow themselves to join up.
They object conscientiously.
You knew that.
This better be good.
"Good morning" would be nice.
Why did you drag me here? I don't want to go in there alone.
Plus I get a lift back to the station afterwards.
Come on.
Dry cleaners.
'Speak and make yourselves known.
' The Guardians of the Ring.
Frodo the hobbit and Gimli, the dwarf.
BUZZER (You're the dwarf.
) Take cover, Ronnie.
We're coming in.
Go ahead Foxtrot-3.
Receiving you loud and clear.
State your position.
ETA five minutes, Ronnie.
On target.
Looking to complete operations.
Go ahead.
Eric Trimble, black as pitch, Keith Sharratt, Andy Merrill, you.
Keith realised Eric was homosexual.
Andy didn't.
What about you, Ronnie? INCOMING! Ow! Did you know he was gay? Ronnie? Yes, of course.
He told me.
He told you?! Are you sure? He was away with the fairies.
Friend of Dorothy's.
That was why we went and got pissed.
He wanted to be out.
Why did he tell you, Ronnie? Look out! I don't care.
What, you didn't care? You can't tell Andy, he wouldn't understand.
Can't tell Sharratt He wouldn't like it.
Not happy.
He told you? Uh-huh? Anyone else? With a single bound, he was free! He was free.
Himself.
Once he has spoken, he can tell the world.
Free at last.
Free at last! Lord God Almighty, free at last! ET, phone home.
Over and out.
Would you care to translate? ET.
ET, phone home! I'm not going in there.
Nah, nor me.
I mean why would anybody want to come here? Even drunk and drugged? Exactly.
That's why.
What? Who needs an old phone box now, with mobile phones? But back then in '91, ETphone home.
ET Eric Trimble.
Oh, oh, those are lovely.
Who sent those? Nobody sent them.
I bought them for you.
Oh, thank you.
What are you doing? I'm polishing me shoes.
Brian, what's happened? That poor lad who died, Eric Trimble.
No.
I mean what's happened to your trainers? I thought they were looking a bit tatty.
What have you got there? Supper.
I bought some chops.
Esther.
Do you never think that life might be a bit too short for just "chops"? I mean don't you think that it's incumbent upon us to make the most of whatever time we have left on this earth? After all, what else is there? All right, OK.
Tonight, we shall settle for chops.
But tomorrow night, I'm taking you out to dinner.
To dine royally .
.
as befits a wonderful woman like you.
Esther.
You look lovely.
I bet you can look even lovelier.
Sit down.
Thank you.
Alicia isn't back, she's gone to get my shopping.
Actually, we wanted to talk to you, Mrs Trimble, about the last time you spoke to Eric.
The night he died, he, he rang you and you spoke to him, didn't you? Mrs Trimble? Oh Hi.
What is it? What's going on? We're just talking about Eric's last phone call.
Last call? Yes, Eric rang here the night he was murdered.
No, that's not right.
You must remember the call, Mrs Trimble.
Mum? We'd like you tell us what Eric told you.
What are you doing?! Alicia That's enough.
He said how much he loved me.
Loved us all.
What else? He said he had to speak to Dad.
Arthur, his father.
He told his father the same thing - that he loved him.
And because he loved him, he had to tell him the truth.
What truth was that, Cora? You believe in the power of God's truth, Cora, am I right? Yes.
You believe in the Word of God.
You believe that Christ died and rose up again.
Yes.
And Arthur believed this too.
But you also believe that no man should take up arms against his fellow man the way Eric did.
We forgave Eric.
As a family, we, we came to terms with what Eric did.
And as Jehovah's Witnesses, you also believe that homosexuality is wrong.
You believe it's a sin, am I right? What are you saying? Arthur believed that, didn't he? He felt that it wasn't just a sin, but an abomination.
Stop it.
You're frightening her! No, Alicia, I am not afraid.
Cora, did you know about Eric? What he realised he was? Of course.
I'm his mother.
What did Arthur do? After the phone call? Did he go out that night after the phone call? Arthur was a good man.
A fine man, but strict, with a temper.
He loved his son.
He can forgive the sinner, but not the sin.
He went to speak to Eric - talk to him .
.
try to make him turn away from the sin.
Eric told him it was the first time in his life he feltfree.
When Arthur hear that, he said he lost control.
Rage Satan overcome him.
Then, when he saw what he had done .
.
he knew he was cast down, cast out.
He could not entertain any hope of life - now or eternal.
I could never ever forgive him for what he had done.
Alicia .
.
I'm sorry.
We need someone to go with.
Could you kill your son? Dunno, I've never had one.
Definitely kill mine.
Thought I'd find you here.
Thanks for the report.
Thank Brian.
Down to him.
Not sure if it'll exactly endear us to the Security Services, but well done.
Sir, can I ask you a question? How come you were never accepted for Sandhurst? Wrong place at the wrong time.
I punched the wrong man.
Get away! Respect! Yeah, well, I'm off.
See you next week.
Me too.
Well done, Brian.
Come on, Gerry.
All right.
I'm, er, off to the toilet.
I'll see ya.
See ya later.
Pint of bitter and a vodka shot.
Ta.
Same again.
DOOR OPENS I was working just round the corner.
You look nice.
Where's Dad? Now, who's for more Tia Maria? Oh, come on.
You know you'd like to.
You know you want to.
And I know, deep down, beneath that impressively upholstered and passionately seething bosom .
.
you know you need to! Only a small one.
Oh, don't be so personal! How about you? Is size everything in your compendium? You're mad, you are! As a fish!
of complete, five-star, total bloody rubbish! It was a friendly.
There's no such thing! We should never have lost.
Never in a million years.
Against Spurs?! We're non-league.
They're ten divisions above us! What d'you want to drink? Nothing! I'll just eat me bloody orange! Mark! Shit! Mark Lane! # Marky Park Lane, Marky Park Lane, Marky Park Lane, Tottenham! # Andy Merrill.
From school, do you remember me? Yeah Is this your old man? I am his father, yes.
Andy Merrill.
Ex-Tilworth Comp - ex-1st Battalion King's Guards! # Tottenham, till I die! # I'm Tottenham till I die! # I know I am, I'm sure I am, I'm Tottenham till I die! # Come on, you Spurs! # What you looking at?! Eh? Sorry 'bout that.
My, uh, brain's buggered That why you're a Spurs supporter? Ha ha, he's a geezer, your old man, in't he, he's a geezer.
You ever been in the army? Police.
Retired.
Yeah? Me too Army! Army, mate! If you haven't got what it takesit takes what you've got! Can you do that? No.
Nor me.
Spurs supporter.
# It's all right It's OK # Doesn't really matter if you're old and grey # It's all right I say it's OK # Listen to what I say # It's all right, doing fine # Doesn't really matter if the sun don't shine # It's all right I say it's OK # We're gettin' to the end of the day.
# You OK? Yeah Thanks.
Sorry about that.
I'm not supposed to drink but You got to, haven't you? How long you been on these? Ever since Iraq.
You just fought in Iraq? No The first lot! 1991.
My best mate was killed just before I went.
Eric Trimble.
We were like brothers.
volunteered for the IRU IR what? IRU.
It's the Influenza Research Unit.
It was two weeks of getting a dose of the sniffs, extra pay, a week's leave on top Sweet.
In the end me, Eric and the other two boys bunked off for a night on the piss.
I mean we weren't supposed to, but Then what happened? Eric never came back.
They found him.
Somebastard had battered the crap out Police never got anywhere.
Before you know it, the shit hits the Kuwaiti fan and we're all giving it left-right, left-right, left-right in the desert.
No leave.
No counselling.
No, no nothing.
Instead, I get to, I get to stare at a load of dead Iraqis with their faces on fire.
And me, me? I'm laughing.
I'm laughing mine off Honourable discharge, few hundred quid, 16 years with my head in a vice.
And er, just to top it all off, since this second lot, I've even started seeing him again.
Eric.
He and, er, "What you going to do? What you going to do for your old mate, you bastard?!" Morning.
Sandra, this is Mr Hamilton.
He's from the MoD.
Go ahead.
At 8.
43am somebody from this office attempted to gain access to a secure site within the Ministry of Defence without official authorisation.
Any takers? That must have been me.
But I had no idea the information was classified.
I was just Thank you, Mr Hamilton, I'll deal with this.
I can promise there will be no repetition of this incident.
What the hell do you think you were doing?! Have you any idea how potentially damaging this is? The MoD?! Are you insane? What is this case, anyway? Eric Trimble.
He was beaten to death in 1991.
It's on record, I was just having trouble locating the file.
Trimble being a soldier, I thought I'd try army records.
Army? Sir.
This happened before the first Gulf War.
So it should be on file? Yes, somewhere.
Sir? Well, in that case.
Keep going.
I'm not having some spook waltz in here, telling us what we can and can't do about a legitimate case.
Will you let me know how you get on? Is he on drugs? It was when you said the magic word "army".
What's up with him? Strickland was sponsored through college, but not by the Metby the army.
When he graduated he should have gone to Sandhurst.
Why didn't he? I don't know.
He was probably crap.
How d'you know all this? I always like to know about the people I'm working with.
For PHONE RINGS Got it! Come on! The four soldiers at the IRU, and they were the only ones there at the time, right? They were last seen drinking in the Rising Star pub on the evening of January 20th, 1991.
Now the landlord reckons that they all left together around ten o'clock.
Andy Merrill, Keith Sharratt and Ronnie Glazebrook were discovered back in their beds at 7 the next morning.
But Trimble Trimble was black?! Nothing escapes you No, no, no, no, Andy Merrill told you every thing he could remember about the best mate he ever had, apart from the fact that he was black? Well, this is 1991.
A black soldier is murdered.
You're talking about racism, bullying.
Yeah, no wonder the Secret Squirrels got nervous.
Anyway, a search was organised, and Trimble's body was discovered in Hopkins Wood at 3pm.
The police were informed around 3.
30, and Andy Merrill, Keith Sharratt and Ronnie Glazebrook were questioned under caution at five in the evening.
What did they say? Next to nothing.
They were all still in shock.
Could hardly remember a thing.
Are you saying these three squaddies got away with saying they couldn't remember anything? They'd all been drinking.
Now come on, Brian.
I mean a group of you can get totally pissed together, but you don't suffer collective memory loss.
Well, forensics couldn't find anything linking them to the body or the murder scene.
They checked their clothing.
Nothing.
What about this IRU? Well, it closed down in still there.
Dead man's family? They were living in Hammersmith.
Mum, dad, sister.
OK, Brian, we'll start with them.
You two try and track down those other squaddies.
Right.
So why you want to drag it up now? After all this time? Eric is dead.
We want to try and find out who killed your son, Mrs Trimble.
Really? Now? When the Lord has finally helped me to come to terms with my lossnow you want to stir up my heart all over again? We do realise how difficult this must be.
Especially with the added pain of not knowing who was responsible for Eric's death, but that's perhaps the most important reason for us doing what we do.
To try and put an end to not knowing.
Only God can take away the pain Mum.
How long will it take? Oh, we don't know.
Mrs Trimble, can I ask you? What was Eric like? Oh, he was a lovely boy.
Kind, generous, gentle.
And you can't think of anyone who might have wanted to hurt him? No.
Everyone liked him.
Do you remember the last time you saw him? Yes.
I was with Arthur - my husband.
It was, about a month Before Eric died.
Thank you.
Look, I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to upset your mother.
It's just that the photo It's of our dad.
He died only four months later.
The moment he heard about Eric, he justbroke.
Wouldn't eat, drink.
Nothing.
Mum never got over it.
It's OK, we understand.
Oh, sorry, I picked this up.
Keep it.
Bye.
Bye.
Come on, let's go pick the others up.
Well, the good news is that Keith Sharratt's still in the army.
Same regiment, even.
Although he's a sergeant major now.
In a barracks in Hounslow.
Ronnie Glazebrook, on the other hand, left the army in '92 and now lives in Penge.
Ah, pull over! Is this it? Well, where's the IRU? Well, according to the map There! Why are they wearing protective clothing? Oi! What do you think you're doing?! Just admiring the speed and efficiency with which you do your work.
Good.
Now bugger off.
Oi! Come, gentlemen, let us away.
Well, he had a face you'd never tire of kicking.
Brian checks on a dead black soldier.
We get a visit from MI5.
And the last place he was at before he died is suddenly being demolished.
And why bother cleaning up if it was only the flu? Using men in space suits.
One of whom calls me "ma'am".
Well, he's a spook, isn't he? Why don't we have a look at the crime scene? Here we are, Hopkins Wood.
Yeah, well, I'll stay in the car.
You still afraid of trees? You still afraid of cookers? All right.
Jack and me'll do it.
You two go find The Rising Star pub.
And make sure he doesn't drink.
Well, how we gonna get there? Try walking.
Well, it's here somewhere.
Ah, 17 years is a lot of wood.
Look.
Fully clothed, battered about the head but with no marks of any resistance.
So it was someone he knew, or he was taken by surprise.
Or both.
And no signs of any damage to the vegetation Single attacker? Well, it certainly wasn't three.
Any joy? What, in a Felspar's pub?! Well, apparently it hasn't changed much.
Just a different landlord.
I think we've got it all wrong.
I think Eric came in, took one look at this place and committed suicide.
I thought I told you not to drink? I'm not.
It's crap.
So.
What now? I'd like to know how those four soldiers got on with each other.
Hang on, I've been thinking.
Eric's body was found in Hopkins Wood, which is a mile that way.
But the IRU is almost two miles in the opposite direction.
So that wood's hardly en route, is it? Plus there are two other pubs closer to the IRU than this placeso why come here for a drink? Well, they weren't supposed to be out.
They'd know that if anyone was gonna check on them, they'd probably try the pubs nearer the IRU.
Let's go talk to the army.
I'll catch up with you, I'm just off to the loo.
OK.
All right! Colonel Bob Kilmartin.
Detective Superintendent Pullman.
This is Jack Halford.
How d'you do? Welcome.
Please make yourself at home.
are off trying to track down Sergeant Major Sharratt? Well, that'll prove interesting! Now then - Eric Trimble.
Do you remember the case? Oh, yes, very well, I'm afraid.
Well, I was only a junior officer at the time, but I knew all four men pretty well, so it's still pretty fresh, as you can imagine.
What was Eric Trimble like? What, as a soldier? Well, if truth be told he was a pain in the arse.
"Difficult" is the euphemism we normally use.
In what way? For a start, he'd been absent without leave on three separate occasions.
Why was that? Why? Well, because like most immature people, he didn't realise that the army isn't a holiday camp.
To put it at its most basic, he got homesick.
You don't sound very sympathetic.
Oh, I'm telling you what he was like.
That he was murdered is a tragedy.
But they're two very separate issues.
Now we despatched him to the IRU in order to try and keep him out of trouble.
Keep him out of harm's way.
"Despatched"? I thought soldiers volunteered for the IRU? Er, well yessometimes.
Not always.
Come on, lads! Keep it moving, come on.
You're in your own time now.
Get over that wall, let's have ya! One turn, you useless testicle! If you don't get over that wall in the next three seconds, I'm going to stick a flare up your arse and fire you over it! Sergeant Major Sharratt? Speaking.
Er, Gerry Standing, Brian Lane.
Kipling! You may make exceedingly good cakes but you make a god-awful bloody soldier.
A nice turn of phrase.
Thank you.
I try to be original.
Miller?! Miller! My granny can move faster than thatand she's dead! Get moving, you superannuated ponce! So, er, Eric Trimble? Can you tell us about the night he died? What you remember? We, erwe all went out for a drink.
Yeah, The Rising Star.
Yeah.
We had a few beers And d'you remember leaving there? With Eric? There was you, Andy and Ronnie.
I remember we We had a few beers.
How d'you get on with Eric? OK.
Why? Because somebody didn't, obviously.
You weren't close friends with him, then? Nobody was.
Oh, you remember that? Cos you didn't remember much at the time.
Listen, I don't remember anything after the pub, OK? But other bits of stuff have come back Yeah.
Stuff like you weren't his mate? What you trying to say? Nobody's saying anything.
But after 17 years, it's about time they did.
Bit too close, lads.
Did his colleagues get on with him? Some did.
Some didn't.
What about the three who were with him at the IRU? It was fine.
It wasn't an issue.
For how long did the soldiers get sent to the IRU? It varied.
We understand that Eric Trimble had been there before.
Yes.
And this ongoing arrangement between yourselves and the IRU? How did it work, exactly? Look, I'm sorry.
While I'm happy to help out in any way I can, I'm afraid that any questions you have about the Research Unit will have to be directed towards the appropriate department.
Oh I'm out of time.
My apologies.
We'll have to leave it there.
I'm sorry.
He seemed more concerned about the reputation of his regiment than any ex-member of it.
"Appropriate department"? Flu research, my arse.
Bloody hell.
I said go to the assault course, not through it.
THEY LAUGH There'll be a bill for this! Sharratt reckons that none of them were mates with Trimble.
Although that's not how Andy Merrill remembers it.
And Sharratt got quite heavy when we pushed him.
I'll drop you off at Ronnie Glazebrook's.
See what he can remember.
And Jack and I will dig up some info on the IRU.
Yeah, after I've cleaned up! All right.
No place like home(!) INTERCOM: Speak and make yourselves known.
Er Brian Lane and Gerry Standing.
We're from the Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad.
To see Ronnie Glazebrook.
And what is the purpose of your visit? Eric Trimble.
Compulsive hoarder.
You don't say(!) HE COUGHS Are you infected? Are you carrying disease? No, no.
It's the dust.
Careful.
That dust is me.
Er, where are you, Ronnie? X zero five, Roger.
Over.
Ronnie? Hello? Get back! We have contact.
What's the news? From the front? Front of what? Do the Arabs have control? Do they? Do they? Do the camel-jockeys still hold the desert? HE GIBBERS Come in, Big Boy.
Come in, Big Boy.
What is your position? Over.
We're here about Eric Trimble.
Do you remember him, Ronnie? He died.
Remember? Course I remember.
Eric.
Eric Trimble.
He was my mate.
Black as pitch.
And here comes Botham down the pitch On a charge! Good Lord, he's put it straight into the member's stand! Eric was your friend then? And Andy Merrill's, right? Andy?! Andy! Handy Andy?! Liar, liar Your pants are on fire! INCOMING! This is a bloody nightmare.
He's barking! What do you want to know? You were with Eric at the Influenza Research Unit, right? Flu! Flu! Who told you that?! Why What was it then? For bad boys.
Naughty-naughty.
Going down! We can't do this.
It's hopeless, come on.
Ronnie? Ronnie? We'll be back.
OK? Beer cans? The man's an alcoholic.
Then when we asked him what the IRU was, he said "for bad boys".
So Sharratt can suddenly turn aggressive.
Glazebrook's a dipsomaniac and Merrill may have been economical with the truth? Now Mark reckons that Merrill was always a liar at school.
And booze seems to send him loopy 'n' all.
I'm not sure we can believe any of them.
Being drunk seems to be a recurring theme.
Unlike the Flu Unit, which seems to have disappeared completely.
Hm.
Maybe.
All right, starting tomorrow, we'll track down the ex-landlord of The Rising Star.
See what he can remember.
Someone's got to have a decent memory of the bloody thing.
Night, night.
Oh, fancy a quick pint? No, I, er, I'm gonna ask Strickland a favour.
Now this I've got to see.
Of course, there is a possibility that Trimble's death is entirely unconnected to some strange research establishment which has now been knocked down.
But either way I am loath to try and gather more information when such action could endanger the integrity of the departmentsir.
You want me to do it.
Well, it is political, sir, and I'm not a political animal.
Is there a racial element? We don't know, sir.
But, er, if you do need an excuse Leave it with me.
Thank you, sir.
Much appreciated.
Sir.
Whatever happened that stopped him being an officer must really have pissed him off.
How you feeling this morning, Jack? Can't complain.
Well, you will anyway.
Yes, yes.
Um, the IRU's former director is a Dr Helena Matheson.
Virologist apparently.
School of Tropical Medicine.
She's expecting your call.
Cheers.
Result.
Dr Matheson? Thank you.
Ah, yes.
UCOS.
You want to know about the IRU Eric Trimble? Yeah, that's right.
It would help to know how long soldiers spent there, what they got up to.
That kind of thing.
Of course.
Er, well, soldiers could be there quite some time.
A month even.
And the four soldiers from the King's Guards We understand they were the only ones there at the time? Yes.
We were there the other day.
The IRU site.
It was being demolished by men in protective clothing.
Yes, well Any lab where there's been viral material stored or developed has to be thoroughly cleansed afterwards.
I didn't know the flu virus could live on in the soil? Ha! Well, given recent history, I don't think the government's taking any chances! Certainly less than in 1991.
Eric Trimble died just five days before his regiment moved to Kuwait.
They may give our men inadequate equipment and pay, but I think they draw the line at a dose of flu.
Care to tell us what else might have been going on at the IRU, apart from flu research? I think I've told you everything.
Dr Matheson, two of the men who were at the IRU with Trimble have drink problems.
All three have memory problems, particularly about the night that Trimble died.
Now, I don't believe they're faking it and I don't believe it's coincidence, but I'm beginning to believe that it was not accidental.
I'm sorry but even if I wanted to help you, I'm bound by the Official Secrets Act.
The Official Secrets Act is no protection against the charge of murder.
That is a ludicrous remark.
Not if what you gave those men caused one of them to kill.
Of course it didn't! Good.
Then you won't mind telling us what you were exposing them to.
Thank you very much, chaps.
We'll take over from here.
Says who? Says the chap who's asking you very nicely to be on your way.
OK, old man? I preferred you in the paper suit.
It's a cover up! That's why the original murder team didn't get anywhere.
MI5 made sure they didn't.
I don't know.
There's something else.
Something not right.
That's what I'm saying.
Yeah, but what can we do about it? The Spooks have put the block on us talking to Helena Matheson.
We solve the case.
We prove that one of the three soldiers did it, we charge him and we see him in court! Ha! M15 are gonna love that.
Fine.
Well, they can have that argument with the lawyers.
I'm not packing it in.
Kilmartin was evasive about the IRU.
the soldiers getting on.
We'll go back to the barracks.
Where are you going now? PHONE RINGS For a think.
Hello? Ah, hello, yeah, have you got some info for me? Yeah Great, thanks.
They've found a guy called Rod Erskine.
Ex-landlord of The Rising Dump.
He now runs a pub in Portobello.
Good, take Mr Happy with you.
Oi! You had your think? Er Yeah.
Come on, then, let's go! Oh, how are you getting on? Moving forward.
We need to ask you a few more questions.
Fire away.
You said Eric Trimble went AWOL.
Yes, several times.
And that you punished him by sending him to the IRU? Yes So it was a punishment? Wellnot a punishment exactly Colonel, I'm an experienced police officer and it's obvious to me when someone is trying to hide a lie.
And in this particular case, I'm getting bloody Now, why did you send Merrill, Glazebrook and Sharratt to the IRU? No! I'm sorry, I'm not allowing you to tarnish the reputation of men who fought with honour for this country.
Merrill and Glazebrook? Have you seen them recently? It isn't their reputations that are buggered up! Sorry.
I won't answer any more questions.
In that case we have no other option than to arrest you.
On what charge?! Obstructing the course of justice.
Trying to bribe a police officer.
Driving without due care and attention I don't care.
But what I do care about is that murdered and you don't give a shit! So unless you want to face the indignity of being handcuffed while in uniform and marched off to the local nick in full view of the entire regiment, then I suggest you start telling us what it is we want to know! That's absolutely outrageous! No, Colonel, no! That! That is outrageous! Colonel? I never got to the bottom of it.
Bottom of what? The fight.
What fight? Trimble and Sharratt.
They were caught fighting in the armoury.
It was very serious.
What happened? Well, I don't know.
Merrill and Glazebrook were involved as well.
I questioned all four of them, but none of them would tell me anything.
Sharratt and Glazebrook were bloody good soldiers.
I didn't want to discipline them.
So I sent them off to the IRU.
I told them that by the time they returned, they'd better have sorted themselves out, or else.
So that's what we did.
We sent them off to Major Matheson.
Major Matheson? Yes, yes.
Of the Territorial Army, yes.
God, look at that, proper old pub for a change.
Afternoon, gents.
Hiya.
What can I get you? Whoa, Pole Star SA, I'll have a pint of that, terrific.
Yeah, and he'll have some sparkling water.
I mean look at those mirrors, they're fantastic, aren't they? Why haven't I been in here before, eh? Gerry.
So, er, are you the landlord? Rod Erskine? That's right.
Gerry Standing.
Gerry.
What? It's a gay pub.
Something wrong? Er, we're from the Met.
Police.
We're here about a murder.
Eric Trimble? Who? You know who.
Eric Trimble? waiting for this Sorry.
Sorry for what? For lying.
For not Not what? What did you do? Oh, no, it wasn't me! I didn't kill Eric.
I swear! But? But I did know him.
I knew Eric.
You don't mean "biblically"? What, Eric was gay? Was when I finished with him.
Sorry.
Yeah.
I, I mean He wasso sweet.
Gorgeous.
Part of him didn't want to be, gay, I mean, but, oh, yeah.
Eric was big, black, loud and proud.
And how long did you know him? Just a few months.
Although we did see each other several times.
I told him about my pub.
The Rising Star? Told him to come out there.
If you'll pardon the pun.
Was The Rising Star the same aswell, the same as this place? In Uxbridge? Funny thing is, it was, actually.
Well, not overtly.
Not back then.
Well, what I didn't know was he was going to turn up with three big, butch squaddies in tow.
Maniac.
I was so pissed off.
Were you? Oh, no! Not like that! But they were! After a few drinks one of them went mental.
Screaming at Eric about dragging him to fairylandto a poof's palace! In the end I had to get them all out.
Hold on, hold on.
In your witness statement you said they all left quietly.
Well, course I did.
After we found out what had happened, me and the regulars agreed to keep schtum about it.
You mean lied.
Some of them were married men.
about me.
Listen, which one of the squaddies went mental? Can you remember? Had sandy hair.
Plus he was horrible.
D'you believe him? Well, it makes sense of where Eric was when he was AWOL.
Gadding around Soho with Hot Rod.
Certainly explains the fight in the armoury.
And Sharratt doesn't strike me as the type who'd be too happy to find out that he was in gay company.
Specially if Eric then took him to a gay pub.
Yeah.
No wonder he went mental.
Hold on.
There's no forensics linking Sharratt - well, linking any of these squaddies with the crime.
And it still doesn't explain why Eric was found in the opposite direction to the IRU.
They can't have been going back there.
They don't remember, remember? Maybe they all split up.
What, Eric went off on his own with Mr Maniac? I'm afraid I'm gonna have to call this investigation to a halt.
Is that official? No.
But it's been made clear to me that were you to continue, we would be put under the kind of pressure Sir, we're really close.
Look, I'm sorry.
I appreciate how determined you've been to solve this case but higher forces are at work and it would be foolish to even attempt to countermand them.
Ah, what a bastard! That's unfair, Gerry.
No, no, not him.
Bloody spooks.
That's the first time I've ever felt sorry for him.
So what are we going to do? Well, you heard him.
We're stuffed.
No, we're not.
Not if we get a confession, we're not.
This case has already gone public once.
If we get a confession, we get a court case.
MI5 can do about it.
But how do we get any of these blokes to confess? They can't remember anything.
You ever heard of agent provocateur? Yeah, yeah I bought my ex a pair of knickers there once.
Provocation.
Whisky, please.
Large one.
With ice.
Heavy day.
I'll say.
Tell me Why did you get sent to the Flu Research Unit? What? Like a spot of gay-bashing, do you? Who the hell are you? Take a running jump.
So, you find out that Eric was gay and then you made his life a misery.
Him? Make HIS life a misery? You don't know what you're on about! Why you getting so excited then? Oh, dear.
Do you have to take those to stop yourself from losing it? I take them when I have a drink.
When I drink, that's all.
I never knew Trimble was bent until he took us to that pub.
I don't believe you.
You know nothing about Trimble, do you? I know that he was beaten to death after he left the pub with you.
Not by me.
And we have a witness who says that you lost it with him in there.
Yeah, I did.
And you know why? Tell me.
I caught him bullying Andy Merrill.
Like I say.
You didn't know him.
But let me tell you.
Eric Trimble was a bully.
A big, nasty, bullying shit.
And the worst part of it was, the moment anyone stood up to him he played the race card! Oh, so that's what you were doing in the armoury.
You were standing up to him.
Except he was beating the shit out of me till Ronnie piled in.
And then you beat the shit out of him after you left The Rising Star? No, no, no, no, no, you don't.
I've only been on a charge once in my life and all cos of that shit! And now here you are, 17 years later, trying to fit me up for killing him?! Me?! Me?! I've put my balls on the line for this country! Iraq, Bosnia, Afghanistan! I've got medals you have to be bleeding dead to get in the Yank army! And now you want me to go down for that lowlife! No, it's all right.
She's just trying to Oh, hello, what have you come as, Swampy's dad?! All right, all right, take it easy! Calm down, all right.
What are you doing with this load o' poofs?! You want a man, darling! A real man.
Not these geriatrics! People like you think we're scum.
Dirt.
But when shit happens, when it all goes tits up, we're the people you want out there killing all those nasty bastards trying to kill us.
And I've done it.
I've killed menlots of them.
But I didn't kill him.
I didn't like him, but I didn't kill him.
Not exactly an overwhelming confession, was it? What about Merrillor Glazebrook? No.
I think we have to face the fact that they don't or can't remember.
Oh, my God.
"A Metropolitan Police Investigation into the unsolved murder of black "army private Eric Trimble in 1991, has been halted after the enquiry "team uncovered his involvement as a guinea pig at a secretive research facility near Uxbridge.
"Its former head, Helena Matheson, has served with the British army in both Afghanistan and Iraq" Admiring your handiwork? I suppose you think this is a clever way around the impasse? Yes, well, I've just spent the best part of an hour begging the Commissioner not to take action, assuring him the leak didn't emanate from this department.
But No.
This time I talk.
You listen.
If I ever find out who's responsible for this nightmare, they're out.
End of story.
Wait here! Don't look at me, it's the first time I've ever bought the bleedin' paper! Not me.
No.
But I wish I had.
Come on.
Don't be silly.
Who was it? Oh, of course, very good, very good.
Well, don't you get it? It was him.
What, ya? Mr Hamilton would like another word.
It's been agreed with great reluctance to allow Dr Matheson to answer any questions you may have regarding the death of Private Murder.
Let him finish, please.
.
.
regarding the death of Private Trimble.
The interview is to be conducted in the presence of a Security Services Official.
This should be interesting.
I told you.
Dr Matheson, can you tell me what the relationship was between the IRU and the MoD, that allowed soldiers No, she can't.
In fact she won't be answering any questions that pertain to national security.
I do hope you're not going to be too boring.
Ditto.
All right, then, can you tell me what the nature of the work was that was carried out on Private Trimble and the other three soldiers? I presume it wasn't to stop them from sneezing.
We were trialing a new drug.
Medicine? For the army - a prototype, Perfectly safe.
Formulated to remove feelings of vulnerability and inhibition in order to heighten aggression.
The drug had previously been tried out upon several other Guinea pigs? Trialists.
It proved to be highly effective, non-toxic and harmless.
Really? So why are Sharratt, Merrill and Glazebrook bonkers? The drug was not the problem.
So there was a problem? Because, despite very clear warnings, the men broke the curfew, left the unit and went to the pub.
And? The combination of drug and alcohol wasunfortunate.
The damage to their memory may have resulted from this.
It's why the trial was discontinued.
Oh, I see.
Not because a man died? When Glazebrook, Sharratt and Merrill returned to the IRU, they were difficult to control.
We had to sedate them.
So you're saying in that state, it's likely that one of them did kill Trimble.
I don't know.
Short of repeating the combination of test drug and alcohol - hardly a good idea - I don't see how you could prove it, either.
I wouldn't put it past her.
Did any of them confess? No.
So what happened after they were sedated? Dr Matheson contacted the MoD and a search was instigated.
So Trimble's body was found at 3pm the following afternoon? 4am.
What? The body was discovered at 4am.
We had to wait for the soldiers to come to.
When they did, it was clear they had no recollection of what happened after they got drunk.
If this case had gone to court, they would have been tied to a murder through no fault of their own.
Please! You mean the MoD would have ended up in the dock for not protecting its own men.
Merrill, Glazebrook and Sharratt are walking wounded.
They weren't part of a trial, they were part of an experiment.
Thank you for your expert opinion, Mr Halford.
But, as I understand it, the men are able to lead perfectly normal lives, providing they take the appropriate medication.
Interview terminated at 10.
07am.
The drug Eric took removed all his inhibitions about being gay, about being seen to be gay, which is probably why he had no qualms about taking the other three to meet his boyfriend.
It removed all their inhibitions as well.
They were out of their heads.
Sharratt almost certainly killed him, but I doubt if he even realised it.
Yeah, well.
They killed him! Scientists, MoD, M15.
Not those poor bloody squaddies.
And we're supposed to sit here and pretend that that's how it should be?! Yeah, well, you did what you could.
All of you.
You can't do more.
Sharratt, they look after.
He's still in the army.
It's a sheltered environment.
They can keep an eye on him, utilize him, find him a role.
Andy Merrill, they just throw back into Civvie Street without a second thought.
Unemployable, cocktail of drugs, mind only half there.
And as for Glazebrook?! Well, him, they just wash their hands of completely.
Post-traumatic stress, Gulf War Syndrome, whatever you want to call it - no aftercare, welfare, home help.
No-one to ensure he takes his medication.
Just dumped.
Just drink.
Gulf War Syndrome? It's all right.
I haven't got it.
Kiss me.
What?! I want you to kiss me.
What, now? Does there have to be a set time for you to show me your undying devotion? Oh, I see, no, I'm not drinking.
What's this? Oh, I'm developing religious mania.
Well, I can't see you as a Jehovah's Witness.
Where d'you get it from? The dead boy's parents' house.
What? Jehovah's Witnesses can't serve in the armed forces.
What are you talking about? It's not illegal.
They don't allow themselves to join up.
They object conscientiously.
You knew that.
This better be good.
"Good morning" would be nice.
Why did you drag me here? I don't want to go in there alone.
Plus I get a lift back to the station afterwards.
Come on.
Dry cleaners.
'Speak and make yourselves known.
' The Guardians of the Ring.
Frodo the hobbit and Gimli, the dwarf.
BUZZER (You're the dwarf.
) Take cover, Ronnie.
We're coming in.
Go ahead Foxtrot-3.
Receiving you loud and clear.
State your position.
ETA five minutes, Ronnie.
On target.
Looking to complete operations.
Go ahead.
Eric Trimble, black as pitch, Keith Sharratt, Andy Merrill, you.
Keith realised Eric was homosexual.
Andy didn't.
What about you, Ronnie? INCOMING! Ow! Did you know he was gay? Ronnie? Yes, of course.
He told me.
He told you?! Are you sure? He was away with the fairies.
Friend of Dorothy's.
That was why we went and got pissed.
He wanted to be out.
Why did he tell you, Ronnie? Look out! I don't care.
What, you didn't care? You can't tell Andy, he wouldn't understand.
Can't tell Sharratt He wouldn't like it.
Not happy.
He told you? Uh-huh? Anyone else? With a single bound, he was free! He was free.
Himself.
Once he has spoken, he can tell the world.
Free at last.
Free at last! Lord God Almighty, free at last! ET, phone home.
Over and out.
Would you care to translate? ET.
ET, phone home! I'm not going in there.
Nah, nor me.
I mean why would anybody want to come here? Even drunk and drugged? Exactly.
That's why.
What? Who needs an old phone box now, with mobile phones? But back then in '91, ETphone home.
ET Eric Trimble.
Oh, oh, those are lovely.
Who sent those? Nobody sent them.
I bought them for you.
Oh, thank you.
What are you doing? I'm polishing me shoes.
Brian, what's happened? That poor lad who died, Eric Trimble.
No.
I mean what's happened to your trainers? I thought they were looking a bit tatty.
What have you got there? Supper.
I bought some chops.
Esther.
Do you never think that life might be a bit too short for just "chops"? I mean don't you think that it's incumbent upon us to make the most of whatever time we have left on this earth? After all, what else is there? All right, OK.
Tonight, we shall settle for chops.
But tomorrow night, I'm taking you out to dinner.
To dine royally .
.
as befits a wonderful woman like you.
Esther.
You look lovely.
I bet you can look even lovelier.
Sit down.
Thank you.
Alicia isn't back, she's gone to get my shopping.
Actually, we wanted to talk to you, Mrs Trimble, about the last time you spoke to Eric.
The night he died, he, he rang you and you spoke to him, didn't you? Mrs Trimble? Oh Hi.
What is it? What's going on? We're just talking about Eric's last phone call.
Last call? Yes, Eric rang here the night he was murdered.
No, that's not right.
You must remember the call, Mrs Trimble.
Mum? We'd like you tell us what Eric told you.
What are you doing?! Alicia That's enough.
He said how much he loved me.
Loved us all.
What else? He said he had to speak to Dad.
Arthur, his father.
He told his father the same thing - that he loved him.
And because he loved him, he had to tell him the truth.
What truth was that, Cora? You believe in the power of God's truth, Cora, am I right? Yes.
You believe in the Word of God.
You believe that Christ died and rose up again.
Yes.
And Arthur believed this too.
But you also believe that no man should take up arms against his fellow man the way Eric did.
We forgave Eric.
As a family, we, we came to terms with what Eric did.
And as Jehovah's Witnesses, you also believe that homosexuality is wrong.
You believe it's a sin, am I right? What are you saying? Arthur believed that, didn't he? He felt that it wasn't just a sin, but an abomination.
Stop it.
You're frightening her! No, Alicia, I am not afraid.
Cora, did you know about Eric? What he realised he was? Of course.
I'm his mother.
What did Arthur do? After the phone call? Did he go out that night after the phone call? Arthur was a good man.
A fine man, but strict, with a temper.
He loved his son.
He can forgive the sinner, but not the sin.
He went to speak to Eric - talk to him .
.
try to make him turn away from the sin.
Eric told him it was the first time in his life he feltfree.
When Arthur hear that, he said he lost control.
Rage Satan overcome him.
Then, when he saw what he had done .
.
he knew he was cast down, cast out.
He could not entertain any hope of life - now or eternal.
I could never ever forgive him for what he had done.
Alicia .
.
I'm sorry.
We need someone to go with.
Could you kill your son? Dunno, I've never had one.
Definitely kill mine.
Thought I'd find you here.
Thanks for the report.
Thank Brian.
Down to him.
Not sure if it'll exactly endear us to the Security Services, but well done.
Sir, can I ask you a question? How come you were never accepted for Sandhurst? Wrong place at the wrong time.
I punched the wrong man.
Get away! Respect! Yeah, well, I'm off.
See you next week.
Me too.
Well done, Brian.
Come on, Gerry.
All right.
I'm, er, off to the toilet.
I'll see ya.
See ya later.
Pint of bitter and a vodka shot.
Ta.
Same again.
DOOR OPENS I was working just round the corner.
You look nice.
Where's Dad? Now, who's for more Tia Maria? Oh, come on.
You know you'd like to.
You know you want to.
And I know, deep down, beneath that impressively upholstered and passionately seething bosom .
.
you know you need to! Only a small one.
Oh, don't be so personal! How about you? Is size everything in your compendium? You're mad, you are! As a fish!