Rumpole of the Bailey (1978) s07e02 Episode Script

(Crowd shouting) (Tyres screech) (Siren wails) (Jeering) (Shouting continues) All right, come on! Was you going somewhere, Pinhead? Liked by one and all, Betty.
Best of his intake.
Did his job, braver than any of us.
Great career in front of him.
That's not a great help, is it, telling you all that? No.
All I can say All I can say for your satisfaction, Betty, is we got the little bastard.
He won't get away with it.
Not in a million years.
Put your trust in Roy, Betty.
You trust the Super.
That's one thing I can do for you, Betty.
I can promise you a conviction.
(Sobs loudly) Morgan, you have been convicted of murder out of your own mouth and by your own words.
Every minute this trial has lasted has made me surer and surer of your guilt.
You will go to prison for life and my recommendation is that you serve a minimum of 25 years.
(Shouting) - Thanks, Mr Gannon, for everything.
- Least we could do.
Take him down! - Stupid old fart! - Silence! Evening, Judge! Ah, Rumpole! I see you've got the "Evening Standard".
Remarkable powers of observation, your lordship.
It happens to have my face plastered all over the front page.
Oh, right, I'll start on page two! Morgan was a most anxious case.
And you did it extraordinarily skilfully if I may say so.
Oh, my dear old Rumpole! No blood on the accused's clothing, no witness saw him anywhere near where the body was found.
My lordship, anyone can get a conviction on evidence.
It takes a legal genius to obtain one without it.
But the accused, Morgan, made a confession.
Oh, damn, there goes my bus! - Oh, dear! Tsk, tsk! - I'm going to be late.
Marigold's having people round this evening.
She'll be furious.
Taxi! I shouldn't have stood here chattering to you.
I'm a complete idiot! Is that a confession we can accept as the truth, my lord? Detective Inspector Peplow, Superintendent Gannon wrote out Morgan's confession in this document? Yes.
With this sheet, page two, on the table, nothing under it? I'm sure of that, sir.
That seems clear.
Can you confirm that, Sergeant Lane? - I think we only had one sheet at a time.
- You think? I'm sure he wrote on single sheets, flat on the table, sir.
Your test shows page two was written on top of a pile of papers in Superintendent Gannon's office? Exactly.
Here you see the indentations on the paper.
Did you know that page two describing the murder was possibly added later? Superintendent Gannon took away what he wrote.
Sir, we saw him write on single sheets.
Something stinks to high heaven about this confession.
From the Chief Super's office to go in the safe, Linda.
All done, Hilda! Absolutely no trouble at all.
I can't understand why women make such a meal about shopping.
I broke the speed record at Gloucester Road Happy Mart.
Round on two wheels most of the time! Here we are.
Squeeze Me bath cleaner present Rumpole, I asked for the lime flower-scented and the jumbo size.
It's a recession.
We can't afford the jumbo.
Your sugar, madam.
- Sweets to the sweet.
- Sugar? For a baked pudding? Excellent.
I relish the Rumpole roly-poly! This sugar is in lumps.
Am I supposed to jump up and down on it? Well, do your best.
I managed to track down that mincemeat you wanted.
How brilliant of you! This will be wonderful for making shepherd's pie! - But you distinctly wrote - I distinctly wrote"meat", underlined! "Minced, one pound.
" Mincemeat, meat minced, how was I to know? Listen to this.
"Morgan case reviewed.
"The Archbishop of Westminster and the Chairman of the Arts Council "have called for the re-opening of the case of Peter Morgan, "convicted for the murder of PC Yeomans.
" It's no use, Rumpole.
I shall just have to do all the shopping myself in future.
I'm not the only one to make mistakes.
Just think of poor darling old Mr Justice Featherstone! - Sir Simon Parsloe's looking for you.
- Lord Justice Parsloe? Is he? Hello there, Guthrie.
Drowning your sorrows? - Simon! Why, should I have sorrows? - Bit of a hard time for you.
My heart goes out to you.
Keeping well? - Besides the usual ailments of a judge! - Piles and sleeping sickness! I'm looking forward to joining you in the comfort of the Court of Appeal.
Perhaps some day.
These things do get forgotten in time.
- What sort of things, Simon? - Things like Pinhead Morgan? I sent him down with a recommendation of 25 years.
I know you did.
How many has he done? What we decide is, has he done enough? Enough? For stabbing a copper? Why don't we move to the window? There's fellows here trying to earwig us.
I know there's been a bit of agitation by copper-hating lefties, do-gooders and the Howard League for Penal Reform, but don't take any notice of them.
Tim Bunting referred the matter to us and I'm not sure the Home Secretary is a copper-hating leftie! He's a politician.
People have been asking questions in the House, all that nonsense.
Poor chap feels he's got to do something.
Guthrie, I know you'll be very brave about this.
It may not be nonsense, but a case where the judge is left with egg on his face.
But it was an open and shut case.
Re-opened and not yet shut, unfortunately.
Dear fellow! If only you hadn't said, "Every minute this trial has lasted "has made me surer and surer of your guilt.
" - Did I say that? - Yes.
Nailed your colours to the mast.
Silence is golden, old fellow, particularly when passing possibly dubious life sentences.
Possibly dubious? You've already made up your minds? No, no, not at all, not at all.
No, I've no idea what conclusion I and my brother Lords Justices may come to.
We might find the conviction is still safe.
I just thought I ought to warn you.
So keep your head down, Guthrie.
The flak may be coming over.
(AII chanting) Free Pinhead! Free Pinhead! Free Pinhead! Free Pinhead! Free Pinhead! Free Pinhead! Free Pinhead! (Shouting and screaming) The Court of Appeal sits in judgment this morning.
So I understand, sir, from Lord Justice Parsloe's clerk, Gladys.
It's a troublesome business, Wilfred.
Extremely troublesome.
Pity they got rid of the rope.
That's what I told Gladys.
I was entitled to say We had watertight evidence.
If that young man had been strung up, he would never have popped up in the Court of Appeal and caused this trouble.
The point is, I have to know the result as soon as possible.
- You come into my court at what time? - 12:30, sir.
It should all be over by then.
According to Gladys.
Gladys is very reliable.
We've become fast friends over the years.
Do stop going on about Gladys and try and concentrate on coming in and giving me a signal.
Now, erm Let's say, uh Thumbs up if Pinhead goes back to prison and we're in the clear.
And otherwise, may I make a suggestion, sir? Thumbs down? I fear there will be a terrible miscarriage of justice, Wilfred.
The officer in charge of the case, Detective Superintendent Roy Gannon, must bear the heavy responsibility of obtaining this worthless confession.
We, as Judges of the Court of Appeal, can only apologise to the public and to Mr Morgan, the unfortunate victim of this miscarriage, for the somewhat unwise remarks of the learned judge who was reckless enough to say, and I quote "Every minute this trial has lasted "has made me surer and surer of your guilt.
" (Cheering) The judgment of the House of Lords in "R V Windhammer" My lord? defines intent as "presence of mind and body, "acting in concert in a wilful murder.
" And at page 209 of of of the I'm so sorry.
I've got the wrong page.
213 No So Pinhead never killed my husband? Never stabbed Ted, never cut him? - So who did? Would they tell me that? - I'm sorry, Betty.
I know Or did he pull out a knife and do himself? Was it all a mistake like that trial of Pinhead? They've lost interest in what Pinhead did.
It's what I did, what the judge did.
It's all their lordships care about.
Someone killed Ted! Someone's got to suffer! Yeah, well, the most likely person to suffer is going to be me.
Not you, Roy.
Not after all you've done for us.
Not you.
I'm not gonna let that happen.
- I've had no justice whatsoever.
- I'm sorry about that, sir.
Truly sorry.
No one to represent me.
No chance to put my case.
Appearing in another court while the Court of Appeal rubbished me.
Rubbished me, Denver! "The trial judge was reckless enough to say" Reckless, me? I mean, tell me, quite honestly Denver, would you say I was reckless? No, Sir Guthrie, but you are my last gentleman, sir.
Your last gentleman? Yes.
Yes, that's probably it.
Too much of a gentleman to answer back.
There are not many of us left.
I was just about to pack up.
Is that what you're advising me to do, Denver? Jack it in? Hang up the scarlet dressing gown? Take up golf? Lady Featherstone wouldn't want you to do that, sir.
Lady Featherstone is far, far away in sunny Coventry with her sister.
With any luck, she was too busy chatting to listen to the ten o'clock news.
No, I'm all alone, Denver.
All alone in London.
With only you for company.
A very good night to you then, Sir Guthrie.
Good night, Denver.
I'm tired and I want to go to bed Careful, mate! Where do you think Sir Guthrie! Ssh! It's Mr Justice Featherstone.
If it isn't Henry from Number 3 Equity Court! Out on the town, are you, Henry? Are you all in the law? In which case, you have my profound sympathy! Not exactly, Sir Guthrie.
This here is the cream of the Bexleyheath Thespians! - On our annual theatre evening.
- And piss-up! That was not the purpose of the evening, Sir Guthrie.
It was to witness Miss Diana Rigg performing the role of Hedda Gabler.
- I'd like to play opposite her.
- Not many laughs.
Never any of those.
Not in that Henry Gibson.
So we was all off to "Blokes" for a bit of a bop.
Oh, a bit of a bop? There was a time when I could indulge myself in a bit of a bop before the pressures of life and the law became too much for me.
- Aw! - Where is this "Blokes" you go to? Leicester Square.
Just round the corner.
Feel like shaking a foot, do you? Speaking for all the Thespians here, we should be honoured if you'd join us.
- Just for a drink.
- Well, that's very kind of you.
But I'm afraid it's quite impossible.
I mean, tell me quite honestly, what was I meant to do? Go down into the cells and keep a fatherly eye on Pinhead Morgan? Make sure the Old Bill wasn't fitting him up? See he had tea and biscuits and a clever solicitor? No.
No, I can't do that, you know.
Simply don't have the time.
If we trial judges are gonna carry on, we've got to trust the police, Debbie.
Dottie! - What did you call me? - My name's Dot.
Dottie.
Not Deb, Debbie.
Seems I'm always making mistakes.
Don't you worry, Judge.
You're an excellent mover.
Good morning, Dot.
Who's been giving you flowers? I didn't forget your birthday? - No.
I never told you when it was.
- No.
Perhaps I didn't.
"From a judicial admirer.
Thanks for the bop.
" I don't read your correspondence, Mr Erskine-Brown, so please take your eyes off mine! Only taking a friendly interest.
When's the engagement? I've seen enough of married men not to want one! Morning, Henry.
Mr Rumpole, we expected you half an hour ago.
Blame the Common Market.
I fell asleep on the bus reading about it.
- Somebody's birthday? - Dot's got an admirer.
And you've got a police officer, Mr Rumpole.
- They've fingered your collar at last.
- Nothing to do with my VAT, is it? We told the Superintendent he couldn't get a better brief.
Not one with your talent for acquittals.
You saw my point, didn't you, Roy? Acquittals - that's what's caused all this mess.
The way you lawyers let Pinhead out laughing! You blame the lawyers for that? I gave Betty my solemn oath I'd get her a conviction.
You meant any old conviction would do? Pinhead was guilty.
There's no mistake about that.
Very well.
Now let's see exactly what you did.
"Pinhead was arrested on the night of the incident.
" On the night he killed Ted Yeomans, yes.
You interviewed him three times before he made his statement? He used foul language or stayed silent - signs of cracking up.
You were away on the morning of the day he confessed? I went to see someone in hospital.
When I got back to the station, DI Peplow told me that Pinhead was ready to talk.
Yes, they had a short interview with him while you were away, but all that Pinhead would say was, "When is the Guv'nor back? "I would now like to tell him about my involvement.
" That's according to DI Peplow's notes.
Something like that, yes.
So why did he change his mind? They need to tell someone about it.
They can't keep it bottled up any longer.
The truth comes out and you lawyers won't believe it.
Did he use all the words in this statement? As far as I'm concerned, he said exactly what I wrote down.
Yes.
You wrote on single sheets of paper, on loose sheets? Yes, I'm sure I did.
DI Peplow or DS Lane saw that.
Nothing underneath between the sheet and the table? No, I'm sure there wasn't.
You know, the machine thinks differently.
It ran its eye over a pile of blank statement forms from your office and detected indentations on page two.
That's the page which contains the words, "I came tooled up, I cut the copper," and so on.
You can't rely on a machine.
Superintendent Gannon, do you understand the case against you? That that page must have been written on top of a pile of blank statement forms and it was then substituted for a less incriminating page two.
I wrote down exactly what Pinhead said.
Are you sure you didn't improve on it later? To keep your promise to an unhappy woman? Yes, I'm sure.
I thought I'd give Rumpole lunch at the club since I'm a member.
Bit of a treat for the old boy.
A rare opportunity to listen to judges slurping Brown Windsor soup.
I'm so sorry, Judge.
You must be suffering terribly.
Suffering? No, I'm not suffering.
I'm feeling on top of the world really.
You're being brave about it.
Anyone can make mistakes.
Mistakes? Have you heard about anybody making mistakes, Rumpole? Mistakes? No.
Mistakes simply don't occur in the law.
I summed up in that case fairly on the evidence before me.
- Are you suggesting I made a mistake? - God forbid! Well, you look well, Guthrie.
Top of the world.
There's more to life than stuffy courtrooms and summings up.
Life has better things to offer.
Greater pleasures.
Thank God I'm still young enough to enjoy them! - A mere child.
- Shall we sit down? Ah! Yes, at At least I'm young enough to indulge in a bit of a bop occasionally.
- Bit of a what? - A bop, Rumpole.
A rave.
- That means a dance-up.
- A dance-UP? A modern idiom which you're too square to understand.
He's not square, he's round! I can see this is going to be an hilarious luncheon.
Marigold was away and I didn't fancy an evening here with dusty old lawyers, so I took a young lady out bopping.
- Claude takes them to Wagner.
- A judicial bop! - Because it lasts longer.
- I'd never have imagined! What I find interesting is how many young women today Well, let's say girls how many girls today prefer the older man as a partner in every sense of the word.
That's the "in" thing now, is it? Gerontophilia? Well, not really old, Rumpole.
Not in your class.
The slightly older! - Even judges? - Even judges are human.
Not many people know that.
You mean you actually struck lucky with your "bopee"? Oh, yes, Claude.
Beyond all reasonable doubt.
Successful in every way.
In every possible way.
Let's say it was an evening to look back on with joy when one's bopping days are over.
Well, sorry, you chaps.
I'm lunching with a couple of the younger members.
Dot.
It must've been our Dot.
Oh, don't babble, Erskine-Brown.
Dot what? What Dot? Which Dot? Dot Clapton.
She was getting red roses from a judicial admirer.
I say, what exotic lives your judges do lead! Don't they? - Come along, Rumpole.
Lunchtime.
- Yes.
Hanky-panky, Mrs Rumpole.
Among the judiciary.
Bed-hopping.
Like those dreadful young people that go on package holidays to Minorca.
You wouldn't believe it of judges.
They talk about it in the Sheridan Club.
Rumpole really must get around to joining.
There was a judge holding forth in the bar the other day.
Was he on about points of law, the reform of the jury system? No, it was all about how he'd taken some young bopper to the discotheque.
And how girls prefer the older man as a partner.
In every sense of the word.
Honestly, ladies.
It was quite shocking to an old gentleman like me.
You probably know the judge I'm talking about.
Right, I think I'll get tea.
(Hilda) Rumpole is friends with so many judges.
Tall chap, always looks terribly nervous.
Fotheringay No, er Feather something.
Not Featherstone? Yes.
Mr Justice Featherstone.
Wouldn't want to be hauled up before him.
Not after he'd spent a hard night of hanky-panky in the discotheque.
Your shout, Mrs Rumpole.
Guthrie Featherstone Oh, dear.
I wonder Does Marigold know? (Brakes screech) Mr Rumpole! I'm Betty Yeomans.
- Oh, yes.
- Are you going anywhere? I have to see somebody at Acton Crown Court.
- Jump in.
I'll give you a free ride.
- Oh.
That's very kind of you.
- I've been meaning to talk to you.
- Really? Friend of Roy's got this minicab business.
Job suits me.
Don't forget your seatbelt.
Oh, yes, seatbelt.
There we are.
Now then, what was it you want to tell me, Mrs Yeomans? - (Horn beeps) - World's full of wankers.
- Is that what you wanted to tell me? - Why can't they make their minds up? Roy's been wonderful to me and the kids since we lost Ted.
Come on, madam.
It's gone green! Are you colour-blind? - She can't hear you.
- It makes me feel better.
Just like Roy made me feel better when he got our conviction.
Yes, but was it the correct one? You don't think he lied just to give me the satisfaction? Roy's not like that! A straight copper.
Roy's not the one Ted talked about.
Oh, Ted used to go on about someone? He was only a uniform man.
Ted was never that ambitious.
But the one he was at school with went in the CID and got Detective Sergeant.
We used to see a lot of him.
Him and Doreen.
Our kids were the same age.
- What is it you wanted to tell me? - Go home and take driving lessons! (Beeps horn) - Sorry.
- No, I'm getting used to it.
After Mr Pertwee got convicted, there was someone else Ted's friend was worried about, but it wasn't Roy.
"Superintendent Gannon's clean, not like some others," he used to say.
- Who used to say? - Didn't I tell you? - No.
- It was Chesney.
Chesney (Toots horn) Get a move on! What do you think this is? A funeral procession? - Chesney? - Yes.
We all got on so well together.
I haven't seen much of him, though, or Doreen Lane.
Not since Ted went.
Oh, Detective Sergeant Chesney Lane! One of those present when Pinhead Morgan signed his confession.
Tell me more, Mrs Yeomans.
Guthrie, a word with you.
Simon! - Is there something else? - Is what something else? Your ears should be burning.
I had a chat to the Lord Chief about you.
- Not about dancing? - What? - Were you talking about dancing? - Hardly.
I don't suppose the Lord Chief dances much.
Do you? - Dance? No.
- Why are we talking about it then? - Talking about what? - Dancing.
- I don't know.
It's probably irrelevant.
- Totally irrelevant.
We were discussing whether you should try Superintendent Gannon, charged with faking a confession.
But I tried Morgan, who supposedly confessed.
Clever of you to remember, and you made a pig's breakfast of it.
We're thinking of giving you a chance to redeem yourself.
Gannon - the copper who deceived the court, deceived me! That's right.
Might not have been hard to do, but he did it.
Rotten apples in the police must be turfed out, if the evidence exists! The public expects a conviction.
So will you take it on? Oh, yes, Simon, yes, yes.
You can tell the Lord Chief yes! - That's settled then.
Oh, and Guthrie? - Yes, sir.
I should give up dancing if I were you.
You're probably too old for it.
Oh, Mr Bernard, you associate pretty closely with the boys in blue, don't you? Attend their annual dinner dance, bump into them in the Rotary Club? You get to know how their minds work.
Then you can tell me What was the Pertwee case? We never got the instruction on that one or you would have had the brief.
- Yeah, I believe you.
- Superintendent Pertwee - Some people wanted to get rid of him.
- Oh? I never discovered who or why.
It started with a series of minor persecutions.
They did him for speeding when he was out with his family.
He was meant to be friends with a big local villain and they got him on a charge of perverting the course of justice, planting dope on a suspect, though I never found out who did the planting.
- He got two years.
Still at it.
- You interest me strangely - I have work for you.
- You usually have.
Detective Sergeant Chesney Lane.
Cultivate his friendship.
I think there's something he'd like to tell us.
Betty Yeomans came to see our brief, Chesney.
She doesn't want Roy to go down for this, not after all he's done for her.
Ted wouldn't have wanted it.
You knew Ted.
Ted was an honest policeman.
Perhaps that's why he stayed in uniform.
- Ted would've liked to see justice done.
- What's justice when it's at home? Well, I mean, has Pinhead got justice? Has Betty? No one nicked after all this time? Roy's the only one left to take the blame.
I know that.
I've lost sleep over it.
You might sleep better after you've told someone.
Doreen thinks I should keep my head down.
What do YOU think? I think it's time I took the boys back for tea.
Frank, Danny, pack it in! Tea-time! - Oh, do we have to? - Yes, you do.
Come on! Look, do you want to come with us? I might have something for you.
(Hilda) I told Marigold.
(Rumpole) What? I told Marigold about Guthrie.
- You did what? - I took her to lunch at Harrods.
How very generous of you! You must've ruined her appetite! I told her all I'd heard about Guthrie from that little man at the bridge club.
But, Hilda, why? Because it was only fair, Rumpole.
I couldn't let Marigold be deceived.
I had to do her justice.
'Oh, the terrible harm people do when they start talking about justice! ' (Clears throat) - I - Telling everybody! Spilling it out in the Sheridan Club as soon as my back is turned! - We've been through all that.
- We're going through it all again! How do you think it felt having Hilda Rumpole feel sorry for me? I don't know what came over me.
Probably the same thing as when you botched up that trial! Temporary insanity is the kindest way of looking at it! - It was completely innocent.
- So why confess? - I didn't confess.
- Of course you did.
You're not the greatest catch, Guthrie.
Little Miss Whatsit is welcome to you, but why couldn't you keep quiet about it? - I've tried to explain.
- You've got absolutely no judgment! It must come as something of a drawback in your profession.
Marigold, I have a particularly difficult case starting today.
A bent copper.
How can I concentrate on it until I know your decision? - You're not going to leave me? - Of course not.
That'd make things far too easy for you.
Does that mean you're going to forgive me? No, I'm not going to do that either.
I'm going to stay here and NOT forgive you! Now run along to work.
Oh, and Guthrie Do try not to make another cock-up, won't you? Thinking back, are you absolutely sure he said, "I'm sorry I cut the copper"? No, I'm not sure he said that.
But it appears on the confession statement.
It would seem Superintendent Gannon wrote down words Morgan didn't say, completely ignoring that young man's human rights.
Is that the situation? - Could I remind my learned friend - Yes, Mr Rumpole? that Superintendents like my client, Mr Gannon, have human rights also and prosecution witnesses should not be asked leading questions.
Mr Crudgington made the obvious deduction.
Ignoring all other possibilities, my lord, as is the way with those who talk about human rights for a selected minority.
My lord, I'm quite prepared to play the game by Mr Rumpole's outdated rules.
They're the rules of evidence.
Have they gone out of favour with radical barristers? It would be better if you rephrased your question, Mr Crudgington.
'The poor old darling's forgotten what his question was! ' No, my lord, I'm prepared to leave it there.
Now, er Detective Inspector Peplow, you gave evidence at the trial of Pinhead Morgan? Yes.
And you had no doubt that the words Morgan said were written in the confession document.
I couldn't recall exactly what he said, but then I had no reason to doubt what Mr Gannon had written.
Oh, and you have now? Since Chief Superintendent Belmont showed us the test.
He proved that page two had been written later.
Tell me, was Superintendent Gannon present when Mr Belmont showed you the machine? - No.
- Was he not asked to attend? - Not as far as I know.
- Why was that? I can't tell you.
Were you and your sergeant being asked to gang up on Mr Gannon? My lord, that's outrageous.
Mr Belmont hasn't had a chance to answer that serious accusation.
Mr Belmont has human rights, even as a policeman? He has a right to answer these charges, so I shall be calling him as a witness.
Unless Mr Rumpole has any objections? No, not really, my lord.
Kaloo Kalay, the old radical darling has walked straight into it.
Now I can question Belmont.
Just one more matter, Detective Inspector.
Pinhead Morgan refused to talk during the first three days of his custody.
Yes.
Then you saw him without Mr Gannon being there.
Detective Sergeant Lane was present then.
Did you tell Morgan that if he did not confess, you would hand him over to Ted Yeomans' mates who would do him over in a way he would never be likely to forget? Well, Mr Peplow? No.
I did not tell him that.
But by a remarkable coincidence, Mr Morgan spoke at length to Superintendent Gannon that day when he arrived back at the station.
Yes, but I don't think it was exactly the statement that's been produced in court.
"Produced in court.
" Yes Do you have any more questions, Mr Rumpole? No, not at the moment, my lord.
Then I will rise for a few minutes.
(Clerk) Court rise! A public business, my lord? No, Mr Rumpole, it is an entirely private matter.
Marigold, I Darling, I I appeal to you.
I'm sorry, Guthrie.
You've lost your appeal.
Chief Superintendent Belmont, what led you to make the test on the confession statement with the electro-detective or whatever the device is called? There was protest about Morgan's conviction, his sub-normal intellect.
You took a pile of blank statement forms from Superintendent Gannon's office.
Did you do that surreptitiously? I don't think he knew about it, no.
He was on holiday.
But you did not tell him what you did behind his back? No, I didn't.
At that stage, I didn't altogether trust Superintendent Gannon.
You had another officer convicted for perverting the course of justice.
- Superintendent Pertwee? - You do get the occasional rotten apple.
Yes.
Your barrel seems to be unusually full of rotten apples, doesn't it? Can I suggest where all this corruption starts? - By all means.
- At the top with you, sir! - My lord! - Mr Rumpole, Mr Rumpole I'm sure you understand the risk you are taking in attacking a senior officer in this way? A risk, my lord? Well, we all like to dance on thin ice from time to time, don't we, my lord? I don't know what you were up to and I doubt if many of the CID officers know.
But Superintendent Pertwee found out, whatever it was.
He had to be persecuted, accused of consorting with criminals.
Pertwee was convicted after a trial by jury.
So was Pinhead Morgan.
Did my client, Mr Gannon, come to you and say Pertwee may have been framed? I don't remember him saying that.
So you had to get rid of Gannon as well? By making it appear he had forged a confession? So far as I'm concerned, he did forge a confession.
As far as you are concerned.
Just take a look at that document, will you? What is it? A photostat copy of page two of Morgan's alleged confession.
- The handwriting is Mr Gannon's? - Yes.
Run your fingers over it.
Hasn't someone gone over every letter with a pointed object pressing down hard? - I can't tell.
- Come, sir, of course you can.
Someone did that, so the writing would be impressed on the blank pages under it and it would look to the machine as though that page had been written later.
You're not suggesting that Superintendent Gannon manufactured that evidence against himself? Mr Rumpole, where exactly did this come from? It came from Chief Superintendent Belmont's office, my lord.
What the hell are you doing, Mr Rumpole? Defending you and rather well, even though I say it myself.
What is the public going to think? What the jury thinks is what interests me.
With this going on at Chief Superintendent level, who will we trust? Mr Gannon, you voiced your suspicion about Pertwee's conviction to Belmont.
- So he's out to get you.
- You can't prove that.
We've got a witness, Roy.
- Who? - Chesney Lane.
You didn't tell me.
We weren't sure he'd testify.
Someone wants to shut him up.
- I don't blame them.
- You don't what? - Let Chesney blow the whole division? - He'll tell the truth! Will that make it any better? For you perhaps.
We might get you off.
I mean better for the police.
Listen to me, Mr Gannon.
The police, the judges, the interest of justice, all those big words and big ideas are too much for me.
I'm here to see that nobody gets banged up for a crime they probably did not do and that is likely to happen to you unless you help me.
I don't want young Chesney saying all that out in public.
Think about it, Roy.
You've got till tomorrow to think about it.
Your lordship will know this witness corroborates Inspector Peplow's evidence.
I tender him in case Mr Rumpole may want to cross-examine him.
Do you have any questions, Mr Rumpole? Ah, yes, my lord.
Thank you.
Sergeant Lane, since making your statement, have you thought further about the matter? - Yes, I have.
- And now? Now I want to tell the truth.
When you and Inspector Peplow were alone with Morgan, did Peplow say something to him? He said he'd get Ted Yeomans' mates to do him over.
Did Superintendent Gannon know anything about that threat? - Not that I know of.
- Later Morgan made a full confession? Yes.
He said he was sorry he cut the copper.
He was "excited with the car racing and that".
You heard him say, "I'm sorry I cut the copper"? Yes, I did.
Do you think Morgan confessed because of Peplow's threat or because it was true? How can he possibly answer that? Quite so.
He can't.
Thank you, Mr Crudgington.
Usher! I'm very grateful to my learned friend for supplying the answer to that question.
Now then, Sergeant Lane, is that a photostat of page two of the confession that Superintendent Gannon wrote out while you were there? - Yes.
- What can you tell us about it? Someone's gone over every letter pressing down on the paper.
I imagine it was to show indentations on the sheets under it.
- Don't let's have what he imagines! - Let's have what you know is true.
How did you obtain that document? It was in a file from Chief Superintendent Belmont's office.
It looked as if someone was trying to frame Mr Gannon, so I kept hold of it.
Thank you, Detective Sergeant Lane.
Just wait there a moment, would you? In case my learned friend can think of something to ask you! Marigold? Do be quiet, Guthrie.
I'm trying to get to sleep.
Well, goodbye, Mr Gannon, and congratulations.
- It's a funny thing, isn't it? - What? When Pinhead got off, there was cameras and crowds and cheering supporters.
- It's very quiet now, isn't it? - Isn't that how you want it? - Oh, Dot! - Mr Rumpole! Dot, a word with you, if you'd be so good.
- Been buying your sandwiches? - Is that what you wanted to ask me? Not exactly.
Been dancing with any more judges lately? You heard about that.
Poor old chap was miserable.
He danced so funny like my dad used to! So you danced.
That's understandable.
Even judges feel the need to dance occasionally, but Dot, you'll have to help me.
After the ball, was there anything - Well, was there any? - Did we do it? Is that what you mean? Yes.
You have to be joking, Mr Rumpole! (She laughs) Yes.
I suppose I do really.
Enjoy your sandwiches! Rumpole, we're six points down.
That's very true.
You overbid ridiculously.
We only had two points.
I was boasting.
- Are you all for tea? - Thank you.
Yes, thank you very much.
Yes, just boasting.
Without a shred of truth.
Just like old Guthrie really.
- Guthrie? - Hmm.
Yes, poor old Guthrie had no points at all.
All he did was go for a drink with our clerk and his actor friends, but he boasted of some great amorous conquest.
Nobody in their right mind would believe him.
- You mean nothing happened? - No, absolutely nothing at all.
No, no.
When I enquired of the young lady, she burst into laughter at the mere idea! Laughter? I don't see that Guthrie is as funny as all that.
I think what upset Marigold was that he discussed it in the Sheridan Club.
Yes.
Why should he do that? Don't you know? Because he was so desperately unhappy! Unhappy? What on earth has Guthrie got to be unhappy about? He'd been piddled on from a great height! Rumpole! You are in my bridge club! Sorry.
I mean he'd had a considerable amount of dirty water thrown over him by the Court of Appeal, hadn't he? Then the only woman he ever really loved was far away.
He was missing her dreadfully.
He just tried to cheer himself up.
He may have danced a step out of time with the music.
That's all.
But he confessed! There is no evidence more unreliable than a confession! Don't imagine people tell the truth about themselves.
They say things if they're afraid or they want to boast about something just to impress a few fellows at the club.
Guthrie's confession wouldn't have got past the Court of Appeal.
Is that what you think? Quite honestly? Absolutely sure of it.
Guthrie You may come in.
But for heaven's sake, don't boast about it in the Sheridan Club!