Silent Witness (1996) s15e03 Episode Script

Justine? Justine, it's me, Debs.
Used my key.
Justine? Oh! Oh, Ellie! Oh, come here, darling.
Oh, dear.
Oh, come on.
Oh, come on, sweet pea.
Let's go and find out where Mummy is, shall we? Oh, poor you.
Come on, then.
Come on, then.
What a good girl.
Let's go down the stairs.
Good girl.
Oh.
It's OK.
It's OK, Ellie.
It's OK.
Let's go and find where Mummy is.
Let's go and find Oh! Oh, God! Oh, God! 'I can't take your call.
'Leave a message and I'll call back.
' Harry, I've got the coffees this morning.
See you in a bit.
And not a magnolia in sight.
Now, now, don't be such a misery.
Put your party face on.
Please don't do that ever again.
Yep, we'll go down the park.
Try out your new boots.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, all right.
Look, you be good a lad for Mum.
DI Ronson.
Jim.
Harry Cunningham.
Three dead? Well, not quite.
Paramedics worked on the son at the scene.
Managed to resuscitate him.
Took a couple of cracks to the skull.
They're talking brain damage.
Ex-husband.
Frank McAteer, Father of Gemma, the dead girl.
Poor bastard.
They're nice people, might be fun.
Oh, look! We could've just slipped away after the service, you know that? Please kill me now Everything all right? Hi, it's Nikki Alexander.
Yeah, hi.
My colleague, Harry Cunningham, was just called out to an address in Staines Can you just confirm the names of the victims for me, please? One day I was over at their lab, picking something up and Justine was pregnant, very pregnant.
Almost full-term, in fact, and she had an eclamptic seizure.
Luckily, I was able to help.
Thank you.
What was that about? The receptionist at Forensics Justine Thompson.
Yeah, what did she want? She's been murdered.
It's not as if I knew her very well.
And after the party we'd spoken on the phone, but just work stuff.
Where's the father? Oh, we haven't managed to contact him yet.
Stuart, isn't it? Yeah.
Ah, our angel of mercy, Doctor! What can I get you? Beer? Wine? Beer'd be great.
Thank you.
Great, and Mrs C? No, Nikki's not I mean, I say we're not married, we're Just colleagues.
We're colleagues.
That's all right, it's allowed.
Great, come through.
Red-letter day.
Young Gemma was due to take a dance exam.
The initial attack on the mother was here.
No void areas Probably attacked from behind.
Blood pattern analysis suggests the blow to the head happened in here.
But she's still conscious She somehow manages to get herself out of the kitchen Makes it to the stairs.
Trying to go up? That's where her kids were.
So the killer followed her here, stabbed her in the back.
But her body wasn't found here? No.
Then she was moved.
Blood loss on that scale, she almost certainly would have been dead.
So her attacker moved her from here, through into the front room.
I know.
Anyway, I know you need to stop.
Oh Look at him.
Chatting to a beautiful woman, and he hasn't even had to pay her.
She's smilier than I thought she'd be.
Pathologist.
I speak to her on the phone most weeks.
It's funny though, I had her down as more of a librarian type.
So she's not with? No.
Why? Do you fancy a crack? Just think, Debs He knows your body better than you do.
The head injury wasn't caused by a knife.
The wound's larger.
Roughly circular.
So he used two weapons? Why change? Rigor firmly established in the larger joints.
She's been dead in this environment a while.
Roughly ten to 12 hours.
It's 11 now, so that takes us from 11 till one in the morning.
Does that fit with your time frame? We don't have a time frame.
Well, we've just started interviews, but we think she was last seen pulling on the drive at about six last night.
That's where the boy was lying.
Charlie Thompson, Justine's stepson, but Stuart's son.
Oh! Oh, God! Oh, God! We've got press at the end of the road.
Keep them there.
You found Dad? No.
If he's responsible, knows he can't escape this.
Doubt he'll even try.
So he's topped himself.
Focus on the car, Billy.
Picnic areas, lay-bys, woodland, anywhere he can park out of sight.
Use your imagination.
20 miles, max.
Yeah, sure.
Got everything you need? Did SOCOs find any weapons? They think the knife used on the mum came from the kitchen.
They found one with a similar blade profile washed up and sitting on the draining board.
They've taken it for analysis.
Washed up? As if he'd just finished chopping the veg.
But the weapon used to inflict the head injury, the weapon used on the boy Not found them yet.
I'll bet they came from the house too.
Using a knife you found in the kitchen? Doesn't sound like the murderer came with intent.
We've considered burglary, but nothing's been taken, no sign of forced entry.
And all All the windows and doors were locked.
Are you ready for upstairs? What's upstairs? This party is so retarded Ah, can we get a photo? Oh, quick one.
I'm not very good with babies.
She's a natural.
Look at her.
Come and get a photo of the Doc with Ellie.
I wouldn't mind a few photos of his girlfriend.
Yeah? You've got to admire his ambition, eh? Dad.
Come on.
The toddler was in the cot when the neighbour came in.
Any sign her room had been entered? No.
Suggesting he's making a distinction between Gemma and her.
Also suggests he knew who slept where.
Are you ready? You'd think she'd just fallen asleep.
Suffocated? Possibly.
Rigor established in the fingers, but still getting going in the elbows, which means She was killed later than her mother.
Best guess? Nine to ten hours, approximately.
Somewhere between half two and half three in the morning.
Leo! Good to meet you at last.
Gill.
What? Nothing Just on the basis off all those phone calls, I'd built up a mental image.
Do I look disappointed? Come on, I'll show you the Batcave.
Pathology meets Forensics.
It's like Nixon in China all over again.
Our new toy.
We think he was an eight-year-old boy.
Police found two thirds of his skull in the Thames.
CT scan, imaging software, And there you have it.
Maybe now, they can find out who he was.
Jealous? A little.
Is that why you're here? To steal my secrets? No.
I thought you might not have heard yet and I wanted to tell you myself, not over the phone.
It's about your receptionist, Justine Thompson.
So he kills Mum.
Waits an hour or so and kills Daughter.
And at some point finds time to knock a bloody great big hole in the son's skull too.
Taking his time.
No, there's no running home from this one.
Because you think he already was at home.
You're assuming it's the father.
Why? Because statistics say so.
Statistics also suggest that perpetrators of familicide very rarely leave a family member alive.
True.
But Ellie was untouched.
Family dead.
Dad vanished, incommunicado.
Hardly statistical whitewash.
Look, I don't want it to be him any more than you Choice between Dad and some toerag who's just walked in off the street? You want it to be Toerag.
But We don't get to choose.
Oi, stop perving Gemma up, you pong.
I wasn't.
Joel? Why do you always keep this door locked? Are you OK? Are you? Linda, it's me.
Just give me a ring back.
Where's Family Liaison? Two down and rushed off their feet.
They said they'd be here as soon as they can.
Ring them again.
Give them a rocket.
Can't leave the ex-husband out there all day.
Oh, and Billy, get a team doing door-to-door.
There would have been eyes all over that house.
I want to know when every member of this family checked in.
I want to know if anyone saw any strangers, any vehicles Check for private surveillance, neighbourhood watch, the works.
Sure.
Have you found him yet? Mr McAteer He did this.
You know he did this.
I don't know anything for sure right now.
Do you? Did you know Stuart Thompson well? Yeah, all my life.
You were friends? When we were younger.
But then he married your ex, Justine.
Bet that put the cat among the pigeons? Not really.
We were done.
You move on.
But you kept in contact? You think I'd abandon my daughter? It's hard, I know it is, but try not to jump to any conclusions.
Things may not be what they seem.
D'you believe that? 'Course not.
Case like this? You bet your life, Daddy did it.
Baby has to be Charlie I think, so I suppose this must be Stuart's first wife.
Charlie's at the hospital.
No-one seems able to tell me if he has other relatives.
I thought I might give him a visit.
Yeah.
The little girl's been taken into temporary care, apparently.
They think Stuart's responsible.
I know that psychologically, statistically, they're probably right, but I remember I remember leaving here, thinking I'd quite like that.
Just an ordinary family.
That was just one day.
I guess no-one really knows what goes on inside a family.
How can you judge people? Think of that man we met, I just cannot imagine it.
I cannot imagine it.
Can I help you, sir? What's going on? 'Tried to stop him, guv.
But we got a fella heading your way.
' Charlie! Justine! Justine! Where are they? Let him go, let him go, let him go! Let him go! All right, all right.
Get off me! Get off me! All right, all right! No! All right, all right.
No! Stuart? Stuart.
It's Harry.
Harry Cunningham.
You remember me? I'm sorry.
Mr Thompson, we'll need to speak to you.
Now? Won't take long.
What if you're wrong? Spoke to his employers.
They said Stuart was worried he'd lost his touch.
He hadn't made a sale in seven months.
How did that affect him? was commission-generated.
So how does he keep up the lifestyle? He borrowed.
Borrowed like mad.
I checked out his credit history.
And he really was about to lose the lot.
Go on OK, he's got a joint bank account and that's kept funded all right, but then he's got a separate sole bank account and it is a proper horror show, guv.
I'm talking about nine grand overdrawn.
That's not unusual nowadays.
Add on 35 grand's worth of credit card debt.
And another 20 grand's worth of car finance secured against Wait for it The house.
Just missed his third payment to the finance company.
And to cap it all, hasn't paid the mortgage in two months.
Sinking fast.
His job's on the slide.
He's going to lose the house.
It's textbook context for family annihilation.
Looks like you were right, guv.
OK, the neighbour who found them.
Have a word.
But I'll handle the father.
Go on.
I suppose I should try to arrange some kind of counselling.
That's what you're supposed to do, isn't it? Might help.
Stuart must be devastated.
Yes, dreadful.
Just when they seemed to have turned a corner.
Justine left him for a while.
Couple of years back.
For a few months after Ellie was born.
But then she went back.
I got the impression things were on the mend.
Where were you last night, Stuart? Nottingham.
Business? Where did you stay? Stuart? Where did you stay? 'I don't know anything much about their finances.
' Not sure Justine did either, to be honest.
Stuart liked handling all that kind of stuff.
Weren't in trouble, were they? Did Justine ever say anything? No.
But Stuart was doing well.
He kept making all these big sales.
Employee of the month.
And they gave him that new car only a few months back.
Yeah, the car was bought on finance.
His boss said that he thought maybe Stuart was depressed.
D'you think he's depressed? Mrs Barron? Stuart.
Do you think he's depressed? No, not really.
Did he have a good marriage? What's a good marriage? Well, if you don't know, why you asking the question? I'm sorry They struggled sometimes.
Justine used to say Tanya cast a long shadow Tanya? His first wife.
And is Tanya still on the scene? She died.
Car crash.
Charlie must have been less than a year old.
Stuart raised him.
Really loves that boy.
We've spoken to Charlie's friends.
They said they dropped him off at the end of the road at about quarter to three this morning.
Is he usually out that late? Has your son ever been out that late before? Not when I was around.
Nikki's gone to see him, Stuart.
She'll talk to his doctors and stay a while.
I should be with him.
I'm afraid that's not possible.
Who are you to say when I can see my son? Look, he's a witness, Mr Thompson.
Ellie? She's being looked after by a great bunch of people.
Don't suppose I can No.
Not yet.
I'm sorry.
Have you got kids? Yes.
Girls or boys? Two sons.
Your brother Kevin, is it? He lives locally, doesn't he? Shall I ring him? See if you can stay? I don't think I can deal with him just now.
Look, I just want to see how he's doing, that's all.
Calm yourself, maybe Look, you have to let me see him, I'm his uncle! Could take a seat and? I don't want to take a seat! Excuse me, are you Charlie's uncle? Yeah, who are you? I am Nikki Alexander.
Sorry, you don't know me, but I met your brother a couple of years ago.
Did you sleep with the curtains closed last night? Yeah, I think so.
So you didn't see anything or hear anything? No.
I'm sorry.
No need to be sorry, mate.
You're actually the same age as the boy, Charlie, aren't you? And Gemma too? Yeah, so are you guys all friends, then? Gemma, mostly.
Joel, can you think of anyone who would have wanted to hurt Gemma? What about her uncle, Kevin Thompson? What's he like? Well, your mum said that you guys, you really get along.
You like your motorbikes and stuff so What did Gemma think about Kevin? She didn't like him.
Extradural haematoma, cerebral contusion.
Whoever attacked him, hit him more than once.
And hard.
But he'll be OK? Hard to tell.
So he may never recover? Tenner says that she was shagging a neighbour and he found out.
Got time for a swift one? No, not tonight.
See, that's why I'm never having kids.
Steal your life.
That's him.
That's Kevin Thompson.
You know him? Yeah, I nicked him when I was in uniform.
Shoplifting to feed his habit.
I thought the name was familiar.
This family gets more and more interesting by the minute, doesn't it? OK, we're missing something here.
OK, let's dig into the Thompson brothers.
Find out who is this Uncle Kevin, why is he calling in on Deborah Barron and where was he last night? And Stuart Thompson's story.
Put some heat under it.
You should get yourself home, ask Linda to pour you some whisky.
She's left me, Billy.
What? Nah.
Linda? You serious? Look, guv, I mean You know she'll be back.
She's probably just making a point.
Yeah, that's what I thought.
This time it's different.
We arranged to meet up last night.
I waited for her for, for over an hour.
She didn't turn up.
And then I get back home, find she's used the time to clear out the rest of her stuff.
I'm sorry, Guv.
No, it's my fault.
I've spent too many hours here and I should have been there.
No, it's too late.
There's a significant disparity in times of death.
Er The mother, Justine, was killed first.
But there's then a time gap of as much as two hours, which can't really be explained by environmental factors.
So I'd like to get on with the postmortem as soon as possible.
I don't think that's a very good idea.
You knew Justine, you'd met her daughter.
Fleetingly.
But Still I think I'd better do the postmortems.
OK.
You decided to pass this one up? DI Ronson, Nikki Alexander Hi.
Hi.
The temporal bone on the left side has been pierced and the entry wound is roughly circular Surrounding bone is fractured.
There's evidence of blunt trauma to the surrounding skin.
There's contusion and swelling evident above the left ear, which suggests, first of all, that the blow didn't kill her.
As for the weapon, I don't know what is was, but whatever it was that hit her, it had a protruding part that entered into her skull, and was part of something larger that accounted for the surrounding bruising and it must have been pretty heavy as well.
The middle meningeal artery has ruptured BPA patterning at scene was consistent with this kind of injury.
There were no void areas.
Well, that suggests the attacker approached her from behind.
Speculative, but Yeah, it's supported by the fact that there are no defence marks on her hands or arms.
So it looks like the victim was either unaware that the attacker was approaching from behind or that she was comfortable enough to turn her back on him.
There are two stab wounds, to the middle of the back.
As I say, I think she was still alive when she was stabbed.
Maybe unconscious.
Where was she found again? The living room floor.
But we think she died at the bottom of the stairs and was moved postmortem.
Stab wounds to the back have pierced the right lung and the heart respectively.
Cause of death is hypovolemic shock due to the stab wounds.
So this wouldn't have been a quiet death, Professor.
No.
It would not.
It's a small house.
Toddler and Gemma upstairs.
Why didn't they wake? How do you know that they didn't? 'Pull Stuart Thompson in.
' But we're still waiting on traffic to check out his journey.
What's happened? OK, this is the situation.
The mum's dying.
'She's screaming.
'It's a small house.
The girls would have woken up.
'But we know that Gemma was reassured enough to go back to sleep.
' So she must have known him.
Pull him in.
The deceased has what looks like threads of white material underneath her fingernails.
Could be from the attacker's clothing.
Or her bed sheet.
Any hypostasis on her back, Leo? Just give me a chance.
If she was violently assaulted, but she looked, for all the world, like she'd just fallen asleep.
That's what you said.
She wasn't just left.
She was arranged.
Have you thought maybe she was seeing someone? Justine? 'Course she bloody wasn't.
Think about it.
All the times you've been away.
It's possible, isn't it? She wouldn't do that Have done.
Stay strong, Kevin.
Mm? There's evidence of hypostasis on her front and back.
According to Dr Cunningham's notes, she was found lying on her back.
Which means that she must have been turned postmortem.
Hypostasis on her front and her back.
When blood stops circulating round the body, gravity pulls it down to a pool on the lowest point.
And you can see evidence of the pools through the skin, it's called hypostasis.
If Gemma was killed on her back, we would expect to see hypostasis on her back.
But just her back, yeah? So whoever killed her turned her over? Possibly.
But hypostasis takes several hours to set in.
So she would have to have been lying on her front for two to three hours postmortem before being turned.
So she was killed, she was left and then she was moved onto her back.
But that happened much, much later.
The liver and spleen are enlarged, but I'm satisfied they neither contributed to, nor was caused by her death.
Seems likely that she was smothered while asleep on her front.
She was suffocated, she died and then her body was turned.
Why would somebody do that? Does it suggest a certain amount of respect for the victim? The way she was killed.
That she wasn't stabbed or bludgeoned like her mother or brother? Oh, dear.
I'm sorry to tell you your stepdaughter was pregnant when she died.
Did she have a boyfriend? What makes you think that? Cos she would've told her mum.
And your wife would've told you.
Because you had a good relationship.
Of course Is this even relevant? I'm just trying to get an insight.
You'd be amazed how many couples don't even have two words for each other one day to the next.
But that wasn't you.
So she had any problems, she'd come to you and vice versa? So you talked about stuff? Of course we talked about stuff.
Did you talk about the amount of debt you were in? No.
Did she know you were about to lose the house? That must have been very difficult for you.
Having to keep something so important a secret from her.
Why didn't you tell her? I just expect you thought you could sort it all out before it got out of hand.
Is that it? What? He couldn't have done it, guv.
ANPR cams clocked Thompson's BMW travelling north on Wednesday afternoon and south again on Thursday morning.
Nothing else.
That just means his car was in Nottingham.
Nottingham CID interviewed the hotel receptionist.
They are sending down CCTV footage.
She actually knows Thompson personally.
He's stayed there upwards over a dozen times in the past two years.
She took his credit card payment in the morning face to face.
He was in Nottingham all night, guv.
Just like he said.
Leo? Gill? Harry Cunningham? Yes.
Hi.
And you must be Nikki Alexander? Hi.
Leo in? I think so, yes.
He's in the cutting room, I think.
I brought him a new toy.
Way of saying thank you for taking the time to visit yesterday.
Gill.
Hi.
Thanks for coming.
Shall we? Yeah.
Lovely to see you.
So you could use it to reconstruct broken or degraded bone.
Yup.
Tissue? Yup.
Could you scan a bite mark? Build an image of the biter's teeth? If you can scan it, you can print it.
It'll be magic! You off? Yeah, thought I'd go and sit with Charlie again.
No relatives? Kevin Thompson.
He was at the hospital.
Was he? You went straight from the scene.
How would he have heard about the attack? Kevin? Stuart's brother Kevin? Yeah, do you know him? I know the damage he caused.
About a year ago, Justine was getting a lot of calls from Kevin Thompson.
She asked him to stop, but he just kept on ringing and eventually she had to get a block put on his number.
And when Nikki went to visit Charlie in hospital, she said that Kevin Thompson was already there.
What's odd about that? Just a few hours after the bodies had been found.
Stuart couldn't have told him.
Stuart didn't find out until he showed up at the house.
But any one of a dozen neighbours could have called him.
Bad news travels fast.
True.
But you've already established that whoever did this either was allowed into the house or had means of access.
You've got two children upstairs asleep.
Mum gets attacked.
It's noisy and you've said you think it's likely that one or both of those children would have woken up.
And that somebody would have had to talk them down.
Mm.
So what about Kevin? Why do I get the feeling you know something I don't? What's going on? It's Uncle Kevin, he's off his head.
Stuart won't have him in the house if he's wasted.
Shouldn't be so hard on him.
Is everything all right? Yes, just my brother, think he's come straight from the pub! You all right? Yeah.
Come on, it's fine, honestly.
Just ignore him.
Oh, what's she doing now? Soft cow.
Billy.
'Just in, guv.
'CCTV footage from the hotel Stuart Thompson stayed in in Nottingham.
' This is the hotel CCTV footage from Wednesday night.
Nottingham CID watch this? No.
Sloppy.
Just interviewed the hotel receptionist.
She seemed to know Stuart and she confirmed it was him.
Stacy Leech, ex-prostitute, ex-junkie.
And there he is.
The time and date on the tape, they can verify it? Yes.
Make sure the tech boys clean it up and get it to evidence.
Oh, good work, Billy.
Thanks.
You OK, guv? Never better.
Were you in love with her? Justine? Why did you assume I meant Justine? So, were you? She was married to my brother, Stuart.
Didn't stop Giggsy.
You, Stuart and Frank, Justine's first husband.
You used to knock about together when you were young.
And Justine, she was part of the scene too, wasn't she? I bet you fancied her.
Fancied lots of people.
How did you feel when her and Frank got together? And later, when she came on the market again, who should snap her up? Little brother Stuart.
That's got to hurt.
Tell me about the nuisance calls.
They weren't nuisance calls.
She blocked your number.
D'you have a key to 26 Magnolia Drive, Kevin? Yeah.
Where were you on Wednesday night? At home.
Alone? So you don't have anyone who can verify that's where you were? No.
Did you know your brother was going to be away that night? Yeah.
Why are you doing this? There's only a couple of you that could have done this crime, Kevin.
Motive and opportunity.
I'm fishing in a very small pond.
There's only a couple of you down there, swimming around.
In the depths.
Do you like him for it? Maybe.
But you let him go? Let's see his next move.
Hello.
Hi.
Sounds like everybody's having a good time.
Yes, Stuart's doing his paso doble.
Strictly's got a lot to answer for.
I should be going, I'm afraid.
Yeah, er One question before you do.
Mm? The world's full of women, right? It is.
Millions of us.
And yet, here you are, Harry Cunningham.
Unclaimed.
You're good-looking, got a great job, still got all your own teeth.
Stuart? What are you doing here? Gemma was pregnant.
I just keep thinking about all the lads we know of And we thought one of Charlie's mates who could have got her pregnant? And then I think What's the bloody point? She's dead.
They still won't let me see my little girl or Charlie, which means they still think that I did it.
They're just following procedure, that's all.
Will you not talk like them! I'm sorry.
It's all right.
I feel like I'm dreaming with my eyes open.
I just don't know what to do with myself.
And then I have these moments when I don't even think about it, you know? Like minutes or seconds.
And then it all, all comes rushing in.
It's like getting hit by a truck, over and over.
Did you get any sleep last night? I could arrange for a prescription for you.
Said I don't want that.
Could help, a sedative.
To shut this out? No, I want to feel this.
I deserve it all.
'When we see the civil war being played out in Sierra Leone and the bloodshed there is' Just popping down the shop.
Need anything? No, thanks, lovely.
All right, the kid from next door's just shown up.
Please, Kev.
Just let me in! Please, Kev! Kev! OK, I dunno what that was all about.
But he's off again now.
Shit.
Charlie was slightly jaundiced.
He has a rash on his chest and his lymph nodes were right up.
So I talked to the nurse and she said she didn't think the rash was related to his injuries.
She'd thought that it looked like it might be something that you'd get with mononucleosis.
Glandular fever? Remember what Leo said in Gemma's PM? Enlarged liver and spleen.
Not contributory, but present.
I know it might not be relevant, but No, no, no Whoa, Charlie.
Stuart said he thought Gemma didn't have a boyfriend, but Wouldn't be the first teenage girl not to tell her parents.
No.
And particularly if it was her stepbrother.
Even if they were having sex, even if Charlie was the father of Gemma's baby, they weren't blood related, they were step-siblings.
Must happen all the time.
Hardly a motive for a double murder, is it? Ah! Someone's left in a hurry.
Joel? You really do underestimate your charms, Leo.
Look, what is this? There are multiple small abrasions and signs of blunt trauma to the face and head.
It has to stop! We're in the Dark Ages here, Billy.
We got plenty.
Photos tell us Joel Barron was at the scene.
They're going to say I killed them.
But I never.
Yesterday you questioned him.
Today he's dead.
Joel! If you want someone to blame, take a bloody long look in the mirror!