Silent Witness (1996) s15e05 Episode Script

"Now conscience wakes despair That slumber'd, "wakes the bitter memory Of what he was, "what is, and what must be Worse:" Mum! Mum! Mum! "Of worse deeds worse sufferings must ensue.
" Silent Witness Season 15 - Episode 05 "Paradise Lost" Part 1 Normal colour sclera.
No jaundice, no petechiae, no facial stigmata or disease.
Intrathoracic haemorrhage seems inconsistent with the low velocity of road traffic collision.
Might be looking for a natural cause.
Maybe a spontaneous rupture of an aortic aneurysm.
Normal nails.
No clubbing or other abnormality.
You feeling the cold there, Sergeant? - It is rather cold, isn't it? - Not working hard enough.
God, it's freezing in here too, isn't it? You're right.
The air-con's gone haywire.
Mean anything to you? I think we need professional help.
Leo's the one who knows all about it.
He was here when it was installed.
There'll be a number in his office.
Where is Leo, anyway? What you are saying, Dr.
Karamides, is that this did not happen.
This child did not die in the way a variety of other medical specialists - say he did.
- I'm speaking about the over-reliance on the so-called triad of brain injuries.
Three physical symptoms - retinal haemorrhage, subdural haematoma, and acute encephalopathy, which some pathologists believe is proof positive of shaken-baby syndrome.
- But you don't? - No, I don't.
And nor do a number of eminent pathologists.
So, what happened in this case? In my opinion, Baby K suffered an epileptic seizure, which led to subdural haemorrhage, and eventually to hypoxic-ischaemic brain damage.
- In your opinion? - In my opinion.
But the coroner sought the opinions of other experts - ophthalmologists, neuropathologists - who have testified that these injuries are more likely to have arisen from the baby being shaken and manhandled by his angry mother.
Indeed.
- But do you disagree with all of them? - Yes! I do.
Here we are.
Paul Bewley, heating and ventilation.
He's in court today.
Request to attend a custody hearing.
Are you meant to be reading that? To give expert testimony on a matter of neonatal pathology.
What? I thought we agreed to stay away from the triad.
And even at this late hour, Dr.
Karamides, I cannot get you to consent to the majority view of all your peers? My job is not to support the consensus.
It's to give you my professional opinion as a pathologist who specialises in brain development.
I am not asking for consensus, but clarity.
How can this court make up its mind when its own expert witnesses dispute not just conclusions but the evidence which underlies those conclusions? We all decided after the Alice Copeland case that we wouldn't do any more neonatal work.
Sorry.
Yeah, I just lost you a minute.
I'm in the basement.
OK, follow the pipes.
That's what I'm doing.
And Oh, yeah, OK.
Is that? I think I can I can see the unit.
It's a kind of grey box with knobs.
Is that right? There's a lot of vapour coming out of other pipes.
- It doesn't make any sense - I don't know if that's good.
.
.
if he's in court giving expert testimony on a neonatal case.
How long? Really? Well well, can you please just call me when you know? Because we are dying of cold here.
Professor Dalton.
I understand you are president of the Institute of Pathologists? I am, yes.
And you completely disagree with the expert testimony presented by Dr.
Karamides? I do, yes.
My head's gone numb.
- He's been reading up about the triad.
- Oh, has he? This is about Helen Karamides.
There's a theory that the pathology of the brain could be caused by factors other than shaking.
But this particular theory, which involves questions of hypoxia, brain swelling, raised intracranial pressure, is highly contentious and, to my mind, utterly unproven.
But these symptoms were present in the case of Baby K? Yes, but when taken together with other more complex factors, these make non-accidental head injury much more likely.
In short, you believe this baby was shaken? Yes.
Quick would be good.
Yeah.
OK, thanks.
Plumber's calling his mate.
A plumber's mating call is being made.
Help is on its way.
Why didn't Leo tell us he was doing this? I should think because he knows how you feel about Helen Karamides and I should think because he didn't want a row, and I agree with him.
"O much deceiv'd, much failing, "hapless Eve, "Of thy presum'd return, "event perverse! "Thou never from that hour in Paradise "Found'st either sweet repast or sound repose: "Such ambush, hid among sweet flowers and shades, "Waited with hellish rancour imminent "To intercept thy way, or send thee back "Despoild of Innocence, of Faith, of Bliss.
" Mears? Visitors' area.
Mears! - Here it is.
- Here what is? Leo's list.
One postmortem review on a six-month-old baby, and the name of the first pathologist has been redacted.
I don't know anything about it.
We're marking someone else's homework.
And guess what.
Someone whose name is five letters followed by nine letters.
Helen Karamides.
Professor Dalton, are you a specialist paediatric pathologist? No, I'm not.
Do you do any paediatric work? Some.
For various reasons, my colleagues and I have recently ceased doing neonatal work.
So, on what basis are we asked to accept your expert evidence? Well, as a professor of pathology, and a member of the Home Secretary's Register of Forensic Pathologists, I keep up with the literature.
This isn't about the literature, Professor.
This is about whether a mother unlawfully killed her own child and whether this court should now deny her custody of her surviving child.
You know why you're here, Annie? All that matters, the only thing that matters is those girls and their families.
Otherwise I don't come.
All I have are your visits.
Well, then.
Of course, it is generally preferable for a child to remain with his or her parents.
But only if that environment is safe.
In the case of the sibling, Child A, what I have heard today seriously calls that safety into question.
To my mind, the evidence we have heard suggests there is significant risk that if he remains with his mother, he may suffer the same fate as his brother.
I have listened to conflicting expert testimonies, and I have to say I find that of Professor Dalton more convincing, to say the least.
The arguments of Dr.
Karamides, though no doubt well meant, seem to me to be baseless and quite possibly misleading.
I have therefore decided, with regret, to entrust this child to the care of the local authority.
Dr.
Karamides! Do you have your own comment to make? - Will you resign? - Dr.
Karamides! Ever since Karamides started challenging the triad, - they've been out to get her.
- Who have? The establishment, the male establishment.
- Come on! - And Leo's part of it.
- What? - He's President of the Institute of Pathologists, isn't he? Can't get much more establishment than that.
Doesn't mean he's part of a witch-hunt.
- Doesn't it? - Does it? Well, he's going up against her in court and he's agreed to check up on her postmortems.
I think Leo knows what he's doing.
Yes, I'm sure he does.
James Reagan.
The Institute of Pathologists.
We spoke on the phone.
- How do you do? - Most impressive, if I may say so.
Yeah, well, thank you.
You going to do what you promised me? You got anything for me? Memories.
I'm here alone with my memories.
So are the families of all those other girls.
Do memories affect you? Of course memories affect me.
Like the angels.
They remember how they were in heaven and the Garden of Eden and they despair when they remember.
I'll give you memories.
If you give me somewhere to go when I leave here.
All right, then.
Now memories.
That's unfair.
I know Leo has to play the political game a bit these days, but he doesn't enjoy it.
He's never liked Helen, for some reason.
He's never liked her ideas, but he believes in her right to air them.
Oh, thank goodness.
- Hello? - Dr.
Cunningham? Yes, thanks for coming.
Hi.
Come in.
Let me show you.
Have to take you into the bowels of the building, I'm afraid.
Very, very cold everywhere, as you can feel.
About 500 yards from the bus stop, there's a fence.
Then there was a gate.
I went through the gate.
Down a a slight hill.
- Did you hear the cars? - Yes.
Of course.
And then? And then there was a little stream with a bridge.
I thought I'd gone too far.
Then I found it.
I was about to use the Yellow Pages.
No good, mate.
You can't get any old Tom, Dick or Harry on kit like this.
- Is that right? - No.
The ticket to work on something like this costs 5,000 quid.
Yeah.
Looks like you've got a problem with the compressor.
Won't know till we've tested it all out.
Right, well, do your best.
I'll I'll be in the office.
Hey.
Do you know what this place is? Why did we stop doing neonatal work? Alice Copeland, wasn't it? Because we sent an innocent woman to jail.
- We didn't do anything.
- Well, not us, but pathologists.
The profession.
The experts arrive at the scene with their detachment and objectivity and announce that she shook her children to death and then she takes her own life.
If the courts had listened to Helen Karamides, that would never have happened.
Hello.
Who are you? It's your backfeed loop.
We're going to have to trace it round.
See if we can find the airlock.
- Right.
- Slight technical problem we had.
Nothing works when you're not here.
Leo, I think Nikki might want a word when you have a moment.
James Reagan, acting for the Institute of Pathologists.
- Harry Cunningham.
- Hello.
Is it always this cold? Maybe you keep it this way because of the Something like that.
Anyway, I'll let you get on.
This way.
Bye, Annie.
Thanks.
Body's that of a male infant.
- Is Leo back? - Yeah.
There's evidence of widespread ammoniacal dermatitis in the nappy area.
The previous pathologist opened the thorax and the abdomen.
So, I'm now reopening the sutured incision line.
The gastric mucosa shows evidence of widespread erosion as was recognised by the previous pathologist.
Try breathing deeply.
They say counting to 100 helps.
I suppose one gets used to it.
Not when it's a baby.
Mum, where are you? Let me know where you are.
- Nikki.
- Don't mind me.
Look, I'm afraid this is confidential.
The Institute We don't have anything to hide from each other.
Do we? No.
No, of course not.
So, Professor Dalton, you've completed the postmortem review? - I have, yes.
- And what's your conclusion? Was the first pathologist in error? Mr.
Reagan, I agreed to do a second postmortem on an individual, not on a pathologist.
Nonetheless, as a solicitor, I'd like your professional opinion.
Well, there are some inconsistencies between my findings and those of the first pathologist, yes.
- Such as? - The original postmortem found that the subject died of hypothermia, and yet there's no record of any rectal temperature reading in the original report.
So, the first pathologist was wrong? Well, it's not as simple as that.
I haven't seen the results of any special investigations.
I haven't explored the context.
- Context? - Context is everything, yes.
If you don't consider that, then Well, we tend to make mistakes.
So, if a child died of hypothermia then the temperature in the room is part of the context? We would take that into consideration, yes.
And not considering it would be negligent? Well There are other causes to hypothermia besides being exposed to cold environments.
Who was the original pathologist, out of interest? - As I said before, Dr - Dr.
Alexander.
Yes, as I say before Dr.
Alexander, I'm afraid I'm really - not at liberty - I think you know who it is.
Helen Karamides has done more work on the infant brain than almost anyone in this country.
Excuse me, could you tell me what your particular interest is in this? I trained under her for a couple of years.
And, of course, I have a very strong professional interest.
She doesn't deserve a witch-hunt.
Nikki, this is not a witch-hunt.
I was asked to do a postmortem review, which I have done, fairly and even-handedly, I hope.
And the rest is up to the Institute.
What's up to the Institute? I'd love to talk about this all day, but I have rather a lot to do.
Professor Dalton.
Dr.
Alexander.
Are you saying she's facing some kind of disciplinary procedure? Why? Because If Dr.
Karamides is going to be summoned before a tribunal, I want you to know I will be more than happy - to speak on her behalf.
- Look, - do you know why I'm here? - No.
Why are you here? Well, are you going to tell her or shall I? Tell me what? Helen Karamides has been accused of retaining tissue samples from dead infants.
- Tissue samples? - Without their parents' permission.
- And you can prove that? - Yes, we can.
Right.
That went well.
"Now conscience wakes despair That slumber'd, "wakes the bitter memory "Of what he was, "what is, and what must be Worse:" "Of worse deeds worse sufferings must ensue.
" Excuse me! What are you doing? Got to trace the pipe-work.
- Well, have you found anything? - No.
No.
So, you shouldn't be in here, so please get out.
All right.
All right, no need to make a fuss.
That was quite a scene earlier.
- What do you mean? - The way you handled that guy.
I I loved that.
Oh, great.
So, you you cut people up in here, then? Yes.
And people watch from up here? Yes.
So, you know all about dead bodies? Yes, that's my job.
"Thou never from that houre in Paradise "Foundst either sweet repast, or sound repose; "Such ambush hid among sweet Flours and Shades "Such ambush hid among sweet Flours and Shades "To intercept thy way, "or send thee back "Despoild of Innocence, of Faith, of Bliss.
" Mum! Mum! What's your name? Annie Farmer.
Annie.
I knew an Annie.
- You from around here? - Yeah.
From round here, yeah.
I thought we might have seen each other.
No, we don't know each other.
It was the backfeed loop.
I told you it was the backfeed loop.
Backfeed loop, apparently.
Nikki and I went out for a drink last night.
Can't imagine what you talked about.
One or two things did come up.
Why did you go to court yesterday, if you don't mind my asking? - How do you mean? - Well, we'd agreed, I thought, as you know, after the Alice Copeland thing.
What, to do no more neonatal cases? - Yeah.
- Yes, I know.
But I think, in retrospect, we made a mistake.
OK.
I think we should take each case as it comes.
We can't fall back on a hasty decision that we made 18 months ago.
The Alice Copeland case was aa tragedy.
Of course it was.
But this is a completely different case.
- Right.
- I was asked to to look at the evidence, and I did, and I disagreed with Dr.
Karamides' interpretation so I took to the stand and I said as much.
- Yes, but - I know how you felt.
And I sympathise with you.
I really do.
But there is no conspiracy.
We just have to make some hard calls.
We can't say, "Oh, this is too controversial.
"We can't get involved in this.
" We have to get involved, because that's our job, even when it's - Scary.
- Yeah, even when it's scary.
I was going to tell you about going to court.
OK, forget that.
But you should have told me about the tissue samples she apparently stole.
There is a legal process that has to be followed in all these cases.
I wasn't allowed to.
You know retaining those tissue samples doesn't make her a bad pathologist.
No, but it calls her judgment into question, don't you think? "Human?" Well? Is this from you? Where did you get it? I can't talk to you here.
This is a human bone.
Where did you get this? - Will you talk to me away from here? - No, absolutely not.
Leo? It'll have to wait.
I'm sorry.
Look, this has got to be just between the two of us.
What time do you finish? I'll wait.
I asked you where you got this from.
I brought it, cos I wanted to talk to you.
Please.
It's not about me.
It's my mum.
You're the only one who can help us.
I was afraid you weren't going to come.
OK, that bone you gave me, it's a proximal phalanx.
- That's a bone in your finger.
- Right.
- I'll run some more tests on it - OK.
- and then take it to the police.
- No.
- It could be evidence of a crime.
- You can't tell the police.
I don't have a choice.
You don't have a choice.
I wish I'd never given it to you.
Just give it back! - I can't do that.
- They'll put my mum in jail! Why? Cos she collects them.
What, there are more of them? Yeah.
Dozens of them.
Well, where are they? I'm not going to tell you where.
Can you take me to them? Just you, yeah? - Helen.
- Hello, Leo.
- How did you get in here? - I lied.
- I said we were colleagues.
- Well, we still are, I hope.
Not for much longer, I suspect.
I can't discuss disciplinary procedures, as you know.
Yes, I know.
Helen, you are a a first-class pathologist.
You've done valuable work.
But the judicial system depends on us for a consistent judgment.
We can't debate our differences of opinion in open court.
We have to speak with one voice.
Even if it means ignoring inconvenient truths? - According to you.
- And destroying my career? I disagree with your theory.
So do most of your peers.
I brought you something.
Don't worry.
It's not a parcel bomb.
It's some research.
I'd like your opinion on it.
I've already reviewed your work on the triad.
This is different.
- I don't think it's a good idea.
- I need your help, Leo.
We've had our differences, but you're a half-decent pathologist and I know you're strong.
I know you'll do what's right.
Mum? Mum? - Where did these come from? - I don't know.
All over.
It came from Arnold Mears.
I thought he was in prison.
He is.
She goes to him and he gives them to her or he tells her where to find them.
- I don't know.
It's sick.
- But why? So, these bones belong to? You tell me.
You take 'em away with you.
Do your tests or whatever.
Just just get them out this house.
OK, but the police definitely will want to interview you - and your mother.
- Oh.
Jimmy! - What are you doing? - Who's she? - My name's Nikki Alexander.
- I - She's a friend, Mum.
- I'm a pathologist.
- Why did you bring her here? - Get out! Out! - Mum, look.
Look, Mum.
- She can help us.
- No-one can help.
- You're just making things worse.
- I've seen the bones now, Mrs.
Farmer.
Throwing me out won't do any good.
Is it true that Arnold Mears has given them to you? Why haven't you told anybody? Because he said I shouldn't.
But you do know that they're human bones? Course.
I just wanted to help.
Help who? The families.
The families of those poor girls.
You do understand what you're charged with? You're in a lot of trouble, Arnold.
Do you understand that? You look kind.
I like you.
Somebody decided he was vulnerable.
They said he needed help in the interviews with the detectives.
An appropriate adult, it's called.
I'd done a course to try and get a bit more money, so one day I got a call.
He was my first one.
And my last.
What we want to know, Arnold, about this body, is why you sawed the head and arms off that poor girl.
- No comment.
- No comment? A girl of 17 is found dismembered under your workshop and you can't tell us what you did? Arnold.
Arnold, pay attention to me.
- I need a break.
- Arnold, you've had a break.
I'm starting a headache.
They can't talk to me if my appropriate adult isn't with me.
It's like we were a couple.
"They hand in hand "with wand'ring steps and slow "Through Eden "took thir solitarie way.
" What is that? That's Paradise Lost.
The greatest poem in the English language.
Thanks, Annie.
He really loved that poem.
Read it all the way through the trial, didn't listen to anything anybody said.
But after the trial I don't understand.
Surely you didn't have to see him then? The day after he was sentenced, he asked if we could meet.
One last time, just to say goodbye.
- And you went? - Well, I I didn't want to.
But he said he wanted to repair the damage he'd done.
Wanted me to help him make things better.
He said there were more bodies than the three he'd been tried for.
How many more? Nine.
Nine other girls that that no-one knew anything about and and he wanted to tell me where they were.
He was going to tell me where they were buried.
Not straight away.
He said he had to test me.
See if he could trust me.
He was going to give me souvenirs, he called 'em.
Little bones that he that he got from the other girls he buried separately.
It's the mums and dads.
That's who I'm thinking about.
Wondering where their little one's buried.
What are you suggesting? These families are in pain.
And you can help.
- Why me? - Because you're an angel.
- That's how it started.
- And you never told the police? Tried to get her to.
Did he ever tell you where the bodies of the girls were? No, never.
Never told her anything.
You made me a promise.
You promised me you'd tell me where those girls are.
A solemn promise.
I am keeping my promise, Angel Annie.
No.
No, you're not.
You've given me nothing.
II can't do this any more.
I'm not strong enough.
So, just tell the police instead.
No.
I'm not talking to them.
It has to be you.
If the police get involved, those families will stay in hell for ever.
He said I had to wait, said I mustn't tell.
And now I have.
- If you'll let me take the bones - No, no.
- Mum.
- then I can test them and maybe find out whose they are.
You can give the families some peace, even if we don't locate where the bodies are buried.
And what if he finds out? Arnold Mears need never know.
- Really? - I think so.
Then you wouldn't have to keep going to see him.
"Farewel happy Fields "Where Joy for ever dwells: "Hail horrours, hail Infernal world, "and thou profoundest Hell Receive thy new Possessor" "Be this or aught Then this more secret now design'd, "I haste To know, "and this once known, shall soon return, "And bring ye to the place where Thou and Death "Shall dwell at ease" Very good, Arnold.
"And bring ye to the place where Thou and Death "Shall dwell at ease" You take such an interest in me, Doctor.
Is that professional? Or personal? Of course, I forget.
You're intimate with all your patients.
- Did you feel anything? - When? When With the women.
You mean, when I cut them? Yes.
Did I feel anything? Do you? "Hail, horrors! Hail, Infernal world! "And thou, profoundest Hell Receive thy new possessor "One who brings A mind not to be chang'd by place or time "The mind is its own place "And in itself Can make a Heaven of Hell "A Hell of Heaven" Mears told Annie that he's killed 12 girls altogether.
- And you believe him? - I don't know, but it's worth finding out more, isn't it? But if you won't help, he will destroy my mum.
She came to see me last night.
"And bring ye to the place where thou and Death "Shall dwell at ease" Paradise Lost.
She was very interested in Arnold Mears.
She interviewed him for 40 hours.
Do you think you remember her? You didn't tell him about Tina, did you? We were just glad to put him away and forget about him.
And I suggest you do the same.
This is a scan of Arnold Mears's brain.
- Look at that.
- Scarring.
You're not answering my calls, Annie.
Are you bored of me? Some women probably do find you interesting.
Exciting.
Do you?