Silent Witness (1996) s20e01 Episode Script

1 This programme contains some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting.
No! No! No! Where is she?! Please! Give her back! Ah, Nikki.
This is Detective Inspector Rory Goodchild and Agent Pia Butler, who's from Immigration Enforcement.
They need our help with an ID.
Is it my mother's? Hm.
You look prosperous.
Don't.
You show off your money, looking like this.
Hm? Please! Please! Where is my daughter? Please! I paid you what you asked for! PLEASE! We have nothing left! What was that? He's insane.
He's desperate, not insane.
What was it? I don't know.
I pay you to know.
Loyalty is important to me, Jamal.
If I find out you've put me in danger, I'll kill you, and your friends.
Why didn't you tell me about the van?! I'm sorry, Jamal, I should have! I'm sorry! He does this in public! In public! I left the van where Kali told me.
You let the new guy do it?! You should have told me.
Send me the place you left it.
And get another van! What's this about? Family members are missing.
Police think it's some sort of extortion racket.
The finger is proof of life.
Or proof of torture.
Testator silens Costestes e spiritu Silentium.
X-rays? Thanks.
Traumatic head injuries consistent with a fall from a great height.
There are multiple comminuted skull fractures with fracture contusions and lacerations of the brain.
There are fractures to the orbital plates and associated periorbital haemorrhages.
Right, so the plants blocked the CCTV view from the terrace.
So, no-one one saw him fall? No.
We haven't found any witnesses.
And no-one heard screams? Jumpers don't scream.
You think it's suicide? We think he went over the barrier there and he stepped up on the edge of the planter and threw himself over.
Do we have a name yet? Jamal al Sham.
What do you think? Well, it's a theory, but I don't see any sign of a footprint.
Right, come on, let's go.
Come on! If you had to choose, would you rather be looking down at the ground as you fell, or looking up? Do you really think I'm going to play that game? I hadn't really developed a view.
Suicide, assisted suicide, I don't believe in it.
I don't think Jamal did either.
Well, according to the police, you're wrong.
Thomas? He's got subha, Muslim prayer beads, on his personal effects list.
You're sure they're prayer beads? 33 beads.
He uses them to count as he recites the words of the Dhikr.
So it's reasonable to think he was somewhat devout.
What's that mean exactly? The Prophet said, "Whoever throws himself down from a mountain and kills himself "will be in the Fire of Hell, "throwing himself down therein for ever and ever".
In Islam, suicide is a sin.
Did you notice any blood at the spot where he went over the barrier? Er no.
No obvious blood or footprints.
Detective Renick thought he was likely to be a jumper.
But you looked? Er What did he miss? I think he was stabbed in the neck.
The wound suggests a narrow symmetrical blade about 15mm in width.
There was nothing that I found on or around the body which can account for it, and I think he was stabbed before he fell.
It's an arterial wound.
There should be blood.
I'm on it.
We both walked through here earlier.
Have you found something? What? I've got an idea.
HE SIGHS RECORDING: .
.
fracture contusions and lacerations of the brain.
There are fractures to the orbital plates and associated DCI Goodchild, please.
There's an absence of lysosomal enzymes.
The finger was cut from a living person.
The girl Akka's DNA results.
Swab is the column on the left, tissue on the right.
Indicative result here.
Akka is not a blood relative.
Any chance they could be wrong? Unlikely.
But there is always a chance.
Let's go tell her.
I sent her a message on the app she uses, told her we had a result.
She told me where she lives.
Akka's illegal, we contacted Immigration.
It's a joint operation.
PANICKED SHOUTS Why do you think they're running? Illegal workers.
I thought we were trying to help? We are.
Everyone deserves to enjoy the full protection of the law.
Protection? Akka's family paid to smuggle her mother into Britain.
Then they get a message saying they need to pay more if they want to see her alive.
If you're outside the law, it's easy to be victimised.
We're bringing them to the bosom of justice.
Nice van.
Is that what low-key looks like to you? They ran.
What house is she in? End of the street, on the right.
I know, you wish you parked closer.
So, you didn't tell Akka the outcome of the test? Not yet.
But you told her I was coming? I did.
I figured her need to know would mean she and her family showed up.
You're using me as bait? Yeah, all right, call it that.
I'm not interested in sending them back where they came from, that's Butler's party.
I want to stop the criminals exploiting them.
They're coming! They're coming here! How do they know? We can't run! We have to hide! It's OK.
OK? How is it OK? I I-I wanted to know if it was her.
You went to the police?! They did tests! Did you tell them where we live?! You trusted them?! I wanted to know if Mama is still alive! There is no-one you can trust! Don't you want to know?! She's dead! They're all dead! Everyone is dead! We don't know that.
What does it matter? We cannot pay them! We have nothing left.
They have taken everything! Let them die in your heart, Akka.
Your mother and brother are the past.
Don't think about them.
They're coming for us! We do what we have to do.
Akka? He knows you? Akka, it's me.
I've brought Dr Alexander with me.
Back alley.
Akka? It's Dr Alexander.
Hi.
Can we come in? Argh! Don't do anything! I'll cut her throat! Butler! Don't! The toilet! Get in! The toilet, get in! Come on! Now! Get in! Come on! Lock it! Quickly, we go! You're not kidnappers.
Shut up! Are you going to kill me? Don't do this! She'll slow us down.
NIKKI HYPERVENTILATES Come on! Don't! I will cut you and leave you to bleed to death! Please! We are not the same as them.
We are not them.
Let her go.
She's slowing us down! Let's go! NIKKI GASPS FOR BREATH Akka, come on! Are you all right? Call an ambulance.
Where? Let me see.
Let me see.
Can you stand? (Yeah.
) OK.
All right.
(OK.
) BIRDSONG RUSTLING MAN SPEAKS FRENCH CHATTER He found blood spray on three windows.
Arterial blood.
Spurting as he fell, decreasing in volume.
Good look.
Cut myself shaving.
DCI Goodchild called, wanted to make sure you're all right.
I'm fine.
That's what I told him.
You might have asked me first.
Why? Even if you weren't, you'd say you were.
I know you.
He's right.
DI Renick's in reception.
Meeting room? Yep.
Come on.
Notice how men always think they know us? Probably best to leave them in the dark.
He was stabbed before he fell and was still alive on the way down.
You're sure the lack of blood on the roof doesn't bother you? When he was stabbed, the natural reaction would be to grab his neck to try and stop the bleeding.
He succeeded in reducing blood flow, but, with only one free hand, was vulnerable to being shoved over the barrier.
He didn't jump, he was pushed.
Well, why didn't he scream? Speckled pattern on the lungs.
He inhaled blood.
I looked at the hyoid bone, the knife lacerated his larynx.
You can see the markings of the blade of the knife just here.
I'll finish the postmortem and look for contact and trace samples of his assailant.
You may need to explain the delay to next of kin.
Well, we haven't identified next of kin.
Jamal was a French national from Marseille.
French police are, er Yeah, they're struggling.
His personal effects lead us believe he was a practising Muslim.
He was in a bar.
Cou-cou? Cou? Je peux t'aider, hein? Are you a righteous girl? Stay here, petite soeur.
The fall didn't do Jamal's phone any favours.
It's dead.
Try plugging it in.
Hm! Oh, don't be smug.
OK, check locations of phone, last screen, apps used, text messages, access e-mail server.
It's locked.
Unlock it! Try 1234, or the old four zeros trick.
"Eight tries left before you wipe the phone.
" Where are you going? KNOCK AT DOOR I need to get into this phone.
The human body is a capacitor.
Yes.
And your point is? The finger needs an electric pulse of, say, 100 picofarads to fool the sensor.
Finger, phone.
Here goes PHONE CHIMES Bingo! Jack? Hm? Last message he received - A267B94.
A password? Password? For what? I don't know - Wi-Fi? A website? I don't know.
Who's it from? Unknown.
The last screen on his phone was the CloudHookUp app.
19:30.
He was meeting a woman.
Janna.
Mm.
Look at the messages.
She asks him to meet her on the roof garden.
Mm-hm.
Detective Inspector Renick? There's Jamal walking to the garden.
19:31.
We should have seen her.
She was waiting for him.
We'll go back through the credit card list.
Show them a photo.
Why isn't she on the CCTV? Get the licence plates.
I trusted you.
Oi! Is it my mother's finger? There is no-one else.
How did you get in? Just tell me.
Is it my mother? What's happened to you? Just tell me, please.
No.
The DNA doesn't match.
It's not your mother's.
My grandfather my brother .
.
they were right Sorry.
I don't know what to say.
I don't know if that's good or bad news.
The message said they had her.
They wanted money.
We have no more money.
We have nothing.
Everything is gone.
She she is gone.
She could be alive My grandfather, he brought the war with him.
He will never escape it.
He says it is better to tear the hope from your heart.
It is easier to live without hope.
Then there will be no pain.
Who hurt you? Why did you bring the police with you? I didn't You came with the police like we are criminals.
You broke the law.
Some laws are unfair.
You can't pick and choose the laws you obey.
Why not? I know what is just.
Being able to live without being afraid is just.
Laws are the tools of justice.
They protect us.
The police didn't come to protect me.
They came to get me.
Will you let me look at your face? I think you may have fractured your cheek bone.
These men, these men who promised to bring us here, who promised us a new life They stole from us, they cheated us, they lied to us.
And we, we are the criminals? Who did this to you? Will you let me look at your arm? Can you move your fingers? You've broken your arm.
You need to come with me.
You can trust me.
Hey.
Where are you from? Syria.
So am I! Everyone is from Syria.
Where are you going to? England.
London.
And you are going by yourself? My mother.
My brother and sister.
They are waiting for me.
Recite from the Koran.
You know the Koran? You are a righteous girl? So recite Al-Fatihah Recite it! There's one like we need Just get the plates.
What you waiting for? Asking for "guidance and assistance".
You don't believe in anything? "Faith" is a power.
Shut up.
Get over here.
Get on the bin.
What you doing, Kali? Take off your jacket! Do it! Don't look at me! Walk.
What happened? You woke up one day and go home and tell your mother you were a slave to Allah? You think I believe that? I know what you are.
I know what you did with the van! You lied to me.
Get on your hands and knees! Do it! Don't look at me! Insha'Allah.
Yeah? Whatever.
Jack? Nikki? Thomas.
I'm here.
What is it? Her.
It's OK, come on.
It's all right.
Can I get some details, please? Name? It's OK.
Akka Khoury.
Date of birth.
September 2001.
Address? Thomas Lyell House.
118 Giles Street.
London, W2.
Do you have a phone number? No, she doesn't have a phone.
She doesn't have a phone? Why don't we get her in to see a doctor and then we can worry about that? How did you get your injuries? I don't think it's appropriate for you to ask that.
It's on the form here.
A fall.
What kind of fall? Look, she really needs to see a doctor as soon as possible.
And I'll need to contact her parents.
No, you won't.
Gillick Competency.
What is your relationship with Miss Khoury? A friend.
Not next of kin? No.
I would have said "next of kin.
" I need to sit down.
No.
And I don't know anyone called "Janna".
I'm not on CloudHookUp.
I didn't do anything Sit down, Miss Nasr.
Is your real name Tamara Nasr? Yes.
Of course.
What is this about? We just need to check a few details.
She's Lebanese.
And her visa expired three months ago.
She doesn't have the CloudHookUp app on her phone.
Second phone? I think she was the one to see him alive.
Why wasn't she on the CCTV? I'll hold her on the overstay.
We need DNA to put her at the crime scene.
Akka Khoury? Just Akka.
It will be OK.
Could you tell the doctor that she's fractured the left orbital rim and possibly the anterior maxillary wall and the radius and ulna are fractured in her left arm.
Of course, Dr Google.
Open.
Thank you.
Why are you doing this to me? Sorry, excuse me.
Can I help you? Radiology.
Looking for Akka Khoury? Thanks.
We're going.
Right.
Sorry.
That's her.
Excuse me.
Excuse me! Put your arm here.
Sorry.
That's it.
Where can you go where you'll be safe? You weren't working that night.
You weren't at The Rooftop.
So what were you doing? I got a takeaway.
Takeaway.
From where? Catino's.
You have a credit card receipt, right? I paid in cash.
You didn't buy a takeaway, did you? I didn't do anything.
Why did you hide your identity? I didn't! Why were you meeting Jamal? I wasn't.
What happened, Tamara? Let me try and help you out.
Maybe you were defending yourself.
Clarissa, can we get the CCTV of a takeaway restaurant? A place called "Catino's".
Did you kill Jamal al Sham? No! CCTV of the till at Catino's.
She paid cash.
20:57.
Time code is in the upper right hand corner.
That's her.
No question about it.
She wasn't there.
You've made me look a right tosser.
Jamal was catfished.
So were we Wait - "catfish"? "Janna" is a fiction.
They took a photo of Tamara they found online, created "Janna" and built up a profile on CloudHookUp.
Right, so who is "Janna"? It could be anyone.
Can we find out who built the profile? I've tried and so far nothing.
Why pick Tamara Nasr? Is there some purpose in choosing her or is it just random? Good-looking.
Muslim.
She was bait.
Race hate? Islam isn't a race.
Oh, come on, you know what I mean.
Sadly, I do.
I told you how much it costs.
If you have the money then we've something we can talk about Please.
I show you.
Please.
For you.
She is infidel.
You take her.
For you.
Take her for you.
For me? Yeah.
She for you.
You do things to her! What you want.
Sell her.
Fun.
Make money.
Do what you want.
Now what do you want? Please.
Take us to England.
Both.
Please, take us to England.
I take the girl as payment so you two can go to England? Yes.
Leve-toi! Leve-toi! I'll take her.
Merci.
Merci beaucoup.
I'm not buying her.
I'm taking her.
You come near me again, I'll kill you! Tamara? Tamara Nasr? I'm from Immigration Enforcement.
I have reason to believe that you've overstayed your visa.
She No she's got to go, Nikki.
She, she cannot stay here.
I know, I know, I know.
You're right, but I There are no buts.
They beat her up, Thomas.
Her grandfather, her brother.
People she is meant to trust beat her up.
Broke her cheekbone, her arm.
Go to the police.
So they can detain her? You know that's not going to happen.
There is no safe place for her, Thomas.
She didn't come from one of the refugee camps, so we won't give her asylum.
Their home in Aleppo is rubble.
They walked here for a better life and she's lying there, 15 years old and battered! You change who you are for a better life, not where you are.
I'm guessing that's going to sound like bullshit to anyone who's had to flee their own country.
You live in the shadows.
Always looking over your shoulder.
And you still think it's a better life.
What do I do? Let her sleep.
You're Christian? From Aleppo? Why are you alone? We were waiting for the boat.
People were pushing and shoving.
I I fell down.
No-one helped me up.
They just kept walking on me, pushing me down.
When I got to the edge of the water .
.
there was no room left.
I could see my mother.
I shouted to her She didn't look back.
Maybe she didn't hear you.
Maybe.
Maybe she's dead.
I have family in England.
Here.
At this address, in my coat.
How old are you? Get in.
Get in! No.
Wait, wait, wait.
Wear this.
You'll be safer.
Get in.
Get some sleep.
My friend.
No.
Please.
No, no.
Please.
SHE SCREAMS Where are we? Be quiet.
Stay here.
I told you to stay in the car.
Stop it.
Quickly.
Vite! Bisur'a! Get in the van.
England? Insha'Allah.
Come on.
Good morning.
Yeah.
I didn't want to wake her.
Yeah.
She's got to go, Nikki.
She cannot become our problem.
She is our problem.
Look! Quick! Your heart's bleeding.
PHONE RINGS Hello.
Yeah, yeah.
I'll be right there.
Are you expecting DCI Goodchild? No.
Akka? Thank you.
You're welcome.
Listen, we need to talk about what you're going to do and where you're going to go.
Good morning.
Dr Chamberlain.
How can I help you? This is a funny one Good, the world's always short of a laugh.
Two uniformed officers attended Alderman hospital last night.
There were fears that a young girl who had been brought into A&E with injuries consistent with an assault might be the victim of human trafficking.
Yes, well, that's very funny so far.
The girl looks like she might be Akka Khoury, and she was brought there by a woman who looked remarkably like Dr Alexander on the CCTV.
Unfortunately, she left before the police could speak to her.
Curious, don't you think? Mm-hm.
Still not a barrel of laughs.
She left this as her home address.
Let me talk to Dr Alexander, see if she knows anything about this.
Why don't we come with you? Why don't you wait here? Goodchild and Butler are here looking for Akka.
How did they? You gave this as her home address.
Nikki, I am not happy.
No.
Do you know where Akka is? No.
I'm not sure that I do.
Has she left the Lyell Centre? Possibly.
Right.
They'd like to speak to you.
Shall we all chat in the meeting room? Good idea.
This is my phone number.
Let me know that you're safe.
OK, this is what's going to happen.
Good morning.
Yeah, well, it's nice to be hopeful.
Please, sit down.
Now then.
Coffee.
Were you at the hospital with Akka? Yes.
Where is she? I don't know.
Are you playing games with me? Playing games? You mean like using me as bait to arrest a group of desperate people? They broke the law.
Illegal immigration.
Assault, mutilation, extortion, those are serious matters.
You think a 15-year-old girl is responsible? No, we think a 15-year-old girl is in danger.
I'm afraid she thinks you're the danger.
Perhaps you could convince her otherwise? It would be irresponsible not to.
She's afraid.
Afraid of what? Losing the little she's got left.
Overcrowded detention centres riddled with disease, being deported with her family She should be afraid of extortion and being exploited.
Oh, yeah.
How's that going for you? I'm back.
Everything sorted? Where is she, Dr Alexander? I've told you, I don't know.
If you hear from her, I suggest you let us know.
I wouldn't want to think you were obstructing justice.
I'm confident I'm not doing that.
An app? I don't think so.
Letter.
Three numbers.
Letter.
Two numbers.
Seven character password.
Most passwords are between six and nine characters.
OK.
That narrows it down.
Erm What apps did he have on his phone? CloudHookUp.
MemoWire messenger app.
Maps for Europe.
That all? That should be easy to check.
It's going to be a website.
You're sure? Yeah 100%.
Well, 99.
PHONE RINGS Hello.
Yep.
Er, address? OK.
On my way.
Nikki? Just got it.
Ready? Nikki? Password for a website.
A website? Wow.
Good thinking.
Thanks.
You're welcome.
I think he was struck out there.
Latex gloves.
Robbery gone wrong? Could be.
Low-level droplets suggest he crawled to the position where the body was found.
Mm-hm.
Murder weapon? No obvious wood splinter.
Metal? A metal bar? A bar would do it.
Blood on it? Almost certainly.
Cast-offs? Yeah.
Yeah.
I think he threw it in one of these skips.
I'm going in.
Blunt force injury.
Crushed the external occipital crest.
Didn't die instantly.
Brain possibly haemorrhaged from the blow.
The first officers on the scene pulled his wallet to try and ID him.
We think he's called Kali Aziz.
Renick? You're going to want to see this.
So it's a password? One of the last messages he sent.
He sent to an unknown recipient, but from the time stamp, it's likely to be Jamal al Sham.
Did they knew each other? They're both dead.
What were they involved in? Well, do we know what it's a password for? Not yet.
Is that the password? For a website? You think? That's funny.
I didn't see that at all.
I have a friend who lives south of Tunbridge Wells, just off the A267.
A267.
"B" means "Back to London".
94km to Charing Cross.
It's kilometres, not miles, cos of the EU or something.
It's not a password, it's a place.
There's nothing.
Why are we here?! Yes.
It's Renick.
There's nothing.
Nothing.
Well, we're down here.
There's no car.
Jack? Nothing down here.
Double check the marker again Do you see them? Buzzards.
They can smell the ethyl mercaptan emitted when an animal has died.
They smell death.
Renick? Over here! Dents.
Have you touched anything? Jack? BUZZING God forgive us all.
Where's my brother? I have no more money.
Please.
Where is he? Please! May we take a look in the back, please? Sure.
Nehwe sebyonokh My mother, she's alive! Liar! No.
She's not a liar.
Are they safe, Abdul? Are they safe? I'm going to have him.
Testator silens Costestes e spiritu Silentium