Alan Lane was looking for women to kill.
This was an investigation that robbed an innocent man
of his freedom!
What went before matters not.
It is your duty to try this case on the evidence you hear
in this court alone.
Jail, Theresa! For getting you off jury service.
Do you have any idea how far gone you might be?
I'm assuming there's been no progress over your getting to America?
I have an appointment for a visa application at the US Embassy.
Generally, it's safe, isn't it, to use an agency like yours?
It's perfectly safe. I met someone today.
Natasha Williams. Paul Brierley.
Is she bonny? She is.
I was a jury member.
In the first trial.
The time is just about eight minutes past seven, and this is James Naughtie.
Ahead of tomorrow's House of Commons vote on the Jury Abolition Bill,
we're going to talk about the sensitive question of trial by jury.
And joining us now in the studio is Lewis Jenkins QC.
Good morning. The Minister for Justice, Eleanor Duncan,
is making her case for the abolition of juries
on the grounds of cost and efficiency.
But also on the ground that jurors are somehow unable to appreciate
some of the legal arguments, the jargon, perhaps.
Well, with great respect, I think that is somewhat insulting
to people who've served on juries.
Breakfast's ready!
I've made you some porridge. I'll be right there.
(JURY DISCUSSION CONTINUES IN THE BACKGROUND ON THE RADIO)
I thought you said it was forbidden to do your own research in the trial.
It is.
I'm not researching the trial.
I'm researching a juror.
Thank you very much.
When I need you, I will call you back.
Yes, please. Next customer?
"At the Philadelphia Convention, delegates from 12 states...
Rhode Island chose not to attend...
met to amend the articles of confederation."
"But, as the convention progressed,
(AUDIO LECTURE CONTINUES AND FADES)
Heading off now, Mum.
See you later.
Mum? (GROANS) Oh, God.
(Oh, God!) Mum!
It's all right, it's all right.
Stay where you are, stay where you are.
"London's number one. Capital Breakfast."
"It was a triple homicide. A man called Alan Lane murdered three
professional women he met on internet dating sites."
"It was all over the media back home." "Home then being England?"
"Right. I moved to Vancouver two years ago."
"Anyway, the real trauma happened afterwards."
"What did happen afterwards?"
"They took it to the Court of Appeal. Irregularities were uncovered."
"Our verdict was thrown out, just like that."
"But you were the foreman of this jury, right?" "Right."
"It was devastating."
"Just devastating." (DOORBELL)
At first, we thought they'd made a mistake.
We wanted to let the authorities know about his
condition and get him exempted for his own sake.
Rashid didn't want that. Not at all. He was adamant.
'It's my trial, ' he said. So he went.
And how's that been? Amazing.
He's obsessed, works on it all hours.
Researching it, studying it.
He's up there on his computer morning and night.
As you know, obsessive interest in something
is typical of Asperger's.
Just keep an eye on his manageability... sleep.
Make sure he gets enough of it,
eats regularly.
It's a fine balance. We want him to be engaged.
We don't want him to crash and burn.
Of course, of course. We understand.
(CONVERSATION FADES)
Look, the fact is, she'll be admitted,
and they'll probably spend most of the day doing a...
chest X-ray and blood tests.
I'd say, give... A&E Reception a call around four o'clock.
They'll tell you what ward she's in.
Mum. Mum, are you sure you don't want me to come?
Darling, I'll be fine.
We've been here plenty of times before.
You just carry on with your day as normal.
You've got more important things to do. Mum, believe me,
this sort of thing happens to jurors all the time. The trial can wait.
I'm not talking about the trial.
I'm talking about... about your lunch.
I can see you've made an effort.
Now, go on.
You'll be late.
And for God's sake, don't tell her you're living with your mother.
"Yeah." Hey. It's me.
"Do it." (BUZZER)
Global warming. Myth or reality?
What? You heard. Which?
Lucy... I haven't got time for this.
I've got another session with the lawyers.
It's important. Yeah. Well, not as important as...
Oh... Myth!
America. Global leader or global scourge?
What is this? Leader.
Doctors. Should they be allowed to assist suicide
on compassionate grounds? What?!
Erm... no. Yes!
I don't know. Which? Erm... no.
No. And finally...
Simon Cowell or David Beckham. Who would you rather?
Simon Cowell.
Wow!
All right. And at the end of the quick-fire round, we score zero.
Which means... we're in even deeper shit than I thought.
Leaving.
Why? Think about it.
You're the juror here, not me.
Yours was the name that was selected, not mine.
So? So... yours is the only opinion that matters.
It's bad enough me impersonating you.
But misrepresenting you takes it to a whole new level.
What if it's a hung jury and yours is the casting vote?
Someone's life is effectively at stake.
What are you saying? You're the person whose opinion and vote counts.
We need to make sure it's your opinion that is offered.
Well, how do we do that? I'm busy. We make time.
I fill you in on everything, then you vote.
(SCOFFS) I can't do this.
You've got a visitor.
Everything all right?
Big day for you today. I'll be fine.
How do you think it's gone so far?
It felt like we've been getting a bit of a kicking recently.
Well, that's... pretty normal for this stage in the process.
(MOBILE RINGS) And I quite like this jury.
And I get the feeling...
more importantly, that they quite like us.
Ergh! My Blackberry. I can't... switch it off.
So.
Top brass... this morning.
DSI Babyface (!) (CHUCKLES)
He's Commander Babyface now, if you please.
Grown up. Must be all of 35 (!)
Cocky twat.
Well... if that's what he's like, that could be good for us.
Plus, they no longer have that piece of evidence.
And given the role one of his own officers
played in that, it may put him on the back foot.
But I've got one or two surprises up my sleeve.
They're not the only ones who've been busy since the first trial, you know.
(MOBILE RINGS) Oh!
Drives me bloody mad!
Right. I'll see you in there.
Sorry.
Mr Mallory.
State your full name and rank, please.
Commander Neil Howson, Metropolitan Police.
Commander. May I start today
by congratulating you on your recent promotion?
Promotions. At the time of the murders, however, you were
a superintendent? Detective Superintendent. That's correct.
Could you please tell the court
when you first came across the name Alan Lane?
It would've been early 2006,
when he became the prime suspect in the murders of Holly Jackson,
Anna Knight and Rebecca Chung.
Why, in your opinion,
had Alan Lane become the prime suspect?
Because the evidence we gathered showed that he was, by some margin,
the clearest common denominator between all three victims.
So you arrested him and brought him in for interview.
And the decision to charge him with all three murders came when?
Within a few hours of questioning.
With a clear discrepancy between his version of events
and events we could establish beyond doubt.
In other words, when he lied to you.
Correct.
In a... high profile case, such as this,
operating in the glare of the media,
when police work comes under scrutiny...
and there is a real pressure for a swift conviction...
there is often a nail-biting time for police
when they... wonder...
whether they really got... the right man.
Did you ever feel this?
If you're asking, have I ever felt that before, yes.
Did I feel it in this case? Never. Not for a second.
In fact, rarely have I slept better.
I am perfectly... 100% satisfied
we got the right man.
Thank you.
No further questions.
Good morning, Commander... Howson.
Morning. Let me start by adding my
congratulations to those of my learned friend.
Detective Inspector, Detective Superintendent,
Detective Chief Superintendent.
The word meteoric hardly does it justice.
Thank you. And congratulations too for acting so swiftly
in arresting Mr Lane.
You know, it's such a relief when people do what they're hired to do.
Get things done. My Lord? It's true,
isn't it, that you were hired amid considerable controversy,
aged 29... to replace a Detective Inspector
who had let a very high profile murder investigation of a young mother
drag on. Come to the point, Ms Watts.
The point, My Lord, is that the then Detective Superintendent Howson
would never make the same mistake.
Allow a Metropolitan Police investigation to drift.
Or allow his superiors to be hauled over the coals in the media.
He knew what side his bread was buttered.
And he was going to arrest someone.
And save public lives.
Or do you think it's a coincidence that, since Alan Lane has been in custody,
there have been no further murders in the area matching the same MO?
Not a coincidence.
I have another explanation for that, Commander.
And we will come to it.
Shortly.
In the meantime,
I believe I'm the one asking the questions.
You said that Lane was the only common denominator between the three victims.
No, that's not what I said. I believe if you
check the record, I said 'the clearest.'
So you are aware that there were other men
who had enjoyed communication with all three victims.
I am aware there were one or two.
Well, as it happens, there were six.
And among them...
one... Thomas... Dent.
Does the name mean anything to you? Of course.
Then you will be aware
that not only did he...
have extensive e-mail and telephone contact
with all three of the women...
but he also had a history of...
domestic violence...
substance abuse...
and mental instability.
But perhaps more significantly,
he was known to police as someone who had regularly visited
dogging sites.
It's especially relevant in this case, as the woodland
where the third victim was murdered,
Huntley Common, is a known dogging site.
Well, I can assure you Mr Dent was thoroughly investigated.
Apparently, not thoroughly enough.
Because nowhere in your report,
or charge, did you make the connection
that all three victims had shown an interest in,
or had histories of sexual exhibitionism.
I'm sure my officers were perfectly aware.
Well, if they were aware, Commander,
then it follows that you would be able to provide the court
with the name of the website where all three women
communicated most frequently... with Mr Dent.
I'm quite sure I can.
No, no. Let me spare your blushes.
Mischiefmatch.com...
is the name of the site
where the victims all met Thomas Dent.
Yet there is barely mention of him in your police report.
Why is that? We ruled him out.
And anyway, if he is such a compelling suspect, why don't you summon him?
Because he's dead... Commander.
He took his own life.
He was found hanging from a doorway in his apartment
less than two months after the death of Rebecca Chung.
His computer... at the time of death...
was still logged on...
to mischiefmatch.com.
In the light of all of this,
Commander Howson,
do you still feel
100% certain...
that you arrested the right man?
Absolutely.
Really?
Thank you. No further questions.
Thank you, Ms Watts. Two o'clock, please.
All rise!
Taxi!
(REQUESTS DESTINATION)
You're not eating?
Not hungry.
How could I be after what I discovered this morning?
I did a little research after our chat last time
on... Omaha, Nebraska.
You see, I couldn't quite figure out why your brother had gone there
of all the wonderful places available to him in America.
Well, then I... I found out.
That's where they're all sent.
Who? Refugees.
From Sudan.
There's a whole community of you there.
Yes.
10,000. Among them, half my village.
Dear boy... why didn't you say?
A few of us were lucky.
We heard them coming.
The sound.
Their horses...
and their laughter.
Oh, the... the rebels. The... Janjaweed?
We didn't wait to see them. We just ran.
Out into the bush.
Me and my two brothers.
Behind us in the village...
they killed all the men and boys.
Including my father.
We covered our ears, but we heard the gunshots.
And then they raped all the women.
Including...
We covered our ears, but...
we heard the screams.
In the bush, there were other boys... from other villages.
And we started to walk.
In the beginning, we were 12.
When we arrived at the camps...
we were five.
When the Americans came a year later, we were just three.
But your brothers?
One made it... one did not.
I'm so very sorry.
Why... England?
Before me was a plane to America.
It was my brother.
They said another plane was going to follow, but...
The plane was to England.
And your brother went to Omaha, Nebraska.
With others from my village.
Well, you'll get there soon.
Yes. Inshallah.
I hope.
Apple meringue today.
OK. OK.
I will if you will. Good.
There's your token.
And your towel. Booth number four.
Thank you. Cheers, love.
Would you like to know the sex?
Eventually, yes.
Would you like to know today?
How? You can't possibly tell.
Why not?
Isn't it too soon? Don't you have to wait until...
How far gone am I?
Well, looking at these measurements, I'd say...
18, 19 weeks. What?
And if I don't want to go through with it?
If it's... totally impractical?
That's a decision you're going to have to make quickly.
How quickly?
"Your mother's comfortable and the doctor says she's stable.
We'll call if there's any change."
Uh... all right.
Well, thank you.
Thank you. I'll call you back later. Thanks.
Hi.
I'm... sorry if I kept you waiting.
No, not at all. (LAUGHS NERVOUSLY)
So. Tell me about your fellow jurors.
Ah.
The gang.
The Liquorice Allsorts.
Well, that's how I like to think of them.
It's hard to say. The only time we really spend together is in court.
And then it's mostly in silence, so...
Do you get any idea how they feel?
About Lane?
That's something we haven't discussed.
You know how firm they are on that sort of thing.
Mm. Of course.
But not even an inkling?
No.
But for me...
a lot changed this morning.
Up until today, it was hard to believe he could ever be innocent.
But hearing that stuff about the other man...
You know? Thomas Dent?
Interesting. Right.
And I think we all like her.
His barrister. Yes, she's quite a character.
Mm. Always a little...
ripple of excitement in the jury box
whenever she gets up.
It just shows you the difference a good barrister makes.
Because right now, it's hard to imagine us...
returning the same unanimous verdict you did.
Well, there's another critical difference between our trial and yours
that you don't know about.
And not just a new barrister.
Or should I say tiny... difference?
Microscopic... difference.
But I'm not in a position to tell you what that is.
Strict confidentiality, and so forth.
Ruled inadmissible by the Court of Appeal.
I understand. And anyway...
How can I trust you not to tell anyone?
Well, I never tell on my friends. But I completely understand.
Are we?
Friends?
Well, I... I hope so.
Or could become so.
Sorry.
Was that very presumptuous?
No. Good.
OK? It's time.
Remember, head up.
Look directly into my eyes.
Speak loudly and clearly
and unapologetically.
OK? You're gonna be fine.
Yeah.
I call the defendant... Alan Lane.
I swear by almighty God...
that the evidence I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth.
(Good luck.)
Give the court your name, please.
Alan Dennis Lane.
And your last known address, before your arrest?
32 Oak Park Gardens,
London, SW17.
Have you always lived in London?
No. Er... I come from Hull.
Or... Hell, as I like to call it.
(It's certainly where you're going.)
So, what brought you south? I couldn't get work.
And my dad wasn't too well.
But there was another reason too, wasn't there?
Sandra got a job down here.
Sandra being your girlfriend at the time. That's right.
So one might say you came to London for love.
That were the idea, but... it didn't work out like that.
It wasn't long before Sandra met someone else at work and...
and before I knew it... she wanted out.
And me out of the flat.
I got into a bit of a state.
In fact, you... you suffered a reactive clinical depression,
as your medical records show.
Brought on by the shock of your girlfriend's rejection
and your being made homeless.
You were... you were put on medication.
Did it help?
It helped with the moods, but...
it didn't help socially.
Why was that? Well, the thing about the pills is, you can't mix 'em with drink.
So that immediately limits the kind of places you can go to to meet people.
So, what did you do?
I went on the net. Like inloveinlondon...
dot com, whose managing director we heard from yesterday.
Yes. So how was that?
Well, it's fine, as long as you're not expecting to find actual romance.
I'm sorry. I don't understand.
No-one's serious.
It... it's just one big free for all.
Everyone's just looking for erm...
What?
(I can't. I'm sorry.)
You know.
(I can't... )
Sex?
(That's right.) That's right. Yes.
As opposed to... committed relationships.
Yes. Like Holly Jackson?
A woman you believed was looking for companionship.
A proper relationship. She said so in her e-mails.
And an exchange developed between the two of you,
culminating in her suggestion of a meeting.
Tell the court what happened next. When I got to the house,
she opened the door.
It were a bit of a shock. Why was that?
Well... she were attractive all right, but...
she was different to what I'd...
imagined or hoped for. How?
Just the way she were dressed. You know. She...
She obviously wasn't shy.
Anyway...
I went into her front room and she offered me a glass of wine.
I said no... because of the medication.
Water'd be fine. She seemed disappointed at that.
The fact that you... weren't drinking.
I got the impression that she might've already had a few glasses herself.
Anyway, all of a sudden, she makes her move
and suggests that we go upstairs.
Well, I followed her up. And then I saw the room from the landing.
I told her. I felt uncomfortable.
I wanted no further part. So you never
actually entered the bedroom, where she was subsequently found.
Never. No. I were out the door and gone.
With... with cheap insults ringing in my ears.
But with Anna Knight... the story was different.
Yeah. That were different.
I felt there were a connection, right from the first e-mail.
Including when we met.
So, when she didn't respond to my e-mails or my text messages afterwards,
I couldn't understand it.
I wrote her e-mail after e-mail without getting a reply.
And then I... I did something that...
I now deeply regret.
Which was?
(I killed her.)
I followed her. (THUNDER)
(STARTS ENGINE)
And this was on... the 2nd of March 2006.
That's right. Yeah.
She... she went to show a house...
where the buyer, a man, was waiting.
Did you see this man?
No. His back were turned to me.
And my view was blocked at that moment by a bus.
This would be the number 42, Mr Mallory,
which when it stops, is directly in the defendant's line of sight,
given that we know the car was parked here,
the bus stops here,
and here... is number 23.
Can you describe him? White...
tall, dark hair.
In a suit. Is there anything else
that struck you? Because it is my firm belief...
that this was Thomas Dent.
No. Like I said, his back were turned to me and...
And then my phone rang.
Mrs Banerjee. That's right.
Telling me my glasses were ready for collection.
What time would you say that was?
Oh, I... I dunno. Three?
3:30? (MOBILE RINGS)
So, where were you when you took this call? In my car.
Which was parked where?
Outside 23 Seven Sisters Street.
Were you ever in the house that day?
Oh, I never got out of my car.
So, not in the house at the time of the murder.
Nor were you in the bedroom where Holly Jackson was murdered.
Nor were you ever...
on Huntley Common in the woodland,
where the third victim Rebecca Chung's body was found.
No. But you did know Rebecca Chung.
And you had been for a drink with her
at the Green Man Pub the night before.
Correct. Yet, when you were subsequently
interviewed by police...
you denied it. Why?
(Cos he's a liar.)
Shh! I were confused. 20 policemen had just stormed into my house at 5AM.
(SHOUTING)
I were taken down to the police station.
Everyone's talking about three women being killed.
I haven't done anything!
With the first two, they'd got my name...
I don't know any bloody Rebecca!
They'd got my text messages, they'd got my e-mails.
So in connection with the third, I just panicked.
I started denying everything I could. Out of self-preservation.
Yes.
If you had your chance again in that police interview...
what would you say?
I'd say...
Yes. I did meet Rebecca Chung for a drink...
at the Green Man Pub on the 29th of March 2006.
For an hour.
But we didn't click.
You know? Sometimes it just goes that way.
So... we said goodbye,
and we went our separate ways.
And you didn't hail some minicab
and double back and lie in wait for her and kill her.
No.
I do remember him stopping, though.
He wanted 15 quid to take me home. It was a bloody joke.
Excuse me.
But you didn't get in.
No.
So, why weren't you in the CCTV footage one minute later?
Because a bus came. A bus came. Yeah.
Well, that's what generally happens when you wait at a bus stop.
Yeah. Thank you.
No further questions.
Well, well, well...
Mr Lane.
Yes, I'm sure none of us can wait, Mr Mallory.
But let's do this tomorrow morning. 10:00, please.
Yes, My Lord.
All rise!
OK. I'll be at yours for 7:30. You might wanna get some food in, too.
(ROCK MUSIC THROUGH EARPIECE)
(LIVELY EXCHANGE, AS HEARD BENEATH THE MUSIC)
(QUESTIONING, INDISTINCT AND ECHOING)
Rashid?
(FAINT BLEEP OF MEDICAL MONITOR)
Can I help you, love? Oh, yes.
I'm here to see my mother.
June Brierley.
I'll... see if I can find someone to come and... have a talk with you.
(INTERCOM BUZZER)
(THREE MORE BUZZES)
Thanks for doing this.
"I can't believe I am."
So he goes on the internet, looking to find a monogamous relationship.
But the problem is, none of the women are looking for love.
Right. They're looking for a good shag.
Right. Then, when he discovers that...
instead of skipping for joy, like any normal bloke,
he feels deeply betrayed, loses his temper
and kills them.
Doesn't sound like any man I've met. If you saw him, you'd understand.
He's like...
a big, wounded, needy baby.
Agh! Give me a nasty, cold-hearted philanderer any day.
Have you ever done anything like that? Like what?
Dating sites. Sure.
Yeah. I must say, I've always been sneakily tempted.
Cos otherwise,
who do you end up dating in life? People from the office.
From the gym, friends of friends.
I mean, basically, people right under your nose.
Where's the surprise or the romance in that?
Romeo Boy. That's me.
I hope you don't mind the photo. It is me, I promise.
Well, it was. Once.
Well... do you want a drink?
I'm sorry. I think I should go.
What? This is a mistake.
Well, make up your mind, love!
Do you think I live in central London?
It's... I've come all the way from bloody Orpington.
It's taken me an hour to get here!
Er... I'm sorry.
Taxi?!
Sir, please go. Just go. I'll tell you the address.
(MURMURS IN MOTHER TONGUE)
Our Father... which art in heaven...
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come... thy will be done...
on Earth... as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread...
and forgive us our trespasses...
as we forgive them that trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation.
(THREE PRAYING VOICES MINGLE)
For thine is the kingdom...
the power and the glory...
Amen.
(Goodnight.)
Mr Takana. (CORRECTS PRONUNCIATION)
And...?
He did do it, didn't he? Is that what you think?
Isn't it what YOU think? That's not the point.
Why are you here? I thought I'd offer you a few dos and don'ts
in case things get especially rough today.
Are they likely to? Yeah.
It was ruled inadmissible. That piece of evidence.
But you don't think it should've been. No.
It could change everything. What do I do, Mum?
Sync and corrected by APOLLO www.addic7ed.com