Silent Witness (1996) s28e10 Episode Script

1
This programme contains some violent scenes and
scenes which some viewers may find upsetting
NIKKI: Do we believe any of the
deceased is the shooter?
No. The shooters is not here.
We need to find them.
JACK: Name from the prints
confirmed. Douglas Nicholson.
He's wearing the Operational Service
Medal for Operation Shader.
Why did he do it? Why?
- You're not meant to come here, Cal.
- You know I love you,
don't you, Peggy?
Just remember, me and you
against the world.
I just wanted to say how much
I have enjoyed working with you.
They were sounding me out
about setting up
a new forensic centre of excellence.
- I think you forgot to pay.
- Get out the way or I'll cut you.
He is so stupid. Come on, man!
Fun and games!
- You got someone in there?
- No!
That boss of yours in there?
He's always sniffing around.
- No. No.
- That Akram.
Come on, let's do it. Let's
draw a line under the ratbag.
NIKKI: Nicholson may have shot
the gun and he may have shot it
in the restaurant
..but someone else
shot Douglas Nicholson.
Testator silens
Costestes e spiritu
Silentium
Testator silens. ♪
Do you think there's a place, Cal
..a place where you can be
with the ones you love
..for ever?
A place that truly is for ever?
GATE CREAKS
Dawn, I'm not telling you again.
We're going to be late.
- Will you put your shoes on?
- All right!
PEGGY GRUNTS IN FRUSTRATION
I can't hear you, Dawn!
Douglas Nicholson?
I believe he left the Army in 2019.
Yes. Yes, that's him. Operation Shader.
I'm after a copy
of his military record.
Oh, he was?
HOW distinguished?
So he's now the victim,
not the perpetrator?
- Not exactly.
- Well, what is he exactly?
The murders at the restaurant -
was he the shooter?
It's likely. There's residue
from gunshots on his hand.
But we can't be certain.
Is there still a gunman on
the loose? Hm?
- Have I put the public at risk?
- We have the gun used in the restaurant.
Bullets and casings match.
We tracked him
from the scene of the crime.
But we cannot with any certainty say
that he killed the victims
in the restaurant.
Residue equals shooter, doesn't it?
Is there ANYTHING you can be
certain of?
We're certain he didn't
take his own life.
We think he was murdered. By who?
Flowers. He left flowers. Lots of them.
My husband. We're not together.
No, you don't understand.
There's no "getting back".
There's a restraining order.
No, he didn't speak to me.
He didn't knock on the door, no!
I-I I didn't actually see him.
Because because I know
it was him! I just know.
Because he says he loves me!
Oh, please, someone help me.
Just help me!
SHE SOBS
- HARRIET: Douglas Nicholson's brain?
- Look at this.
It looks like significant
degeneration of the nerve fibres.
How old was he?
Mid-forties.
- Unusual!
- Mm.
- Did he have family?
- Estranged.
Why would you ask that?
Well, I was wondering if he was able
to make a human connection.
Your
answer suggests that, yes, he was
..although I'm not surprised
that it broke down.
With brain fibre degeneration,
nobody really knows
what's wrong with you.
You're angry. You're mean.
You're different. People think
it's just a quirk of personality.
They don't realise
that it's a physical malady.
It's confounding, really,
to think that these nerve fibres
- ..make us who we are.
- When they're gone we're gone.
Make memories while you can.
Got your wedding dress yet?
- Not yet, no.
- You better get a move on!
- Time is ticking away.
- I'm still deciding what to do.
- I'm not sure
- Not sure about what?
- Did you have a wedding dress?
- Well, I certainly did! I was gorgeous.
It had a miniskirt.
I had very good pins.
Still have, actually.
Used to make my husband very excitable!
BOTH LAUGH
Have you been shopping
for a wedding dress?
No. It's one of
life's guilty little pleasures,
people rushing around
telling you how lovely you are
and bending over backwards
to make you feel special.
HARRIET LAUGHS
I used to do it regularly
when I was younger!
I think it's TBI
..traumatic brain injury.
Do you mind if I run it past
a colleague at Imperial?
Of course.
PHONE VIBRATES
Hello?
I'm on my way.
Yep.
SIREN WAILS
Morning. DS Davies.
- Nikki Alexander, pathologist.
- Jack Hodgson. Hello.
Morning. So, the victim
is a middle-aged male
- of South Asian descent.
- Do we know who he is?
Not confirmed yet. Registered keeper
of the car is Akram Rahul.
- All looks very clean. Any damage to it?
- No.
MESSAGES OVER POLICE RADIO
- So he parks up here?
- Mm.
And he appears to have
been killed in the car.
Were they trying to steal the car?
- I think that's unlikely.
- Is it?
Why was he here?
Well, this area's known for
two, erm, activities
..drug transactions - county lines
..and dogging.
Dogging.
Yeah. It's where people
watch other people
Yeah. Got it. Know what that is.
- Searched the body?
- I thought I should wait for you.
It's my first unlawful killing,
so I just want to do things right.
Yeah. Good call.
Come in.
I'm guessing no dogs were involved.
Who did you say the
registered keeper was?
Akram Rahul.
Match.
Lot of cash.
Who carries around
this amount of cash these days?
People buying drugs. I see.
- OK?
- Thanks.
- Just bag that?
- Yep.
Thanks.
Jack?
A deep incised wound to the neck.
Certainly signs of a struggle.
To cut through the muscles
of the neck would require
significant strength and leverage.
CHOKING
No obvious markings
on the metal bars of the headrest.
I think these are defence scratches
on the neck
consistent with the victim
trying to remove a ligature.
I'll see if I can get
any fibres or residue.
OK. I'll focus on the back seat
and the headrest.
Did he threaten you?
No.
Did you ask him
not to leave the flowers?
The court has banned him from coming
to the house without permission.
- Did you tell him to leave?
- I didn't see him!
How do you know he was the one
who left the flowers?
Ohhh I just know!
We have no evidence
he actually came to your house.
You do have evidence. The flowers!
What, they're not evidence?!
My daughter. How do I
protect my daughter?
- Have you called your daughter's school?
- Yes!
What do I do? Do I need to
move house? Tell me. What do I do?
I'll give you a crime number.
If he comes to the house
or contacts you or threatens you,
call 999.
This is my card,
if you'd like to speak to me.
Great. Thank you.
Positive for cocaine.
It's likely he was
surprised from behind.
So let's say
he gets out of the car
..and then he walks to buy the drugs.
There's a violence about this that
makes it feel like it was personal.
Need to look into the deceased's
background. No cameras?
No, none.
Are you still wondering about a motive?
I'm wondering if the killer
was always in the car
and, if he wasn't, how he got here
..and how he got away.
Shall we go?
Yeah.
POLICE SIREN WAILS
What if Douglas Nicholson
didn't have PTSD?
What if there was an insult
to his physical health,
not his mental health?
You can see the degeneration
of the nerve fibres here.
As well as the axonal injury
and myelin loss,
there's inflammation, there's
small blood vessel injuries.
This is consistent with
previous studies on blast injuries.
And, you know, he may have had PTSD,
but he most certainly had
a traumatic brain injury.
What did he do in the military?
Commando Royal Artillery.
L118.
105mm towed howitzer.
So here's the conundrum -
L118 fires from miles away.
Artillery crews don't see
the destruction and the death
they're responsible for.
It's a repeated mechanical act.
It's quite heavy work,
but why should there be
any traumatic stress?
Why should he have PTSD?
Because Douglas Nicholson
didn't witness or experience
a terrifying event, he
he perpetrated one.
So why? The answer may be
that with repeated firings,
blast overpressure damages the brain.
And we have physical damage,
not traumatic stress.
What's the pathology?
Well, a shock wave
above normal atmospheric pressure
results in injuries predominantly to
the hollow organ systems
such as auditory, respiratory
and gastrointestinal systems,
and it can cause
a traumatic brain injury,
which I suspect it did
for Douglas Nicholson.
Some people are more susceptible
to it than others.
I can point the finger
at any number of weapons
or jobs where they use
explosives repeatedly.
- Quarries, for example.
- Can it explain his behaviour?
People living with this injury
report hallucinations
and hearing voices, headaches,
memory loss, an inability to sleep,
and a number of those injured people
go on to become violent.
Some take their own lives.
I mean, whether he did it or not
..he fits the profile.
MAN LAUGHS
TYPING
PHONE VIBRATES
..a case of violent crime
coming only days after
the brutal shooting in east London.
The victim has been named
as Akram Rahul, the managing
director of the tech firm Tautwire.
Police are asking for assistance
from anyone who may have information.
There is bilateral transection
of the common carotid arteries.
At the back of the incised wound
is a linear groove
suggesting it was caused
not by a sharp blade,
but rather by a thin ligature
pressing against his neck.
I think I've found the material used
for the ligature.
What was it?
Nylon polyvinylidene fluoride,
also known as PVDF.
Also known as fishing line.
HE BANGS ON DOOR
- Hiya. Thanks for coming.
- It's all right.
- We have some potential witnesses.
- Uh-huh.
- Mr and Mrs Doe.
- HE CHUCKLES
- John and Jane.
- Right.
They say Akram's car was here
already when they arrived,
but they didn't think it was unusual.
Apparently, they have a following.
A following?
Oh! Right.
Hi, John. Hi, Jane.
Hi. I'm Les Davies, and this is
my colleague Jack Hodgson.
Hi. Er, you know that's not
our real names, right?
Right.
If you don't mind, Jack is going to
take some fingerprints and DNA.
We didn't do anything.
It's just to eliminate you
from the investigation.
- Oh.
- OK.
Can you talk me through
what you reported on the phone?
Where you were parked, what you saw.
Er, yeah, we came for our normal time,
and we were parked up
in our normal spot -
just where we're parked now -
and, er, Jane was, you know
..getting ready.
Swab. Open.
And, yeah, well, people
in our community, they know our car,
so they stop and
well, you know, join in.
JOHN CHUCKLES
Yeah? Uh-huh.
OK.
Let's take your fingerprints.
I saw the car, and I thought
it was odd, but I thought maybe
someone
had just left it there to be collected.
Was there anyone else parked up?
Er, there was a van that was
just leaving when we arrived.
- What kind of van?
- A delivery van.
Can you remember
the name of the company?
- Or what it looked like?
- It was a dark colour. Blue, I think.
And it had writing on it -
er, V and something.
Great. Very helpful. Thank you.
Er if you want to play, you know, um,
Jane's up for it, yeah?
MEN'S VOICES
No. Leave those.
Come on! Get a move on
and put 'em in the bag!
Yeah, yeah. Here, grab 'em.
Put the packages down.
- Can I do one?
- Let's go! Come on!
- I'll take what I want!
- But you're stealing.
Stealing the hard work of others.
Get out of the way!
You're a cockroach.
Put the packages down.
- I'm going to step on you.
- Back off!
You're just a bad smell.
- What you on, mate?!
- You're the problem.
I got this.
TRAIN ROARS PAS
But Harriet what would happen
to Dr Maven?
Retirement.
She doesn't want to retire.
I see.
Well, I'm flattered. I am.
And I would love to make it work,
I really would.
But I can't. I'm sorry.
We're a team
..and a very good team.
Why would you want to break that up?
I'll only do it
if Harriet Maven is in charge.
Harriet?
Are you busy?
How's it feeling?
CURTAIN DRAWN ASIDE
Oh, Nikki, that is divine!
It's simply gorgeous.
Come up to the mirror.
HARRIET CHUCKLES
Turn round.
HARRIET CHUCKLES
It's lovely.
The garroting
..there was something
visceral about it
..as though there was malice involved.
What, meaning the victim
was known to the perpetrator?
- Exactly.
- A male victim?
Yeah.
Only 4% of male homicide victims
get killed by strangulation,
and, erm, it's 13% in women.
Garroting's even rarer.
And the perpetrator
is likely to be male
in order to overpower the victim.
Could we have some more cakes, please?
Particularly the ones with the cream?
Maybe freshen up the tea?
Lovely. Thank you.
Have you been able to determine
the diameter of the fishing line?
Not with any precision.
The struggle was too violent.
There was no clean cut or mark. Jack
thinks it's likely to be braided.
- They're the strongest.
- Nikki, you have to try one of these.
They are absolutely gorgeous.
May we see another dress? Yes?
- Jack!
- Milk and one sugar.
- Ah-ha-ha-ha. Funny.
- It's who I am.
- You are going to love me.
- Seems to be a theme today.
VDW. Von der Werth.
German-owned delivery company
operating in the UK.
Seventh largest. Dark inky-blue vans.
All those vans have trackers, right?
Mm-hm. It's pretty standard these days.
If they do, we can put the driver
at the scene. Time and place.
They also have security cameras
fitted to the vans to prevent theft.
- Outside and inside?
- Yeah.
Ooh, you're feelin' it, aren't you?
So much love. I may have to
call off the wedding.
- Do you have the vehicle reg?
- No.
No?
They have over 800 vans, Jack.
That's checking the GPS data
of over 800 trackers!
They make an average
of 170 to 190 stops a day.
- They do that many stops a day?
- Let me see, that is a minimum of
..136,000 stops a day,
not counting nondelivery stops.
Are you saying you can't do it?
A vehicle reg would be useful.
PHONE RINGS
Yep.
Where?
Gilligan Road. OK.
Thanks.
TRAIN RUMBLES PAS
HE SIGHS
CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS
He's nearly been decapitated.
What a waste, eh?
Any sign of a murder weapon?
Not so far.
Injury is consistent
with a large blade.
- Gang-related?
- Well, it's got that look about it.
We're checking for witnesses now.
I fear he'll just be another statistic.
Detective Inspector!
CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS
- What have you got?
- Looks like a crowbar.
Chips of paint.
Yeah.
Matt?
We're looking for a large knife.
- Yes, sir.
- Thanks.
TRAIN RUMBLES PAS
DAVIES: Are you divorced?
No. Not yet.
You say he knew Akram Rahul?
He didn't know him.
He knew he was my boss.
- Ex-boss.
- Ex-boss? Why "ex"?
- He made me redundant.
- When?
Last week.
Why did he make you redundant?
Downsizing? Economy?
Because
Because I wouldn't sleep with him.
Did your husband know?
I didn't think he did. I would never
tell him. He's so jealous.
But I don't know.
Over the last few years,
he's become a different person.
He stalks me.
He haunts me.
I have a restraining order against him.
- Where does he live?
- Oh, I don't know. I don't want to know.
- Do you have a phone number for him?
- Yeah, sure.
Er, does he have a job?
Yeah.
What does he do?
Er, he's a delivery driver.
DAVIES ON PHONE: The driver's name
is Calvin Ream.
KIT: Calvin Ream. Got it.
I'm downloading black-box data now.
You should have all routes, stops
and periods of inactivity.
Great. I'll scan through the cameras,
as well, see if I can pick up anything.
OK, got it. Bye!
PHONE CHIMES
The depth of the wound,
three points left to right
..1.9 centimetres
..6.2 centimetres
..1.75 centimetres.
There's dirt and gravel present
in the head wound,
suggesting that the injury
was the result of a fall
rather than a blow to the head.
Well, there should be abrasions
on the hand and the arm
if he tried to break his fall.
No.
May I?
Any prints found on the crowbar?
None found. Waiting on DNA.
CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS Nikki?
Match.
So, how was the blow delivered?
Either I'd have to be on the ground
or Nikki here would have
to be up in the air.
But if I'm on the ground
You have no leverage to land the blow
with the force required
To do that damage.
- You finish each other's sentences?
- They're getting married.
Up you go.
So, somehow, he was
about a metre off the ground.
- Was he standing on a wall?
- There's no wall.
Well, we know he was hit
with enormous force on the shin.
Mm-hm.
The pain disorientates him.
He instinctively reaches down
to his shin, loses his balance
- Falls.
- Hits his head.
- Unconscious? Concussed?
- Yeah.
Could you lie on the floor?
Face down, please.
So he's out of action on the ground.
Which means that the assailant
could pull his head back
Cut his throat
In a left-to-right motion.
The assailant must have been
right-handed.
But we found the body
lying in the middle of the road.
So where was he standing
when he was hit?
When he when he fell?
Jack?
Jack!
He was at Akram Rahul's
office building, and
..he was in the parking area
that evening.
He followed him? I'll call Davies.
- What's this point down here?
- That
..is Kingswood Mere Lake.
He was there a long time.
What happens there?
Fishing?
Fishing?
These are the GPS points
where the van stops.
I used the time code to construct
a pattern of movement on the map.
And what about this here,
by the railway line?
- That one?
- Yeah.
Er that is Gilligan Road.
HARRIET: Gilligan Road!
Can you put him near the restaurant
or where Nicholson's body was found?
I'll try.
Where is he now?
And you gave her a detention?
- Yes.
- Why?
Because she was fighting with Dawn.
But you know Dawn is a bully!
My daughter has to be able
to defend herself, doesn't she?
She'll be done at four.
- She's dreadful, that Dawn.
- I don't like her.
We'd all be much better off
without her at the school.
CHILDREN PLAY
I'm sorry to interrupt.
Are you, erm
Are you Melissa's mum?
- Sorry, do I know you?
- I'm Dawn's dad.
Yes?
Your daughter, Melissa, is bullying
my girl,
and it needs to stop.
My daughter is not a bully.
It's your daughter that's the problem.
But she's making Dawn's life
a misery, so I would like you
to, er to ask her to stop.
Your daughter has some real
problems - which I'm sure you know,
- considering you're one of them.
- My daughter's only problem
..is Melissa.
Stop trying to
put your problems on somebody else!
Can you imagine being married to that?
ANGRY CONVERSATION
Let's tie her up
and throw her in the river.
She's the sort of woman everyone hates.
And she slanders people.
You're doing all these people a favour.
Restaurant is there.
He was parked there
for 26 minutes then moves here.
200 metres or so from where
we found Nicholson's body.
- The message should be force-wide.
- What do we know about Calvin Ream?
He worked for Von der Werth
logistics for six years,
and before that, he was
in the British Army.
Doing what?
Commando. Royal Artillery.
KNOCK ON DOOR
Hello, darling.
Hi!
I did I did say four o'clock.
Yeah, it's near enough.
Let's have a look.
Oh, lovely!
DOOR OPENS
STRONG: Do we have his home address?
- He used his wife's address.
- Can we get his mobile number?
We'll ping his phone for his location.
- Do we have any camera footage?
- I'll get it now.
Phone's switched off.
DOOR CREAKS
Daddy, you came!
- Mr Ream, you can't come in here.
- Get out. Get out!
Daddy! Daddy
Mr Ream! Mr Ream! Mr Ream!
BANGING ON DOOR
- Daddy!
- Mr Ream!
Mr Ream! Mr Ream!
Get out!
- Not you.
- OK, please don't hurt us.
Please don't hurt us.
When you're ready, Kit, thank you.
So, this is CCTV footage
from an incident at a food store.
KIT: Calvin Ream's van
was parked nearby at the time.
MELISSA SOBS
Do you believe those tears
are real? I don't believe it.
- Let's end the noise.
- Stop talking.
Two-faced cow,
talking behind people's backs.
- Eventually, it bites.
- Let's end it now!
Stop talking. Just stop talking!
MELISSA SOBS
Daddy?
Daddy?
Who are you talking to?
MELISSA SOBS QUIETLY
Erm
Er, what does this prove?
- Have we got his van's security camera?
- Mm-hm.
MESSAGES OVER POLICE RADIO
What's going on? What's going on?
There's been an incident.
You can't go in.
What do you mean?
- Gilligan Road?
- KIT: Yeah.
JACK: Crowbar yeah.
STRONG INHALES SHARPLY
OK
- Punch in there, Kit.
- Mm-hm.
Where is he?
Police are en route to an incident
at a primary school in east London.
- Oh, no!
- OK, let's go.
Yeah, we're going to need MO19.
Calvin? Calvin, open the door.
KNOCKING ON DOOR
Calvin!
Calvin? Calvin, is Dawn with you?
Calvin? Answer me, Calvin!
Is Dawn safe?
- Mummy?
- Dawn!
Oh, please!
Please don't hurt her, Calvin.
Do you think there's a place
where you can be with the ones
that you love just for ever?
A place that is truly for ever?
Calvin, just let me in, please!
You need to apologise.
- I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
- YELLS: Not me!
Daddy?
We're sorry. We're sorry.
We're so, so sorry.
KNOCKING ON DOOR
We're really very sorry.
- Come on, just get it done.
- Do something good.
Make the world a better place.
Do it.
Yes!
Come on. Come on, do it.
Yes, brother.
Take the ripples away.
Come on, mate.
Don't think, mate, just do it.
- Do it for her.
- Come on!
- Do it for Dawn.
- Look up. Good man.
MELISSA AND HER MOTHER SOB
Act now.
Daddy?
It's you and me against the world.
Daddy?
You and me against the world?
Remember?
Oh Yeah.
You and me against the world?
BANGING ON DOOR
Oh, man
BANGING ON DOOR
Calvin, please, it's just me!
CALVIN GROANS
Peggy!
Calvin, just open the door.
Peggy? Peggy?
KEY IN LOCK
Please help me.
- No!
- Are you OK, baby?
Calvin? Calvin?
Calvin, just let them go, OK?
Please OK?
HE GASPS
Go, go, go, go, go.
Go, go, go, go, go!
MOTHER STAMMERS:
He's going to kill someone!
- What?
- He's going to kill someone!
Get them out. Stay with me.
Baby! Come here. Come here.
Dawn? Come on.
I love you.
Love you, too.
Dawn
Yeah
Come on, darling.
Come here. It's OK.
He's going to be fine.
He's going to be fine.
Come on. Come on.
OK. Come on.
You believe in love, don't you?
Calvin
Don't you, Peggy?
Yes.
Then help me.
What can I do, Calvin?
It's OK, Calvin.
I want you to end this for me. Please.
I hear things.
I see things.
I do things.
It was the same for Doug.
Help me. Help me, brother.
I helped Doug. It was the same
for him. I helped him find peace.
GUNSHO
Cos there is evil, Peggy. And
..I can't stop it!
I can't!
End it.
- No, Calvin.
- Please, Peggy.
Calvin
I love you.
No
GUNSHOTS
There is evidence
of traumatic brain injury
..likely caused by
repeated blast overpressure
..which the deceased suffered
while serving his country.
They said his last words
were, "I love you."
Not a bad epitaph, I guess.
I love you.
You're not planning on dying
any time soon, are you?
No. You?
I certainly hope not.
Jack
..I want to marry you.
Thank God!
It'd be very awkward at work
if you didn't.
I was just thinking
Yeah, it's one of
your most attractive qualities.
And usually I know
what you're thinking.
You do?
I think I do, yeah.
But I don't this time,
and it fills me with
- Jack?
- Yes?
We don't have to do the big wedding.
I don't need the crowd,
the bridesmaids, the big fuss.
I just need you.
I just wanted it to be perfect for you.
I'm marrying you.
How can that be
anything less than perfect?
So why are we waiting?
Let's get married.
- Kit?
- Nikki!
- I need a witness.
- A witness?
What kind of trouble are you in?
Morning, Jack.
Will you be my best man?
SHE LAUGHS
Jack!
You do know how to flatter a girl!
FOOTSTEPS APPROACH
Are you coming?
I was just thinking.
OK Good. But is now
the best time to think?
The registrar asked me
who was giving me away.
So it made me think,
brides were "given away".
Imagine that. Given away.
Then I was thinking
..but I'm giving myself away.
I'm giving myself to you.
You're giving yourself to me.
And that's a gift I'll always
treasure, as long as I live.
Me too.
I hadn't told you that,
and I wanted to tell you.
Thank you. Shall we go in?
- And I was thinking
- Really? OK.
I've held the hearts
of so many people in my hands.
As a scientist, I know
every detail of the human heart.
And yet, for so long,
my own has been a mystery to me.
Isn't that a wonder?
God is in what science can't explain.
You said no-one has any faith any more.
But I have faith
..in you.
In us.
I'm giving my heart to you.
And I'm giving mine to you.
And I promise to cherish it.
I promise to keep yours safe.
Shall we walk in together?
Always.
- Look how nice they are.
- I know.
PHONES CHIME
Have you just had an email?
Sir William Bowman
Centre of Excellence in Birmingham?
- That one?
- Yes.
Well, I think you're excellent, Kit.
- I think you're excellent.
- Mm.
What are we going to do?
Shall we dance?
MUSIC: Wings by Birdy
Oh, damn these walls
In the moment we're ten feet tall
And how you told me after it all
We'd remember tonight
For the rest of our lives
If these wings could fly
Lights go down
In the moment we're lost and found
And I just wanna be by your side
If these wings could fly
Sub extracted from file & improved by
Oh, damn these walls
In the moment we're ten feet tall
And how you told me after it all
We'd remember tonight
For the rest of our lives. ♪