The Sweeney (1975) s04e14 Episode Script

Jack or Knave

1 Going for a slash, Dick.
OK.
Touch the radio and I'll blow his head off.
Tell him to open up.
Open open up (WHISTLES) Move it! (GUNSHOT) Let's go! Drive! (POLICE BELL RINGS) (TYRES SQUEAL) (BRAKES SCREECH) (POLICE RADIO) (TYRES SQUEAL) (BREAKING GLASS) He had this plaster on the right.
Tell a lie, on the left.
(COUGHS) Look, Miss er Do you mind? Sonia Driffield, Evening Clarion.
A statement will be issued by county HQ later this afternoon.
But the security man is now conscious? Yes.
Has he identified his attackers? You have our press officer's number? Will you be calling in the Yard? What? You've spent three weeks getting nowhere.
It isn't a matter of My chief constable has not felt it necessary to call in the Met.
But you will be doing so? No buts.
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS) Nice one.
Where's Jack? He's down the Bailey.
Letchmore bank job.
Yes, of course.
Here, guv'nor, where were you in May '68? Hendon.
DI's course, I think.
Ah, it says here, "It's alleged CID officers" serving in a west London sub-division May-August 1968 "accepted bribes totalling £15,000.
" How did you get on, Jack? Badly.
The jury threw it out.
You're joking.
Cyril Edwin Raynor, clearly identified in the Letchmore branch of the National Mercia Bank with a shotgun in one hand and £5,000 worth of used fivers in the other, is now walking free.
The ID parade.
Yeah, Raynor's QC, the Old Etonian, he's a Tribunite MP.
Harrington-Smythe? Yeah, something like that.
Tell that to your left-wing intellectuals.
They reckon we're persecuting them.
Er, Jack I really don't know why we bother.
Hello, Colin? No, it's all right.
You want one law for us, one for everybody else? We've got that already.
Rubbish, Jack.
Tell him George Carter's on his way over.
Cheers.
They're villains.
That's what I mean.
(KNOCK ON DOOR) Come in, Kev.
Who? Oh, sorry, George.
Have you done those pictures for us yet? No, it's been all go here this week.
My sister, that beauty competition, I promised my mum.
She hates Everton.
Hang about, I did do some of them.
Oh, that's nice.
Walk on, walk on With hope in your heart Huddersfield? And you'll never walk Must cost a fortune having you smudging everyone.
Not afraid of being a cutback in public expenditure? Terrified! Hm.
Lovely bristols.
Who? Skin and blister.
Oh, yeah, takes after my dad.
They're nice, aren't they? Cheers.
Listen, look, one at the bottom, who's that? The stout guy? No, the one next to him.
Dunno.
Don't know? Why'd you take 400 pictures then? Bernie Strauss's latest wedding.
What is he, a child molester? No, fence.
I've clocked him before, though.
Who, Tubby? Yeah, he hangs around a little drinker in Fulham.
Couldn't do us a favour, could you? Make a couple of blow-ups of him? For your mum? Yeah.
She likes a man with a moustache, see? Steve Heighway's got a moustache.
Tommy Smith's got a moustache too.
I'll write it up straightaway, guv.
All right.
Promises, promises.
He's driving me blinking potty.
He wants a report on that Burton Street blag.
Have a butcher's at these.
Hang about.
Ah, I must have chucked them Look.
Have a look.
That's bloody Canning.
Eh? That blag was only half a mile outside the MPD.
He couldn't bring himself to ask us for help.
Who are you talking about? Canning.
Canning DCS, he was a skipper with me on O division.
He was a pain in the arse then as well.
No, look.
Look at those.
That and that.
Colin Anderson, C11 smudger, he reckons Tubby here has been showing out.
Which is more than you can say about Haskins' report.
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS) I reckon they bunged the rest.
World championship? Leave it out.
He couldn't have gone five rounds with a geriatric gerbil.
Hold on.
No? No.
No-one's gonna persuade me that fight wasn't bent, though.
How much did you have on? 50 quid.
You mean it wasn't bent your way.
I wouldn't mind but I borrowed the money off me bird's old lady.
Hang about.
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS) That's him, isn't it? We're off.
Ta-ra now.
14 De Montford Street.
'14.
Got it.
' Ronnie Harries.
Not exactly Mr Big, Jack.
No? No.
Nominal index man, no real form.
He came into the frame for arranging plates.
Our lads couldn't stick it on him.
He's got a motor accessory shop at the end of the high street.
Anything else I should know? Not really.
He's too scared of his missus to do anything really naughty.
A real old boiler.
17 stone and strict Catholic.
Thanks.
You fancy anything for the big one? Silver Bear's worth a few quid at Chepstow.
Yeah? Is that right, Bill? Dave got a yankee up? Yeah, just over 200 quid.
There he is, Ronald Tottenham Harries.
Tottenham?! The world doesn't end at Stamford Bridge, George.
You reckon she's had an accident? No, but he's just about to.
After him, Bill.
Ringer? Let's give him a pull.
(TYRES SQUEAL) (BRAKES SCREECH) What we got in there, son? Plates.
Picking them up for this geezer.
What geezer? I dunno, just a geezer.
Said there'd be a drink in it for me.
Where'd you meet him? Up the road.
Don't muck me about, son.
He said, "Do you want to earn a few quid?" Was he covered in grass and talking with a Geordie accent? You what? According to our computer, these plates were issued to a lawn mower belonging to the Northumberland County Council.
All right, earn your drink, sunshine.
On your bike.
I'm getting too old for this game, guv.
After him, George.
You what? Follow him.
He won't go anywhere now.
Want to take a vote on it? Most of them are cash sales.
Yes.
What kept you? You had the car, didn't you? Remember? What happened? He chucked these and legged it.
He's fitter than he looked.
Pack in the fags, mate.
Thank you, guv.
What did you do, dial 999? Haskins has decided I've been keeping things too much to myself.
You are aware you should record all sales of number plates? Yeah.
How about these? Oh, I did these this morning.
Haven't had time to log them.
A lad collected them.
(WHISTLES Dixon Of Dock Green Theme Tune) Did you check the number was legitimate? Er Did you have a written order? No, it was a phone call.
Oh, I wrote it down.
Er, um Did you get a name? Did the man on the phone give you his name? Yes.
Er, it was, er Oh Er It was on that piece of paper, wasn't it? Do you recall any of these numbers? No, sorry, er, are they special? They were used in connection with armed robberies.
No! Who are you with there, Mr Harries? Dunno.
He was hanging about the registry office when we came out.
I see.
Er, any time I can help Confirmation of what I expected, Mr Haskins.
The injured driver could not identify the man as his assailant.
That doesn't mean Harries isn't at it.
True.
It's going to be tough to prove he was involved in my blag.
We've only just started.
The Met may have money to squander on intuitive whims of inspectors, my constabulary has not.
All right, but we've What he's saying It's OK, Mr Haskins, I'm in favour of having things out in the open.
There are no marks for trying, Jack.
A lot of time and energy could've been saved if I'd been told of your notions earlier.
Notions? I take your point, sir.
Mr Haskins, let's hope the next time we meet it'll be under more constructive circumstances.
Gentlemen.
You don't have to take that from him.
What do you suggest I do, punch him in the head or tell him to get knotted? I was with him as a skipper.
He couldn't catch a cold.
And just what have you done, Jack? Old mate of yours, guv'nor.
Don't get many of those to the pound.
Yeah, they're all like that.
When did you take this? Yesterday, about half past twelve.
His missus know about this? What do you think? OK.
Got any smudges of him with other birds? Yeah, he's always at it.
Where's your handbag? Bloody hell.
(CAR HORN) Harries.
Harries! What? Let's go now.
But Come on, be a good boy.
What's Mum gonna say about that, Ron? You wouldn't, Inspector.
Watch me.
You wouldn't break up a family.
Destroy the happiness of five wonderful kids? He would.
Gonna try to talk me out of it, Ron? All right, how much? Not a lot, just an admission you've been knocking out bent plates.
But I haven't.
Well, not knowingly.
Come on, Ronnie, the most you'll get is probation.
Um, well, you'll keep the missus out of this? All right.
OK, Ronald, whose firm is it? There's just one fella, name of Jones.
Jones.
And where did you meet Mr Jones? He always phoned, sent someone round to collect them.
I think Mrs Harries will have a gander at these.
It's our moral duty.
Right you are, guv'nor.
Er, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Probation, you said.
All that's down to you, Ronnie.
Yeah, well, we had a regular meet at the General Wolfe.
They um They? I didn't know their names.
You just did the plates? Yeah.
Yeah.
Sorry, Ronnie.
(DOOR CLOSES) Oh, er, well George.
Guv'nor? Hang about.
Well, once just this once, you see, at the Wolfe.
Yeah? Yeah, well, I took this parcel.
You took it? I thought it was plates.
They asked me to get rid of it so I chucked it off Kew Bridge.
It's all got a bit heavy, Ron.
It was plates then, now it's murder.
Murder? This was used to shoot a security guard in the country a month back.
And you got rid of it.
So you've got to be in on it.
I didn't know about it, Mr Regan, honest.
Try telling that to the judge, son.
I'll tell you everything I know.
Now! Ahhhh! Here, what's your bleeding game? Sorry, love, seems to be a case of mistaken identity.
Get your vest on, Sid, you're nicked.
Night, night.
(WHIMPERS) Sorry, Mum.
You won't believe this.
(CHUCKLES) He only had an old brass with him, didn't he? You wouldn't think he had it in him.
He says it's all down to the pills he takes.
What pills? Dunno, I'm gonna take them into Forensics, check 'em out.
My one did a runner.
What, a tip off? Nah, he's been gone three weeks.
Some bird used to ring him regular.
The old lady in the flat downstairs took messages.
Gave me the number.
That's a bit handy, isn't it? Do the business, George.
Where are you going? Into battle.
(ENGINES STARTS) Inspector Regan did try to call your office yesterday afternoon.
Regan left a garbled message with my number 2.
There was no reference to these arrests.
You didn't know about it? Jack's always been a one-man band, you know that.
But he's a bloody good copper.
(KNOCK ON DOOR) Come in.
Guv'nor.
Mr Canning.
Jack, there seems to have been a misunderstanding about yesterday.
Mr Canning is under the impression he was misled Let's not beat about the bush, Frank.
I was not told about these arrests.
You were away being interviewed.
My office could've contacted me within minutes of your call.
Your attitude has been highly questionable.
Eh? Didn't you want me to arrest them, sir? I'd have preferred it if you hadn't humiliated my force.
Ah, cobblers.
Jack.
That kind of insolence underwrites my point.
Your irresponsible attitude is nurtured by some delusion about the elite standing of the Met Police.
Jean Jackson? I might be.
Can we come in? Can I stop you? No, not really, no.
The police service can't afford to be balkanised any longer.
The left hand must know what the right hand's doing.
I'm interested in results, and I got a result.
A partial result.
You've got three suspects on the word of an unreliable informer you blackmailed.
What about the gun? What about this Kieran Kennedy, the man you say did the killing? You've got nowhere with him.
Further than your lot.
You couldn't even afford to keep the inquiry going.
Jack I don't have to justify my force's actions to you.
No, sir.
That'll do, Inspector.
Go on, Jack, get out.
Yeah.
You didn't show me a warrant.
I will.
Nothing, skip.
Oh, I suppose I'll have to strip next.
No, thanks.
Verston's Yacht Chandlers, Thames Ditton.
Bit of a sailor, are we? Had a day out on the river with me mate, me girlfriend.
Yeah, I know her.
She's 6ft 3 and murders people.
On your bike.
Guv'nor.
George.
It's down here, it's pier seven.
It's just round the corner, it's about Well, it's the fifth boat on the right.
See it? Look.
Yeah.
We cleared the area.
We know if he's home? Not for certain, no.
You, up there.
Right.
Only one marksman? No, there's another there.
Right.
Frighteners only.
Are you sure he's on there? Kennedy! Argh! (GUNSHOT) Argh! Don't touch me.
No way.
Get an ambulance.
Make sure he's got nothing else on him.
(GROANS) Nice one, George.
Thank you very much, guv'nor.
Go and get dried off, son.
Get wet, George? No! Ambulance is on its way.
I don't think he's serious.
Flesh wound, I'd say.
It's the least you could do after that outburst this morning.
He gets my goat.
Mine too but I don't have to insult him.
Didn't he want to come? He had more important things to do, like filing a formal complaint against you.
Insolence and indiscipline.
It could be nasty.
You are joking.
I only wish I were, Jack.
"The judge then asked Detective Inspector Regan to attend court today to receive a commendation.
" Then it goes on about what a great policeman you are.
Nice one.
I bet Canning's pleased he dropped that complaint.
This'll get right up his nose.
Up that judge's if I'm late.
How long to the Bailey? 15 minutes about.
What about making it ten minutes about? All right.
(POLICE RADIO) 'Oscar 7, go to Tay Street Sub-divisional HQ, urgent.
' Oscar 7 to MP, I'm on route to the Old Bailey as per as per clerk of court instruction 'Instruction cancelled as of 09.
45 hours.
'Proceed as directed, over.
' Oscar 7, out.
(TYRES SQUEAL, CAR HORN) You've gotta be joking, sir.
I don't think so, Regan.
On 12th May, 1968, you were a Detective Sergeant Second Class, serving in this sub-division.
Yes.
You assisted in the arrest and charging of Angus Gavin Hutchinson.
Yeah.
Yes, I did, but I was doing someone a favour.
Your signature appears describing the reasons for the arrest and charge.
Hutchinson alleges at the time of his arrest certain officers were bribed to give perjured evidence.
Do what? This allegedly perjured evidence resulted in him being acquitted.
Enquiries have been made into these allegations of bribery and corruption.
A report has been submitted to the DPP and you are to be charged with conspiracy to pervert the cause of justice.
Therefore I must caution you, John Albert Regan, It's true, I've just got the full SP from the Commander.
Come on, guv, not Jack.
It's gotta be a fit-up, isn't it? 'Well, may be' but the investigators are taking a different view.
You stupid git! No, not you, guv'nor, no.
Some wooden tops.
You will be detained here until further enquiries are completed.
Um I shall need your warrant card.
One last question, sir.
Is the charge based on evidence submitted by DCS Canning? Who? Canning, sir.
He was a DS with me on this division.
No.
They've only got him on a technicality.
A good brief will tear it to shreds.
Meanwhile, they've got him banged up.
That's the job.
Listen, you were here then.
How bent was it? Oh, I don't know, there were always lots of rumours.
They did have one DI here, Paster his name was.
They nicked him.
He was at it, all right, no doubt about it.
Someone said he was buying villas in Spain, but he would be careful not to show owt to the straight coppers, and you're right about Jack, he was straight, so was his oppo, for that matter.
What's his name? It's on the tip of my tongue.
Yeah, all right.
Thanks.
Cheers.
Canning.
Do what? Canning.
That's right.
The other skipper.
Bit of a toff but strictly kosher.
(FOOTSTEPS) (KEY IS TURNED IN LOCK) Your brief's here.
Good evening, sir.
Good evening.
Carter, isn't it? I wonder if I could have We're just on our way out.
I won't keep you a moment, it's about DI Regan.
Really? He's fallen foul of CID, sir.
There are allegations of corruption when you were both on O division.
No-one's making allegations about me, I trust.
Nothing like that.
Mr Regan signed some papers on a job and it all went sour.
I just wondered if, um Yes? I wondered if there's any chance of you putting in a good word for him.
You know, the Old Pals Act.
Mr Regan and I are hardly old pals.
But after his good work with the guard killing I'm sorry Mr Regan's in trouble but experience shows officers who prefer unorthodox methods invariably do find themselves in difficulty.
So there's nothing you can do? Frankly, no, there's not.
As a senior officer of one force, I can't interfere in such matters It's not interfering.
Even if it is the Met.
Now please move your car, my wife and I are late.
Frankly, I would've thought Good night, Carter.
Good night, sir.
(JET FLIES OVERHEAD) I mean it's bloody ridiculous.
I was on my way to get a judge's commendation, the next thing I'm being treated like a criminal.
All they've got is my name on two bits of irrelevant paper.
Anybody'd think I spend my life robbing banks! I got nowhere with Canning.
Jack's a good copper, lots of guv'nors will speak up for him.
Only in mitigation.
You're not going to crack this on your own.
The people who could help you are either nicked or don't want to know.
This geezer who died, what about his missus? She didn't like Jack.
Jack left here under a bit of a cloud.
That's a thought.
There was a bird who worked here as a typist in the CID office.
She knew Jack You know what I mean.
Yeah, might be worth a try.
Young Gloria.
I'm releasing you on a surety of £100 to appear at West London Magistrates' Court on Friday next.
Mrs Bartley? Gloria Bartley? Is it mail order? Speak to my husband, he's on nights.
No, I've come to talk about Jack Regan.
Who did you say? Jack Regan.
You were friends, no? Some friend.
He nearly ruined my bloody life.
He's in trouble now.
(CHILD BAWLS) He had it coming to him.
Could you help? I wouldn't help him if he was drowning.
Shut it! What's Jack been up to then? Can I come in? All right.
(LAUGHTER) You don't remember the night Jack helped arrest Hutchinson? May, you said? Come to think of it, I do.
I'll tell you why.
Jack was going to take me to the Turk's Head.
They had trad jazz bands up there then.
You know, Humph and all them.
No, thanks.
No.
Anyway, there am I in the CID office all done up in my new frock and sister's roll-on.
Up comes Joe Tibbs and says, "Jack's had to go and pull a geezer for us", type up the papers, Jack'll sign them, me wife's bad again, gotta go home, I'll be back later.
His wife was one of those who enjoyed bad health.
(CHILD CRIES) If you don't shut up, you won't go to nanny's tomorrow! Mummy! Where was I? Jack was out nicking this geezer.
Oh, yeah.
Well, I was well pleased, all done up and no bleeding place to go.
So I bashed the stuff out like Tibbsy says, Jack comes and I said, "Slap your moniker on that.
" Did he? He didn't want to.
He was a bit by the book then.
Suppose he still is.
He said, "I'll check this, see you down there.
" I said, "If you're planning on going back to my place tonight", you'll sign 'em now.
" I see, yeah.
Tibbsy left this note saying everything was all right.
Tibbsy was the guv'nor.
So Jack couldn't argue, could he? Did Jack have anything to do with Hutchinson back at the nick? No fear.
I saw to that.
Tibbs did all that later.
What about Tibbsy? Haven't you talked to him? He's dead.
(SIREN BLARES IN THE DISTANCE) 'Do you think you could write down what you've just told me?' What, about Jack and me having it off? Leave off.
No, not that.
I heard Jack married an air hostess, right? Yeah, yeah.
It didn't work out.
Oh.
All I need is the bit about Tibbs leaving the report already typed and then you having, well, a drink with Jack.
Will my Stan have to know about it? There is, um, one other thing.
Could you leave us for a moment, Sergeant? I'll be frank with you, Mr Duxbury.
I'm on the short list to be Chief Constable of another force.
You're afraid Regan might implicate you to your professional disadvantage? Well, as I said before, Regan and I have had our differences.
You see, I thought it wise to make sure you were aware of my absence from the division at the time.
Yes, Bramshill, wasn't it? The advanced promotion course.
Yes.
Yes, that was it.
Yes.
There's something you don't know, Mr Canning.
As a result of new evidence, I've consulted with the DPP.
They are not going to proceed against Mr Regan.
We're not offering any evidence against him at the trial.
I see.
Well, thank you for letting me know.
Goodbye, Mr Canning.
Goodbye.
Oh, by the way, for what it's worth to you, Regan never suggested any impropriety on your part.
I see.
Thank you.
Come in, Mr Regan.
Morning, Mr Haskins.
Good morning, sir.
Sergeant Carter.
Sir.
Um (CLEARS THROAT) After Carter told me about Jack Regan's troubles, I, er thought I'd see what I could do.
Well, a good word from an outside force sometimes help, you know.
I'm sure it's much appreciated, sir.
He's out of trouble, as you probably heard.
Yes.
Yes.
Well, good for him, eh? Well, goodbye.
Goodbye, sir.
Congratulations, Jack.
Well done, George, I owe you.
Can't wait to have you back.
You'll have to wait a long time, Frank.
Come on, there's no need to be like that.
I want to be like that, Frank.
Do you know why? Because I am utterly and abjectly pissed off with this little lot.
I've given the best years of my life to the job, I've got 18 commendations, if you include the one I didn't get yesterday, and how does this force show its gratitude for my efforts? It bangs me up in a grubby cell like some cheap little villain.
All because a toe rag called Hutchinson's rattled the fifth floor.
And what do you bunch of bleeding hypocrites want now? You want me to crawl back to work and be grateful I didn't get nicked for something I didn't do.
Well, you can stuff it! (DOOR SLAMS) Guv'nor.
Jack, wait! Sorry, George.
I've had it.
I've had it up to here.
Look You're a prince, mate.
You know that.
Oh, shut up.
Let's go and have a drink before they open, eh? No, I've gotta get away, mate, just have a think.
It's all too, er, well, you know.
See ya, mate.
He'll be back.
He needs the job like an alcoholic needs booze.
Yeah?
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