Original subtitles

Can you offer any hope for the unemployed?

I think it's going to be very difficult

to get it down significantly in 1983.

- _ - Drifters who've strayed to London

in the expectation of streets paved with gold

and beacon lights that would guide them to prosperity.

You go to the Job Centre, "Where do you live?"

"No fixed abode." "Sorry, we can't help you with a job."

There's a growing army of younger people

looking for work or a new life.

What they need is a secure home and a job,

but often, they're denied either.

The first thing that they find

is that London isn't what it appears to be on television.

They've often deliberately cut all links with the past,

and this makes them an easy target

for exploitation by criminals or conmen.

It's an increasingly violent place, particularly for young people.

Synced & corrected by QueenMaddie www.addic7ed.com

Oh, hi. Come in.

- Thank you. - Love, Tilly's here.

- Just through here. - Thanks.

Hey, Peter. Sorry to come so early.

Er, just... give me two secs.

There we go.

They said there should be some cricket pads.

Well, it's February.

The boys won't need them till the summer term.

I'm gonna see them before then, surely.

Let me get them.

I'm sorry, Peter.

It's not your fault.

Thanks. Sorry again for the intrusion.

Till, hang on a minute.

Look, I...

I know you're trying to be a good friend to Carol,

and I don't want you to get in the middle.

But... it can't keep going on like this.

It's crazy.

Whatever happened between me and her,

the boys have got nothing to do with it.

Please.

I miss 'em.

I'll speak to her.

Thank you.

Morning.

- Anything on the overnight? - Not much.

Another burglary in Wood Green, but that's about it.

Any witnesses?

It was only called in half an hour ago, guv.

Can you take a statement on your way home?

- The boss in? - Yep.

- Guv? - Yeah?

Steve called.

They've found suspected human remains in Muswell Hill.

In a, in a drain.

- Remains? - That's what he said.

Did he give you an address?

Yeah, said 23 Cranley Gardens.

Okay. If he calls again, tell him I'm on my way.

I thought you were giving up.

I am.

Mr Cattran called us in.

- All right? - How do you do?

I was telling the officer, I was called here last night

because of a blockage. There was a lot more,

but when I got back this morning, it had gone.

- Could it have unblocked itself? - No way.

You'd have to get in there and clear it by hand.

Plus, one of the ground floor tenants

heard someone rooting around here last night.

Do you know how far the blockage goes up?

About halfway. But the middle flat's unoccupied,

so it must have come from the top floor flat.

He's the one that reckoned it was KFC last night.

That has to be human, right?

- Thank you, Mr Cattran. - That it?

Er, we'll contact you to come down the station for a statement.

Right.

Do you think he wanted a medal?

What do you reckon?

Well, let's get them down to pathology,

confirm they're human.

- Is he home? - At work, apparently.

The Job Centre, in Kentish Town.

What do you want to do?

Well, I guess we wait.

Aye.

I knew you were gonna say that.

Dennis Nilsen?

All right?

My name is Detective Chief Inspector Peter Jay

and this is Detective Inspector Steve McCusker.

We'd like to talk to you about your drains.

Since when are the police interested in drains?

Let's talk about that upstairs, shall we?

All right.

What's this about?

Human remains have been found in the drains outside.

Right.

Come on in.

Don't worry, she's very friendly.

Right, don't muck me about.

Where's the rest of the body?

In the cupboard.

Dennis Nilsen, I'm arresting you on the suspicion of murder.

You do not have to say anything, unless you wish to do so,

but what you do say may be given in evidence.

Don't let anyone up there until the pathologist gets here.

So, are we talking about one body or two?

15 or 16... I think.

So, what do we know?

At least one victim.

Partial remains found in a bin liner in his cupboard.

Young male, judging by the torso.

Going by the smell in the flat, I'd say there were a lot more.

There's no actual evidence of 16 bodies, is there?

It's off limits till morning. Too damp.

We've secured the scene,

but apparently we risk contamination if we go in too early.

What he was saying in the car was pretty convincing, guv.

Why were you talking to him in the car?

- I was... - What if he says

that confession was given under duress?

If he's telling the truth,

we're gonna have the eyes of the world on us.

We have to do this by the book from now on.

We need him to identify the remains before we can charge him.

What do you reckon?

I think we're gonna get a lot more bees

with honey than with vinegar.

- Sorry for the late call, Ronnie. - No, that's okay.

I'd like a few minutes with my client, if it's possible?

- We're doing it in there, are we? - Yeah.

I thought it'd be a bit more comfortable for everyone.

I'm Ronald Moss...

This evening, two police officers entered your flat.

There, they found the remains of a man.

Do you want to explain that?

In what context?

How did it get there?

Have you searched the rest of the flat yet?

We're in the process of that as we speak.

You'll find more in the, er, tea chest in my bedroom,

and in the turned-up drawer in my bathroom.

All in all, the remains of three people.

In the car, you said that there was more.

- I must advise my client... - 195 Melrose Avenue, N2.

There, you'll find the remains of 12 or 13 people dating back to 1978.

It's actually a relief to get this off my chest.

Thank you.

Who do all these remains belong to?

- I need a moment with my client... - It's okay. Er...

I'm afraid I don't remember their names.

None of them?

Well, at the time, I'd only just met them, you know.

Where did you meet them?

All over. Bars, on the street.

Some, I just wanted to give a meal.

London can be a lonely place sometimes.

A friendly face goes a long way.

So, they were homeless?

Er... some.

Because of the drugs, usually.

It really is a disease, it's very sad.

And, you know,

this bloody government does nothing for them.

- Were they all male? - Aye.

How old were they?

Well, some looked younger than others. Erm...

- Sorry, I'm not being very helpful. - No, you're doing fine.

How did you kill them?

I strangled them.

Where did these murders take place?

In my house.

Mostly in my bed, to be specific.

So, they came home with you willingly?

Yeah.

Were they all homosexual?

I don't remember asking them.

Are you homosexual, Mr Nilsen?

Well, er... for the sake of convenience,

you should probably class me as homosexual.

If that's actually true, I'm not so sure.

The three in Cranley Gardens, when did these murders take place?

The most recent was three weeks ago.

Erm...

The others, last year sometime.

You kept them for a year?

Aye.

In pieces?

No, no. The dissection's merely for disposal.

It's the dirty platter after the feast, if you like.

In Melrose, it was simple cos it was a ground floor flat,

so there was space under the floor boards for storage

and sole access to a garden when a clearance was called for.

Yeah, no, I remember it, Melrose, when the bodies began to accumulate,

I knew there'd be a smell problem. So...

At the weekend, I'd take up the floorboards,

I'd get blinding drunk, so I could face it,

er, put down sort of, you know,

black plastic, like a bin liner,

for the mess, and then I'd start dissection

on the kitchen floor.

I learnt if you make an incision just below the navel,

you can pretty much get to everything

without having to deal with the rib cage and such.

But it was all trial and error.

You buried them in the garden?

No, I burnt them, er...

I'd wrap them in an old piece of carpet

and throw a tyre on top, hide the smell.

I took no pleasure in cutting up people or,

boiling heads, or burning bodies.

I did it cos I had to, there was no more space.

How many bodies did you have in the house at any one time?

I never did a stock check.

Or asked their names, it seems.

No, no, that I do regret.

Yeah, I wish I could remember their names to tell you now.

I really do.

I have to ask...

why did you do this?

I don't really know. Erm...

I was rather hoping you could tell me that.

Take us through them all, one by one.

With number three,

he's a young-looking man I picked up at Euston Station.

I was out on the piss that night, drinking heavily.

Next morning, he was dead on the floor.

I remember bits and pieces.

I don't remember any violence at all.

Whilst drinking in Soho, I got into a conversation

with this Scottish guy... Number 11 was a skinhead type,

he had "cut here" tattooed on his neck.

He was boasting about his toughness, about his hardness.

After killing him, I just went to bed.

End of day, end of drinking, end of person.

The 12th was a...

I remember being sat on him...

"My legs, I can't move my legs." I called him an ambulance.

Number 14, I made him an omelette, he said he wanted something to eat.

If it was the omelette that killed him or me, I'm not so sure,

but I don't suppose omelettes leave red marks on a neck, do they?

What do you think, guv?

I'm thinking there's a lot of words on those pages,

but not a lot of concrete evidence.

You think he's lying?

About the amount?

Possibly.

I dunno, guv. There's something...

I believe him.

Well, let's get a victim's name and charge him.

Right, I'd better update the yard.

That's it, look surprised.

That's it.

Bring that up a bit.

What's this?

Er, this is the detective. Jay, right?

Charlotte Proctor.

You went to the press?

You seemed like you didn't believe me,

so I had to tell someone.

Can you confirm the remains you found were human?

Detective, have you arrested Mr Nilsen yet?

Guv.

I wouldn't, if I were you.

How didn't we know?

When I got there this morning, there was a journo,

a few doors down from Cranley Gardens

with the drain guy from yesterday.

That didn't take him long, did it?

Right, media blackout from now on, boys.

They get nothing from us.

- Understood? - Yes, guv.

Last thing we need is an early siege before we charge him.

Er, where are we at with everything else?

Chris, did you search his office?

We weren't allowed to.

What do you mean?

His colleagues said they couldn't believe

he would do anything like this, and if we wanted to search

the office, we'd need to get a warrant.

- You're kidding me. - Take down one the bags

we found in his flat,

maybe that would act as a warrant.

Anything else from the lab?

Bowen's confirmed strangulation as the cause of death.

Well, that was quick.

Well, one of the pieces we took down had a ligature mark on it.

- Has he been able to identify anyone? - No, not yet.

So all of this is irrelevant until he gives us a name.

He used to be a policeman.

- What? - Where?

With the Met. Willesden. Left in '73.

- Why did he leave? - Nothing on file.

He just left.

Shit.

Are you fucking with us?

- Mr Chambers... - You're ex-police.

You left that out last night.

I didn't mention it cos it's not relevant.

Not relevant?

No, I wasn't doing this while I was there, so it's not relevant.

Not at the present time, anyhow.

It's in nobody's interest for me to lie.

Why did you leave?

Homophobia.

A name. Right now.

Mr Nilsen, you don't have to say anything.

Like I said to you last night,

the last one was Scottish,

he was out there saying how shite Scotland is in the winter.

A Scottish name.

Stephen. It was Stephen.

Stephen what?

Oh, I'm sorry, I really don't remember.

I think now would be a good time to pause the interview, anyway.

No, let's keep going.

Steve, get me a list of all Stephens reported missing from Scotland.

That's gonna be a pretty long list, guv.

That's all we got. Do it.

I want to help the officers and the men caught up in my mess.

Mr Chambers, may I have a minute with my client?

As I see it, a solicitor is here

to advise and facilitate my legal rights. Am I correct?

Huh? Then your advice should've been

to tell the detectives everything.

There's still a process, Mr Nilsen.

Mr Moss, I won't be needing you any longer.

I don't advise this.

No, it's my final decision. It's the only way

we're gonna get to the bottom of this mess, once and for all.

If you could.

Please?

Mr Chambers.

Ronnie.

Shall we carry on?

I was at McDonald's on the way to Oxford Street station.

He said he hadn't eaten all day.

I mean, what was I meant to say to that?

Erm, he had blond hair...

Well... so did some of the others.

Stephen, blond hair, Scottish...

I can't remember his second name.

Just take your time.

Take us through it again.

You went home. What happened then?

We drank, we laughed.

I poured two large glasses of rum and coke.

He said he didn't like rum.

I said, "Well, you didn't bloody well pay for it, did you?"

Yeah. He had a nice laugh.

I mentioned Tommy, you know the album, Tommy?

He said he'd never heard it. So I put it on...

and watched as he closed his eyes and listened to it.

I thought to myself, you lucky bugger,

experiencing that for the first time.

Yeah...

I entertained no thoughts of...

harming him.

But, you know, I had nothing but concern and affection

for his future and the... the pain of his life.

But you did strangle him.

Afterwards, I noticed that his jeans were soaked with urine.

So, I wanted to wash him clean, so I took his clothes off.

And, er...

I remember I had difficulty with his tight, wet jeans,

but soon as he was sat there naked in my armchair.

And he'd only urinated.

He obviously hadn't had a square meal in a few days.

He had deep cuts on both his wrists. They were still open.

So he must have recently tried to commit suicide.

And I very gently carried him through to the bathroom,

and put talc on him to make him look cleaner.

And he did, he looked magnificent.

He was like one of those Michelangelo sculptures.

We need names.

Mm. I know you do, and I'm trying. But some were a long time ago.

Then, stay with the last one.

- I said Stephen. - It's not enough, you know that.

I mean, you remember so many details,

there must have been a time in the evening

he told you his full name.

Look.

All we want to do is corroborate your claims.

It was definitely a Scottish name, we joked about that. It was...

Like Fraser, or...

Stephen... Sinclair, it was.

Sinclair.

You're sure?

Aye. Stephen Sinclair.

If this Stephen Sinclair was a drug addict,

chances are he has a record.

Record will have a photo and fingerprints,

we can match those to what we found at the flat.

He has given us the name, not to mention the torso in his flat.

- Can't we just charge him, guv? - What if he's got it wrong?

Or he's playing with us?

Sinclair walks into our courtroom, alive and well,

and there goes the credibility. You know that.

No mistakes, no shortcuts.

We need to be good police.

Peter, it doesn't feel right giving him the blue ribbon treatment here.

Whilst he's talking, we carry on treating him well.

Understood?

Yes, guv.

Is it necessary to still have Bleep here?

It's been two days.

There's nothing we can do about that.

She's an old dog, sounds like she's in a lot of distress.

Please, she's done nothing wrong. She doesn't deserve this.

I'll see what I can do.

We won't be starting until a bit later this morning, Mr Nilsen,

but Mr Jay thought you might be hungry.

That's kind of him, thank you.

Another thing. Have there been any newspaper reports about me?

There was one, yes.

May I have a copy?

I'll ask.

Sinclair was young.

Aye, he'd just turned 20.

Severe personality problems.

Drug abuse.

He really didn't stand a chance, did he?

Gentlemen.

Pretty grim viewing, I'm afraid.

As you can see, the dissection has been done to a high level of skill.

It was actually quite simple to decipher which parts go with which.

Er, these are from the last victim.

But his head has been boiled beyond all recognition.

Can we fingerprint him?

This last one, absolutely.

The others, probably not.

Too much decay.

Would you care to know the cause of death?

Strangulation.

Well, he was strangled, that's true.

But in the autopsy, we discovered his lungs were filled with water,

so death was due to drowning.

Why did he leave that out?

Er, there's something else.

Tests show he had Hepatitis B.

Quite a common disease with needle-using heroin addicts,

but if any police officer has been in its vicinity,

they'll have to have a vaccination, I'm afraid.

Oh, for fuck's sake.

Thank you, David.

_

It's Sinclair.

Dennis Nilsen, I am charging you

with the murder of Stephen Sinclair by drowning.

You will now be taken to Melrose Avenue,

where you will identify the burn site of the other victims.

Do you understand?

Yeah.

Come on.

The press are outside.

- Who? - Everyone, I think.

I'll see what's happening.

I'll go and speak to them, whilst you head out the back.

No. They're out there as well.

Geoff, get the hood.

No. I've got nothing to hide.

Nilsen! Nilsen, over here!

Can you look at the camera, please, Nilsen?

Nilsen, Nilsen, look over here!

What are we looking at, Detective? Give us a quote!

On Wednesday morning, officers were called to an address

to investigate suspicious fragments found in a drain.

Upon analysis, they were proved to be human

and an investigation was opened.

We have now charged a man

by the name of Dennis Nilsen with murder.

How many people do you suspect him to have murdered?

We won't be revealing the number at this time.

Can you at least say what gender he's suspected of killing?

Men.

When did Nilsen start this unusual habit?

Five years.

But can you make sure you attribute the term "unusual habit"

to Mr Wells and not myself, please.

Inspector, how can somebody kill for five years

without the police knowing?

We will be investigating that at the relevant time.

That's all, thank you.

Inspector, do you feel you let the people of Muswell Hill down?

Ah, it's strange being back here.

Yeah.

I remember summers here.

Bleep as a little puppy, running around.

- We even had a vegetable patch... - Where did you have the bonfires?

I'd start here, if I were you.

Okay, Dennis.

You're now gonna be taken to Herne Hill,

where you'll stay whilst you're on remand.

Not back to the station?

No, I'm afraid not.

Okay, let's go.

I just spoke to some of the boys from Willesden.

So, they say rumour has it Nilsen left the police

because he was caught masturbating in the morgue.

No.

Makes you uneasy, don't it?

How much we're relying on him to tell us the truth.

It was here, outside Hornsey Police Station,

that police confirmed that Dennis Andrew Nilsen

has been charged with the first

of what is said to be multiple murders.

On Wednesday morning,

officers were called to an address...

Can you help me with this?

... suspicious fragments found in a drain.

Brian?

Oh, sorry.

On analysis, they were proved to be human

and an investigation was opened.

What's happened?

Oh, it's a multiple killer in London.

... Dennis Nilsen with murder.

It's being reported that he was caught

by the discovery of blocked drains

that were filled with the remains of human flesh...

I have to go to work.

It is also being reported that his victims were men

that Nilsen had lured back to his flat

on the sense of promised frivolity.

- Mr Sinclair? - Yes.

My name is Detective Chief Inspector Peter Jay.

Are you the parent of Stephen Sinclair?

Before you say any more, officer,

Stephen doesn't live here any more.

He hasn't done since he started stealing from us to fund his habit.

We don't even know where he is at the moment.

Mr Sinclair, can we come in?

Elizabeth?!

A few days ago, a body was found.

That body, I'm sorry to say, has now been confirmed as Stephen.

A man has been charged in connection with his murder.

His murder?

I'm sorry to say, we can't give you much information at present,

but we will as soon as we can.

In the meantime, if there's anything that you need...

Can I see him?

I'm afraid that's not possible, Mrs Sinclair.

But surely we need to identify him.

He's already been identified.

But how?

Has somebody come in to see him?

I want to see him.

Maybe somebody's made a mistake.

Mrs Sinclair, it's Stephen.

I can't tell you how sorry I am to be sure of that.

But you don't want to see him.

Not like this.

I told him something like this would happen.

But that drug...

it changed him and there was nothing we could do.

Was there, love?

No.

He wouldn't listen to us, no matter how hard we tried.

He just thought of us as a hotel, or a bank...

or a prison.

Not now, Neil.

I'm sorry.

Brian?

Yeah.

Oh, thank you.

- Anything good? - Oh, no, not really.

It's just all so salacious.

- _ - He just looks so ordinary.

Like someone you'd walk past in the street, or meet in a bank.

You see, that's what makes the whole thing so intriguing.

This dichotomy between this seemingly normal,

unobtrusive civil servant and the nature of his crimes.

It just seems so hard to fathom.

What's there to fathom?

Well, what makes most of us go one way with our lives,

and others, like Nilsen, go so far in the opposite direction?

Probably because he's evil.

I'm going to be late.

- See you tonight. - Mm-hm.

The man currently being questioned by police

is a 37-year-old civil servant,

Andrew Nilsen, known to his colleagues at work as "Des".

For the past six months, he's been working here

at the Manpower Services Commission in London's Kentish Town.

I understand that he is also a former policeman,

having been in the force for about a year in the early '70s.

Probably robbed it.

If I find out any of you tipped them off

about him being ex-police,

I'll personally drag you to the fucking committee myself!

Do you hear me?

We are in blackout,

that means you don't mention his name outside this station.

Not to your wives, your mistresses, your friends down the pub.

You understand?

This man killed on our patch for four years.

We find every name,

and we charge and convict him with every single fucking one.

He gets away with nothing.

Get rid.

Come in.

This gentleman's here about Nilsen.

He wants to talk to you, guv.

What can I do for you?

Dennis Nilsen tried to kill me.

Where did you meet him?

A pub. The Golden Lion.

Dean Street, Soho.

But I'm... I'm not gay.

No, of course.

He was with a group of people, who I assume were his friends.

After last orders, he said we should go back to his for a drink.

I thought he meant all of us.

But it was only the two of us that went.

I must have passed out, because when I came to,

he'd tied my ankles together with his tie

and he was strangling me with mine.

I managed to...

fight him off and get him to the ground.

He then started screaming, "Take my money!"

"Take my money!" Like, like I was the one attacking him.

Sorry, er, when was this?

Three years ago.

I'd put it to the back of my mind,

moved on.

Then when I saw his face in the newspaper, it all came back.

Why didn't you go to the police at the time?

I did. Straight away.

They took me back there. They were there for five minutes.

They spoke to Nilsen and,

bought his story that it was a lovers' tiff.

It wasn't something they wanted to be around.

They even apologised to him for wasting his time

and sent me on my way.

Okay, erm...

You're just gonna have to go from the beginning.

Leave nothing out.

_

So, how many of these has he written to you?

Well, the fourth came today.

And... and there's a poem in the last one.

"Lives of sorrow, bones of the dead,

given by the sea to fitful head."

It's so... sensitive.

Well, quite.

You wouldn't think by reading that, that this man strangled young men

and disposed of them down the lavatory, would you?

How is the prison allowing you to meet him?

He said he'd put me on the visitors' list.

Although they're probably not aware that I'm a writer.

- Well, aren't you frightened? - No, no. He's, erm...

He's hardly going to jump over the desk and strangle me, is he?

No, but still...

Do you think you'll shake his hand?

No. No, I shouldn't think so.

Name?

Brian Masters to see Dennis Nilsen.

You find us okay?

Do you smoke, Brian?

Yes, I do.

Er...

You can smoke as many real fags in this room as you like, you know?

Out there, you're only allowed tobacco.

Yeah.

They say capital punishment's dead,

but Her Majesty manages to find her little ways, you know?

Yes.

I read your book, Brian.

The Dukes: Our Origin, Ennoblement And The History Of 26 Families.

- Are you from aristocracy? - No. No, I'm not.

You're from that kind of world, though, eh?

I bet you're a bloody Tory.

I'm not sure that's entirely relevant.

I'm just... I'm not entirely sure of your intentions as of yet.

Yeah. Your letters sounded genuine,

but now we're sat opposite each other, I worry.

I have judged myself more harshly than any casual observer

or any court ever could.

Aren't you the one judging me, Mr Nilsen?

- How's that? - Oh, you...

you hear my accent and you assume

that you know everything about me.

I'm simply stating it's obvious where you came from.

I'm not... It's not a bad thing.

I just like to know where I stand with the person I'm talking to.

Well, I was...

I was brought up on the Old Kent Road.

You don't sound like you were brought up on the Old Kent Road.

Well, I was lucky, I got an education.

Ah. Is that where the accent comes from, then?

It's your education, is it?

I was under the impression

that I was here to discuss writing a book about you.

Erm... I'm really not that interesting.

Why would you want to write about a monster like me?

Do you consider yourself to be a monster?

- Well, have you read the paper? - Hmm. Of course.

It truly amazes me, people's attraction to the macabre.

Cos all of us have skeletons

rattling around in our cupboards, y'know?

Secrets they would never dare to tell to anyone.

So, what comes is this flood

of self-righteous public condemnation,

whilst simultaneously, everybody's talking about it,

over and over and over. They're consuming it

and indulging in it, but at arms-length...

- I'm not here to do that. - Meanwhile, I'm left here to rot,

whilst others make profits at my expense.

Listen, if you want some money from this,

I'm sure that we can come to some arrangement.

I don't want... I don't want a penny from this.

I just don't want those poor men exploited.

Well, I'm not here to exploit you

or those 17 young men that you...

15! It was 15.

It wasn't 17, it was 15.

See, now, if you're gonna get your information

from those red-top fuckers, telling lies about me every day,

we might as well say goodbye now, Brian.

I have a responsibility for my story

and theirs to be told correctly.

I also have that responsibility.

I... I have no want to write some two-bit horror novel

with ghoulish adjectives.

I'm not here to elaborate, or expose or excuse.

I'm here to comprehend, because the law cannot comprehend

beyond the question of guilty or innocent.

And how do you propose to do that?

By listening.

I want to know about your upbringing,

your teenage years, your time in the army.

All of it.

Because only by doing that...

do we get the whole picture...

Mr Nilsen.

I must warn you, Brian,

you will find a full inquiry into my life and deeds...

distressing.

I'm aware of that.

Well, then.

I pass the burden of my past and deeds onto your shoulders.

Make sure you bring an extra pack of fags next time, eh?

Oh...

Please, call me Des.

Synced & corrected by QueenMaddie www.addic7ed.com