All language subtitles for Judge John Deed S01E04 Hidden Agenda

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You're too late.

Came as quick as we could.

He's gone, has he?

About two hours ago.

Shouldn't you close
his eyes, Doctor?

- We couldn't just leave the shop.
- It's for the best. He was suffering.

I'll arrange the
death certificate.

There's no need to
contact the coroner.

I'll take those.

There is only one beneficiary
in your uncle's will, Maureen.

Yes, we were always very close.

Oh, no, it's his GP.

He changed it two months
ago in favour of Dr Bellew.

- What?
- You can't be serious. What about Maureen?

Dr Bellew gets everything.

He must have been demented.

He was quite lucid
when he called me in.

Maureen was everything
to him. She was all he had.

What did he leave her?

The cottage, 20-acre fields

and about £300,000 before duty.

You're joking.

I'm surprised it took her as long
as two months before she did him in.

I love this, you know.

- Dad, it's awful.
- It is not.

The first thing any court
will ask, if it gets that far,

is why wouldn't an HIV-positive
mother want her baby tested?

Why doesn't she?

If it's positive, the doctors
will want to treat him.

- Well, I should hope so.
- What, even if he's well?

- Which he is.
- That's for the test to show.

Kate says doctors have
got it all wrong about HIV.

She's managed her own HIV for
10 years without doctors or drugs.

Well, then, she's lucky.

HIV equals AIDS
equals death, doesn't it?

She works at her health.
Lots of exercise, a brilliant diet.

Healthy and pure, no additives,
no animal products, no alcohol.

Sounds like fun.

Can Social Services test the
baby without Kate's consent?

If they could, they would
have done so already.

You coming up to Coventry at
the weekend, to see Grandad?

I'll try, I've got a
stack of work on.

Persuade your friend to have
the baby tested. Then take a view.

We have Dr Bellew back.

The prosecution couldn't locate
the forensic they were after.

Good. I like this doctor.

She's very attractive.

But that wouldn't necessarily mean
she didn't kill her patient, Judge.

My lord, might I ask
for another adjournment

in order for the police to exhume
one of Dr Bellew's former patients?

Well, I suppose it was
worth a try, Mr Phillips.

Unless you want to
risk a retrial, you're

going to have to proceed
with what you've got.

The Crown Prosecution Service was convinced
there was a prima facie case to answer.

Mr Taylor, you run
a hardware shop,

you sit on the local council,
you're a church warden,

a life we might describe as
a service to the community.

If you don't work at community
there wouldn't be any community left.

You work many hours
unpaid on council business?

Yes. More than
the shop, probably.

Now, just so that
the jury understands

that you're not a man
motivated by material needs.

This is important.

The murder on which Dr
Bellew has been indicted

was supposedly
motivated by greed.

£300,000 and the property
the deceased man left to her.

Now, I'm obliged, my lord.

Can you tell us what happened
on the 15th of April this year?

Dr Bellew rang the shop to
say Uncle Reg was poorly.

We'd had similar calls from her.

Maureen didn't want to
go over there without me.

Why was that?

The doctor was often quite rude.

She always seemed
to be judging us.

Why was that? Did she say?

She seemed to think she was
the only one who cared for Reg.

We would do anything
humanly possible.

We couldn't get away when she
called. We were expecting a big delivery.

Well, what happened
when you got to the house?

We found him dead.
It was shocking.

Your wife said that you'd
been expecting this, Mr Taylor.

You still don't know
what to expect.

His eyes were wide
open, sort of in surprise.

Was Dr Bellew still present?

Yes. Sitting in the dark.

- It was really odd.
- Why odd?

She didn't seem at all bothered.

I mean, she made such a thing
about being the one who cared,

she hadn't even
bothered to close his eyes.

What was it that
aroused your suspicions?

There were two empty
phials of diamorphine

and a wrapper from a
hypodermic I found on the bed.

Dr Bellew snatched them from
me and hid them in her pocket.

Hadn't you seen her
use this drug before?

Oh, yes, she'd use
all sorts of drugs,

but mostly through
the pump in his arm.

Do you know if she had
injected the drug before?

No, I don't think so.

But I remember her saying
that he was getting as

much as his heart could
take through the pump.

I'd pointed out
that he was in pain.

Might I continue, my lord?

Um, yes.

Yet you found two empty 30
milligram ampoules of diamorphine.

The autopsy showed a huge
quantity of the drug in his body.

This is something you
discovered later, Mr

Taylor, it couldn't have
aroused your suspicions.

No, it was the two
phials, and her manner.

Her cool indifference
to her deceased patient?

Yes.

Could the doctor have
been upset earlier?

That wasn't my
impression, Your Honour.

What gave you that impression?

Might I remind Your Lordship
that I prosecute the case

and Mrs Mills defends?

And I'm the judge?

Yes, all right, Mr Phillips.

I believe Dr Bellew told you that a
coroner's decision wasn't necessary,

that another doctor would
sign the death certificate.

Yes.

Did she say why
she didn't sign it?

No.

Were you and Mrs Taylor
very close to her uncle?

Yes, we were all he had.

How often did you visit him?

As often as we could.

Maureen couldn't
do enough for him.

So it would not be unreasonable to
expect to be remembered in his will?

Maureen never once
thought about that.

She took care of all his needs.

She couldn't nurse him,
he was in too much pain.

She visited what,
three, four times a week?

I'm not sure.

Or would once a week be nearer?

Once a month?

I'm not sure.

Why is it that neither
the district nurse

nor the Macmillan nurse ever
saw either of you at the house?

Maureen couldn't bear
to see Reg suffering,

it upset her too much.

- Are you calling the nurses?
- I am, my lord.

Mr Taylor,

how did you alert the authorities to
what you suspected about Dr Bellew?

Did you go to the police?

No, I went to the town clerk.

Who is a friend of yours.

We have contact
in any council work.

He sent you to
the police, did he?

No, not directly.

He suggested I have a
word with the coroner.

Who you also know.

Through my council work, yes.

And he appointed a
pathologist, a Dr Smith.

Yes, and alerted the police.

Is that the same Dr Duncan Smith

who carried out the initial
postmortem on Mr Moore,

the same one that sits
with you on the council?

Yes, it is.

Did Dr Duncan Smith carry out
the initial postmortem on Mr Moore?

Are you suggesting wrongdoing
on the part of the coroner, Mrs Mills?

Overzealousness as a result of a
personal relationship with this witness

might better
describe it, my lord.

The pathologist found huge quantities
of morphine in the old boy's body.

If you had grave
suspicions as to the death,

why did it take you
so long to report them?

We didn't like to
trouble Dr Bellew.

Until you learned that she was
Mr Moore's sole beneficiary?

We didn't do it for the money.

I have no further
questions, my lord.

What she did to Uncle
Reg, it's an outrage!

Thank you, Mr Taylor.

What animal is that?
What animal is that?

- Is Mummy being silly?
- Brandon.

Is she?

- Hello, hello.
- Is he laughing?

Steve?

You can't ignore this, Kate.

Miss Rankin, I have
something for you.

I'm a High Court bailiff.
This is a summons to appear.

Why don't you go after real child
abusers and stop harassing us?

Be sensible, your
baby needs to be tested.

Who says?

He's perfectly
well. Look at him.

He may look fine
now, but he'll get ill.

- And what do you know about it?
- Kate, calm down.

If you don't respond,
he'll be taken into care.

Just you try.

Tells you when and
where to go, love.

You will never take
him away from me.

Dr Davis, would you
tell the court what drug

residues you found
in the old man's body?

Large amounts of
an opiate alkaloid,

almost certainly taken
as a commercial painkiller.

Would the liquid morphine,
Hypnoctol, be the likely source?

We identified traces of the
buffers found in Hypnoctol.

The quantity would
indicate a large dose.

- Now, what in your opinion would be...
- Would you tell...

Would you tell the jury what
the buffers in this drug are?

You can't give someone opiate alkaloids
orally, they're too bitter. They gag.

They have to be softened and
supported with other ingredients.

Those are buffers.

Why don't these show up in the
same quantities as the morphine?

They're absorbed
at a much faster rate.

Faster than the
substance that killed him?

Yes, my lord.

Was Mr Moore receiving high
levels of diamorphine for his pain?

Yes, I believe he was.

As much as...

1,000 milligrams by infusion
over a 24-hour period?

I believe so.

That's a huge tolerance.

Can opiate alkaloids
accumulate in the liver

over a long period with
fatal consequences?

No, they don't
build up in the body.

They don't?

Can I refer you to a paper
that you wrote in 1995?

"In patients with poor
liver or kidney function,

"the build-up of toxic metabolites
and neurotoxins in the body

"can have fatal results."

Did you write this?

Yes, I did.

Can these metabolites result
from diamorphine breaking down?

Yes, they can, but
they don't accumulate.

Thank you, Doctor.

Have you since
changed your opinion?

The paper was to provoke
discussion, my lord.

To get GPs to question their
prescribing and what might result.

Is there any foundation
in the statement?

It's a theory.

Most drugs are broken down
in the liver within 24 hours.

The metabolites are usually
broken down in another 24 hours.

Do you want to
come back, Mrs Mills?

Not at this point.

How's your friend with HIV?

Really desperate.

She's been summoned
to appear in court.

Hmm.

- She got a lawyer?
- No.

She doesn't trust them.

She's scared she
won't get a fair hearing.

I think she's
going to ignore it.

Well, if she does, Chas, the Social
Services will get everything they want.

Why don't you go
to court with her?

Be her McKenzie friend.

Get real, Dad. What
advice could I give her?

Well, you could
always ask me, Chas.

I'm fine.

You shouldn't have
bothered, John.

You're not fine, Dad. You
were screaming in pain earlier.

We'll get you through this, Dad.

She shouldn't have bothered you.

Are you staying up?

No, I'm in the middle
of a murder trial.

- I told her not to worry you.
- I'll look back in later, Alice.

I'll see you out.

Grandad,

you promised you'd come
and see me in Sussex.

I'll get rid of this case and we'll spend
some more time together. Eh, Dad?

- I told her...
- She's worried about you, Dad.

He shouldn't have
come rushing up here.

He'll do what he likes, Dad.

Maybe we should take
him away with us for a while.

The doctor says he should
really be back in hospital.

I don't want to go there.

I went in for a new hip...

and came out with all this.

I could barely get you out of
bed and into the bath yesterday.

I think you've been wonderful,
the way you've coped.

Did you tell him, Dad?

Don't bother about that.

Tell me what, Dad?

We'll talk another time,

when I'm well.

I'm a bit tired now.

I'll do that.

You go and sit down.

I haven't forgotten how
to lay a table, you know.

What was it he
wanted to tell me?

Oh, I don't know.

You'll have to ask him.

My lord, with your leave,
the defence calls Dr Bellew.

I treated Mr Moore at
home for nearly six months.

He didn't like hospitals.

He wouldn't go in.

Did his previous GP
refuse to treat him at home?

Yes, he felt the
cancer was too serious.

He refused to treat
anyone at home.

But you didn't mind
doing home visits?

No, some patients
respond better at home.

Were you giving Mr
Moore powerful drugs?

Lots of them, bigger
doses all the time.

With what object, Doctor?

To manage the pain.

Hoping he'd slip away.

Mr Moore was in a
huge amount of pain?

Yes, it got worse as
the cancer spread.

What sort of a relationship
did you have with Mr Moore?

Well...

it depended how
much pain he was in.

Sometimes he'd call me a...

a clumsy bitch, a stupid cow.

- But you still kept going to see him?
- Yes.

Why was that, Doctor?

I couldn't just abandon him.

How conscious was
Mr Moore during this?

Well, the drugs made
him sleepy, but the

pain was so intense,
it didn't let him sleep.

Was he able to make
conscious choices?

Yes.

More drugs, less drugs.

Okay.

On the day Mr Moore died,

can you describe that visit?

I called in after surgery,

late, I had lots of other calls.

I made him tea.

He was in a great deal of pain.

The diamorphine he was
getting wasn't working.

How much diamorphine
was he having?

500 milligrams, BD.

- Bis in die...
- Twice daily.

Yeah, a lot of morphine.

But it didn't free
him from the pain?

No.

I gave him an injection to boost what
he was getting via the syringe drive.

His pain got worse,

so I gave him more diamorphine.

- Intravenously?
- Yes.

Finally, the pain ebbed away.

We had tea and cake.

He was happy.

He said I was his...

best friend.

Wasn't it possible that
you were his best friend?

You saw him the most,
you were kind to him.

It was the drugs talking.

Did you ever think of releasing
Mr Moore from his pain?

- Giving him a lethal overdose?
- Yes.

But then I'd think, well,
maybe he'd get better.

Did you realise that
he was dying that day?

Yes.

Which is why I called Mr Taylor.

But you did nothing about it?

He was an old man with
primary cancer of the lungs,

and massive secondaries
of the bone and liver.

Dr Bellew, what happened
after your patient died?

I said goodbye to him.

I told him I'd miss him.

And then I waited with him for
about an hour, or maybe two.

Until Mr and Mrs Taylor came.

So, after your patient died, you
sat by his bedside for two hours.

Why wait so long?

Isn't this unusual for
such a busy doctor?

Perhaps.

But it takes time to say
goodbye to an old friend.

Especially one who'd
left you all his money?

When did you know
about being left this money?

Well, when the
solicitor wrote to me.

But the Meals On Wheels lady told us
that you knew about being left this money

well before Mr Moore's death.

No, I didn't.

Well, you heard her
evidence, is she a liar?

I wouldn't have thought so.

She said you told her
about being left the money.

No, I might've said
that he wanted to.

Did you know about
his will before his death?

I think he said that he
wanted to make it out to me.

When, precisely,
did you know of the

existence of Mr Moore's
will in your favour?

When the solicitor wrote to me.

But before that he'd
said he'd leave you

something, but he didn't
appear to be wealthy?

Yes, Judge.

Just wanted to clear that
up for the jury, Mr Phillips.

I'm so obliged, my lord.

Did you tell Mr Taylor that there
was no need to inform the coroner?

Yes, it wasn't a
reportable death.

Why didn't you sign
the death certificate?

I didn't have one.

Dr Medalovich was nearby.

Why didn't you sign
the one that he brought?

I... I don't know.

The death certificate reads
"death by natural causes".

Could it be that you didn't
want to endorse the lie?

Well, he did die
of natural causes.

How did you meet Dr Medalovich?

We met in Kosovo, when I
worked for the Red Cross.

Are you and Dr
Medalovich lovers?

We were, in Kosovo.

While he was married?

His wife had disappeared
two years before.

Have you continued to have sexual
relations with him in this country?

- My lord, is this relevant?
- Might be, Mrs Mills.

Dr Bellew?

Yes. We have been
together here, yes.

So you were lovers in Kosovo,

and you resumed the sexual
relationship when he arrived here.

Yes, but we're not
together anymore.

Are you an honest
and reliable doctor?

I try to be.

Did you work at the Mordiford
Hospital in Birmingham in 1990?

Yes.

And while you were
working at that hospital,

did you give a year-old
baby in anaphylactic shock

a massive injection of
adrenaline into its vein,

causing it to die
of a heart attack?

My lord,

Dr Bellew was exonerated
by a subsequent inquiry.

The baby had a weak heart.

I've allowed the prosecution to put the
question, you can re-examine on that.

Dr Bellew?

Yes.

I did kill little
Malcolm Darlow, yes.

I think this might be
a convenient moment.

What's your feeling
on this one, Coop?

Well, I know what yours
is. You think she's not guilty.

I tend to agree.

Where do you disagree?

Her friend signing
the death certificate.

She's human and she's busy.

Not too busy to sit by a
dead man for two hours.

Clerk to Mr Justice Deed.

Yes, miss. It's your sister.

Yes, Alice.

He's lost consciousness, John.

The drugs are making no
difference. Can you come up?

I'm sorry, Dad. I'll
come if you want me to.

No, no, no. You go to court with
your friend. Who's she in front of?

Mr Justice Nivan.

It's only a hearing
about a hearing. If Kate

makes a good case,
Michael might throw it out.

They can't take the baby away, can
they? That's what they're scared of.

She has rights just
like anybody else.

I hope you're right.

- Oh, there's my bus. Give Grandad my love.
- Will do.

Chas, make a case.

The doctor's only just gone.

He's not sure how long he's got.

The infection's getting worse.

Isn't there anything he can do?

He's trying everything.

Dad was in such pain.

That's what scares me.

It just got worse and worse, he
was screaming and screaming.

I'd sooner Rama gave him something to end
it, rather than see him suffer like that.

The case I'm trying at the moment involves
a doctor accused of killing a patient.

Did he?

She.

It's for the jury to decide.

I can understand why she might.

It's terrible seeing
him like that.

He kept calling your name.

The other day when you
said he had something

he wanted to tell me,
do you know what it was?

Alice.

Alice.

Oh, come on.

He should have told you.

The longer he left
it, the harder it got.

You're not his son.

What...

you mean Mum had an affair?

They adopted you.

You're kidding, aren't you?

You didn't say.
Why didn't you say?

I'm sorry.

I'd see you look at him at
times and think, "He must know."

You were always so different,

so clever,

so questioning.

Well, he taught me that!

He used to back me into a
corner intellectually, and...

say, "Don't accept anything,
question everything."

You should have told me.

I'm sorry.

I wanted to, I tried
to, so many times.

He was always too
scared to tell you.

He was so proud of
you going to Oxford.

Getting the highest
marks at bar school.

As time went on, he got
more scared to tell you.

He couldn't bear to
think of losing you.

He was afraid you'd leave
and wouldn't come back.

He was my father. You were
my sister. Mum was my mother, I...

I never felt...

left out.

Why don't you tell him, John?

That's all that matters to him.

Dad.

Nothing changes, Dad.

It was a bit of a
surprise, I mean...

It took you 52 years,
doesn't make any difference.

Might have done...

when I was at Oxford,

for a while, but...

I don't know what I
wanted you to be, just...

not a baker.

I couldn't have
had a better father.

Everything that I
value, you taught me.

So, um...

I don't know if you
can hear me, Dad, but...

thank you.

Have a safe journey, Dad.

As we're informal in
the Family Division,

I think Miss Deed might speak on
behalf of Miss Rankin and Mr Sarasy,

also assist as a
McKenzie friend, bearing in

mind the European
Convention on Human Rights.

Are there any objections
from the council?

The council has no
objections, my lord.

When would the
council want the hearing?

The day after tomorrow,
if convenient, my lord.

There is an increasing danger
to the baby from breastfeeding.

The mother is not breastfeeding
Brandon, my lord. She never has breastfed.

How long would the
parents need to prepare?

A month at least.

The council would be obliged to go
for an Emergency Protection Order

to prevent further abuse.

We're not abusing Brandon.

If we could avoid emotive
language, Mr Parsons.

Two days is as
impractical as a month.

I'm setting this down
for 10 days' time.

With the utmost respect,
my lord, it must be sooner.

There is a real
threat to the baby.

The parents need time
to prepare, Mr Parsons.

- Are you seeking legal representation?
- No. We're not.

I think you'd be advised to. You
must come back here on the 27th.

Kate and Steve are
concerned about who'll

hear this case. The
judge's vested interests.

What vested interests are those?

Well, if the judge's
immediate family were doctors,

or if he took orthodox
views on HIV and AIDS.

Or, if he had, say, financial
interest in pharmaceuticals.

That's a valid concern.

Can we go back to how
you came to be practicing

medicine in this
country, Dr Medalovich?

- You came here in 1997.
- Correct.

And you said that you
hadn't lived here before.

Correct also.

Yet according to the
records of Durham University,

you were here in 1979

studying psychology.

Does that mean that you lied
on your asylum application?

I did not lie.

You omitted to tell
the truth, Doctor.

Is that because you were
deported for shoplifting?

I did not shoplift.

They made a mistake.

Then let us look at
your dubious credentials

as a qualified
medical practitioner.

Are you offering
evidence to support this?

I will show that this witness is unreliable
in a way that puts a question mark

over the view expressed by his
signature on the death certificate.

Unless you have
evidence to challenge his

qualifications, I'm
not going to allow this.

The witness has
proved himself to be a liar

over his entry
here as a refugee.

Well, that's a matter for
Immigration to take up.

I wonder if any of us might not make a
similar omission in similar circumstances?

Dr Medalovich,

were you convicted
of shoplifting in 1979?

I did not shoplift, sir.

That's not what I asked.

No.

The authorities revoked my visa.

Members of the jury,

you must try to disregard the matter of
Dr Medalovich's possible criminal activity.

I will deal with
that in summing up.

You can make what you will of the omission
that he made on his asylum application

or consider his
subsequent actions,

working in an overstretched NHS
and, presumably, doing a good job.

- Mr Phillips.
- On March the 25th this year,

did you order a new
BMW Z3 sports car?

Correct.

That was two full weeks
before Mr Moore's death.

How did you intend
paying for this car?

I hoped out of my salary.

And what does a junior
hospital doctor earn?

Not enough.

Well, this car costs £27,000.

Is it not true that you anticipated paying
for it out of your lover's inheritance?

No.

In return for the helpful
evidence that you gave her?

No.

I tell the truth.

Then we must assume that your
optimism about paying for it deserted you.

You cancelled the car immediately
after Dr Bellew was charged.

Thank you.

Mr Phillips, in my court, counsel will
ask questions, not make speeches.

Further, they will allow the
witness a chance to answer.

I do apologise, my lord.

Well, it's the witness to whom
you owe the apology, not me.

Dr Medalovich, do you want to
comment on what he just said?

She did not kill him.

All right.

Do you want to
come back, Mrs Mills?

If I may, my lord, I'd like
to call an expert witness

for whom notice wasn't
given to my learned friend.

Who is this witness?

Dr Margot Briones, a pathologist who
specialises in toxicity and sudden death.

Does the prosecution
have any objection?

We weren't served with a report.

I have it here.

My lord,

the defence had two
months to come up with this.

He has a point, Mrs Mills. Why wasn't the
prosecution given notice of your witness?

She was leading a
forensic team in Rwanda.

Well, couldn't you
have called someone

equally qualified and
more readily available?

There is no one more qualified.

Is this new evidence
that she will bring forward?

Entirely new.

How long do you need for
background checks, Mr Phillips?

24 hours would be helpful.

Shall we say tomorrow morning?

I can't believe your
doctor friend did that.

Did you know about the car?

No, of course not.

Well, yes.

I mean, not that particular
car. I didn't know about that.

But it's what he does.

He ordered a Porsche
the moment he got his job.

Before that, it was a Mercedes.

He finds them irresistible.

Did he cancel those cars?

Yes.

He hadn't a hope in
hell in paying for them.

Good.

Forget it, Michael.

I'm taking this legal
seminar or I'd do it.

You're the most senior judge
with Family Division experience.

My daughter is
appearing for the parents.

Only as a McKenzie. She'll be able to see
just how interfering you are at first hand.

What, me interfere, Michael?

Complaints from barristers are
legion. All off the record, of course.

No, the only alternative is Mary
Baker and her husband is a consultant.

Well, why not trust
her to be objective?

I think the mother should
have the baby tested.

Don't we all? Thank you, John.

Not with my daughter. They
need proper representa...

Come, Rosie. Come on. Come on.

Would you take it, pro bono?

That's what most of it feels
like working for Legal Aid.

It would be something if they
paid you in under two years.

Well, the human rights
aspect ought to appeal to you.

Little mother against the state.

Sounds like it appeals to you.

Would you like to
come back tonight?

Oh, John, I love
your persistence.

It's so very reassuring.

Is that a yes?

I'll talk to Charlie.

- I was trying to help, Charlie.
- You should have asked me first.

- Jo was available.
- Look, just stay out of it, okay?

They don't want another
lawyer. They want me.

You're emotionally involved.

Anyway, it's now been
set down in front of me.

You still shouldn't
have asked Mrs Mills.

Your friends should count yourselves
lucky. Jo will negotiate a deal.

Get the council to settle
for a non-actionable test.

They don't want a deal.

Well, then they're very
foolish. At least talk to her.

Well, why don't you?
She's your girlfriend!

Dr Briones,

are you the author of Unexplained
Death, A Study In Fatal Pathology?

Yes, I am.

What is fatal
pathology, Dr Briones?

Disease of an organ within the
body structure that leads to death.

Isn't that what all
death is, Doctor?

Death is the cessation
of the heartbeat.

In reality, everyone
dies of a heart attack.

Fatal pathology
is what brings it on.

It could be cancer,
liver failure, a stricture

in the airway or toxins
causing paralysis.

Many causes are
not readily explained.

Would you describe your
book as a standard text?

Well, I suppose
that's what it's become.

It's been a teaching
reference for 20 years.

In your book, in Chapter 5,

Section 3, page 157,

Stasis As A Cause
Of Fatal Toxicity,

you state that

"when the patient
is elderly and suffers

from a condition where
bodily function slows,

"metabolites are retained by the
kidneys or liver with fatal consequences."

Does diamorphine break down
into non-excretable metabolites?

In the elderly, where bodily
functions slow down, yes.

They stick to the molecules
that form the cells of

the liver and the kidney
and can't be eliminated.

Have you examined the
liver of the late Mr Moore?

I did an autopsy.

It's clear there was stasis
in the digestive system,

the blood, the liver
and the kidneys.

His liver had been retaining
large amounts of metabolites

from the morphine sulphate and
diazepam he had been receiving.

The huge doses of morphine he was given
by his GP, intravenously, to ease the pain

combined with that
retained by the liver,

caused first the liver to
fail, and then the heart.

Can there be any
doubt about that, Doctor?

None.

Would a GP be alert to it?

That would depend
on how busy the GP is.

Most are too busy trying
to help people get well.

Or in this case, to
ease the patient's pain.

Would a pathologist be
alert to the possibility?

Well, that would depend
on the pathologist.

We tend to be employed
for a specific purpose.

We're scientists, but we're human
and want to please our employers.

But you tell the
truth just the same?

Well, the older I get

the more I realise there are
many versions of the truth.

I am asked by the defence
team to examine a body.

I try to be objective, as I'm sure
the Home Office pathologist does.

Steve?

Kate!

Get your hands off her!

You can't take him!
You can't take him!

We have a court order to take
the baby for his own protection.

Don't make matters worse, love.

- No, leave him. You can't take him.
- Where are you taking him?

Please don't let them
take my baby. Please!

If you come to the station, they'll
tell you where they're taking him.

Chas, I don't care what sort of
court order the council's obtained,

they're not going
to test the baby.

Don't be stupid.
They'll just do it anyway.

Well, then I'll hold
them in contempt.

All they've got is an Emergency
Protection Order from a magistrate.

Because they thought the
baby was in immediate danger.

And are you sure they
won't just go ahead?

Come on, Chas, have a
bit more faith in the system.

Talk to Jo.

Get her to
consolidate both cases.

I'll hear the new case and
the blood test case in my court.

I'm not going to let anybody
pull a stroke. I promise.

How's Grandad doing?

He's a tough old bird.

He's hanging in there.

I'll see you later.

Dr Briones, is it correct

that all death is the
cessation of the heartbeat?

Yes.

But presumably there are
multiple reasons for this,

- not all of them innocent.
- Yes, by no means innocent.

Might one of those less-than-innocent
reasons be that a doctor

administered a massive
intravenous injection of diamorphine,

knowing that the patient's liver
was already loaded with metabolites

from the opiate alkaloids
that hadn't broken down?

That's hardly something for
this witness to speculate on.

No...

my lord, it is entirely
for the jury to visit.

Thank you, Doctor.

Thank you, Dr Briones,
you can step down.

I'd like to recall the Home
Office pathologist, Dr Davis.

Dr Davis, you're
still under oath.

Do you accept, Dr Davis, that
in Mr Moore's medical condition

the liver may have retained toxic
metabolites, as Dr Briones suggests?

I accept it's a possibility.

You see,

you didn't say as
much in evidence.

Now, Dr Davis,
would you now accept

that toxic metabolites, the
by-product of opiate alkaloids,

built up in Mr Moore as a result
of stasis in various bodily functions

and that this was the probable
cause of death in Mr Moore?

On reflection, I would say yes.

I'd like to see counsel
in my chambers.

Unless I get a compelling
argument, I'm going

to direct the jury
to find her not guilty.

Oh, no way!

My lord, the pathologist's
evidence was credible

but not convincing.

Where are you unconvinced?

Dr Medalovich. The man's a liar.

Oh, come on. He's
struggling for survival here.

Isn't that what
most criminals do?

He was expecting a sports car
out of the deal, at the very least.

It doesn't necessarily follow
that she was going to supply it.

Your own expert
was against you there.

Yes, I... I must admit
that was a bit of a blow.

Well, I'm not hearing anything to persuade
me not to direct the jury to acquit her.

What if the doctor
pleads to manslaughter?

Forget it. She'd be
better off before the jury.

Well, she knew about her
inheritance before the old man's death.

There's no evidence of that.

Jo's witness shut the
door, yours bolted it.

Manslaughter.

After all, she did
give him the injections.

There is no evidence of
gross negligence, Maurice.

CPS thought I'd hammer her.

- They didn't see Dr Briones.
- Exactly.

I suppose I should
have seen that coming.

Oh, fine!

Fine, let's give this
lady a happy ending.

She's suffered enough.

Judge, I... I would
just like to thank you.

God, I'm so sorry.

I'm...

Forgive me.

No, it's your counsellor
you should thank, not me.

No, no. But you set me free.

- Thank you.
- Excuse me.

Well, that should certainly get
the LCD spies reporting back.

Maybe I should give them
something to talk about.

Best not, John.

Annie?

Laurence James.

Is Sir Ian there?

I'll make this as
informal as possible.

I hope we'll all be civil to each
other despite the informality.

Has counsel explained to the parents
that this is a consolidated hearing?

Firstly, about whether
the local authorities should

take Brandon into care
for his own protection,

and then secondly,

whether they can carry out a
test to find out if he's HIV-positive?

The parents
understand both actions.

And do you understand
who speaks for whom?

Miss Wort for the baby, and
Mr Parsons for the council.

And do you understand that
these cases are entirely separate

and that one doesn't necessarily
fall because of the other?

If the council fails
in the first case,

they may not necessarily
fail in the second.

Yeah, we understand,

but we didn't do
anything to harm Brandon.

Yeah, okay.

We'll hear that in evidence.

Is the baby here at court?

No, my lord. He's
with the foster mother.

I don't think that's entirely
satisfactory, Miss Wort.

Could you arrange to
have the baby brought

here and given to the
mother for the duration?

But that puts the baby at risk.

I thought I was the judge here.

Your statement presumes
that the baby is at

risk. I'll determine
whether he is or not.

Let's have the
baby brought here.

Are the expert
witnesses available?

They are, my lord.

The parents have no expert witnesses,
but the mother offers herself as such.

And to what extent is
she an expert, Mrs Mills?

Well, as someone who has managed
her own HIV successfully for 10 years,

she feels herself
highly qualified.

All right.

I'll accept her
expertise on advice.

- Mr Parsons, ready for the council?
- Yes, my lord.

Our case is entirely medical.

We infer nothing about the lifestyle
of the parents, who are unmarried.

The first action was
entered in the family court

because the council
felt it entirely appropriate

to ascertain if the
nine-month-old baby

of an HIV mother was infected.

The second

resulted out of an incident
reported by the baby's GP.

She felt the baby to
be seriously at risk.

An Emergency Protection
Order was then sought.

Kate and Steve are close,
loving, responsible parents.

Steve is a computer programmer

and Kate is a mature student
reading Theoretical Physics.

There are two central issues.

First, forcing a test on
a nine-month-old baby,

without evidence of illness,

against the parents' wishes

contravenes Section 10 of the
European Convention of Human Rights.

Secondly, we would argue that the mother's
scrupulous maintenance of her health

in spite of this persisting
medical condition

in no way puts the baby at risk.

Would you state your
name and occupation?

Gail Smith, GP at the
Wayley Street Health Centre.

How long have you known Miss
Rankin, Mr Sarasy and their baby?

Approximately eight weeks.

The mother came in to register the
baby when he developed eczema.

Was it then you learnt she was an
HIV-positive mother breastfeeding her baby

and contacted the council?

I don't breastfeed.
I told her I didn't.

Have you ever breastfed
your baby, Miss Rankin?

No. I couldn't.

But even if I could, I wouldn't.

It wouldn't be responsible.

Mr Parsons?

My Lord, the council had
reason to suspect otherwise.

Well, doubtless, we will hear
these reasons at some point.

Can you tell us, Doctor,

why you contacted the council
about this HIV-positive mother?

I called at the home Miss Rankin shares
with her partner one evening last week

to once again try and persuade
her to have Brandon tested.

I found that Kate had a deep cut
to her hand, the baby had eczema,

I thought there was a real risk she
could infect the baby with her blood.

What statistics are
available for HIV-positive

mothers to so
infect their babies?

I really don't know.

Do you have any other patients who
have infected their babies in this way?

No, but that doesn't
mean it couldn't happen.

Do you know of actual infections
occurring this way, Doctor?

Only what I've read in journals.

I see. So how did you
assess the risk to Brandon?

I spoke to one of the
partners in our health centre.

Is he or she an expert in HIV?

No. We're GPs.

Would it be true to say, Doctor,

that in Kate Rankin you found
a highly intelligent young mother

who knew an awful lot more than you, not
only about her illness which she treats,

but an awful lot more than
you generally about this illness?

She is intelligent.

She's also arrogant
and foolhardy.

She beat 300 other
applicants for funding

for a place on one of the top
Theoretical Physics courses in the country.

She is highly informed about health
issues and the pitfalls of treatment.

Did you feel threatened
by this superior knowledge?

No.

Isn't that why you
approached the council?

Mrs Mills, are you wishing to
turn this into a hostile action?

Kate and Steve feel that
this doctor and the council

are being hostile
towards their baby.

And the council may
be acting in a way that

experience tells them
is best for the baby.

Do you wish to say
anything else, Doctor?

Well, I didn't feel threatened.

We tried to negotiate with her.

You can't treat something
as complex as HIV with

alternatives, as she
seems to be suggesting.

You can.

Yes. We will be coming
to you, Miss Rankin.

Thank you, Doctor.

I think that might be a
convenient place to stop.

My lord,

is the baby to be returned to
the foster mother for the night?

I think I am honour-bound
to do so, yes.

How could you let the
baby go back like that?

Chas, you know better
than to approach me like this.

I at least thought
you'd be decent.

Chas, please stop this now.

Great, just give
them everything!

Oh, fine. Reason fails, walk
out. What a perfect argument.

Do women drive
you crazy, Stephen?

All the time, Judge.

A lady asked me
to give you this.

Anyone nice?

Mmm.

That good?

- You gave the council a really easy time.
- Yeah, Charlie's been on my case already.

I had an invite from
your client, Dr Bellew.

Ex-client.

You directed the jury
to acquit her, remember?

I have no need to continue that
relationship, and nor must you.

She's invited me to dinner.

Yeah, well, she can
certainly afford it now.

John, it could be
career suicide if you do.

She was wholly innocent.

Yeah, well, that's not
what the LCD spies will see.

You'd be playing
straight into their hands.

Ooh.

Then maybe you should
save me from myself.

Someone ought to.

- I must go.
- Bye.

Judge.

I wanted to see you.

This is not a good idea.

- Yeah, but I just wanted to say thank you.
- You already have, Dr Bellew.

My name is Helena.

Can I talk to you in private?

Deed actually met
this woman socially?

In the wine bar. She's
been sending him notes.

It's a gross breech
of judicial etiquette.

He acquitted her on a direction.

Are we sure she
is not pursuing him?

To be certain, we'd
need to have him followed.

Is that the only way?

Much as I'd welcome
Deed's fall from grace...

For His Lordship's
own protection,

it might be prudent, Sir Ian.

That's to invite
scandal of another kind.

I'd better take some
serious legal advice on this.

I would like to
call Dr Capstick.

It seems sensible, my lord, to
have the medical experts together.

Yes, that does seem
like a good idea.

The risk to a small
baby of a mother infecting

him with HIV mustn't
be over-exaggerated,

but it is very real.

Is there any way of knowing if
the baby is HIV without testing?

We could wait until it gets ill from
the various AIDS-related problems.

If the baby were found
to be HIV-positive,

you would do what?

Treat him prophylactically with
Septrin and protease inhibitors.

To do what?

To prevent progression
to full-blown AIDS.

Thank you.

How long would such
treatment last for?

For the rest of its life.

To prevent, as I said,
the progression into AIDS.

- Dr Capstick, have you seen this baby?
- Yes, I have.

Apart from a little eczema in the
form of a nappy rash, he's very healthy.

Are there side effects
to this treatment,

the treatment you would
give to the baby were he HIV?

Of course, but minor
compared with AIDS.

Do all HIV-positive
people develop AIDS?

Certainly not under my regime.

There are long-term survivors,
who we call non-progressors.

They have rejected
treatments, like Kate.

The sort of health regime
Kate Rankin has adopted,

is it likely to help her

fight the onset of any
AIDS-related illness?

I believe she practises
yoga, meditates,

has a healthy vegetarian diet and
has herself treated with herbal therapies.

All these things would help.

But it would be foolish to
suggest that this alone is enough.

Despite the apparent
good health of Brandon,

you would still treat him
against the mother's wishes?

We do what we know to be right.

Isn't that medical
dogma, Doctor?

The exercise of your opinion against
the equally valid opinion of the mother?

The mother's view
is entirely emotional.

That's what mothers are like, Doctor,
when we fight for what we hold most sacred,

the lives of our babies.

Ah, Ian, I'm so sorry.

That PVS hearing took far
longer than any of us expected.

Has Frederick
offered you a sherry?

The health system is throwing up a
lot of persistent vegetative state cases.

Science keeps the old motor
running long after the ghost has left.

"Thou shalt not kill; but needst
not strive Officiously to keep alive."

Arthur Hugh Clough in
The Latest Decalogue.

Now that these civil service examinations
have become so risibly easy, Ian,

I daresay you're getting a number
of PVSs amongst your own staff.

- Oh yes, sit down.
- Thank you.

We might have a little
local difficulty, Joe.

We are taking soundings for
Lords Justice appointments.

There is a school of opinion
favouring your former son-in-law.

What? It can't happen.

The baker's dust of his
childhood has barely left his jacket.

His liberal and humane concerns
have resonated in the media

and in influential
political circles.

The Lord Chancellor feels he
should be on the list for consideration.

He's hardly been on the
bench for five minutes!

And, well, what have we seen?

He uses our common law heritage

as if it were plasticine
from which to mould justice

in accordance with
his own warped notions.

I was on the bench seven years before
I was elevated to the Court of Appeal.

- I take it you're against it.
- No.

Neither I, nor my brethren will allow
Deed to ascend to the appellate bench.

His rise would precipitate discomfort
in quarters well beyond this corridor.

Surely you simply have
to advise that he is...

unsuitable.

Ordinarily, I would so
advise the Lord Chancellor.

Yet I have reason to despise that
wretched man far longer than you have.

A newspaper recently referred
to Deed's judgements as

"the law with justice
flowing through its veins".

What?

A picture of an altogether more
sinister character is what is needed.

I take it you have some means
of revealing that character?

I have, Joe.

What I urgently need to know is
how sound my move might be legally.

For obvious reasons, I can't take
advice from our people in the department.

You intrigue me.

That young couple must
be breaking their hearts.

Give me a break.

I got Charlie and Mrs Mills
on my back about this one.

Dr Bellew left another of
these at the reception desk.

- She's very persistent.
- And possibly dangerous.

I'll alert security to stop her
entering the building, my lord.

Yeah, okay, that
might be the best...

thing to do.

Excuse me, Sir John.

There is a woman at
the gate asking for you.

She says it's urgent.

Who is she?

A Dr Bellew, my lord.

She seems rather emotional.

Yes, she is, very.

Ask Stephen to deal
with her, will you?

Your policeman is off duty, sir.

Did she say what it was about?

Only that it's
imperative she sees you.

I could call the police, sir.

You didn't leave her standing
out in the rain, did you?

I cannot admit
unannounced visitors, my lord.

Let her in before she drowns.

Dr Bellew, my lord.

- God, you're absolutely soaked.
- I'm sorry about this.

I'm... I'm sorry.

Mr Johnson, would
you get the doctor some

coffee and brandy, please?
Let me take your mac.

You know, I could get into serious
trouble just letting you in here.

You really must stop
pursuing me like this.

I'm sorry, I tried
not to come here.

I thought I'd go to the
police or my solicitor, but...

you're the only one I trust.

What I have to say,
I can't say in a letter.

Sit down.

My lord, Sir Ian Rochester wonders if
you might spare him a moment in his office

at adjournment.

Concerning what, Mr James?

This is a matter
for Sir Ian, my lord.

We believe it
concerns Dr Bellew.

Then the mountain might
have to come to Mohammed.

Do they watch my every
move? What is it about me?

Do you really want
me to tell you, Judge?

- Mrs Mills, Judge.
- Thanks, Coop.

Breakfast in His
Lordship's chambers.

Do you want to give
yourself a reputation?

Dr Bellew came to
my digs last night.

Well, it was just
a matter of time.

Lord Chancellor's
people know about it.

What do you want from
me, a character reference?

That is not the problem.

Well, it couldn't get worse.

Jo, please, I've had a
really sleepless night.

That's what you
wanted, presumably.

She claims to have
murdered the old man.

It's not possible.

She says he was in terrible pain
and he pleaded with her to end it.

His pain or his life?

She gave him four ampoules
of diamorphine, not two.

- Did she know about the will?
- Says she didn't.

Are you going to
inform the police?

What for? We
can't try her again.

They might want to dig up
some of her dead patients.

The Lord Chancellor's
people think they've caught you

in the worst possible
circumstances with this doctor.

Was there such a
circumstance, John?

No, of course not.

Well, then, you simply tell
them what you've discovered.

And there the matter ends as
far as the LCD are concerned.

What's your gut
feeling on this, Jo?

I still think she's innocent. I think
your direction to acquit was right.

Yeah, maybe.

John.

What a dilemma.

I don't know what's
happened to Steve.

He had to go and pick
up a recorded delivery.

Well, he knows we need
him in court with you.

I want you to be clear about your
evidence. Try to be calm and unemotional.

How can I be if
they take Brandon?

Well, you're a good mother, Kate. All
we have to do is impress that on the judge.

I don't think they've made
a case about the risks.

Supposing he won't
let me have him?

It's going really well. Come on.

- Kate.
- Steve, what happened?

The letter's from the
Edinburgh Health Authority.

They found Frankie's
health records.

They want to know
where Brandon is.

They've contacted the
local health authority here.

But they can't.
They can't, not now.

- I know.
- It's not fair.

- I know.
- Miss Rankin?

- Come on. Come on, we can do this.
- Yeah.

Hello.

He's great.

You okay? Do you want a delay?

Not unless you
can delay it forever.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
Can we take our seats, please?

The conventional wisdom is that if you are
HIV-positive and you don't seek treatment,

then you are likely to
develop full-blown AIDS.

Why have you avoided treatment?

I saw some of my friends
who had it die quite quickly.

They had all been pushed into
the medical treatment system.

I became infected
from a blood transfusion

so I wasn't keen to go
back into the system.

Somehow, I worked out that...

if you treat a person with HIV
without any symptoms, it's like...

it's like voodoo.

Tell someone they have a fatal illness
and they'll almost certainly develop it.

I don't believe doctors go about treating
the problem in the right way at all.

I don't believe they even know
what they're looking for, and then,

when they think they've found it they
start bombarding the immune system

as though it were separate
from the whole person,

while that person continues to do all the
things that compromise the immune system,

such as bad diet,
stress, bad attitude...

- drug taking.
- So, you've kept yourself in good health.

Yes, I've tried
to. I think it works.

If your child were to
prove HIV-positive,

would it be your intention not to seek
orthodox medical treatment for him?

He's not HIV.

I know he's not.

But if he were, I would
keep him well my way.

Miss Rankin, when you
consulted a doctor on your

condition, how long did
he say you might live for?

- 10 years.
- How long ago was that?

About 10 years ago.

So, to put it indelicately, Miss Rankin,
if the medical prognosis is correct,

you could die tomorrow,

and your baby could expect to
live about the same length of time.

To put it indelicately,
you're pretty stupid.

Miss Rankin, I understand
that you're feeling...

He doesn't know the first thing

about HIV or related illnesses.

You don't just drop dead. There
is a long period of poor health.

I am not going to die. And
nor is my baby. He is not.

I have no further questions.

Thank you, Miss Rankin.

I think this might be a convenient
moment to adjourn for lunch.

My lord, should the baby go back to
the foster mother for the adjournment?

No, I think we can trust
the parents over lunch.

There's no other way out.
The nursery doors are alarmed.

- What about the loo windows?
- Barred.

The security doors are
the only way out. We

have to do it soon
before the court sits again.

But they're watching us.

Kate, we could lose him forever.

How could you live with
that, if we don't at least try?

- I'm scared.
- So am I.

Come on, let's do it.

Kate, there is a way to cut the
ground right from under the council.

- If you agree to a test...
- No.

Let me finish.

If he tests positive we
can ask the judge to stop

the council forcing you
to seek treatment for him

- under the Human Rights Act.
- No, we can't.

Well, why not, if you don't
have to get him treated?

One small pinprick
and it's all over.

They'll find out
he's not our baby.

What?

You can't be serious.

Whose baby is he?

The real mother died
when he was eight weeks

old. We've looked
after him ever since.

- You mean you just took him?
- No.

His mum died of breast cancer.

I mean, that was the start.
By the end, it was all over her.

I met her at the healer's. We had Brandon
while she was in and out of hospital.

We grew very attached to him.

There wasn't anybody else,
Frankie had no parents or siblings.

I kept thinking someone would
come for him, but they never did.

Then I got my place at
university and we came down here.

Did she will you the baby, make
you the testamentary guardian?

Well, yeah, sort of.

She wanted to, but she
died before she could.

That's not enough, Kate.

You don't have the
right to keep him.

She wanted me to
have him, she did.

I'm an officer of the court,
I can't simply ignore this.

You can't let them take the
baby away, Jo, you... They can't.

They can and they will.

Charlie, I can't just unhear this, I
wish I could, I have to inform the court.

I'm sorry.

It's okay, it's okay.

You coming to see me?

Oh, Chas, darling.

Come on. Your friend's
evidence was very impressive.

Coop, could you get
us some tea, please?

Well, you're due
in court, Judge.

They're not going to
start without me, are they?

I don't want tea, thanks.

Well, let's talk
anyway, come on.

Charlie, you don't need me
to tell you what this means.

I'm bound to sanction the
child's removal into care.

But no one could care for the
baby like Kate and Steve do.

Do you really think foster
parents would be more caring?

Probably not, but under
the law they have no rights.

You can change
that, Dad. You can.

Oh, Chas.

I love your optimism about
what I can and can't do.

And the law says if
you're not related and have

lived with the baby for
less than three years,

you have no legal claim.

Well, how could they? The
baby's only nine months old.

One right they might have is to
foster baby Brandon themselves.

It's a start.

But the local
council has to agree.

I can't steamroller
through this one, Chas.

Why not?

You act like Spider-Man
most of the other times.

It's in statute is why, Chas.

Their not being the child's
natural parents changes everything.

When you found out Grandad wasn't your real
father, did it make a difference to you?

My lord,

there's something I've just learned
that entirely changes the nature...

Before you go on,
Mrs Mills, I'm going to

adjourn for 48 hours
while I do some research.

No, my lord, I mean, with respect, my lord,
the matter is of the utmost importance.

Well, I fail to see why, Mr
Parsons, with Brandon in care.

Is the baby to continue
in care, my lord?

Yes, I think that
might be best, but the

parents are to have
reasonable access to him.

48 hours.

Do we have a problem that
requires a stenographer?

My concern is that the
department isn't embarrassed.

Well, be brief.

It's come to the department's attention
that you had at your lodgings last night

a defendant you had recently
directed the jury to acquit of murder.

Well, you've got
me bang to rights.

You know that sense of propriety
dictates it should never happen.

- The lodgings butler was present.
- The whole two and a half hours

she was observed entering
and leaving your rooms?

These were extenuating
circumstances.

She was observed
passing you notes.

I often get letters from
people I've acquitted.

With whom His Lordship
subsequently has contact?

These were exceptional
circumstances.

- Yes, I gather she's very attractive.
- Yeah, a real looker.

Your department will be very embarrassed
if I go public about your spying on me.

I'm trying to protect
your reputation, my lord.

Will you undertake not
to see this woman again?

Nope. On principle.

I didn't think High Court
judges were answerable

to civil servants. Now,
if you'll excuse me.

I had hoped to dispose
of this informally.

I find this most
regrettable, Sir John.

My God, this is a baker's son.

You promised to rid me of him.

Thank you, Mrs Laynen.

These are the papers
from Dr Bellew's trial, Judge.

- I'll get the rest.
- Thank you, Mr Harrison.

Thanks, Coop.

- Could you...
- Just get you some coffee.

Coffee.

- You look terrible.
- Thank you.

- Mrs Cooper says you've been up all night.
- I have.

- In a good cause.
- Helena Bellew?

Partly.

I really needed to know did I
get it wrong when I acquitted her?

I don't think so.

You saw her drugs
records in evidence.

You saw that she only signed out
two, not four, ampoules of diamorphine.

Doesn't mean to say that she couldn't
have got two more from somewhere else.

Maybe.

I've been reading about
false confession syndrome,

you know, you keep coming
across the same thing.

People need to be punished,
they need to be seen to be guilty.

Well, it figures with her.

She told me she still
dreams about the baby she's

supposed to have
killed all those years ago.

The thing is, John, is that no one
will ever know about old Mr Moore.

So stop beating yourself
up about it and move on.

Okay. Baby Brandon.

Well, if the council know
what I think you know,

you're going to have
to grant the care order.

Oh, they know, all right.

They asked for an order without
notice hearing this morning.

Well, I hope you'll
insist it's inter partes.

No. Don't want
the parents there.

If they are, I shall have to question
them directly about baby Brandon.

John, I hope you're not
thinking what I think you are.

Well, it's legal, just. Provided
I don't find against the parents.

- No, I'm not here, I don't want to know.
- Hang on.

- Dr Briones still in the country?
- I'll find out.

- We could just take him and run.
- Kate, we've talked about this.

We're fitter than they
are, Steve. We are.

Be sensible.

Hello. Hello, my darling.

You mustn't get
out of our sight.

It's all right. We're not
gonna run off with him.

It wouldn't do any good, anyway.

- We know about his real mum.
- Come on.

- It's okay.
- Steve.

It is a matter of grave urgency, my
lord. The council has reason to believe

that Miss Rankin and Mr Sarasy
are not the real parents of Brandon.

It seems their reluctance
to have the baby tested

was merely a ploy to
prevent their unmasking.

They have since learned that the
mother was one Frankie McWilliams.

Is there evidence of it?

I have Miss McWilliams'
death certificate

and the baby's
birth certificate.

Well, all this tells me is that a
woman died and a baby was born.

That's why we must have
a paternity test, my lord.

That's what this hearing
is about, Mr Parsons,

I had adjourned the
hearing for 48 hours.

It was a very fortuitous
adjournment, my lord.

We will resume the
hearing this afternoon. Mr

Harrison, if you could
notify the other side.

Meanwhile, this
application is denied.

Charlie, wherever you
are, call me. It's urgent.

Isn't she great?

- She's my daughter substitute.
- She's very beautiful.

The doctor on whose
behalf you gave evidence

now claims to have
murdered the old man.

Good heavens.

Well, only she and God know.

Could she have
killed him intentionally?

- Did I get it wrong?
- No.

She said she gave him
four ampoules, not two.

The old man's liver was loaded
with opiate alkaloid metabolites.

Almost any additional amounts of
morphine could have caused fatal pathology.

Doesn't help me very much. She
could still have intended to kill him.

I'm a pathologist. You
should talk to a psychiatrist.

I don't want to talk to
somebody who's going

to tell me what they
think I need to hear.

If it helps, I've
seen this before.

She's the sort of doctor who blames
herself for anything and everything.

I knew another one like that.

In the end it stopped
me being a useful doctor.

A long time ago, a
baby in her care died.

She was cleared
of any wrongdoing.

She still feels she
should be punished for it.

- She substituted the old man for the baby?
- I'll tell you what I think.

She gave the old man
half a 30 milligram ampoule

and then another half, then half of
the second 30 milligram ampoule,

then the final half.

You could convince yourself
that was four, if you were in a state.

Hmm.

You're a very unusual
judge, doing this.

Why don't you just move on?

Do you know you're the second
person today who's told me that?

Well, how many more do you need?

Dr Bellew.

- Do you know who this is, Doctor?
- Yes, of course.

Could you come to my
chambers? I want to talk to you.

Oh, but I thought...

Maybe I'm being paranoid, but
I think someone's following me.

No, you're not being
paranoid, you are being

followed. It's the Lord
Chancellor's security people.

Hang on. Can you wait a minute?

Don't worry, come to the rear
entrance and I'll tell security.

I wonder if you could
do something for me?

Chas, we have to move fast if I'm to be
Spider-Man. Can you get here right away?

Mr James? Dr Bellew
has just arrived at the court.

Okay? Yeah?

I'm just going to
change Brandon.

No, it's all right. She
can't go anywhere.

Ready with your closing
argument, Mrs Mills?

Uh, yes, my lord.

Can you hold him
for just two seconds?

My lord, the conflict hinges on whether
Kate and Steve are good parents,

and if, by refusing
the current test for HIV,

they're shown to be lesser parents
than if they had done otherwise.

I'm waiting for someone.

I'm waiting for someone.

In actions such as this, there
are never any real winners,

simply a ruling
favouring one side.

I'm reminded of the judgement
of Solomon in Kings 3.

Faced with two women fighting
over which was the rightful mother,

Solomon threatened to cut
the child in two with a sword.

One of the women instantly gave up
her claim in order to protect the child,

and her compassion caused Solomon
to declare that she was the rightful mother

and he was recognised
as a great judge.

I'm not convinced by
either party's argument.

Whilst accepting that there
are merits in both, it is clear

that Kate and Steve are
parents of the highest order.

In resisting the council, they have chosen
not to presuppose a medical condition

that we pray does not exist.

That is a wholly
tenable position to adopt.

It is not, however, one
that I entirely support.

The council, for its part, has acted
honourably in bringing this action,

though a few more hard facts to support
their case might have been welcome.

So I am going to strike down
the Emergency Protection Order

because it is perfectly clear that Kate
and Steve are the right and proper people

to take care of Brandon.

But I am going to uphold the council's
application to have Brandon tested for HIV,

as this current state of uncertainty
cannot be allowed to continue.

With respect, my lord, might we
do that as a matter of urgency?

How soon would you
propose to do this, Mr Parsons?

Well, immediately. The council does have
Dr Smith standing by to take a blood test.

Then it seems
sensible to proceed.

- Can we take the child?
- Yes.

- I think she needs changing.
- She?

- It's not Brandon.
- Really?

Where's Brandon?

Where were you? I panicked
when you weren't there.

- Were you followed?
- I'm not sure. I was too scared to look.

Well, it worked. Just like
Charlie's dad said it would.

Hello, gorgeous.
Come on, gorgeous.

- Ooh, where's your mummy?
- Dad, you were brilliant.

- You really are Spider-Man.
- Why, thank you.

Kate needs three uninterrupted
years of looking after Brandon.

Then she can come home
and make a care application.

I'll reserve the
case for myself.

That's her.

- Are you sure?
- It's Dr Bellew.

Would you return these with
our thanks, Stephen? Thank you.

Yes! We've got him.

- When will you be back, my lord?
- We'll let you know.

It's not her.

Thank you.

John, where did you
say we were going?

Le Touquet for dinner.

No, John, tea.

Let's try Bournemouth. I
have to be back this evening.

- Bournemouth?
- I'm serious!

Oh. Okay, tea. MILLS: Tea.

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