Original subtitles

My mum was Tommy's sister.

My dad was... been... a police officer.

By the time of our inquiry in 2015,

Thurwell had taken early retirement,

believed to be living in Spain.

Two dead, sir.

Marcus Thurwell, Senora Thurwell.

You want to talk about rats, ask your boss.

Superintendent Hastings?

He told me there was a rat in our crew.

That rat turned out to be an undercover copper,

John Corbett.

I think I've found the real reason the Gaffer gave

50 grand to Steph Corbett.

Superintendent Hastings

has been informed of his impending retirement.

We have identified

a number of high-ranking figures

in a clandestine network of corrupt police officers.

This force has detected no evidence of

institutionalised corruption.

We are so close to breaking open Operation Lighthouse

and OCG involvement in Gail Vella's murder!

The case Gail Vella was researching

at the time of her death was the murder

of Lawrence Christopher.

That was, what, 20 years ago?

I've been looking into all the officers that were

involved in the Lawrence Christopher murder inquiry.

Detective Constable Ian Buckells,

Inspector Philip Osborne.

Sorry, wrong way.

Not only does this force face enemies without,

there are enemies within.

I will personally see to it those enemies within

are made to suffer the consequences.

And later that same day

you visited Lee Banks, an OCG member

on remand in Blackthorn prison.

Yes. To harvest information on the OCG.

When DS Arnott quite rightly

did not deploy lethal force against John Corbett,

did you take matters into your own hands

and disclose to Lee Banks

that John Corbett was an undercover police officer...

-No, I did not. -disclosing this information

with the expectation

that it would be passed on to the OCG?

-No.

The stuff he's hiding,

I never thought I'd look at the Gaffer like this.

He knows his time's nearly up.

He's been slated for retirement.

Shit.

I've been waiting for the right time to tell you.

Maybe we should let sleeping dogs lie.

Come off it, Steve.

How many times have we criticised coppers

that took retirement to dodge disciplinary action?

You got anything more from Steph Corbett?

No, I think about asking her.

She's got a right to know what happened to her husband.

Maybe she already does?

She might be blackmailing the Gaffer.

Steph? No.

You seem pretty sure.

What?

-We've become... -Oh, for Christ's sake, Steve!

It's not like that, mate.

-It's different.

She's a Person of Interest.

Chris.

Yeah, we'll be right there.

GPR detected a strong subsurface diffractor

and I gave a go-ahead for a dig

which revealed a strong box of the type

detected at the abandoned printshop.

Nice one, Chris. -Thanks, Ma'am.

Let's get EOD to rule out booby traps,

then proceed to forensic recovery.

Sir.

Let's find out what's in there.

Alright if I call you Steve?

Fine.

It's taken a while to organise his consultation.

Are you able to tell me why that might be, Steve?

Just work, sorry.

In the medical declaration form that you submitted

at the time of your urine sampling, you listed

a number of over-the-counter painkillers.

Uh, for what condition?

Hurt my knee at five-a-side.

My shoulder was squash.

SMTU detected levels of metabolites in your urine,

consistent with the ingestion

of very high doses of analgesics.

In April 2017,

you suffered a serious assault whilst on duty.

I'm fully recovered.

Recently been involved in an operation

in which a number of suspects have been killed.

One having been shot dead by you

and one of your colleagues,

PS Ruby Jones, lost her life.

Yeah.

That's not the first time you've witnessed

a colleague's violent death.

DCI Tony Gates was killed in a road traffic collision.

DC Georgia Trotman, your partner

was thrown from a window...

-Where you going with this? -Steve...

I'm satisfied that none of the substances

you've been taking are illegal.

This is purely about your welfare.

I'm here to help, not judge.

You might benefit from some time off work.

No.

No way. I'm in the middle of a massive case.

Do your duties routinely involved firearms

or high-speed pursuit driving?

Sometimes.

Normally, in this situation, we suggest that the officer

voluntarily surrenders their blue ticket.

Otherwise, I'm obliged to report you to Head of Firearms

who will then remove your firearms license.

-Okay. -Thank you.

So I'd like you to have some medical investigations

and then review you with the results.

Can we agree on that?

Fine.

I'm also obliged to inform your commanding officer.

Yeah.

Steve?

I want you to hear it from me first, sir.

I'm under medical review.

The drugs testing found high doses of painkillers.

Yeah, well...

I'm just glad you're getting some help with it, son.

If there's anything I can do just let me know.

Thank you very much, Sir.

Yeah.

Take your time, take your time.

You're doing well, Jo.

So, Tommy hid from you he was your real father?

Yes.

Who did you believe was your father?

This person,

did he control you the same way Tommy Hunter did?

-This person,

Did he control you the same way Tommy Hunter did?

You have one new message.

Steve, it's Steph.

God, I hate these message thingy's.

It's just I ain't heard from you in a while.

I hope you're alright.

Coppers wife me, I can't help but worry.

That's it really, bye.

Thanks, guys. Sure, Sarge.

So the excavation detected a strongbox.

The contents of the box are itemised as follows.

KL-2. A non-standard pistol,

believed to be workshopped from a decommissioned firearm.

NABIS have matched the pistol

to the tailored cartridge and bullet

recovered from the scene of Gail Vella's murder.

Almost certainly,

this is the weapon that fired the fatal shot.

-Fingerprints? DNA? -No. It was clean.

Almost certainly the gunman was wearing gloves.

KL-4, KL-5,

gloves and a black bomber jacket.

Both items bear blood spatter and gunshot residue.

The blood is Gail Vella's.

-DNA inside the gloves? -Yes, Ma'am.

Sweat deposits inside the gloves

matched DNA belonging to Carl Banks.

-Got the bastard. -Yes sir.

We can match Banks to the gloves

and the gloves to Gail Vella's murder.

He's the shooter.

Any of it related to Terry Boyle?

No Sir, nothing.

Great. Next.

GN-1.

I'm sorry to be the bearer of distressing news.

This knife is stained with the blood of an AC-12 officer,

PC Maneet Bindra.

Fingerprints on the handle match Ryan Pilkington.

GN-2.

This knife is stained with the blood of DS John Corbett.

Fingerprints on the handle match Ryan Pilkington.

GN-3.

This knife is stained with the blood of Jackie Laverty.

Fingerprints on the handle

match a deceased police officer,

DCI Tony Gates.

Gates told me the OCG slit Jackie's throat

and while he was incapacitated

they put his hand on the knife.

They blackmailed him with the threat of releasing

Jackie's body and the murder weapon.

That's why all these items were retained.

They're leverage, going back years,

right up to it being a threat to Ryan Pilkington.

Anything else?

Any items related to one or more of the following?

Marcus Thurwell, Ian Buckells.

No, nothing.

Philip Osborne.

The Chief Constable?

What?

Great work, you two. Great work.

Cast-iron proof

that Carl Banks murdered Gail Vella.

I've got a call later with the Crown Prosecutor.

I'm sure we can persuade them to withdraw proceedings

against Terry Boyle.

Great.

Well, that's the least we can do for the wee fella.

Any updates from Spain?

They formally identified the bodies found at the villa.

They are Marcus Thurwell and his wife.

Both have been strangled.

And from the extent of decomposition,

they'd been dead a few weeks.

A search of the property detected equipment

used for routing digital communications

with an IP address

matching the ones detected on devices

belonging to Jo Davidson and Lisa McQueen.

From the evidence gathered by Spanish authorities,

Cybercrime are still trying to trace

all end-user IP addresses

but initial work suggests they're located in the UK.

Oh, so the communication originated here?

Exactly.

So, Spain is a decoy.

Thurwell's a stooge.

Jesus!

Have you seen Superintendent Hastings?

Yes, he's just through there.

-Sir. Huh?

-Sorry to barge in. -What have we got?

I knew you'd want to see this straight away.

We've been monitoring messages being routed via Spain.

This is a screenshot of a text exchange

we intercepted a few minutes ago.

We're working on identifying the IP addresses.

JD. Jo Davidson.

BP. Brentiss prison.

I thought you put Davidson on elevated monitoring.

Yeah, but we can't take the chance

that that's gonna work out.

Look at the spelling of "definitely."

This is the Fourth Man. Chloe,

all these new files have come in,

Operation Lighthouse, Lawrence Christopher...

I want you to carry out a search

on this spelling against anybody

that we haven't previously investigated.

But good work.

-Steve, Kate, with me. Sir.

Stand away from the door.

Production Order.

Post-charge interview. Hillside Lane.

What's going on?

Alpha Charlie One Zero, en route to Brentiss,

standing by for sit rep.

Alpha Charlie Five Two, copy.

Zero State Five to Brentiss prison.

Stand by for active message.

One Zero, receiving.

Five Two,

the Governor at Brentiss has approved

a Production Order for Davidson.

She's State Nine to Hillside Lane.

Three seven, first I've heard of it.

Who's the requesting officer?

DS Lomax.

And the supporting officer?

That's you, Ma'am. DI Fleming.

Shit!

One Zero, we are diverting to the Hill.

Four five, received.

Driver, put your foot flat on the floor.

One Zero, Five Two, acquire information

on Prison Transport

and capture location

as a matter of extreme urgency.

We need Air Ops and Armed Support! Over.

Five Two, received.

What is this interview about?

Who's the requesting officer?

How should I know?

Our job is just to get you there.

Are there any new developments in the inquiry?

Stop with the earache.

N-PAS Seven Five, acquiring active obs

on Prison Transport Vehicle white VW Crafte,

VRN Bravo Papa Six Zero Papa Tango Quebec.

Suspect vehicle is travelling south Alpha Three Four,

speed Three Zero, one mile to Edge Park Circus underpass.

Tango Oscar Four Two,

receiving N-PAS Seven Five,

State Five Edge Park Circus, ETA less than one minute.

N-PAS Seven Five,

suspect vehicle entering Underpass.

Tango Oscar Four Two.

All ARVs move in, intercept, intercept.

Keys! Give us the keys!

Armed police! Drop it!

-Taser! Taser!

Drop it!

Get out of the vehicle!

Hands! Show me your hands!

Down! Down!

Hands above your head!

Hands above your head!

Four five, scene secure.

Unarmed, clear to approach.

Paramedic required.

Four Five, received.

Paramedic unit will move forwards,

ETA 30 seconds, standing by for...

Arrest her. Stick her in the back

-with her wee mate. Sir.

Great work, you two.

-Great work. -Sir.

The prison officers and driver

have been taken into custody.

We've recently gained access to illicit communications

between OCG members.

Fortunately, we were able to

intercept your Prison Transport

and replace two of the prison officers

before the OCG got their hands on you.

The production order was a forgery.

Now we're looking into how that was done.

Enabling corrupt prison officers to stage a handover

they could claim afterwards was an ambush.

They're all under arrest.

You're safe now, Jo.

Thank you.

I mean, you're really safe

to apply for witness protection.

All my notes, all my records will show that

you acted under control and coercion of others.

You can live the life you should have lived.

Be free to be the person that you really are

if you tell us who the top man is.

We know from the illicit communications,

you were taken out of Brentiss to be killed.

We strongly believe the order came from the same person

who's been communicating with you

throughout Operation Lighthouse.

This person you're protecting doesn't care for you.

You mean nothing to him.

This man you believe to be your father.

Is he the one?

Tommy told me after my mom died.

I had no reason to doubt him.

He made me obey this police officer.

He made me fear him.

Yeah.

It was all a cruel lie

to manipulate you, to control you.

You know what you were born into.

You're not bent.

Be free of him, Jo. Give him up.

Give us his name.

Prison officers are isolating the suspect.

AFOs will secure the suspect.

Advise when unarmed officers are clear to proceed.

Sir!

When clear to proceed,

FIs will deploy to the suspect's cell.

Sir. Nothing.

-Not so much as a post-it. -Shit.

Has he said anything yet?

-Not yet, Sir. -Let's go.

Resuming interview.

Superintendent Hastings has joined.

You remain under caution.

So, where have you hidden it all?

The computer, the burner phones.

I don't know what you're talking about.

I get mixed up.

You packed Thurwell off to Spain, didn't you,

to be your go-between?

-Images 76 and 77. Spain?

What would I have to do with Spain?

Thurwell could point the finger.

So you had him killed.

Like Dot Cottan and ACC Hilton, right?

All these names, my head's spinning now.

And Gail Vella. Did you order her murder too?

I haven't the faintest idea who you're talking about.

Joanne Davidson. What's your relationship to her?

-Joanne who? -Davidson!

We know about her relationship to Tommy Hunter

and to a police officer purported to be her father.

Are you the officer?

Did you have a relationship with Joanne Davidson's mother,

Samantha Davidson?

For the DIR, I'm showing the interviewee image 17,

a copy of a photograph

captured during a lawful search

of apartment G, 9 Croxford Street

on the 24th of November 2020.

Who can you see in image 17?

Sorry.

The woman is Samantha Davidson,

also known as Samantha Hunter.

Tommy Hunter's sister.

And the girl in the photo.

I have not the foggiest.

It's Joanne Davidson.

Okay, let me ask you this,

did you and Tommy Hunter convince her

that you were her father?

You, you, you. You're going back years.

I don't remember any of this.

I'm not as sharp as I used to be.

Christ sake!

Superintendent Hastings has left the room.

Yes, we're going back years.

He's bloody right. We've been going back years.

This thing has been driving me mad for years.

Cybercrime aren't finished tracing IP addresses, Sir.

There's still a possibility they'll detect evidence

pointing at Fairbank

Look, he's been in that prison since 2015.

Our search should've shown up something.

It's Chloe.

So answer it, answer it!

DI Arnott.

She's found something

in the Lawrence Christopher records.

Well let's go.

Cybercrime have been examining all the devices seized

from Davidson, Buckells, Lisa McQueen

and the OCG men who attempted to abduct Davidson.

As suggested by Superintendent Hastings,

they carried out a search for idiosyncrasies

in grammar, punctuation and spelling.

You'll recall this is

the last communication we intercepted.

And this is the last exchange

between Jo Davidson and the user she believed

was Patrick Fairbank.

Cybercrime told me they picked up

on the mis-spelling of "definitely"

going back to exchanges with Lisa McQueen in 2019.

We've been able to extend the search

into files that we didn't have back then.

This is a handwritten report

from the Lawrence Christopher inquiry in 2003.

And this is from Operation Lighthouse in 2019.

Christ! Shit!

This is the officer's signature on both reports,

2003 and 2019.

Come off it. No way.

This can't be right.

Are you sure, Chloe?

Cybercrime are attempting to trace IP addresses

that correspond to this suspect.

Then we'll know for sure.

Right. Well, they better crack on.

Outstanding work, Chloe, outstanding work.

Sir.

All this time we've been chasing shadows.

If this is right, he's been under our noses

from the very beginning.

For God sake, what does this make us look like?

Yes, but you heard Chloe. We didn't have this before.

It's one thing getting your man, it's another thing

getting the evidence to nail him,

I mean, that's the battle. And battle we shall.

Let's see what Carmichael's got to say for herself now.

Sir, wait.

You two look like you've lost a shilling and found a penny.

Sir, we need to be cautious about disclosing this finding.

AC-12's being disbanded,

DCS Carmichael put in charge of downgrading Anticorruption.

Yes. But after what we've achieved here,

I have got a sneaking suspicion that

AC-12's gonna be around for a while yet.

And, believe me Kate, if you want it,

there is a job here for you.

Thank you, sir,

but the point Steve's making is

this finding is gonna throw our inquiry

into the spotlight.

Anything that might discredit AC-12 will be held against us.

What are you talking about?

Sir, in the course of our inquiry

into Operation Lighthouse,

certain findings came to light which relate to you.

DI Arnott's been in contact with Steph Corbett,

John Corbett's widow.

Yes.

Well, look. I know about that.

She told me.

To be honest, I didn't know what to make of it,

so I just let it lie.

She also told me about your painkiller misuse, Steve.

And I saw to it that you got help

rather than disciplinary action.

It's called loyalty.

Sir, during an unlawful search,

an item was found which relates to

the missing sum of fifty thousand pounds.

You're not under caution so anything you say to us

at this time can't be used in evidence.

That's loyalty right there.

Take a seat.

The money...

I swear to God, I was tricked.

I was handed an envelope, I was told it was one thing,

I threw it to one side. Thought nothing more about it.

It turned out to be a big bundle of cash.

I tried to return it, I was blocked at every turn,

before I could hand it in as evidence, it was found.

That was only half of it.

You must've hidden the other fifty thousand.

Yes. Well of course I realised

it could be a bribe that might turn nasty.

So I split it in half, put one half safe.

In case the OCG came looking.

You know, it was my insurance against them.

But unfortunately for me, before I could use it

as leverage against them or hand it in as evidence

the other half was found.

Instead you gave it to Steph Corbett.

Officially that money didn't exist.

I mean, yes.

Yes, I could've handed it in.

But instead I give it to a young woman

with two wee girls

who'd've been left destitute

because her husband was killed in the line of duty.

Are we done?

No, sir.

As part of AC-12's inquiry into Operation Lighthouse

DI Arnott interviewed Lee Banks,

who disclosed the source of information

regarding John Corbett being an undercover police officer.

I swear to God.

I did not disclose John Corbett as a UCO.

I told Lee Banks

that there was an informant in the OCG.

No more than that.

I thought that Corbett when he heard about it,

he would go to ground, he'd hand himself in

at the nearest police station.

It was by way of bringing him in.

I swear to God.

You must have understood there was a risk

of Corbett coming to harm.

Well, that is the worst part of it.

Yes. Yes.

John Corbett had been involved

in the death of four police officers,

our Maneet being one of them.

He had beaten and tortured my own wife.

So I thought he had it coming to him in spades.

But what I didn't know

was that he was the son of a woman

I cared deeply about...

...many years ago.

If there is one thing I could take back

it would be that.

What a terrible thing I did.

What a terrible thing I did.

Giving that money to that young woman was,

you know, by way of atonement,

what little there was of it.

Does Steph know the real reason?

No.

And if she did, what would she make of it?

Who's gonna judge what I did?

Her? The law?

My colleagues?

God?

Sit down.

AC-12 Interview by Superintendent Hastings,

DI Fleming, DI Arnott.

Ian Buckells,

you do not have to say anything,

but it may harm your defence

if you do not mention when questioned

something you later rely on in court.

Anything you do say may be used in evidence.

Image 124 on screen.

Image 124 shows Item Reference GGM-13

recovered from your cell at Blackthorn prison.

Interception of communications routed via Spain

detected an Internet Protocol address

matching GGM-13.

Analysis of GGM-13's hard drive detected

the communication shown in Image 126.

Analysis of GGM-13's hard drive

also detected the communication

shown in Image 129.

Note the misspelling of "definitely".

Document 105 in your folders.

Document 105 is a summary of analysis

carried out by a forensic linguist.

All digital communications on the hard drive of GGM-13

where examined using methodologies

based on examples of your spelling and syntax.

Now, the report concludes, there is a 95% probability

the messages detected on GGM-13 were written by you.

Document 112 in your folders.

Document 112 is a summary

of forensic examination of GGM-13

to detect fingerprints and DNA deposits.

Fingerprints and DNA detected on GGM-13

are a match to your fingerprints and DNA

with a probability greater than 99.9%.

Ian Buckells,

did you order the abduction

of Detective Superintendent Joanne Davidson

and the attempted murder

of Detective Inspector Kate Fleming?

No comment.

Did you order the murder of Gail Vella

and/or James Lakewell?

No comment.

Further examination of communications

routed via Spain harvested a number

of Internet Protocol addresses

previously unknown to this inquiry.

One such address relates to a property in Edge Park,

17 Maychurch Road.

On screen Image 135.

Recognise this property?

No comment.

Document 194 in your folders.

Document 194 is a photocopy of the deeds

to 17 Maychurch Road.

Assigning ownership to a company,

Holte End Holdings, registered in the Cayman Islands.

Document 197 in your folders.

Holte End Holdings owns a timeshare property

in Gran Canaria as well as 17 Maychurch Road

with an estimated total value of three million pounds.

What's your relationship

to Holte End Holdings?

No comment.

I've worked with you three times now.

Undercover in 2012 with Tony Gates' team.

Undercover in 2017 with Roz Huntley's team.

And this year at Hillside Lane.

Always the same crap suits. Dad cars.

I mean, you never put your hand in your pocket

when it's your round.

You certainly did a grand job at hiding all this,

I'll give you that.

But you are leading a double life.

No comment.

Image 138 on screen.

Image 138 shows Item Reference HS-6.

HS-6 is a laptop computer detected under the floorboards

of 17 Maychurch Road.

Analysis of HS-6's hard drive detected the communication

shown in Image 141.

Document 118 in your folders.

Document 118 is a summary

of forensic examination of HS-6

to detect fingerprints and DNA deposits.

Fingerprints and DNA detected on HS-6

are a match to your fingerprints and DNA

with a probability greater than 99.9%.

Ian Buckells, did you order organised criminal activities

such as the raid on Eastfield Depot

on February the 15th, 2019?

No comment.

These messages originated from a device operated by you.

There's no point denying it.

We've shown you the evidence.

We know from an undercover officer embedded in the OCG,

DS John Corbett,

from a former member of the same OCG, Lisa McQueen,

that they sought approval for the Eastfield robbery.

Yeah, and they got it. From you, fella.

No comment.

We know from testimony given to us by Joanne Davidson

that after Tommy Hunter's death

desperate OCG's

retained clandestine relationships

with corrupt police officers.

We also know from intercepted text communications

that these relationships were orchestrated

by one officer in particular,

once wrongly codenamed "H.",

now referred to as the Fourth Man.

Ian Buckells, are you the Fourth Man?

No comment.

The secret life.

The big house. The fast cars. The bits on the side.

Deborah Devereux. Is that what turned your head?

No comment.

You know, over the years, we have investigated

all manner of motives.

but the most mundane basest motive of them all,

plain simple greed.

You were a DC

on a bent team, Thurwell's,

and as you made your way up through the ranks,

there wasn't anything that you wouldn't turn your hand to

as long as the price was right.

That's the top and bottom of it, isn't it, fella?

No comment.

Oh, yeah. You rose through the ranks, all right?

Leaving a trail of blunders behind you.

How some people can fail upwards.

Beggars belief.

And all the time we were here thinking we were chasing

some criminal mastermind.

But no, just like your old boss, Thurwell,

who botched the Lawrence Christopher murder enquiry,

your corruption was mistaken for incompetence.

No comment.

Your cover was so convincing

that even your DCI, Jo Davidson,

didn't realise that the blundering fool

she was framing was actually the person

who was pulling her strings all along.

Yeah, right. I'm a blundering fool.

I'm only the one who's made total mugs out of you lot.

Ian Buckells, do you have anything to say?

Yeah, you see, the thing is,

DCS Carmichael is meant to be taking over, ain't she?

But she ain't in here.

So that makes me wonder

whether she doesn't want to be associated

with detecting institutionalised corruption.

Because officially, institutionalised corruption

don't exist, does it?

Officially, "H" or "The Fourth Man",

or whatever you want to call him,

he don't exist neither.

So that makes me realise that everyone

would be much happier if this all just went away.

So, I'll take immunity and witness protection.

-Thank you very much. -Jesus Christ.

So, give us something.

Who's the top man?

You?

Tommy Hunter was the top man.

After he went they all split into different OCG's.

I just passed on the orders.

It used to be Fairbank and Thurwell,

then it was Hilton and Cottan,

and now they've gone,

-it's just... -You?

The last man standing.

So you did order the Eastfield robbery?

Well, a haul that size was bigger than one gang.

The goods needed storing, fencing, you name it.

Other OCGs wanted in on it.

And you just put the pieces together?

Yeah, if you like.

And you also put the pieces together

for Lakewell's murder?

Thurwell's? Gail Vella's?

How many times do I have to explain to you?

That's the OCGs, that's their doing.

I just passed things on.

Have you no remorse

for all the suffering you've caused?

Have you no conscience?

I didn't plan it or nothing, did I?

They just kept asking me

to sort bigger and bigger stuff.

Jesus Christ. You're sitting the other side of this table

asking us for witness protection.

It's me you're gonna need protection from.

Would you like a glass of water?

Image 145.

Now, the murders of Thurwell, Hilton, Cottan and Lakewell,

I get why the OCG's were the ones to order those.

Like Tommy Hunter, their loyalty was in question

and they knew too much.

Gail Vella was different.

We know the last thing she uncovered before Lee Banks

passed the word on her to his brother Carl.

It was the corruption

inside the Lawrence Christopher inquiry.

Tommy Hunter was dead.

His son Darren's a nobody.

The OCG had no good reason

to order such a high-profile assassination.

But two police officers

involved in that original corruption

are now high ranking.

You and Chief Constable Osborne.

And both of you had a hell of a lot to lose.

Ian Buckells,

did you and/or Chief Constable Osborne

collude in a conspiracy to murder Gail Vella?

Take your time, Ian.

It's a simple enough question.

But naturally you're aware

failing to cooperate with this inquiry

would make you ineligible for witness protection.

And you're also aware that confessing

to conspiracy to murder would make you ineligible

for immunity from prosecution.

No one makes mugs of AC-12.

Interview terminated.

-Nice one, mate. -Nice one, mate.

Well this is weird, ain't it, wrapping everything up?

Do you think Buckells will talk?

I hope so.

The Gaffer wants him protected round the clock

in case the OCG come after him.

What we gonna do about the Gaffer?

I believe him.

Yeah, me too.

But if Carmichael takes over, that's him out anyway.

Yeah, probably me too.

And me, if I decide to come back.

Will you?

Someone's got to keep you lot in line.

You don't realise what you've got until it's gone.

Likewise.

So, do you want to talk about stuff?

You don't have to, just when you're ready.

I've been seeing the MO.

About the painkillers.

Yeah.

I had no idea, mate.

I should have told you.

But, if people knew I might have been

taken off active duty.

Still might.

I'm sorry.

You just gonna stick to the one drink?

Why d'you ask?

Still early enough to drive up to Liverpool.

I'm not sure it's a good idea to keep seeing Steph.

But, you want to?

Yeah. But what chance has it got?

You wanna be careful, mate.

You're gonna end up on your own.

I'm not on my own.

I've got you, mate.

We recognise police officers experience

stress and pain in their work.

They can take many forms, particularly when an officer's

witnessed lethal violence or taken part in it.

Now that's when the support of friends,

family, colleagues can make all the difference.

Me and my partner are separated.

I've got a son, Josh. He keeps me going.

And colleagues?

Yeah, I'm lucky.

Working with one of the best.

To be honest, I don't know what I'd do without him.

Darren Hunter's involvement

in Lawrence Christopher's murder

was deliberately suppressed at the time

due to Hunter being Tommy's son.

I've asked MIT to open a cold-case inquiry.

Try and get a conviction this time.

Hmm. Oh, good luck with that.

Ma'am, I'd like us to consider opening a parallel inquiry.

Thurwell gave the orders,

no doubt at the behest of Tommy Hunter,

but it can't only have been Thurwell

who realised the investigation was being sabotaged.

Some of Thurwell's subordinates

are still serving police officers.

Historic corruption cases aren't a priority.

Come in. Thank you.

-Steve, Kate. Sir.

Ted. -Ma'am.

I thought I should inform you that I have lodged an appeal

against my enforced retirement.

The Chief Constable's about to make a statement.

You mind?

No. Go ahead.

...a tribute to the tireless dedication

of my officers who have gained justice

for Gail Vella.

I give you my personal assurance that

any failings in the original inquiry

will be thoroughly investigated.

Lessons will be learned.

Throughout my career

whenever I've encountered wrongdoing, I've acted.

But, let me be clear.

These are the misdeeds of a few rotten apples.

And to invoke institutionalised

police corruption is an outrageous lie,

and an insult to my officers.

The public don't want police officers

to be held to account for every little thing

they're meant to have done.

They want us to get on with the job.

And that's what we will do. Thank you.

AC-12. My team.

My officers have just closed

the biggest anti-corruption operation

that this force has ever seen.

Just caught the last ring leader

in a clandestine network

of corrupt police officers and the Chief Constable

hasn't a blind word to say about it.

Look, proceedings against Ian Buckells

are now with the Crown Prosecutor.

It would be premature to draw conclusions

about how much was institutionalised

and how much was Ian Buckells working alone.

Oh, if I may, Ma'am.

Ian Buckells was an incompetent officer

who was repeatedly promoted through the ranks.

The more influence that he gained over police operations,

the more valuable he became to the OCGs.

Till eventually this incompetent officer

became the linchpin in sinister enterprises.

However, none of this,

none of this could've happened

without the wilful blindness of those in power.

And those in power should be held to account.

It devastates me that we've stopped

standing up for accountability,

and we've stopped caring about truth and integrity.

Because it is these institutional failures

that enable the likes of Ian Buckells to be corrupt.

Ma'am.

-Thanks, Chloe. Ma'am.

I'll let you out, sir.

Ma'am.

I'd like to make a statement about my involvement

in the leak of information

that led to the unlawful killing

of a serving police officer,

Detective Sergeant John Corbett.

In an interview conducted by me

on a convicted OCG member,

Lee Banks, in Blackthorn prison

on the 12th of March, 2019...

...I disclosed that there was an informant in the OCG.

I believe that this information was passed on.

And whether or not it was deduced

that Corbett was a UCO,

he was murdered

because of the consequences of my actions.

What do you expect me to do with that information?

That's entirely up to you, Ma'am.

But whatever you do,

you do it because you care about truth

and accountability.

You do it because you carry the fire.