Original subtitles

HALFORD: You bring me to the nicest places.

PULLMAN: If this case is as open and shut

as Strickland thinks it is,

hopefully we Won't be here too long.

HALFORD: So, this bloke Davies wants to make a confession

25 years after the event.

Have we spoken to his mental-health officer?

He does have a link to the missing boy.

- He was a friend of the family. -[ Sighs]

So, what, his conscience got the better of him'?

Maybe he found religion when he was inside.

Yeah, there's got to be another reason for all this.

- PULLMAN: What? -[ Doorbell rings]

Oi, oi, pedo! Come out of your house, man.

What are you hiding behind your door for, man'?

Well, for a start, the local wildlife seems --

Oi!

[Laughs] Let's get out of here, man.

Wait here.

[Tires squeal]

[Engine revs]

Are you Detective Superintendent Pullman?

She'll be here in a moment.

She's just doing a bit of community policing.

YOUNG MAN: Oh, shit, man!

I've just had this jacket cleaned.

I'm arresting you for assaulting a police officer.

# It's all right, it's okay #

# Doesn't really matter if you're old and gray #

# It's all right, I say it's okay #

# Listen to what I say #

# It's all right, doing fine #

# Doesn't really matter if the sun don't shine #

# It's all right, I say it's okay #

# We're getting to the end of the day #

SubRIP by docent{mults.org

Come on. Right this Way.

Sandra'?

Take them to the interview room. I'll be down in a minute.

Anything I should be aware of'?

We think they may be part of the reason

why Davies decided to confess.

How so'?

He's had to move four times

since he was released from prison.

So'?

That's four times in the last six months.

Every time he settles in, someone tips off the locals,

and the next thing he knows, there's pitchforks and torches

as far as the eye can see.

Again, so'?

So maybe he feels safer in prison

than he does back on the streets.

I'm afraid my concern is for the safety of the streets,

not of a convicted pedophile, especially one who's confessing

to the kidnap and murder of a 5-year-old child.

Yeah, and I feel the same way, too,

but I would like to get to the truth

before I hand things over to the CPS.

And that's what I want you to do, of course.

PULLMAN: For the tape, Mr. Davies,

can we remind you that you're entitled to legal representation

but you've decided to waive that right'?

I just want to get on with this, okay?

Fine.

I want to confess to the kidnap of Yasser Gorton-Blackledge

in 1985.

It was me. I took him.

Okay, but why are you confessing now, 25 years later?

Because it's the right thing to do.

I realized that when I was in prison.

I realized I had to pay for what I'd done.

Then why didn't you confess when you were still inside?

- I wish I had. - PULLMAN: Really?

'Cause according to your file,

you applied for parole at the earliest opportunity.

You were released because you'd shown willing

in all the psychiatric treatment

and rehabilitation opportunities you were offered.

Mr. Davies, you Wrote a 10-page statement

in support of your parole application.

Listen, I don't belong on the streets.

You need to put me away.

Just put me back in prison.

Surprisingly, it's not as simple as that.

We need to know Whether you're telling us the truth.

I am.

All right, let's start with what happened to Yasser.

He was taken from his parents at a protest march

and never seen again.

Where is he'?

All right, where's his body'?

- It's gone. - PULLMAN: Gone Where?

You don't have to give us a map reference, just a general idea.

- We'll find him. - No, you Won't.

I dumped the body at sea.

Really'? - Yeah.

And how did you do -- Did you hire a boat'?

How did you get him from London to the coast?

Did you have a car'?

Come on, just provide us with some details?

How long did you have him'?

Could anybody have seen the two of you together?

Look, I've confessed.

Isn't that enough for you'?

STANDING; Well, isn't it'?

No! Because he didn't bloody do it, Gerry.

Yeah, but he did plenty of other stuff.

You've seen his file.

I have, and this crime doesn't fit.

She's right.

Davies used his position as a teacher

to groom adolescent lads, not little children,

and he never kidnapped anyone.

- He was cleverer than that. - Cleverer'?

Well, okay, sly, mendacious.

He was a different kind of predator,

and he never used physical violence on his victims.

Yeah, well, that doesn't make me feel any more comfortable

about him being back on the streets.

Davies would agree with you. He doesn't want to be out.

That's why he made the confession.

He'd rather see out his days in a safe cell on D-wing

than live in fear in a council flat.

- So, what do we do'? - Well, he's not going anywhere.

Let's just read the files and take it from there.

[Sighs]

LANE: April 20, 1985, there was a demo

against Israel's treatment of the Palestinians.

And in attendance was the lslington branch

of the Free Palestine Coalition, leading lights of which

were husband-and-wife team Anne Gorton and Fred Blackledge.

Accompanying them was their young son, Yasser,

named after --

Well, it's obvious, isn't it'?

Now, the last reported sighting of him

was on the north side of Westminster Bridge.

The marchers were crossing the bridge from the south

towards the Houses of Parliament.

This was at 2:00.

Hold on, hold on.

The kid wasn't reported missing till 8:00 in the evening.

Well, that's how long apparently it took

before the parents realized he was missing.

What? God, some parents don't deserve to have kids.

HALFORD: Which is exactly what the press said.

Yeah, well, they were very sympathetic at first,

you know, playing up the victim angle...

until this came to light.

Yeah, look at them.

LANE: And then journalists started asking

very awkward questions, and answering them.

They said that Anne and Fred

were dangerous left-wing activists

too obsessed with politics to care for their own kid.

They were particularly hard on Anne,

saying she'd failed as a mother.

Maybe she did.

ANNE: Yes, I had a call from DAC Strickland.

He said that Davies had finally done the right thing.

PULLMAN: Finally?

Well, it was all fairly obvious

once we found out about his history.

He lived locally. He'd been to meetings in our home.

Yasser knew him

and must have trusted him enough to go with him.

It all makes sense, doesn't it'?

We'll still have to do a proper investigation.

Wouldn't be a problem for you, would it'?

"Miscarriages of British Justice."

"Rough Justice in Modern Britain."

"Are We Living in a Police State?"

I work for a civil-liberties campaign group.

That's Where the real battle lies now.

The day's coming Where we Won't be able to go anywhere,

meet anyone, say anything

Without it being recorded and noted down by those in power.

CCTV, internet monitoring, illegal phone taps.

But if you haven't done anything wrong,

you haven't got anything to worry about.

Well, it depends who's deciding what's right or Wrong,

doesn't it'?

But still, if there'd been CCTV on Westminster Bridge...

Oh, I'm aware of the double-edged sword.

But if my son's disappearance

had been properly investigated in the first place --

You don't think it was'?

I think you let the press

do your job for you the first time 'round.

Well, there'll be no press involvement this time.

But we will need you and your husband to cooperate.

Ex-husband.

Fred and I separated after...

...after Yasser.

I'm sorry to hear that.

We'd been on different paths for a longtime,

emotionally and politically.

In short, feminism is a fascist movement,

hell-bent on reducing men to the rank of second-class citizens.

Just as the Jews were demonized by the Nazis,

so the feminazis have waged a propaganda war

against a whole gender.

We are violent in the home, according to the social workers.

We are obsolete, according to the scientists.

How long before this fascism is pursued

to its inevitable conclusion?

Gender cleansing?

We'll expand on this theme next week.

Please do the reading.

Thank you.

That's quite a theory you've got there.

FRED: Not theory, fact.

- Can I help you'? - My name's Halford.

I called your office. I'm from UCOS.

You're here about Yasser.

HALFORD: I'd like to talk to you about the day he went missing.

And about John Davies.

Anything you can tell me.

I can tell you the poor bastard

was as much a victim as Yasser was.

Oh, really?

You don't think he did it'?

You heard what I had to say

about the feminist propaganda machine.

For the last century,

we've been told over and over that men are predators,

just interested in violence and sex.

And some men have chosen to believe this,

to allow themselves to be debased by it.

Davies was one of them.

Okay.

Professor Blackledge,

you were the last person to see Yasser alive.

Yes. I didn't know that at the time.

Yasser had been with us all day.

He was riding on people's shoulders,

banging his drum, shouting all the slogans.

When we got to Westminster tube,

Anne decided she wanted to go home.

She had a headache.

I thought she'd taken Yasser with her.

Yasser was having such a good time.

I didn't want to take him home and spoil it.

Did you say that to Fred'?

I said, "Yasser will be okay?"

And he nodded.

But he thought I meant Yasser would be okay with me.

I suppose it was an easy mistake to make.

And then you just went home?

I took a couple of aspirin,

made some food for when they got back,

and sat in the garden with a cup of tea.

Then Fred came home.

I thought she was joking at first.

I thought he was upstairs in his bed.

I even went up to check.

But then...

it felt like the bottom had fallen out of my world.

So you called the police?

FRED: That's when it got real.

First few days, we thought of him as just lost,

that he would turn up one way or another.

But then the police started talking about him

as a missing child.

Not lost, taken.

The river police trawled up and down that part of the Thames.

They handed out photos in the area.

Nothing.

Then they advised us to involve the press, get the word out.

But, of course, that backfired.

We've seen the coverage. It was pretty damning.

Not until Jamie Peters sold them that picture.

Hold on. Who was Jamie Peters?

A comrade, or so we thought.

He'd been part of the campaign for years.

Totally dedicated to the cause.

I'd like to know how much the press paid for that picture.

And why didn't he sell the one of Yasser on Fred's shoulders

or holding my hand'?

I think you know the answer to that.

The journalists spoke to our friends, our family,

trying to find some dirt on us.

And when they couldn't, they made it up.

They crucified us day after day.

How long after that were you and Fred divorced?

About 18 months.

We were so careful with each other at first,

Walking on eggshells.

And then one night, the dam broke, and it all came out.

I blamed him. He blamed me.

We threw in a few other issues

just to make it hurt that little bit more.

And then it was over.

And he left.

FRED: I learned a valuable lesson --

Men are always to blame.

Just pick up a paper.

We cause war, famine, economic meltdown

While Women are blameless.

Well, that's all we've been told over and over again.

Yes, well, there's probably a reason.

FRED: Take the global-Warming myth.

They call it man-made climate change.

Man-made, as if a Woman never drove a car or took a flight.

You see, this is what we're fighting against.

It's a Woman's world, and we just live in it.

You do realize that, don't you'?

What a load of bollocks.

I can't believe they let him teach.

And write books.

Loads of them about Soviet Russia, China, Fidel Castro.

Then he goes all Middle Eastern,

publishes a couple about Gaza and the Zionist conspiracy.

Ooh, then it's all about those pesky feminists.

How's this for a title?

"The Secret War on Modern Men."

[Chuckles] Sounds good.

Stick to your cookbooks, Gerry.

Yeah, you'd like that, Wouldn't you'?

Me tied to a kitchen sink, seen and not heard.

I'm not sure I buy all this misunderstanding

on Westminster Bridge.

Nah, one of them would have said goodbye,

told him who was looking after him.

I think one of them's lying.

Or both of them.

A very convenient way to provide each other with an alibi.

You think they killed their son'?

Maybe not on purpose,

but I don't think we should rule it out.

Has anyone considered that little unsupervised Yasser

might just have wandered away?

I know they trawled the river,

but that was at least six hours later.

LANE: I've been thinking about that.

I've been on a few demos in me time.

Have you'?

Oh, yes, when Esther and I were courting.

She was quite the ragged-trousered philanthropist

in her day.

Anyway, those demos were always heavily policed,

especially around Westminster.

Tell me about it.

You went on a demo?

I can believe it of him.

STANDING: No, in uniform.

Yeah, keeping the peace.

Actually I spent the whole day

being called a pig or a capitalist running dog.

"Kill the police!"

Yeah, they're all the same, that lot.

Who do they run to when their bikes get nicked'?

Well, just to be sure, I looked up the Met's policing guidelines

for demos at the time.

And there's a memo from the chief constable

a Week before the demo

suggesting that cover was doubled

on Westminster Bridge and around Parliament.

Not the best place to snatch a child.

LANE: Maybe he did just Wander off.

PULLMAN: In which case, I think we need to track down

all the other people on that march with Fred and Anne

and ask them what they remember seeing.

There we are.

Well, what's the matter with it'?

No, nothing. It looks lovely.

It's just...

I remember a time

when this was the last thing you'd want to be doing.

What?

Getting the tea on the table

in time for your husband coming home.

What was it you and your gang used to call it'?

Domestic slavery.

Well, that was a long time ago.

You were gonna defeat the forces of oppression.

That was it.

So, what happened'?

What happens to most people.

We got married. We had Mark.

Real life.

Esther, you were gonna lead a revolution.

No, I wasn't.

Well, you went to all the meetings.

Yeah, along with some student teachers,

an aging social Worker,

and that Woman who used to sell woolly hats at Camden Market.

That's who I was going to be manning the barricades with.

LANE: Yeah, still.

We'd all have been dead by teatime.

- MAN: Good morning, ma'am. - WOMAN: Morning, ma'am.

PULLMAN: Morning.

Mr. Davies?

Are you waiting for me'?

Yes. I was wondering if you were going to be arresting me today.

Probably not.

Why not?

What do I need to do to get you to believe me'?

Provide some evidence.

Tell us Where to find the body. Give us some details.

Well, it's me own fault.

I've domesticated her.

Stolen her fire.

Oh, I don't know.

I think your Esther's still got plenty of that.

Hello. You, um, wanted to see me'?

- Gillian Withall? - That's right.

I'm Jack Halford. This is Brian Lane.

- How do you do'? - Hello.

Were you ever a member of the lslington branch

of the Free Palestine campaign?

Oh, God, in another life.

Um, 20-odd years ago.

We'd like to talk to you

about the disappearance of Yasser Gorton-Blackledge.

Right.

- You better come through. - Thank you.

I met Fred at North London University.

You were a student?

No, no, no, I was a nurse at the university health center,

dishing out pills, pregnancy tests, and penicillin.

It was the summer of '84,

and the students had occupied the building as a protest.

Protest about what?

They were going to occupy the building

until Israel stopped occupying Palestine.

Well, that worked.

I was there as a first-aider.

I had no interest in politics at all.

And then I got talking to Fred.

Next thing I know, I'm going to meetings and demos and...

Looking back on it, I think it was all a bit of a distraction.

From what?

I'd just been through a divorce.

It was nice to have some new friends.

You remember Yasser, do you'?

Of course.

Poor little thing.

How so'?

Well...it didn't surprise me that he wandered off.

He never had any boundaries.

The house was always full of strangers

for meetings and demos.

He went to all the rallies and protests.

I mean, maybe it was just a matter of time

before something happened.

So, you would agree

with what the press said about Anne and Fred'?

They were negligent parents'?

I Wouldn't go as far as that.

HALFORD: How far would you go'?

I just think they didn't realize

how lucky they were to have Yasser until it was too late.

What about John Davies?

Do you think he showed any inappropriate attention

-to Yasser'? - No.

No, not as far as I remember.

To be honest, he was only ever at a couple of the meetings,

and then I think he came out of politeness.

What do you mean'?

Well, he was a teacher at the local school.

Was he'?

GILLIAN: It doesn't bear thinking about.

Anne was on the board of governors.

I think she nagged him into coming

to a couple of the meetings.

The thing about Fred and Anne is they always assumed

that everyone was as committed to the cause as they were.

They didn't realize that some people

would just pick up a leaflet or sign a petition

just to get them off their backs.

And on this the demo, was Davies there'?

Not as far as I remember, no.

After Yasser went missing, how did Anne and Fred seem'?

I have no idea.

The demo was the last time I saw any of the group.

It was sort of like my leaving party.

Big party. Where were you going'?

Sudan.

I'd volunteered to work as a nurse in the refugee camps.

LANE: Wow, that was brave. Very admirable.

I would never have dreamt of doing it

if it hadn't been for Fred and Anne.

I mean, they certainly broadened my horizons.

How long were you there'?

Two hard, dirty, traumatic, amazing years.

It was the best and Worst thing I've ever done.

I still miss it.

Why'd you come back?

I wanted my son to have a British education.

Oh, you have a son'?

Was he a friend of Yasser's'?

Did Davies ever talk to him'?

No, no, no, I didn't -- I didn't have him then.

So, you were pregnant

While you were working in the refugee camps'?

That must have been hard.

I'm surprised you Weren't just sent home.

No, you don't understand.

I adopted Will While I was out there.

Quite a souvenir to bring back, eh'?

Better than a stick of rock.

I'm hoping he might have other pictures from that day,

crowd shots maybe.

Yeah, featuring your local neighborhood nonce, John Davies.

Well, that would be extremely helpful,

but I Won't hold my breath.

No, I'm more interested in seeing

Whether that shot was taken out of context

or Whether they really were being negligent.

Yeah, that's the one there. At least I hope it is.

He was living here in '85,

and I've got no record of him moving.

You know howl love a long shot.

[Chuckles]

Hello. Detective Superintendent Pullman.

Does Jamie Peters still live here'?

Uh, he does, but he's away with work at the moment.

Can I get him to call you'?

Yeah, thanks. I'll give you my card.

Will he know what it's about?

STANDING: Yeah, it's about Yasser Gorton-Blackledge,

who went missing in 1985.

Oh, okay. He'll be in touch.

Cheers. Bye-bye.

- Thank you. - Bye.

Long shot paid off.

We spoke to several members of the Free Palestine group,

and they all said pretty much the same thing.

- PULLMAN: Thank you. - They Weren't bad parents.

STANDING: Just a bit distracted? Yeah, we got the same story.

And as for Yasser, he was just happy to go along for the ride.

- Very self-reliant. - Maybe he had to be.

Gillian Withall described him as lonely.

And?

Well, lonely boys are easy prey for predators.

A few kind Words, a bag of sweets.

But hardly any of them even remembered Davies.

And those that did don't remember him

being particularly interested in Yasser.

Of course they Wouldn't notice.

I mean, what did you call him'? Mendacious'?

I mean, these blokes are smart.

They know how to keep under the radar.

I mean, how long was he a teacher

before anyone knew what was going on'?

Best part of 10 years.

Yeah, and that's why we've got this surveillance culture

that Anne Gorton campaigns against.

Some people need to be under surveillance.

What now'?

He says he's got some new information for us.

Go on.

Yasser had a toy car with him when I took him, a red one.

And where is it now'?

I don't know.

You don't have it'?

No. It must be with the body.

Which is at sea.

Ask Anne Gorton about it.

Ask her. She'll tell you.

I'll be at home when you're ready to arrest me.

Sandra'?

Are you here to talk about John Davies?

Actually, I'm here to ask why you were knocking on the door

of an Ml5 safe house this morning.

I wasn't aware I was.

You asked for a Jamie Peters?

That's an active alias for one of their agents.

Oh, is it, now'?

LANE: Ml5. Who would have thought?

[Chuckles]

Mind you, I've always fancied a look inside.

Yeah, it'd make a nice change to interfere in one of their cases

instead of the other way 'round.

I expect there'll be some serious security, though.

Retina scans, full-body metal detectors.

Come on, let's get on with it.

There you go.

Thank you.

Is that it'?

Yes. Uh, Richard will take you down.

This way, gentlemen.

After you, Miss Moneypenny.

You see, that's a mistake a lot of people make.

STANDING; What?

LANE: James Bond was actually MI6.

MI6 are the spies.

Ml5 are the spy-catchers.

STANDING; Oh.

We've given you temporary low-level clearance.

So, I am able to tell you

that Jamie Peters was an operative in the '80s,

tasked with intelligence gathering

within fringe political organizations.

Anne Gorton, Fred Blackledge, and the Free Palestinian group

were placed under surveillance

because we believed at the time they had links

to other less benign groups in the Middle East.

Did they'?

Probably not.

They did have an unusual amount of contact

with foreign nationals,

but they were usually just overseas students

they'd taken in as lodgers.

Fred Blackledge did visit a few hot spots --

China, Cuba, East Germany, the Soviet Union.

Yeah, well, he was writing books about those places.

And what happened to our man in lslington'?

Jamie was reassigned after the boy disappeared

to avoid his becoming embroiled

in the Metropolitan Police's investigation.

To explain the sudden Withdrawal

from the Gorton-Blackledge social circle,

we released some photos to the press in Jamie's name.

And made it look like he'd sold them down the river

and couldn't face them'?

Dirty trick.

Unfortunate operational necessity.

So, these are the surveillance files and Jamie's notes.

Take as long you like.

Nice piles, neat piles.

Anything else'?

Yeah, you couldn't point us in the direction

of the nearest tea machine, could you'?

Afraid not.

Classified.

Thank you.

Did Yasser have a favorite toy'?

Yes, a little red car.

His granddad gave it to him. He loved it.

PULLMAN: Who else knew about it'?

No one.

Do you still have it'?

ANNE: No.

No, he must have sneaked it into his pocket

before we left for the march.

It was a couple of Weeks before I realized.

I wasn't able to go into his room at first.

I didn't want anyone to disturb it in ca-

I just wanted everything to be as he'd left it

when he came home.

Of course you did.

When I did finally go in, I realized that it wasn't there.

Did anyone else know it was missing?

No.

Just me and Fred.

Aren't Laurel and Hardy back yet'?

No.

Well, you can call them and tell them to stop wasting their time.

- I'm bringing Davies in. - Sandra.

No one else knew about the car.

He didn't do it.

I pulled his Education Department record.

On the day of the march,

he was in a school disciplinary meeting,

accused of inappropriate behavior towards a pupil --

a boy of 15.

And he talked his way out of it'?

He claimed the boy made the accusation

because he'd put him in detention.

The headmaster gave him the benefit of the doubt,

but I don't think he was too comfortable about it,

'cause Davies was persuaded to move on.

To another school? Great.

That's why Anne and Fred didn't see him again.

No, our first instincts were right.

He had nothing to do with it.

But why make a false confession?

And how the hell did he know about this little red car'?

Well, he knew about it today,

but his memory wasn't so sharp yesterday.

Yeah, so, where's he getting his information from'?

Come on.

[indistinct talking]

MAN: On me, then. 3, 2, 1.

DAVIES: You should have arrested me.

PULLMAN: No, I shouldn't. We know you didn't do it.

We know you were at a school meeting on the day of the demo.

However, I am thinking of charging you

with wasting police time.

Anything to say'?

Look, if you just wanted to be relocated --

What would be the bloody point of that?

- He'd just find me. - Who Would?

Anthony Vernon.

HALFORD: And who is he'?

I don't know. Just some nutter.

I don't know how he knows who I am, but he does.

And wherever they put me, he's there.

He talks to the neighbors, tells them who...

what I am.

So, you thought you'd confess to Yasser's murder

and get put out of harm's Way.

No, that was his idea.

Anthony Vernon told you to confess?

I confronted him.

I asked him why he was doing this to me.

He said he knew that I'd taken Yasser.

I told him it was nothing to do with me.

He was having none of it.

Threatened to make the rest of my life a misery

if I didn't hand myself in.

After six months of him, I just wanted to be somewhere safe.

I thought you'd jump at the chance to put away a pervert.

He went mad when I told him you Weren't interested in me.

That's when he told me to come back

and tell you about the toy car.

He fed you that information?

Yeah. And when that didn't work...

And I assume that this young lady

is here to take your statement.

- Yes, I am, sir. - We'll be in touch.

[Footsteps depart]

STANDING: Blimey, I thought being a spy would be exciting.

LANE: Can you imagine five years of going to boring meetings,

pretending to be interested?

Making note of everyone who turns up.

He even goes on about who brought the biscuits

in this one.

Yeah, I don't remember that bit about custard creams

-in "Goldfinger," do you'? -[ Chuckles]

I mean, most of this is just gossip.

There's quite a bit about Fred and Anne's marriage.

Well, she was knocking off the lodgers, Weren't she'?

What?

Yeah, here, in this one.

There.

Mind you, it is 1981, so it's hardly relevant.

It's got to be more interesting

than another discussion about Zionism.

I see.

[Laughs]

So, While poor old Fred

was freezing his Baltics off in Moscow,

she found another way of keeping Warm.

Gives a whole new meaning to bed-and-breakfast.

Doesn't it, though? - What?

Well, I was just thinking, it wasn't just Davies

who had the chance to get to know Yasser, gain his trust.

What, the lodgers, you mean'?

Well, it's the most interesting thing in these files,

unless you consider the very nice garibaldies they had

on the 13th of November.

I don't know.

I found a familiar name here.

Whose?

No, I don't think I should show you.

Why ever not'?

According to what I've just read,

you're a potential security risk.

What, there's stuff about me there'?

Brian, how well do you know Esther?

I'm married to her, Gerry.

It's called deep cover.

Where'?

It's just more stuff about these meetings, innit?

[Laughs]

That's not amusing.

Oh, I don't know.

I Wonder how Esther would feel

about you being so quick to believe she's a double agent.

Right, come on.

Let's go and see this lusty landlady, eh'?

Mr. Vernon, I'm sure you're aware

that perverting the course of justice is a serious offense.

Of course.

PULLMAN: Then perhaps you'd care to explain

why you forced John Davies

into confessing to a crime he didn't commit.

I didn't.

We have a statement of that effect from Mr. Davies.

Oh, right, and that's Davies the convicted pedophile?

His previous convictions have no bearing on this case.

Yeah, and I'm a sure a jury of my peers will agree.

I mean, everyone knows you can always trust a kiddie fiddler.

What about doctors'?

How do you think they go down with a jury'?

Because the facial injuries that Davies is recovering from

tell their own story.

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

See, what I don't understand is, why this particular case'?

Why did you want him to confess

to the killing of Yasser Gorton-Blackledge'?

[Sighs] As I told you, I didn't.

I've never even heard of --

PULLMAN: Do you have any links to the family, Mr. Vernon'?

Because you passed on some details

that only somebody close to them would know.

- Care to explain why'? - No.

- PULLMAN: Sure about that? - Yeah, positive.

[Door opens]

Chief Superintendent?

Davies has dropped the assault charge.

Why'?

It was an accident. He fell over his cat.

Shit.

[Sighs]

You're free to go.

ANNE: Am I supposed to be surprised?

Of course Ml5 were Watching us.

It must have been a very dull assignment for Jamie.

All we did was talk.

They were very interested in your lodgers --

you know, the foreign students you had staying with you.

We were on a digs list at the university.

For the most part, they were nice boys

who needed a bed and a friendly face.

You were a little bit more than friendly.

It was a complicated time in our marriage.

Fred was overseas a lot. I got lonely.

Yeah, I think we can understand that.

I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what this has to do with my son.

We didn't take in students after Yasser was born.

We didn't have the room.

Did you keep in touch with any of them'?

The odd postcard.

One or two stayed in the U.K.

after they finished their courses.

They'd pop in.

Well, thinking back, would you say that any of them

may have posed a danger to your son'?

No. Why would you --

Because they were foreign'?

Dear God! Some things never change.

No, because they had access to your home.

They were almost part of the family.

You're barking up the wrong tree.

There's absolutely no need

for you to start disrupting their lives.

Just a line of inquiry.

Well, it's offensive.

And I'd like you to leave.

STANDING: Typical bloody lefty to play the race card.

I mean, I don't care if her lodgers are foreigners.

I don't care if they're extraterrestrials.

And I don't think that's what it was all about.

She was covering?

Well, she seemed very uncomfortable

about us contacting any of them.

Why? 'Cause of the affairs?

STANDING; No.

Once she and Fred got divorced, that's water under the bridge.

Yeah, but at the time, maybe it all boiled over.

So, you think things got violent?

I don't know.

Fred does have strong opinions about domestic violence.

I just think it's another thing

to add to their list of distractions --

politics, broken marriage.

It's like Jack said from the off.

I mean, this story gives a very convenient alibi

for the both of them.

All right, well, go back to Gillian Withall.

She seems to have known them the longest and the best.

Would anyone be surprised to hear

that Anthony Vernon has got a history of violence?

Not really. Go on.

His ex-wife has a restraining order against him.

He's not allowed within 20 feet of her or the children.

The kids, as Well? That's unusual.

Do you think she'll speak to us'?

We can but try. But why should We'?

Well, I've got nowhere with the man himself.

And I really want to know

why he wanted Davies to confess to this case specifically.

PULLMAN: Karen Vernon'?

Detective Superintendent Pullman.

This is Jack Halford.

- Come in. - PULLMAN: Thank you.

HALFORD: Thank you.

It's not the first time I've spoken to the police about Tony.

PULLMAN: I'm sorry.

It's okay.

He can't touch me now -- not physically or in any other Way.

I'm glad to hear it.

It's when he threatened the boys.

It was like he switched something off in me.

He said if I ever left him, he'd kill me and make the kids watch.

It took me three months to save up enough money

and then find a place to run to.

We haven't seen him since.

He's tried.

He dragged me through the law courts.

But it's his temper.

Punched his solicitor the last time.

Not a smart move.

KAREN: The thing is, he's not stupid.

He used to be a journalist.

He kept losing it with the editors,

so he never made it to the nationals.

So, he worked for a local paper.

Which one'?

Oh, different ones.

In 1985'?

Uh...

lslington Gazette, I think.

He only lasted about a year on that one.

Did he ever work on a story

about a little boy who was abducted?

Nasser Gorton-Blackledge'? - PULLMAN: Yeah.

Is that what this is about?

He was obsessed with that story.

He was the first on the scene.

He had a contact at the police station that tipped him off.

He doorstepped the parents and sold the story to the nationals.

He thought it was his big chance.

But it wasn't'?

No, they just paid him for the first report

and then sent in their own hacks.

He tried to follow up the story, though.

He did an interview with the dad.

Uh, Fred'?

Yeah. When was this'?

'95. It's the year we left.

PULLMAN: 10 years later?

KAREN: A sort of anniversary piece.

Couldn't sell it, though.

No one was interested.

He must have been bitter about that.

Yeah.

I had two black eyes and a broken rib to prove it.

Oh. What have you got'?

Look at me there.

Oh, this brings back some memories.

Oh, there's Jane Longthorn.

Oh, I Wonder what happened to her.

Who knows?

Might be married, couple of children.

Yeah. Probably.

Or she could be under deep cover in a former Soviet state.

Depends what her next mission was

and if she chose to accept it.

[Chuckling ] What on earth are you talking about?

Infiltration.

You do realize that any of your so-called sisters

could have been working for the security services?

Reporting your every move back to the powers that be.

Don't be so ridiculous.

They Wouldn't have been interested in me.

That might be, but you remember, you dragged me along

to a couple of those meetings and some marches.

Me, a serving officer of the law.

Yeah.

Well, they probably thought

you were trying to turn me into a sleeper,

a Manchurian candidate.

Brian, have you taken your tablets today?

They might still be listening.

You're still an activist, aren't you'?

You went to a political meeting only last week.

Yes, about the closing of the post office.

- Well, even so. -[ Laughing ] I do remember --

There was some talk of bringing down the government,

stringing up a few royals from the lampposts.

This isn't a joke.

Oh, I know. I know. That's what worries me.

I'm going to bed.

Don't be long.

Yes, and I'm going to bed now myself and all.

It's not just the potential invasion of my civil liberties

or my rights as a private citizen.

I can't stop thinking about how being an enemy of the state

might have held me back.

What lists has my name appeared on,

and what opportunities have I missed as a result?

I'm telling you, I could have been held back all this time.

Held back from what?

Promotion!

I might have been commissioner by now for all we know.

I don't think it was the Secret Service that held you back.

No, that was, "the Longthorn of the global Longthorn

oppressing the male

and allowing him to deny his natural position of authority."

What the hell are you reading?

One of Fred Blackledge's books.

I mean, it's well over the top in places,

but there's a lot he says rings a bell with me.

I mean, I've spent my whole life being told what to do by women.

Yeah, wives, daughters,

Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman.

Hold on. I'm reading that.

HALFORD: Yeah, I know. That's the problem.

Gerry, with me.

I rest my case.

FRED: Yes, I was aware of my wife's behavior

While I was away.

I found out when I returned home a day early

from a trip to Havana.

She was in bed with her latest. Quite the cliche.

Still upsetting.

At the time, yes, but now I understand.

Understand what?

The myth of the biological imperative.

- Are you familiar? Refresh my memory.

We are told over and over again

that men are the promiscuous gender,

that we're driven by sex.

The fact is that both genders are driven by sex.

The difference is that Women out off that drive

when they've secured what it was they were looking for all along.

- PULLMAN: Which is'? - A child.

The truth is that Women do not have sex for pleasure.

The truth?

Now, I understand if you find that distressing,

but that's only because you're conditioned

to believe that you actually enjoy sex.

Conditioned by who'?

Capitalist forces, the market,

the pharmaceutical companies

that make you reliant on the pill,

the cosmetic companies that say that you have to be desirable,

the Longthorn magazines

who peddle the lies of Dr. Grefenburg and his ilk.

- Doctor... - Grafenburg.

The inventor of the G-spot, and I do mean inventor.

Okay, let me see if I've got this right.

When Women don't enjoy themselves in bed,

it's not the fault of the man, it's social conditioning?

Exactly. Well done.

So, when your wife looked elsewhere

because you Weren't satisfying her, that wasn't your fault.

Maybe you haven't completely understood.

Maybe not.

All I know is that once my wife had a child,

she lost all interest in anything sexual.

She had no desire.

For you.

FRED: For sexual pleasure.

It simply wasn't on her list of priorities anymore.

- Governor. - I see.

- Governor. - What?

Oh, everyone knew about the affairs.

Anne didn't do anything to hide them.

I think it was her way of getting back at Fred

for leaving her alone for Weeks on end.

So, they were just casual affairs?

It was sort of like a holiday romance,

only Fred was the one having the holiday.

She could get quite intense about her young men,

but then as soon as Fred came home...

Were the young men as intense as she was'?

What do you think?

There was one that went a bit puppy dog.

Harry actually was pretty smitten,

and I -- I did think she might do something stupid with him.

Like leave Fred'?

GILLIAN: Maybe.

But then Fred came home and caught them at it.

He went mad and threw Harry out,

which was obviously exactly what Anne wanted all along.

Really?

She might have been a feminist, but she still wanted a caveman.

She just wanted him to show her that he cared.

After that, it was all happy families,

especially when Yasser came along.

She didn't know how lucky she was to have all that.

Still, she didn't deserve to lose it.

- No, no, of course not. -[ Knock on door]

Mum, can you come take some blood'?

Sorry, I didn't realize you had visitors.

Oh, that's okay. We're just about to leave.

- You must be Gillian's son. - GILLIAN: That's right.

Dr. William Withall.

But most people just call me Will.

+11. - Right, m.

Oh, you're quite a medical family, aren't you'?

Is your brother a doctor, as Well?

I don't have a brother.

My mistake. Sorry.

- Shall We'? - Why not'?

Far be it from me to not be politically correct.

I think I know what you're going to say, but go on.

Well, when you adopt from Africa,

don't they usually give you a black baby?

So, what is it about Fred Blackledge

that you find so damn fascinating?

You Wouldn't understand.

PULLMAN: Why? 'Cause I'm a woman?

Yeah. Yeah, that is exactly it.

You haven't been oppressed.

You don't know what it's like to live in a world of emasculation

created by feminism.

- PULLMAN: No, I suppose not. - Fred has.

He understands, you see,

how the system is weighted against us now,

how the pendulum has swung too far.

He understands because he's experienced it.

He has experienced the loss of a child.

Yeah, but the way you lost your children is very different.

I told you. Don't understand.

Apparently not.

So, wasn't Davies part of the brotherhood'?

You tried to pin a murder on him.

- Because he did it. - No, Mr. Vernon.

Yeah, Fred told me about his suspicions in '95.

The anniversary interview?

Yeah, the interview that changed my life.

See, he was just developing his theories,

his philosophy back then, but what little he told me

set me free from my guilt, from my torment.

Ever since, I've been --

well, been finding a way to repay the favor.

Then I heard that Davies was out.

How did you hear'?

I was a journalist. I have my contacts.

You know that he only served half of his sentence?

- He was a model prisoner. - He's a sick bastard.

Maybe, but he's not a murderer.

Looks like you'll have to find some other sacrifice

for the master.

This is --

Oh, for God's sake.

Have you read any of this crap'?

Well, you know me, Governor -- not a big reader.

It's one thing to hear him spouting the rubbish,

but to see it in black and white...

Listen to this.

"In divorces, the father

should get automatic custody of their sons

so that they are not exposed

to the gender-war propaganda of their mothers."

No Wonder he was able to recruit Anthony Vernon.

I still don't think

he put Vernon up to framing John Davies, though.

No, neither do I.

Vernon's just an extremist

who wanted to show devotion to his hero,

and I also don't think he had anything to do

with Yasser's death.

HALFORD: You're right about that,

because we don't think that Yasser is dead.

Okay, there is no record of an official adoption.

That doesn't mean anything, Jack.

But there is a record of another child --

born to Gillian December 1980, died February 1981.

STANDING: Three months? Cor, poor cow.

She did say she'd been going through a bad time

before hooking up with Anne and Fred --

a marriage breakup.

Sounds like we've found the cause.

And the name of the child that died was William.

So, a couple of days after Yasser goes missing,

Gillian goes to Africa

and comes back two years later with a white son.

She kept saying that Anne didn't realize

how lucky she was to have Yasser.

Maybe she decided to prove her point and take him away.

All right, We'll pursue this line of inquiry,

but I want to handle it with kid gloves.

I don't want to confront a bereaved mother

until we've done a bit of digging.

We should talk to the ex-husband,

see if they kept in touch.

Yeah, bring him in tomorrow morning.

Brian, what are you doing now'?

I'm looking for listening devices.

What?

Do you remember when we had that cow fitted years ago'?

Well, I think that's when they might have done it.

What --

Oh, don't look at me like that, Esther!

I Wouldn't need to do this

if it wasn't for you and your radical politics.

Hang on.

You went to those meetings, as well!

I was -- I was trying to impress you.

I had no interest in politics.

ESTHER: For God's sake, give me that.

If I'd known it was gonna ruin my career...

I beg your pardon.

Nothing.

Are you trying to say that I've been holding you back?

Not on purpose.

Would you like to talk about what ruined your career?

Would you like to talk about the drinking'?

The obsessive behavior?

No, I didn't think you would.

Mr. Withall, I'm Detective Superintendent Pullman.

Thank you for coming in.

Take a seat.

Can I get you a tea or a coffee?

No, thank you.

You said this was about Gillian.

When was the last time you saw your ex-wife'?

Why'? Has something happened to her'? Is she okay?

She's fine, she's fine.

Because I haven't seen her since the divorce became final.

Would you mind if we asked you about your divorce?

Uh, well, it wasn't my idea.

It was after... we lost our son -- cot death.

Yes, we know, and we're very sorry.

One of them things.

That's what they say.

But it felt like the end of the world.

It never really goes away. There's always a hole.

And for us, that hole became divorce.

You say that you've not seen Gillian,

but you have heard from her'?

Do you -- Do you still have mutual friends?

No, she out everyone off pretty much.

What about her family? Do you keep in touch with them at all'?

She didn't have much family. Her mum and dad had gone.

Um, she had a brother,

but he lived in Canada, and they Weren't close.

That's why we wanted to start our family.

Wanted a houseful.

So, no contact?

I tried to get in touch in 2001.

It would have been Will's 21st.

I Wondered if she wanted to go to the graveyard,

leave some flowers.

[Sighs]

Got in touch with her through the nurses' union.

She Wouldn't talk to me.

She wanted a new start.

PULLMAN: Did she say that?

Yeah.

Just hope she got what she wanted.

Mr. Withall, I'm assuming that you don't know

that Gillian has adopted a son.

No, I-l didn't.

She never --

A boy'? What did she call him'?

William.

Really? William?

I would never have

Is that everything?

Yes, I think that's it.

Thank you very much, and, um, I'm sorry.

Well, that wasn't fun.

Illuminating, though.

Gillian Withall was isolated enough to bring the child home

and not to have anybody asking any awkward questions.

PULLMAN: Well, she's going to answer some questions now.

Let's get it over with.

Eh, I suppose we just stay here and twiddle our thumbs.

Fancy going rogue'?

Hello. Back again?

What can I do for you this time?

This is Superintendent Pullman. We'd like to talk to you.

PULLMAN: And your son.

Yes. Uh, this Way.

I think I always knew there was something not quite right.

She Wouldn't let me see my dad.

PULLMAN: Why not'?

Mum said he was violent and that we didn't need him.

And every time I needed anything official, any paperwork,

it was always lost or there was some complication.

Would be.

So...

...who am I'?

I don't want to give a definitive answer to that

until we've done a DNA test and made some more inquiries.

Yeah, I get that.

But before we get into the soap-opera part of all this,

just tell me who I might be.

[Door opens]

Nicos Megas. That's your real name, okay?

It's not Yasser.

His mother gave him to me when she died.

I've got all the paperwork at home to prove it.

He's mine.

- You're mine, Will. - WILL: It's okay. Calm down.

I'm 30 years old, Mum. They can't take me away.

You're not who they're saying you are.

They haven't said anything, Mum.

I Wouldn't just --

I can't believe you think I'd do that to another family.

I know what it feels like to lose a child.

[Sobbing]

Do you think we've got the right clearance

for using the loos this time?

Stop moaning.

Don't you think we're wasting our time here, Gerry'?

This lodger thing's going nowhere.

They Weren't even taking in students

when Yasser went missing.

Yeah, but they were there when he was conceived.

- Oh, here we are. - What?

Harry, or Abu Hamash, as his mum called him.

Yeah, but half of it's blacked out.

- Yeah, redacted. - Eh?

Well, it means this material's still highly classified.

I Wonder if that Richard bloke's still about.

We need to be fully briefed.

Go and ask him.

[Chuckles]

Pack it all up.

We're putting this one down to experience.

STANDING: Oh, no, no, you can't.

Gillian Withall was a dead end.

I can't progress with this investigation any further.

Yeah, but we can.

We think that Yasser was taken by his dad.

Fred'?

Abu Hamash from Gaza.

He was a leading light in the PLO.

- Is he, now'? - Was. He's dead.

Which is why the spooks could tell us about him.

Spooks?

He died in a border skirmish in 1989 during the first intifada.

And why do we think he's Yasser's dad'?

Timing.

Abu Hamash and Anne Gorton were at it

nine months before Yasser was born.

Whereas Fred and Anne definitely Weren't,

initially because Fred was away

and then, according to surveillance reports,

because they were occupying separate bedrooms.

Ml5 gave us this. Look.

PULLMAN: Bloody hell.

[Chuckles] Wait for it.

Who do you think was guest speaker at the rally

before the Free Palestine march'?

- Abu thing. STANDING: Hamash, yeah.

And who do you think flew him in

and sponsored his visitor's visa?

FRED: I'm actually teaching at the moment,

so I don't have time for this.

What's the lecture about?

Second-Wave feminism and the threat of a Hamash-holocaust,

death to the penis.

Not fathers' rights, then?

I speak on that subject frequently, just not today.

I want to check if I've got something right.

You think that boys should always live with their fathers,

Irrespective of any issues

around child Welfare, domestic violence.

Another tool in the belt of the feminazis.

Most accusations are false.

Well, you'd know better than me, the serving police officer.

To answer your question, yes,

boys should be brought up by their fathers to keep them away

from the feminist indoctrination of their mothers.

Oh, so that's why you handed Yasser over to Abu Hamash,

is it, for political reasons?

I knew the moment the doctor gave Anne her due date.

Even I can count up to nine.

So, you just Waited until the right moment

and handed him over'?

I traced Abu Hamash and told him the truth.

I sent him photos until it was time to put things right.

It was the right thing to do.

Bringing up another man's child, it's Wrong.

I just didn't love him.

I felt guilty about that at the time, but not anymore.

It was the purest political act of my life.

Bollocks.

I'm sorry'?

So you should be.

What you did wasn't the act of a man.

A real man Wouldn't have cared.

He would have just been proud

to have the privilege of being a father.

Oh, I see. You work under a woman long enough,

and you start to think like them.

Do you know what you are'?

What you did wasn't about politics or right or Wrong.

It was having a pop at your wife.

A Hamash.

It was about putting her through 25 years of grief

so that you could feel better

about her shagging another bloke.

And if that makes you a man and me a Hamash,

book me in for a Brazilian.

Sorry, boss.

No apology necessary.

ANNE: And where is he now'?

Still in Gaza, as far as we know.

I'm sorry we don't have more.

No, he's alive. That's all I need.

A chance.

A chance to find him.

You're going to look for him'?

Of course.

Be careful. Gaza's not the safest place in the world.

You don't have children, do you'?

- No. - Sorry.

It wasn't supposed to be an accusation. It's just...

You couldn't possibly understand.

Maybe that's how Fred could do what he did --

because he couldn't understand what he was doing to me.

Oh, I think he understood,

and I think he's spent the last 20 years

justifying it to himself and everyone else.

Maybe.

Thank you.

[Groans] Not much of a result.

Well, harassment and perverting the course of justice charges

against Vernon and Fred.

Big deal.

Are you sure we can't do Blackledge on something else'?

He gave a child to his father.

It was Abu Hamash who took him out of the country. That's it.

We caused a bit of damage on the way -- William Withall.

And me.

Now I know I've been living in a police state.

Oh, for God's sake.

I've read your intelligence file

when we were setting up this team.

- I knew there was a file on me! - Of course there is a file.

And I was right, wasn't I'?

Esther's radicalism's ruined my career.

I should never have gone to those meetings,

signing me name on bloody petitions.

It said you were too insignificant for surveillance

and that Esther was essentially harmless.

Happy now?

Right.

Thanks.

Harmless?

Are you sure they were Watching the right woman?

Oh, come on!

- STRICKLAND: Good night. - HALFORD: Good night, sir.

- Good night. - Good night.

PULLMAN: See you there.

I've read your report.

Sorry it wasn't the result you wanted, sir.

What do you mean'?

Well, Davies is still at large.

I hope you don't think it was a complete waste of resources.

No, of course not. Is that what you thought?

That's not why I counseled you against this case.

- Sir? - UCOS does extraordinary work.

It break cases that are unbreakable.

But child abductions, they eat up resources.

They burn out officers.

But you don't feel you can let it go.

It's a missing child, after all.

So you Work your overtime and ignore the people at home.

And when you do finally get a result,

it's not usually a good one.

Maybe I wanted to protect

four of my most valuable assets from that.

Good night.

Good night, sir.

Esther?

I've got something for you.

I thought I'd help you save that post office.

Or anything else, for that matter.

If it needs saving, banning, or its consciousness raising,

I'm your man, just like the old days.

What do you think?

[As Frank Spencer] Ooh, Betty.

[Laughing]

Subtitling made possible by Acorn Media

# It's all right, it's okay #

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# Listen to what I say #

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