Original subtitles

CPS have come back. There's going to be no criminal investigation.

How do we fight on? A private prosecution.

This is what we want you to say.

And when they come for me?

We won't hurt you, unless we absolutely have to.

Harriet, why are you calling Iwan?

This is a lot less nefarious than you think it is.

I haven't been the best of dads.

But I'm trying to do better here, on this one, right now.

I'm a mother and a wife, and I say I'm done with the damage of it all.

I'm out.

It was the second year Christmas disco. I don't remember.

I don't. Everyone in London was wearing leggings, someone told us.

Didn't have a clue what leggings were.

Then you found it in Country Life at the dentist.

Loved reading magazines at the dentist.

And you said, "Well, that looks like tights to me."

So, you had us cut the feet off our tights and wear them,

telling everyone, "These are leggings, we got them in Cardiff."

Yes, it's coming back to me a bit now.

Knickers, am I right? You are right.

Not one boy didn't see our knickers that night.

Not one.

It took me months to forgive you.

You were always worried about things like knickers too much.

I'll be back.

OK. OK, love.

OK, love. Mum's here now.

Mum's here now.

OK. OK. Sh.

Sh, sh, sh, sh.

Just let it melt away.

Let it melt away.

Go back to sleep.

Back to sleep.

Philip wants her up first.

Is she going to be OK?

I tried to convince her not to...

..well, not to give evidence.

But she was sure.

The defence are going to tear her apart, aren't they?

I get them, too.

Nightmares.

Never of what happened.

I'm in a hole filling up with water,

or in a house filling with smoke.

Mia.

Mia is sometimes there.

And sometimes she's...

Oh, Rhys isn't as kind as you, he doesn't stroke my hair.

He just wakes up, wakes me up, says I'm having "another one",

rolls over, farts and falls back asleep.

Thought you'd cut me off, you know that?

Over all this.

Well...

..then I'd have nothing left.

Best friend I ever had.

Only best friend I've ever had.

Only you chose the wrong side.

We're going to win.

We've an ace up our sleeve.

Harriet won't know what's hit her.

Oh, not from the carton!

Saves on the washing up.

She up?

Not yet. I'm trying to give her as long as possible.

They could give her a hard time today, you know that?

Yes, I know.

A private prosecution is launched today by the families

involved in the tragedy at Glyngolau.

In an unprecedented action, they will pursue a charge of gross

negligence manslaughter against the defendant Harriet Paulsen.

13 months...

Thanks for coming in.

Why do I get the feeling of doom whenever I'm around you?

Harriet, I'd like you to meet your barrister, Gareth. Gareth, Harriet.

Good to meet you. Hello, Gareth. Hi.

Right. Let's get this started.

Our intention is to flood the court with lots of questions as to

who could have saved these kids' lives.

That will tell you as much as you need to know, but the truth is,

it's better for you to hear it fresh for the first time in court.

Because here is the thing,

this whole case is going to come down to something quite specific.

And that is who can tell the better story.

Who the jury wants to believe.

You're talking about likability? No.

We're never going to win a popularity contest.

These people are trying to decide whether or not you're a monster.

So, when you sit in the dock, you need to show them you were just

doing your job.

Oh, you are up.

Let's get you dressed, shall we?

You can still say no.

I need to do this.

You had another nightmare.

Wasn't because of this.

What the defence are fighting for, they're going to be tough on you.

The cross-examination...

They've p-p-prepared me. I'm ready.

You've heard, right?

They've all taken on mortgages they can't pay back

to pay for this trial.

I lost my friends, Mum. I've got no friends left.

This is my chance to say my bit and do my bit.

I know it's not what you want...

..but it's all I've got to give.

And I want to get justice. Don't you?

I just don't want you to get hurt.

Too late for that.

This will be an emotive case.

It is a case that has attracted a lot of press interest.

It is a case where the evidence might sometimes be overwhelming.

Morning. Tell me this is going to be OK.

This is Gemma, she'll be representing us.

Hello. You promise me you'll protect her up there.

I will do my best.

The defendant has been accused of gross negligence manslaughter.

The fact this is a private prosecution makes no

difference to how you, the jury, or I as the judge should react.

You must try this case on the evidence in front of you

about the defendants before you.

When you've received all the information,

I will then ask you to come to a verdict of guilty or not guilty.

Please state your name.

Leona Bevan.

And how old are you, Leona?

16.

Why did you go to the site that day?

To, erm...

..c-cause trouble.

Why?

Something to do.

And it mattered to my dad, the project...

..a-and I wanted to annoy him.

How did you break in?

We scaled the fence.

This fence here?

Yes.

And then you travelled through the site...

..and arrived in this basement here.

Yes.

Where there were a number of gas canisters.

Yes.

Did you think to check what they were?

No.

I just thought they looked strange and then I moved on.

And then what happened?

W-w...

We went upstairs...

..Mia and me.

Ava wanted a light,

so I chucked one down to her.

Could any of you smell gas at any time?

No.

And then?

Everything went...

Everything got...

Mia called for me and I called back.

And then

the next thing I remember is being pulled from the building.

We rest, Your Honour.

How are you doing, Leona? Are you getting better?

The doctors seem to think so.

I'm getting there.

Delighted to hear that.

I'm going to ask a few questions now.

All I'm interested in is the truth, you understand?

So, you were the ringleader.

The other eight kids were there because of you.

They wanted to be there. I didn't force them.

And to be clear, you travelled through the site,

undertaking acts of vandalism?

Yes.

You scrawled on the walls,

you broke what you could.

You generally did as much damage as possible.

I'm not proud of it.

When you heard your friends were dead,

did you feel some responsibility?

I... I don't think that's a fair question.

I disagree, the question has validity.

I realise this is my fault.

I realise I can't be forgiven.

But I also think that if the building had been properly

maintained, we wouldn't be here.

No.

You'd be in jail.

Maybe.

Those canisters, what did you call them?

You said they looked "strange", and yet you didn't touch them.

Not one piece. You rampaged over the rest of the site but these

strange-looking canisters, you didn't play with one bit?

No, we didn't.

According to your evidence, you were on the site to "cause trouble".

You said,

"It mattered to my Dad, the project, and I wanted to annoy him."

The Court has seen some of the words you wrote on the site.

I just drew b-b-b-butterflies!

You're a liar, aren't you, Leona?

You committed a terrible crime,

breaking into a site you shouldn't have.

And once on the site, you committed even more

offences - writing sick slogans on the wall.

And when you came across these canisters, you pushed a few

over, you smashed them around a bit, you probably didn't even notice the

gas starting to spill, and when your friend Ava asked for a light, we...

I-I-I've never lied about what I did!

You gave it to her.

Your friends were in there because of you.

They caused damage because of you.

The machinery was broken because of you.

The light was given because of you.

YOU'RE responsible for this terrible incident, aren't you?

No!

No, that isn't how it happened!

No further questions.

Mam...

Mam!

Court usher, will you bring the wheelchair ramp immediately, please?

Mam! Mam!

Leona! Leona!

Do you have a message for the other families?

Glastonbury festival.

I'm 19 years old and I've no money,

and we've taken the train up, but I decide to go child's fare.

You OK? I get up there and it's fine.

I heard what happened.

Shh. I'm listening.

Coming back, a police officer stops me, looks at my ticket,

asks me my age, and I tell him 15.

He asks my date of birth, I tell him my fake date of birth.

He tells me he's going to ring these through and check.

Is that really your date of birth...?

Dad, this is the lamest crime ever committed.

Told him the truth, begged forgiveness,

bastards took me to court.

Dad had to find out, it was awful.

Honestly, lamest crime ever.

My point is...

Your point is you're a career criminal

and so know what it is like to be one.

When we found all that hash...

Weed, it was weed,

and I was only dealing a bit of it.

I wanted to throw you out.

I didn't want a drug dealer in the house. Your mum said no.

She said, "She'll learn."

And I didn't. And you have.

Since the accident, I've been so proud of you.

It only took the death of all my friends.

Couldn't leave Wales behind, is that it?

They put me in this hotel.

I didn't know you'd be here.

Who's they?

You were lured here with luxury by the prosecution

to testify against me...

..and those poor women are paying for it.

I've been thinking about us.

I've been thinking about us, too.

I just wanted to say sorry, if I upset you,

abused you.

Sorry if I...

..well, sorry.

The way they look at me, up there...

..I see their faces and I just...

..I hope, whatever happens, I hope you're OK.

I'm OK.

Yeah.

It was good seeing you.

Can you tell us how you know the defendant?

I was her executive assistant.

What kind of work did you do for her?

I was across everything, I checked everything she was sent,

went through everything she was sending out.

So her correspondence, any contracts,

any communication whatsoever, you knew about it.

Yes.

And you were also having an intimate relationship with her.

Yes.

How did you react when these events first happened?

I was upset, just like she was.

And then I wanted to do everything I could to defend her.

Let's move on to the matter of the steel and how...

Yes, I have no...

I must say, the matters with the steel makes me extremely angry.

Why?

Because I've known Harriet, the defendant, for a long time

and there's no way she would have knowingly put people in danger.

The steel company should be who's on the stand here, they supplied poor

quality steel and at no point was Harriet aware of what they'd done.

This is not what you previously have told us.

Well, I was confused.

And you...

..I knew what you wanted me to say.

You played on my hurt.

You played on my rejection from a firm and relationship

that I cared about greatly.

I swore an oath and I will tell the truth.

Thank you.

You swore on oath and you're fucking lying.

Defence, do you have any cross-examination for this witness?

I believe the witness has made himself perfectly clear.

No further questions.

You see, he doesn't even have any questions.

He's got no questions.

Fucking hell.

If you're not trying to have a cigarette in there

then I don't know you very well at all, Angela Griffiths.

That was it, eh?

That's what you were resting on?

We went over all the files, we spoke to the manufacturer,

all we needed to prove was that she knew,

and then Philip got the idea to go to Tim,

he got him to open up.

And then...

And then he fucked it.

My daughter. My fucking daughter.

Do you think he always knew that was what he was going to do?

Trick them into thinking they had something and...?

Or was it an impulsive decision based on them being too stupid

to check we'd placed you in the same hotel they'd booked?

You knew he was there?

We're very good at our job.

The other side are more amateur.

You disapprove?

Oh, my dad used to take me up here when I was a child.

He used to say, "All this is yours."

Mum, you may be about to give yourself a coronary.

We can go slower.

Common land was very important to him,

he never wanted to be anywhere else.

It is lush up here.

Now your dad's dad, in contrast...

..well, he did everything he could to own as much of this as he could.

Not rich enough to own the mill,

but he owned Angela's house and a few others.

He was a mean fucker, if I'm honest.

Why did we sell them, those houses?

Pay for his care, when he got ill.

Your dad wanted him to have the best.

He did some damage to your dad, if I'm honest,

through that time and before.

Not that I'm speaking badly of him.

I know how much you need your dad right now and I am

so happy he is what you need, and...

Mum, can you stop the chair? Mum, can you stop?

Put the break on and come round here, so I can look at you.

Look at me.

I know what he is

and I know what he's done.

I...

..I've heard him come home drunk

and I've seen what he does to you.

I'm trying to make it OK for you.

What?

Me?

He's done damage, I've done damage, you're just

wiping our arses like you always do and I need it to be OK -

for you...

..right now...

..because I can't look in your face any more.

Because I know what I am, and you don't deserve a daughter like me.

See, I knew it.

I knew you knew what he did

and it's to my shame that I let you think that's OK.

So I'm guilty here, Leona.

No.

No, I'm more guilty.

I should have left him years ago.

I couldn't leave him.

I loved him.

I love him.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

Fuck!

You shouldn't have gone onto the site,

but you need to forgive yourself, do you hear me?

Because I think you're capable of being quite a decent human being...

..as long as you don't let this define you.

I don't regret it, going on that stand, just so you know.

I don't.

That's good.

But I didn't...

..none of us damaged those canisters, whatever people think...

What happened was our fault, we shouldn't have been there,

but it was their fault, too, that fucking firm.

I know.

Are we going to lose, Mum?

I'm making a fry up.

Yeah, I can see.

Even got some black pudding from the butchers.

Did you now?

It's good for you, did you know that?

Black pudding.

I'm not sure that's true.

True as I stand up.

Black pudding.

It's the blood or something. Hm.

Where's Martin? He's gone out.

And Leona's asleep.

Yeah, it's a funny thing, that.

Whole new girl upstairs,

completely different.

Still likes a lie-in.

So, big day.

Back on the stand.

Bit nervous.

Do you know what they're going to say?

Why would I know what they're going to say?

Oh, Angela, she has her means of...

Well, you know, she has her means.

I'm not part of the team, they've shut me out, you know that, Iwan.

I don't know what they're going to say.

But I know what you need to say.

They can't prove it. They've tried.

They asked for my help,

they wanted me to take your computer and I refused.

What, they were going to steal from me?

They wanted to know the truth, and I wouldn't let them.

I thought I couldn't do that to you.

But I could, I just didn't.

I should have, I could have...

..and I didn't.

I didn't do anything.

Oh, yes, you did. Yes, you did.

I don't know what you did, but you did.

No. No.

I'm not having this.

Not one bit!

If that's what you need, take your best shot.

I wasn't... Weren't you?

Deep inside you, I know you want to hurt me still,

and deep inside me I'm so frightened of you,

I can hardly fucking breathe!

Oh, I want to love you!

I do love you,

and I'll always love you.

But I can never forgive you.

Not for the damage you've done me. I can't.

But Leona, she needs to see a human in there.

But you don't understand.

Saying nothing now makes you a murderer.

And her dad can't be that.

Cos if he is, she hasn't got a chance of being good.

If he is, she hasn't got a chance of living a worthwhile life.

You need to save her, Iwan.

Do you understand that?

And if they arrest me after?

How will you live?

How will you survive?

I've responsibilities.

Oh, my God, so they're right.

It's true.

Did I say that?

I didn't say that.

Hey.

I didn't say that.

I didn't say that.

You know...

..you've always wanted to be an important man.

Well, here you are,

you're important.

Now do something important with it.

And I'm more or less certain black pudding is still pretty bad for you.

Oh, dear me.

Ooh, I was going to wear fucking leggings for you today.

But really I hate wearing fucking leggings.

I heard a rumour you've mortgaged your house.

Mm. Greta too. Oh...

And some of the others.

Crowd-funding got us so far.

Actually got 400 grand, we had to find what we could.

Maxed out some credit cards too, fool that I am.

Still, it's nothing that another 30 years

sitting behind a till won't pay off.

I'll help. Oh, OK, snippy.

I talked to Iwan.

I think he has some things to say.

I'm not sure whether he'll say them.

Well, thank you for trying.

I can't promise you he's strong enough, Ange.

I want to do something, before we go in today.

I want to tell those press who our daughters really were.

Are.

I'd like that too.

My daughter was terrible at school.

She drank, she used drugs,

she was 15, that's what you see.

But what you don't see is that she wanted to be

a nursery school teacher.

She was going to study a BTEC in it.

She would've become a good woman.

Her dog still sleeps on her bed.

I had to change her duvet the other day, cos he'd...

He made it stink, you see, the dog.

And, erm, it, erm...

..broke my heart, that did.

Leona...

Well, she, er...

She lost her life down there too.

Yes.

And then... that's all I have to say about that.

Can you confirm your name for the court?

Iwan Bevan.

You're the leader of the council.

Yeah. What does that involve?

I chair the cabinet and with my colleagues,

try to set a course for local area policies.

How much work does that involve?

Three, four days a week.

Six days some weeks.

For which you get paid how much?

�19,000.

It's a salary you recently reduced.

Erm, I made a pledge to match my salary

to any cuts in public spending we made.

Austerity's been tough.

Do you get any other income?

Not at this moment no, but...

..plenty live on less.

And, er...

..it was those people.

Trying to help those people.

Trying to get them into work.

That's why I did what I did.

What did you do?

Colluded with Harriet Paulsen over health and safety breaches.

Did he just say that?

What kind of health and safety breaches?

I was told she needed it because the project was profoundly over budget,

otherwise they were going to kill the project, kill the chances of...

Fuck. You killed our kids!

..us getting the jobs, the business we needed, but...

But I didn't know this was going to happen. Oh, my God.

What kind of health and safety breaches?

She claims she didn't know about the steel,

but she asked me to delay inspection

until after the steel had been clad in concrete.

She didn't want my inspector, Craig Barker, to see it,

the steel she had, because she knew it'd fail the tests,

and I have proof of it.

The defence have seen nothing of this new evidence

and I don't see how... I have text messages that show she knew.

She knew exactly what the steel was

and she knew we needed to find a way to hide it.

Thank you.

I thought you wouldn't mind a visitor.

You married, Philip?

No.

Tried it a couple of times.

Not a good fit.

Takes a certain kind of woman to want to marry me.

You're not so awful.

You're seeing my best side.

So...

One, once he's finished his testimony,

Iwan will be formally arrested by the police

and charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Craig Barker too.

And maybe they'll find another couple of charges,

maybe even gross negligence manslaughter.

And he'll almost certainly serve a prison sentence.

Two...

..we're going to win...

..because of you.

Thank you.

Are you going to be OK?

You will be OK.

So, the question is, how are we going to react to this?

I've just had the Japanese on the line asking if you defrauded them.

They're pretty insistent about suing us,

mainly to get distance from this, I think.

But I never lied.

But you didn't tell them the steel wasn't good enough to inspect.

We were over budget

by quite serious amounts.

And without that factory, the town is finished.

Everything I did, I learnt from you.

You'd have done the same.

Yeah, I probably would have...

..but I didn't.

So, shall we get the formal bit out of the way?

You're being fired with immediate effect,

no severance, no pension, for gross negligence,

and your legal team is now your financial responsibility.

Do you understand?

They won't be coming back, the Japanese.

No, not for a couple of years,

but then I'll undercut some competitor's bid

and bring them back in the fold.

Or I'll find somebody else.

And how will you undercut without making the sort of decisions...

Yeah, but I didn't make the decisions, did I?

You did.

I helped build this firm!

Yeah, and now thanks to you, I have to rebuild it.

So, fuck off, Harriet.

Members of the jury, have you reached a verdict upon

which you are all agreed?

For the offence of gross negligence manslaughter,

do you find the defendant guilty or not guilty?

Guilty.

These events were brought about

by a hideous set of circumstances

and the flouting of basic health and safety rules to cut costs

and build an inherently unsafe structure.

This has led to the unnecessary deaths of these children

and the lifelong suffering of their families.

So, it is horror I feel today, not tragedy.

For the offence of gross negligence manslaughter,

the court sentences you to seven years' imprisonment...

..of which you will serve half before being released on licence.

Take her down.

I don't know what happens now.

Excuse me?

What happens now?

Do I... just follow you down?

I don't know where they're taking me.

You got a fag?

I think I need to smoke.

No fags, but...

Fucking Greta.

I nicked them from behind the bar at the horses.

They're a bit big but... Just a bit.

Where's Polly?

I lost her in all the hubbub afterwards.

Stuff like this, she always needed to be by herself.

We're having a cigar,

if you're up for it.

I'm always up for a cigar.

Fuck me, that's huge.

Only me.

Through here.

I thought we could, erm... I bought fish and chips,

I thought we could watch a film.

I've got a few saved on the digi-wotsit.

Oh, OK. Only if you want to.

I mean, I'm aware my taste in films is a bit, er...

I'd like that. Your dad always used to laugh about it.

Said I could always be relied on to record the worst stuff ever made.

Who are you texting?

I was supposed to be meeting Lowri down the Anchor,

but I'd rather do this.

Oh, if you've plans...

This is my plan now, if that's OK.

Right, then.

You get scraps? Of course I've got scraps.

I'll plate up. You get the telly going.

OK, love. I'll get the plates.