All language subtitles for Judge John Deed S03E02 Judicial Review

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Help him!

Ambulance is here now.
They'll take care of him.

There's been a blow to the head.

She's been doing CPR
for about 15 minutes.

Mum, please, Mum.

It's all right. Dad
will be all right.

- I'm so, so...
- No, no.

We'll be all right.

You have that horrible James
Brooklands back in the list, Judge.

He's here, is he?

They had him brought from the
remand centre to await your pleasure.

Mr Petros, the QC
defending Brooklands,

is complaining about
his client being in custody.

Yes, well, remand was
never meant as a punishment.

Perhaps it's given Mr Brooklands
the opportunity to reflect long and hard

on the mother and two
children that he ran over.

I doubt it. Here, Mimi,
do you want a nut?

- Apparently not.
- Oh, yes, you do.

Judge?

Can you start a judicial review?

It's not how it
usually happens, no.

The company my brother
works for has been taken over.

Bracewright China. They're
major manufacturers of china.

The first thing the company
that took them over did

was raid the pension fund.

There's legislation in
place to prevent that.

Well, it doesn't work.

The DTI says firms mustn't be
burdened with extra restrictions,

or there will be no
entrepreneurial society.

It's a bit high-handed.

What happened to
your brother's pension?

Well, he was expecting
about £100 a week.

He'll be lucky if he gets £5.

DTI's response
could be reviewed.

- He's very angry about it.
- It's not a cheap process, you know.

Would Mrs Mills see
him, do you think?

No, not without a solicitor.

Yes, yes, all right. I'll
have a word with her.

I suppose I could see Coop's
brother, I've nothing else.

Suddenly I'm no
one's favourite QC.

- You're still top of my list.
- That's the problem.

It all comes from your helping
me at the disciplinary tribunal.

If I hadn't, you'd be
off the road by now.

Oh, not necessarily. And anyway,
whose fault was that in the first place?

So we should regularise our
relationship and get married.

- John, that's not where it's at.
- Why?

Why? You've
always been my ideal.

You're everything
that a man could want.

Bright.

Beautiful.

Compassionate.

Being your ideal is
too much of a burden.

Anyway, five minutes into marriage,
you'd be off chasing other women.

No, I wouldn't. Scout's honour.

All right, then, 10 minutes.

You love the idea of
being in love with me

because I keep my distance.

Real relationships
are hard work.

It's much easier to walk away.

The other person always
promises something better.

There is no one
better. I know that.

No, you just think you do.

You need help, John.

All right. I'll get help.

Are you sure you're serious
about therapy, Sir John?

As long as it's not in
front of your students.

I don't have students.
I lecture occasionally.

What do you do
the rest of the time?

I usually ask the questions.

Yes, barristers often
complain of that.

They say I examine
the witnesses too much.

Do you like being
in control, Sir John?

Is this part of the therapy?

Everything has a bearing.

Does this mean
we're getting started?

I have to be convinced
you're serious.

Could we explore this
over dinner, do you think?

Is that against the rules?

I never have social
contact with clients.

Neither do I.

What is it you want out of this?

To be able to form a
long-term relationship.

I don't have a magic formula.

Then what do therapists
do for their money?

Who is it you want to have
a long-term relationship with?

The Lord Chancellor and his
aperient, Ian Rochester, would be a start.

Okay. Call my office tomorrow,
we'll make an appointment.

James Brooklands
remaining on remand

is a clear breach
of his human rights.

Does it embarrass
your masters, Ian?

That is not a consideration.

Are you trying to push me
off the Brooklands case?

As a champion of
the European system,

I thought you'd argue for not
keeping this man on remand.

Well, I... I will get to
the case quite soon.

We'd rather you took
the Dobbs murder trial.

It's straightforward enough.
Why not give it to a purple judge?

There's none available.

The overwhelming burden of
evidence is against Mrs Dobbs,

but it's not altogether
certain she did the slaying.

Then why is she going to trial?

The DPP was rather hoping you'd
do one of your famous interventions

to penetrate to the
heart of the matter.

Is that how it works, Ian?

Either way, the Dobbs trial is
on your list ahead of Brooklands.

Unless you specifically refuse.

Which leaves the problem of what
to do with Brooklands, meanwhile.

- Will you grant him bail?
- No.

It's entirely in
your hands, John.

There's no doubt Deed lied to the
disciplinary tribunal, I suppose, Monty.

It was clear and blatant.

But he's a High
Court judge, Ian.

If he said he didn't
sleep with Mrs Mills,

we have to accept his word.

I took that view, Michael.

We have photographs
of them in bed.

But how were they obtained?

An overzealous
servant at the lodgings.

Is that fair, Ian?

We're dealing with a judge who seems
to pay no heed to the rules, Michael.

You're unusually silent,
Joe. Is this difficult for you,

being his ex-father-in-law?

As much as I dislike Deed,
I've never found him to be a liar.

Quite the reverse. He's always
too truthful for his own good.

The evidence
speaks for itself, Joe.

It's meaningless.
We couldn't use it.

To do so would be
to imbrute the bench.

It does rather leave
us in a cleft stick.

Something has to
be done about him.

There's nothing one can do.

We could put more
pressure on Mrs Mills, Joe.

She was his
co-conspirator in this.

But I thought that was the
reason that she went before

the disciplinary
tribunal in the first place.

We've been altogether
too nice, Michael.

I would suggest a less
confrontational approach, Ian.

Have a quiet word with
the Attorney General.

By controlling the cases,

that go to each of them,

Deed and Mrs Mills
might be marginalized.

We thought it might be
useful to take your mind

on the discussion document

for a continental-style
Ministry of Justice, Alan.

I thought the Lord
Chancellor was against it.

Oh, we remain implacable.

Deed gave rather
a good paper on it

to the European Human Rights
seminar at Warwick last month.

Unlike politicians, High Court judges
don't have to clear their speeches.

Yes, the director was
complaining about him.

And the CPS are
a bit fed up with him

taking the prosecution
and defence in cases.

Deed can be very
useful sometimes, Ian.

Does that mean you couldn't
support any move against him?

Not necessarily.

Do you have a specific proposal?

We'd like to close His
Lordship out of the loop,

along with his
paramour, Mrs Mills.

- Michael?
- Ah, Jo.

I had dinner with John Deed
the other night. Very good form.

Being a judge so suits him.

I need your support, Michael.

CPS have bumped me from my murder
case in favour of Newman Mason Allen.

They're the client, Jo.

They briefed me
for the prosecution.

I can't tell them
where to place work.

As Head of Chambers,
you could protest.

I know we have sweetheart
relationships with the CPS,

but I did nothing
wrong, Michael.

No one imagines otherwise, Jo.

Aren't we getting a little
too dependent on the CPS?

You and Newman and
Julia practically live there.

We have to manage
a balance of work, Jo.

Prosecuting or
defending, it's all the same.

Excuse me.

Am I on my way out of here?

We're working
hard on your behalf.

- I'm still here, Clive.
- Yes.

How would you feel
about pleading guilty?

Look, I know I ran over those
two girls and their mother,

but it was an accident, Alex.

We're asking for an indication
of sentence, were you to plead.

With the right note
of contrition, James,

you might be able to walk
away without a prison sentence.

Well, is that possible?

John, we're getting
into grave difficulties

with James Brooklands
coming back.

It's not that much
of a problem, is it?

With you tied up on
the Dobbs murder trial?

Brooklands can be
further remanded.

Well, personally, I'd sooner see
him go down and do some real time,

but not before he's tried.

What if he were to plead guilty?

What would your
indication as to sentence be?

I mean, you could interpose the
guilty plea and get it out of the way.

- I'd want to give him the maximum.
- I'm sure he wouldn't agree to that.

- Couldn't you let him out on bail?
- No, there's a risk he'll flee.

His defence team have
asked me to hear an application

for the trial to
start immediately.

Failing that, they
want him released

under Article 6 of
the Human Rights Act.

You could turn
down the application.

If I do that, they'll sue for
a writ of habeas corpus.

You might have to release the
case, as you're not ready to start.

Well, I don't want to
appear vindictive, Monty,

but Brooklands had
better go to somebody

who'll deal with him
as the public expects.

Yes, we'll see that he's
dealt with appropriately.

Are you alone?

I think Mimi's around somewhere.

Why? Would it matter?

When are you
seeing your therapist?

What's the problem, Jo?

Why should I have a
problem? Do you know of one?

Why does everyone
assume that I have a problem?

I was cleared by the
disciplinary tribunal.

All right.

- Relax. Have a drink.
- I don't want a drink.

I want to know what's happening.

Could you be a little
bit more specific?

- I've been dropped by the CPS.
- Oh.

Well, it happens, you know.

- Twice in the same week?
- Did they give a reason?

They thought it better
if I wasn't in front of you.

I don't see that as a
serious impediment.

When was it decided that you
were to hear the Dobbs murder trial?

Earlier today. It was
switched in the list.

I was dumped two days ago.

It wasn't until I complained
today that you were mentioned.

Well, somebody's been
had, and I don't think it's you.

It was me who lost the CPS work.

Of course, no one in chambers will
protest because they might be next.

Do you think you might be
making a fuss over nothing?

It wasn't you who got the sack.

Would you like me to have a
word with your head of chambers?

Absolutely not.

I'm fed up with it
being such a boys' club.

Even Julia Crampsie
behaves like one of them.

- Nothing I can do about that.
- Oh, I don't want you to.

Well, what do you want me to do?

You don't want to
go to bed with me.

You think that's the
solution to everything.

Isn't it?

- Do you want to stay and eat?
- No.

- Jo.
- Forget it.

Coop's brother should
go for judicial review.

The DTI's indifference to the workers
losing their pensions is outrageous.

You can't make a case
out of their indifference.

The DTI took a
clear position. Tough.

Does he have the
money to go to law?

The short answer is no, but
too much to qualify for legal aid.

And are you going to take it on?

I'll help where I can.

- Will you support me?
- How?

It might be difficult because
of my relationship with Coop.

To say nothing
of our relationship.

Well, we haven't got
one, according to you.

But you do try, though, John.

Can you tell the
court what you found

when you arrived at
the defendant's home?

She was giving her husband
mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Was the victim alive or dead?

Dead. Well, leastwise
I couldn't find a pulse.

- Do you know how long he'd been dead?
- Fifteen minutes.

Do you know that or
are you speculating?

I didn't know at the time,
but it was confirmed later

that the first blow killed him.

I see. Mr Mason Allen.

Do you know for how long Mrs Dobbs
had been trying to resuscitate her husband?

- Not long.
- How do you know?

It's knackering, especially
if they're not coming back.

You couldn't keep
it up for 15 minutes.

So it's likely that Mrs
Dobbs assumed this position

with your arrival to
give a caring impression.

My lord, my learned friend
is calling for speculation

on the part of this witness.

Yes, I'm more concerned
that he's leading the witness.

I do apologise.

Officer, had Mrs Dobbs

been trying to revive her
husband for 15 minutes?

No, she didn't
look like she had.

- Was she exhausted or sweating?
- No.

- What was her son doing?
- Nothing.

He was in a state of shock.

- Well, who admitted you to the house?
- The boy, Andy.

Did he say anything to you?

"It's my dad, it's my
dad. They killed him."

Meaning some burglars
who'd entered the house.

You're sure he said,
"They killed him"?

That was the note I took down.

Remind us when
you made this note.

When I got back to the
station, sir, about an hour later.

An hour, I see.

How would you describe the boy?

In the face of his father having
been bludgeoned to death?

Mr Mason Allen.

I do apologise, my lord.

Um, one further point, Sergeant.

Mr Justice Everard
has taken the case.

He's arranged for the charge
against Brooklands to revert

to causing death by
dangerous driving.

- When did this happen, Coop?
- Well, I've just heard.

No!

It must be manslaughter.

I knew that's what you
recommended, Judge.

If they think they've
outmanoeuvred me...

Brooklands could walk free,
especially if he pleads guilty.

I'll talk to the
Attorney General.

What do you expect from me?
The CPS determines the charges.

With a little help
from Monty Everard.

Oh, I could have a
word with the director.

I'm not inclined.

Plea bargaining's a
loathsome process, Alan.

Families of victims
feel betrayed.

If it happens with
Brooklands, it'll be a travesty.

You're overreacting, Sir John.

Sometimes the lesser
charges guarantee a conviction.

Here it will guarantee
that Brooklands walks free.

Oh, I don't know.

Isn't this something
that might never happen?

If it does,

there will be trouble.

My lord, the prosecution having
amended the charge against Mr Brooklands

to causing death by
dangerous driving,

my client would wish to
have the indictment put again.

As long as he realises
this is still a serious charge.

James Brooklands,

on the charge of causing
death by dangerous driving,

that on the 15th of March last,

you caused a motor
vehicle you were driving

to go out of control,

killing Alison and Liza Cox
and their mother, Vanessa.

How do you plead?
Guilty or not guilty?

Guilty.

Is there anything you wish to say
in mitigation before I pass sentence?

Well, I don't know what I could
say to the family of the victims, sir.

If I could bring them
back with some act,

some personal sacrifice,

I'd give away my business.

Even give away my life.

Their deaths have haunted me.

If you were to put me in
prison for the rest of my life,

I still couldn't
escape what I'd done.

I shouldn't have been talking
on the phone while I was driving.

No one should.

I've written to every
member of Parliament.

I'm lobbying all the
influential people I know

to get the law changed.

Something should result
from this... This tragedy.

I couldn't bear
it if it doesn't.

We are pleased to note
your remorse, Mr Brooklands.

It would be
uncharitable to ignore it.

- My lord...
- Now, I've read all the reports

on the defendant, Mr Gaydon.

- Yes, but I...
- I don't need to see anything more

before I pass sentence.

Mr Brooklands.

This is a charge that warrants
a long prison sentence.

However, it is clear that
you have suffered greatly

while being remanded.

I imagine the thought of going
back to prison fills you with terror.

Yes, sir, it terrifies me.

Then prison has
served a useful purpose.

I sentence you to what will
amount to time served on remand.

But added to this,

I'm going to give you the
maximum sentence in the community.

Two hundred and
forty hours service.

Release him.

All rise.

Wretch. You miserable wretch.

- You are out of control.
- You're impotent.

And you, sir, are
a barefaced liar.

What do you think
you're doing in my court?

Witnessing how
spineless you are.

You make me
ashamed of the bench.

Ah, and what are you
doing to do? Resign?

No, I'm going to talk to
the Attorney General again,

have him appeal your sentence
and stick your crony in jail.

I spoke to him earlier.

Sir Alan sees Brooklands
as a wealth creator.

One who shouldn't be in prison.

Is there nothing you can
do about Brooklands, Judge?

Not unless he kills
somebody else, no.

It's Justice Everard
and the Attorney General

I should like to do
something about.

I'm gonna talk to the
Times' law correspondent.

Let's see how comfortable
that makes them feel.

The Brooklands case represents the
very heart of cronyism in our system.

We all tend to favour our own,
of course. It's only human nature.

Politicians and
political appointees

will tend to favour the
likes of James Brooklands.

They make huge
donations to the party.

What do you feel is
the solution, Sir John?

Well, that's a big question.

Not having politics funded
by donations in the first place

would be a start.

Having independent
government Law Officers

instead of political
apparatchiks would also help.

You see, politicians
aren't the consciousness.

They only reflect
our consciousness.

Do you intend to
resign now, Sir John?

No.

I intend to stay and fight
the administrative corruption

displayed by Mr Justice Everard
and his cohorts in Court Number One.

- Can I quote that directly?
- Yes.

Everything that I have
said has been on the record.

It's been a poor
day for justice.

If you're rich and
keep on making money,

then you're above the law.

Look at these.

Unless we achieve some effective
damage limitation very fast, Laurence,

one or both of us are liable
to be transferred to Defra.

Or worse, Immigration.

We could go on the
counter-offensive.

Do you have one?

Do you have a good bodyguard?

- Do I need one?
- I've just been reading your press.

You free for lunch?

What's the problem, Mrs Dobbs?

I've been thinking about Andy.

I need to see him.

You can't. He's a
defence witness.

I don't want him to be.

He mustn't be.

But he'll confirm what happened.

Without him, you could be
facing a murder conviction.

If that happens, there
can be only one sentence.

Life imprisonment.

I don't care.

I don't want him
to suffer any more.

I can't bear what
this is doing to him.

Mrs Dobbs, I've talked
at length with Andy.

He's a very sensible young man.

He'll do your case nothing but
good. Trust me on this, please.

Sergeant Milbrook,
you said in evidence

that the room was orderly
with no signs of a struggle.

That's right, there wasn't.

Did you look anywhere
else in the house?

I did look in the
other rooms, sir.

There was no sign of
a struggle there, either.

So your impression was of
a neat, orderly household?

Yes.

Lived in by orderly,
restrained individuals.

- Yes?
- Yes.

I did get that impression.

Have you ever rowed
with your partner?

Once or twice.

Smashed the
furniture, turned it over?

No, I can't say we did.

No. It's not the furniture we
row with, but another person.

If someone was attacking
you and then turned on a child

who was trying
to stop that attack,

and you ran to find something with
which to threaten him and stop him,

there needn't necessarily be
furniture involved, need there?

No, not really.

Then, in those circumstances,
it wouldn't be surprising

that the house of three
very orderly people

- remained orderly, would it?
- No.

- I suppose it wouldn't.
- Just as you found it.

With your leave, my lord,

I'd like to call Detective
Chief Inspector Hurst.

It's totally scandalous, Ian.

It's libellous.

Well, we can't
sue Deed for libel.

I'd like to wring his damn neck.

We mustn't give
him the satisfaction

of responding publicly.

Well, then, do
something about him.

We can't swat him, Monty.

The Lord Chancellor's meeting with
the Attorney and the Home Secretary

to discuss how we might respond.

Well, don't let him
have any more cases.

Alas, he has a number
reserved to himself.

Then, we'll take
them away from him.

It's not just you who
got a bad press, Monty.

We did, Court Services
did and the CPS.

You were altogether too
lenient with Brooklands.

The man either makes money
for the country or he doesn't.

He can't do it in prison.

I'll speak with
Deed when he rises.

I don't want him on my
circuit a moment longer.

If we can't stop him
hearing his reserve cases,

then marginalise him
back at the Strand.

Mightn't that be seen
to be punishing him?

Since when was Central
London a punishment?

I'll talk to him, Monty.

Perhaps we'll put more
pressure on Mrs Mills.

Come in.

Jo, how's it going?

- I'm thinking of taking up knitting.
- Oh, dear.

Still becalmed, are we?

Well, um...

I hate to be the bearer
of more bad news,

but CPS are thinking of

dropping you
from their silks list.

Did they say why?

Oh, too many silks, I think.

You don't believe that.

I rather think John went over
the top with his public utterances.

Don't you?

Why don't we have lunch?

Talk about your future.

Are you free?

Oh. No, I'm not, I'm afraid.

Everard brought the bench and
the Lord Chancellor's department

to the lowest and most shameful
point since before the abolition

of capital punishment, and
you want me to apologise?

The fact is, Sir John,

judges don't normally criticise
their brethren. Not in public.

The public expects
judges to be fair and decent,

but above all, just.

What I witnessed
was so wantonly unjust,

it cried out for a
public statement.

He should be exscinded
from all judicial functions.

And woe betide you if you or your
department had anything to do with it,

because I'm gonna
push and push on this

until I get justice for
those two children

and their mother.

Yes, well, I'm sure the Lord Chancellor
will have something to say about that.

He wants to see you after
adjournment tomorrow.

No, I have another engagement.

Is that wise, Sir John?

Well, possibly not.

But when you conspire
to behave corruptly,

it has consequences
for all of us.

No one has behaved corruptly.

Yes, well, that's
not how it appears.

Now, if you will excuse me, I
do have another appointment.

There is one other
thing, Sir John.

Sir Monty is refusing to have
you sitting in his jurisdiction.

Well, as the presider,
that is his right.

You do have the power
to move me on elsewhere.

But where?

Yes. Well...

Gosh, John, who are you meeting that
you turned down the Lord Chancellor?

Rachel Crawcheck.

Therapist.

Do they know about that?

They know everything
else about my private life.

You've been in scrapes,
but never this serious.

Why don't you keep
your mouth shut?

Then neither of us
would be in trouble.

What does your head
of chambers have to say?

Your press coverage is all
anyone wants to talk about.

What are they gonna do, sack me?

Nobody's sacked
a judge since 1830.

But can you win?

I'm not sure what
winning would mean.

Having Legover
back down, for a start.

As long as Brooklands
remains free,

the justice system is tainted.

You cannot force
the Attorney General

to appeal the sentence.

No, exactly. Alan Peasmarsh
is part of the political machine.

Law Officers should
be entirely independent,

free to advise the
government according to law,

not party interests.

Lower your sights, John.
Just go after Monty Everard.

No, that's like treating the
symptom and not the cause.

He wouldn't have behaved as he
did without a nod from those weasels.

You're either very
brave or wholly right,

and I don't know which.

Or totally foolish.

Oh, maybe I ought to
marry you and look after you.

They're all ready, Judge.

Did we hear from the
Attorney General yet?

Sir Alan Peasmarsh
is in a meeting,

which is likely
to go on all day.

Keep trying, Coop,
I want a meeting.

Chief Inspector, after the
defendant was charged,

can you tell the
court what she said?

She changed her story.

She said it wasn't intruders
who had killed her husband,

it was her following a row.

When did the intruders
first enter the story?

When I interviewed both
her and her son at the house.

Both had exactly
similar stories.

Did you believe them?

At first it seemed to make sense,
but we found no sign of burglary.

Did the defendant explain that?

She said Andy had
opened the door to them.

Well, the story came apart at
the station and she confessed.

Hmm, did you establish a motive?

Well, Mr and Mrs
Dobbs rowed frequently.

Mostly about her wanting to
leave him and go off with her son.

Mr Dobbs wouldn't agree to a
divorce. He's a devout Catholic.

Was that a motive,
Chief Inspector?

He couldn't stop her divorcing
him after the statutory separation.

Mrs Dobbs was dependent
on him financially.

Well, that makes for an even
less sound motive for murder.

He held some threat
over her about the boy,

but we couldn't get from
the defendant what it was.

Well, perhaps we'll learn it
during the defence's case.

When Mrs Dobbs changed her
story, what was your reaction?

Did you believe her?

Not at first. She
didn't seem the type.

Is there a type that
murders their spouse?

Broadly, there is.

Usually more
emotionally volatile people.

Mrs Dobbs was very demure.

Demure. Dedicated.
A close mother.

Yes. Our inquiries
suggested she was too close.

Overly protective.

It's most mothers' instinct
to protect their young.

That's most parents' instinct.

Can a mother, therefore,
be overprotective,

especially in today's climate?

Some witnesses say
it was cloying. He is 16.

You say that as if it's an age where she
should have nothing more to do with him.

Are you a parent?

No.

Then would it be fair to
say that your only contact

with young teenagers has
been at the rougher end?

I have dealt with a
lot of kids in trouble.

Would it be true to say that you
haven't experienced the kind of anxiety

that most parents
have for their children?

Yes, I haven't experienced that.

Then are you in a position
to say how protective

a mother should be when
her son is being attacked?

She bludgeoned the man to death.

This demure little woman turned
into a tiger in defence of her offspring,

who was being attacked
by a savage beast.

You do accept he was, at
that time, a savage beast?

No, I don't.

Did you look into the
history of the victim?

No.

Even though he was killed
while attacking his son?

Well, we only have
her word for that.

You clearly didn't examine
the victim's background

other than for clues that might
strengthen the motive for murder.

Had you done so, his medical
history would have shown

that Mr Dobbs was on a high
dose of lithium to stabilise him

and stop his violent and destructive
bouts of melancholia. It's here,

in his medical record.

Are you exhibiting
these, Mr Powell?

I will be, my lord, along with an
independent report from a pathologist

that shows there was no
lithium in his blood or organs.

Okay.

This bears out our
contention that Mr Dobbs

hadn't been taking
his medication.

As a result of this, he was
prone to violent outbursts

and splenetic bouts
of accusatory paranoia.

In the event of a man prone
to such violent outbursts,

is it not reasonable
that a loving mother

might lash out to
protect her son?

Yes, when put like that.

I'd like to speak to the
Attorney General, please.

That's what you
keep telling my clerk.

I do intend to speak to Sir Alan
and if that doesn't happen soon,

I'm going to come and
camp outside his door.

He knows what it's about.

No luck, Judge?

How long can he avoid me?

A lot longer than this.

There's a priest trying
to contact you, Judge.

A Father Cattle.

Did he say what it was about?

He wouldn't say.

Perhaps the Lord Chancellor
sent him to hear my confession.

Is your brother still
pursuing judicial review?

Oh, we're seeing
Mrs Mills this evening.

Hmm.

Well, Father Cattle better
say what it is he wants.

You haven't forgotten
Dr Crawcheck?

No.

Tell me about
your day, Sir John.

- What I do?
- Is that how you define your day?

Well, the law takes
up most of my time.

Do you wake
thinking about the law?

Sometimes.

Reviewing a decision
I may have made

or have still to make.

Sometimes worrying
about something in the past.

Do you do that often?

Wake up worrying about
mistakes I may have made?

No, not often.

Is that because you
don't often get it wrong?

Well, I do try not to.

That wasn't what
I asked, Sir John.

Well, I sometimes get
things wrong, of course.

Making public my row
with government law officers

may have been a mistake.

Are you going to
do anything about it?

What's the purpose of
this line of questioning?

I'm trying to establish that if,
when you recognise a mistake,

you're able to put it right.

Ah.

Well, you see,

the problem with the law

is that you often don't realise
that you've made a mistake

until someone on the
Appellate Bench puts it right.

What about elsewhere?

I don't wake up sweating
about mistakes I may have made.

Would you recognise them?

I don't have regrets.

Can you tell me about
your sexual relationships?

Can you be a
little more specific?

Do you ever think about
the women you've slept with?

Yes.

Especially if I'm
still in bed with them.

The next day, the day after?

They're not my preoccupation.

Could you do without women?

I thought the idea of this

was to get me into the sort of
shape where I could successfully

pursue one woman.

Therapy doesn't
work like that, Sir John.

I'm scared the Judge
isn't gonna survive this.

He's been in other
scrapes with the LCD.

Nothing so serious.

What's being said
around the Court?

Well, it's thought
he's on his way out.

That's not realistic.
He's a High Court judge.

No one has ever
spoken out like that.

The trouble is the more you
tell him not to do something,

the more he tends to do it.

He was right to say
what he said, Mrs Mills.

It doesn't help him,
though, does it?

- Yes?
- Mrs Mills?

Mrs Cooper's brother is here.

Show him up.

Will the Judge be all right?

What is your earliest
memory as a child?

Um, at the zoo.

My dad giving a monkey a toffee.

The monkey unwrapped
the toffee, ate the paper

and threw the toffee away.

I was two.

Is that a happy memory?

I think of it with affection.

You have brothers and sisters?

Yes, an older sister.

My mother adopted
me after she miscarried

and couldn't have more children.

Why did it take you almost
an hour to tell me that?

You didn't ask me.

Does it disturb you, Sir John?

I had a very happy
early childhood.

I didn't find out I was
adopted until my 50s.

Do you know the circumstances of
your separation from your blood mother?

No, didn't need to.

My adoptive mother
was my mother,

as far as I was concerned.

Is she still alive?

No, she committed
suicide when I was 10.

I think this is painful.

We have to leave
it there, Sir John.

Next week at the same time?

Why not?

It's entirely up to you.

Yes, I would like to come again.

You're alone?

Just when I was beginning
to think my life was over,

I'm gonna have to spend the
whole evening here on my own

and then you walk in.

I saw Coop and her brother.

- Is he going ahead?
- We talked about you.

- How you'll survive.
- Ah.

Do you remember that animal rights
protestor who went on hunger strike?

Well, going on
hunger strike is novel.

You'll be the thinnest
High Court judge in history.

Charlie said to me then,

"If the law can't
deliver justice for him,

"then I don't see any point
in carrying on with the law."

I'm beginning to
know how she feels.

Judicial suicide
won't help. They'll win.

You staying for supper?

Will you give up this fight?

Is that your price?

You may have the
media on your side,

but can you rely on them?

Public opinion's on my side.

That's even more fickle, John.

All I need is a bit of luck.

You've never fought
this way before.

Every other tilt at them has been
with the sharpness of your intellect.

- Has it suddenly become dull?
- This is about pride.

Now, I don't care
if you win or lose.

I do care about you.

Stop this.

Let's get married.

- You don't mean that.
- Yes, I do.

You're my dream, John.

Ever since I was a young woman and you
helped my father when he was in trouble.

You were everything
a woman could want.

I think about you every day.

I was too scared to
let you in too close

in case you overwhelmed me, but all
I ever wanted was to be overwhelmed.

If I was half as smart as
you seem to think I am,

I would have realised that.

I've been too busy telling myself
I didn't care, I didn't want you.

I've always known you were a
womaniser, and perhaps you always will be.

I can pretend you love only me.

I do love only you. Why do
you think I'm having therapy?

- So I can commit to one person.
- So is that yes?

You'll stop fighting them?

- We'll get married?
- Does one depend upon the other?

- I mean, are they mutually exclusive?
- Yes, I'm making them so.

To see injustice
like that and just let it

slide away without a whimper,

it's more than I could stand.
It's more than you could stand.

But there are other fights.

Get to the appeal court. There you
can change what governments do.

Don't ask me to back
away from this, Jo.

You stupid, stupid man.

Dr Graceman, you carried out a
post mortem on Alexander Dobbs.

Can you tell the court the
extent of that examination?

It was a full post mortem.

All the major organs, the brain,

tissue and blood were examined.

Was there anything
particular in your findings?

The right side of the
skull was crushed,

suggesting a blow from
behind by a right-handed person.

Splintered bone had
severed the carotid artery.

The force of the blow drove a
splinter deep into the brain stem.

Death was instantaneous.

Did the second,
third and fourth blows

indicate the manner in
which he was attacked?

Yes. It was savage, like
someone going berserk.

Did you analyse
the blood, Doctor?

I did.

In the light of the statement
given to the police by the defendant,

I examined the blood

and had a blood scientist
examine it as well.

And what was particular
to the defendant's statement

that made you do this?

She told the police her husband
had been attacking first her

then her son.

It was at that
point she hit him.

And did you find any
inconsistency in her story?

I did.

If the victim had
been attacking first one

then the other
member of his family,

there would almost certainly have
been free adrenaline in his blood

from his stimulated
adrenal glands.

We found none.

Does the blood indicate
the state of the body

immediately prior to death?

Generally, it indicates whether a
person had been drinking, taking drugs,

eating agreeable food.

Were any of these indicators
present in Mr Dobbs?

The red platelets indicated
he was deeply relaxed,

possibly listening to
something like Mozart or Bach.

Would Bach make a
difference to the blood?

Indeed, my lord.
Something like the cantatas

beneficially affects the
alpha rhythms of the brain.

Heavy rock, like Black
Sabbath, stimulates the brain,

causing the adrenal
glands to overwork.

I'd better tell my daughter.

Does your daughter listen
to Black Sabbath, my lord?

I'd be surprised.

She's a big fan.

One of our shared pleasures.

Let us get this
right, Dr Graceman.

The assailant would've
crept up on the victim,

while he was asleep, and
smashed him over the head.

My lord, my learned
friend is leading the witness.

Yes, he's going in
for the kill, Mr Powell.

Possibly he's been
listening to Black Sabbath.

I will try to re-educate
my musical taste, sir.

Yes, and rephrase your question.

Well, I withdraw the question.

Doctor.

You said, "If the victim had been
on his feet, attacking first one,

"then the other
member of his family,

"there would almost certainly
be free adrenaline in his blood."

Why "almost certainly", Doctor?

Why can't you be more definite?

Why not, "There would certainly
be free adrenaline in his blood"?

Because one can
never be absolute.

In other words, it
doesn't always happen.

Nor can one be absolute about
adrenaline entering the bloodstream,

as you describe.

Is it not true that lithium

suppresses adrenal response?

So, there wouldn't necessarily
be adrenaline in the blood.

Yes, it can do.

Thank you, Doctor.

Mr Mason Allen.

Was there lithium
in the victim's blood?

None was found.

Thank you, Doctor.

Dr Graceman was my last witness.

And that concludes the
case for the Crown, my lord.

The priest, Father Cattle,

is most insistent about
seeing you, Judge.

And he won't say
what it's about?

He said having read your bold
statements in the newspaper

made him bold.

Perhaps it's not
my soul he's after.

All right, Coop,
make an appointment.

Well, he's in the building now.

Well, I could give him 10
minutes, as I've risen early.

Thanks.

These entries make very
interesting reading, Father.

What were you doing
with Mr Dobbs' diary?

He wanted me to
have it for safekeeping.

- What did he mean by that?
- I don't know.

I'm not at liberty to
tell what he told me

in confession about
his wife and son.

I have no means
of knowing if it's true.

He was a troubled soul.

I don't know if I can use it now,
the prosecution's closed its case.

I think it's too late.

I did wrestle with my conscience for
a long while about going to the police.

Yes, I think perhaps
you should have done.

Well, I was trying to
reconcile the need for justice

with the question of confidence
I owe to Mr Dobbs even now.

If what Mr Dobbs has
written in his diary is true,

it provides a motive for
Mrs Dobbs killing him.

I'll leave it to your conscience
how best to use the diary, Sir John.

I'll pray for you
to do what's right.

Mrs Dobbs,

was your relationship with
your husband a happy one?

No.

I don't know why I
married him, really.

No, that's not true.

I do.

It was for support.

Mutual support.

I'd recently lost my mother,
who I'd nursed since I was 15.

She'd had a stroke

and begged me not to
let her go into a home.

Alec had lost his mother
around the same time.

She'd also had a stroke.

We met at the stroke
victims support group.

Did you feel anything
for the man you married?

I admired him

for supporting his
mother the way he did.

Alec had wonderful qualities,

which I thought he'd
bring to our marriage,

and, at first, he did.

And when I got pregnant,

I thought they'd
develop into love.

But instead, he got more
and more demanding.

He accused me
of having an affair

and saying Andy
wasn't his child.

Were you able to
convince him he was?

Only after DNA tests
showed that he was the father.

Then he said

I'd slept with the
doctor and got him to lie.

Soon after that,

Alec agreed to have
psychiatric treatment.

Did this help at all?

He quietened down,

was less accusatory.

Then he started
finding fault with Andy.

What sort of fault, Mrs Dobbs?

He said...

He said his ears
stuck out too much,

that they were too low.

His eyes were too wide apart,

he was too small.

And then when Andy grew older,

he was too slow, he
wasn't strong enough.

Andy didn't stand a chance.

Did the psychiatrist
say anything about this?

He told me

perfectionism was a side
effect of his medication.

And coldness

and remoteness.

Did you and your husband
enjoy a physical relationship?

No.

Impotence was
another side effect.

Did he seek
medical help for that?

He refused to.

He said the problem was mine.

I was sexually uninteresting.

That I was frigid.

Were you, Mrs Dobbs?

I've no way of telling.

I'd only known Alec.

You hadn't been with another
man before or during your marriage?

No, I'm afraid I haven't.

Mrs Dobbs,

such fidelity is something
for which we might admire you,

rather than judge you.

Mrs Dobbs,

would you take a look
at this medical record?

Tell the court if
you recognise it.

Yes, this is

my husband's psychiatric record.

You can see Dr Jackman's signature
on the medication instructions.

Did Dr Jackman, at
any time, warn you that

your husband might react
in this way to his medication?

When I complained to
him about what it was doing,

he said,

would I sooner have a paranoiac
accusing me of things I hadn't done?

He didn't offer to change it?

No.

See, Alec wasn't

physically violent
all the while.

His comments were.

These, he said,
were for my own good.

His mother was his ideal.

He said I fell a million miles short
of her and that he should never

have brought me
into her sacred home.

Mrs Dobbs, you were a relatively young
and healthy woman. Why didn't you leave?

Because I felt sorry for Alec.

I thought I could
help him change.

Did he show any
signs of improving?

No.

He got worse.

Yes. Mrs Dobbs,

on November the 8th, last year,

did you tell your
sister-in-law, Madeline Carole,

that you'd do anything to
get rid of your husband?

No.

I didn't.

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

On December

the 10th,

did you tell Mrs Carole

that you were going to force
your husband to sell the house

- so that you could go away with Andy...
- My lord,

while we always appreciate
your helpful comments,

I am concerned to know if Madeline
Carole is somehow being called

now the prosecution's
case is closed.

Unless you want to call her?

Go on.

Mrs Dobbs,

did you, in fact,
seek a divorce?

Yeah, finally...

Finally, I had to,
for Andy's sake.

And then Alec said he
would kill himself if we left.

That's a different picture from
that painted by the prosecution.

Was your husband
different with other people?

Entirely.

Oh, he was a bit dull,

but perfectly pleasant.

What triggered his attack on
that fatal Sunday afternoon?

Um, we'd...

We'd been to morning mass,

and back at the house, he...

He accused me of trying
to pick up a man in church.

Were you?

No.

No, he kept...

He kept telling me I was vile

and Andy was the son of Satan,

and he would call Father
Cattle to have him exorcised.

I locked Andy in
my room with me,

hoping that Alec
would just calm down.

Hoping his mania would pass.

And when I came down
two hours later, he was...

He was waiting for me.

He seized me by the throat,

hissing at me.

I was the devil.

That's when Andy
came at him and hit him.

I thought you said
that you hit him.

Yes.

I did, with the baseball bat.

Andy hit him on the
back with his fists,

and only his fists.

Alec turned on
him and seized him.

Where did he have hold of him?

Round the throat.

He was... All I could
hear was him hissing.

"Son of a serpent!"

Shaking him.
Shaking him violently.

I tried to break his
grip, but he was...

He was locked
tight, like a dog bite.

And then Andy
started going bright red,

and I grabbed a
baseball bat and I hit him!

And it just didn't seem to make
much difference, so I hit him again.

And he was...

He was still.

He was just still.

I'm sorry.

That poor woman.
How she stood by him.

- You buy her story?
- Don't you?

I saw the dead man's diary.

Yeah, but he was
paranoid, Judge.

Are we anywhere with my
meeting with the Attorney General?

He won't meet with you, Judge.
Well, not willingly, anyway.

Then I'll doorstep him.

I'll enjoy this.

You are on the Attorney's
list of calls, Sir John.

He will get back to you.

It has to be within a
meaningful time frame.

Sir Alan does understand
the urgency, sir.

See, I don't think he does.

As long as I'm here, I'll wait.

Oh. I'm afraid
Sir Alan isn't here.

Then I'll sit here until he is.

Perhaps you'd be good
enough to find me a chair.

Sir John, do we have a meeting?

We ought to have
done long before this.

The 28 days you have to
appeal his sentence is running out.

Oh, look, I'm sorry I
haven't returned your calls.

The last few days have
been particularly hectic.

Your press interview
created a real hornet's nest.

Yes, it was meant to.

Yes, well, to be
absolutely honest with you,

I would prefer that this office
and that of the other Law Officers

be entirely independent,

but they're not.

And now we have to deal
with the political fallout.

You've sanctioned a
grave miscarriage of justice.

Or perhaps you were
one of its co-authors.

I was no such thing.

Either way, the
remedy is simple,

you must appeal
Brooklands' sentence.

I might well have done. But
now, as a result of your actions,

the remedy is far from easy.

There isn't a single
member of the cabinet

who isn't calling
for your resignation.

My advice to you, Sir John,

would be to lower your profile.

Yes. That still leaves
a grave injustice.

But then, he is a big
contributor to party funds.

This really is an
abuse of privilege.

Either you begin the process to
appeal his ludicrously light sentence,

or I shall take up the invitation
I've received to speak at length

to Newsnight.

- Deed's gone completely mad, Joe.
- One always thought he would.

This has become a
personal vendetta for him.

Deed seems to imagine that
he's the only man in England

capable of delivering justice.

Perhaps one did lean towards
leniency with Brooklands,

but it was an accident.

The man's learnt his lesson.

You know, a prison sentence
would've been pointless.

However, whatever the rights
or the wrongs of the case,

one does not criticise
a brother judge.

It's entirely bad form.

Mind you, I would've
given Brooklands six years.

Thank you for your support.

Oh, did you see these?

It's Deed and Mills

just before she spent
the night at his lodgings

last year, when
she was before him.

Does it look like they're
not having an affair?

It does not.

These were taken
at the lodgings.

Deed not only denies that
they were having an affair,

but he says that they
weren't in bed together.

Ian Rochester proposes
releasing them to the press

as a counter-offensive.

No, no, no. That would be doing
what Deed himself has been doing.

In a good cause, Joe.

Maybe.

- Ah.
- Joe.

You're about early. Do
you want some breakfast?

It was never a meal
that interested me.

Some coffee perhaps?

You here to see me
or Monty Everard?

He doesn't sleep here, you know.

I'm surprised you can bear
to be in the same building.

Well, he has asked
that I be moved.

He's more inclined to have you
removed from the bench altogether.

Your public utterances
have been disgraceful.

I doubt if the public
would agree with you.

We don't have trial by mob, thank
God, but between the two of you,

you seem to be trying to
take what was, hitherto,

the preserve of gentlemen

into the gutter.

Does it really matter, as
long as justice is delivered?

It certainly does.

Otherwise, we'd simply have
people hacking each other to death

and calling it "justice".

Which is why

I will not condone

the release of these

to the press.

Where did you get these?

Does it really matter?

Ian Rochester
proposes releasing them,

and my disapproval
will not prevent it.

- Thanks for the warning, Joe.
- I didn't do it for your sake.

The only way you can avoid
bringing the bench into total disrepute

is for you to apologise to
Monty Everard, and then

to resign.

No.

Not as long as Brooklands
remains at liberty.

Then the consequences

will be unspeakable.

Mrs Dobbs,

the relationship you described
as existing with your husband

is far from the
truth, is it not?

It's exactly as it was.

Hostile, accusatory.

A very different picture
emerged from the police inquiries.

You were a quiet
couple, were you not?

Yes, sometimes.

But, mostly, it was like I said.

Why is it outsiders saw
only a mild-mannered man?

Always courteous and polite.

Alec was clever,

sly in his ways.

And never once got caught out?

His sort pour their venom
on those closest to them,

the ones that can
do little about it.

What you're describing,
Mrs Dobbs, is a psychopath.

Nothing in your husband's medical
records indicates such tendencies.

Are you saying the
psychiatrists missed this?

Alec could fool most people

with that charming,
wouldn't-hurt-a-fly manner of his.

You're honestly
expecting this court

to believe that no one
else saw that in him, hmm?

You had to live with him
to know how clever he was.

I know he couldn't
help it. It was his illness.

But he was such a
master of deception.

Oh, he knew how to
be charming, all right,

until we closed that front
door, and then I would get it!

Mr Usher, may I have
the baseball bat, please?

Out of the container,
if nobody objects.

Mrs Dobbs, this might
be very distressing for you,

but would you mind
holding the bat?

Would you?

Now, would you swing it as you
used it to subdue your husband?

Do you think the
blow was like that?

Harder, I'd say.

Yes, it must be very upsetting
for you. Thank you, Mr Usher.

Well, this does seem
like a convenient moment.

I must remind the jury
not to discuss this case

other than when all together
until the morning. Thank you.

Come in.

A mysterious man
just handed this in.

Hope it's not a bomb, Jo.

Might liven things up a bit.

You okay, Jo?

Yes, I'm fine.

Mrs Mills is at
the door, my lord.

Bring her in, then.

She doesn't wish to
enter the house, Sir John.

She doesn't.

Jo, why won't you come in?

They arrived at
chambers a while ago.

If you don't stop this, someone
is going to publish them.

You know where they
came from, don't you?

Getting any work?

Empty promises
from clerks, that's all.

I have a feeling that
might change quite soon.

What are you going to do?

Oh, no.

Don't do anything that
would make this worse.

How can I make things worse

than a bunch of cowards
getting at you to make me stop?

Why would I accede to that?

Because I want you to.

Why can't you let this one go?

You don't mean that, Jo.

I do.

I will marry you if
that's what you want,

but it's me or this fight.

Oh, am I getting an apology?

I've sent copies of these
to the Attorney General.

He'd better agree to appeal
Brooklands's sentence.

If he doesn't,

then I'll contact
the Times again

and explain how you're using
paparazzi shots to force me to resign.

You might just
overreach yourself, sir.

And tell the Attorney and Sir Ian
to lay off Jo Mills while you're at it.

This is preposterous!

The whole notion's
utterly offensive.

Come in.

We're sorry we're late, Sir Ian.

No matter, Laurence.

You know Laurence James,
our circuit administrator.

Perhaps you'd take
a note, Laurence.

Civil service habit, Monty.

My position doesn't change.

It would be foolish to
accede to Deed's demands.

Well, it seems you may have
misjudged the public mood, Monty.

I sentenced Brooklands as I would
have anyone on such a similar charge.

The decision to appeal
the sentence is for you, Alan,

but with Deed pushing as he is,

the bad press isn't
gonna go away.

He'll drag in everyone, and
we know who'll be the loser.

Is there any truth
to his allegations?

It matters not a jot
if there is or isn't.

The collateral damage
increases the longer we delay.

Yes, well, I suppose an appeal
is the way it has to go, Monty.

I'm to be led like a
lamb to the slaughter?

Hardly.

Who would hear the appeal?

Why not Mr Justice Deed?

Oh, don't be fatuous, Mr James.
He's not an appeal court judge.

Deed could sit as a
winger in the appeal court.

What's your thinking, Laurence?

Well, sir, if Deed
heard this case,

he's so incandescent
about the whole issue,

he's bound to come down
too hard on the appellant.

Brooklands will then
have righteous ground

for a second appeal
against sentence.

Hmm.

It has merit, Monty.

And that would square the circle
for the cabinet and political opinion,

and leave Deed wrong-footed.

I won't go along with it, Clive.

They can't force me
to stand trial again.

They can and they are.

They're appealing your sentence.

It's thought to be so light
as to diminish the law.

Well, I shall... I shall
simply leave the country.

James, they're relying
on us to play ball.

That's why we got the call
from the Attorney General's office

to come in for a chat.

Andy,

I want you to think very carefully
about what I'm going to ask you.

You told defence counsel

your father was
attacking first your mother,

then yourself.

Is that absolutely true?

I know you're close
to your mother, Andy,

but she can't help you now.

Yes, it...

It was the truth.

And if I were to tell you
that forensic experts stated

that your father's
blood indicated

that he couldn't
have been fighting,

that he was probably asleep...

No.

It happened like I said.

How was that again?

Dad was very angry and...

And shouting at Mum when I...

When I tried to stop him,
he attacked me and then Jan.

He attacked you,
then your mother?

That's different to
what you told defence.

Which was it?

I'm not sure.

He was shouting and...

And calling us filthy names.

Ah.

What names did he call you?

- Don't remember.
- I think you do, Andy, don't you?

Son of a serpent.

Was that what he called you?

- Son of a serpent?
- No.

Ah, then perhaps he was
talking in his sleep, then?

I mean, he was asleep

when she hit him, wasn't he?

No, she didn't...

- He wasn't.
- You're covering up for her, aren't you?

This poor, drug-subdued
man, your father...

No, he was angry. He was!

That's simply not true.

He'd fallen asleep from his
drugs, she crept up on him

- and hit him.
- No!

- No...
- She did, didn't she?

No!

He found us in bed.

What?

I mean, in the bedroom, we...

- We were hiding.
- That's not what you said.

- Yeah...
- No!

You said "in bed".

I meant "in the bedroom".

Andy,

your father wrote in his diary

that you were having sexual
relations with your mother.

And he wasn't being
paranoid, was he?

He was.

Mrs Dobbs.

My lord, this is
undue intervention.

I... We were...

In the bedroom!

It wasn't just a suspicion.

He made several entries.

- He was sick!
- Mrs Dobbs, you will remain silent.

Andy, how many times

were you in bed
with your mother?

He found you, didn't he?

No, he didn't. No, he didn't.

Well, on the 9th of January,

he wrote,

"Spoke to Father Cattle
about A and J in her bed.

"He agrees it's evil,

"suggests I confront J."

Did he confront your mother?

No!

I don't know.

But he did find you in
bed with your mother

on the day that he died.

Didn't he?

She's guilty, there's
no question about it.

Of course she's guilty.

Come on, wait a moment.

Even if she was abusing her
son, it doesn't make her a murderer.

It does give her
a motive, though.

Well, how many of you thought
she wasn't guilty up until that point?

Well, no one's gonna
convince me she's innocent.

Doing that to her son.

Doing what? What was she doing?

In bed with him. What do
you think they were doing?

It's disgusting!

Look, lots of boys get
into bed with their mums.

At that age?

I'd lock him up, too.

Knew there was something
weird about those two.

Wouldn't be surprised
if the boy did the killing.

- He's a weirdo.
- That's ridiculous.

Why don't we take a vote?

All those who say
the lady's guilty...

- Yes, absolutely.
- Yeah, I agree.

Yeah. MAN 3: Guilty.

Hey, we're almost there. We
can almost go back in with it.

We've got to discuss
this some more.

Forget it. You're
out-voted by three to one.

It's murder. I mean, doesn't that mean
that it has to be a unanimous verdict?

Uh...

Well, all those for not guilty.

She admitted to hitting
him. She wasn't provoked.

She wanted to be
alone with her weirdo kid.

I think you're right.

Let's look through what
evidence we've got, hmm?

And not guilty.

You'll never convince me she
didn't want her husband dead.

The evidence is clear. She
was sleeping with her son.

Doesn't exactly sound
like she was innocent.

What if

we look at the boy
maybe killing his father?

- Now you're talking.
- They're not on trial for incest,

if that's what it is,
it's her who's on trial.

If the boy did the killing,
did the mother know?

How could she not know?

They know everything in
those sort of relationships.

They worm their way inside you,

into your brain so you
don't know what you're doing

or even saying half the time.

You feel like you're being
smothered, like you're sinking.

Well, you tell yourself it's
all right, you can get out,

but you can't!

I mean, look at the evidence.

Are you stupid?

- Look at it!
- Yes, look at it.

The blow came from
a right-handed swing,

and the mother is
clearly left-handed.

Look how she took the bat.

But the most important thing

is the fact that the dead man
had no adrenaline in his blood.

He wasn't fighting with that
monster he was married to, not then.

She planned and calculated,

first, how to kill him and
then cover her tracks.

That poor wet
boy's part of it, too,

whether he did or
not. My money, he did.

Judge,

- the jury's coming back for a direction.
- Another one?

Thank you.

You want to know

if the defendant didn't
swing the baseball bat,

would she still be guilty?

Well, she might be
guilty of a lot of things,

but she wouldn't
be guilty of murder.

The jury appears to
be having difficulty.

Are you here to sell
the abolition of juries?

I'm not in the market.

As I told Mrs Cooper, it's
something altogether more agreeable.

The Attorney General is going to
appeal the James Brooklands sentence.

Without strings or impediment?

You're far too
suspicious, my lord.

Coop, could you give Mr Dobbs's
diary to Chief Inspector Hurst?

Ask her to interview the boy.

An interesting development?

I think this jury's going
to find her not guilty.

Ah.

Everyone from the Lord Chancellor
to the Deputy Prime Minister

is breathing a sigh of relief
about Brooklands being appealed.

The Lord Chancellor would
like you to sit on the appeal.

Does this presage a place
on the Appellate Bench?

We'll take a view.

When would the appeal be heard?

The sooner, the better.

It's another six weeks till
you're back in the Strand.

You could hear it down here, so
as not to interfere with your sitting,

if you're agreeable.

I really don't understand
you any more, John.

You appear to have got
what you wanted, and yet,

still you're not happy.

I mean, without trying to
pre-empt your sentence,

I imagine that Brooklands
will find himself in prison.

It won't bring back the two
little girls and their mother,

but a lot of people will
see that justice is possible.

It's too easy. Do
they think I'm stupid?

Is it just that you
miss the fight?

Go back to being a QC, if it is.

What about you?

Any signs of any work yet?

There have been a few inquiries.

Think about it objectively.

What have I done to deserve
this kind of reward from the LCD?

You stood up to the bullies.

Judge!

The jury's back with a verdict.

Will the foreman please stand?

Have you reached a verdict
upon which you are all agreed?

Yes, we have.

On the count of murder, how
do you find the defendant?

Guilty or not guilty?

Guilty.

We never agreed that at all!

- No, it was me!
- Andy, no.

We said not guilty. We
all agreed on not guilty.

Silence!

Is this true?

- Yes.
- It's not guilty.

Yes.

Is that the true
verdict of you all?

Yes.

I made a mistake.

I was just so tense and nervous.

Then I'll accept
the true verdict.

Mrs Dobbs you have been
found not guilty of murder.

You are free to go.

All rise.

- Andy?
- Mum.

Where are you taking him?

Mum! Mum!

You can't take him!

Would you like to
say anything at all?

Excuse me, please. Thank you.

God, I thought all
this was behind me.

It soon will be, James.

It's all right for you, Clive. You
get paid whatever happens to me.

Having heard all the arguments
in this appeal, Mr Brooklands,

we would ordinarily reserve
judgment to a later date.

But because there is such
public concern over this case,

and, regrettably, judges can no
longer ignore public sentiment,

we are going to retire
to consider our judgment.

All rise.

You know, I think a very stiff
prison sentence is called for.

Ten years wouldn't come amiss.

Can't we be a little
more imaginative, Joe?

The public would
expect that sentence.

- Yes.
- Between what they might expect

and what we might give
him, there is a yawning gap.

I don't see that there need be.

Well, personally, I'd give him
two years on bread and water,

150 lashes and
transportation to Australia.

But then, I am new to this.

Well, you're going to make a
very splendid Lord of Appeal.

Pity those days are gone.

- Ten years, Michael?
- Yes, that'd be all right, Joe.

No, 10 is what he deserves,
five is what we should give him.

- He did think he would get none.
- Five. Is that your lucky number?

He'll spend one year
in a proper prison,

two and a half in an
open prison, and be off.

And with 10, he'll be back here
on appeal and out in five minutes,

and you know it.

This court has decided to allow

the Attorney General's appeal
against your over-lenient sentence.

You will, therefore, go
to prison for six years.

Although it is a matter
for the prison service,

we recommend to the Director
General that your time should be served

in a secure prison,

one from which you cannot conduct
the daily intercourse of your business.

No, that's not fair.
They promised me...

I'll talk to the Home Secretary.

I'm sure you'll find
him most receptive.

Take him down.

I can walk!

I can walk by myself!

Why only six, John?
He deserved more.

Six is my lucky number.

Do you realise, since
I've been having therapy,

I haven't propositioned
you once?

Hmm. You're inching forward.

The foundations are going in.

What are you looking for, a
Scout's badge for responsibility?

Is there one?

We'll have to have one
created in your honour.

Dyb, dyb, dyb.

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