Episode 4 Hinterland

This programme contains scenes which some viewers may find disturbing.

ECHO OF CHILD SHOUTING

ECHO OF CHILDREN SHOUTING

INDISTINCT WHISPERING

WHISPERING GROWS LOUDER

SILENCE

FAINT ECHO OF VOICES

ECHO OF BABY CRYING

SHE GASPS IN PAIN

Alwyn Parry. Unit director.

DI Rhys. DCI Mathias.

Let me take you to Catrin's room.

Where did she get the scissors?

We think Catrin must have taken them from the day room.

We offer a range of arts and crafts classes.

Part of their rehabilitation therapy.

Was Catrin considered a suicide risk?

No, this came as a shock to us all.

Since your conviction of her in 2012, Catrin's made good progress.

Dr Cleaver, she's terribly upset.

-She was Catrin's therapist.

-Can we talk to her?

Of course. Yes.

Catrin was responding well...

but her case was challenging.

Challenging how?

Gaining her trust.

Getting her to talk about her past, her time at the children's home,

the abuse she suffered,

the rape, the pregnancy, the death of her child.

Emma?

Catrin still demonstrated a lot of hostility towards Helen Jenkins.

Were you shocked when you heard that Catrin had taken her own life?

Catrin had a visitor.

A few weeks ago, a man came to the hospital to see her.

He unsettled her.

Undid a lot of hard work.

She received a letter asking to meet.

Catrin agreed.

-You read this letter?

-Yes, yes.

Who is this man? Does he have a name?

Iwan Thomas.

Do you have any idea what he said to her?

Afraid not, no.

Then what about the letter? Where's that?

We haven't been able to find it.

We think she may have destroyed it before she took her own life.

Iwan Thomas visited Catrin John at the hospital

two days before he died.

-What?

-Catrin was a resident at the children's home in Devil's Bridge.

The same place where Iwan's body was found.

You don't think that's odd?

Iwan Thomas took his own life.

Why he chose to kill himself only he knows, but the case is closed.

You can't close the case. New evidence has come to light.

I've examined all the facts...

..and the facts of the case suggest Iwan took his own life.

I'll amend my report to the coroner to include Iwan's visit to the hospital but that's it.

-That's it?!

-Yes.

-You and I both know that there's more to it than that.

-I've done my job.

-Oh, well, that's all right, then!

Whatever guilt you may feel about Iwan's death...

..that's your problem.

Not mine.

I've been going through Iwan Thomas' old case files.

Before he lost his job, he'd been running an investigation

into the death of this guy - Kieron Jones.

Kieron Jones died. He killed himself in Penmorfa Prison in 2002.

But he was also a resident at Pontarfynach children's home

the same time as Catrin John.

And before Kieron died, he made accusations

that he'd been sexually abused during his time at the home.

-And these allegations, were they investigated?

-I don't know.

But that's why Iwan wanted to talk to Catrin.

I'm sure of it.

He was still looking for answers, then.

Kieron Jones was repeatedly in trouble with the police as a child.

Theft, truancy, vandalism, threatening behaviour.

Kieron was taken into state care

after he threatened a teacher with a knife.

That's when he was remanded to Pontarfynach children's home.

June 1990. He was 11 years old.

When that home was closed,

Kieron was then moved to a young offenders' unit.

He was released in 1998.

Six months later he attacked a man in the street, robbed him

at knife-point, and he was sentenced to seven years in prison.

And that's when he made allegations that he was abused

-during this time at the Pontarfynach children's home?

-Yes.

An allegation that was refuted by a fellow inmate - Paul Webb.

Webb was also at the same children's home as Kieron Jones.

Iwan Thomas interviewed Webb

but Webb denied any knowledge of the abuse.

That's why Iwan Thomas' investigation was dropped.

But we know that's not true. There were abuses at that home.

Then why didn't Webb speak up about it?

Paul Webb, is he here?

What's this about?

It's all right, Maggie.

So, what do you want?

Catrin John.

She was found dead this morning.

I'm sorry to hear that.

What's it got to do with me?

What do you remember about your time at Pontarfynach children's home?

I remember the spiteful bitch who ran the place.

Helen Jenkins?

That woman deserved everything she got. I hope she suffered.

Do you remember Kieron Jones?

Yeah, I remember him.

-You were at Pontarfynach together.

-I was 12. He was 11.

-You were also in prison together, weren't you?

-So?!

It was at this time that Kieron made allegations

-that he and other children at the home were abused.

-Yeah.

Allegations you denied.

That was a long time ago, right? I don't want to talk about it.

Iwan Thomas.

The officer sent to investigate Kieron's death.

-What about him?

-When was the last time you spoke to him?

-Why?!

-Because he's dead.

His body was found in the ravine in Devil's Bridge.

He turned up here a few weeks ago asking questions.

What sort of questions?

The same questions you're asking, about Kieron, Catrin, Pontarfynach.

-What did you tell him?

-Nothing!

Do you remember this photo?

We know that this is Helen Jenkins, and Byron Rogers is there as well.

But we don't know him.

Do you know who he is, Paul?

Paul.

His name was Vaughan.

Dr Hugh Vaughan.

Right, you need to go. I don't want to talk about it any more.

-LLOYD:

-'Hugh Vaughan, local GP.

'He started working at Pontarfynach in the late 1980s'

and he was a regular visitor there until his disappearance in 1994.

His disappearance?

'Vaughan's car was found abandoned at a beach near Clarach.'

His body was never found.

After a coroner's inquest in 2001, he was declared legally dead.

'What about the family?'

All I can find is the dead man's mother, sir. Ethni Vaughan.

'I'll send the address over to you now.'

Mrs Vaughan? Ethni Vaughan?

We'd like to ask you some questions about your son.

About his role at Pontarfynach children's home.

'Hugh was the local GP.'

He visited the home to check on the health and wellbeing

of the children.

The children were troubled.

Most of them came from broken homes.

They'd been denied a lot of life's advantages.

Hugh wanted to help.

He never married?

Never had children of his own?

How is that relevant?

Why are you here?

Why are you asking about the children's home?

Why now, after all these years?

Are you aware of the allegations that were made...

of abuses at the home?

How is any of this pertinent to my son?

Well, your son had regular contact with the children.

What are you suggesting?

We're just trying to find out...

why your son may have taken his own life, Mrs Vaughan.

This isn't right.

I want you to leave, please. Go.

DCI Mathias.

My office.

The GP. Hugh Vaughan.

-His mother's made a formal complaint.

-Of course she has, sir.

She doesn't want us asking questions about her son.

Ethni Vaughan's had to suffer years of rumour about her son's death

and his involvement with the children's home.

She doesn't need the past to be raked up all over again.

What about Catrin John, sir? She was abused, wasn't she? She was raped.

And she went to the grave not knowing who was responsible.

You know that investigation was taken as far as it could go.

No, I don't.

There wasn't enough corroborating evidence to support the allegations made by Catrin John.

-What about Hugh Vaughan?

-What about him?

-Don't you think he could have been involved?

-Did she name him?

-No.

-There we are, then. There isn't enough evidence!

We don't have any evidence because there wasn't an investigation!

Listen, those children were abused.

Hugh Vaughan was a regular visitor at the home. He was there. He was involved.

And maybe that's why he took his own life.

-We can't prove that.

-Yeah, we can.

We get a matching DNA from Catrin's baby and compare it

-to that of the missing GP's.

-And how do you propose to do that?

We get a DNA sample from his mother. Come on, sir!

Ethni Vaughan has suffered enough. She would never grant a consent to that.

Now just leave it, Tom, and that's an order!

What did Prosser want?

To congratulate us on a job well done.

I think Iwan was on to something.

Don't you?

The children's home, the GP, his own death.

-They're all connected.

-And Prosser?

-Will he support an investigation?

-I don't care.

We owe it to those children and to Catrin to find the truth.

-Tom...

-I know, Mared.

Procedure, professional focus, a way of doing things, yes.

But I'm not going to walk away from this now.

'Did Catrin ever mention a Hugh Vaughan?'

I tried not to push Catrin too hard.

Not to rush her.

I wanted Catrin to feel comfortable.

To speak when she wanted.

To gain her trust.

And did she trust you?

Catrin had a fundamental distrust of figures like me

and institutions like this.

Yes.

After what happened at Pontarfynach,

who could blame her?

Part of my work with Catrin was about rebuilding that trust.

Did Catrin ever confide in anyone else here?

A patient, perhaps.

Someone that she could talk to.

Clare...

this is DCI Mathias.

He'd like to ask you a few questions. Might that be OK?

I'll leave you.

Are you here because of Catrin?

Yes.

Yes, I am.

She was my friend.

I'm sorry.

Clare, do you have any idea why Catrin did what she did to herself?

She was unhappy.

Did she talk about a man who came to see her recently?

I know that the visit upset her.

I just wanted to know if you knew what they spoke about or...

what the man said to her.

They spoke about the children's home.

The one she was in.

The man told Catrin he was going to find the people

responsible for hurting her.

Then...

when Catrin found out what happened to him, that he'd died...

..she was afraid.

-What was she afraid about?

-I don't know. She was just afraid.

Hugh Vaughan. Did she mention him at all?

-No.

-Are you sure, Clare?

I'm sorry. I want to help.

That's OK.

I've got nothing to say to you,

so get back in your car and go.

Iwan's death has been ruled as suicide

but I don't think he killed himself.

Neither do you.

So I need your help to prove it.

Did Iwan ever talk about Kieron Jones or Hugh Vaughan?

Kieron Jones.

Pontarfynach.

That's all he ever talked about.

Iwan knew that something happened there to those kids...

..but he was stopped from looking into it.

By who?

Prosser?

He always said that he was set up.

That they went after him.

Stopped him digging.

I used to think that he was paranoid.

But he wasn't, was he?

Mared!

Robert Owen.

TELEPHONE RINGS

Hello.

How well did you know Hugh Vaughan, Dr Blake?

We met during our post-graduate training.

We became friends.

We remained friends.

He was a good doctor.

His death came as a total shock.

Did Vaughan ever mention his work at the Pontarfynach children's home?

-No.

-He never mentioned the children under his care?

-No.

You see, allegations have been made...

..of abuse at the home.

There were rumours, yes.

After his disappearance.

And these rumours, did you believe them?

Rumours aren't facts.

These children were abused and those responsible were never caught.

Those are the facts.

Don't you want these children to know the truth?

Of course I do.

But where's the evidence? Where are your witnesses?

Without compelling evidence there can be no investigation.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go.

He's not here. I don't know when he'll be back.

Girls, take your dishes and go inside.

I know why you're here.

Children's home?

Has Paul spoken to you about it?

Doesn't need to.

I know something happened to him.

There.

I've heard the rumours.

Paul can help.

All he's got to do is talk to us.

-We can make things right.

-Can things ever be made right?

-Yes.

Come on.

Talk to him, Maggie.

What are you doing here?

Kieron Jones, Catrin John, Iwan Thomas.

They're all dead.

Somebody needs to be held responsible for it.

Why don't you want the truth to come out?

Kieron told the truth, didn't he?

About what happened to him at the home. All the abuse.

He spoke out.

-But you let him down, didn't you?

-That's not what happened.

-You assaulted him.

-No.

You tried to stop Kieron from talking, didn't you? You did.

Kieron was my friend.

We grew up in the system together.

He was small for his age. Weak.

So I tried to look out for him.

He was there for two years after I left.

And it didn't stop.

We were kids.

Hang on. You left in 1994 and Kieron was there until 1996,

two years after you left.

And he was abused the whole time?

There was no-one there to stop it.

The GP, Hugh Vaughan.

He took his own life in 1994,

but the abuse continued at the home until 1996.

-So the GP wasn't the only one?

-It sounds like.

Where are you now, Tom? I've found something.

I'll meet you at your place.

1987, Catrin John and Jenny James

arrive at Pontarfynach children's home, run by Helen Jenkins.

1989, Catrin, now 14 years old,

is drugged and raped at the home by an unidentified man.

January 1990, Catrin gives birth to a baby girl, Emma.

The child is immediately taken from her.

Catrin believes that Helen Jenkins has arranged for Emma to be adopted.

But the truth is, the child is killed.

Smothered by Jenny James.

Helen Jenkins covers up the killing and with the help of her caretaker,

Byron Rogers, buries the child in the grounds of the home.

In the Celtic spiral.

During that time, Kieron Jones and Paul Webb arrive at Pontarfynach.

Both boys are repeatedly abused throughout their stay.

Hugh Vaughan...

..the local GP with connections to the home, goes missing.

His car is found abandoned at a beach near Clarach.

It's believed that he drowned. Killed himself.

But his body is never found. Why would he kill himself?

Did he have something to do with it?

And if so, was it guilt?

Was he ashamed of what he did to those children?

We know that as a doctor Vaughan had regular unsupervised contact

with the children at the home.

But Paul Webb said that the abuse continued

long after Vaughan's disappearance.

Vaughan wasn't acting alone.

Then who else was involved?

Chief Superintendent Robert Owen.

He ran an outreach programme in the home during that time.

Here is a man of authority.

A man of influence.

A man well placed to stop any inquiry into any abuse.

-If we're wrong about this...

-Yeah, but what if we're right?

Either way, no-one will thank us.

We can't just sit back and do nothing, can we?

These men destroyed people's lives.

And somebody's going to do something about it eventually.

Go back and see Ethni Vaughan.

See if she can remember anything about her son's disappearance.

And you?

Hello?

Come in.

Ah.

I suppose you're here to talk about Hugh Vaughan.

Yeah, that's right.

Word gets around.

So...

..ask away.

-How well did you know him?

-Hugh?

We were good friends once.

-What about his death?

-Mmm.

Terrible business.

Do you believe that he took his own life?

Who can know?

You ran an outreach programme at the home, did you not?

Yes, for juvenile offenders.

I was trying to rehabilitate them. Offer them something...

..better in life.

Broaden their horizons.

Something like that.

There have been allegations made of abuse.

Hundreds of children were helped at that home.

Given a chance in life that they might not otherwise have had.

One or two disgruntled voices

shouting loud because life didn't work out for them...

..is inevitable.

No. No, erm...

Those children were let down by the system.

Treated cruelly.

Preyed upon and abused and nobody believed them.

Nobody but Iwan Thomas.

Ah, yes.

Iwan Thomas.

I understand that you, erm...

..knew his wife quite well.

-This has got nothing to do with me.

-Hasn't it?

Mr Owen...

..how many more people have to die or disappear

until the truth comes out?

I have...

..dedicated my life to this community.

I wonder if your record could...

..withstand such scrutiny?

Everyone has...

..skeletons in the closet.

You should think long and hard before doing something you might...

..regret.

Think about your career.

And the careers of those around you.

You might want to martyr yourself, but...

..don't drag everyone else down with you.

Now, if you'll excuse me.

Show yourself out.

Paul.

Paul. Paul, please!

I want us to find out everything we can

about former Chief Superintendent Robert Owen.

OK?

And I mean everything.

What do you think you're doing?

My job, sir.

I asked you not to pursue the investigation. That was an order.

Iwan Thomas.

Hugh Vaughan. The children's home.

They're all connected.

-Iwan Thomas killed himself.

-Did he?

I think he was on to something, sir, and he ended up dead because of it.

His death was investigated.

Like the abuses at the children's home were investigated?

Who's looking out for those kids, sir?

You?

I did what was asked of me. I followed orders.

Whose orders? Robert Owen?

We were trying to protect the Vaughans' reputation,

their good name.

If you'd have done your job properly, sir,

you'd have realised that those abuses continued

long after Hugh Vaughan's death.

Who said that?

Paul Webb.

Well, I'm not going to believe it, then.

-Why would he lie?

-To gain attention. That's how these people are.

-These people.

-I gave you an order and you disobeyed it.

With all due respect, sir, you were wrong.

-I am your commanding officer...

-Then act like it. Do something.

-You are suspended as of now.

-You're in no position to make that call.

The children at Pontarfynach were abused.

Sexually abuse in a period between the late '80s

and the home's closure in 1996.

Now, we believe that this man, Hugh Vaughan,

a local GP who went missing in 1994...

..may have been one of the abusers.

But we don't think he was acting alone.

Hayden Blake.

Police surgeon.

He was a good friend to the GP.

He spent time with Vaughan at the children's home.

Robert Owen.

A former police superintendent.

He ran an outreach programme for juvenile offenders.

We know that he spent unsupervised regular time with the children

at Pontarfynach.

We think that these two men, Hayden Blake and Robert Owen,

may have had knowledge or played a part in what happened at the home.

And with the co-operation of someone in high authority,

we think that these men did all they could to stop any investigation

into the abuses at the home.

And we think that this somebody...

..is Chief Superintendent Brian Prosser.

Now, I realise this is hard for you.

And if you feel uncomfortable with any of this

or you don't want to play any further part in it...

..I'm giving you a chance to speak out now.

No. This is important.

Lloyd?

What do you need from us, sir?

Thanks.

We need to find out whether these men had any connection

to any other children's home in the area.

Yes, sir.

We need to check if any complaints or allegations have ever been made

against Hayden Blake, Robert Owen...

And Chief Superintendent Prosser.

OK.

This is hard.

But these children were let down

by a system that was meant to protect them.

And their lives were ruined.

And these abusers were allowed to get away with it.

Now, we have to stop this, right?

PHONE RINGS

-Hello?

-Paul's gone.

He's been gone hours and he's not answering his phone. I'm worried.

-I've never seen him like this before.

-Maggie, calm down.

-Just find him, please.

-We will find him. Everything will be all right.

We've got to go.

WHISPERING

DISTANT: Can I help you?

Can I help you?

HE SOBS

DOOR OPENS

Agnes?

Paul?

Paul!

Agnes?

Paul!

She used to lock us in that room for days.

Helen Jenkins?

She said we had the devil inside us.

She was the one that was evil.

That's where it happened.

Room number ten.

The hard room.

Locked in a room, drugged and abused.

I mean, we were kids.

What happened to us - to me, to Catrin and to Kieron...

And I couldn't stop them.

It wasn't your fault.

Kieron died because of me, he killed himself because I said nothing.

Paul, we will find out who did this.

How?

How are you going to find them?

Catrin is dead, Kieron's dead, they're all dead.

You know what happened here.

-You could speak for them.

-I can't remember anything, OK? I've tried.

I have.

I've tried.

But I can't.

What happened to us in that room...

..is like a bad dream.

Like it wasn't real, but I know it was real, I know it happened.

I just can't remember.

I can't remember their faces.

Just their...

Just their what, Paul?

Nothing.

Just... I remember a stink.

The smell of the bastard.

His breath, his hands.

Like stale tobacco.

Pipe tobacco.

CAR DOOR SLAMS

On the night Iwan Thomas died,

Robert Owen received a phone call at 2:55am.

The call lasted 30 seconds.

Why was Robert Owen being called at that time of night?

And who called him?

The call was made from the home of Chief Superintendent Prosser.

Sir.

-Yeah?

-What do you want us to do?

Get a unit over to Prosser's house now and arrest him.

-For what, sir?

-On suspicion of child abuse.

We're on the way over to Robert Owen's now.

-And Sian?

-Yes.

Do it quietly.

Yes, sir.

Hugh Vaughan.

POLICE SIREN

HE BREATHES HEAVILY

I didn't know what to do.

Vaughan...

He was already dead

by the time I got to the house that night.

I just helped to cover things up.

Buried the body.

I thought we were doing the right thing.

You were a police officer.

You had a responsibility to your job.

Robert Owen was my superior.

He was Chief Superintendent...

and I trusted him.

Robert Owen used his position to abuse those children.

To drug them, to rape them.

He murdered Hugh Vaughan, and you did nothing about it.

He told me Vaughan was responsible.

Vaughan never harmed those children.

He had nothing to do with what was happening up there.

This man...

Robert Owen...

..your friend - your boss, wasn't it?

Well, he was the man that you were protecting.

He was the man that you allowed to go unpunished.

Kieron Jones.

Catrin John.

Paul Webb.

All those lives ruined.

Iwan Thomas knew something about it, though, didn't he?

And you tried to stop him from investigating it...

..and he never gave up. He kept digging.

He kept getting closer to the truth.

That's why he called you the night he died.

He wanted to confront you.

So, you arranged to meet him up in Devil's Bridge,

and when you got there, he threatened you, didn't he?

He was going to expose you.

The truth was going to come out.

You panicked.

The children's home...

Hugh Vaughan.

His blood was on your hands.

You had to silence Iwan Thomas, and that's why you killed him.

That's why you killed Iwan Thomas.

Yes.

Tom...

Do you remember that morning you came round to the house

to offer your resignation?

Do you know why I wouldn't accept it?

Because you're good at this job.

It's in your blood.

DOOR SLAMS

The black fibres found underneath Iwan Thomas' fingernails...

..they've been matched to the fibres taken from Prosser's coat.

Tom...

We did the right thing.

I know.

Now we build a case to present to the CPS.

Sian, phone forensics.

Find out if there is a DNA comparison

between Robert Owen and Catrin John's baby.

Yes, sir.

Where are we with establishing whether Robert Owen

had any contact with other children?

We haven't found anything yet, sir.

-Keep checking, will you?

-Yes, sir.

I'll speak to Ethni Vaughan.

She deserves to know the truth about what happened to her son.

Mared...

Thanks.

DISTANT CHATTER

THEY CHEER AND LAUGH