Episode 2 The Fall

-What's her name?

-Rose Stagg. She's the woman we've been searching for.

The gunshot wound that's coming in, we think he's responsible for this.

-How's he doing?

-I don't know.

He's lost so much blood, he looks like he's dying.

So he's the Belfast Strangler? Wow.

Daddy's been in an accident. He's in hospital.

-I really want to see him.

-Well, we can't, not tonight.

Olivia!

Why did you run to him?

You were crying out, "We're losing him." You sounded very...anguished.

I want him to live.

So that he can be tried and sentenced

and spend the rest of his life in prison.

-VOICE BREAKING:

-He's in hospital. In the General Hospital, I think.

I really need you to go there.

What do I...? I don't know what I'm supposed to do.

This programme contains some strong language and some scenes which viewers may find upsetting

You shouldn't be in here.

Please leave.

VENTILATOR EXPANDS AND CONTRACTS

-What are you doing here?

-I'm on my way to the Policing Board.

I have a meeting with Ombudsman's SIO.

-We can drop you off.

-No, I have my car.

It can follow.

I've been instructed to confirm Spector's name to the press.

-Why?

-The name is out there.

It'll just look foolish if we continue to deny something

that everybody else already knows.

The DPP and the Chief think it's in the public's interest.

I want him tried in a court of law, Jim,

not in a court of public opinion.

It's already a media circus.

Anyway, the decision's been made.

We're only holding two cards, Stella.

One - we have him.

Two - we have her, and she's alive. The rest is a disaster.

Is that what you wanted to tell me?

Actually, no.

The Task Force is being moved.

What do you mean?

From the Major Investigation Room, from College Square Station.

Why?

The room and the offices are needed by the Terrorist Investigations Unit.

-Moved where?

-I don't know.

It's an office, an empty space, I haven't seen it.

When is this happening?

Right now, actually, as we speak.

-Why wasn't I informed?

-There's been quite a lot going on.

SHE WINCES

Katie, you'll be late for school!

Why did you bring Anderson onto your team?

-Why do you ask?

-Because it's a question that's likely to be asked

by people other than me.

Because we lacked someone of his rank in our Task Force.

Yes, but...why him?

He impressed me with the way he handled the McPherson suicide.

He thought of Rose, he called the Task Force and...

..he secured the scene efficiently.

Except that it wasn't Rose, and he failed to see a ligature

hanging from a tree branch above the body.

I didn't say he was the finished article, Jim, I saw potential.

I see.

What are you getting at?

I questioned whether Anderson was man enough for the task

of being shackled to Spector!

Anderson's size and strength

had no bearing whatsoever on what happened in the forest.

If the nerve damage to his arm doesn't repair,

he will be out of a career.

Questioning his manliness is quite frankly pathetic!

Why did he arrive with you in your car that morning?

-Eastwood.

-No. No, not Eastwood.

-I checked with the main gate.

-Why?

Because everything you do, every decision you make

impacts on this case, Stella.

Same goes for you, Jim.

Drive on.

SHE BREATHES SHAKILY

RADIO PLAYS

Why aren't you in uniform?

I have an exam. You don't have to wear a uniform to an exam.

You can't go out dressed like that.

-Come here.

-I'm late.

What is that?

Oh, my God - is that real?

-Of course it's real.

-When did you do that?

-Just now.

-Why?

Why not?

Katie, it looks awful.

That's all you ever care about, isn't it?

How I look, never how I feel.

Katie!

Have you given your statement?

-Yes, ma'am.

-How did it go?

I've been suspended from all front-line duties while the investigation is ongoing.

He was armed. And he fired first.

And given his character and his past,

I don't think you have anything to worry about.

Apart from taking another human being's life.

Not every woman's fighting instinct is so close to the surface.

It's a good thing that yours was.

Tyler could have killed everyone there,

including you and me, if he hadn't been stopped.

SIREN WAILS IN DISTANCE

Why don't you come back, work with the Task Force?

-Really?

-Hmm. You know the case.

You'd be a real help in file preparation.

We've chosen to work in a masculine, paramilitary, patriarchal culture.

Let's not let it beat us.

Thank you, ma'am.

-How is he?

-He's been stable all night.

Urine output steady, 30% oxygen...

pH is normal, lactate is one. Hb was steady.

What's his co-ag now?

Normal, Hb is 102.

He's ready to rock. When will you be taking him?

He's booked on the emergency list.

-Has he been X-rayed?

-Aye.

-Are they bullet fragments?

-Will you do anything about them?

No, I wouldn't normally. They're tiny.

They won't clinically affect him.

I expect the body to encapsulate them.

-I should think about ten o'clock.

-Aye.

Please wait here.

Good afternoon and welcome to this private session

of the Policing Executive.

I'd like to welcome the Chief Constable

and the Assistant Chief Constable Crime Operations, Jim Burns.

We'll start with Executive members' questions to the Chief Constable.

John Porter, please.

Thank you, Chairperson.

Can the Chief Constable please provide us with an update

on the progress of the Operation Music Man Task Force?

I'd like to invite ACC Burns to answer that one.

Detective Superintendent Gibson?

I'm Joan Kinkead, The Ombudsman's SIO.

Please follow me.

Please, take a seat.

Am I being interviewed under caution?

Yes, you are.

Why wasn't I told in advance?

You're not under arrest. You're free to leave the interview at any time,

seek legal advice at any time.

Do you want time to prepare? To arrange representation?

Are you suggesting there are grounds for suspecting I've committed a criminal offence?

If so, what offence?

If you're staying, please take a seat and turn off your mobile phone.

What offence?

James Tyler had been physically violent towards the prisoner before.

He had become obsessed, it seems,

with the idea that the prisoner and his wife were having

some kind of sexual relationship,

something that we now believe to be untrue.

Even so, even given James Tyler's history of sectarian violence,

there was no evidence or intelligence to suggest that...

that he would go to such lengths to mount an attack on the prisoner.

Even though you knew he was in possession of a weapon?

Having previously disarmed a police officer and stolen a police handgun.

Even so.

Well, can you tell me how that's even possible,

with a coiled lanyard attaching the gun to the gun belt?

The young officer in question had, for some reason...

..failed to secure his gun with the lanyard.

The Police Ombudsman investigates all discharges

of firearms by police in Northern Ireland.

During the investigation I'll secure statements from the officers

involved in the incident.

Now, as I understand, it you were in charge of the police operation?

Yes, I was.

Do you think a sufficiently robust risk assessment was carried out

before the prisoner was moved from the custody suite?

I asked Custody Sergeant Boyd to do a risk assessment

of the operation while I briefed Detective Sergeant Anderson.

Do you think the operation was negligent in any way?

The prisoner gave us no real information in advance,

gave us no indication whether Rose was alive or dead.

On that basis the search scenario that was agreed with Ged Green,

the PolSA, was for the whole, alive or deceased,

non-concealed presence of Rose Stagg.

If that did not succeed, it was agreed that we would search

the same area for the deceased, dismembered,

sub-surface concealed remains of Rose Stagg.

We had cover on the ground,

there was air support with thermal imaging.

There wasn't time to arrange for dogs.

Do you have your decision log with you?

Yes.

I've been policing for nearly 30 years, most of it here in Northern Ireland.

Now, we've had more than our fair share of murderers,

some of them no doubt psychopaths, but none...

none like this prisoner.

Stella Gibson had - and still has - a special skill set developed over

the course of the long investigation into the Moon case that she led.

She is a dedicated and hard-working officer,

and an inspirational leader.

I kept in constant contact with ACC Burns and DCI Eastwood

in the Serious Crime Suite.

It was previously agreed that the convoy would be kept small

so that it didn't attract attention.

An ambulance, a second police car and Inspector Green's TSGs

joined us at a previously agreed rendezvous point.

It is possible that we could have established

a more secure cordon in the forest, but everything that was done

was for the sole aim of saving, if possible, the life of Rose Stagg.

Who's that?

-Who is that?

-It's just a patient. Road traffic accident.

Who was it?

OK, just relax now. OK, everything's fine, lie back.

OK, lie down for me. Come on, lie down and relax.

ROSE PANTS

Just lie back, you're fine, I'm here.

I need you to do a few big, deep breaths for me, OK?

Through your nose.

In nice and deep, and out. Very good.

There she is.

Why did you go into the forest on your own?

I wanted to keep the potential contamination of the scene to a minimum.

At the car, why didn't you wait to have it assessed for booby traps?

Were you not taking a considerable risk in forcing it open?

The individual charged is a murderer, not a terrorist.

I knew that Rose was in that boot.

I don't know how I knew, I just knew.

And I needed to get to her.

Would it not have been better to try and get into the boot

through the rear seat?

In that moment, it didn't occur to me.

The ED consultant told me, that in his opinion,

Rose Stagg was very nearly dead when we found her.

Maybe 15 minutes, maybe an hour away

from her body simply shutting down.

Everything that I did was done for the sole purpose

of saving her life...

which is, as you know, the first duty of a police officer.

And what about Mr Spector's life?

Did you not have a duty to protect that?

OK, we are going to have to soak this, please.

MONITORS BLEEP STEADILY

-We had four packs in here, right?

-Yes, that's right.

One...

..two...

Did you draw your weapon?

I didn't need to.

The patrol officer acted immediately.

And if it wasn't for her...many more lives would have been lost.

I instructed Inspector Green to call for medical back-up.

The prisoner was dying.

The ambulance transporting Rose had already left, I didn't think it should be recalled.

The helicopter couldn't land.

We waited for the rapid response vehicle and for the second ambulance.

Meanwhile, the prisoner was bleeding to death.

He was in your arms?

Yes, he was.

I hoped that by holding him that way

I could keep his airway unblocked, keep him from choking.

In that position, I could put pressure on his wound.

I see.

How much longer?

Diaphragm is stable.

OK, I'm running the gut.

I can't see any re-bleeding.

OK, that's all fine.

All right, wash out, please.

And suction.

You knew James Tyler had made threats against Mr Spector's life.

You knew he was at large armed with a gun he'd used to

terrorise his wife and the other women at the refuge.

Why was Mr Spector standing out

in the open and not being held inside a police vehicle?

Why were neither he nor Detective Sergeant Anderson

wearing ballistic body armour? Why weren't you?

The Director of Public Prosecutions George Lowden

and the Chief Constable Malcolm Franks have decided to take

the unusual step of naming the man arrested and charged

in connection with the recent spate of murders in south Belfast.

I can confirm that the individual is Paul Spector,

also known as Peter Baldwin,

a 32-year-old bereavement counsellor from south Belfast.

He is a married man, the father of two children,

and as has already been established, he is critically ill in hospital

as a result of an incident that took place whilst in police custody.

How'd the re-look go?

The abdominal packs were removed. There was no active bleeding.

The abdomen was closed with standard mass closure to the sheath

and routine skin closure with staples.

Let's lighten him up. What's he on?

Propofol is at 10ml an hour and alfentanil is at 5.

Chip away at the propofol.

CHILDREN'S VOICES IN DISTANCE

MOBILE PHONE RINGS

Who is this?

Katie? It's Olivia. Do you know what happened to Daddy?

No. Do you?

He's in hospital, I think.

Have you been to see him?

No. Do you have a friend called Daisy?

Why?

-There's something about her online.

-What?

How she met Daddy one time.

What?

What are you two doing?

You know you're not allowed to use the staff phone.

Right, come on with me.

We're thinking of putting two more over there.

There are two offices, ma'am. I've earmarked one for you.

The contents of your old office are still in boxes.

I'll have them bought in.

It's less of a dungeon.

-Mmm.

-We'll make it work.

Paul?

Paul, can you open your eyes for me?

Paul...

Paul, open your eyes for me.

Paul, can you open your eyes for me?

OK, that's good, that's very good.

SHE GASPS

I need some help in here!

MACHINES BLEEP RAPIDLY HE CHOKES

I need some help!

MEDICAL STAFF SHOUT

I got him.

HE GAGS

He's biting down on his tube!

His sats are dropping, he needs sedation.

Ahhh.

BLEEPING AND CHOKING CONTINUES

Increase oxygen to 100%.

HE CHOKES

BLEEPING STOPS

NURSE SHERIDAN BREATHES HEAVILY

-Are you OK?

-Yeah, of course.

Well, that was a wake up with a bang.

-Rose, what are you doing?

-I want to go home.

You're scheduled to be moved to another ward later.

No, no, I want to go home. I want to call my husband.

-I want some clothes.

-Calm...

-I want to go home!

-I want to go home.

-(OK.)

I've just seen Katie Benedetto approaching the ICU.

'Copy that.'

Maybe there's been some cerebral damage from the prolonged hypotension.

I'm not sure we can MRI with the bullet fragments.

We'll keep him asleep and arrange a CT scan.

Check all his lines, check everything is still in place,

that he hasn't burst his stitches.

-Are you OK? Did he hurt you?

-No, I'm fine.

SHE SIGHS

CHILDREN CHATTER AND LAUGH

Mrs Spector. Come on in, the head wants to see you.

Olivia admits accessing a school computer without permission,

and she was found using a staff-only phone.

I've had parents contacting the school all day long,

even before the announcement was made.

Staff are deeply concerned.

Olivia and Liam have already been on the receiving end of...

unkind comments from other pupils.

I have to put their welfare first.

The last thing I want is for them to be vilified for something that...

For something that may or may not have been done

by one of their parents.

I-I've never been in this position before.

I don't know anyone who has.

Maybe in the past, during the Troubles.

Perhaps if you kept them at home, for even a few days,

so we could take stock.

I can discuss the situation with the governors.

I'm sorry.

I apologise for the move.

Not my idea.

Please be aware - disclosure rules mean that every DNA lift,

every scene-of-crime log, every crime scene shot,

every entry in a notebook

must be kept to comply with the retention of materials guidelines.

I want records right down to when

and at what time officers changed their forensic capes.

We cannot give the defence any chance of challenging

the continuity of our exhibits.

Organisation is crucially important

to the next stage of our investigations -

case construction.

I don't know what's going to happen with Spector,

or how long it will take him to recover from his injuries...

but we cannot take our foot off the gas for a minute.

We need to look for as much further evidence as we can...

..to corroborate our account

and construct an evidenced case narrative.

We need to predict any potential weaknesses in our case

and plug any gaps with evidence.

Real evidence - documentary evidence, circumstantial evidence,

witness testimonies.

Evidence that carries weight.

Mistakes have been made.

No more mistakes.

What's happening with Rose's car?

It's been recovered and it's being worked on.

It's been processed for DNA and trace evidence.

They're dusting for prints tomorrow.

It seems a man has come forward

having seen Spector's photograph on the news.

He says Spector looks like a man who rents a lock-up

from him in east Belfast, under the name Baldwin.

Let's get a warrant for that.

Paul?

Paul?

Paul, can you hear me?

Paul, I'm Kiera, I'm your nurse. Can you hear me?

OK, I'm going to say a series of letters.

And I want you to squeeze my hand whenever I say the letter A.

Every time I say the letter A, OK?

S.

A.

V.

E.

A.

H.

A.

R.

T.

OK, that's good. That's very good, Paul.

Now hold up this many fingers.

OK. And now with the other hand.

And now add one more finger.

OK, that's good. That's very good, Paul.

DOOR PINGS

FOOTSTEPS

Cuff down.

OK.

HE COUGHS

And back down.

MOBILE PHONE RINGS

-Gibson.

-'It's Hagstrom, ma'am.'

-Yeah?

'It seems Spector's regained consciousness.

'There's a lot of coming and going. I'm told...'

..he's drowsy but alert.

'I see.'

Thank you. Keep me posted.

'Yes, ma'am.'

OK, Paul, I'm just changing your dressing.

-WEAKLY:

-Who are you?

I'm Kiera. I'm your nurse.

Where am I?

You're in Belfast General Hospital. You're in the Intensive Care Unit.

You've had an operation but you're doing really well.

An operation?

Now just sit back. You're OK, just relax back.

I'll get the doctor to explain more,

but right now just let me check this wound.

-Here you go.

-Thanks.

I've been thinking,

you should really arrange for him to have representation.

A solicitor.

-Isn't it too late for that?

-Not at all.

Now he's come round, he needs legal advice.

It's the right thing to do.

Is there someone in your firm that can represent him?

That would be a conflict of interests, we represent you.

Besides, there's really only

one person in Belfast who can handle a case this big.

I can make the call on your behalf,

but it has to come from you as next of kin.

Are you going to go and visit Paul?

Don't you think Olivia at least should go see him?

PHONE RINGS

Lyon & Healy.

Yes, hello, it's Steve Jennings

calling from Simon & Patrick for Sean Healy.

'I'll see if he's available.'

CONNECTING CALL TONE

Mr Spector?

Mr Spector.

I'm Dr Spencer, I'm the ICU consultant.

Do you know where you are?

I'm in the Belfast General Hospital.

She told me.

And do you know why you're here?

I was in a car accident.

Do you remember what happened?

Windscreen smashed.

I lost control.

What's your second name?

Peter.

And your surname?

Spector.

Spec-tor.

Where were you born?

No.

No, where? Where were you born, Paul?

Belfast.

What's your date of birth? Do you remember that?

25th of the fifth, 1979.

So how old are you?

26.

What year do you think it is?

Um...

it's 2006.

And what season is it?

It's warm.

Are you married?

-HE INHALES

-Um...

Yes.

-And what's your wife's name?

-Sally.

Do you have any children?

A daughter.

What's her name?

Livy. Olivia.

And how old is Livy?

Small.

Mummy?

Nancy! Come here.

ROSE GASPS

Oh, it's so good to see you.

-How are you, my angel?

-Good.

Are you good? Did Daddy take care of you?

Yes.

(Thank you.)

-PATIENT MOANS

-Are you OK? What's wrong?

OTHER PATIENT GASPS FOR AIR

What's happened to all these people?

They're not very well.

-That's a shame.

-It is.

We've just landed a not uninteresting little case.

The telephone call?

-Do you want in?

-Are you going to tell me what it is?

The Belfast Strangler.

Or rather, the man the police claim is the Belfast Strangler.

-The man in hospital?

-The same. The name's Paul Spector.

He's in the critical care unit at the Belfast General Hospital.

Inform the custody sergeant at the Down Serious Crime Suite

that we've been retained by the suspect's next of kin,

namely his wife, Sally Anne Spector.

Obtain a copy of the charge sheet and the custody record.

Jennings says he's confessed.

As soon as you get them, I want those tapes transcribed.

Through the night, if necessary.

-DR SPENCER:

-You weren't in a crash, Paul. You were shot.

Shot in the abdomen.

One of the bullets was superficial, just below the skin.

The other one pierced the spleen and we think it probably hit a rib,

because it fragmented.

The organ was so badly damaged, we had to remove it.

You're very lucky that the bullets hit no other vital organs,

but all the same, there was massive blood loss.

It was touch and go.

Why was I shot?

You were in police custody at the time.

What?

Why was I in police custody?

I can't tell you that at the moment, I genuinely don't know the answer.

It's something you can discuss with your solicitor

when you're a little stronger.

A solicitor? Why would I need a solicitor?

We're only here to look after you medically, Paul. All right?

The rest is best left to others to explain.

THUNDER RUMBLES

PHONE RINGS

-Gibson.

-'It's Hagstrom again, ma'am.'

Yep?

'Rose Stagg is discharging herself from the ICU.'

What?

Why?

'Something spooked her.'

She must know Spector's here somehow.

Jesus.

-Who's the consultant?

-'Dr Patrick Spencer, ma'am.'

OK, thanks.

(Shit.)

KNOCK ON DOOR

I just took a call from Boyd at the custody suite.

It seems that at his wife's request, Spector now has a solicitor.

Sean Healy.

To my mind, he is an arrogant, manipulative,

too-clever-by-half bastard.

But he's a winner. If there is a loophole, he's going to exploit it.

We can expect turbulence at every turn.

Great(!)

Ready when you are.

-Don't let Liam stay up too late.

-Don't worry, he'll be fine.

OK, in you go.

All right, Olivia?

-See you later, cheerio.

-See you later. Thanks.

-What do you think has happened to Daddy?

-He's been shot.

-Who told you that?

-Everyone in school was saying it.

-Did you see things online?

-Yes.

I don't want you doing that, Olivia.

-I don't want you going online.

-OK.

Did they say why he'd been shot?

They said the police did it.

But why?

-Because he's killed people.

-People?

Ladies.

Do you believe that?

No.

I just want to see him. I don't want him to be frightened and all alone.

Please, Mummy.

THUNDER RUMBLES

DANCE MUSIC PLAYS IN CLUB

FAINT CHATTER

-How much is a taxi?

-It'll be, like, a fiver.

MUSIC GROWS LOUDER BUZZ OF CONVERSATION

What are you doing here? You missed your exam.

-You're a fucking brunette now?

-Yeah, why not?

Why have you been telling lies about Paul?

I haven't.

-You said he left comments on your videos.

-He did.

-You're a liar!

-What?!

You want to see? I'll show you.

-What is the matter with you?!

-You stay away from him!

I haven't been near him!

You need to get a grip, you're obsessed, it's pathetic!

SHE SCREAMS

-Who's pathetic now?

-My eyes! My eyes!

-We need an ambulance!

-SCREAMING CONTINUES

-My eyes! My eyes!

-Pour some water on her eyes.

HEART MONITOR BEEPS

-DR SPENCER:

-I understand you're a nurse?

Your husband was hypotensive for a good 20 minutes.

He was peri-arrest for most of that time. He's able to talk, but...

he's disorientated, confused.

He doesn't seem to have remembered what happened to him,

what actually brought him here,

or that he was in police custody, or why. I think that explanation is

best left to his solicitor when he's stronger.

Young children can find it quite distressing

seeing their mummies or daddies in ICU.

Think about that before you take her in.

She wants to see him.

She needs to see him.

Paul?

Your wife and daughter are here to see you.

HE GULPS

Hello, Daddy.

It's me, Daddy. It's me, Olivia.

Sally?

What's happening?

It's all right, Daddy, it's all right.

Why are you so big?

And you?

You look different.

Older.

What's happening to me?

Just be careful of the tubes in Daddy's arm.

HE SNIFFS

Is it you?

Is it really you?

Yes, Daddy.

I feel that I know you...

..that I love you.

You do love me, Daddy,

and I love you too.

THUNDER RUMBLES

LOCK CRACKS, CAMERA CLICKS

STELLA: That's it.

That's the stolen vehicle with the fake plates.

It's Spector's lock-up.

LOUD THUD

Hello?

Is someone there?

(Oh, God.)

OFFICERS CHATTER

It seems Spector WAS intending to feed Rose after all.

Maybe that's what he was doing in the car on the hillside that night.

Seeing me made him turn back.

And Rose almost died.

Ma'am?

CAMERA CLICKS

There are images.

Fragments.

Moments of recognition.

I just... can't make sense of anything.

It feels like I've lost my mind.

Just some memories.

She's a lovely wee girl.

You need to sleep.

I'm here if you need anything.

Just sleep now.

CAMERAS CLICK

Ma'am?

Jesus!

How many are there?

Nine or ten.

More victims?