Original subtitles

'..goes by the name of Nigel Dempster.

'All that and much more on TVAM,

'but for the moment, on behalf of all of us here

'at our studios at Thames, good night.'

Mum?

Hi, Mum!

Mum!

Mum?

Mum?!

Mum!

Mum!

What are you doing, Colin?

Looking for dishwasher salt. I could've sworn I bought some.

Want me to pick some up?

Er, yeah. Would you?

Hamish Campbell.

Er, DCI Colin Sutton to see Hamish Campbell.

He's this way. Just through there.

Thank you.

..apprehension of this dangerous man

without regard to his personal safety

was in the finest tradition of the Metropolitan Police.

Apologies - commendation write-up. Hello, Colin.

Morning, sir.

Bloody amazing, what these young PCs will do for us.

- Yes. - Well done, again, on Bellfield.

Oh, it's team effort, sir, thank you.

Great work.

What do you know about Operation Minstead?

A long string of burglaries and rapes of the elderly

- dating back to the '90s. - 1992, 17 years.

The press called him the Night Stalker,

and he's recently become active again.

Haven't we got his DNA?

Yeah, but he's not in the system, so we can't ID him.

DNA tells us he's of West Indian origin, but that's it.

Our new commissioner has suggested that we make the Night Stalker

a priority of the Command.

Right, and when a new commissioner suggests...

Oh... he thinks there's an impression

that the Met drags its heels

when it comes to serial sex offenders.

Well, after Worboys, I can't blame him.

Given that you have some experience with high-profile,

serial sex offenders...

well, I thought you could bring something to the table.

Right. So do you want my team to take a look at it

or for me to review what they've got?

The latter. Definitely the latter. Simon Morgan remains as SIO.

Didn't Serious Crime just do a review?

Yes, they did, and there's been at least three before that.

This guy's good, Colin - 17 years and he's never left a fingerprint,

never let a witness see his face.

Years go by, no offences.

Teams get broken up, budgets get re-allocated,

and then he starts again.

It's a ten-year investigation.

They might be missing something that's staring them in the face.

That's ten years of feathers to ruffle.

I-I know you're retiring in a few months.

I just need you to take a look. In and out in a couple of weeks.

Well, come on, give us a clue.

I want you to dig out everything you can on Operation Minstead

and email it to me.

- They're not lumbering us with that? - No, just me for the moment.

- Right. - I'm just gonna have a look.

A fresh pair of eyes and all that.

But I do need those files, Clive.

Oh, you must be the analyst? DCI Colin Sutton.

Richard Moore.

I'm here to see Simon Morgan.

- Another review, is it? - Yes and no.

Er, incident rooms, straight ahead.

Thank you, Richard.

DCI Sutton?

DI Nathan Eason.

Colin Sutton. I'm here to see Simon Morgan.

Yeah, he's not here, I'm afraid.

What d'you mean "he's not here"? We're meeting at 12.

I know. He left me to be the welcome party.

- We had another one last night. - Oh, right.

- What, and Simon's at the scene, is he? - He is, yeah.

OK, er, well, there's nothing like learning on the job, is there?

I'm sure he won't be long.

Don't worry, Nathan, I won't get under anyone's feet. Let's go.

All right.

DCI Colin Sutton. He's with me.

- Simon Morgan. - Colin Sutton.

I was hoping to brief you properly before you came to a scene,

but no matter.

The victim's a Sandra Nelson, 82-year-old woman.

- She's been taken to hospital. - Is she hurt?

TBC. She's traumatised, like so many before her.

Might not be able to give us a reliable account.

Original concrete path, original front door

with inlaid panes of glass intact, a nice shade of mid-blue.

- Hmm. - Sends a signal.

Yeah. "Old person lives here".

To which our man is fully attuned.

Yeah, well, practise makes perfect, I suppose.

Forensics reckons he was hiding in that corner all night,

hour after hour, just waiting for his moment.

He's leaving DNA, but he doesn't care.

He's not in the system and he knows it.

How long have you had it?

The Night Stalker's DNA.

1992.

Look, er, no offence,

but that's a name coined by the press

to sell papers and scare people. I never use it, neither do my team.

Minstead Man is how we refer to him.

Right. I'll know for next time.

Two years ago, he stopped dead after the case featured on Crimewatch,

and then, a month ago,

he hit three homes in three weeks, still targeting elderly women.

And where were those offences?

Clara-Jane Proctor, 74, was sexually assaulted in the house

where she was born in Birch Avenue, Shirley.

Then a week later, Lynn Marie Kerr, 69,

a former headmistress from Coulsdon, was burgled.

Two nights after that, he moves up to Croydon. Phylis Carlton, 71,

a widow that had just buried her husband.

Can't always leave DNA, can he?

So what other markers tell you it's Minstead Man?

Well, top five would be age of victims, light bulbs removed,

phone lines cut, balaclava, gloves...

He's covered the PIR light again, boss.

DS Neville Hylton, DCI Colin Sutton.

- Let's have a look. - This way.

Stops the motion-sensitive lights coming on

when he's stalking the property. Just up there.

Last time, he used a glove,

time before was a broken branch, but not from a nearby tree.

- He comes prepared. - That's an understatement.

It's hard to reconcile, isn't it?

The control and the planning with the depravity of what he does?

Yeah, it is.

Is it OK if I speak to the victim some time?

Well, as long as the FLO's happy. It's her call.

Yeah.

I'll brief you properly back at Lewisham.

Neville, wanna show me this corner, mate?

OK, it's this way, boss.

We found some more cigarette butts like last time...

Is he in pain?

Could've bailed years ago on a full injury pay out.

Altercation with a prisoner, left him with massive spinal injuries.

Nathan.

DCI Colin Sutton, DC Patricia Henry, our FLO.

- Good to meet you. - You, too.

Colin's joining us for a few days, giving us the benefit of his wisdom.

Well, I wouldn't go that far.

No offence, but I'm not sure you'll get your head around this case

in a few days.

How's Sandra?

She suffers from dementia, so we haven't got much beyond the usual -

balaclava, torch, the opening one-word demand for money.

Do you think she's been sexually abused?

Don't know. We just swabbed for semen and DNA.

Poor woman. She kept asking the nurse what she was doing.

She did mention something we've seen in a few other Minstead offences -

he took her pulse.

Any idea why he'd do that?

Well, one time, the victim feigned injury so he felt her pulse,

said, "Nothing's wrong with you" and punched her to the floor.

Would you mind if I had a quick word with her?

Yes, I would.

She needs rest, and with respect,

you wouldn't elicit anything from her I haven't.

Fair enough.

Bit of a wasted trip. For you, I mean.

- Oh, I wouldn't say that. - Oh, no matter.

Almost all the interviews with the victims were recorded.

I warn you, they're not easy viewing.

No, I understand. Thank you.

A good number of his victims have already passed away.

Janet, for instance.

She suffered a perforated bowel during her assault

and died shortly after.

Did he kill her? Not legally.

But in every other way...

Yeah.

I could've left this case years ago.

Probably should have.

I would've had a very different career, but...

Yeah, I understand.

Far as I'm concerned, he's a serial killer.

Perhaps we should, er, get to the investigation.

I've got a few preliminary questions.

Sorry, no time. I've got a thing at the Yard now.

- What? - A budget meeting. Pain in the arse.

I thought you were gonna brief me fully back at the station?

Well, with respect, if you hadn't gone to the hospital,

we would've had time.

- Team meeting in the morning, my place. - Your place?

The best way for you to catch up. Nathan will give you the address.

Meantime, I'll collate some files,

give you a chance to get a proper handle on things.

Thank you.

You got a minute?

Erm, yeah.

At the scene, I noticed you were running a full cordon

with a PC signing everyone in and out,

and you were canvassing statements, doing a bit of house-to-house.

That's right.

Oh, it's just that that level of response

you normally reserve for a murder.

Well, we're just trying to be thorough, Colin.

But you haven't got the budget or the manpower for a murder inquiry,

nothing near.

You know how it is.

Parts of CID have a mindset that says offences

that aren't murder are lesser crimes, even rape.

And that's what we're guarding against.

That's very laudable in theory,

but if you haven't got the resources...

Yeah, well, it's not been easy, I grant you.

Why don't I buy you a proper cup of coffee?

Might even run to a biscuit.

OK.

So would you say that having Minstead Man's DNA

- is viewed as your strongest lead? - Yeah.

And so that's the focus of the investigation?

Absolutely, yeah.

All right. So what's your screening criteria?

How'd you prioritise who gets tested?

Well, the base level of our pool is he's a black male

whose DNA isn't on the database and who was aged 18 to 40 in 1992.

That's hundreds of thousands of people.

- Yeah, it is. - That's not a pool, it's an ocean.

Well, we then prioritise

based on intelligence gained from witness statements.

OK. Can you give me an example?

Yeah.

One victim said she heard a motorcycle start up

right after the suspect left.

So men in the pool who own motorbikes became a priority?

- For a time, yeah. - Any more examples?

Someone noticed there'd been a rash of offences in streets

where satellite TV was recently installed.

OK.

Thinking is, if he's an engineer, he'd be hidden in plain sight -

he could perform reconnaissance and select targets unnoticed.

Right. And what about the swabbing operation?

How many DNA samples are you taking a week?

Oh, well, that-that varies.

I think we're out today, actually.

Really? Do you know what'd be a help?

If I could tag along and see how these things are done.

Kieron Gould?

DS Neville Hylton, DC Adam Spier, DCI Colin Sutton.

What d'you want?

Er, we need you to step back inside, please.

- It won't take a minute. - What won't take a minute?

We need to take your DNA, Kieron.

We need to eliminate you from our inquiries.

Inquiries into what? What's the charge?

- There's no charge, Kieron. - Well, what's the case, then?

It's a serial rapist.

Fuck off. Seriously?

Why is my name on your list?

I can't divulge that.

I can't help you. I'll miss my appointment.

No, you won't, mate.

You just stop arguing and comply and everyone's a winner.

Do I have to comply? Do you have a warrant?

No, we don't. It's voluntary.

In that case, get lost.

Well, why take that attitude?

Eh? If you've got nothing to hide, what're you worried about?

It's a question of trust... or lack of it.

See, if you grew up around here, you'd know what I mean.

You would, anyway.

- Hello, Clive. - How was it, boss?

I'm still getting the lay of the land.

- Got time for a beer? - All right. Yeah, just a quick one.

- Boss? - Clive, do a car check for me?

Cheers, Sarah.

- Hello, Clive. - All right, Guv?

You all right?

Yeah. Volvo is registered to a Bob Stiles.

Not what you were expecting?

Er, no. Not quite. Thanks, though.

Don't you think it's a bit weird? As in convenient?

Sorry. Long day.

Well, I mean, there's a fair few other DCIs they could've asked

apart from you, Guv.

Yeah, I suppose so.

I mean, what is the Minstead inquiry at this point?

It's a black hole, decade-plus train wreck, poison chalice.

You think someone's trying to poison me, Clive?

I don't think you take a scalp like Bellfield

without making some enemies.

That sounds a bit paranoid.

Maybe.

I can't help feeling that this is just the start.

They get rid of you and then they dismantle the team...

Get rid of me? I'll be back in two weeks.

..just because we smashed it, because they can.

What, you think I got Minstead as some sort of payback?

I dunno.

Long day.

Well, you did say I should've retired after the trial.

Quit while I was ahead.

Look, I get it, Hamish asked, you can't exactly say no.

But?

But...

..I think you should critique what's wrong

and I think you should get out. The moment you start offering ideas,

you are sucked in on the worst terms.

You have all the responsibility and zero clout.

Then you will go down with the ship.

OK, I'll give you a call.

All right. I gotta go, bye. Bye.

A bit unorthodox, isn't it?

No, we often meet at the guvnor's house,

you know, on account of his back issues.

Did you chase up that Volvo I saw last night?

I did, yeah.

Turns out it was being driven by the head

of the local Neighbourhood Watch, a chap called Alan Wilson.

OK.

He operates a scheme where local residents' cars

are parked on the drives of would-be victims

who don't own cars themselves.

Oh, I see. What, to deter Minstead Man?

- Yeah. - That's ingenious.

Yeah, he was driving slowly cos he was looking for the right house

to park the Volvo and couldn't see the numbers in the dark.

Right. Lead on.

- All right, Guv? - Morning.

Morning.

Oh, morning, Nathan.

It's custard creams or custard creams, I'm afraid.

Oh, well, in that case I'll have one of each. Thanks.

Morning.

Ah, right, first off, we have a visitor.

DCI Colin Sutton will be joining us for a short while to see if

there are any missed opportunities that might help progress our case,

so please introduce yourselves afterwards

and assist him wherever possible.

Right. How're we getting on with the swabbing, Neville?

Crunching through the list. We had a non-cooperative yesterday.

What's your sense of him?

He's not Minstead Man, but we'll get a sample second time around.

- Right. Good. - We had a bit more luck

with an aerial fitter from Croydon.

Bit more - we got his DNA, but no match.

Well, he's one off the list, isn't he? Good work.

I need to update you all on progress of Santiago University in Spain.

Their scientists are using cutting-edge tech

to establish the physical characteristics of Minstead Man

based on his DNA.

Really? I didn't think that was possible.

Yeah.

By ascertaining genealogy, they'll be able to give us

a very clear idea as to his ancestry and country of origin.

Yeah, Adam?

Yeah, the, er, victim at Allenhall Road, Sandra Nelson,

had quite a bit of jewellery stolen.

Good news is that she, er,

had it all photographed for insurance purposes.

Now, I've got an informant who knows her way around

- the local pawn shops. - Her way?

Yeah. Yeah.

Believe it or not, her name is, er, Diamanda.

If he tries to fence this stuff, she'll tell us.

Good.

Thanks for introducing me.

That's OK. No problem.

What if you didn't have his DNA?

What would your main lines of enquiry be then?

Well, the DNA is our key asset, Colin.

When we catch Minstead Man, and we will,

he's in the pool, isn't he? We'll have a cast-iron case.

But the priority list runs to 5,200 names,

and last week, you swabbed one person.

At that rate, it'll take hundreds of years to clear the list,

and even then, he might not be on it.

Oh, he's on that list, Colin,

and we have active measures to shorten it considerably.

What, by prioritising satellite engineers and motorcyclists?

- Two avenues of many. - Yeah, but if you take...

We're running before we can walk here, Colin.

I saw first-hand how painful it is just trying to get one sample,

or not getting it, as it turned out.

We've got you an office where you can get your head down,

get across the material I've prepared.

If you have any questions, once you're up to speed,

I'll be happy to answer them.

- Why don't you wanna talk to me? - I am talking to you.

I get the feeling you're fobbing me off, that's all.

- Oh, that's your interpretation. - Yeah, it is.

My interpretation would be that I've been nothing but cooperative

and you're being a little paranoid.

I'm not here to do a box tick, seen-to-be-done review, Simon.

I'm here to help.

I'm here because Hamish thinks that fresh eyes

might be useful at this point.

- Yeah, I appreciate that. - Do you?

I get the feeling you resent it.

Look, the truth is, Colin,

we've tried a ton of things over the years -

probably all the things you could think of and more.

You start contributing ideas, it's a slippery slope.

- I mean, you need to be realistic. - About what?

Well.. how long can you stick to diagnosing problems

without offering solutions?

Hmm? Friday?

Well, let's say I can resist that temptation

and I am in and out in a couple of weeks, there's no harm done.

No, no harm done.

It won't be much of a review, though, will it?

What are you saying?

I'm saying, if you worry about politics, retirement dates,

if you...

If you hold back and give this less than your all, you'll regret it.

Wow. OK. That's me told.

Especially when he offends again, which we both know he will.

Look, what are you more afraid of?

Not solving the case, or how that would damage your reputation?

Cos they've been after this bloke for 17 years,

so the odds can't be good.

Cheers, Dave.

That's OK.

Thank you. No problem.

Right. PC, printer,

TV, VHS, phone.

You dial eight for an outside line. Don't ask me why it's not nine.

We march to the beat of our own drum round here.

Yeah, I'm beginning to get that impression.

Oh, and, of course, a lifetime's supply of stab vests.

I'm already wearing one, Kenny.

Excellent. Very good.

No, but, seriously, do you want me to get rid of them?

No, there's enough space. Anything else you need, let me know.

Thank you.

So, what was it?

Short straw? Owe someone a favour?

You seem like a good bloke, that's all.

Can't see you holding your hand up

to rake over another officer's case.

Pointless Review Number 56.

I'm a loyal soldier, Kenny - I do as I'm told.

I read my Maeve Binchy book for about half an hour,

and the next thing, I was woken by a noise...

..and then I saw a figure at the end of the bed.

He was wearing a kind of boiler suit

and his face was hidden by a balaclava.

He shone a torch in my eyes, then covered my face with his hand.

I couldn't... breathe, I couldn't see.

I felt as if I was suffocating.

I told him my handbag

was in the living room, but it wasn't enough.

He grabbed me by the shoulders

and he pushed me on to the settee.

And then...

..he climbed on top of me.

And when he finished...

..he threw me a towel and told me to... clean up.

I sat there thinking, "This is it...

"..this is the end of your life."

He told me to take my nightdress off

as there might be semen on it, and he put it in the sink to soak.

And then I had to have a lot of tests for various infections

that he might've...

..passed-passed on to me.

I had to wait two weeks for the HIV test to come back.

I moved in with my son's family.

I had terrible nightmares.

My son would wake me up,

telling me I'd been shouting things out like,

"Keep off me, stay away from me."

It's outrageous - not just what he's done,

but how long he's got away with it. The phones on the units,

bulbs in the sink... I've never seen that before.

Thanks, love. Yeah, he's meticulous.

And unusual. It's gold dust to an analyst.

Go on.

You don't get this good without practise. I'd go back.

I'd trawl for the earliest cases that could be him

based on these traits,

and then I'd look for a schoolboy error

or a clue to his location.

What sort of clue?

I don't know, but how many criminals open their account close to home?

The minute he sets foot on these properties, he's in control.

It's his house.

Morning, Richard.

Morning, Colin.

Morning.

- Gentlemen. - Oh, sir,

Nathan was just telling me

how you mistook Neighbourhood Watch Al for the Night Stalker.

Minstead Man, please.

I'm never gonna live that one down, am I?

Some beginner's luck that would've been.

Well, you never know. Have we actually taken Al's DNA?

I think your list is long enough, don't you?

Amen to that.

Could've been one longer this morning. Just knocked back

a possible Minstead offence referred by the local borough.

False alarm?

Didn't have the key Minstead hallmarks

and the victim type was off - male and female.

Those hallmarks, are they written down anywhere?

Mm. Got a whole policy log on the subject.

Ping it over to me, will you? I'll stick it on the pile.

Are these all Minstead?

All Minstead.

I tried to do a HOLMES search relating to Minstead Man's DNA

and drew a blank. I couldn't find a single lab report.

Well, the, er, lab reports themselves aren't on the database,

but their existence is noted if you tailor your search accordingly.

Well, what's the use of that?

Well, every exhibit seized from a Minstead scene

is submitted to the lab with its Lab Form One,

but once the scientists work their magic,

they return the forms with their findings.

But the findings never get entered on HOLMES?

No.

So the reports are basically un-searchable?

All of HOLMES' search features are redundant?

Yep, to access any given file, you need to come down here

and go through the boxes manually.

Well, why, Neville? Why would you do it like that?

I had the same question when I joined.

- And? - Well, it's all about the numbers.

Too many offences, too much evidence,

too few people to process it all.

Everything would just fall over if corners weren't cut.

Well, maybe it needs to fall over.

Well, no-one's happy about it, Colin.

There's just no alternative.

We haven't just got the proven Minstead scenes to deal with,

we've got all the break-ins local CID send our way

that could be him. It's literally hundreds of offences.

You are chronically understaffed, aren't you?

Yeah.

Nathan, that possible Minstead case the borough sent over,

when was that?

Last night. Colbridge Road in Bromley.

And what ruled it out, the victimology?

Yeah, a woman in her late 80s, her son in his 60s.

There's no record of our man targeting a home

with multiple occupants, and he always engages with his victims.

- Right, and this offender didn't? - No.

I wonder why the borough thought it was Minstead.

Erm... age of victims, time of the offence and location.

Well, it's worth running up the flagpole, isn't it?

Well, with respect to the screening criteria,

that is right in the heart of his hunting ground.

I'm just saying we could do worse than give it a second look.

Or I could go on my own, if it's easier.

No.

DC Jim Corgan, Bromley CID. Do you think it might be him, then?

Let's say we wanna make sure it isn't.

Several handbags belonging to the homeowner

were turned out on the table.

He's made a point of leaving the cash.

Doesn't sound like our boy, but I'm keeping an open mind.

Well, in a few hours, we might know definitively.

- How so? - Follow me.

This is Gavin Forbes, son of the homeowner.

He was asleep upstairs

at the time of the burglary. His mum's in hospital,

- being treated for shock. - Oh, good morning, Mr Forbes.

DI Nathan Eason, DCI Colin Sutton.

Tell 'em about the juice carton, Gavin.

When I got back from the hospital,

I went to get a glass of orange from the fridge.

The carton was almost empty.

I only opened it last night, and my mum never touches the stuff.

What, and you think the intruder might've helped himself?

It's the only explanation.

Have we seen this before?

He normally goes for the beer.

He might've been driving.

- The juice carton's being tested for DNA? - As we speak.

If it's Minstead, you'll be the first to know.

Right.

Mr Forbes, I'm sorry to have to ask you to go through it again,

but from my experience,

it's always best to hear these things first-hand.

About 6 AM, I heard a noise downstairs.

I thought it must be Mum,

but she's not normally up before ten,

so I decided to go and check.

When I opened the door, I got the shock of my life -

about half a dozen pairs of shoes and boots

tumbled inwards on the floor.

- Was it your shoes? - From the rack downstairs.

He must've piled them halfway up the door.

I mean, why would he do that?

A DIY early warning system. That could be why he left the cash.

He was still in the house when I went down.

You said you're working on another case. Is it, erm...

It's-It's not that... bloke attacking old ladies?

The Night Stalker?

Yes, it is, I'm afraid.

Oh, Jesus.

What is it, Gavin?

Mum's room is downstairs and, er,

she always sleeps with the door open.

What if he went in...?

Your mum said nothing to suggest any contact with the intruder.

She's in shock! She wouldn't admit it.

I mean, she wouldn't have the words.

Gavin, your mum's in the best possible hands at the hospital.

I know it's hard, but until we know more,

try not to torture yourself with what-ifs, OK?

OK.

Now, this shoe rack, I didn't see it when I came in.

It's by the back door.

- Does it get much use? - All the time.

Mum's still very house-proud,

she won't have shoes cluttering the hall.

This still might not be Minstead Man.

What, no panes removed or ornaments lined up?

No bulbs removed either, or phone lines cut.

Yeah.

I read one of the profiles last night.

- Yeah, which one? - Er, Dr Pauline Rees.

- Reed. - Yeah.

She stressed how rare it is for an offender to spend so much time

just observing his victims.

Like any monetary gain was secondary to just watching them

go about their lives.

If he came from here to the back door,

he wouldn't see that shoe rack, would he?

But he knew it was there, didn't he?

Gavin said they use that every day.

Yeah, he was watching.

From all these foot prints, he must've been here for a while.

One time, he waited so long, he did a number two under a tree.

Did he? I bet Dr Reed had a field day.

Let's figure out how he got in.

- Looks like a dead end. - Yeah.

Colin... any luck, we've got him on camera.

Coming and going.

I know it's a bit basic, but I'm using these coloured pins

to mark the locations and the era of the offences.

- Numbered in sequence? - Yeah.

Why, have you got something like it?

Yeah, one or two, and in colour.

Oh, well, there's nothing wrong with a bit of DIY, is there?

Plus it helps me to get my head round it all.

Orpington. I attended that one.

DNA on the orange carton is a 100% match for Minstead Man.

Colbridge Road is our case. And we've got him on camera, too.

Gavin said he was woken at six, so... I started there.

Ah.

Well, it confirms his route and the time he left,

but not much else.

He did show a bit more leg going in.

There you go.

That's nearly six hours earlier.

Can you freeze it on the best possible frame, Nathan?

Shame he's got his back to us.

Well, still, we've got a good idea of his weight and his height,

it lets us know he's got an athletic gait,

we know he walks to and from the scenes,

even if he's arriving by car.

We're gonna need to widen our screening criteria.

That means more offences.

Well, so be it. But you haven't got the manpower,

not when you're treating every offence like a murder.

Would this be a fair observation?

You're trying to make these offences fit the usual processes,

but they won't - they just won't -

and the effort of trying to force them to fit is killing you.

More than fair.

Then something's gotta change.

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