Original subtitles

Bye.

Dear Rose Linden, my name is Daniel Berrington.

I'm 18 years old. I live near Swindon.

I read about the Criminal Justice Review Agency in the newspaper, about how you

put things right when there's been an injustice.

My parents wouldn't like me writing to you, but I don't tell them anything

days.

I have to ask you to help me.

Because something happened to me when I was younger.

Something really bad.

And it hasn't come out right.

They want me to put it all behind me, but I can't.

Why can't they understand that?

I just can't.

It's been eight years since I first met Mr. Townes.

You've probably heard of me.

Most people have.

But I need to talk to you because it didn't happen like they say it did.

Mr. Townes was just this old guy who lived down the street.

I liked him.

Then it all went wrong.

I never wanted to be famous.

I just want to be normal again.

And I think you might be the only person who can help me.

Daniel was found sitting beside his victim, holding a cutthroat razor.

He seems to us today like an inhuman killer of a defenseless old man,

injuries that escalated to a level of savagery almost impossible to

He was ten years old.

He got life.

We need to consider whether the notoriety of the case blinded everyone

possibility that Daniel did not commit... this murder.

Let's call in the devil and pack him out of sight.

Daniel Barrington is in a social services secure unit, eight years into

sentence for murder.

He's written to us requesting review.

Excellent visual presentation, Mr Mulaney. Thank you.

But there's no new evidence.

And no suggestion of police misconduct at this stage.

Well, that remains to be seen. We haven't interviewed him yet. It does not

remain to be seen. It was an exemplary investigation in every way.

Oh, they're all exemplary.

Excuse me, I forgot your name.

Bruce Arneson, Home Office Strategy Unit.

Why is he here?

The government doesn't tell us which cases we can take on. Well, it's an

extremely high -profile case. The boy's famous. So?

The Home Office have requested consultation. We're happy to listen to

have to say. There's a policy aspect to this. We just want you to be aware of

the potential media interest.

What you actually mean is that Daniel Barrington could have a case in the

European Court of Human Rights because he was tried as an adult at the age of

ten.

I'm sure that would be felt to be rather inconvenient for the Home Secretary.

We're letting him out.

Excuse me?

He'll see a parole board in a month.

As long as he's sorry, they'll let him go. He's not sorry. He wrote to me.

meeting him today.

Well, obviously, we're assuming you won't proceed with the reinvestigation

the boy's interest.

Hang on!

He will have a new identity relocation. It is the best possible outcome for

everyone. So why exactly have you let us wait our time for the last two weeks?

Rose, sit down. Well, obviously, the lad has taken us by surprise.

We were keen to see if you had anything, which, I'm glad to say, you don't.

She has been working quite hard.

I think for now the visit to Daniel Barrington is not to take place.

Have I made that clear, Mr Maloney?

Oh, yes, absolutely.

That's clear.

Why would a teenage kid who's going to be released on licence with a new

identity claim he's innocent at the last moment?

Well, I don't think we're going to find out.

Thanks for coming.

Wendy didn't know.

There's something going on. Yes, we've been told not to proceed with the case,

so we move on.

Our job is to search out miscarriages of justice.

Right? Right.

So do you know there isn't one here?

Well, no, but Wendy has said that... What are you doing?

Looking for that visitor order.

Rose, I'm still probationary. I'd rather not get fired.

Give. What?

S -T -U...

The.

You can be too organised, you know that, Maloney?

Yes, and you can have too little innate sense of danger or common sense. You

know that, Ruth? Yep.

You wouldn't mind driving me, would you? I haven't got my licence back yet,

look.

No way.

And giving me that stupid smile isn't going to work either.

We only agreed to this visit because we tried to take Daniel's views into

account. We're horrified it's going back on his rehabilitation.

Mystified. It's just a chat.

Normal assessment.

There's nothing normal about this for Daniel. He hasn't had a visitor for

years. What about his parents? Don't they support him? No.

They weren't able to maintain contact.

We were hoping maybe once he was released.

Look, as far as we're concerned, Daniel's accepted his offence.

He doesn't need this.

Well, something must have changed.

He can't change what he did.

Nobody can.

It's open.

Your visitor's Danny.

Hi.

You came.

Hello, Daniel.

I'm Rose Linden, and this is Mr Maloney.

Daniel.

Sorry, sorry, I'm not really used to shaking hands.

I know everyone in here.

Go on, Mark.

Shall we... shall we stay out?

I'd love to have a look round the centre. Maybe you could... I need to be

present for this. Come on, Mark.

OK. Sure. This is very impressive.

All the furniture and everything. Fantastic.

Daniel, the talented carpenter.

We should have looked at this.

Thanks.

You know what it is?

Yeah.

They think it's my A -level materials project.

They like it when I make things.

What's it really for, Daniel?

Helps me.

Do what?

Return to the scene of the crime.

Joyce, where's Rose?

I think they had a visit today. It's all a bit mysterious.

Right.

So the thing is, usually when a client approaches us, it's because someone's

lied.

Perhaps the police haven't handled the case correctly or new evidence has

emerged that your lawyer would present to us.

So... So what?

So why didn't you kill Mr.

Towns?

Because I can't remember doing it.

That's not what it says in your statements, Daniel. They told me what I

They all told me until I remembered it their way.

Now I've got to go in front of a board and say I'm sorry for being a murderer.

I'm not.

You've got a chance to leave.

Start again.

I don't want a new name.

I don't want to live where they say.

Do what they say.

I understand you don't see your family anymore.

No.

No, they don't get on with me.

They changed their name so nobody would know that I belong to them.

Do you have a brother?

Matthew.

He wrote to me once.

Said he missed me.

You miss him?

I can't remember the bathroom.

I can't remember it.

Have you talked about this to people who help you here?

You can talk about anything you like as long as you see it their way.

You were found sitting beside Mr Towns' body, holding a razor.

That's a big problem, Daniel, not remembering.

I know.

But something is not right.

I keep thinking that I see... I don't know, I see, um...

He's like white and he's almost like there's someone else in the bathroom.

True, is it, Mr Towns?

It's not at all what I expected.

We concentrate on the future, not the past.

Daniel's responded well.

He's doing three A -levels. He plays trumpet, badly.

He makes models.

We've been going on day trips to get him back into the outside world.

You know, we can't keep him beyond 18 if he fails his parole.

You mean he'll go to prison?

Daniel can't believe the person he is now could commit that crime.

All that means is we succeeded.

And you guys are going to screw it up.

Excuse me.

Hello? Yeah.

Yeah?

Yeah, they're here now.

I'm sorry.

Thank you.

The first time I met Arthur Townes was when my brother Matthew made Callum

Roxton put a dog turd in his letterbox.

Sorry.

Matthew wanted to play a joke on him.

We played eeny -meeny to see who had to do it.

Callum always laughed when we did that.

Callum, you pandy!

Don't look at me!

I'll push it!

Come here, you little bastard!

Are you all right?

I hurt myself.

You, make me a cup of tea.

You can make a cup of tea, can't you?

Yes, sir.

Leave. You don't have permission to be here.

Excuse me, I'm conducting an interview. This is over. Now.

Rose.

It was nice to meet you, Daniel.

Yeah.

If you see Matt, tell him. Tell him I know he's there.

We're supposed to be going back to the office to be fired.

Yeah, only a good time.

Traffic's terrible in the O4. Can I just mention for the record that this is a

really, really bad idea, Rose?

Mention away.

They have protected identities.

I'm pretty sure we're breaking the law just by turning up.

All Daniel has to do to walk free is admit he's guilty.

And he just can't manage it.

Doesn't that mean anything to you? This case isn't happening, Ruth.

But guess what? We're just going to carry on anyway, aren't we?

Yep. With no regard for the consequences.

Just doing our job. Stop whining, Maloney.

Time to meet the parents.

I don't know how we can help you.

I know Daniel has become uncooperative, that's all.

We're not involved in it anymore.

I understand.

Must have been very hard for you.

We stayed away from the trial, and then later we changed our name and moved

here.

I suppose you think that's callous.

I don't think anything, Dr Barrington.

I'm just responding in a very initial way to Daniel's concerns.

Tierney. Our name is Tierney now.

All these trophies.

Matthews.

He's got it for ball, piano.

That's the school maths prize.

He's won it for three years.

But none for Daniel.

You're... You're getting into an area.

I'm sorry, it's private.

I can't... We had to let him go for the sake of our family.

I don't expect you to understand that.

So you don't have any idea as to why Daniel thinks he's innocent?

What? That?

What's going on? You left the door unlocked.

It's nothing, Matthew. Go up and do your homework.

Who thinks he's innocent?

Not now.

Homework.

He has some important exams to study for. I don't want that disrupted.

OK. It's just that Daniel... I have to ask you this.

Where was Matthew when Mr Towns... He was at his friend's house, playing.

At Callum Rockson's house.

This has all been gone over so many times.

Yes.

Thank you for talking to us.

Rose?

Thank you.

Weird or what?

It's sad beyond words, Rose.

That's it. Over, okay? We're in the shit.

Yeah, all right.

Jesus.

Oh, off we go.

Yes, my lady.

What did she do?

Oh, never mind.

Whatever it was, I hope to Christ you didn't help her.

I forgot to ask how the physics paper went.

I can't talk, Dad.

Good.

Good. That's excellent, Matthew. Very good.

Is it true?

Danny's coming out?

He might be. I don't know.

Will we see him? I don't want to speak about him, Matthew.

I know you understand.

He did a terrible thing.

You know, we all tried to make sense of it, but it was too hard.

For Mum.

I still miss him.

Daniel will have a new life.

He's gone from us.

I've got to concentrate on you now.

What did you say?

Final warning.

You? Final, final, final warning.

Official reprimand.

Written apology to the Home Office.

Weeks of pension to lie low.

I liked him. I liked him too, but... I checked the statements.

Amethyst Jane Roxton confirmed that Matthew Barrington was playing with her

Callum the day Mr Townsend was killed.

So where are they now?

Emigrated to Canada, no address lifted.

Case is closed and rejected, Rose.

I've been told to delete the Barrington file from the survey. You must surrender

the hard copy tomorrow.

To who?

The Home Office.

Bollocks.

There's nothing in it, Rose. We'll mess ourselves up. We should leave it now.

Oh, that's OK, Maloney.

As long as Daniel Barrington killed Arthur Townes, everything's OK.

If he didn't...

Well, we stirred things up.

Maybe something will happen.

Do you want one?

No, thanks. I'm going home.

Yes, well, I'm not.

Do you take your incident?

Yes, I'm not a child. All right.

All right.

You're in there, Matthew.

I know you're in there.

Hello, darling.

What are you doing here?

I took the week off.

Thought I'd pop round.

You got suspended again, didn't you?

It wasn't my fault.

They can't all be idiots, Rose.

And if they are, you should get another job.

Maybe one that doesn't make you look so miserable.

Well, as you're here, you might as well come shopping with me.

I need a dress for your dad's lion club dinner.

I bet you should get one too.

Me? Why?

I just want to buy you a dress.

There's nothing wrong with that, is there?

Dad wants you to come, darling.

He's making the speech.

He does not want me to come.

All right, I want you to come.

You know, one or two of the chaps are younger.

Well, 40 -ish.

I don't go out with men who are 40 -ish. Oh, you can't be too true, dear Rose.

No, you aren't exactly.

Do I disappoint you?

Oh, you know you do, darling.

But I forgive you.

Don't smoke in the house. It's so filthy.

There's a girl.

Oh, Maloney, there's someone here for Rose. Thanks.

Hello?

I'm looking for someone called Rose Linden. Oh, she's on holiday, I'm

need to speak to her. It's urgent.

Is that a Canadian accent?

It's Callum, isn't it?

What do you want me to tell Rose?

Matthew rang me.

He told me what you're doing, how Danny Fang, he didn't do it.

And?

What did he tell her?

I'm sorry, Callum, I don't know.

Tell her not to believe him. Danny's a liar.

A liar about what?

You'll make it all start again. I can't do it again. I don't understand.

Can't do what?

It was them.

It's always them.

What are you scared of, Callum? I mean, if there's... Jesus,

Melanie.

Who's that?

I don't know.

Are you all right, Miss Melanie? Yes, yes, I'm fine, really.

Honestly, it's a misunderstanding.

I'd leave a message.

Maloney, hi.

Just wondered how you were getting on, you know.

Yeah.

Give us a ring if there's anything, um, developments that you need help with.

Cheers.

Maloney? No, er, Rose.

This is Bruce Arneson.

Right. Thanks for sending over the, er, the Barrington stuff.

I didn't send it.

Two of your goons confiscated it at eight o 'clock this morning.

I do hope they know how to treat evidence.

Fine, fine.

The Home Secretary just wants to, er, flick through it before we, you know,

him loose.

Look, I wanted to say that I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot. I was rude

and patronising.

OK.

Anyway, I got your number. I hope you don't mind.

And, uh... Well, I was wondering if you were free for a drink.

I'm sorry?

A drink.

I'm sorry. Am I not doing this very well?

Oh, you're acting me out.

Totally. Is that okay?

Totally.

Uh, the beta bar near your office.

Tomorrow around about five.

Okay.

Fantastic.

We could add a mop.

Hello?

You ready?

Yeah.

You've got good seats.

North stand.

Cool. Are you OK?

Fine, Mark.

I hope we've talked this through now.

You're not going to screw this up, Daniel. I won't let you.

No.

She's full of shit anyway.

She can't help me.

It's better this way, Danny.

You get a day out to the footy anyway.

Yeah, you're right.

Hey, Rose, what can I get you to drink?

Just a mineral water, thanks.

Still.

I'm glad you came. I hope you didn't think I was being too cheeky. Oh, I

you're a cheeky bastard, Bruce, but what the hell, eh?

Yeah. I have diabetes. I get a bit bad -tempered at times. I'm instructed to

I'm sorry I called you a wanker.

I was being lofty.

Call it inexperience.

So why don't we get the business out of the way, Griff?

Business? I thought this was just going to be pure pleasure.

Well, it's not out of the question, but let's face it, we both know we've got an

agenda.

Fire away.

You want to charm me into telling you if I found out anything that would

embarrass the Home Office.

Like what?

Like one of the most famous murderers in Britain didn't get a fair trial.

Like he was treated like a psychopath when he should have been treated like a

child. Like he's innocent and therefore a total disgrace to the justice system.

Why would that embarrass us?

Probably because the Home Secretary's got some funky little zero -tolerance

policy up his sleeve.

Some bang -em -up -and -throw -away -the -key type of speech that he wants to

give and doesn't want a humiliating miscarriage of justice making him look

a wanker.

Well, they said you were good.

And is our Daniel inconveniently innocent?

No.

No, he's guilty, all right. Phew.

Do you know, I think I'll have a red wine. No problem.

Bottle of red, please, whatever.

So, Rose, what is your agenda?

I just want to get laid.

Yes, of course I remember Daniel.

I taught him for three years.

I thought he was barbaric, the way they treated him, no matter what he did.

And his brother Matthew?

Year below.

They were inseparable, even though they were opposite ends of the academic

spectrum.

Daniel was slow, and their father, Dr Barrington, he was a very demanding man.

He was hard on Daniel, very hard.

Because?

Well, it's a difficult thing to say, but Daniel was rather neglected by his

father, and Matthew was pushed to achieve, remorselessly.

I could never work out which one was leading the other on, but I think they

acted out some kind of revenge on that poor old man.

Really? They got into trouble?

Well, there was the earlier thing with Mr Townes. They were only cautioned, of

course. I'm sorry, the earlier thing?

Well, they were going into his house, stealing things.

Wow, look at this.

What is it? Some sort of gun dagger.

Look at the middle.

We can take them.

What are you doing?

What are you doing? Give me that, you little tyke!

Now get out! I'm sorry, we didn't mean it.

Get out!

The police cautioned them.

And Callum Roxton, of course. He was always their dupe.

But I remember thinking it's strange they never mentioned it at the trial.

Yes, it is strange.

They seemed in such a hurry to lock Daniel up.

They just wanted him taken away so they didn't have to think about it.

I remember trying to catch his eye in court, but he wouldn't look at me.

Well, I don't know if that's of any help to you. Yes, it is. I won't take up any

more of your time. Thank you.

Are you a King's College man, Mr Maloney? I'm sorry?

King's College, the scarf.

Oh, um, no.

No, it belongs to someone else.

Thanks.

Oh, they're going down.

At least we're up for a stage there.

Yeah.

Go on, let's get a burger and catch the horse.

Daniel!

Maloney, bring me back.

No, I can't talk.

Oh, my phone was off.

What?

Say that again.

Ruth?

What time is it?

Taxi time.

Is your mobile off?

Yeah. Landline?

I've just moved in.

Maybe you should ring your boss.

Daniel Barrington's absconded.

Yeah, right.

I have to ask you,

Did either of you do or say anything that would have persuaded him to run

four weeks before his parole board? Oh, come on, Wendy, of course not. I'm not

that stupid.

So far, the agency hasn't been mentioned.

Christ knows what'll happen if we do get drawn in.

Now, is there anything else I need to know about unauthorised, unprofessional

activity on this case?

Anything at all?

Rose? No, I don't think so.

Because if there is, I will fire you, Rose. I, uh, actually, um...

I've done a couple of things on the unauthorised front.

I found Callum Roxton.

Who? He was a close friend of Daniel and Matthew Barrington's, and then I

obtained a copy of a police caution issued to him and Matthew and Daniel one

month before the murder for stealing from Mr Towns.

They used to go there together, it seems.

I was going to ask Callum about it in case it was important.

I have to go to the Home Office.

You are both to be available all day for interview by the police. Is that clear?

And if you hold anything back, I swear I'll... This is your

fault.

Well, I wanted to do something by myself for a change. Why do you have to run

everything? You didn't have to blurt it out to her, for Christ's sake. Well, she

asked me.

And she...

Pretty fierce and panicked, okay?

So where'd you get it?

I interviewed their old headmistress. She told me about it.

My, you have been a naughty boy.

I was trying to help.

Okay? Okay.

Matthew Barrington, interview three, tape continued, 27th of August, 1996.

Matthew, can you tell us when you, Daniel and Callum started stealing

from Mr. Townes?

Matthew, it was Daniel.

He was going to Mr. Townes' house. He said he had so much stuff, like nice

stuff, you know, so we wanted to see it too.

Mr Townes liked us.

We got milk from the shop for his tea. It was like payment for being nice to

him.

We didn't touch him after that.

Just went and took his stuff a few times.

He didn't try to stop us.

It was just a game. We're sorry.

Why wasn't this mentioned?

Well, maybe they just thought it would confuse things. They weren't there on

day of the murder.

Matthew and Callum were playing together at Callum's house. Right.

And they're all acting so innocent, aren't they?

It was them.

Always them.

Where are you going?

King's College, if I can.

Why you?

Well, I'm not the suspended one.

I think Callum's room's on the second floor.

Hold on.