Line of Duty

DI Denton. - DS Jayne Akers, calling with request for urgent assistance.

Immediate and credible threat to life.

I need a safe and available destination, ASAP.

There's been an attack on the police.

Three of our colleagues have lost their lives in the line of duty.

You called me that night.

Yes, sir.

I shouldn't have even been on duty that night.

I'd do anything not to have been there, not to have picked up

that call, because for all I know it's going to take away

the one good thing in my life, and that is being a police officer.

I'm heading up a newly-formed unit that's taken over

the search for Carly Kirk.

Oh!

- DS Arnott, AC-12? - Boss.

People have underestimated me my whole life.

I'll open up Witness Protection to your team.

There's a DI in AC-9.

He's your man. You'll second him.

As you wish, sir.

Whatever it takes to nail those bastards.

Your call history makes for very interesting reading.

The night of the ambush she called me to call you.

To say what?

For you to call her back about the case she was working on.

This is the home under protective custody,

of staff nurse Claire Tindall.

You interviewed her in connection with events at the hospital.

There are more photos.

The protected witness. The wee gobshite this was all about.

Christ!

DI Denton, I'm arresting you for conspiracy to murder

a protected witness.

What was in the witness protection files?

Oh, my God. Was it someone you knew?

I'm innocent. You know I am.

All rise.

Remain standing.

Are you Lindsay Elizabeth Denton?

Yes.

Please speak up so we can hear you.

Yes.

Sit down, Ms Denton.

Morning, Ms Latimer.

Your Honour, the defendant is charged with conspiracy to murder.

This is a very serious charge arising from a complex investigation

by Anti-Corruption Unit 12.

A 36-year-old woman has been charged with conspiracy to murder.

There are rumours the victim was a protected witness

granted immunity from prosecution.

No further details will be disclosed at present.

The charging of the 36-year-old woman is a highly significant breakthrough,

and we're confident that more arrests will follow.

THE JOURNALISTS CALL OUT QUESTIONS

Nick Ronson, from the Evening Post.

Thanks. Do you think the Witness Protection Scheme

is fit for purpose?

No comment. Thank you all.

THE JOURNALISTS CALL OUT QUESTIONS

Well handled, sir.

Cheers, Les.

Champion.

You're the new Media Manager? Jo Wright.

New Jo. Have you got a minute? Sure.

There's a false speeding story about me...

With this arrest, sir, it's dead.

Good. A stupid, pointless distraction.

Oh, and civilians don't have to call me sir.

I'd feel uncomfortable not respecting your rank.

OK. Great.

Is there to be a bail application? Yes, Your Honour.

Your Honour, the prosecution opposes bail on the following grounds.

The seriousness of the offence, the defendant has the means

and knowledge to abscond from justice.

Your Honour, the defendant is a serving police officer

of excellent standing.

She has no desire to abscond. She intends to clear her name.

I'm refusing bail.

You will be remanded in custody until the 18th of November.

All rise.

What about Bella?

Has anyone got an evidence bag for this?

Answering only yes or no, do you understand spoken English?

Yes.

Answering only yes or no, are you Lindsay Elizabeth Denton?

Yes. Answering only yes or no,

are you currently suffering from an infectious disease?

No.

Answering only yes or no,

are you currently suffering from a sexually transmitted disease?

No.

Answering only yes or no, are you or could you be pregnant?

No.

You'll reside in the Vulnerable Persons Unit.

You will be in a cell on your own and you will have

minimal association with the other residents.

Answering only yes or no, do you understand? Yes.

DOOR BUZZER BUZZES

When an Offender Management Officer enters your cell,

she'll order you to move away from the door.

Answering only yes or no, do you understand?

Yeah.

If you maintain good behaviour, you may request a television set,

the cost at £2 per week to be taken out of your allowance.

Can I request a piano keyboard, please?

Answering only yes or no,

would you like to request a television set? No.

Move away from the door.

DOOR CLOSES AND BUZZER SOUNDS

Oh, what's that tosser doing here? Buggered if I know.

Morning, you two. Morning, sir.

Sir, what's he doing here? Oh, yeah...

Look, our investigation has expanded into Witness Protection.

The Deputy Chief Constable ordered me to bring on

a specialist from AC-9.

Those bastards have been keeping us out.

AC-9 did not make the call, Steve.

Dot Cottan certainly did not make the call.

This has come directly from the office

of the Deputy Chief Constable.

I'm not saying you should've run it by us first.

I'm glad you're not saying that, Steve, because that shows you're not

confused about who's in charge here.

Come on, give him a chance.

The Tony Gates team was disbanded,

Cottan went on to distinguish himself, got himself a promotion,

and the fact of the matter is he was the only officer in that unit

who was prepared to stand up and give evidence against his boss.

He's a born Anti-Corruption Officer, poacher turned gamekeeper.

WARDEN BANGS ON THE DOOR

Move away from the door!

DOOR BUZZES

The dirty bastards put shit in my food. Don't you people check?

Answering yes or no, don't you people check?

The target of the 5th September ambush was a protected witness.

To fill you in on the details,

I'd like to introduce you to Detective Inspector Matthew Cottan.

Thank you, Matt. Thanks a lot, sir.

In June of 2012,

a double murder at Greek Lane, Moss Heath,

that was originally thought to have been drug-related,

was recrimed as a terrorist incident.

This individual is John Thomas Hunter.

He used the name Tommy and had proven links with organised crime.

Tommy co-operated with the investigation

into the Greek Lane terror incident

in return for immunity from prosecution.

Tommy was the target of the ambush.

Having been enrolled in the Witness Protection programme,

he was given a new identity as Alex Campbell

and relocated to a safe house at 12 St James's Close.

On the night of September 5th his Witness Protection Officer,

DS Jayne Akers, notified an immediate threat against her witness

and attempted to move him into safe custody at 4th Street Station.

As we all know, Akers was killed

and the witness received critical injuries.

A second, successful attempt on his life was made

at the General Hospital nine days later. Yes?

No prosecutions resulted from the Greek Lane counter-terror op.

As a result, as I was going on to say,

the witness's immunity was in jeopardy.

The only way for him to stay out of prison was to prove his value.

So you think this got back to the witness's criminal associates,

which prompted their plan to silence him?

Exactly that, sir. Yeah.

DS Akers was the person closest to the witness, trusted by him.

So if he was going to name names, she'd be the one to know.

What?

DS Akers was killed in the ambush.

How'd it fit that she betrayed Tommy?

Well, unknown to Akers,

she may also have been the target of the ambush, killed for her silence.

Sounds like a guess.

I'd call it a working hypothesis.

We've charged DI Lindsay Denton.

AC-9 wouldn't happen to be sitting on a connection

between Tommy and Denton? Not that I know of.

Yet. Which is why we are pooling our resources. Thank you, Matthew.

Thanks, sir.

Assignments in respect of the foregoing

will come via me or DI Cottan. Thank you. That is all.

Also before you go. I've got some hand-outs, should anybody want one.

For Christ's sake.

KEYS JINGLE

Kindly take a seat and your event will commence shortly.

Hello, Inspector, how are you?

Hmm. Tickety-boo.

I need to conduct a further interview in regard to the ambush

on the night of September 5th.

You remain under caution.

There are strict rules for post-charge interview.

One of which is for the detainee to have put to them information

which has come to light since they were charged.

In the interests of justice.

Go on.

Who was DS Akers' protected witness? I don't know. I never knew.

You never saw him, never heard a name? No.

Have you ever seen this man before?

No.

Fine. Have it your own way.