UK Television: Law & Order: UK, Episode 4.6 "Skeletons"

Law & Order:  UK
Season Four, Episode Six, Skeletons
Skeletons, Original Air Date:  December 9, 2010 (Canada)
Skeletons, Original Air Date:  April 11, 2011 (U.K.)
Based on Law & Order (US) "Trophy", Season 6, Episode 12 (31st January, 1996)

Two young boys are found murdered and a note found with both of the bodies leads police and the CPS to a name they've investigated and prosecuted before, Andrew Dillon.  When new evidence comes to light that Dillon might not be guilty of the crimes he was imprisoned for, and his imprisonment guaranteed by missing evidence, Steel's freedom and career are in jeopardy.

A police search for a missing child, Sean Monroe, that includes the young boys father, Mick Monroe (Terence Maynard) yields a grisly shock when the lad's body literally washes out of a drain at Devlin's feet.  Sean was killed by a single blow to the head with a heavy blunt-force object.  He was killed then dumped into the drainage system.  Devlin shows Brooks a paper he found on Sean that reads "They Must Be Destroyed" which is something Brooks thought he'd never see again.

Brooks and Devlin go to Steel and Phillips to inform them of the note and that it sounds like Andrew Dillon is back.  Sean Monroe's crucifix was missing from his body and Dillon liked taking souvenirs from his victims.  Dillon's family stopped coming to court but he did have a few loyal supporters that called him a "white power hero".  Brooks and Devlin speak with one of the supporters, Carl Hareton (Mark Dexter) who informs them their Internet site was shut down for inciting racial hatred.  Hareton was chairing a "meeting", a discussion about immigration.  He gives them a list of the individuals in attendance at the meeting.

Time of death is ruled between five and seven p.m. and Sean ate shortly before he died.  They speak with a woman from a local shop, Carla (Jade Anouka), where Sean bought the crisps and sweets he ate before he died.  She remembered Sean speaking with the security guard, Marcus Wright (Jude Akuwidike).  He ordered Sean away from the news agency so he couldn't look at pornography and walked the youngster out of the shopping center.  He saw Sean go to the right.  Brooks and Devlin next speak with Sean's mates at St. Justin's Church Hall.  Ollie (Lewis Lempereur-Palmer) doesn't know why Sean was going the direction he was unless he was going to see Darren Powell (Tom Stuart) who runs a talent agency and was trying to get Sean to sign up with him.  Darren admits Sean came to see him at half past five but went home when Darren had to leave early.

Angela brings them news that Darren's card was used at the station at twenty past seven even though he told Brooks and Devlin he left Sean at the station at quarter to six.  In interview, Darren denies killing Sean but admits he left the station to have a pint.  When questioned about why he left his teaching job at the ELPA without a reference Darren tells them it was because he got too involved with a pupil.  The boy was being abused by his step-dad and Darren gave him a place to stay.  The step-dad accused Darren and the boy was too afraid to tell the truth.  Chandler interrupts the interview to tell Brooks another young boy has been found.  The thirteen-year-old boy was strangled with his school tie and a note reading "They Must Be Destroyed" was found in his pocket.

Chandler holds a press conference on of the young boy's murder in appeal to the public for information.  She refuses to disclose some details despite questions from the media and states it's far too early to tell if the murders are related to Andrew Dillon.

Brooks and Devlin speak with two friends Dean Amadal (Mohammed Mansaray) and Justin bale (Jack O'Connor) of the second murdered boy, Dev, to reconstruct his final hours.  He had skipped school along with his friends and they were stealing from shops.  Dean tells them Dev got caught for stealing around five when the boys split up.  He saw a policeman manhandling Dev.  Brooks cannot find a report of Dev having been caught in Green Lanes.  Devlin suggests a security guard bringing their attention back to Marcus Wright.  Marcus doesn't know Dev at first but admits he saw Dev stealing and he went after him but he got away.  Devlin picks up a Bible from Wright's coffee table and begins reading from it.  Wright grabs the Bible and a gold crucifix falls from it to the table.

They take Wright in for interview about the murders.  Wright declines a lawyer and tells them the boys were sinners and God sought revenge.  He didn't pick the boys, God did.  Sean's sin was looking at pornography and Dev's sin was stealing.  He said God wrote the notes through him.  He drops the bombshell on them that the murders attributed to Dillon were murders he committed.  Steel feels it is a sick attempt to take credit for the crimes of another but Brooks reveals Wright knows things only the killer would know and had the souvenirs.  Brooks tells Steel there was a fourth boy killed, for stealing, after Dillon went down for the murders that Wright killed.  The police unearthed a skeleton of a Caucasian boy exactly where Wright said the body was buried.  Wright buried the boy because his mother needed him.  He confessed the crimes to her and she begged him to stop.  She died a few months before Sean's death.

Dillon's attorney accuses Steel of selective prosecution and presents him with a statement six years ago from a witness, who has since died, who claimed to see the third victim an hour after he had been fighting with Dillon (Peter McNamara).  The statement is something Steel has never seen before but Dillon's attorney accuses him of burying the statement.  They intend to investigate every detail of Steel's case then sue him for £300,000.  Dillon accuses Steel of prejudice for deciding the killer had to be white.

Steel and Phillips go over the case files.  Claudia Martin (Genevieve O' Reilly) was Steel's lead assistant on the case.  When Alesha speaks with Claudia, she has no recollection of the witness statement and wonders how Dillon's attorney came to be in possession of it.  None of the rest of Steel's team remembered the statement and none of the log books from the investigation contain evidence of the statement. Chandler speaks with Castle regarding the witness statement.  Both trust their people and have nothing to hide.  Steel questions Brooks at the statement but he cannot remember who he gave the statement to just that it was a young female wearing a suit.  A disagreement ensues when Devlin accuses Steel of blaming the police for the missing evidence.

Castle informs Steel that Chandler notified him that Janice Hunter's statement was entered into the police database.  When Dillon's defense team received a copy of the witness schedule three days later, Janice Hunter's name and statement was not on it.  The schedule came from CPS so someone in those offices must have deleted it.  Steel wants to find out who was on reception to sign for the statement but it's too late.  Brooks and Devlin are there to arrest him on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

In court, Steel pleads not guilty.  The CPS lawyer trying the case, Samuel Cain (Tobias Menzies), objects to bail stating Steel will interfere with witnesses.  Judge Rory Richards (Crispin Redman) grants bail.  Steel petitions the judge to conduct his defense from counsel's row, which Richards grants.  Alesha is removed from her office since Cain will be calling her as a witness.  Steel asks Alesha to get some files from CPS for him but she's unsure if she can considering her new restrictions.  She manages to get the files without getting caught.

In court, Alesha testifies about Steel's trial behavior and Cain succeeds in getting her to admit she has challenged Steel often and brings up the Don Marsh case.  She testifies that Steel has never asked her to do anything that would make her feel dishonest in the eyes of the law.  Claudia Martin testifies that Steel would interview several expert witnesses before he found the one that would say what he needed.  She states Steel told the handwriting expert on the Dillon case his evidence could prevent more children from being killed.  She tells the court she left CPS because she was uncomfortable with Steel's way of working and that he was absolutely determined to convict Andrew Dillon.  She denies under oath that she deleted Janice Hunter's witness statement and says she knew nothing about it.

Steel begins his cross-examination of Martin by asking her if it was true she was having an affair with him (Steel) during the time of the case.  The question shocks the courtroom and, especially Cain and Alesha.  Cain objects to the question but the judge allows it.  She admits to having an affair and that Steel was the one who ended the relationship causing Martin to leave having felt betrayed.  Under oath, she tells Steel she would have done anything for him.  Alesha gives Steel the files she took but chastises him for his treatment of Martin in court.

Cain questions Steel in court of his success rate as a prosecutor, which is 93%.  Cain brings up the case of Dr. Alec Merrick and the rape case against him where Steel had him arrested on a false rape charge after his acquittal.  Cain accuses Steel of taking the law into his own hands.  Steel testifies that had he seen Janice Hunter's statement he never would have buried it knowing the real killer was still on the lose to murder more young boys.

Steel petitions the judge to call one final witness, Sally-Anne Hope (Rochelle Neil).  Sally-Anne is a paralegal secretary.  She worked at CPS six years prior for two weeks during the Andrew Dillon trial.  He questions her about Brooks bringing a package to CPS regarding the Dillon case.  She remembers the incident and testifies that she gave it immediately to one of the prosecution team.  She identifies Claudia Martin as the person she gave the evidence to.  The jury finds Steel not guilty.

Steel holds a press conference flanked by Alesha and Castle where he resigns from the CPS immediately.  Alesha and Steel talk after his resignation but she is interrupted by a call from George Castle before certain things can be said.

Law & Order:  UK airs on Thursday nights at 10:00 p.m. on CityTV in Canada.  Season Four is currently not airing in the UK and will air at a later date.
For more information:
Law & Order:  UK ITV1 Official Site:  http://www.itv.com/drama/copsandcrime/lawandorder/
Internet Movie Database:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166893/
TV Rage:  http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-18198