The Accident (2019): Season 1, Episode 4 - Episode #1.4 - full transcript
CPS have come back. There's going to
be no criminal investigation.
- How do we fight on?
- A private prosecution.
This is what we want you to say.
And when they come for me?
We won't hurt you,
unless we absolutely have to.
Harriet, why are you calling Iwan?
This is a lot less nefarious
than you think it is.
I haven't been the best of dads.
But I'm trying to do better here,
on this one, right now.
I'm a mother and a wife, and I say
I'm done with the damage of it all.
I'm out.
- It was the second year Christmas disco.
- I don't remember.
- I don't.
- Everyone in London was wearing leggings, someone told us.
Didn't have a clue what
leggings were.
Then you found it in
Country Life at the dentist.
Loved reading
magazines at the dentist.
And you said, "Well, that
looks like tights to me."
So, you had us cut the feet
off our tights and wear them,
telling everyone, "These are
leggings, we got them in Cardiff."
Yes, it's coming back to me
a bit now.
- Knickers, am I right?
- You are right.
Not one boy didn't see
our knickers that night.
Not one.
It took me months to forgive you.
You were always worried about
things like knickers too much.
I'll be back.
OK. OK, love.
OK, love. Mum's here now.
Mum's here now.
OK. OK. Sh.
Sh, sh, sh, sh.
Just let it melt away.
Let it melt away.
Go back to sleep.
Back to sleep.
Philip wants her up first.
Is she going to be OK?
I tried to convince her not to...
..well, not to give evidence.
But she was sure.
The defence are going to tear
her apart, aren't they?
I get them, too.
Nightmares.
Never of what happened.
I'm in a hole
filling up with water,
or in a house filling with smoke.
Mia.
Mia is sometimes there.
And sometimes she's...
Oh, Rhys isn't as kind as you,
he doesn't stroke my hair.
He just wakes up, wakes me up,
says I'm having "another one",
rolls over, farts and
falls back asleep.
Thought you'd cut me off,
you know that?
Over all this.
Well...
..then I'd have nothing left.
Best friend I ever had.
Only best friend I've ever had.
Only you chose the wrong side.
We're going to win.
We've an ace up our sleeve.
Harriet won't know what's hit her.
Oh, not from the carton!
Saves on the washing up.
She up?
Not yet. I'm trying to give
her as long as possible.
They could give her a hard time
today, you know that?
Yes, I know.
A private prosecution is
launched today by the families
involved in the
tragedy at Glyngolau.
In an unprecedented action,
they will pursue a charge of gross
negligence manslaughter against the
defendant Harriet Paulsen.
13 months...
Thanks for coming in.
Why do I get the feeling of doom
whenever I'm around you?
Harriet, I'd like you to meet your
barrister, Gareth. Gareth, Harriet.
- Good to meet you.
- Hello, Gareth. -Hi.
Right. Let's get this started.
Our intention is to flood the court
with lots of questions as to
who could have saved
these kids' lives.
That will tell you as much as you
need to know, but the truth is,
it's better for you to hear it
fresh for the first time in court.
Because here is the thing,
this whole case is going to come
down to something quite specific.
And that is who can tell
the better story.
Who the jury wants to believe.
- You're talking about likability?
- No.
We're never going to win
a popularity contest.
These people are trying to decide
whether or not you're a monster.
So, when you sit in the dock, you
need to show them you were just
doing your job.
Oh, you are up.
Let's get you dressed, shall we?
You can still say no.
I need to do this.
You had another nightmare.
Wasn't because of this.
What the defence are fighting for,
they're going to be tough on you.
The cross-examination...
They've p-p-prepared me. I'm ready.
You've heard, right?
They've all taken on mortgages
they can't pay back
to pay for this trial.
I lost my friends, Mum.
I've got no friends left.
This is my chance to say my
bit and do my bit.
I know it's not what you want...
..but it's all I've got to give.
And I want to get justice.
Don't you?
I just don't want you to get hurt.
Too late for that.
This will be an emotive case.
It is a case that has attracted
a lot of press interest.
It is a case where the evidence
might sometimes be overwhelming.
Morning. Tell me this is
going to be OK.
This is Gemma,
she'll be representing us.
Hello. You promise me
you'll protect her up there.
I will do my best.
The defendant has been accused of
gross negligence manslaughter.
The fact this is a private
prosecution makes no
difference to how you, the jury, or
I as the judge should react.
You must try this case
on the evidence in front of you
about the defendants before you.
When you've received all
the information,
I will then ask you to come to
a verdict of guilty or not guilty.
Please state your name.
Leona Bevan.
And how old are you, Leona?
16.
Why did you go to the site that day?
To, erm...
..c-cause trouble.
Why?
Something to do.
And it mattered to my
dad, the project...
..a-and I wanted to annoy him.
How did you break in?
We scaled the fence.
This fence here?
Yes.
And then you travelled
through the site...
..and arrived in this basement here.
Yes.
Where there were
a number of gas canisters.
Yes.
Did you think to check
what they were?
No.
I just thought they looked
strange and then I moved on.
And then what happened?
W-w...
We went upstairs...
..Mia and me.
Ava wanted a light,
so I chucked one down to her.
Could any of you smell
gas at any time?
No.
And then?
Everything went...
Everything got...
Mia called for me and
I called back.
And then
the next thing I remember is being
pulled from the building.
We rest, Your Honour.
How are you doing, Leona?
Are you getting better?
The doctors seem to think so.
I'm getting there.
Delighted to hear that.
I'm going to ask a
few questions now.
All I'm interested in is the
truth, you understand?
So, you were the ringleader.
The other eight kids were
there because of you.
They wanted to be there.
I didn't force them.
And to be clear, you
travelled through the site,
undertaking acts of vandalism?
Yes.
You scrawled on the walls,
you broke what you could.
You generally did as much
damage as possible.
I'm not proud of it.
When you heard your
friends were dead,
did you feel some responsibility?
I... I don't think that's a
fair question.
I disagree, the
question has validity.
I realise this is my fault.
I realise I can't be forgiven.
But I also think that if the
building had been properly
maintained, we wouldn't be here.
No.
You'd be in jail.
Maybe.
Those canisters,
what did you call them?
You said they looked "strange",
and yet you didn't touch them.
Not one piece. You rampaged over
the rest of the site but these
strange-looking canisters, you
didn't play with one bit?
No, we didn't.
According to your evidence, you
were on the site to "cause trouble".
You said,
"It mattered to my Dad, the project,
and I wanted to annoy him."
The Court has seen some of the words
you wrote on the site.
I just drew b-b-b-butterflies!
You're a liar, aren't you, Leona?
You committed a terrible crime,
breaking into a site you
shouldn't have.
And once on the site,
you committed even more
offences - writing
sick slogans on the wall.
And when you came across these
canisters, you pushed a few
over, you smashed them around a bit,
you probably didn't even notice the
gas starting to spill, and when your
friend Ava asked for a light, we...
I-I-I've never lied
about what I did!
You gave it to her.
Your friends were in
there because of you.
They caused damage because of you.
The machinery was broken
because of you.
The light was given because of you.
YOU'RE responsible for this
terrible incident, aren't you?
No!
No, that isn't how it happened!
No further questions.
Mam...
Mam!
Court usher, will you bring the
wheelchair ramp immediately, please?
Mam! Mam!
Leona! Leona!
Do you have a
message for the other families?
Glastonbury festival.
I'm 19 years old and
I've no money,
and we've taken the train up,
but I decide to go child's fare.
- You OK?
- I get up there and it's fine.
I heard what happened.
Shh. I'm listening.
Coming back, a police officer
stops me, looks at my ticket,
asks me my age, and I tell
him 15.
He asks my date of birth, I tell him
my fake date of birth.
He tells me he's going to ring these
through and check.
Is that really your date of
birth...?
Dad, this is the lamest crime
ever committed.
Told him the truth,
begged forgiveness,
bastards took me to court.
Dad had to find out, it was awful.
Honestly, lamest crime ever.
My point is...
Your point is you're
a career criminal
and so know what it is like to
be one.
When we found all that hash...
Weed, it was weed,
and I was only dealing a bit of it.
I wanted to throw you out.
I didn't want a drug dealer
in the house. Your mum said no.
She said, "She'll learn."
- And I didn't.
- And you have.
Since the accident,
I've been so proud of you.
It only took the death of all
my friends.
Couldn't leave Wales behind,
is that it?
They put me in this hotel.
I didn't know you'd be here.
Who's they?
You were lured here with luxury by
the prosecution
to testify against me...
..and those poor women are paying
for it.
I've been thinking about us.
I've been thinking about us, too.
I just wanted to say sorry,
if I upset you,
abused you.
Sorry if I...
..well, sorry.
The way they look at me, up there...
..I see their faces and I just...
..I hope, whatever happens,
I hope you're OK.
I'm OK.
Yeah.
It was good seeing you.
Can you tell us how you know
the defendant?
I was her executive assistant.
What kind of work did you do
for her?
I was across everything,
I checked everything she was sent,
went through everything
she was sending out.
So her correspondence,
any contracts,
any communication whatsoever,
you knew about it.
Yes.
And you were also having an intimate
relationship with her.
Yes.
How did you react when these events
first happened?
I was upset, just like she was.
And then I wanted to do everything
I could to defend her.
Let's move on to the matter
of the steel and how...
Yes, I have no...
I must say, the matters with
the steel makes me extremely angry.
Why?
Because I've known Harriet,
the defendant, for a long time
and there's no way she would have
knowingly put people in danger.
The steel company should be who's on
the stand here, they supplied poor
quality steel and at no point was
Harriet aware of what they'd done.
This is not what you previously have
told us.
Well, I was confused.
And you...
..I knew what you wanted me to say.
You played on my hurt.
You played on my rejection from a
firm and relationship
that I cared about greatly.
I swore an oath
and I will tell the truth.
Thank you.
You swore on oath and you're
fucking lying.
Defence, do you have any
cross-examination for this witness?
I believe the witness has made
himself perfectly clear.
No further questions.
You see, he doesn't even have
any questions.
He's got no questions.
Fucking hell.
If you're not trying to have a
cigarette in there
then I don't know you very
well at all, Angela Griffiths.
That was it, eh?
That's what you were resting on?
We went over all the files,
we spoke to the manufacturer,
all we needed to prove was that
she knew,
and then Philip got the idea to go
to Tim,
he got him to open up.
And then...
And then he fucked it.
My daughter. My fucking daughter.
Do you think he always knew that was
what he was going to do?
Trick them into thinking they had
something and...?
Or was it an impulsive decision
based on them being too stupid
to check we'd placed you in the same
hotel they'd booked?
You knew he was there?
We're very good at our job.
The other side are more amateur.
You disapprove?
Oh, my dad used to take me
up here when I was a child.
He used to say, "All this is yours."
Mum, you may be about to give
yourself a coronary.
We can go slower.
Common land was very important
to him,
he never wanted to be anywhere else.
It is lush up here.
Now your dad's dad, in contrast...
..well, he did everything he could
to own as much of this as he could.
Not rich enough to own the mill,
but he owned Angela's house
and a few others.
He was a mean fucker, if I'm honest.
Why did we sell them, those houses?
Pay for his care, when he got ill.
Your dad wanted him to have
the best.
He did some damage to your dad,
if I'm honest,
through that time
and before.
Not that I'm speaking badly of him.
I know how much you need your dad
right now and I am
so happy he is what you need, and...
Mum, can you stop the chair?
Mum, can you stop?
Put the break on and come round
here, so I can look at you.
Look at me.
I know what he is
and I know what he's done.
I...
..I've heard him come home drunk
and I've seen what he does to you.
I'm trying to make it OK for you.
What?
Me?
He's done damage,
I've done damage, you're just
wiping our arses like you always do
and I need it to be OK -
for you...
..right now...
..because I can't look in your
face any more.
Because I know what I am, and you
don't deserve a daughter like me.
See, I knew it.
I knew you knew what he did
and it's to my shame that I let you
think that's OK.
So I'm guilty here, Leona.
No.
No, I'm more guilty.
I should have left him years ago.
I couldn't leave him.
I loved him.
I love him.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
Fuck!
You shouldn't have gone onto
the site,
but you need to forgive yourself,
do you hear me?
Because I think you're capable of
being quite a decent human being...
..as long as you don't let this
define you.
I don't regret it, going on that
stand, just so you know.
I don't.
That's good.
But I didn't...
..none of us damaged those
canisters, whatever people think...
What happened was our fault,
we shouldn't have been there,
but it was their fault, too,
that fucking firm.
I know.
Are we going to lose, Mum?
I'm making a fry up.
Yeah, I can see.
Even got some black pudding
from the butchers.
Did you now?
It's good for you,
did you know that?
Black pudding.
I'm not sure that's true.
True as I stand up.
Black pudding.
- It's the blood or something.
- Hm.
- Where's Martin?
- He's gone out.
And Leona's asleep.
Yeah, it's a funny thing, that.
Whole new girl upstairs,
completely different.
Still likes a lie-in.
So, big day.
Back on the stand.
Bit nervous.
Do you know what they're going
to say?
Why would I know what they're going
to say?
Oh, Angela, she has her means of...
Well, you know, she has her means.
I'm not part of the team, they've
shut me out, you know that, Iwan.
I don't know what
they're going to say.
But I know what you need to say.
They can't prove it. They've tried.
They asked for my help,
they wanted me to take your computer
and I refused.
What, they were going
to steal from me?
They wanted to know the truth,
and I wouldn't let them.
I thought I couldn't do that to you.
But I could, I just didn't.
I should have, I could have...
..and I didn't.
I didn't do anything.
Oh, yes, you did. Yes, you did.
I don't know what you did,
but you did.
No. No.
I'm not having this.
Not one bit!
If that's what you need,
take your best shot.
- I wasn't...
- Weren't you?
Deep inside you, I know you want
to hurt me still,
and deep inside me
I'm so frightened of you,
I can hardly fucking breathe!
Oh, I want to love you!
I do love you,
and I'll always love you.
But I can never forgive you.
Not for the damage you've done me.
I can't.
But Leona, she needs to see
a human in there.
But you don't understand.
Saying nothing now makes
you a murderer.
And her dad can't be that.
Cos if he is, she hasn't got
a chance of being good.
If he is, she hasn't got a chance
of living a worthwhile life.
You need to save her, Iwan.
Do you understand that?
And if they arrest me after?
How will you live?
How will you survive?
I've responsibilities.
Oh, my God, so they're right.
It's true.
Did I say that?
I didn't say that.
Hey.
I didn't say that.
I didn't say that.
You know...
..you've always wanted
to be an important man.
Well, here you are,
you're important.
Now do something important with it.
And I'm more or less certain black
pudding is still pretty bad for you.
Oh, dear me.
Ooh, I was going to wear
fucking leggings for you today.
But really I hate wearing
fucking leggings.
I heard a rumour
you've mortgaged your house.
- Mm. Greta too.
- Oh...
And some of the others.
Crowd-funding got us so far.
Actually got 400 grand,
we had to find what we could.
Maxed out some credit cards too,
fool that I am.
Still, it's nothing that
another 30 years
sitting behind a till won't pay off.
- I'll help.
- Oh, OK, snippy.
I talked to Iwan.
I think he has some things to say.
I'm not sure whether he'll say them.
Well, thank you for trying.
I can't promise you
he's strong enough, Ange.
I want to do something,
before we go in today.
I want to tell those press
who our daughters really were.
Are.
I'd like that too.
My daughter was terrible at school.
She drank, she used drugs,
she was 15, that's what you see.
But what you don't see is
that she wanted to be
a nursery school teacher.
She was going to study a BTEC in it.
She would've become a good woman.
Her dog still sleeps on her bed.
I had to change her duvet
the other day, cos he'd...
He made it stink, you see, the dog.
And, erm, it, erm...
..broke my heart, that did.
Leona...
Well, she, er...
She lost her life down there too.
Yes.
And then... that's all
I have to say about that.
Can you confirm your name
for the court?
Iwan Bevan.
You're the leader of the council.
- Yeah.
- What does that involve?
I chair the cabinet
and with my colleagues,
try to set a course
for local area policies.
How much work does that involve?
Three, four days a week.
Six days some weeks.
For which you get paid how much?
£19,000.
It's a salary you recently reduced.
Erm, I made a pledge
to match my salary
to any cuts in public spending
we made.
Austerity's been tough.
Do you get any other income?
Not at this moment no, but...
..plenty live on less.
And, er...
..it was those people.
Trying to help those people.
Trying to get them into work.
That's why I did what I did.
What did you do?
Colluded with Harriet Paulsen over
health and safety breaches.
Did he just say that?
What kind of health
and safety breaches?
I was told she needed it because the
project was profoundly over budget,
otherwise they were going to kill
the project, kill the chances of...
- Fuck.
- You killed our kids!
..us getting the jobs,
the business we needed, but...
- But I didn't know this was going to happen.
- Oh, my God.
What kind of health
and safety breaches?
She claims she didn't
know about the steel,
but she asked me to delay inspection
until after the steel
had been clad in concrete.
She didn't want my inspector, Craig
Barker, to see it,
the steel she had, because
she knew it'd fail the tests,
and I have proof of it.
The defence have seen nothing
of this new evidence
- and I don't see how...
- I have text messages that show she knew.
She knew exactly what the steel was
and she knew we needed to
find a way to hide it.
Thank you.
I thought you wouldn't
mind a visitor.
You married, Philip?
No.
Tried it a couple of times.
Not a good fit.
Takes a certain kind of woman
to want to marry me.
You're not so awful.
You're seeing my best side.
So...
One, once he's finished
his testimony,
Iwan will be formally arrested
by the police
and charged with conspiracy
to pervert the course of justice.
Craig Barker too.
And maybe they'll find
another couple of charges,
maybe even gross negligence
manslaughter.
And he'll almost certainly serve
a prison sentence.
Two...
..we're going to win...
..because of you.
Thank you.
Are you going to be OK?
You will be OK.
So, the question is, how are
we going to react to this?
I've just had the Japanese on the
line asking if you defrauded them.
They're pretty
insistent about suing us,
mainly to get distance
from this, I think.
But I never lied.
But you didn't tell them the steel
wasn't good enough to inspect.
We were over budget
by quite serious amounts.
And without that factory,
the town is finished.
Everything I did, I learnt from you.
You'd have done the same.
Yeah, I probably would have...
..but I didn't.
So, shall we get the formal
bit out of the way?
You're being fired
with immediate effect,
no severance, no pension,
for gross negligence,
and your legal team is now
your financial responsibility.
Do you understand?
They won't be coming
back, the Japanese.
No, not for a couple of years,
but then I'll undercut some
competitor's bid
and bring them back in the fold.
Or I'll find somebody else.
And how will you undercut without
making the sort of decisions...
Yeah, but I didn't make
the decisions, did I?
You did.
I helped build this firm!
Yeah, and now thanks to you,
I have to rebuild it.
So, fuck off, Harriet.
Members of the jury, have
you reached a verdict upon
which you are all agreed?
For the offence of gross
negligence manslaughter,
do you find the defendant
guilty or not guilty?
Guilty.
These events were brought
about
by a hideous set of circumstances
and the flouting of basic health
and safety rules to cut costs
and build an inherently
unsafe structure.
This has led to the unnecessary
deaths of these children
and the lifelong suffering
of their families.
So, it is horror I feel
today, not tragedy.
For the offence of
gross negligence manslaughter,
the court sentences you to
seven years' imprisonment...
..of which you will serve half
before being released on licence.
Take her down.
I don't know what happens now.
Excuse me?
What happens now?
Do I... just follow you down?
I don't know where
they're taking me.
You got a fag?
I think I need to smoke.
No fags, but...
Fucking Greta.
I nicked them from behind
the bar at the horses.
- They're a bit big but...
- Just a bit.
Where's Polly?
I lost her in all the
hubbub afterwards.
Stuff like this, she always
needed to be by herself.
We're having a cigar,
if you're up for it.
I'm always up for a cigar.
Fuck me, that's huge.
Only me.
Through here.
I thought we could, erm... I
bought fish and chips,
I thought we could watch a film.
I've got a few saved
on the digi-wotsit.
- Oh, OK.
- Only if you want to.
I mean, I'm aware my
taste in films is a bit, er...
- I'd like that.
- Your dad always used to laugh about it.
Said I could always be relied on to
record the worst stuff ever made.
Who are you texting?
I was supposed to be meeting
Lowri down the Anchor,
but I'd rather do this.
Oh, if you've plans...
This is my plan now, if that's OK.
Right, then.
- You get scraps?
- Of course I've got scraps.
I'll plate up.
You get the telly going.
OK, love. I'll get the plates.
be no criminal investigation.
- How do we fight on?
- A private prosecution.
This is what we want you to say.
And when they come for me?
We won't hurt you,
unless we absolutely have to.
Harriet, why are you calling Iwan?
This is a lot less nefarious
than you think it is.
I haven't been the best of dads.
But I'm trying to do better here,
on this one, right now.
I'm a mother and a wife, and I say
I'm done with the damage of it all.
I'm out.
- It was the second year Christmas disco.
- I don't remember.
- I don't.
- Everyone in London was wearing leggings, someone told us.
Didn't have a clue what
leggings were.
Then you found it in
Country Life at the dentist.
Loved reading
magazines at the dentist.
And you said, "Well, that
looks like tights to me."
So, you had us cut the feet
off our tights and wear them,
telling everyone, "These are
leggings, we got them in Cardiff."
Yes, it's coming back to me
a bit now.
- Knickers, am I right?
- You are right.
Not one boy didn't see
our knickers that night.
Not one.
It took me months to forgive you.
You were always worried about
things like knickers too much.
I'll be back.
OK. OK, love.
OK, love. Mum's here now.
Mum's here now.
OK. OK. Sh.
Sh, sh, sh, sh.
Just let it melt away.
Let it melt away.
Go back to sleep.
Back to sleep.
Philip wants her up first.
Is she going to be OK?
I tried to convince her not to...
..well, not to give evidence.
But she was sure.
The defence are going to tear
her apart, aren't they?
I get them, too.
Nightmares.
Never of what happened.
I'm in a hole
filling up with water,
or in a house filling with smoke.
Mia.
Mia is sometimes there.
And sometimes she's...
Oh, Rhys isn't as kind as you,
he doesn't stroke my hair.
He just wakes up, wakes me up,
says I'm having "another one",
rolls over, farts and
falls back asleep.
Thought you'd cut me off,
you know that?
Over all this.
Well...
..then I'd have nothing left.
Best friend I ever had.
Only best friend I've ever had.
Only you chose the wrong side.
We're going to win.
We've an ace up our sleeve.
Harriet won't know what's hit her.
Oh, not from the carton!
Saves on the washing up.
She up?
Not yet. I'm trying to give
her as long as possible.
They could give her a hard time
today, you know that?
Yes, I know.
A private prosecution is
launched today by the families
involved in the
tragedy at Glyngolau.
In an unprecedented action,
they will pursue a charge of gross
negligence manslaughter against the
defendant Harriet Paulsen.
13 months...
Thanks for coming in.
Why do I get the feeling of doom
whenever I'm around you?
Harriet, I'd like you to meet your
barrister, Gareth. Gareth, Harriet.
- Good to meet you.
- Hello, Gareth. -Hi.
Right. Let's get this started.
Our intention is to flood the court
with lots of questions as to
who could have saved
these kids' lives.
That will tell you as much as you
need to know, but the truth is,
it's better for you to hear it
fresh for the first time in court.
Because here is the thing,
this whole case is going to come
down to something quite specific.
And that is who can tell
the better story.
Who the jury wants to believe.
- You're talking about likability?
- No.
We're never going to win
a popularity contest.
These people are trying to decide
whether or not you're a monster.
So, when you sit in the dock, you
need to show them you were just
doing your job.
Oh, you are up.
Let's get you dressed, shall we?
You can still say no.
I need to do this.
You had another nightmare.
Wasn't because of this.
What the defence are fighting for,
they're going to be tough on you.
The cross-examination...
They've p-p-prepared me. I'm ready.
You've heard, right?
They've all taken on mortgages
they can't pay back
to pay for this trial.
I lost my friends, Mum.
I've got no friends left.
This is my chance to say my
bit and do my bit.
I know it's not what you want...
..but it's all I've got to give.
And I want to get justice.
Don't you?
I just don't want you to get hurt.
Too late for that.
This will be an emotive case.
It is a case that has attracted
a lot of press interest.
It is a case where the evidence
might sometimes be overwhelming.
Morning. Tell me this is
going to be OK.
This is Gemma,
she'll be representing us.
Hello. You promise me
you'll protect her up there.
I will do my best.
The defendant has been accused of
gross negligence manslaughter.
The fact this is a private
prosecution makes no
difference to how you, the jury, or
I as the judge should react.
You must try this case
on the evidence in front of you
about the defendants before you.
When you've received all
the information,
I will then ask you to come to
a verdict of guilty or not guilty.
Please state your name.
Leona Bevan.
And how old are you, Leona?
16.
Why did you go to the site that day?
To, erm...
..c-cause trouble.
Why?
Something to do.
And it mattered to my
dad, the project...
..a-and I wanted to annoy him.
How did you break in?
We scaled the fence.
This fence here?
Yes.
And then you travelled
through the site...
..and arrived in this basement here.
Yes.
Where there were
a number of gas canisters.
Yes.
Did you think to check
what they were?
No.
I just thought they looked
strange and then I moved on.
And then what happened?
W-w...
We went upstairs...
..Mia and me.
Ava wanted a light,
so I chucked one down to her.
Could any of you smell
gas at any time?
No.
And then?
Everything went...
Everything got...
Mia called for me and
I called back.
And then
the next thing I remember is being
pulled from the building.
We rest, Your Honour.
How are you doing, Leona?
Are you getting better?
The doctors seem to think so.
I'm getting there.
Delighted to hear that.
I'm going to ask a
few questions now.
All I'm interested in is the
truth, you understand?
So, you were the ringleader.
The other eight kids were
there because of you.
They wanted to be there.
I didn't force them.
And to be clear, you
travelled through the site,
undertaking acts of vandalism?
Yes.
You scrawled on the walls,
you broke what you could.
You generally did as much
damage as possible.
I'm not proud of it.
When you heard your
friends were dead,
did you feel some responsibility?
I... I don't think that's a
fair question.
I disagree, the
question has validity.
I realise this is my fault.
I realise I can't be forgiven.
But I also think that if the
building had been properly
maintained, we wouldn't be here.
No.
You'd be in jail.
Maybe.
Those canisters,
what did you call them?
You said they looked "strange",
and yet you didn't touch them.
Not one piece. You rampaged over
the rest of the site but these
strange-looking canisters, you
didn't play with one bit?
No, we didn't.
According to your evidence, you
were on the site to "cause trouble".
You said,
"It mattered to my Dad, the project,
and I wanted to annoy him."
The Court has seen some of the words
you wrote on the site.
I just drew b-b-b-butterflies!
You're a liar, aren't you, Leona?
You committed a terrible crime,
breaking into a site you
shouldn't have.
And once on the site,
you committed even more
offences - writing
sick slogans on the wall.
And when you came across these
canisters, you pushed a few
over, you smashed them around a bit,
you probably didn't even notice the
gas starting to spill, and when your
friend Ava asked for a light, we...
I-I-I've never lied
about what I did!
You gave it to her.
Your friends were in
there because of you.
They caused damage because of you.
The machinery was broken
because of you.
The light was given because of you.
YOU'RE responsible for this
terrible incident, aren't you?
No!
No, that isn't how it happened!
No further questions.
Mam...
Mam!
Court usher, will you bring the
wheelchair ramp immediately, please?
Mam! Mam!
Leona! Leona!
Do you have a
message for the other families?
Glastonbury festival.
I'm 19 years old and
I've no money,
and we've taken the train up,
but I decide to go child's fare.
- You OK?
- I get up there and it's fine.
I heard what happened.
Shh. I'm listening.
Coming back, a police officer
stops me, looks at my ticket,
asks me my age, and I tell
him 15.
He asks my date of birth, I tell him
my fake date of birth.
He tells me he's going to ring these
through and check.
Is that really your date of
birth...?
Dad, this is the lamest crime
ever committed.
Told him the truth,
begged forgiveness,
bastards took me to court.
Dad had to find out, it was awful.
Honestly, lamest crime ever.
My point is...
Your point is you're
a career criminal
and so know what it is like to
be one.
When we found all that hash...
Weed, it was weed,
and I was only dealing a bit of it.
I wanted to throw you out.
I didn't want a drug dealer
in the house. Your mum said no.
She said, "She'll learn."
- And I didn't.
- And you have.
Since the accident,
I've been so proud of you.
It only took the death of all
my friends.
Couldn't leave Wales behind,
is that it?
They put me in this hotel.
I didn't know you'd be here.
Who's they?
You were lured here with luxury by
the prosecution
to testify against me...
..and those poor women are paying
for it.
I've been thinking about us.
I've been thinking about us, too.
I just wanted to say sorry,
if I upset you,
abused you.
Sorry if I...
..well, sorry.
The way they look at me, up there...
..I see their faces and I just...
..I hope, whatever happens,
I hope you're OK.
I'm OK.
Yeah.
It was good seeing you.
Can you tell us how you know
the defendant?
I was her executive assistant.
What kind of work did you do
for her?
I was across everything,
I checked everything she was sent,
went through everything
she was sending out.
So her correspondence,
any contracts,
any communication whatsoever,
you knew about it.
Yes.
And you were also having an intimate
relationship with her.
Yes.
How did you react when these events
first happened?
I was upset, just like she was.
And then I wanted to do everything
I could to defend her.
Let's move on to the matter
of the steel and how...
Yes, I have no...
I must say, the matters with
the steel makes me extremely angry.
Why?
Because I've known Harriet,
the defendant, for a long time
and there's no way she would have
knowingly put people in danger.
The steel company should be who's on
the stand here, they supplied poor
quality steel and at no point was
Harriet aware of what they'd done.
This is not what you previously have
told us.
Well, I was confused.
And you...
..I knew what you wanted me to say.
You played on my hurt.
You played on my rejection from a
firm and relationship
that I cared about greatly.
I swore an oath
and I will tell the truth.
Thank you.
You swore on oath and you're
fucking lying.
Defence, do you have any
cross-examination for this witness?
I believe the witness has made
himself perfectly clear.
No further questions.
You see, he doesn't even have
any questions.
He's got no questions.
Fucking hell.
If you're not trying to have a
cigarette in there
then I don't know you very
well at all, Angela Griffiths.
That was it, eh?
That's what you were resting on?
We went over all the files,
we spoke to the manufacturer,
all we needed to prove was that
she knew,
and then Philip got the idea to go
to Tim,
he got him to open up.
And then...
And then he fucked it.
My daughter. My fucking daughter.
Do you think he always knew that was
what he was going to do?
Trick them into thinking they had
something and...?
Or was it an impulsive decision
based on them being too stupid
to check we'd placed you in the same
hotel they'd booked?
You knew he was there?
We're very good at our job.
The other side are more amateur.
You disapprove?
Oh, my dad used to take me
up here when I was a child.
He used to say, "All this is yours."
Mum, you may be about to give
yourself a coronary.
We can go slower.
Common land was very important
to him,
he never wanted to be anywhere else.
It is lush up here.
Now your dad's dad, in contrast...
..well, he did everything he could
to own as much of this as he could.
Not rich enough to own the mill,
but he owned Angela's house
and a few others.
He was a mean fucker, if I'm honest.
Why did we sell them, those houses?
Pay for his care, when he got ill.
Your dad wanted him to have
the best.
He did some damage to your dad,
if I'm honest,
through that time
and before.
Not that I'm speaking badly of him.
I know how much you need your dad
right now and I am
so happy he is what you need, and...
Mum, can you stop the chair?
Mum, can you stop?
Put the break on and come round
here, so I can look at you.
Look at me.
I know what he is
and I know what he's done.
I...
..I've heard him come home drunk
and I've seen what he does to you.
I'm trying to make it OK for you.
What?
Me?
He's done damage,
I've done damage, you're just
wiping our arses like you always do
and I need it to be OK -
for you...
..right now...
..because I can't look in your
face any more.
Because I know what I am, and you
don't deserve a daughter like me.
See, I knew it.
I knew you knew what he did
and it's to my shame that I let you
think that's OK.
So I'm guilty here, Leona.
No.
No, I'm more guilty.
I should have left him years ago.
I couldn't leave him.
I loved him.
I love him.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
Fuck!
You shouldn't have gone onto
the site,
but you need to forgive yourself,
do you hear me?
Because I think you're capable of
being quite a decent human being...
..as long as you don't let this
define you.
I don't regret it, going on that
stand, just so you know.
I don't.
That's good.
But I didn't...
..none of us damaged those
canisters, whatever people think...
What happened was our fault,
we shouldn't have been there,
but it was their fault, too,
that fucking firm.
I know.
Are we going to lose, Mum?
I'm making a fry up.
Yeah, I can see.
Even got some black pudding
from the butchers.
Did you now?
It's good for you,
did you know that?
Black pudding.
I'm not sure that's true.
True as I stand up.
Black pudding.
- It's the blood or something.
- Hm.
- Where's Martin?
- He's gone out.
And Leona's asleep.
Yeah, it's a funny thing, that.
Whole new girl upstairs,
completely different.
Still likes a lie-in.
So, big day.
Back on the stand.
Bit nervous.
Do you know what they're going
to say?
Why would I know what they're going
to say?
Oh, Angela, she has her means of...
Well, you know, she has her means.
I'm not part of the team, they've
shut me out, you know that, Iwan.
I don't know what
they're going to say.
But I know what you need to say.
They can't prove it. They've tried.
They asked for my help,
they wanted me to take your computer
and I refused.
What, they were going
to steal from me?
They wanted to know the truth,
and I wouldn't let them.
I thought I couldn't do that to you.
But I could, I just didn't.
I should have, I could have...
..and I didn't.
I didn't do anything.
Oh, yes, you did. Yes, you did.
I don't know what you did,
but you did.
No. No.
I'm not having this.
Not one bit!
If that's what you need,
take your best shot.
- I wasn't...
- Weren't you?
Deep inside you, I know you want
to hurt me still,
and deep inside me
I'm so frightened of you,
I can hardly fucking breathe!
Oh, I want to love you!
I do love you,
and I'll always love you.
But I can never forgive you.
Not for the damage you've done me.
I can't.
But Leona, she needs to see
a human in there.
But you don't understand.
Saying nothing now makes
you a murderer.
And her dad can't be that.
Cos if he is, she hasn't got
a chance of being good.
If he is, she hasn't got a chance
of living a worthwhile life.
You need to save her, Iwan.
Do you understand that?
And if they arrest me after?
How will you live?
How will you survive?
I've responsibilities.
Oh, my God, so they're right.
It's true.
Did I say that?
I didn't say that.
Hey.
I didn't say that.
I didn't say that.
You know...
..you've always wanted
to be an important man.
Well, here you are,
you're important.
Now do something important with it.
And I'm more or less certain black
pudding is still pretty bad for you.
Oh, dear me.
Ooh, I was going to wear
fucking leggings for you today.
But really I hate wearing
fucking leggings.
I heard a rumour
you've mortgaged your house.
- Mm. Greta too.
- Oh...
And some of the others.
Crowd-funding got us so far.
Actually got 400 grand,
we had to find what we could.
Maxed out some credit cards too,
fool that I am.
Still, it's nothing that
another 30 years
sitting behind a till won't pay off.
- I'll help.
- Oh, OK, snippy.
I talked to Iwan.
I think he has some things to say.
I'm not sure whether he'll say them.
Well, thank you for trying.
I can't promise you
he's strong enough, Ange.
I want to do something,
before we go in today.
I want to tell those press
who our daughters really were.
Are.
I'd like that too.
My daughter was terrible at school.
She drank, she used drugs,
she was 15, that's what you see.
But what you don't see is
that she wanted to be
a nursery school teacher.
She was going to study a BTEC in it.
She would've become a good woman.
Her dog still sleeps on her bed.
I had to change her duvet
the other day, cos he'd...
He made it stink, you see, the dog.
And, erm, it, erm...
..broke my heart, that did.
Leona...
Well, she, er...
She lost her life down there too.
Yes.
And then... that's all
I have to say about that.
Can you confirm your name
for the court?
Iwan Bevan.
You're the leader of the council.
- Yeah.
- What does that involve?
I chair the cabinet
and with my colleagues,
try to set a course
for local area policies.
How much work does that involve?
Three, four days a week.
Six days some weeks.
For which you get paid how much?
£19,000.
It's a salary you recently reduced.
Erm, I made a pledge
to match my salary
to any cuts in public spending
we made.
Austerity's been tough.
Do you get any other income?
Not at this moment no, but...
..plenty live on less.
And, er...
..it was those people.
Trying to help those people.
Trying to get them into work.
That's why I did what I did.
What did you do?
Colluded with Harriet Paulsen over
health and safety breaches.
Did he just say that?
What kind of health
and safety breaches?
I was told she needed it because the
project was profoundly over budget,
otherwise they were going to kill
the project, kill the chances of...
- Fuck.
- You killed our kids!
..us getting the jobs,
the business we needed, but...
- But I didn't know this was going to happen.
- Oh, my God.
What kind of health
and safety breaches?
She claims she didn't
know about the steel,
but she asked me to delay inspection
until after the steel
had been clad in concrete.
She didn't want my inspector, Craig
Barker, to see it,
the steel she had, because
she knew it'd fail the tests,
and I have proof of it.
The defence have seen nothing
of this new evidence
- and I don't see how...
- I have text messages that show she knew.
She knew exactly what the steel was
and she knew we needed to
find a way to hide it.
Thank you.
I thought you wouldn't
mind a visitor.
You married, Philip?
No.
Tried it a couple of times.
Not a good fit.
Takes a certain kind of woman
to want to marry me.
You're not so awful.
You're seeing my best side.
So...
One, once he's finished
his testimony,
Iwan will be formally arrested
by the police
and charged with conspiracy
to pervert the course of justice.
Craig Barker too.
And maybe they'll find
another couple of charges,
maybe even gross negligence
manslaughter.
And he'll almost certainly serve
a prison sentence.
Two...
..we're going to win...
..because of you.
Thank you.
Are you going to be OK?
You will be OK.
So, the question is, how are
we going to react to this?
I've just had the Japanese on the
line asking if you defrauded them.
They're pretty
insistent about suing us,
mainly to get distance
from this, I think.
But I never lied.
But you didn't tell them the steel
wasn't good enough to inspect.
We were over budget
by quite serious amounts.
And without that factory,
the town is finished.
Everything I did, I learnt from you.
You'd have done the same.
Yeah, I probably would have...
..but I didn't.
So, shall we get the formal
bit out of the way?
You're being fired
with immediate effect,
no severance, no pension,
for gross negligence,
and your legal team is now
your financial responsibility.
Do you understand?
They won't be coming
back, the Japanese.
No, not for a couple of years,
but then I'll undercut some
competitor's bid
and bring them back in the fold.
Or I'll find somebody else.
And how will you undercut without
making the sort of decisions...
Yeah, but I didn't make
the decisions, did I?
You did.
I helped build this firm!
Yeah, and now thanks to you,
I have to rebuild it.
So, fuck off, Harriet.
Members of the jury, have
you reached a verdict upon
which you are all agreed?
For the offence of gross
negligence manslaughter,
do you find the defendant
guilty or not guilty?
Guilty.
These events were brought
about
by a hideous set of circumstances
and the flouting of basic health
and safety rules to cut costs
and build an inherently
unsafe structure.
This has led to the unnecessary
deaths of these children
and the lifelong suffering
of their families.
So, it is horror I feel
today, not tragedy.
For the offence of
gross negligence manslaughter,
the court sentences you to
seven years' imprisonment...
..of which you will serve half
before being released on licence.
Take her down.
I don't know what happens now.
Excuse me?
What happens now?
Do I... just follow you down?
I don't know where
they're taking me.
You got a fag?
I think I need to smoke.
No fags, but...
Fucking Greta.
I nicked them from behind
the bar at the horses.
- They're a bit big but...
- Just a bit.
Where's Polly?
I lost her in all the
hubbub afterwards.
Stuff like this, she always
needed to be by herself.
We're having a cigar,
if you're up for it.
I'm always up for a cigar.
Fuck me, that's huge.
Only me.
Through here.
I thought we could, erm... I
bought fish and chips,
I thought we could watch a film.
I've got a few saved
on the digi-wotsit.
- Oh, OK.
- Only if you want to.
I mean, I'm aware my
taste in films is a bit, er...
- I'd like that.
- Your dad always used to laugh about it.
Said I could always be relied on to
record the worst stuff ever made.
Who are you texting?
I was supposed to be meeting
Lowri down the Anchor,
but I'd rather do this.
Oh, if you've plans...
This is my plan now, if that's OK.
Right, then.
- You get scraps?
- Of course I've got scraps.
I'll plate up.
You get the telly going.
OK, love. I'll get the plates.