The Pembrokeshire Murders (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - Episode #1.3 - full transcript
A long-awaited forensic breakthrough gives Detective Steve Wilkins and his team the ammunition they need to finally arrest and prosecute John Cooper.
Anwen.
Long time.
Steve.
We've done as you asked,
removed Cooper from the scene.
He is giving a statement
down at Haverfordwest Station.
The paramedics put her
on the floor for CPR.
We need the Home Office pathologist
on this.
I'll call the coroner.
And Anwen...
make sure everyone knows
it's possible there's no crime here.
Cooper should be treated
as sensitively
as any husband
who's just lost his wife.
ELLA: There's no signs
of a struggle.
No bruising on the arms or neck.
We could have prevented this.
We won't know if he killed her until
we get the pathologist's report.
Till then, he won't be allowed
back in the house.
He's staying with his brother.
But this is a warning.
John Cooper is out,
and no good can come of that.
And...
we could be shut down any day.
So, it's not good enough
for us to sit around
waiting for forensics
to save our arses.
We have to make something happen.
Those khaki shorts are out there.
Morning.
Ahead of you is 28 Rose Meadow Lane,
Cooper's last home.
Behind you is Sardis village.
This was his hunting ground.
Those fields were his rat runs.
And thanks to Huntsman, we know that
these hedgerows
were his so-called "safes",
where he hid items he'd stolen
or his offending gear.
Now, these khaki shorts
worried him in the interviews.
He thinks they're out there still.
PHONE RINGS
Steve Wilkins, hello.
'Hello, Mr Wilkins. It's
the Home Office pathologist here.'
Hello, sir.
Thank you for getting back to me
so promptly.
'The results of Pat Cooper's
postmortem.' Yeah?
'She died of natural causes.'
Natural causes?
'Yes.'
'It was clearly heart failure.'
Her heart?
OK.
All right.
Well, thank you for getting back.
We appreciate it.
'No problem.'
She saw this coming.
She had an ad cut out from the paper
about arranging your own funeral.
She knew.
She knew living with him again
would be the death of her.
Do you think
he'll try and make contact with you?
No chance.
What about the funeral?
He won't want me there.
What about what you want?
If you want to attend your mother's
funeral, we can help with that.
Too much aggro.
I'll go see her in my own time.
Andrew...
on behalf of my team and myself...
I'm sorry.
It wasn't your fault.
Bad things happen around bad men.
He's right, Steve.
It wasn't our fault.
If Cooper was still inside,
Pat would still be alive
and Andrew
would still have a mother.
HE SIGHS
But with Pat out of the picture,
he's even more dangerous.
It's like a ticking time bomb.
Living on his own
is new territory for him.
Just him and his thoughts.
His fantasies, compulsions.
Ten years' worth.
PRIEST: We have come together
to commend our sister Patricia
into the hands of Almighty God,
our heavenly father.
In the presence of death,
Christians have sure grounds
for hope and confidence,
and even joy,
because the Lord Jesus Christ,
who shared our human life and death,
was raised again triumphant
and lives evermore.
In this faith, we put our trust.
Help us, we humbly beseech thee,
Lord.
ALL: Amen.
Fuck!
Glyn...
Huntsman recovered all the items
of clothing from the house, correct?
Yeah, they did, yeah.
And they photographed every item?
Yeah.
Khaki shorts.
They're the same.
There's something wrong
with this picture.
Could the colour be affected
by the processing? The flash?
Yeah, I guess so.
And it's an old picture.
We need to see what these shorts
actually look like.
Jesus Christ...
They are khaki.
But they do look a lot shorter.
Maybe he had them altered.
Pat was a seamstress.
May I?
Oh, Steve, elasticated waistband.
No fly.
They...
They look like women's shorts.
Yeah, well, they're all we've got.
We're sending them in for testing.
PHONE RINGS
Steve Wilkins.
'Steve, it's Angela Gallop.'
'Are you driving, by any chance?'
It's OK, you're on speaker.
'I think you'd better pull over.'
OK.
What is it?
'Right...'
So, we unpicked the hem
of the shorts, like you asked,
and we taped the uncovered area
for fibres
'and noticed there is a faint stain.
'So, we went back
to the exact same spot'
on the shorts and...
..found a tiny flake of blood.
It's Peter Dixon's.
How sure are you?
'Full profile.'
The probability of that blood
having come from anybody else
'is a billion to one.
'It's your golden nugget, Steve.'
Steve?
'Are you still there?'
Please, don't take this
the wrong way...
..but I bloody love you!
SHE LAUGHS
Charge him with the lot.
Including Nolton Hill?
The lot.
Yes!
Thank you.
Thank you.
Check the vehicle.
We're going in.
Morning, John.
John William Cooper,
you're under arrest for the murders
of Helen and Richard Thomas...
Fuck off! Get off me!
..and Peter and Gwenda Dixon.
Fuck off! You are also under arrest
for attempted armed robbery,
rape and sexual assault
during an attack on five teenagers
in Milford Haven in 1996.
Boss...
Jesus...
And I found this
in the glove compartment.
We got him just in time.
DOOR OPENS
Right, John.
You know
Detective Inspector Richards.
I am Detective Superintendent
Steve Wilkins.
I know who you are.
Can you see OK, John?
I've got a spare pair of glasses
if you need them.
HE SIGHS
That's me.
That isn't.
The last time we met, you said
you'd never had collar-length hair.
Oh, so I forgot that I had
collar-length hair 20 years ago.
It's not a crime, is it?
Let's talk about the shorts the man
in the drawing's wearing, John.
Mr Cooper is being shown
a photo of item AJM/165.
The khaki shorts recovered by
Huntsman from 28 Rose Meadow Lane.
Now, the last time you spoke to us,
John,
you said that
you'd once owned a pair of
what you described as khaki bathers.
Is that them?
Well...
if they're from my home, maybe.
Strictly speaking,
they're not bathers, John.
The fabric's too heavy.
I used them as bathers.
So, to me, that's what they are.
During the interview in July 2008,
you said that the shorts
worn by the man in the drawing
couldn't possibly be yours
as your bathers were much shorter.
HE SCOFFS
See for yourself.
For the tape, I'm showing Mr Cooper
item AJM/165/B.
We unpicked the hem, John.
So, do you see how,
with the excess fabric turned down,
the difference in length between
the two pairs of shorts is reduced?
If you do that to any garment,
that's what'll happen.
Yeah, we know your wife
used to work as a seamstress.
Did she alter these shorts?
You leave my wife out of this.
Since the July 2008 interviews,
certain forensic discoveries
have been made
which we would like to discuss
with you
so that you can have an opportunity
to comment.
In reference to AJM/165/B,
this white circle indicates an area
where an amount of Peter Dixon's
blood was found.
Can you give us an explanation
as to how that might be?
Pat got most of my clothes
from the Oxfam and Army Surplus.
Oh, and you should also
be talking to my son.
As I told you all before, he was in
the habit of borrowing my clothes.
John...
was Peter Dixon's blood
deposited on the khaki shorts
when you shot him?
I've never killed anybody
in my life. These shorts...
sorry, bathers...
were something of a treasure trove,
John. Especially the pockets.
Photo AJM/166.
What this photo shows us, John,
is a microscopic image
of the fluff found in the pockets
of your khaki bathers.
Fluff that consisted of human hair.
Yours. Skin cells. Also yours.
But nothing of your son, though.
Certain fabric fibres
were also found in the fluff.
For the tape, glove BB/109,
found under the hedgerow near
your home at 28 Rose Meadow Lane.
MTJ/5 and 7 recovered by Huntsman
from the Sardis trail.
John, are these three gloves yours?
Absolutely not.
As I told you before, Adrian
was the glove-wearer in our family.
I never wore gloves.
I found them too cumbersome.
What about the new pair
we found in the boot of your car?
Well...
obviously, I wear gloves now.
Now I'm older, I feel the cold more.
Fibres exactly matching
the constituent fibres
of these three gloves
were found in the fluff
from the pockets
of your khaki bathers.
How do you account for that?
Are you deaf?
I told you, Adrian wore the bathers
more than me.
When two articles of clothing
come into contact with each other,
there is always
an exchange of fibres.
On glove BB/109,
our team found fibres
from another source.
For the tape, BM/1,
a sock belonging to Richard Thomas.
The only item of clothing
recovered from his body
after it was destroyed in the fire
at Scoveston Park in 1985.
Fibres from this sock
were found on glove BB/109.
And fibres from this glove
were found on this sock.
Are you with me so far, John?
Oh, keep talking, yeah.
I know you want to.
These discoveries are consistent
with the accepted view
that Richard Thomas' killer
wore gloves
when he dragged his body
from the outbuilding
into the main house at Scoveston.
Are you listening to this, huh?
This is Fantasy Island.
John...
are you the person responsible
for the murder
of Richard and Helen Thomas
at Scoveston Park in December 1985?
No.
I was not.
Fibres are the gifts
that keep on giving, John.
Other fibres,
from a different source,
were found on gloves MTJ/5 and 7.
For the tape, BKG/9.
Those fibres were an exact match
with constituent fibres found
in the underwear of a young female
who was raped
on the evening of the 6th March 1996
in a field by the Nolton Hill
Estate, Milford Haven.
John, are you the person who,
on 6th March 1996,
pointed a gun at five young people,
three females and two males,
on Nolton Hill
and searched them for money?
Mr Cooper has not answered.
John, are you the person
who raped one of the young females?
Mr Cooper has not answered.
John, are you the person
who indecently assaulted
one of the other young females?
For the tape...
PH/2, the sawn-off shotgun
found on the Sardis trail,
which matches the description
given by two of the victims
of the Nolton Hill attack,
and the victim
in the Sardis robbery,
a crime we know
you were convicted of in 1998.
If you're gonna say
that you found my DNA
on that, I told her...
about the prosecution making me
handle it during the trial.
Well, we did find DNA on the gun,
John.
But not yours.
You see the black finish
on the barrel and stock?
Anvileen satin black metal paint.
For the tape, JAW/100,
recovered by Huntsman from the shed
at 28 Rose Meadow Lane.
John...
were you the one who applied
this paint to the barrel of the gun?
That is not...
my gun.
We had the paint removed.
On some of the flakes,
our forensic scientists
noticed a reddish cast
that tested positive for blood.
Peter Dixon's blood.
John...
did you shoot Peter and Gwenda Dixon
with this gun?
What are you doing, John?
SOLICITOR: John...
Sit down, John.
DOG BARKS IN DISTANCE
SHE KNOCKS ON DOOR
Erin James?
Erin Davies. I'm married.
Hi, Erin.
I'm Detective Inspector
Ella Richards.
This is Detective Superintendent
Steve Wilkins.
Mm, I remember you.
Erin, we've recently arrested a man
on suspicion of
committing four murders.
We also believe he was the man
who attacked you
and your friends in 1996.
After all this time?
I'm so sorry.
I realise this must be a shock.
Why couldn't you have done this
13 years ago?
Erin...
may I say something?
We know we let you down.
All we want is to see to it the man
who hurt you and your friends
never gets to hurt anyone else
ever again.
And you can help make that happen.
All of you will be assigned
Family Liaison Officers
to support you and your family
through the process.
The trial won't be for weeks yet.
I won't be taking part in any trial.
None of you will be required
to appear in court.
Everything will be done
via video link.
You won't have to be
in the same room as him.
My husband doesn't know I was raped.
How was it?
Leanne Dauncey will testify.
Erin's angry, but Leanne thinks
she can talk her round.
Karen Joseph's out of the question.
She's practically housebound.
She's had mental health issues
ever since the attack.
The two boys won't cooperate,
either.
Not after everything that happened
with the original investigation.
'The trial begins
at Swansea Crown Court tomorrow
'of 65-year-old John William Cooper
of Letterston, Pembrokeshire.
'Cooper has been charged
with the four murders
'and with the rape
and indecent assault
'of two teenage girls
at Milford Haven in 1996.'
The defence will make much
of the fact that the khaki shorts
are indeed women's shorts.
That it makes no sense
that the defendant was wearing them
when he brutally murdered
Mr and Mrs Dixon.
But murder cases have a habit
of defying common sense.
According to the son
of Mr and Mrs Dixon...
..whenever his parents went walking
and his mother was wearing
long trousers, she would always
put a pair of shorts
in her backpack
in case the weather turned warm.
But no shorts of any description
were found
at the Coastal Path crime scene.
Why?
Imagine the sequence of events,
ladies and gentlemen.
The defendant shoots the Dixons
at close range.
He then moves their bodies
and covers them with branches.
In the process,
some of their blood -
judging by these distressing images,
probably a lot of their blood -
gets onto his trousers.
In a panic, he goes through
his victims' backpacks and finds...
..Mrs Dixon's khaki shorts.
He removes
his own blood-stained trousers
and puts on Mrs Dixon's shorts
and quits the scene,
taking his trousers with him,
unaware that a single spot
of Peter Dixon's blood
had found its way onto the shorts.
How come you're not inside?
The SIO is the last Crown witness.
I'm not allowed in
until I give my evidence.
How are you feeling?
Ready as I'll ever be.
Come on.
This police artist's impression
was based on
a witness sighting of the defendant
as he withdrew cash
from a NatWest ATM in Haverfordwest
using Peter Dixon's bank card.
The sighting was made two days after
the murder and yet, incredibly,
the defendant was still wearing
Mrs Dixon's khaki shorts.
A hugely incriminating piece of
evidence linking him to two murders.
Why on earth had he not disposed of
them at the earliest opportunity?
Think about what that says about
the mind of John William Cooper.
Was he thumbing his nose
at the world,
convinced that he was too clever
to be caught for his horrific crime?
Or was his motivation darker,
stranger?
Did he regard Mrs Dixon's shorts
as a trophy to be worn with pride...
..and perhaps just a touch
of sexual gratification?
Whatever the explanation,
this drawing shows a killer
wearing an item of clothing
stolen from a woman
he has murdered in cold blood.
The defendant has always maintained
that this drawing
bears no resemblance to himself
as he was in the summer of 1989.
But due to an extraordinary
quirk of fate,
one month before
the Coastal Path murders,
his likeness was captured on video
during his appearance on a game show
on national television.
The resulting image speaks volumes.
STEVE: This is you.
Now, he can see you.
But you can't see him.
And, er... be warned.
His defence barrister
will be rough with you.
He'll try and paint you
as the unreliable witness
with an axe to grind.
No worries, Steve.
I've got my dragon scales
for protection.
JUDGE: 'Let's have the jury back in,
please.'
Both the barristers
will refer to you as Adrian.
That's just so the jury
doesn't get confused.
No problem.
JUDGE: 'Mr Evans, are you content to
begin your cross-examination...?'
Why did you change your name?
Cos he was the one
that called me Adrian.
It was more of a girl's name
back then.
You know that Johnny Cash song,
A Boy Named Sue?
He played it constantly.
"Adrian, they're playing your song."
He said he called me a girl's name
for the same reason
as the father in the song.
To toughen me up...
..cos I'd have to fight.
Maybe it's the one thing
he got right.
I'm a stubborn bastard.
Isn't it true, Adrian,
that when you were living
at 28 Rose Meadow Lane
you often used to wear
your father's clothes?
No, I never wore his clothes.
What about gloves, Adrian?
Isn't it true that you were
the glove-wearer of the family?
I used to wear gloves.
But so did he.
And who do you mean by "he"?
John Cooper.
Your father?
Yes, sir.
Isn't it true, Adrian,
that from the age of 11
you started to become disobedient
both at home and at school?
Yes, a bit, maybe.
Your disobedience developed
into theft, did it not,
stealing money from your mother
and father?
No!
I never stole any money
from my parents.
I'm not a thief.
A few days after the murders
of Mr and Mrs Dixon,
a gold band was sold
to a jewellers in Pembroke Dock,
which the prosecution claim
was the wedding ring the killer
removed from Peter Dixon's corpse.
The transaction was recorded
by the jeweller on a receipt
bearing the signature J Cooper.
The court has heard
that your father,
John William Cooper,
stated that the sig...
AUDIO BREAKS UP
..jeweller's receipt was not...
AUDIO BREAKS UP
..and that the usual form
of his signature is JW Cooper.
Isn't it true, Adrian,
that when you lived at...
AUDIO BREAKS UP
'28 Rose Meadow Lane, you were in'
the habit of forging the signatures
of both your mother and father
for the purpose of fraudulently
cashing cheques in their names?
No, that's totally untrue.
You deny that you were
an accomplished forger
of both your mother...
AUDIO BREAKS UP
'..and father's signature?'
I can't hear what you're saying.
Can't hear...
..or refuse to hear, Adrian?
Sorry, Mr Evans, we're having
a technical issue this end.
Your voice keeps cutting out.
One minute, please.
Carry on, Mr Evans.
It should be OK now.
'I put it to you, Adrian,
'that for reasons known
only to yourself, you have long'
harboured a passionate vendetta
against your father.
'That, because of this vendetta,'
in your dealings
with the police in both
the Huntsman
and the Ottawa investigations,
you have done everything
in your power
'to assist them in
their singled-minded persecution'
of your father.
Indeed, that you see your appearance
in court today as merely
'another opportunity
to spread more lies.'
Do you really think
I want to be here?
Erin, Leanne,
thank you for coming.
These are our parents
and Erin's husband.
Er, we'll show you to the room
you'll be giving your evidence from.
We've decided
to give our evidence in court.
Oh?
Karen died.
What happened?
Her health...
finally gave out.
We're doing this for her.
Yeah.
And Stephen and David.
Yeah.
WHISPERS: Are you OK?
Tissues and water.
We often played in the woods...
by our estate.
There was a rope swing.
So, we were mucking about on that.
About...
eight o'clock it got dark,
so we headed home.
We took the shortcut
across the farmer's field.
We were about halfway along
when we heard a noise.
SHE CLEARS HER THROAT
We all turned round...
and saw someone coming towards us,
shining a torch in our eyes.
I thought it was a boy we knew,
so I shouted at him...
.."Shine the light in our eyes,
why don't you, Martin?"
But the person shouted back
in a man's voice...
.."Do I look like Martin?"
We all thought
it was the farmer then.
But, erm...
as he came closer, we could see he
had a mask on over his head with...
holes for the mouth and eyes...
and er, he had a shotgun
pointing at us.
Er, David started to apologise
to the man for us being on his land.
The man told him to shut up
and er, he...
hit him over the head
with the shotgun.
And, erm...
..David started crying then.
And then he told us to walk down
to the lower part of the field,
which you can't see from the estate.
He...
made us say our names.
His voice was angry.
We were all really scared.
And then he told us
to lie down on the ground...
..and keep our faces in the grass.
And then I felt him...
pulling my hair at the back.
He told me to stand up...
..and to go with him.
Mrs Davies, the ordeal
that you and your friends suffered
on the evening of 6th March 1996
happened 15 years ago.
You were a girl of 16.
Yeah.
You were terrified. It was dark.
Given all that,
how reliable
do you think your memory is
of the events which took place?
I remember every detail
like it was yesterday.
You don't forget
something like that.
You try to.
But you can't.
Did the man who attacked you
ever remove his mask?
No.
So, to be clear...
..at no time did you, or any
of your friends, see his face?
No.
This man in the photograph
is the real John Cooper.
A loving husband who was married
to his wife for 42 years.
We had a son
who was the apple of our eye.
An apple that went bad
and broke his mother's heart.
I believe that the heart attack
that killed my wife
was brought on because of the...
the stress,
the sadness and the shame
because of all the time that I spent
in prison as an innocent man.
The police and Mr Elias
tell you I'm a liar.
That I'm lying when I say
that most of my clothes,
most significantly,
my khaki bathers, were second-hand.
Well...
obviously, they don't know
what it's like to be poor.
This suit that I'm wearing today,
it's second-hand.
In my wardrobe at home,
I've got an overcoat second-hand
that I wore to my wife's funeral.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
I spent ten years of my life
in prison
for crimes that I did not commit.
Please... Please, do not allow
the police to carry out another
miscarriage of justice against me.
I am not a murderer.
I am not a rapist.
I am an innocent man
who's been wronged.
Thank you.
Mr Elias...
it's a quarter to four.
This would probably be
a suitable time for me to rise.
Are you content to begin
your cross-examination
of Mr Cooper tomorrow?
If My Lord would permit,
I would like to have
a few minutes with Mr Cooper.
Very well, Mr Elias.
Thank you, My Lord.
All right, Mr Cooper...
I would like to ask you
a few questions about
the balaclava which was discovered
under the hedgerow near the scene
of the Sardis robbery.
Ladies and gentlemen,
you will remember
that this is the balaclava which,
in the course of the Huntsman trial,
it was found that
there were a number of the
defendant's head hairs within it.
Could you please give Mr Cooper
exhibit MTJ/14, please?
It's all right, Mr Cooper.
The item has been cleared
forensically.
Touching it won't compromise you
in any way.
Mr Cooper...
is that your balaclava?
To the best of my knowledge.
Yes or no, Mr Cooper?
Yes. But I did not commit
the Sardis robbery.
Like I said,
that was stolen off my boat
long before it was found
under the hedgerow.
But you accept
that the balaclava is yours?
Yes.
Mr Cooper, that isn't what you told
the jury during the Huntsman trial
in 1998, is it?
I know. I made a mistake.
During that trial, under oath, you
denied that the balaclava was yours.
So, my question to you, Mr Cooper,
is were you lying to the jury
then...
or are you lying to the jury now?
I'm not a liar.
I forgot. I made a mistake.
Let me rephrase the question.
What was the truth?
What you told the jury in 1998
or what you've told the jury today?
No, I didn't deliberately...
I misremembered.
Misremembered in 1998
or misremembered today, Mr Cooper?
Mr Cooper...
the question is a simple one.
Which was it?
What you said to the court in 1998
or what you have told us today?
Today.
So, you admit that in 1998
you lied to that jury?
Yes, but...
Thank you, My Lord.
So...
..members of the jury...
..it is now time for you to retire
to consider your verdicts.
Remember, at all times,
you must keep in mind
that it is for the Crown to prove
the guilt of John William Cooper...
..not for the defence
to prove his innocence.
If the Crown have failed to do that,
then you must find him...
not guilty.
BELL TOLLS
All right?
Yeah.
What are those?
That's my post-verdict statements
for the press.
Guilty. Not guilty.
Well, you can get rid of that one.
That's my letter of resignation.
What?
I'd have failed the victims
and their families.
DOOR OPENS
DOOR CLOSES
Verdict.
WOMAN: All rise!
STEVE: 'Whatever the judgment is...
we receive it with dignity.'
Ella, Lynne, Glyn, Nigel, Rambo,
it's been an honour
and a privilege.
Cheers, boss.
Cheers, boss.
JUDGE: Let's have the jury in,
please.
WOMAN: Will the foreman
please stand?
Will the defendant please stand?
My Lord,
the jury has been in retirement
for eight hours and ten minutes.
Thank you.
Mr Foreman, please answer
my next question yes or no.
'Have you reached a verdict
on which you are all agreed?'
Yes.
Is that in relation
to all 11 counts?
Yes.
On count one of the indictment,
the murder of Helen Thomas,
do you find the defendant,
John William Cooper,
guilty or not guilty?
Guilty.
Guilty.
On count two of the indictment,
the murder of Richard Thomas,
guilty or not guilty?
Guilty.
Guilty.
On count three of the indictment,
the murder of Gwenda Dixon,
guilty or not guilty?
Guilty.
On count four of the indictment,
the murder of Peter Dixon,
guilty or not guilty?
Guilty.
On count five of the indictment,
the rape of Erin Davies,
'nee James...
'..guilty or not guilty?'
Guilty.
Rubbish!
'That's rubbish!'
I'm not a child rapist!
This is not justice!
On count six of the indictment, the
indecent assault of Leanne Dauncey,
guilty or not guilty?
'Guilty.'
'This is rubbish!'
You've not heard all the evidence!
This is a fit-up!
This is not justice!
JUDGE: Mr Cooper, be quiet,
or I will have you removed.
MAN: We love you, John!
On counts seven, eight, nine, ten
and 11,
the offences of attempted robbery,
guilty or not guilty?
Guilty.
John William Cooper,
the jury have found you guilty
of all 11 counts on the indictment.
Shut up, you stupid bastard!
I hereby sentence you
to life imprisonment.
The crimes for which
you have been convicted
are of such evil wickedness,
the mandatory sentence of life...
This is not justice!
..will mean just that.
I'm an innocent man!
Take him down.
This is not justice!
This is persecution!
Persecution of John Cooper,
carried out by Steve Wilkins!
A man is gonna spend time in prison
for a crime he did not commit!
I am not a rapist!
I am not a murderer!
This is a fit-up!
FADES INTO DISTANCE:
I am not a murderer!
CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICK
Today's verdicts give the families
of Richard and Helen Thomas,
Peter and Gwenda Dixon,
and the five victims
of the Nolton Hill attack
and their families justice.
But there is no sentence
the court could have imposed
on John William Cooper
that could ever compensate them
for their loss.
Today's verdicts
are a warning to all individuals
who would commit
such terrible crimes.
Whatever they touch...
..will bear witness against them.
Evidence lasts.
It does not forget.
And it cannot lie.
And it will always be found
by those with the will to find it.
CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICK
Thank you.
On behalf of Dyfed Powys Police,
I would like to pay tribute
to the officers of Operation Ottawa
for their diligence
and their professionalism.
Are you ready for your exclusive,
Mr Hill?
Thanks, Steve.
Are we good?
Yeah.
Detective Superintendent, can I get
your reaction to today's sentencing?
Yeah, really great. Really nice.
Yeah?
Brilliant. Yeah, it's amazing.
Great.
It's all here.
He loves it?
Yeah.
Awesome.
It's all yours.
Much appreciated.
Enjoy.
I'll look after it, I promise.
Thanks.
Boss...
Visitor for you downstairs.
Hey, what's this?
I thought you were in school?
Yeah, I got the afternoon off.
I thought I'd come and see
where it all happened.
Well, there's not much to see now.
"There is no greater responsibility
or duty placed on a human being
"than to investigate
the circumstances of the death
"of another human being."
Quite the job description, eh?
I've decided
sixth form's not for me.
Are you OK with that?
Does your mother know?
Yeah.
She blames you.
Of course she does.
I'm thinking of joining the police.
Seriously?
What about the football?
Ah, come on, Dad.
I'm good, but I'm not that good.
What makes you think
you'd be any better as a policeman?
You made a success of it.
How hard can it be?
Watch it!
STEVE CHUCKLES
WAVES BREAK
I should've stayed.
We should've talked.
I'm sorry, Ma.
# Huna blentyn
# Ar fy mynwes
# Clyd a chynnes
# Ydyw hon
# Breichiau mam sy'n
# Dynn amdanat
# Cariad mam sy dan fy mron. #
Long time.
Steve.
We've done as you asked,
removed Cooper from the scene.
He is giving a statement
down at Haverfordwest Station.
The paramedics put her
on the floor for CPR.
We need the Home Office pathologist
on this.
I'll call the coroner.
And Anwen...
make sure everyone knows
it's possible there's no crime here.
Cooper should be treated
as sensitively
as any husband
who's just lost his wife.
ELLA: There's no signs
of a struggle.
No bruising on the arms or neck.
We could have prevented this.
We won't know if he killed her until
we get the pathologist's report.
Till then, he won't be allowed
back in the house.
He's staying with his brother.
But this is a warning.
John Cooper is out,
and no good can come of that.
And...
we could be shut down any day.
So, it's not good enough
for us to sit around
waiting for forensics
to save our arses.
We have to make something happen.
Those khaki shorts are out there.
Morning.
Ahead of you is 28 Rose Meadow Lane,
Cooper's last home.
Behind you is Sardis village.
This was his hunting ground.
Those fields were his rat runs.
And thanks to Huntsman, we know that
these hedgerows
were his so-called "safes",
where he hid items he'd stolen
or his offending gear.
Now, these khaki shorts
worried him in the interviews.
He thinks they're out there still.
PHONE RINGS
Steve Wilkins, hello.
'Hello, Mr Wilkins. It's
the Home Office pathologist here.'
Hello, sir.
Thank you for getting back to me
so promptly.
'The results of Pat Cooper's
postmortem.' Yeah?
'She died of natural causes.'
Natural causes?
'Yes.'
'It was clearly heart failure.'
Her heart?
OK.
All right.
Well, thank you for getting back.
We appreciate it.
'No problem.'
She saw this coming.
She had an ad cut out from the paper
about arranging your own funeral.
She knew.
She knew living with him again
would be the death of her.
Do you think
he'll try and make contact with you?
No chance.
What about the funeral?
He won't want me there.
What about what you want?
If you want to attend your mother's
funeral, we can help with that.
Too much aggro.
I'll go see her in my own time.
Andrew...
on behalf of my team and myself...
I'm sorry.
It wasn't your fault.
Bad things happen around bad men.
He's right, Steve.
It wasn't our fault.
If Cooper was still inside,
Pat would still be alive
and Andrew
would still have a mother.
HE SIGHS
But with Pat out of the picture,
he's even more dangerous.
It's like a ticking time bomb.
Living on his own
is new territory for him.
Just him and his thoughts.
His fantasies, compulsions.
Ten years' worth.
PRIEST: We have come together
to commend our sister Patricia
into the hands of Almighty God,
our heavenly father.
In the presence of death,
Christians have sure grounds
for hope and confidence,
and even joy,
because the Lord Jesus Christ,
who shared our human life and death,
was raised again triumphant
and lives evermore.
In this faith, we put our trust.
Help us, we humbly beseech thee,
Lord.
ALL: Amen.
Fuck!
Glyn...
Huntsman recovered all the items
of clothing from the house, correct?
Yeah, they did, yeah.
And they photographed every item?
Yeah.
Khaki shorts.
They're the same.
There's something wrong
with this picture.
Could the colour be affected
by the processing? The flash?
Yeah, I guess so.
And it's an old picture.
We need to see what these shorts
actually look like.
Jesus Christ...
They are khaki.
But they do look a lot shorter.
Maybe he had them altered.
Pat was a seamstress.
May I?
Oh, Steve, elasticated waistband.
No fly.
They...
They look like women's shorts.
Yeah, well, they're all we've got.
We're sending them in for testing.
PHONE RINGS
Steve Wilkins.
'Steve, it's Angela Gallop.'
'Are you driving, by any chance?'
It's OK, you're on speaker.
'I think you'd better pull over.'
OK.
What is it?
'Right...'
So, we unpicked the hem
of the shorts, like you asked,
and we taped the uncovered area
for fibres
'and noticed there is a faint stain.
'So, we went back
to the exact same spot'
on the shorts and...
..found a tiny flake of blood.
It's Peter Dixon's.
How sure are you?
'Full profile.'
The probability of that blood
having come from anybody else
'is a billion to one.
'It's your golden nugget, Steve.'
Steve?
'Are you still there?'
Please, don't take this
the wrong way...
..but I bloody love you!
SHE LAUGHS
Charge him with the lot.
Including Nolton Hill?
The lot.
Yes!
Thank you.
Thank you.
Check the vehicle.
We're going in.
Morning, John.
John William Cooper,
you're under arrest for the murders
of Helen and Richard Thomas...
Fuck off! Get off me!
..and Peter and Gwenda Dixon.
Fuck off! You are also under arrest
for attempted armed robbery,
rape and sexual assault
during an attack on five teenagers
in Milford Haven in 1996.
Boss...
Jesus...
And I found this
in the glove compartment.
We got him just in time.
DOOR OPENS
Right, John.
You know
Detective Inspector Richards.
I am Detective Superintendent
Steve Wilkins.
I know who you are.
Can you see OK, John?
I've got a spare pair of glasses
if you need them.
HE SIGHS
That's me.
That isn't.
The last time we met, you said
you'd never had collar-length hair.
Oh, so I forgot that I had
collar-length hair 20 years ago.
It's not a crime, is it?
Let's talk about the shorts the man
in the drawing's wearing, John.
Mr Cooper is being shown
a photo of item AJM/165.
The khaki shorts recovered by
Huntsman from 28 Rose Meadow Lane.
Now, the last time you spoke to us,
John,
you said that
you'd once owned a pair of
what you described as khaki bathers.
Is that them?
Well...
if they're from my home, maybe.
Strictly speaking,
they're not bathers, John.
The fabric's too heavy.
I used them as bathers.
So, to me, that's what they are.
During the interview in July 2008,
you said that the shorts
worn by the man in the drawing
couldn't possibly be yours
as your bathers were much shorter.
HE SCOFFS
See for yourself.
For the tape, I'm showing Mr Cooper
item AJM/165/B.
We unpicked the hem, John.
So, do you see how,
with the excess fabric turned down,
the difference in length between
the two pairs of shorts is reduced?
If you do that to any garment,
that's what'll happen.
Yeah, we know your wife
used to work as a seamstress.
Did she alter these shorts?
You leave my wife out of this.
Since the July 2008 interviews,
certain forensic discoveries
have been made
which we would like to discuss
with you
so that you can have an opportunity
to comment.
In reference to AJM/165/B,
this white circle indicates an area
where an amount of Peter Dixon's
blood was found.
Can you give us an explanation
as to how that might be?
Pat got most of my clothes
from the Oxfam and Army Surplus.
Oh, and you should also
be talking to my son.
As I told you all before, he was in
the habit of borrowing my clothes.
John...
was Peter Dixon's blood
deposited on the khaki shorts
when you shot him?
I've never killed anybody
in my life. These shorts...
sorry, bathers...
were something of a treasure trove,
John. Especially the pockets.
Photo AJM/166.
What this photo shows us, John,
is a microscopic image
of the fluff found in the pockets
of your khaki bathers.
Fluff that consisted of human hair.
Yours. Skin cells. Also yours.
But nothing of your son, though.
Certain fabric fibres
were also found in the fluff.
For the tape, glove BB/109,
found under the hedgerow near
your home at 28 Rose Meadow Lane.
MTJ/5 and 7 recovered by Huntsman
from the Sardis trail.
John, are these three gloves yours?
Absolutely not.
As I told you before, Adrian
was the glove-wearer in our family.
I never wore gloves.
I found them too cumbersome.
What about the new pair
we found in the boot of your car?
Well...
obviously, I wear gloves now.
Now I'm older, I feel the cold more.
Fibres exactly matching
the constituent fibres
of these three gloves
were found in the fluff
from the pockets
of your khaki bathers.
How do you account for that?
Are you deaf?
I told you, Adrian wore the bathers
more than me.
When two articles of clothing
come into contact with each other,
there is always
an exchange of fibres.
On glove BB/109,
our team found fibres
from another source.
For the tape, BM/1,
a sock belonging to Richard Thomas.
The only item of clothing
recovered from his body
after it was destroyed in the fire
at Scoveston Park in 1985.
Fibres from this sock
were found on glove BB/109.
And fibres from this glove
were found on this sock.
Are you with me so far, John?
Oh, keep talking, yeah.
I know you want to.
These discoveries are consistent
with the accepted view
that Richard Thomas' killer
wore gloves
when he dragged his body
from the outbuilding
into the main house at Scoveston.
Are you listening to this, huh?
This is Fantasy Island.
John...
are you the person responsible
for the murder
of Richard and Helen Thomas
at Scoveston Park in December 1985?
No.
I was not.
Fibres are the gifts
that keep on giving, John.
Other fibres,
from a different source,
were found on gloves MTJ/5 and 7.
For the tape, BKG/9.
Those fibres were an exact match
with constituent fibres found
in the underwear of a young female
who was raped
on the evening of the 6th March 1996
in a field by the Nolton Hill
Estate, Milford Haven.
John, are you the person who,
on 6th March 1996,
pointed a gun at five young people,
three females and two males,
on Nolton Hill
and searched them for money?
Mr Cooper has not answered.
John, are you the person
who raped one of the young females?
Mr Cooper has not answered.
John, are you the person
who indecently assaulted
one of the other young females?
For the tape...
PH/2, the sawn-off shotgun
found on the Sardis trail,
which matches the description
given by two of the victims
of the Nolton Hill attack,
and the victim
in the Sardis robbery,
a crime we know
you were convicted of in 1998.
If you're gonna say
that you found my DNA
on that, I told her...
about the prosecution making me
handle it during the trial.
Well, we did find DNA on the gun,
John.
But not yours.
You see the black finish
on the barrel and stock?
Anvileen satin black metal paint.
For the tape, JAW/100,
recovered by Huntsman from the shed
at 28 Rose Meadow Lane.
John...
were you the one who applied
this paint to the barrel of the gun?
That is not...
my gun.
We had the paint removed.
On some of the flakes,
our forensic scientists
noticed a reddish cast
that tested positive for blood.
Peter Dixon's blood.
John...
did you shoot Peter and Gwenda Dixon
with this gun?
What are you doing, John?
SOLICITOR: John...
Sit down, John.
DOG BARKS IN DISTANCE
SHE KNOCKS ON DOOR
Erin James?
Erin Davies. I'm married.
Hi, Erin.
I'm Detective Inspector
Ella Richards.
This is Detective Superintendent
Steve Wilkins.
Mm, I remember you.
Erin, we've recently arrested a man
on suspicion of
committing four murders.
We also believe he was the man
who attacked you
and your friends in 1996.
After all this time?
I'm so sorry.
I realise this must be a shock.
Why couldn't you have done this
13 years ago?
Erin...
may I say something?
We know we let you down.
All we want is to see to it the man
who hurt you and your friends
never gets to hurt anyone else
ever again.
And you can help make that happen.
All of you will be assigned
Family Liaison Officers
to support you and your family
through the process.
The trial won't be for weeks yet.
I won't be taking part in any trial.
None of you will be required
to appear in court.
Everything will be done
via video link.
You won't have to be
in the same room as him.
My husband doesn't know I was raped.
How was it?
Leanne Dauncey will testify.
Erin's angry, but Leanne thinks
she can talk her round.
Karen Joseph's out of the question.
She's practically housebound.
She's had mental health issues
ever since the attack.
The two boys won't cooperate,
either.
Not after everything that happened
with the original investigation.
'The trial begins
at Swansea Crown Court tomorrow
'of 65-year-old John William Cooper
of Letterston, Pembrokeshire.
'Cooper has been charged
with the four murders
'and with the rape
and indecent assault
'of two teenage girls
at Milford Haven in 1996.'
The defence will make much
of the fact that the khaki shorts
are indeed women's shorts.
That it makes no sense
that the defendant was wearing them
when he brutally murdered
Mr and Mrs Dixon.
But murder cases have a habit
of defying common sense.
According to the son
of Mr and Mrs Dixon...
..whenever his parents went walking
and his mother was wearing
long trousers, she would always
put a pair of shorts
in her backpack
in case the weather turned warm.
But no shorts of any description
were found
at the Coastal Path crime scene.
Why?
Imagine the sequence of events,
ladies and gentlemen.
The defendant shoots the Dixons
at close range.
He then moves their bodies
and covers them with branches.
In the process,
some of their blood -
judging by these distressing images,
probably a lot of their blood -
gets onto his trousers.
In a panic, he goes through
his victims' backpacks and finds...
..Mrs Dixon's khaki shorts.
He removes
his own blood-stained trousers
and puts on Mrs Dixon's shorts
and quits the scene,
taking his trousers with him,
unaware that a single spot
of Peter Dixon's blood
had found its way onto the shorts.
How come you're not inside?
The SIO is the last Crown witness.
I'm not allowed in
until I give my evidence.
How are you feeling?
Ready as I'll ever be.
Come on.
This police artist's impression
was based on
a witness sighting of the defendant
as he withdrew cash
from a NatWest ATM in Haverfordwest
using Peter Dixon's bank card.
The sighting was made two days after
the murder and yet, incredibly,
the defendant was still wearing
Mrs Dixon's khaki shorts.
A hugely incriminating piece of
evidence linking him to two murders.
Why on earth had he not disposed of
them at the earliest opportunity?
Think about what that says about
the mind of John William Cooper.
Was he thumbing his nose
at the world,
convinced that he was too clever
to be caught for his horrific crime?
Or was his motivation darker,
stranger?
Did he regard Mrs Dixon's shorts
as a trophy to be worn with pride...
..and perhaps just a touch
of sexual gratification?
Whatever the explanation,
this drawing shows a killer
wearing an item of clothing
stolen from a woman
he has murdered in cold blood.
The defendant has always maintained
that this drawing
bears no resemblance to himself
as he was in the summer of 1989.
But due to an extraordinary
quirk of fate,
one month before
the Coastal Path murders,
his likeness was captured on video
during his appearance on a game show
on national television.
The resulting image speaks volumes.
STEVE: This is you.
Now, he can see you.
But you can't see him.
And, er... be warned.
His defence barrister
will be rough with you.
He'll try and paint you
as the unreliable witness
with an axe to grind.
No worries, Steve.
I've got my dragon scales
for protection.
JUDGE: 'Let's have the jury back in,
please.'
Both the barristers
will refer to you as Adrian.
That's just so the jury
doesn't get confused.
No problem.
JUDGE: 'Mr Evans, are you content to
begin your cross-examination...?'
Why did you change your name?
Cos he was the one
that called me Adrian.
It was more of a girl's name
back then.
You know that Johnny Cash song,
A Boy Named Sue?
He played it constantly.
"Adrian, they're playing your song."
He said he called me a girl's name
for the same reason
as the father in the song.
To toughen me up...
..cos I'd have to fight.
Maybe it's the one thing
he got right.
I'm a stubborn bastard.
Isn't it true, Adrian,
that when you were living
at 28 Rose Meadow Lane
you often used to wear
your father's clothes?
No, I never wore his clothes.
What about gloves, Adrian?
Isn't it true that you were
the glove-wearer of the family?
I used to wear gloves.
But so did he.
And who do you mean by "he"?
John Cooper.
Your father?
Yes, sir.
Isn't it true, Adrian,
that from the age of 11
you started to become disobedient
both at home and at school?
Yes, a bit, maybe.
Your disobedience developed
into theft, did it not,
stealing money from your mother
and father?
No!
I never stole any money
from my parents.
I'm not a thief.
A few days after the murders
of Mr and Mrs Dixon,
a gold band was sold
to a jewellers in Pembroke Dock,
which the prosecution claim
was the wedding ring the killer
removed from Peter Dixon's corpse.
The transaction was recorded
by the jeweller on a receipt
bearing the signature J Cooper.
The court has heard
that your father,
John William Cooper,
stated that the sig...
AUDIO BREAKS UP
..jeweller's receipt was not...
AUDIO BREAKS UP
..and that the usual form
of his signature is JW Cooper.
Isn't it true, Adrian,
that when you lived at...
AUDIO BREAKS UP
'28 Rose Meadow Lane, you were in'
the habit of forging the signatures
of both your mother and father
for the purpose of fraudulently
cashing cheques in their names?
No, that's totally untrue.
You deny that you were
an accomplished forger
of both your mother...
AUDIO BREAKS UP
'..and father's signature?'
I can't hear what you're saying.
Can't hear...
..or refuse to hear, Adrian?
Sorry, Mr Evans, we're having
a technical issue this end.
Your voice keeps cutting out.
One minute, please.
Carry on, Mr Evans.
It should be OK now.
'I put it to you, Adrian,
'that for reasons known
only to yourself, you have long'
harboured a passionate vendetta
against your father.
'That, because of this vendetta,'
in your dealings
with the police in both
the Huntsman
and the Ottawa investigations,
you have done everything
in your power
'to assist them in
their singled-minded persecution'
of your father.
Indeed, that you see your appearance
in court today as merely
'another opportunity
to spread more lies.'
Do you really think
I want to be here?
Erin, Leanne,
thank you for coming.
These are our parents
and Erin's husband.
Er, we'll show you to the room
you'll be giving your evidence from.
We've decided
to give our evidence in court.
Oh?
Karen died.
What happened?
Her health...
finally gave out.
We're doing this for her.
Yeah.
And Stephen and David.
Yeah.
WHISPERS: Are you OK?
Tissues and water.
We often played in the woods...
by our estate.
There was a rope swing.
So, we were mucking about on that.
About...
eight o'clock it got dark,
so we headed home.
We took the shortcut
across the farmer's field.
We were about halfway along
when we heard a noise.
SHE CLEARS HER THROAT
We all turned round...
and saw someone coming towards us,
shining a torch in our eyes.
I thought it was a boy we knew,
so I shouted at him...
.."Shine the light in our eyes,
why don't you, Martin?"
But the person shouted back
in a man's voice...
.."Do I look like Martin?"
We all thought
it was the farmer then.
But, erm...
as he came closer, we could see he
had a mask on over his head with...
holes for the mouth and eyes...
and er, he had a shotgun
pointing at us.
Er, David started to apologise
to the man for us being on his land.
The man told him to shut up
and er, he...
hit him over the head
with the shotgun.
And, erm...
..David started crying then.
And then he told us to walk down
to the lower part of the field,
which you can't see from the estate.
He...
made us say our names.
His voice was angry.
We were all really scared.
And then he told us
to lie down on the ground...
..and keep our faces in the grass.
And then I felt him...
pulling my hair at the back.
He told me to stand up...
..and to go with him.
Mrs Davies, the ordeal
that you and your friends suffered
on the evening of 6th March 1996
happened 15 years ago.
You were a girl of 16.
Yeah.
You were terrified. It was dark.
Given all that,
how reliable
do you think your memory is
of the events which took place?
I remember every detail
like it was yesterday.
You don't forget
something like that.
You try to.
But you can't.
Did the man who attacked you
ever remove his mask?
No.
So, to be clear...
..at no time did you, or any
of your friends, see his face?
No.
This man in the photograph
is the real John Cooper.
A loving husband who was married
to his wife for 42 years.
We had a son
who was the apple of our eye.
An apple that went bad
and broke his mother's heart.
I believe that the heart attack
that killed my wife
was brought on because of the...
the stress,
the sadness and the shame
because of all the time that I spent
in prison as an innocent man.
The police and Mr Elias
tell you I'm a liar.
That I'm lying when I say
that most of my clothes,
most significantly,
my khaki bathers, were second-hand.
Well...
obviously, they don't know
what it's like to be poor.
This suit that I'm wearing today,
it's second-hand.
In my wardrobe at home,
I've got an overcoat second-hand
that I wore to my wife's funeral.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
I spent ten years of my life
in prison
for crimes that I did not commit.
Please... Please, do not allow
the police to carry out another
miscarriage of justice against me.
I am not a murderer.
I am not a rapist.
I am an innocent man
who's been wronged.
Thank you.
Mr Elias...
it's a quarter to four.
This would probably be
a suitable time for me to rise.
Are you content to begin
your cross-examination
of Mr Cooper tomorrow?
If My Lord would permit,
I would like to have
a few minutes with Mr Cooper.
Very well, Mr Elias.
Thank you, My Lord.
All right, Mr Cooper...
I would like to ask you
a few questions about
the balaclava which was discovered
under the hedgerow near the scene
of the Sardis robbery.
Ladies and gentlemen,
you will remember
that this is the balaclava which,
in the course of the Huntsman trial,
it was found that
there were a number of the
defendant's head hairs within it.
Could you please give Mr Cooper
exhibit MTJ/14, please?
It's all right, Mr Cooper.
The item has been cleared
forensically.
Touching it won't compromise you
in any way.
Mr Cooper...
is that your balaclava?
To the best of my knowledge.
Yes or no, Mr Cooper?
Yes. But I did not commit
the Sardis robbery.
Like I said,
that was stolen off my boat
long before it was found
under the hedgerow.
But you accept
that the balaclava is yours?
Yes.
Mr Cooper, that isn't what you told
the jury during the Huntsman trial
in 1998, is it?
I know. I made a mistake.
During that trial, under oath, you
denied that the balaclava was yours.
So, my question to you, Mr Cooper,
is were you lying to the jury
then...
or are you lying to the jury now?
I'm not a liar.
I forgot. I made a mistake.
Let me rephrase the question.
What was the truth?
What you told the jury in 1998
or what you've told the jury today?
No, I didn't deliberately...
I misremembered.
Misremembered in 1998
or misremembered today, Mr Cooper?
Mr Cooper...
the question is a simple one.
Which was it?
What you said to the court in 1998
or what you have told us today?
Today.
So, you admit that in 1998
you lied to that jury?
Yes, but...
Thank you, My Lord.
So...
..members of the jury...
..it is now time for you to retire
to consider your verdicts.
Remember, at all times,
you must keep in mind
that it is for the Crown to prove
the guilt of John William Cooper...
..not for the defence
to prove his innocence.
If the Crown have failed to do that,
then you must find him...
not guilty.
BELL TOLLS
All right?
Yeah.
What are those?
That's my post-verdict statements
for the press.
Guilty. Not guilty.
Well, you can get rid of that one.
That's my letter of resignation.
What?
I'd have failed the victims
and their families.
DOOR OPENS
DOOR CLOSES
Verdict.
WOMAN: All rise!
STEVE: 'Whatever the judgment is...
we receive it with dignity.'
Ella, Lynne, Glyn, Nigel, Rambo,
it's been an honour
and a privilege.
Cheers, boss.
Cheers, boss.
JUDGE: Let's have the jury in,
please.
WOMAN: Will the foreman
please stand?
Will the defendant please stand?
My Lord,
the jury has been in retirement
for eight hours and ten minutes.
Thank you.
Mr Foreman, please answer
my next question yes or no.
'Have you reached a verdict
on which you are all agreed?'
Yes.
Is that in relation
to all 11 counts?
Yes.
On count one of the indictment,
the murder of Helen Thomas,
do you find the defendant,
John William Cooper,
guilty or not guilty?
Guilty.
Guilty.
On count two of the indictment,
the murder of Richard Thomas,
guilty or not guilty?
Guilty.
Guilty.
On count three of the indictment,
the murder of Gwenda Dixon,
guilty or not guilty?
Guilty.
On count four of the indictment,
the murder of Peter Dixon,
guilty or not guilty?
Guilty.
On count five of the indictment,
the rape of Erin Davies,
'nee James...
'..guilty or not guilty?'
Guilty.
Rubbish!
'That's rubbish!'
I'm not a child rapist!
This is not justice!
On count six of the indictment, the
indecent assault of Leanne Dauncey,
guilty or not guilty?
'Guilty.'
'This is rubbish!'
You've not heard all the evidence!
This is a fit-up!
This is not justice!
JUDGE: Mr Cooper, be quiet,
or I will have you removed.
MAN: We love you, John!
On counts seven, eight, nine, ten
and 11,
the offences of attempted robbery,
guilty or not guilty?
Guilty.
John William Cooper,
the jury have found you guilty
of all 11 counts on the indictment.
Shut up, you stupid bastard!
I hereby sentence you
to life imprisonment.
The crimes for which
you have been convicted
are of such evil wickedness,
the mandatory sentence of life...
This is not justice!
..will mean just that.
I'm an innocent man!
Take him down.
This is not justice!
This is persecution!
Persecution of John Cooper,
carried out by Steve Wilkins!
A man is gonna spend time in prison
for a crime he did not commit!
I am not a rapist!
I am not a murderer!
This is a fit-up!
FADES INTO DISTANCE:
I am not a murderer!
CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICK
Today's verdicts give the families
of Richard and Helen Thomas,
Peter and Gwenda Dixon,
and the five victims
of the Nolton Hill attack
and their families justice.
But there is no sentence
the court could have imposed
on John William Cooper
that could ever compensate them
for their loss.
Today's verdicts
are a warning to all individuals
who would commit
such terrible crimes.
Whatever they touch...
..will bear witness against them.
Evidence lasts.
It does not forget.
And it cannot lie.
And it will always be found
by those with the will to find it.
CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICK
Thank you.
On behalf of Dyfed Powys Police,
I would like to pay tribute
to the officers of Operation Ottawa
for their diligence
and their professionalism.
Are you ready for your exclusive,
Mr Hill?
Thanks, Steve.
Are we good?
Yeah.
Detective Superintendent, can I get
your reaction to today's sentencing?
Yeah, really great. Really nice.
Yeah?
Brilliant. Yeah, it's amazing.
Great.
It's all here.
He loves it?
Yeah.
Awesome.
It's all yours.
Much appreciated.
Enjoy.
I'll look after it, I promise.
Thanks.
Boss...
Visitor for you downstairs.
Hey, what's this?
I thought you were in school?
Yeah, I got the afternoon off.
I thought I'd come and see
where it all happened.
Well, there's not much to see now.
"There is no greater responsibility
or duty placed on a human being
"than to investigate
the circumstances of the death
"of another human being."
Quite the job description, eh?
I've decided
sixth form's not for me.
Are you OK with that?
Does your mother know?
Yeah.
She blames you.
Of course she does.
I'm thinking of joining the police.
Seriously?
What about the football?
Ah, come on, Dad.
I'm good, but I'm not that good.
What makes you think
you'd be any better as a policeman?
You made a success of it.
How hard can it be?
Watch it!
STEVE CHUCKLES
WAVES BREAK
I should've stayed.
We should've talked.
I'm sorry, Ma.
# Huna blentyn
# Ar fy mynwes
# Clyd a chynnes
# Ydyw hon
# Breichiau mam sy'n
# Dynn amdanat
# Cariad mam sy dan fy mron. #