01x04 - Justice

[bunniefuu]

You wanna know what happened

with me and Melissa?

I k*lled her in Amsterdam,

I chopped her up,

and I put her in a canal.

- (SCREAMS)

We're requesting that all

relatives send us blood samples

for potential DNA profiling.

Have you found Melissa?

No, sir, we have not.

We won't stop looking for her.

- Sweeney's been granted bail.

- H-He'll k*ll me. I know it.

Get in the house.

Got some news about Sweeney.

He's out of the country.

Least now it's safe for us to

start thinking about getting

you discharged.

Would you like to meet again?

Coffee? Or a meal.

You look cold. Do you wanna

come in, have a cup of tea?

Just for a few minutes, then.

- Sure, love. What's your name?

- Paula.

We think he might have k*lled

a woman, and the lawyers are saying

we don't have enough to charge him.

We want to build a case against him

for his attack on you in December

1994,

and you'll be called

to give evidence.

- No.

After all that monster did to you.

Why don't you want to be part of

something that will put him away?

I solemnly declare and affirm

this is my lost fingertip.

- Miss Balmer. Miss Balmer.

- This is the scar made by the knife

that pierced through my right

breast and right lung!

- Miss Balmer!

If you carry on like this, you'll

destroy this case and Sweeney will

be back on the street.

He's laughing at you, Delia.

(OMINOUS MUSIC)

Captions by Able.

Captions were made with

support from NZ On Air.

Copyright Able 2024

- Would you like some water?

- No. I want wine.

Miss Balmer, in your own time,

please tell the court about the

events of the night of Thursday

the 22nd of December 1994.

You mean the night he k*lled me?

If that's how you

prefer to put it, yes.

It was the shortest, darkest day

of the year. It was about 6.30 PM.

I'd cycled home from work.

There was no one on the street.

I arrived home. I lent my bike up

against the railings as I always did.

I went to unlock my front door.

I went to pick up my bike. As I was

carrying it in, I heard him call my

name.

I looked over my right shoulder,

and he was coming up the steps.

Who do you mean by 'he',

Miss Balmer?

Him. John Sweeney.

Even though it has been seven years

since the attack, I am still affected

by my injuries.

Some days I feel like there's

a metal clamp crushing my chest,

and if I am touched, even

softly, on my right breast,

I get a horrible feeling

like an electric shock.

Both my arms hurt.

I can't grip properly.

I have difficulty lifting

anything of any weight.

And on cold days, the metal in

my left arm feels like ice.

I don't like looking at my injuries.

I have scars all over my body.

I don't like trying on clothes in

shops cos I feel like everybody is

looking at them.

And I especially hate

how my little finger looks.

I used to be proud of my hands, but

now when I look at my little finger,

it makes me feel sick.

Thank you, Miss Balmer.

Could you please tell the court what

have been the long-term effects of

the attack on your mental health?

Oh, well, I have been diagnosed

with PTSD, post-traumatic stress

disorder.

I feel anxious. I get angry

with people. I have nightmares.

And I have― I have been to see

psychiatrists and therapists.

Most of them have said

I need antidepressants,

which I have refused because I will

not put chemicals into my body.

Drugs trick you into thinking that

everything is all right when it is

not.

And do you know, I have lost

what little confidence I had.

I feel as though

I am in

a black hole.

And I am scared

to wake up in the morning

and face a new day

because I feel I have lost my future.

You had the option to give your

evidence from behind the screen

so that the defendant would

not be able to see you.

But you chose not to do that.

Why was that, Miss Balmer?

Was it because you wanted

to see Mr Sweeney?

No. Why should I hide from him?

I'm not scared of him.

You invited Mr Sweeney

to live in your home.

You were intimate with him

for almost four years.

Can you tell me why?

Cos I'm soft and stupid,

and I couldn't see through him.

Did you love Mr Sweeney,

Miss Balmer?

No, I did not.

I have never loved anyone.

You told Barstock Road Police that

Mr Sweeney had tied you to a bed and

repeatedly rapedyou.

That's correct, isn't it?

Yes.

And yet after your ordeal,

when the police offered to install

you in refuge accommodation in

Kings Cross, you refused.

Because the Kings Cross is full

of drug addicts and prostit*tes.

Or was it because you still

had feelings for Mr Sweeney?

No.

Did you hope that he might

return to your flat

so that you could resume your

consensually sadomasochistic

relationship?

No, that is not

(QUIET MURMURS)

Oh my

Why do you have to twist everything

and make me out to be a liar?

It is unnecessary,

and it is dishonest.

Why is the law allowed to

treat people like this?

You see, because I just

want to be left alone.

Well done, Delia. Well done.

Uh, I wasn't there. I was

200 miles away in Skelmersdale.

Delia Balmer's lying because

she's got a grudge against me.

What about Miss Balmer's

neighbour, Joshua Wilson?

He identified you as a person

he saw attacking her.

Yeah. He's mistaken.

In March last year,

after your arrest,

police searched your flat

at Sicily Crescent

- Mm-hm. Yeah.

and discovered an artist's

portfolio containing 201 of your

drawings.

Two of those drawings are

of particular relevance

to your attempted m*rder

of Delia Balmer.

Well, I didn't attempt

to m*rder Delia Balmer.

Will the jury please turn

to picture exhibit page five

in the bundle?

This drawing shows a boot

about to crush a c*ck.

Did you do this drawing, Mr Sweeney?

- Yeah.

Do you remember if it was before

the attack on Delia Balmer on the

22nd of December 1994 orafter?

I've just told you I didn't

attack Delia Balmer,

so it's impossible to say

if it was before or after.

In the bottom right-hand

corner are the words 'a

cornered c*ck'.

Is this your handwriting,

Mr Sweeney?

- Yes, I think it is.

- Yes.

The c*ck has a woman's head.

Who is this woman, Mr Sweeney?

Delia Balmer.

Picture exhibit page six.

This is an enlarged detail

of the same drawing angled

to make it easier to read.

What you are looking at, ladies and

gentleman, is the front section of

the boot.

As can be seen, there are words

clearly visible on it.

Mr Sweeney, would you please

read what is written.

(TENSE MUSIC)

Mr Sweeney.

(QUIET MURMURS)

'May you never die

until I k*ll you.'

'May you never die

until I k*ll you.'

What point were you making by

writing those words on the boot?

No point.

Just black humour.

Moving on.

Page seven in the bundle.

This drawing shows a section of

a man's body. The man is wearing

jeans and a belt.

Tucked inside the belt is an axe

with blood clearly visible

on the blade.

Blood is dripping from the blade

on to a bloody scalp fringed with

blonde hair.

Did you do this drawing, Mr Sweeney?

- Yes.

- Do you remember when you drew it?

- No.

I'd like to draw the jury's

attention to the two patches of

white Tipp-Ex correction fluid

on the blade of the axe.

Using ultraviolet light, scientists

were able to discover words written

beneath the Tipp-Ex.

Please turn to picture

exhibit page eight.

Under the first patch of Tipp-Ex

is a date of birth,

13th of October 1956.

Under the second patch,

the words 'made in Liverpool'.

Where were you born, Mr Sweeney?

- I was born in Kirkdale.

You know that.

- An area of Liverpool.

- Yes.

Yes. And what is

your date of birth?

13th of October 1956.

So the words you Tipp-Exed

over refer to yourself.

I didn't write that. I didn't―

I didn't put Tipp-Ex on that.

I didn't write that.

Yet in the opinion of

the handwriting expert that we

consulted, it is your writing.

Let us turn back now to page seven.

As can be seen, there is a further

patch of Tipp-Ex at the bottom of

the page.

Ultraviolet light

revealed more writing.

Please turn to page nine

in the bundle.

December '94.

The very month and year

Delia Balmer was subjected

to a near fatal attack.

I didn't attack Miss Balmer.

I didn't write this.

And I certainly didn't

put Tipp-Ex on it.

- You do admit doing this drawing.

- Yes.

Of a man with a bloody axe.

The very weapon used in

the attack on Delia Balmer.

An extraordinary coincidence.

Would you not agree, Mr Sweeney?

That's what coincidences are,

isn't it? Eh? Extraordinary.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,

in a moment, you'll go out

and consider your verdicts.

The only verdicts that I can accept

are ones in which you are all agreed.

(TENSE MUSIC)

My Lord, the jury have been

in retirement for nine hours

and 40 minutes.

Mr Foreman,

have you reached a verdict

on which you are all agreed?

We have.

Is that in relation

to all four counts?

Yes.

On count one of the indictment,

the attempted m*rder

of Delia Balmer,

do you find the defendant,

John Patrick Sweeney,

guilty or not guilty?

- Guilty.

- You f*cking idiot!

You're all f*cking idiots!

You're all f*cking idiots!

Christine says his sentencing

will be in three weeks.

The whole world is laughing at me.

No one's laughing at you.

No one with a shred of decency

could look at this and make

a judgement about you.

The only person this vile drawing

says anything about is him.

It's my face, David.

It's not your face.

This is your face.

(LIQUID POURS)

You're starting early.

To John Patrick Sweeney spending

the rest of his life behind bars.

To the damn police releasing a box

of c*ck in his f*cking cell.

(INTRIGUING MUSIC)

(DOORBELL BUZZES)

Four life sentences.

One for the attempted m*rder.

One each for the firearms offences.

Four life s―? Oh, fantastic.

Yeah. We couldn't have

done it without you, Delia.

Oh, will you join us for

a glass of champagne, Chris?

Oh, any excuse.

Come on, Delia. Come on.

So he'll spend the rest

of his life in jail.

Uh, well

Actually, the, um

the judge ruled that he'll be

eligible for parole in nine years.

What was that?

(UNSETTLING MUSIC)

Four life sentences

and he's up for parole

in nine years?

Oh, that's insane.

Honestly, none of us can make

head or tail of it. It's―

It's the same old f*cking sh*t

is what it is!

- Sorry.

- No.

No, I'm sorry, David.

Well, it's not your fault.

You're not the bloody judge.

Well, this will probably

be my last visit.

Oh?

Yeah, the rules are very clear

on FLO exit strategies.

Unless Delia actually requests to

see me, which I don't see happening.

I'll be out of her hair now.

- Ah.

I wonder what my exit

strategy should be.

What, seriously?

- No, no. (CHUCKLES AWKWARDLY)

- Oh.

No, no, no. Delia and I

we're in this for the long haul.

We've found the teeth that

match each other's wounds.

We're fine! We're fine.

Adios, amiga.

'To John Stevens,

Police Commissioner.' What's this?

Police and the courts shouldn't be

allowed to get away with treating

victims like they treated me.

Oh, come on, Delia, now.

Stop, eh?

It's over, sweetheart.

L-Let's go out.

- I don't want to go out. My chest

hurts, and it's very, very cold.

All right, well, then

let's get a takeaway.

What do you want? Indian? Chinese?

- Do you know what, David?

We can't afford takeaways, not now

that you're taking so much time off.

For Christ's sake, Delia.

We're not f*cking paupers, for

(SIGHS)

- (TAPS KEYS AGGRESSIVELY)

(TENSE MUSIC)

Let me look.

David Blunkett?

Yes. Sir John damn Stevens

got some flunky to reply,

so I'm going over his head.

'The letter I received from the

Metropolitan Police was an insult.

'I did not want to assist the law.

I was forced to.

'Them thanking me for testifying

totally misses the point.

'You might as well t*rture someone

then thank them for letting you

t*rture them.

'I do not accept their thanks.

'The police can stick

their thanks up their―'

Oh yeah. That'll work.

(TENSE MUSIC)

(SOFT MUSIC)

(MUSIC CONTINUES)

You want to go out later?

Mm-hm. Of course.

I wish I'd known you before.

Before what?

Well, Sweeney.

The police, the trial.

That's a stupid thing to say,

David. There's no point wishing

for something that never was.

When the defence barrister asked if

you still loved Sweeney, you said

you'd never really loved anyone.

Is that really true?

You know that about me, David.

I don't go in for any of that

mushy stuff. So

It's love, Delia.

It's not mushy stuff, for

(SIGHS, CHUCKLES)

So now you're not giving me any

wine cos you're feeling sorry for

yourself.

I'm paying for it.

Oh.

Oh! Now look what you've done!

- Keep your voice down.

- No, I won't keep my f*cking

voice down, David!

Do you know I made a spectacle

of myself in the Old Bailey?

You think I care about making

a spectacle of myself

in a Greek f*cking restaurant!

(PATRONS MURMUR)

Sorry.

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYS NEARBY,

PEOPLE CHATTER AND SHOUT)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER, LAUGHTER)

Whoa. Everything all right? Where

are you off to in such a hurry?

Home. Out of my way!

Hold on a moment.

Have you been drinking, madam?

Yes.

I don't― I don't know what

business it is of yours.

Are you American?

No, I'm not f*cking American.

I was not drunk and disorderly.

I was walking home.

I have not done anything wrong.

What's your name?

Delia Balmer. I used to

live in Lavinia Gardens.

I'm in your computer.

The 22nd of December 1994. My

I was attacked with an axe.

I nearly died. There was a trial

at the Old Bailey last year.

How do you spell Balmer?

B-A-L-M-E-R.

(DISTANT SHOUTS)

(TENSE MUSIC)

Delia Balmer?

She's been here all night?

Yeah.

Did you not even check her

on the system?

She doesn't have a record.

Not as an offender. As a victim.

I'm sorry about the night

you had, Delia.

You're free to go.

I'll have a car run you home.

I'm not getting in

a f*cking police car.

Delia! Oh, thank Christ.

Where have you been?

I've been worried sick!

I've been wandering the streets

half the night looking for you.

Yeah, well, I was arrested, so

What? What happened?

I want to talk about it.

I just want to sleep.

Do you want me to

come in with you?

It's not working

between us, David.

We're holding on to

something that's gone.

Well, do you want

to talk about that?

I mean, is there any point?

Cos I'll only get angry.

Right. Bye, then, David.

(TENSE MUSIC)

Stupid. Stupid.

Stupid. Stupid b*tch.

(WHIMPERS)

(SIREN WAILS)

Yes.

OK, bye.

- Hi. Uh, sorry to interrupt.

- Mm-hm.

Uh, I'm on Lincoln Ward,

and, um

I'm a qualified therapeutic

masseuse,

and I was just wondering if that

might be something that would be

useful here or?

Absolutely, but I'm afraid

we don't have the budget.

All right. I can work for free.

(LIGHT MUSIC)

Hi. Uh, my name's Delia.

Sister said you'd like

a cranial massage?

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATION)

(MUSIC CONTINUES)

(CHUCKLES LIGHTLY) You know,

whenever I used to get shampoo

at the hairdressers,

I'd always ask for the extra

conditioner just to make it

last longer.

You are good, Delia.

Yeah, well, my lecturer at college

said I was the best in the class.

All the other students

said I pressed too hard.

Well, they were obviously idiots.

So, is there a Mr Delia at home?

- Nope.

What, you? So petite and cute.

(LAUGHS)

Some lucky fella's missing out.

Delia, it's after 11.

Go away, Tessa.

Delia is my handmaiden.

Isn't that right, Delia?

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

(SIGHS)

- (LAUGHS)

(MUSIC CONTINUES)

(MUSIC FADES)

(OMINOUS MUSIC)

Oh, Nabil. (CHUCKLES)

Delia.

Mum, this is the lady

with the magic fingers.

Thanks for looking after him.

- You're leaving us?

- Yeah, for a bit.

I've hit a good patch, so Mum

is gonna pamper me at home.

You take care of yourself, Delia.

- Yeah.

Thanks for making

this sh*t bearable.

(COUGHS)

- Come on, you. Let's get you home.

- Let's do it.

Thanks so much.

(SOFT MUSIC)

(PHONE RINGS)

Barns Green Serious Crime Command.

DI Steve Smith speaking.

Hi, this is Detective

Astrid De Vries, Amsterdam CID.

Scotland Yard gave me your number.

I understand that your department

investigated the unsolved m*rder

of a woman, Paula Fields.

Uh, most of the team have moved

on, but, yes, the Paula Fields

investigation was based here.

How can I help?

I've got some news on the prime

suspect in the case, John Sweeney.

We've identified the remains of

a former girlfriend of his,

a young American woman,

Melissa Halstead.

A few weeks ago, a cold case team

in Rotterdam found a tissue sample

in storage

of an unidentified female body found

in a bag in a canal in Rotterdam in

We just got a DNA match with blood

supplied by Melissa's family back

in 1995.

It's her.

100%.

Melissa Halstead's remains

have been lying in Rotterdam's

municipal cemetery since 1990.

I was present at the exhumation.

The condition of the body

might be of interest to you.

Her head, hands, and feet

had been removed.

Same as Paula Fields.

OK, OK.

We need to figure out how to

work together on this.

John Sweeney has served almost six

years of his nine-year sentence.

Add to that the months he was

on remand, and the reality is

he could be out in two years.

That's at least how long

an investigation of this

magnitude will take.

And we're not helped by the fact

that neither us nor the Dutch have

a shred of forensic evidence

linking Sweeney to the murders of

Melissa Halstead or Paula Fields.

Well, on Melissa Halsted,

her dismembered remains were

found in a canal in Rotterdam

on May the 3rd 1990

but only recently identified

19 years later.

On Paula Fields, her dismembered

remains were found in Regent's Canal

on the 19th of February 2001.

We can connect Sweeney to the

two women ― various recorded

eyewitness accounts ―

but no connection

with their murders.

However, what are the chances of two

women having relationships with the

same man both ending upmurdered,

dismembered, heads, hands, feet

removed, put in bags and dumped

in canals?

Then there's this woman,

Delia Balmer, the survivor,

the girlfriend who came between

Melissa and Paula,

the woman whose attempted m*rder

Sweeney is currently doing time for.

On the 31st of May 1994,

Delia Balmer made a statement

to Barstock Road Police

in which she said Sweeney

told her he m*rder*d Melissa.

That evidence has never

been put before a jury.

Delia Balmer?

What John Sweeney told you in 1994

was true except for one detail.

He disposed of Melissa's body in a

canal in Rotterdam, not Amsterdam.

I never said the canal

was in Amsterdam,

just that he said he k*lled her

in Amsterdam. Why are you here?

We're reopening the investigation

into the murders of Melissa Halstead

and Paula Fields,

and we intend to charge John Sweeney

with both offences, but it's a given

he'll plead not guilty.

No sh*t.

- We know the trial in 2001

was very difficult for you.

- Ha!

But if we can get

the case to court,

we'd greatly appreciate it if you

would consent to give evidence.

It― It would be much

easier this time.

You'd just have to talk about what

he told you he did to Melissa.

- No. No.

- That's all.

No.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

We think it's a bad idea to

put Delia Balmer on the stand.

Bad for us but very bad for her.

- You told her Sweeney's

coming up for parole?

- Yeah.

(SIGHS) I thought she'd relish the

opportunity to testify against him.

It's not about that for her.

She thought her ordeal was over.

She just wants to be done with

all this. She is that terrified

of being cross-examined again.

We want to suggest a compromise.

The Dutch have requested

a videotaped statement

of Delia talking about

Sweeney's Melissa confession.

If she agrees to it,

perhaps we could apply to the judge

to let the video statement serve

as her evidence in the trial.

That way the jury get to see her

but she avoids the ordeal of

being cross-examined live.

Live is what we need.

Our case against Sweeney is

still only circumstantial.

The jury needs to see

Delia Balmer in real time

telling them what Sweeney told her

he did to Melissa Halstead.

(KNOCK AT DOOR)

Sorry, boss. You gotta see this.

Merseyside Police conducted a search

on Sweeney's family home.

They found this lot in the original

police evidence bags.

It was restored to the family

in 2001 after he was convicted,

but no one thought to hang on

to it because the case wasn't

about Melissa.

Look at this.

- A scratch card?

- Turn it over, boss.

We've confirmed that's

Sweeney's handwriting.

'Poor old Melissa.

Chopped her up in bits.

'Food to feed the fish.

Amsterdam was the pits.'

And that's not all.

He's even dated them.

Amsterdam, Easter 1990.

Still think we need Delia

in court to win this thing?

Videotape her statement.

I'll talk to the judge,

see if we can keep her out of court.

Delia, please tell us

what John Sweeney told you during

the spring bank holiday of 1994.

No.

I wanna talk about Saturday

the 29th of June 2002

when I was wrongfully arrested

by Barstock Road Police

for being drunk and disorderly.

A policeman twice my size

put handcuffs on me

and then shoved me

into a police van.

I spent the whole

f*cking night in a

dirty, smelly police cell.

I wrote to the station

superintendent.

And when he wrote back to me,

he didn't even f*cking apologise.

He said what had happened to me

was an unfortunate incident

and he tried to shut me up

with a cheque for £42.50

for the dry cleaning of my suede

coat that they f*cking ruined!

We didn't know she was intoxicated

until she let rip for the cameras.

It's not a problem,

though, is it, boss?

Not now we've got the photos and

the scratch card and everything?

There's has been a development.

Sweeney knows that we don't intend

to put Delia on the stand.

He's instructed his counsel to go

back to the judge and insist that

she be compelled to testify.

Given the seriousness of

the charges against him,

the judge has granted his request.

Yeah, well, I knew the creep

wasn't finished with me.

I knew he'd find some way of

stomping out what little life

I have left.

But it's not the end of the road.

We've got one card up our sleeve

where we can apply for

a medical exemption.

We'd get you to see

a forensic psychiatrist,

with your permission, obviously,

and see if we can get you declared

unfit to give evidence.

That's my only way out of this?

Seeing a shrink who'll

say how nuts I am?

Well, yes, but I wouldn't have

put it that way myself. But yes.

Well, what choice do I have?

I can't leave the country

cos my passport's expired,

so I'm trapped yet again.

Delia, medical exemptions

aren't easy to get.

So if the psychiatrist thinks

you're even slightly intoxicated,

that'll go into the report to the

judge, and it'll be game over.

You mustn't drink any alcohol

before the session.

Oh, no, I'll have to have a drink,

otherwise I'll be a mess.

But a sober mess.

And that'll count in your favour.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

(MUSIC CONTINUES)

(DOORBELL BUZZES)

Oh sh*t.

Come on, Delia.

(DOORBELL BUZZES)

I bought two bottles of wine and

a bottle of brandy last night,

and I didn't touch a drop,

so now

I feel dreadful.

Are you clear about the purpose

of this session, Delia?

Yep.

You're gonna decide whether or not

I'm mentally fit to give evidence

in court.

(MUFFLED DIALOGUE)

(SOFT MUSIC)

When I was lying on the steps,

thinking I was about to die,

I thought of my mum and dad

and my brothers Stewart.

They were alive then, Mum and Dad.

They died a couple of years ago,

within a year of eachother.

And I thought of them each.

(BREATHES SHAKILY)

And how they

how they were so far away.

I-I thought about how I would

never see them again and how

they would never see me.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

And I

I clung to that memory

of their faces

because I wanted my last thoughts

to be only of them.

Can I go now?

Of course you can.

But

there's still 30 minutes

left on the clock, Delia,

paid for by the Met.

If there's anything you want to

talk about, anything at all,

now might be a good time.

I just want to go home.

The only thing holding her

together is her anger.

If her fear becomes greater

than her anger,

which is very close

to where she is now,

I think there's a real possibility

she might try to take her own life.

Dr Howes will tell the judge that

under no circumstances should you be

compelled to testify.

It's over.

'It was like he was letting out

something that he'd been keeping

deep inside.

'He told me that he k*lled

Melissa in Amsterdam

'and that he sat with

her body for three days.

'He didn't say how he k*lled her.

'He said he had cut her up

and put her in a bag

'and threw her in a canal.'

DELIA: Yeah, two life sentences.

No parole this time.

It's what they call here

a whole-life tariff, so

you know, he'll spend the

rest of his life in jail.

Oh, it's about g*dd*mn time.

How do you feel, Delia?

Oh, I don't know.

Not much of anything.

You know, they told me that he

refused to leave his cell when

they read out the verdict.

- He must have been real mad.

- Mm.

Good riddance, I say.

You won, Delia.

He tried to k*ll you and he couldn't

because you were too strong.

Oh, I

I don't know if strength has

much to do with it, Stew.

Yes, it did.

You were always the strong one

in our family.

(SOFT MUSIC)

- Do you think that?

- I know it.

You remember when we first

moved to Detroit in '64

and there was that tornado

and the neighbour's house

moved off its foundations?

Yeah. What about it?

Dad was scared, and he wanted us

all to go into the basement.

You wanted to stay upstairs

and watch the storm.

Yeah, I remember.

I enjoyed it.

(CHUCKLES) You did.

We were all scared.

But not you.

(MUSIC CONTINUES)

(EXHALES SHAKILY)

(MUSIC CONTINUES)