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forensicated · 3 months

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Smiffina Episodes: Witness Part 7 - Truth And Lies (7/8)

Alesha and Leanne watch a home video of Carly filmed in happier times with Smithy. Brooke is with a friend as today is the first day of the court case and Smithy is driving Leanne to the court. Alesha apologises for not giving evidence but Leanne tells her she understands. Smithy reasons Joel makes a better witness as he was involved and hasn't got the 'lied on the first statement' thing against him that the defense would use to discredit her in this case.

Heaton and Gina lead the briefing. Emma is assigned as security for Alesha, Nate, Diane and Beth are in the mobile unit and everyone else is crowd control outside the court until Dwayne and Tito arrive and then they will be redeployed. Outside the court is a group of people chanting 'Justice for Carly' with signs and the press. Leanne and Beverley come face to face with Beverley calmly explaining she's there to support her son, whatever the outcome.

On the Jasmine Allen, Nate and Diane find a pregnant woman who was assaulted and robbed around 6am. Sam organises a door to door as Nate takes Debbie's boyfriend, Raheem Woods, to the hospital. He says he was out with friends whilst Debbie was at work. Debbie says she didn't see her attacker as it was dark and her security light didn't work. Thankfully her baby is alright. Nate and Diane gently ask if she has any enemies given the nature of the attack and Woods insists it was was likely a robbery and he tells her he'll kill the guy that did it.

The prosecution barrister, Julian Ford, tells Smithy he'll be up first to give his evidence and then he'll be cross examined by the defence. The defence barrister, Sunil Davdra, is known to Grace or 'Gracie' as he calls her. He's her ex. He's rather slippery and cocky but apologises to Grace for how he handled it when they split up. Grace is not a fan and pulls him up for misogyny before they even get in the courtroom.

Diane watches the CCTV near Debbie's home and spots someone lingering. Nate has found Raheem has previous for affray and possession. He's also part of the Creekside Boys. It's possible someone could have taken revenge on Debbie for Woods upsetting them. Nate recognises the man lingering outside Debbie's as a junkie called Ty Gibson. Woods is found by Nate and Debbie standing over Gibson who is flying high on crack and has another £100's worth in his possession. Debbie didn't have that much money on her and there were no other related robberies where he could get that much money from that night. Where did he get it? And how/why has he changed his clothes? Nate suggests that it could be from a charity shop as people leave bags outside when they're closed and he might have helped himself as he's not known to frequent shelters.

The prosecuting barrister addresses the jury with a powerful diatribe of how Carly's death blighted the community as well as her family and friends lives and contributed to the growing epidemic of gun crime. Smithy lays the groundwork of how he was on routine patrol to start with and had been looking into the pay party. His accent has become slightly more clipped and clear as he's presenting to the jury - it's adorable 😂. He explains the link between Tito and Marlon who ran the pay party, that he spotted the gang 10 minutes before the shooting and stopped to talk to them and Carly and then drove off, only to return when he heard the gunshots. He provided first aid to Carly before accompanying her to hospital. "Carly was a good kid. Really bright. One of the hardest things I've ever had to do as a police officer was tell Carly's mum that she was dead."

Debbie rings and asks if someone can accompany her back to the flat after her discharge as she's frightened to return home alone. Diane is intrigued when Debbie mentions she doesn't remember the last time the security light outside worked properly. Just from a quick look she can tell it's been loosened and isn't broken so bags it incase it'd been tampered with. Debbie then remembers she can't let them in as she hasn't got her keys and they wait in the mobile unit for a locksmith.

Sam tasks Jo and Kezia to interview Gibson but to take it easy and concentrate on his last 12 hours whilst he comes down and to not mention the clothes until he's more on planet earth. Gibson says he doesn't know anything about attacking someone but admits the CCTV image looks like him. He claims he was there to meet a man to buy gear at 5.30am on the third floor of Debbie's flats. He says he paid £20 but it's clearly not true given the amount of crack he is in possession of. He passes it off as having sold some second hand stuff and that the officers are harassing him. They know they're not going to get anywhere and take him back to his cell. Nate finds proof of Gibson changing outside a charity shop. He doesn't take his original clothes with him so Nate agrees to go and have a look if they're still there - they are. And they're covered in blood.

Debbie tells Diane she'll move in with Raheem when the baby is born. She says he's only a little wild because of the people he hangs around with and that having their baby will calm him down... now he's got his head round it. She admits Woods thought it was an accident but she got pregnant on purpose as 'even his mum says he needs to settle down'. She goes on to say he was 'vexed at first, but I know he'll come round to it!' It's obvious from Diane's face she's suspicious that Woods is involved in Debbie's attack. She feeds this back to CID and that it's likely Woods paid Gibson to make her lose the baby. Creekside are crack dealers and likely that earlier was him being paid with the cocaine that was found on him.

Sunil cross-examines Smithy's evidence. Smithy explains he is the FLO for Leanne and that as part of it he has formed a bond with Leanne and if you don't form a bond with the family as a Family Liaison Officer, you're not doing your job properly. Sunil accuses Smithy of letting this bond conflict with his job as a police officer to investigate cases impartially. "If it's not a proper conviction then it's not true justice." Sunil insinuates that Leanne and Smithy are closer than they are and that something could be going on. Sunil says he's made over 60 visits in 90 days - often outside his working hours. He then makes Smithy agree he'd do anything in his power to get the result. Smithy starts to say 'within the law' but Sunil purposely cuts him off before he can finish and talks over him.

Gibson is asked about the clothes and the bulb for the security light. He claims someone stole his original clothes whilst he was asleep and then admits he was made to do it by Raheem Woods. He was told to kick her repeatedly in the stomach but he doesn't know why. He's sickened when Jo tells him she's pregnant.

Sunil tries to tempt Grace for a dinner date. She tells him she'll think about it but knows it's just a mind game and he has nothing on her. Ford, the prosecution barrister, asks Grace about the footprint and she explains how it was found and matched to Dwayne's limited edition trainers. Sunil tries to make out that this mud is no different to other mud a few meters away and that it's ludicrous to think that it could only have gotten onto the shoe when he was disposing of the gun. Grace goes on to point out the arrests did not just hinge on the mud/trainer and the CPS would not have allowed them to continue if that had been the case. Joel arrives to give his evidence and Smithy goes down to check everything is OK - it's obvious he's been gotten at inside and that he's had a beating.

As Emma arrives at Alesha's fathers house she finds 'GRASS' has been spray-painted all over it and that a window has been broken. She chases after the suspects but they get away.

Smithy comes up to Gina and John and tells them that he's getting a really bad feeling about what is happening. He tells them about Joel and wonders if this - and the stuff at Alesha's house, is to threaten both of the major witnesses to keep quiet. Smithy heads to Alesha's to calm her down and Gina heads back to the station to try keep the lid on anything from escalating on the Jasmine Allen in response.

Oscar tells Smithy that he is taking Alesha and they're going to stay with her Auntie. He tells him they can replace the windows and he'll have an officer placed outside his house 24 hours a day. "For how long?" he asks. "Do you really think we want to live like that?"

Nate and Diane follow a black VW 4x4 linked to Creekside that has been cruising around the Jasmine Allen estate to intimidate people and likely contains the people that targeted Alesha. One of them is Raheem Woods and Nate enjoys arresting him and interviewing him. They insist they know he'd paid Ty in cocaine for doing it, they have Gibson's statement and Woods' fingerprints all over the bag. They also have what Diane reported back from Debbie. Unfortunately for Nate, Wood's winds him up. "I know where you live, I know where your kids go to school." Nate smirks and steps forward. "Whatever you do, don't tell my kids... I can't afford the maintenance." As he does, Woods forces his own head into the cell wall and shouts that Nate attacked him - in an area that's not covered by CCTV. Gina plays back the audio recording, just before Raheem said to Nate "You'd love to hit me wouldn't you copper?" before crying out. Gina tells him to make his statement and because of it he has to be bailed.

Diane sadly has to tell Debbie that it was Raheem who set up the attack to make her lose the baby. She's heartbroken. Diane reassures her the baby survived and she will too. She's stronger than him.

Joel steps up to give evidence with Dwayne and Tito eyeballing him. Tito makes a gesture of a gun against his head and Joel falls apart, claiming the police forced him to make the statement and that it's all lies. Leanne shouts at him for lying and the court descends into chaos with the judge ordering everyone out until it calms down.

Sunil insists he didn't tell Joel what to say after Heaton accuses him. "Perhaps Joel's telling the truth. We'll see." The officers gather and discuss what happens next. Noone in the jury will believe Joel's statement even if someone else reads it out so Grace suggests Alesha. Smithy says she won't do it. She reasons they have no other witnesses and that if they're so determined to get at her and stop her coming to court then they know she has enough to get them sent down. Heaton agrees and Grace goes to speak to Sunil to get him not to object to Alesha being called (by pointing out he's scared of losing his case through the evidence of a teenage girl - what an absolute winner he is!). She challenges him to accept Alesha giving evidence because if he breaks the evidence of their star witness it'll get him closer to QC, one over on the MET and Julian Ford. "That's got to feel good hasn't it?" he agrees and so Smithy goes to try talk Alesha and Oscar into appearing in court. Heaton warns him to be on his guard.

Outside the mobile unit, Raheem is causing trouble by claiming the police caused his injuries. He's shouting out that they're fixing the trial because they're liars and racists. "... Who's this idiot?" Smithy asks Beth in response who explains who Woods is and that he's accused Nate of attacking him. "Nate?" Smithy smirks. "Not even he's that stupid!" he tells Beth to call if she needs him and continues on.

Oscar says it's not their war and Smithy points out of course it is. They took over their house, they burnt the chair Oscar adored from his mother - the only heirloom from her that had been in their family for generations. They'd spray painted the house and stolen or destroyed their property, they murdered Alesha's best friend, they involved Alesha in crime and forced her under threat of injury and death to provide an alibi and lie to the police and then ran her over to try kill her and they're making them desert their home. How can it NOT be their war? Smithy says he had to tend to Carly and watch her die. Alesha saw who shot her - if they get out there's no hope for anyone. Alesha gives in and agrees to give evidence but by that time they are surrounded by Creekside Boys trying to intimidate them from balconies and streets around the estate. Smithy calls for backup to deal with the crowd and Beth calls for back up for the mobile unit. Smithy has to physically move people aside to get Alesha to the car and Raheem starts shouting that she's not welcome there and not to come back as others shout that they'll be waiting.

Soon after Reg finds the mobile unit's door has been glued shut as the unit starts getting pelted with bricks. Reg calls for urgent back up. As Smithy rushes Alesha and Oscar to the court, a red car follows them and as they near it runs them off the road, flipping Smithy's police car over repeatedly until it settles on its side. All three occupants are trapped unconscious...

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