Line of Duty

Operation Lighthouse, re the unsolved murder of Gail Vella on September 10th, 2019.

Deborah, did you see this man?

He looked, erm, different.

Different, different?

The other man...

He did it.

TYRES SCREECH

LISA SCREAMS AND WHIMPERS

You all right, Terry? Tonight, I believe there was an attempt

on Terry Boyle's life, sir.

This department is grateful for your cooperation.

PC Ryan Pilkington.

Davidson brings him into the fold,

and he just happens to be escorting Terry the night Terry nearly drowns.

We're losing our power to challenge lies.

There's some people you can't challenge.

I take pride in the courage

and professionalism of my counterterrorism officers.

What is the motive for Gail Vella's murder?

All right, she's a controversial journalist, but there's no evidence

to suggest that she dug up anything that wasn't there before.

Maybe she was working on something that would.

I'm being framed!

I'm thinking we should get a warrant

to expand the forensic search of Farida's house.

Don't move! Armed Police! Drop your weapon! Drop your weapon!

Down on your knees!

I'm interested in one thing and one thing only.

And that's bent coppers.

We want to work WITH you, Superintendent, not against you.

You really have been working Anti-corruption too long, ain't you?

DI Arnott? Sir, you've been listed for routine drugs testing.

Please follow me.

Proceedings against Deborah Devereux were dropped.

That DI was Ian Buckells.

This way, please, sir.

I'm just glad the guilty party's been found.

Thanks, everyone. As you were.

By now you'll all know about Detective Superintendent Buckells.

Earlier, I had a good conversation with Chief Superintendent Khan.

I made it clear that the wrongdoing of one rotten apple

shouldn't be held against MIT officers who have always

and will always carry out our duty with the utmost integrity.

ALL AGREE

Nothing's going to affect our goal -

bringing Gail Vella's murderer to justice.

We do now have to accept that certain leads

may have been overlooked, specifically the possibility

of a burglary accompanying Gail's murder.

Kate. Boss.

There was no sign of a break-in in Gail's home.

No evidence of a disturbance withinside the property.

It would still seem that the killer lay in wait for her that evening.

He recognised her vehicle.

As she stepped out of the driver's side,

he stepped up behind her and discharged the fatal shot.

From examining the original investigation files detected

in DSU Buckells' vehicle, we now know that the keys

to Gail's Peugeot weren't recovered at the scene.

This raises the possibility that the murderer seized the keys,

which also included Gail's house keys,

giving him access to the property.

The murderer acted with great speed, precision

and calmness to carry out a robbery while Gail Vella lay dead.

The fact it was late at night was the only thing that gave him time,

but still only a few minutes.

There was also an armed robbery on the morning of our op that led

to the arrest of Terry Boyle.

Any chance there might be a link?

Let's keep an open mind.

Terry Boyle, is he still our prime suspect, ma'am?

We rule nothing in,

nothing out. Fresh slate.

Once last thing.

To ensure continuity, I've been made Acting Detective Superintendent.

Thanks, everyone.

Boss. Ma'am.

Boss, I'd like to dig a bit more into the firearms used

in the robbery at Hickey's bookie's.

Absolutely.

I'll generate an action so it's recorded.

As I said, fresh slate.

Thanks, boss.

Congratulations on the promotion.

TRAIN RATTLES PAST

Sir?

Kate.

Now, this probationary constable... Ryan Pilkington.

We'll start proceedings against him, we'll pull him out, yeah?

Sir, we don't have much evidence.

Under questioning, he's as cool as you like.

I'd rather keep observing him.

But if he's who we suspect he is,

he could be a really nasty piece of work.

I'm only thinking of your safety, Kate.

Thank you, sir,

but if he's been groomed by an OCG and embedded on the force,

he's linked to the institutional corruption we've been investigating.

We bring him in, we lose that lead.

Grand.

We'll just place him under surveillance.

Sir.

Look, Kate, I really appreciate you doing this. I know it's a bit

of a risk and it's probably not what you want to be doing.

We've got a case to solve, sir. We do. We do, indeed we do.

But you made your choice to move on,

and I know that the disciplinary action against me

was definitely a factor.

It put you and Steve in a really difficult position.

Yeah, I'm not going to lie.

So, I only have myself to blame.

BUZZING Anti-corruption Unit 12 interview

of Detective Superintendent Ian Buckells, in the presence of

his solicitor and Superintendents' Association representative,

by Superintendent Hastings, DI Arnott, and DC Bishop.

You are under arrest for the criminal offence

of Perverting the Course of Justice and therefore have forfeited

your right to be interviewed by an officer at least one rank senior.

You remain under caution.

Document 9 in your folders.

Document 9 is a witness statement provided on November 10th

of this year by Deborah Devereux, as part of Operation Lighthouse.

What's your relationship to Deborah Devereux?

I don't have one.

Really?

DC Bishop.

Document 11 in your folders.

Document 11 is a case report, case number KPS-84746,

submitted at Kingsgate Police Station

on the 13th of November 2012.

Deborah Devereux was arrested

for Assault Occasioning Actual Bodily Harm against a neighbour.

However the neighbour subsequently withdrew the allegation.

The officer handling the case, a DC McIntyre,

believed there had been intimidation directed at the neighbour

and sought the advice of a more senior officer.

Said officer ordered "no further action"

and all proceedings against Ms Devereux were dropped.

Said officer was Detective Superintendent Ian Buckells.

Yeah, look. This is going back yonks.

There'd have been a good reason for dumping that case.

Yeah, there was a good reason, all right.

DI Arnott. As part of our inquiry,

we've been granted access to your communications records.

We detected this contact in your call history from 2012.

On screen, image 33.

Image 33 is a screenshot of the contact named "Debbie RGT".

This number was registered to Deborah Devereux.

We detected other contacts in a similar format -

all female first names followed by initialisms.

Other initialisms include FAF, NA, BJL.

Are you able to explain what they mean, sir?

Er, I-I don't remember.

We examined your communications history with the contact Debbie RGT.

Image 36.

Image 36 is a screenshot of text messages between your number

and the contact named Debbie RGT's number on the 9th of November 2012.

This communication took place four days before proceedings

against Deborah Devereux were discontinued on your order.

Yeah, look...

There might've been a bit of...

It was never going to go anywhere, she was a suspect.

You know, that's never gonna happen.

2020, Deborah Devereux's name comes up again, this time in connection

with Operation Lighthouse. Document 15 in your folders and on screen.

Document 15 is a copy of a transcript from an interview

with Deborah Devereux.

Ms Devereux subsequently took part in a video identification parade

in which she identified Terry Boyle.

This evidence was instrumental in incriminating Terry Boyle

for the murder of Gail Vella.

Look, this was all happening without me.

Chris Lomax did that interview.

Jo Davidson was the SIO.

Yes!

But it was YOUR department!

Further inquiries failed

to corroborate Deborah Devereux's testimony. It was only

when officers began to doubt Ms Devereux's version of events

that her past came to light.

You got her off an assault charge. She owed you.

So then you got her to cook up

this cock-and-bull story about poor wee Terry Boyle.

No, I haven't seen Debbie since back when I was working Kingsgate.

Where's the evidence of me being in touch with her

about this statement, eh? You tell me that.

While we've detected no recent communications between you

via these devices, contact via other means hasn't been excluded.

Furthermore, we've established your failure

to declare a notifiable association with the witness

and serious concerns regarding her trustworthiness.

I'm being victimised here.

You are being investigated, Detective Superintendent,

investigated without fear or favour.

DC Bishop.

Document 3 in your folders and on screen.

Document 3 is a timeline constructed

by AC-12 from Operation Lighthouse files,

lawfully seized on the 4th of November 2020,

of events taking place from the night of 26th of October