Line of Duty

Operation Lighthouse, re the unsolved murder of Gail Vella

on September 10th, 2019.

The name we've been given is Ross Turner.

Enter the property.

5-3, DP for custody transfer, bringing suspect out now.

Interview of Terry Boyle by Detective Chief Inspector Davidson.

Mr Boyle, did you shoot Gail Vella?

Did anyone see that?

Armed police! Drop your weapons! Drop your weapons!

A significant number of other fingerprints

match an individual identified by the Police National Computer

as Carl Banks.

Carl Banks has an extensive history of violence,

including firearms offences.

The person who made me see that there was another way

to be a useful member of society was a police officer.

He's the reason why I wanted to become a police officer too.

To help people.

I can't share any details, but we might be looking into Vella.

Great, so either I'm accused of being a traitor

or I become one to avoid being accused.

We really can't be sure

about the loyalty of some of these people.

They could banjax the whole thing.

I sent a photo to the handler.

He confirms it's the CHIS.

You're not suggesting Davidson was involved?

You have no idea what she's capable of.

It's over. How come I've never met your family? I don't have one.

I've released him without charge.

No way am I going after someone like Terry Boyle

because he's the easy way out.

Is everything OK?

I should, um... Yeah.

Good morning.

Sir.

Thank you, as you were, as you were.

I have authorised an official AC-12 inquiry into Operation Lighthouse.

Gail Vella's murder is this force's highest-profile investigation.

It will be our job to detect

whether police misconduct and/or corruption

has contributed to this murder remaining unsolved.

DS Arnott. Sir.

SIO on Lighthouse is Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Davidson.

No MIT officers are aware AC-12 is scrutinising Lighthouse.

All information we've harvested so far has been acquired

from a source on the Hill known as Officer J.

..to our inquiry.

The CHIS's name was Alastair Oldroyd, age 22.

Oldroyd was in a pub on the night of October 26th

and the person calling himself Ross Turner

gave Oldroyd homophobic abuse.

Turner intimidated Oldroyd

by allegedly boasting of involvement in Gail Vella's murder.

Sorry, sir. Have you got a sec? Come in.

You don't need me to tell you

we need a witness to this meeting between Oldroyd and Turner

to identify whether it was Boyle or Banks.

Unfortunately, the CHIS lied about the name of the pub.

Handler believes he was protecting friends who trade drugs there.

We're checking out establishments

in the vicinity of Beechwood House for CCTV,

plus local authority cameras in the area,

just in the hope of identifying Oldroyd, Banks or Boyle

on the night of the 26th.

Cheers, Chris. Crack on. Boss. Thanks. Ma'am.

Boss, obviously we've got to consider

whether Oldroyd's death was suicide or murder.

Hence we're investigating it.

Yeah, I'm not saying anything you don't already know, boss,

but if it was murder, then it raises the question

that someone knew Oldroyd had info on Gail Vella's death.

I know. I hate to say it, Kate,

but one thing I've learned over the years -

the fewer coppers in the loop, the better.

KNOCK AT WINDOW

What's going on with Farida Jatri?

I was about to ask the same, sir.

She's just handed in a transfer request.

Personal reasons.

She's an experienced PS.

We're at a crucial phase of Vella.

In confidence, sir, I've noticed some issues with PS Jatri.

What kind of issues?

I don't want to say anything that might come back to haunt us.

Last thing you need is a tribunal.

What?

I'll draft a glowing reference,

and she'll be some other station's problem.

You're a life-saver.

Yeah.

Sir. What have you got? Sir, the team have managed

to pull some Gail Vella reports from our archive.

Obviously, they all relate to cases involving AC-12.

Chief Inspector Osbourne!

Chief Inspector Osbourne!

I take pride in the courage and professionalism

of my counterterrorism officers. To say any more

risks prejudicing the inquest. Thank you.

Chief Inspector!

Official police statements record

counter-terrorism officers shouted, "Armed police"

and ordered Mr Ali to surrender.

Mr Ali's widow, Aaliyah, insists there was no warning,

no chance to surrender

before her husband was gunned down by a hail of bullets.

They lied through their teeth,

every single one of them, except you, Steve.

I mean, talk about an outrage.

A commanding officer made chief.

If that had happened on my patch... Jesus.

Next one, Chloe.

NEW VIDEO PLAYS

PROTESTERS SHOUT

A jury found retired Chief Superintendent Patrick Fairbank

guilty of all charges.

What that jury didn't hear, and only now am I allowed to report,

are allegations Patrick Fairbank suppressed police investigations

into child sexual exploitation

that transcended local political figures

such as Councillor Dale Roach.

It's now a matter of public record

that Jimmy Savile cultivated relationships

with senior police officers.

Savile exploited those relationships

to intimidate anyone attempting to investigate his offending.

We now realise what Savile was getting

out of those relationships with senior police officers.

What remains unknown and uninvestigated

is what those officers were getting

out of their relationship with Savile.

Gail Vella, reporting from Queen Elizabeth Law Courts.

So Gail Vella drew attention to alleged links

between organised crime, politicians and senior police officers.

And these are just the reports we found in our own archive.

Wee girl killed in cold blood...

..and her killer free as a bird.

Thank you, Chloe. Sir.

Cheers, Chloe. Sarge.

Gaffer, it can't be a coincidence

Carl Banks was a violent offender involved with organised crime.

Yeah, but if your man pulled the trigger,

that means he's a gun for hire.

That order came from higher up.

But the question still remains,

what is the motive for Gail Vella's murder?

All right, she's a controversial journalist. I'll give you that.

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.

PHONE RINGS

Superintendent Hastings.

Thanks, Steve. Thanks.

Sir.

Yeah, I'll be right down.

Steph, what are you doing here?

You promised you'd call me back. It's HMRC.

Not here, not here, let's go somewhere private.

Tea, coffee? No, we're fine. Thanks, though.

Cool. So, have a seat.

Cheers. How can I help you?

I would like to ask you some questions about Gail Vella.

You were working with her closely at the time of her death.

Detectives interviewed me a few days after.

Our department is conducting further inquiries.

Yeah, I was her producer for a couple of years.

Well, one line of inquiry is she fell victim to an obsessed fan.

Do you recall any individuals that gave Gail cause for concern?

Female journalists get the worst of it,

from accusations of bias to threats of sexual violence.

Everything was reported at the time to our security or to the police.

You say Miss Vella received threats as a result of her reporting.

Were there any particularly controversial reports?

Maybe I should just show you.

The Deputy Chief Constable and I are pleased to report

that Operation Pear Tree has completed a thorough investigation

into institutionalised complicity

between organised criminals and corrupt police officers.

Its robust findings couldn't be clearer.

There is no institutionalised corruption in this police force.

Operation Pear Tree, the inquiry described

as the most thorough ever undertaken into police corruption,

is now officially closed.

Some will wonder why this news is being announced

over a holiday weekend.

Cynics might conclude the Police and Crime Commissioner

would prefer his statement isn't examined too closely.

Perhaps Mr Sindwhani has learned the secret to high office

appears no longer to reside in revealing the deepest truths,

but in telling the most attractive lies.

Gail Vella reporting...

I had to cut that from the broadcast version.

This is unbroadcast material? It would never have been released?

Not in this form, no.

She'd seen the success of a podcast about police corruption

surrounding the murder of a private detective, Daniel Morgan.

The material Gail couldn't get on air,

she was funnelling into a podcast serial of her own.

Where can we access this podcast?

It never got that far. Gail must not have finished it.