Criminal Justice

Juliet Miller, I'm charging you with the attempted murder of your husband.

This is not some spontaneous domestic, it's a proper, planned shot at murder.

Tell me Juliet Miller isn't an abused woman.

What does Jack say he did to you?

He raped me.

No bruising, no tearing, no abrasions.

- Oh, so no rape? - But there is a baby.

Bingo.

We're in trouble.

We really, badly want to help you,

but we can't do it unless you start talking to us.

On a scale of one to ten,

where would you put the pain you feel about what's happened?

12.

Joe said something in hospital before he lost consciousness. Your name.

Why that?

There is something, isn't there?

Oi, grass.

It's your husband.

I'm afraid he's dead.

Anna. It's a murder now.

Is Jack coming?

This isn't about the criminal proceedings.

I'm here at the request of the Local Authority.

- Why? - To make an assessment.

Is this about the baby?

Can you...? Do you mind if you don't do that?

What's that?

Those...

I don't mind a conversation, but silence is...

You should drink your tea.

What are you worried about?

The woman who brought the tea?

Do you think she wants to hurt you?

She's poisoned it?

Is that what you think?

Tell me about Ella.

I love her.

She's my daughter.

How do you think she feels about what's happened?

She doesn't want to see me.

She's angry with me.

I think that will change.

Come on. Let's go for lunch.

Hello.

Where is everyone?

The Governor's packet of Maltesers melted.

I don't understand.

It's 35 degrees in here and only 33 outside.

He decided it would be best for the whole prison to have a picnic.

They'll be back in ten minutes.

Leave me alone.

I've seen you looking at me.

Help.

Oh, Go... Help me!

You're fully dilated. She's ready to have this baby.

We're going to take a statement from you now,

which is basically me asking you questions and you answering them.

Then that gets written up to make it read

like you're actually saying it without me here at all.

Then later your evidence will be filmed

and that's what the jury will see.

Then at the trial, you'll be cross examined...

- By Mum. - By a barrister.

Mum's barrister.

You won't be in the witness box.

You'll be in a special room. The jury will be able to see you...

Does it have to be like that?

- What do you mean? - She means...

can she do it all live

in the witness box?

- You're 13 years old. - He's my dad.

You'll be shown round the court before the trial begins and...

we could probably arrange for you to meet the judge...

which would help. Wouldn't it, Flo?

You're so good at this.

- Hello. - What do you want?

- Why are you here? - To see you and the baby.

Is that all?

I would have been here for the birth if you'd given us some notice.

Ella came out quickly too.

She was born at home. Joe...

Joe was there.

Will you ask Ella to come and see her baby sister?

I'll ask her.

Thank you.

We're finding you a place on a mother and baby unit.

You have to go in front of a board to decide if you're suitable.

What would not be suitable?

History of drug use, disruptive behaviour...

You'll be fine.

All right!

I'm going to take you through step by step everything that happened.

But you don't have to do it like that, if you don't want.

We can start wherever you like.

Like where?

You could tell us about your dad.

What kind of a father he was.

How much you miss him.

They won't let her do it.

- No, I think they will. - It's not up to us. Or her.

I think a psych will say that she's Gillick-competent.

What?

It's the name they give when they decide whether a child can go live in the box.

What are you? A lawyer all of a sudden?

I looked it up.

I know what you're doing. You're grooming her.

Don't use that word.

Helping her to stay angry so that she puts on a good show for the jury.

- Grooming. - You think she's actually like that?

All very calm and together having really quite recently

watched her mother murder her father with a kitchen knife?

Would that be the real Ella Miller, in there, would it, Flo?

Hello.

OK, thanks.

- No places. - What about Styal?

- Full. - She's three hours old.

It's not a good idea, in our job, to get in too close.

That used to be the whole point.

It's in the best interests of babies to be with their mothers.

You're shouting too much, Norma.

We're in the same building, you and me.

Why don't you take a little time to reflect on your performance?

- What did you say to me? - You heard.

Fresh feet...

clear brain.

You've kept all this...

And his name on the board outside.

The thing about him being dead is

that a tiny part of me thinks it isn't true.

Tell me about his lists.

Race times,

broken down into 5K splits for every race he ran.

Joe Miller the obsessive. That'd be a line to take if I were defence counsel.

We're all trainspotters, ain't we? We love facts and league tables.

Did you see much of him in court?

He could really do people over.

I don't think anyone he cross examined was ever the same again.

Even top class villains.

You don't mind telling me things which might work against Joe?

It all gets one dimensional when it goes to trial.

You and me, we can have a proper conversation about him.

I miss him too much not to talk about him properly.

How would you describe your relationship?

I loved him.

- What does that mean? - I had faith in him.

What about Joe at home?

My honest opinion?

He was a saint.

You know what worries me?

What she'll pull at the trial.

Juliet the victim.

And how much do we love a victim?

I'm scared she'll get off, Mr Faber.

Were you at the Miller house a lot?

No. She didn't like people there.

- Who told you that? - He did.

How do you know he was a saint if you were never there?

I know everything about everyone,

or I am nothing.

How is she?

Better. She's... quieter.

You should be careful with that.

What do you mean?

Ella's anaesthetising herself. Underneath she's screaming.

Isn't that a bit oversimplified?

It's very common for foster families to encourage quietness

because it makes life easier for them. They often don't know they're doing it.

What are we supposed to do? Shake her up?

- Force her to be unhappy? - Keep talking.

Is this why I'm here?

Juliet's had her baby.

Great. Good.

Is she all right?

A girl.

In case you were wondering.

It doesn't sound like Ella.

It's a witness statement.

They make everyone sound like police officers.

Has Ella ever "proceeded down the stairs" in her life?

Never.

It must have been so hard for her having a depressed mum.

Or to put it another way it was hard for her having a father who

made her mother feel depressed...

isolated...

small.

Is that unfair?

Joe's dead.

He's not in charge any more.

You are.

And you've got responsibilities.

Because Joe is dead,

our options are different.

If you were to tell me that

I'm right...

the way he behaved made you feel

isolated, depressed...

then the jury would have to consider

whether you'd been provoked

into doing what you did.