Silent Witness

You OK?

It's all right to feel afraid.

It's all right to feel anything.

I'm here for you.

I see it's catching, my paranoia.

You're safe, Paul. Trust me.

We talked about pushing yourself,

getting back out there from the start.

You're so sure about this, aren't you?

Yeah, we are.

Only takes one person to recognise me and I'm screwed.

Doesn't mean you can go on holiday.

Paul's got a future.

Paul can have the life he wants.

Why are you smiling? You.

All those years,

"Tell the truth.

"Face the truth."

Now you're teaching me to lie.

It's just me.

You can't be here.

What do you think you're doing?

Hmm?

Why don't you answer the phone?

You're a mess, you need help.

You said you'd help me out.

I ain't doing that again.

You want people here knowing what you did?

I'd never, I'd never!

Please, help me.

Please. You said you'd get me the drugs.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry!

Thanks.

Superintendent Clive Mitchell.

Lyell Centre, Nikki Alexander, Jack Hodgson. DI Snow.

Not often we're met by the Super. Not often we get one like this.

David Sellars, 31.

Multiple wounds to the torso, forearms, hands, neck.

Forehead and scalp also.

Is there a weapon?

No.

Time of death most likely 7.45 yesterday evening.

That was fast.

Huh. We'll verify, but with wounds like this,

attack and death won't be very far apart.

It is odd, though.

What's odd?

There should be way more blood. Excuse me.

Someone's tried to clean up.

Is this his place?

Tenant. Let's owned by the probation service,

they've got several units on this estate.

How long has he been out of prison? Six months. What was he in for?

He did 12 years...

..for killing his mother.

The kid who used to dream is still in here,

but I just stopped believing it.

Cocaine,

vodka, cash,

being the man,

being feared.

Took a long time to learn it's OK to be afraid.

Being in that club...

..watching my girl get hit on,

those two touching her when she never wanted it...

I chose what happened next.

I chose to follow them into that car park.

I could've walked away...

..but I took a baseball bat...

..and I ended their lives,

ruined so many others.

You never pay back what you did, never goes away.

Only evil is to admit nothing, deny.

No-one here's doing that.

Everyone here has taken a life,

so a life licence gives you the chance of a new beginning.

I believe that earns you the right to dream again.

It worked for me.

Watch that one, though.

She'll do your head in.

All right, mate, cheers. That was really helpful, thank you.

Nice one, mate.

Cheers.

Don't make me do that again. First time back is tough.

Problem share's a pain in the arse, didn't you teach me that?

It's always good that they hear it from someone who's been through

the system. You were brave, we were listening.

Maybe I should branch out - kids' parties, weddings.

Erm...

Well, I ain't going to light it.

You've been a good support to Ben, and really positive.

He's done all the hard work. With your help.

Excuse me.

Sasha Blackburn, Origins Centre.

Yes.

I'll be there.

Sasha?

It's David.

60 plus narrow stab wounds to the torso, neck, face.

Further incised wounds to the palms and arms.

He was probably struggling to defend himself for most of the attack.

Wound orientation and grouping suggests a rapid assault.

Slim blade, probably a knife.

Single edge, non-serrated.

Both forearms show multiple keloid scars.

Mm, some of the worst I've seen.

Some of them are still healing, suggestion of prolonged self-harm.

Or abuse. Mm.

Also evidence of heat damage to the dermis.

It's branding.

David marked himself every year, his mother's birthday.

This is Dr Blackburn, forensic psych attached to the Origins Centre,

the lifers' rehab unit Sellars attended.

His feet are abraded and lacerated.

David suffered from schizoaffective disorder.

During bad episodes he'd often go barefoot, hallucinate.

Was he in the middle of a psychotic episode? He wasn't stable.

The last few weeks, I'd been seeing him regularly.

I was pushing for a hospital stay.

There's a callous on his lower shin. Did he wear an ankle tag?

He didn't have one on?

He must have taken it off.

He had consented to GPS monitoring.

Some prefer that to daily signings or police visits.

Can we get that data, please? Yeah.

Nikki...

have you ever seen that before?

No.

Small intestine, it's the wrong colour. It's bright purple.

I was a prep cook at a university.

It was a big kitchen, like a canteen, erm, for students.

Can you use a fry tank?

What? No, I did breakfasts, mostly.

Worked on the cruise ships two years. Where did that take you?

The Mediterranean.

Catch anything I should know about?

I'm winding you up.

We use a candidate verify service.

Background checks.

You're alone with a till.

Unless you're an armed robber, you'll be fine.

You Mill Wall or The Addicks?

A South London boy, not into your football?

2003, David Sellars was sentenced to life for the murder

of Mary Sellars, his mother.

Judge set minimum term of ten years, Sellars served 12.

So there were problems inside.

He started off in secure hospitals.

When medication stabilised him, he improved.

Moved to prison, where I helped with his rehab.

He struggled but tried really hard.

He was released on licence last year.

David stabbed his mother with a fire poker which he heated first, yeah?

Correct.

How did you find him?

Regarding his offence?

Yeah.

Remorseful, lucid.

On medication, David was capable of objectivity, good judgment.

His psychometric scores improved year on year.

I had no evidence not to recommend him for release.

And what was behind his recent relapse? It's difficult to say.

Just stopped communicating.

Main reason I was considering the section order.

Without meds, people with schizophrenia can become unstable.

On rare occasions, violent.

But they're all extremely vulnerable.

Right, no weapon yet but the clean-up job seems odd.

Frenzied attack, the killer sticks around to mop up

and has the presence of mind to dispose of the cleaning gear.

We're doing a deep search for the murder weapon.

We need to widen the net for DNA. I'm on it next.

Swabs from all the residents.

Interesting career choice,

spend your day with the most violent men in the country.

Whereas our job's entirely free of unresolved personal issues(!)

So, purple intestine's calling me.

Thomas.

All right?

He was attacked in his flat.

I know you were close in Redhill.

I'm sorry.

They know who done it?

Not yet.

Where are they burying him?

It don't matter, does it? No-one will be there.

I won't be there, will I?

We used to joke who'd have the emptiest church, him or me.

I'll be there. Yeah, you don't give up on anyone.

Look, I know it's really hard, but you have to focus on your progress.

I am. I spoke to the agency and they said

that you walked out of your job interview.

He smelt me out.

He knew it was bullshit, it's all bullshit. Paul. Paul!

You don't get it!

The things we've done, they don't go away.

No, we just run from it.

Four o'clock, Marcus.

Always better the prison governor's on side.

We can move that one there. That one, yes, that'd be...