Janet King

The death of Steve Blakely's wife has shocked the state,

and the burning question is, were his actions deliberate or accidental?

Observers in the packed courtroom were surprised

by several heated exchanges

between the Coroner and a clearly distressed Blakely,

who refused to concede it was an act of mercy.

Experts from each side took a backseat as the arguments...

Many Blakely critics say the criminal justice system

will treat a high-ranking police officer more leniently

than an ordinary citizen.

Nonetheless, amid demands for his immediate dismissal,

Assistant Commissioner Steven Blakely remains on leave

until the Coroner's findings are published.

But this is a scandal the government would like to end quickly,

and one of the most highly respected investigators in the State

may soon find his career in tatters.

Janet! Are you sure it's in here? I can't see it.

- It must be in there somewhere. - Are you sure?

What do you do with your phone in here, anyway?

Don't know. I was cleaning up...

There's your ride. Ah, there it is.

I'll sort all this. Go, go!

Good-luck talisman? They'll still be here tonight.

I have to go.

Be a grown up.

Yes. You do.

Now. Right, yes. OK.

Got all your court stuff? Yes.

Hey.

Sorry about the short notice. That's alright.

Been a while since I've worn anything except trackies.

You look fabulous, after a year with the bubs.

Janet! Wait! Forgot something. I thought I had that.

It was on the floor. A little hand must have gone exploring.

Did someone want to try on Mummy's curly hair, did they?

Who was that, I wonder? Come on, 'fess up.

Come here, sweetheart. Want to come here?

One final goodbye, I guess.

Um, we should really... Yeah, alright.

Go to Mama.

Hope it goes well. Text me with updates, yeah?

Of course we will. Bye-bye. Bye. Bye.

Bye.

So, whose case am I taking over? Ah, Geoff Green.

He called in this morning with whooping cough.

How long are we adjourning for? Um, we're not.

Directions hearing? Nope. First day of the trial.

I'm starting a trial with no preparation?

It's pretty straightforward.

Nothing's straightforward. Not in my life. Not anymore.

What's he like? Who?

The accused, Alex Moreno. Average. Normal.

Normal? He was grooming a 13-year-old girl for sex.

There's nothing normal about that.

13. God.

We'll be fine. You should meet Caroline.

Hi. Hey, Erin.

Detective Caroline Martin, Janet King.

You're the new Geoff. That's me.

So we're going ahead, no more delaying?

Nope. Good.

Been after this bastard for years.

So when you first joined that chat room, you...

..you knew who you were targetting?

Absolutely.

And in the chat room, Constable Martin,

did you post many messages yourself?

One or two,

mainly just agreeing with something one of the others had said.

They were pretty short. So nothing directly to Mr Moreno?

No question or invitation? No.

Why not?

Well, groomers are looking for vulnerability.

You want to appear shy and innocent, so I logged on as 'Sophie'..

With the profile of a 13-year-old? Objection.

I'm aware that you've been changing nappies for the last year,

Madam Crown, but certain rules of advocacy,

such as not leading the witness, are still part of the Evidence Act.

Yes, Your Honour. I withdraw the question.

Uh, Constable Martin, when you logged on as Sophie,

what information about her was available

to the other people in the chat room?

They thought that she was a 13-year-old schoolgirl.

And then? I waited.

Just waited?

The quieter you are, the more attractive a target.

I did nothing and he made contact.

And all subsequent communication between Sophie and Mr Moreno

is the full transcript in Exhibit A, Your Honour, which I tender...

Yes, which you have already tendered, yes.

I haven't forgotten. I still have all my faculties.

I have no further questions, Your Honour.

Mr Bernard? No further questions.

You're excused, Constable Martin.

Your Honour, if the court pleases...

The court is rather peckish, in fact, Mr Bernard.

What say you put your no-case submission,

if that's what it is, after lunch?

Actually, I will be asking the court's permission

to call a witness after lunch, Your Honour.

Really? Rather late in the day for that piece of news, isn't it?

I want to call the defendant, Mr Moreno.

Very well.

Your Honour, my learned colleague cannot spring a witness on us

without proper notice.

It is the accused, Madam Crown.

It's hardly pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

We'll break for lunch and resume at two.

All rise.

Did we have any idea about this? What did he tell the police?

When we first dragged him in, he was on about being an artist.

That was his excuse.

Says he was making a photographic record of the journey

between innocence to maturity, or some crap like that.

But then his lawyer turned up, told him to put a sock in it.

In the circumstances, if you want my opinion,

that's the line they'll run with.

Ha-hey, welcome back! Thank you, Richard.

Great office. I'll miss it. Nice to be on the same team, at last.

Owen Mitchell. Janet King.

Hey, Tony wants a word. You got a couple of minutes?

Mm. Take care of that?

Sorry. Apparently I have to run.

Chief Superintendent... Jack Rizzoli. Erin introduced us.

What is he? What, you mean nationality?

Sexual orientation? I mean, what squad? Fraud, Vice?

Was boss of the Intel Directorate.

Now Acting Head of State Crime Command.

Got the nod when Steven Blakely stepped down.

You heard about Blakely? This morning.

Shit! I need to express.

Moreno could claim he and Sophie never even met.

Doesn't matter. As long as he incited a minor to commit a sexual act,

that's all we have to prove. Did he?

He sent her a text telling her to masturbate before the photo shoot.

Conclusive. Can he say it wasn't him

who sent the text? There was a call from the same phone

to his wife 20 seconds later. Good.

If he's saying he's an artist, he might claim

he was trying to encourage his model

to have a greater sense of adult confidence.

So he wasn't seeking any gratification at all?

'No, Your Honour, I was trying to relax a nervous subject

before an artistic endeavour.' You still sent the text.

I was only trying to get the best photo.

It was all for art.' It's still no defence.

Did he send the text? Yes. Is masturbation a sexual act? Yes.

He can rave about art till he's blue in the face,

but the fact is, that is all we need. What are you staring at?

Um, is that OK? It's just a bit watery.

Yes, that's because I am not, in fact, a cow.

The Coroner's report just landed. He's recommended charges.

Against Steve?

Under that new legislation, assisted suicide.

Shit.

'Course, you don't have to accept his recommendations.

Imagine how that'd look. It won't look good either way.

Arrest him, you're betraying a friend and role model.

Don't arrest him, you're protecting a mate.

Is this helping? Eh, don't suppose it is, really, is it?

What a bloody joke!

Do they realise what this man's done for this State?

His wife was dying, for God's sake! And they really want him charged?

Although if we do charge him,

doesn't mean that you have to agree to proceed, does it?

Helping our new-found friends in Crime Command is one thing,

but let's see the brief before we start assessing our options.

Nonetheless, it is an option, theoretically.

Theoretically, but we're both accountable here.

Neither of us think a man like Steve Blakely should end up in jail, do we?

We both can agree on that.

Well, I don't THINK he should, no.

But we can't rort the system just to get a particular outcome.

Did I say 'rort'? I didn't say 'rort'.

Why don't we just leave it to a jury and let it run?

- I'd do it. - You'd prosecute Blakely?

I handled assisted suicide matters last year, I know the case law.

It's one of the rare times you can do your job as a prosecutor

and not call for the defendant's blood.

Yes, the law was broken, but it was a dying wish and all for love.

We get the right judge and everything is sweet.

I mean, he'll get a bond, but that's the end of it.

No need for any real punishment. Works for all of us, doesn't it?

Can you state your full name for the court, please?

Alexander Moreno.

Mr Moreno, you are charged with inciting a minor

to commit a sexual act.

Yes.

Did you? No.

And why can you say that? Because I knew she was an adult.

Right from the beginning? Yes.

Thank you.

How are we going, Madam Crown?

Any questions for the witness? Yes, Your Honour.

Would you care to share them with us?

Yes, Your Honour. I just... ahem.

Mr Moreno, when you were online on the... on the 27th,

and Sophie first joined the chat room,