UK Television: Law & Order: UK, Currently Airing New Episodes

New episodes of Law & Order:  UK have started!  As the shows have already aired in Canada, posts for each of the six episodes to finish up series two are already on the blog.

You can find each of the posts at the following links:

Help:  http://wiggspotpourri.blogspot.com/2011/02/uk-television-law-order-uk-episode-45.html

Denial: http://wiggspotpourri.blogspot.com/2011/01/uk-television-law-order-uk-episode-42.html

I.D.:  http://wiggspotpourri.blogspot.com/2010/12/uk-television-law-order-uk-episode-41.html

Shaken:  http://wiggspotpourri.blogspot.com/2011/01/uk-television-law-order-uk-episode-43.html

Duty of Care:  http://wiggspotpourri.blogspot.com/2011/02/uk-television-law-order-uk-episode-44.html

Skeletons:  http://wiggspotpourri.blogspot.com/2011/02/uk-television-law-order-uk-episode-46.html

You can find every other post related to Law & Order:  UK either by clicking on the entry for the show in the "Categories" list on the left-hand side of the blog or by visiting the "Television Shows" page in the "Pages of Note" section on the left-hand side.

UK Television: Law & Order: UK, Episodes 1.1-1.13

Season 1, Episode 1, Care
Care, Original Air Date, February 5, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Cradle to Grave", Season 2, Episode 18 (31st March, 1992)
A suspicious bag is found in a hospital car park leading to the evacuation of the hospital out of fear the bag contains a bomb.  Once opened, the contents of the bag are much more disturbing and horrifying:  the body of a dead baby.  The investigation leads to a near-empty apartment building with sub-standard safety and unscrupulous owners wanting to renovate.  Could the want of money have led to the baby's death?

Season 1, Episode 2, Unloved
Unloved, Original Air Date, March 2, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Born Bad", Season 4, Episode 9 (16th November, 1993)
The body of a teenage boy is found not far from a homeless shelter.  Brooks and Devlin's investigation take them to a a troubled mum struggling to overcome her addictions so she can be reunited with her son.  The investigation takes a shocking turn when evidence points to the foster home the young boy was placed in and an even more shocking turn when two surprising suspects come to light.

Season 1, Episode 3, Vice
Vice, Original Air Date, March 9, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Working Mom", Season 7, Episode 14 (26th February, 1997)
Two young thieves breaking into a car lead to the discovery of the body of a man in the back of the car.  The investigation becomes personal when it's learned the dead man is a policeman.  The trail of evidence leads to a mysterious business called "Velvet Holdings" which leads to something even bigger.

Season 1, Episode 4, Unsafe
Unsafe, Original Air Date, March 16, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "American Dreams", Season 4, Episode 8 (9th November, 1993)
A treasure hunter with a metal detector finds the body of a mostly decomposed man and evidence points to him having been assassinated.  A watch found with the body leads them to David Ackroyd, a man who's murderer has already been tried and convicted by James Steel despite the absence of a body.  New evidence threatens to help a convicted murder secure release from prison.

Season 1, Episode 5, Buried
Buried, Original Air Date, March 23, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "In Memory Of", Season 2, Episode 7 (5th November, 1991)
Renovations lead to the discovery of an eight-year-old child's skeleton bricked into a basement wall.  A badge with the skeleton gives evidence the skeleton has been in the wall over twenty years.  An old case is reopened and the former witnesses and suspects are tracked down and re-interviewed.  The investigation warrants delving into the repressed memory of a witness to get to the truth.

Season 1, Episode 6, Paradise
Paradise, Original Air Date, March 30, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Heaven", Season 2, Episode 10 (26th November, 1991)
An arson at a club causes the death of seventeen and the injuries of forty more.  The fire is declared a major incident due to the nature and severity of the crime.  The trail leads to a man who still has traces of evidence of the arson embedded in his leg.  To prosecute the crime, the evidence must be extracted, but can Steel force the issue since the suspect refuses medical treatment?

Season 1, Episode 7, Alesha
Alesha, Original Air Date, April 6, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Helpless", Season 3, Episode 6 (4th November, 1992)
Alesha is assaulted during a gynecological exam and when she confronts the doctor he suggests she return for cancer tests.  She reports the assault to Chandler, Brooks and Devlin and an investigation begins of the doctor.  Despite evidence that the "good" doctor has a lot of very bad habits, the police cannot make a case and Steel agrees.  Alesha goes for a second appointment with the doctor, who gives her something to drink, and declines the nurse to stay during the exam.  This time, the doctor rapes her.  Is the case cut and dried or will the doctor escape prosecution on a technicality?

Season 2, Episode 1, Samaritan
Samaritan, Original Air Date, July 30, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Manhood", Season 3, Episode 21 (12th May, 1993)
A police officer is shot and his dying moments are captured on 999 tape.  Backup that was ordered did not arrive on time.  Was the young officer purposely abandoned by his colleagues because of his sexual orientation or was the lack of backup merely a mistake in hearing the dispatcher's directions?

Season 2, Episode 2, Hidden
Hidden, Original Air Date, August 6, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Bitter Fruit", Season 6, Episode 1 (20th September, 1995)
A little girl has been missing for a week and her father is arrested for her disappearance.  When her body is found amidst a pile of junk while the father is in jail the police know he is innocent.  A career criminal is charged for the murder and when he is released on bail the girl's mum stabs and kills him in front of the courthouse.  The police and CPS are now faced with having to arrest and prosecute her for the murder of her daughters killer.

Season 2, Episode 3, Community Service
Community Service, Original Air Date, August 13, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Volunteers", Season 4, Episode 2 (29th September, 1993)
A homeless man is savagely beaten.  His friends and family paint a picture of a man with severe issues who fell through the system and didn't get the help he needed.  Residents of the neighborhood where the man lived paint a vastly different picture of a violent individual who frightened them.  What is the truth and could it have been one of the law-abiding and frightening residents who savagely beat the homeless man nearly to death?

Season 2, Episode 4, Sacrifice
Sacrifice, Original Air Date, August 20, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Sonata for Solo Organ", Season 1, Episode 21 (2nd April, 1991)
A bloodied man is found in the woods and, once he's taken to hospital, it is learned his kidney was stolen.  Was it a random attack, the work of someone sinister or a calculated and planned plan to steal his kidney?

Season 2, Episode 5, Love and Loss
Love and Loss, Original Air Date, August 27, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Consultation", Season 3, Episode 10 (9th December, 1992)
An eighteen-year-old girl dies after swallowing seventy heroin filled condoms and one of them ruptured.  Why a seemingly clean-cut British girl from a good family was involved with heroin trafficking is a mystery.  The investigation takes a surprising turn when it is learned the girl was secretly seeing a close family friend with a secret second job.  The prosecutions case is threatened when a star witness changes his story during testimony.

Season 2, Episode 6, Honor Bound
Honor Bound, Original Air Date, September 3, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Corruption", Season 7, Episode 5 (30th October, 1996)
A sting operation involving Brooks and Devlin and D.S. Jimmy Valentine, an old friend of Brooks', goes horribly wrong when the suspect ends up dead.  The DPS rules the shooting clean but Devlin cannot let it go.  He finds information implicating D.S. Valentine in illegal activities.  Will Devlin's investigation destroy he and Brooks' friendship or, even worse, place Brooks in danger?

For more information:Law & Order:  UK ITV1 Official Site:  http://www.itv.com/drama/copsandcrime/lawandorder/
Internet Movie Database:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166893/
TV Rage:  http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-18198

UK Television: Law & Order: UK, Introduction

For the past twenty years Law & Order has been one of the biggest and most successful franchises in television history.  The original Law & Order series began on NBC on September 13, 1990 and spawned two popular spin-off's:  Law & Order:  Special Victims Unit (SVU) and Law & Order:  Criminal Intent (CI).  A short-lived summer series, Crime & Punishment, a focus on real cases and real trials, aired in 2002.  In 2005, a one-season series, Law & Order:  Trial By Jury brought the wildly popular Lennie Briscoe character briefly back to television following his departure from the original series.  A new series, Law & Order:  Los Angeles premiered in 2010 after the cancellation of the original series. 

The story lines of Law & Order made the phrase "ripped from the headlines" common television vernacular, the ever-evolving cast kept the series fresh and gave us favorites such as Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Mike Logan (Chris Noth).  The flagship of the Law & Order franchise is gone now (and Criminal Intent is soon to be gone as well) but Law & Order:  Special Victims Unit and Law & Order:  Los Angeles remain to keep the franchise alive in North America and around the world.

Because of the popularity of Law & Order it wasn't any surprise when Law & Order:  UK debuted on the British television network ITV1 on February 5, 2009.  The series was created by the same man who brought the original series to North America, Dick Wolf.  Andrew Woodhead, Jane Featherstone, Stephen Garrett, Dick Wolf and Chris Chinball serve as executive producers with Richard Stokes and Terry Cafolla serving as producer and co-producer, respectively.

Law & Order:  UK is twenty-six episodes into its run.  In the United Kingdom, the show is officially in season two.  A full UK season comprises thirteen, one-hour episodes.  The first seven air, then, a few months later, the final six air.  In Canada, the series has officially finished season four.  There aren't any more episodes to a North American season, they simply air differently:
North American Season One:  UK episodes 1.1-1.7
North American Season Two:  UK episodes 1.8-1.13
North American Season Three:  UK Episodes 2.1-2.7
North American Season Four:  UK Episodes 2.8-2.13  (these six episodes have aired in Canada but have yet to air in the UK)

The characters on Law & Order:  UK are as colorful, intriguing and compelling as their North American counterparts.

Detective Sergeant Ronnie Brooks (Bradley Walsh) is a smart and tough seasoned detective with a sense of humor and passion for food.  Ronnie Brooks almost always has something to eat either in his hands, at his desk or on order.  He's always joking about the "next ex-Mrs. Brooks".  Ronnie is compassionate to those left behind after the loss of a loved one.  He gives his partner, Matt Devlin the benefit of the knowledge he's gained throughout his career.

Detective Sergeant Matt Devlin (Jamie Bamber) starts out as a relative newcomer to the sort of investigations he works with D.S. Ronnie Brooks.  Using his partners guidance, Devlin never makes the same mistake twice and quickly learns how to avoid making them in the first place.  Matt is handsome and a charmer and his good looks and charm sometimes come in quite handy in getting witnesses to talk.

Detective Inspector Natalie Chandler (Harriet Walter) takes nothing from no one including her detectives, the lawyers or the press.  She's seen almost everything but there are still some things that can shock even her. 

Senior Crown Prosecutor James Steel (Ben Daniels) is tough and takes nothing from no one.  He wants justice almost at any cost.  He will manipulate the system in order to make sure an offender is put behind bars, however, he holds a strong love of the law and never breaks it, merely bends it to do what is right.  (Sadly, James Steel will no longer be in Law & Order:  UK.  Ben Daniels has moved on to other projects and will be replaced by Dominic Rowan.)

Junior Crown Prosecutor Alesha Phillips (Freema Agyeman) is soft spoken and sympathetic to those who have been hurt or wronged.  She came from a hard background and worked her way up to the Crown Prosecutors office.  After having been assaulted by a doctor, she has a unique insight into what the victim is going through.

Director of Public Prosecutions George Castle (Bill Patterson) has been around long enough to know all the tricks of the trade and is well-respected by his peers.  He has a deep respect for the law and does his best to juggle the politics of justice with the job of carrying it out.

Several recurring characters finish out the cast and bring the series to life:  Angela (Jessica Gunning), Joy Ackroyd (Nicola Sanderson), Teddy (Tariq Jordan), Dr. Roddy Armitage (George Anton) and Judge Hall (Diana Quick).

Robert Glenister serves as the narrator, the "voice" of Law & Order:  UK.  It is Glenister's voice you hear at the start of every episode.  Glenister also appears in Season 2, Episode 6, Honor Bound as D.S. Jimmy Valentine.

Peter Davison and Dominic Rowan will be joining the cast of Law & Order:  UK in 2001 as CPS Director Henry Sharpe and Senior Crown Prosecutor Jacob Thorne respectively.

I'm sure some viewers question why Law & Order:  UK chooses to re-write the American Law & Order scripts rather than choosing story lines from the UK.  Surely, there are crimes in London or elsewhere throughout the British Isles that would make a great Law & Order, right?  I, personally, have no problem with the "recycled scripts".  There are two decades of episodes for the writers to choose from and I have found the choices interesting thus far.  Not one time have I watched an episode of Law & Order:  UK and felt the show was an exact replica of the U.S. script it was based upon.  The UK writers and actors have taken the original plots and made them their own.

While I do like Law & Order:  SVU, I personally believe Law & Order:  UK is the strongest link in the Law & Order brand now that the original series is gone.  Anyone who has followed this blog for any length of time knows how I feel about Law & Order:  Los Angeles.  I'm looking forward to many more seasons of L&O: UK.  With such a fine cast and fine writers, I'm positive the series can continue for years to come.

Law & Order:  UK airs on ITV1 in the UK.
For more information:
Law & Order:  UK ITV1 Official Site:  http://www.itv.com/drama/copsandcrime/lawandorder/
Internet Movie Database:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166893/
TV Rage:  http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-18198

UK Television: Law & Order: UK Cast Changes

Crime/legal drama Law & Order:  UK was recently given the green light for another 13 episodes by ITV1.  With news of the new episodes comes news that two new cast members will be joining the show as two depart.

Peter Davison and Dominic Rowan will be stepping into the vacancies left by Ben Daniels (James Steel) and Bill Paterson (George Castle).  As fans of the show will remember, Daniel's character, James Steel resigned from the CPS following him having been charged and tried for interfering with the course of justice.  Dominic Rowan enters Law & Order:  UK as Senior Crown Prosecutor Jacob Thorne while Peter Davison has been cast as Henry Sharpe who takes over as CPS Director, the position previously held by Castle.

While Daniel's will not be returning to the show, Bill Paterson will return in a future series as George Castle who is now the newly appointed Director of Public Prosecutions.

For more information:  Peter Davison Joins Law & Order:  UK (www.whatsontv.co.uk)

UK Television: Law & Order: UK, Episode 4.6 "Skeletons"

Law & Order:  UK
Season Four, Episode Six, Skeletons
Skeletons, Original Air Date:  December 9, 2010 (Canada)
Skeletons, Original Air Date:  April 11, 2011 (U.K.)
Based on Law & Order (US) "Trophy", Season 6, Episode 12 (31st January, 1996)

Two young boys are found murdered and a note found with both of the bodies leads police and the CPS to a name they've investigated and prosecuted before, Andrew Dillon.  When new evidence comes to light that Dillon might not be guilty of the crimes he was imprisoned for, and his imprisonment guaranteed by missing evidence, Steel's freedom and career are in jeopardy.

A police search for a missing child, Sean Monroe, that includes the young boys father, Mick Monroe (Terence Maynard) yields a grisly shock when the lad's body literally washes out of a drain at Devlin's feet.  Sean was killed by a single blow to the head with a heavy blunt-force object.  He was killed then dumped into the drainage system.  Devlin shows Brooks a paper he found on Sean that reads "They Must Be Destroyed" which is something Brooks thought he'd never see again.

Brooks and Devlin go to Steel and Phillips to inform them of the note and that it sounds like Andrew Dillon is back.  Sean Monroe's crucifix was missing from his body and Dillon liked taking souvenirs from his victims.  Dillon's family stopped coming to court but he did have a few loyal supporters that called him a "white power hero".  Brooks and Devlin speak with one of the supporters, Carl Hareton (Mark Dexter) who informs them their Internet site was shut down for inciting racial hatred.  Hareton was chairing a "meeting", a discussion about immigration.  He gives them a list of the individuals in attendance at the meeting.

Time of death is ruled between five and seven p.m. and Sean ate shortly before he died.  They speak with a woman from a local shop, Carla (Jade Anouka), where Sean bought the crisps and sweets he ate before he died.  She remembered Sean speaking with the security guard, Marcus Wright (Jude Akuwidike).  He ordered Sean away from the news agency so he couldn't look at pornography and walked the youngster out of the shopping center.  He saw Sean go to the right.  Brooks and Devlin next speak with Sean's mates at St. Justin's Church Hall.  Ollie (Lewis Lempereur-Palmer) doesn't know why Sean was going the direction he was unless he was going to see Darren Powell (Tom Stuart) who runs a talent agency and was trying to get Sean to sign up with him.  Darren admits Sean came to see him at half past five but went home when Darren had to leave early.

Angela brings them news that Darren's card was used at the station at twenty past seven even though he told Brooks and Devlin he left Sean at the station at quarter to six.  In interview, Darren denies killing Sean but admits he left the station to have a pint.  When questioned about why he left his teaching job at the ELPA without a reference Darren tells them it was because he got too involved with a pupil.  The boy was being abused by his step-dad and Darren gave him a place to stay.  The step-dad accused Darren and the boy was too afraid to tell the truth.  Chandler interrupts the interview to tell Brooks another young boy has been found.  The thirteen-year-old boy was strangled with his school tie and a note reading "They Must Be Destroyed" was found in his pocket.

Chandler holds a press conference on of the young boy's murder in appeal to the public for information.  She refuses to disclose some details despite questions from the media and states it's far too early to tell if the murders are related to Andrew Dillon.

Brooks and Devlin speak with two friends Dean Amadal (Mohammed Mansaray) and Justin bale (Jack O'Connor) of the second murdered boy, Dev, to reconstruct his final hours.  He had skipped school along with his friends and they were stealing from shops.  Dean tells them Dev got caught for stealing around five when the boys split up.  He saw a policeman manhandling Dev.  Brooks cannot find a report of Dev having been caught in Green Lanes.  Devlin suggests a security guard bringing their attention back to Marcus Wright.  Marcus doesn't know Dev at first but admits he saw Dev stealing and he went after him but he got away.  Devlin picks up a Bible from Wright's coffee table and begins reading from it.  Wright grabs the Bible and a gold crucifix falls from it to the table.

They take Wright in for interview about the murders.  Wright declines a lawyer and tells them the boys were sinners and God sought revenge.  He didn't pick the boys, God did.  Sean's sin was looking at pornography and Dev's sin was stealing.  He said God wrote the notes through him.  He drops the bombshell on them that the murders attributed to Dillon were murders he committed.  Steel feels it is a sick attempt to take credit for the crimes of another but Brooks reveals Wright knows things only the killer would know and had the souvenirs.  Brooks tells Steel there was a fourth boy killed, for stealing, after Dillon went down for the murders that Wright killed.  The police unearthed a skeleton of a Caucasian boy exactly where Wright said the body was buried.  Wright buried the boy because his mother needed him.  He confessed the crimes to her and she begged him to stop.  She died a few months before Sean's death.

Dillon's attorney accuses Steel of selective prosecution and presents him with a statement six years ago from a witness, who has since died, who claimed to see the third victim an hour after he had been fighting with Dillon (Peter McNamara).  The statement is something Steel has never seen before but Dillon's attorney accuses him of burying the statement.  They intend to investigate every detail of Steel's case then sue him for £300,000.  Dillon accuses Steel of prejudice for deciding the killer had to be white.

Steel and Phillips go over the case files.  Claudia Martin (Genevieve O' Reilly) was Steel's lead assistant on the case.  When Alesha speaks with Claudia, she has no recollection of the witness statement and wonders how Dillon's attorney came to be in possession of it.  None of the rest of Steel's team remembered the statement and none of the log books from the investigation contain evidence of the statement. Chandler speaks with Castle regarding the witness statement.  Both trust their people and have nothing to hide.  Steel questions Brooks at the statement but he cannot remember who he gave the statement to just that it was a young female wearing a suit.  A disagreement ensues when Devlin accuses Steel of blaming the police for the missing evidence.

Castle informs Steel that Chandler notified him that Janice Hunter's statement was entered into the police database.  When Dillon's defense team received a copy of the witness schedule three days later, Janice Hunter's name and statement was not on it.  The schedule came from CPS so someone in those offices must have deleted it.  Steel wants to find out who was on reception to sign for the statement but it's too late.  Brooks and Devlin are there to arrest him on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

In court, Steel pleads not guilty.  The CPS lawyer trying the case, Samuel Cain (Tobias Menzies), objects to bail stating Steel will interfere with witnesses.  Judge Rory Richards (Crispin Redman) grants bail.  Steel petitions the judge to conduct his defense from counsel's row, which Richards grants.  Alesha is removed from her office since Cain will be calling her as a witness.  Steel asks Alesha to get some files from CPS for him but she's unsure if she can considering her new restrictions.  She manages to get the files without getting caught.

In court, Alesha testifies about Steel's trial behavior and Cain succeeds in getting her to admit she has challenged Steel often and brings up the Don Marsh case.  She testifies that Steel has never asked her to do anything that would make her feel dishonest in the eyes of the law.  Claudia Martin testifies that Steel would interview several expert witnesses before he found the one that would say what he needed.  She states Steel told the handwriting expert on the Dillon case his evidence could prevent more children from being killed.  She tells the court she left CPS because she was uncomfortable with Steel's way of working and that he was absolutely determined to convict Andrew Dillon.  She denies under oath that she deleted Janice Hunter's witness statement and says she knew nothing about it.

Steel begins his cross-examination of Martin by asking her if it was true she was having an affair with him (Steel) during the time of the case.  The question shocks the courtroom and, especially Cain and Alesha.  Cain objects to the question but the judge allows it.  She admits to having an affair and that Steel was the one who ended the relationship causing Martin to leave having felt betrayed.  Under oath, she tells Steel she would have done anything for him.  Alesha gives Steel the files she took but chastises him for his treatment of Martin in court.

Cain questions Steel in court of his success rate as a prosecutor, which is 93%.  Cain brings up the case of Dr. Alec Merrick and the rape case against him where Steel had him arrested on a false rape charge after his acquittal.  Cain accuses Steel of taking the law into his own hands.  Steel testifies that had he seen Janice Hunter's statement he never would have buried it knowing the real killer was still on the lose to murder more young boys.

Steel petitions the judge to call one final witness, Sally-Anne Hope (Rochelle Neil).  Sally-Anne is a paralegal secretary.  She worked at CPS six years prior for two weeks during the Andrew Dillon trial.  He questions her about Brooks bringing a package to CPS regarding the Dillon case.  She remembers the incident and testifies that she gave it immediately to one of the prosecution team.  She identifies Claudia Martin as the person she gave the evidence to.  The jury finds Steel not guilty.

Steel holds a press conference flanked by Alesha and Castle where he resigns from the CPS immediately.  Alesha and Steel talk after his resignation but she is interrupted by a call from George Castle before certain things can be said.

Law & Order:  UK airs on Thursday nights at 10:00 p.m. on CityTV in Canada.  Season Four is currently not airing in the UK and will air at a later date.
For more information:
Law & Order:  UK ITV1 Official Site:  http://www.itv.com/drama/copsandcrime/lawandorder/
Internet Movie Database:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166893/
TV Rage:  http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-18198

UK Television: Law & Order: UK, Episode 4.5 "Help"

Law & Order:  UK
Season Four, Episode Five, Help
Help, Original Air Date:  December 12, 2010 (Canada)
Help, Original Air Date:  March 7, 2011 (U.K.)
Based on Law & Order (US) "We Like Mike", Season 7, Episode 20 (30th April, 1997)

When a former footballer is found murdered a good Samaritan becomes the prime suspect.  Things turn sinister when the footballer's murder is linked to a dangerous local crime boss.  The good Samaritan must choose between what is right and his fear to help Steel and Phillips put the crime boss behind bars where he belongs.

Footballer Robert Nichols is found dead by his sister, Jennifer (Matti Houghton).  Robert was killed as he was trying to change a flat tire on his car.  Jennifer last spoke to her brother earlier in the evening.  They were supposed to meet at Andrew's Restaurant.  Brooks and Devlin speak with the owner who tells them about the suspicious bloke who came in and cleaned his hands with napkins then left not long after Jennifer.  The rubbish bag containing the napkins he used should be in the bag that is still out front waiting to be collected.  Devlin goes out to collect the rubbish bag while Brooks stays inside, eating chips, and talking with the restaurant owner.  He mentions the man had a carrier bag from Barry Flowers with him.  At Barry Flowers, they speak with Barry Flowers (Richard Cunningham).  The man in question wanted a bridal display for that Saturday.  They find 54 weddings scheduled for that Saturday.

At Saint Mark's Church Father Lee Young (Jamie Cho) identifies the man as Mike Jones (Lorcan Cranitch).  He tells them Mark has had a rough couple of years:  a divorce and his ex-wife taking their children up north.  They find Mike dining with his fiance, Fiona Sears (Elizabeth Rider) and friends.  He accompanies them back for interview.  Jones has priors.  He used to own a black cab but lost his license for three years due to drunk driving.  At seventeen he was down for assault.

Mike tells Brooks and Devlin he and Fiona were out with friends and got home around one in the morning.  He worked a double shift starting at six in the morning and finished at nine in the evening.  He saw Robbie Nichols on his way home and offered to help him change the tire.  He denies killing and robbing Nichols.  Mike's boss at the Warren Hotel confirms he left work at nine o'clock on the dot just as Mike claimed in his interview.  As his boss used the same wording as Mike, Brooks and Devlin know it's a rehearsed alibi.  When he knows they are investigating a murder, tells them he left at six and swiped Mike's card at nine for him.

Devlin speaks with the caterer for Mike's wedding and learns he couldn't pay the deposit six months ago.  Yesterday, Mike gave them £5,500 in cash.  They go to Mike's flat to arrest him for Robert Nichol's murder.  Mike still insists he just stopped to help Robert change his tire.  He admits he drove a cab illegally to save money and didn't want to say anything for fear of getting his friend who hired him in trouble.  The DNA on the napkins and murder weapon matched Mike which he knows as he insists all he did was help change the wheel.  He tells them there was another bloke who seemed to know Robbie there that turned up as he was taking the spare wheel out of the car.  He says the man took over for him and the two were changing the wheel when he left.  When Brooks and Devlin press harder and harder Mike finally breaks down and gives them the name Don Marsh (David Kennedy).  He never came forward out of fear of Marsh.  Chandler directs Brooks and Devlin to see if there's a connection to Don Marsh and has them work in a secure office upstairs for their own protection in case Marsh has bought off a policeman.  She warns them to watch their backs.

Going through Robbie's financial records they find he had large cash withdrawals starting around a year ago from a location near the Palms Casino, of which Don Marsh is a major shareholder.  A dealer from the casino tells them that Robbie was a good tipper and never had any troubles while he was visiting the casino as Marsh always looked after him.  They find he was still spending like a premiere league player even though he no longer was one.  His credit cards were maxed out and he was well behind in his mortgage.  Chandler orders a search of Marsh's office.  There is to be no briefings, no mobiles so there's no chance Marsh can get a heads up of the search.

They show up to search his office and Marsh calls his brief after being surprised with the warrant.  Brooks sees a young man acting strangely in front of a locker and, when he asks him if everything is alright, the young man pulls a gun.  Brooks sends Devlin from the room and talks to the young man, Charlie Blake (Theo Barklem Biggs) and convinces him to give up the gun.

A uniform found Robbie Nichols' watch in Charlie Blake's bag.  Brooks presents the watch to Charlie but he doesn't want to talk against Marsh.  Chandler threatens that it isn't Marsh he should fear but her instead.  He finally admits that Marsh gave him the watch as a finder's fee.  He phoned Marsh after he passed Nichols car on the street.  Marsh refuses to make comment during his interview with Devlin.  Brooks and Devlin brief Steel and Phillips on the case.  Steel orders them to charge Marsh with murder while they prep the case.

Mike Jones, who was released from prison, is angry about missing his wedding and spending four days in jail.  Jones' lawyer, Cathal Morris (Andrew Havill) chastises Alesha for Mike's treatment, his missed wedding and lost money and that they will be seeking financial compensation.  A larger problem has come up:  evidence is missing.  Marsh's lawyer, Jason Peters (Eddie Marsan) meets with Steel and Judge Burchville (Michael Cochrane) about the missing watch and fingerprints on it.  Burchville virtually ignores Steel and caters to Peters in his bail request for Marsh.

In court, Charlie Blake takes the stand under Marsh's watchful eyes.  Steel can tell that Marsh has gotten to Charlie.  Sure enough, he changes his testimony in court.  Steel questions Castle on how well he knows Judge Burchville as he feels Burchville was too quick to accept Charlie's change of story.  Judge Burchville again shoots Steel down in court regarding further evidence that has been stricken from the record.  During a court break, Castle reinforces to Steel how important it is they secure a conviction for Marsh.  Steel informs Castle he did digging on Burchville and learned the judge asked for the Marsh case specifically.  Alesha reminds them of another witness:  Mike Jones.  Problem is, Jones will not answer their calls.  Alesha vows to track Mike down and do some grovelling to get him to testify.  She finds him at the Warren Hotel but he's still understandably angry.  She acknowledges he is a good man who did the right thing and was punished for it.  Mike goes to the police station with her and identifies Marsh in a photo line up.  While there, he gets a call from Fiona that she's been attacked.  Steel and Phillips go to see Mike and Fiona and try to convince him to help them despite Marsh's threats.  Mike refuses to help.  Steel threatens to force Mike into the witness box.

Castle suggests they have a written statement from Mike to be read in court but Steel feels Judge Burchville would be a road block to that.  Steel tells Alesha to set up a meeting with Marsh and his lawyer.  Steel offers Marsh a plea to manslaughter which is promptly refused.  Steel tells them they have a witness who can't wait to give evidence and can place Marsh on the street with Robbie Nichols.  Alesha wasn't happy with the game Steel was playing with Marsh and Peters.  Brooks and Devlin stake out Marsh's office and find that Marsh's brother left, took his mobile apart and threw something down a drain.  They find out that Mike received a call that night threatening he and Fiona.  Brooks and Devlin were able to confirm from the phone company that Mike's house was called from the disposed mobile and SIM card.  Steel directs them to charge Marsh's brother with witness intimidation while he and Alesha set up a meeting with Mike.  Alesha assures them Harry Marsh will not get out of prison.  Fiona still doesn't want Mike to give evidence.  Mike knows what he must do.

In court, Jennifer Nichols testifies about what she saw the night her brother died, including what she saw regarding Mike Jones.  Steel gets an adjournment when his witness, Mike, doesn't show up in the for court.  Steel pays a visit to Don Marsh wanting to know where Mike Jones is.  Marsh, of course, plays dumb.  Alesha brings news that Mike has been arrested for driving with faulty brake lights.  Fiona has left Mike.  He's torn about the right thing to do and is distraught over all that's happened over one simple act of kindness.

Mike testifies in court but Peters is able to cast doubt upon Mike's character by him admitting he worked for a cab company that hired illegal workers.  The judge allows Peter's questioning.  On rebuttal, Steel asks Mike why he originally lied to the police.  When Mike sees Fiona enter the courtroom, he tells the court he's made mistakes but the right thing is for him to tell the truth.  He places Marsh with Robbie Nichols.  The jury convicts Marsh of murder.  Fiona and Mike are together once more.  Mike will stick to being a kitchen porter and Steel will speak to his defense to secure community work for him instead of prison time.

Law & Order:  UK airs on Thursday nights at 10:00 p.m. on CityTV in Canada.  Season Four is currently not airing in the UK and will air at a later date.
For more information:
Law & Order:  UK ITV1 Official Site:  http://www.itv.com/drama/copsandcrime/lawandorder/
Internet Movie Database:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166893/
TV Rage:  http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-18198

UK Television: Law & Order: UK, Episode 4.4 "Duty of Care"

Law & Order:  UK
Season Four, Episode One, Duty of Care
Duty of Care, Original Air Date:  November 25, 2010 (Canada)
Duty of Care, Original Air Date:  April 4, 2011 (U.K.)
Based on Law & Order (US) "Endurance", Season 11, Episode 1 (18th October, 2000)

The death of a thirteen-year-old boy in a fire is ruled arson.  Investigation leads the police to the boys mother, Megan, as the prime suspect due to the circumstances of the boy's health.  Megan faces prison and the loss of her young daughter.  Matters become complicated when it becomes obvious her lawyer isn't exactly trying to do what is in his clients best interest.

A woman confronts a man wanting his mobile.  A fire is raging in a building and she tells him her son is inside.  Once the fire has been extinguished, Brooks and Devlin are called in as the boy didn't make it.  Fire officials think some sort of accelerent was used but they cannot give further details until they have the opportunity to do a more thorough investigation.  A man drives up wanting through to the building.  His shop was on the ground floor of the building and he is upset he lost everything in the fire.  A fireman presents Brooks and Devlin with a container of paint thinner found just inside the entrance to the flats.  The fire is officially arson.

At the home of Eleanor Green (Jean Trend) Brooks and Devlin speak with Megan Parnell (Beatie Edney), the mum of the thirteen-year-old boy, Ian, who died in the fire.  He had developmental problems and trouble with his breathing.  She tried to get him out but the handle was too hot.

The bottle of paint stripper was too badly burned to get prints or DNA from and the product was widely available.  There weren't any signs of forced entry.  The flats were owned by a management company who doesn't seem to have anything to gain from starting a fire.  The downstairs shop is owned by Sanjuit Chatterjee (Avin Shah) who had, and has, his own share of legal problems including being currently under investigation for selling alcohol without a license.

Brooks and Devlin speak with Chatterjee about previous problems at his store, a fire and a flood.  Chatterjee explains his past legal problems as being young, trying to get into the music business and not succeeding.  Currently, he will not profit from insurance from a fire as he couldn't afford the premiums thanks to his two previous claims for the flood and fire and is uninsured.  Devlin gets a call that Megan Parnell has made several complaints to her safer neighbourhood team as some local lads were giving her a hard time because of Ian and his special needs.  They pay a visit to the Lewis home where they speak with Simone Lewis (Ashley McGuire) about her sons Aaron (Joe Mason) and Lee (Luke Bryant).  She doesn't seem concerned that her sons were giving Megan a hard time.

In interview, both Aaron and Lee are rude and uncooperative with Brooks and Devlin.  Brooks tries playing Lee against his brother by suggesting Aaron doesn't want to have to put up with his baby brother but it doesn't work.  The boys were vandalizing their school for three hours the night of the fire.  They can charge them for the vandalism but cannot hold them for anything else.

Brooks and Devlin go over the evidence again and Brooks finds that CSA has been after Megan's ex-husband for the past year for non-payment of maintenance.  A note on the report states that Parnell is "extremely abusive and uncooperative".  They take the chance he matches a description of someone seen knocking on the door earlier the day of the fire and theorize he might have wanted to kill his son to keep from paying maintenance for the next five years.  They speak to Craig Parnell (Robert Horwell) who tells them he last saw his son a month or two ago.  He felt Ian belonged in a home.  He admits he went to Megan's flat because he was fed up with the CSA hassle and wanted to talk to Megan but she wasn't home.  Parnell's girlfriend confirms that he was with her at the time the fire started and tells them Ian played with matches.  They check to see if Ian could have gotten the thinner and speak with the maintenance man for the flats.  He used to let Ian watch him perform the small and quiet jobs.  He is surprised to see that the paint thinner he kept on hand is missing.

They speak with a lady who gives them further details of Ian's condition.  He had childhood disintegrative disorder (Heller's Syndrome) and didn't plateau, but continued to deteriorate.  He required constant monitoring for respiratory and digestive functions as well as becoming increasingly aggressive and violent and had a marked deterioration in motor skills.  He couldn't have taken the thinner because by time he left the special school he was in, he couldn't feed himself.  She tells them how hard watching her son deteriorate was on Megan Parnell.  The new information causes them to suspect Megan of setting the fire.

They go over crime scene photos to pick apart Megan's story.  One of the photos shows that Ian's door was already open so she wouldn't have had to touch it and find it too hot as she claimed.  While Chandler is telling Devlin she wants to be sure before charging a grieving mother, Brooks receives a call from the lab.  Paint thinner was found on Megan Parnell's sweatshirt.  In interview, Megan denies starting the fire even after being presented with the evidence.

After their initial court appearance for bail before Judge Hall (Diana Quick), Megan's attorney, Dominic Peck (Oliver Dimsdale), confronts Alesha in the hall.  After insulting the average female barrister (they look like a pig in a wig) he insults his client.  So much for first impressions.  Castle, Steel and Phillips discuss the case and Alesha sees no sympathy for Megan Parnell.  Steel explains that Megan had a full psych evaluation in custody and the results give the defense no grounds for diminished responsibility.  Castle suggests determining state of mind before the fire.  Steel brings up an emergency department visit Megan made with Ian two days prior to the fire and that they should speak with the doctor.

At Royal Hampton Hospital, Dr. Elaine Schreiber (Jane Wheldon) gives Alesha the details of Ian's injuries as well as Megan's and that there weren't any indications of abuse.  She tells Alesha she suggested Megan rethink the idea of residential care the last time she spoke with her.  Megan told Dr. Schreiber that if it came to that, Ian would be better off dead.

In court, Peck wants Dr. Schreiber's evidence excluded under privilege but he's denied.  He also wants to exclude Megan Parnell's sweatshirt.  The shirt stays in and the judge suggests Peck quit while he's ahead.  In between court sessions, Megan Parnell asks Alesha what time they go back in.  She was told she could see her daughter but before she can tell Alesha who told her that, Peck interrupts them and tells Megan to stop "fraternizing with the enemy".

Mike Harris (Geoffrey Leesley), one the fireman who responded to the fire testifies in court that he had never seen a case where someone made their bed before exiting a burning flat.  The defense tries to claim Megan might have been reading and fell asleep on top of the covers but no books or magazines were found next to her bed.  Dr. Schreiber testifies about her discussion with Megan regarding placing Ian in residential care.  Peck questions her about Megan's having asked about alternative treatments for Ian, which Schreiber admits Megan did do.

Castle feels the jury might acquit because they are feeling Megan Parnell's pain and Alesha agrees.  Steel cannot understand why Peck didn't try for manslaughter from the start.  He suggests that he can talk to Peck and offer a plea for manslaughter and hope Peck will agree.  When Steel and Alesha make the offer to Peck but he tells them he promised Megan she could stay with her daughter ("it's always good to give the ladies hope").  The next day, he, accompanied by Megan, tells them they wish to proceed with the not guilty plea.  Steel explains the consequences of a guilty conviction.  Peck rushes Megan from the office saying he doesn't appreciate the scare tactics Steel and Phillips are using on his client.

Alesha informs Steel and Castle that Peck has entered a new plea:  not guilty by reason of insanity.  He found an expert that will testify Megan was legally insane when she set the fire.  The new plea holds the possibility that Megan could lose everything and end up institutionalized for the rest of her life.  Steel confronts Peck who shrugs off Steel's comments saying it's all about emotion, not the truth.

Dr. Roddy Armitage (George Anton) speaks with Megan about her life with Ian and about her setting the fire.  She explains about when Ian's condition began and how he deteriorated.  Armitage doesn't believe she was insane, although she does have emotional problems including as depression. 

In court, Peck's expert, Dr. Elizabeth Arlberg (Julia Montgomery) testifies that Megan suffered from Acute Caretaker Stress Syndrome and that she doesn't believe Megan knew the difference between right and wrong.  Dr. Arlberg didn't go to medical school, holds a doctorate in psychoanalytical studies, isn't a qualified psychiatrist, isn't affiliated with any particular hospital or clinic, spent the past few years lecturing, mainly in the United States where she hosts a syndicated radio program.  Steel questions her about Acute Caretaker Stress Syndrome saying he cannot find it in any medical publications.  She admits it's a relatively new diagnosis first identified by her and in unrecognized by known medical establishments.

Peck and Megan meet with Steel and Phillips where Peck says he isn't sure how to proceed because Megan dropped a bombshell on him.  He says she confessed.  Peck explains she admitted to starting the fire and feels guilty about that but Ian didn't die in the fire.  Alesha stops Peck from talking and asks Megan to tell the story.  She explains that Ian was having a seizure.  She had the syringe with his injection in her hand but she couldn't administer it.  She watched him in pain and she held him and waited for the convulsions to end.  Peck wants the trial ended so they can start over but Steel refuses and leaves the office with Alesha.  The medical evidence proves Megan is lying or has been told what to say by Peck.

Alesha speaks with Heather (Hazel Ellerby) at the mortuary who says it is possible a particularly violent seizure could result in a coma which would have allowed Ian to get smoke in his lungs but he would have appeared dead to Megan.  Both Steel and Alesha know Megan shouldn't have ever been charged with murder had she truly thought Ian was already dead.

In court, Megan tells the jury she couldn't put Ian in a residential home because she loved him too much.  Steel asks how they are to believe her because of her previous lies.  She testifies that he was already dead.  Steel enters a post-mortem report into evidence stating Ian died of smoke inhalation.  She insists the report has to be wrong.  Once she realizes her son was still alive, she breaks down in court.

Castle, Steel and Phillips all believe Megan was telling the truth.  Steel feels Judge Hall will dismiss the jury and start again on a manslaughter charge.  Steel sees a way to not only get Peck charged with incompetence but to get Megan a proper lawyer who could have her out within six months.  Steel opts to continue with the trial so Megan can appeal on grounds of Peck's incompetence and Judge Hall allows it.  Megan pleads guilty to manslaughter.  Judge Hall sentences her to three years in prison with recommendation she be psychologically assessed.

Endnote:  Dominic Peck no longer practices criminal law and has moved to private practice.  Megan Parnell was released after five months in prison following a psychiatric evaluation.

Law & Order:  UK airs on Thursday nights at 10:00 p.m. on CityTV in Canada.  Season Four is currently not airing in the UK and will air at a later date.
For more information:
Law & Order:  UK ITV1 Official Site:  http://www.itv.com/drama/copsandcrime/lawandorder/
Internet Movie Database:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166893/
TV Rage:  http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-18198

UK Television: Law & Order: UK, Episode 4.3 "Shaken"

Law & Order:  UK
Season Four, Episode Three, Shaken
Shaken, Original Air Date:  November 18, 2010 (Canada)
Shaken, Original Air Date:  March 28, 2011 (U.K.)
Based on Law & Order (US) "Homesick", Season 6, Episode 22 (15th May, 1996)

The death of a baby is thought to be because he was shaken.  The suspects include the baby's parents, the nanny and the nanny's boyfriend.  The case takes a twist when it is learned the baby might not have died from having been shaken.

At the home of Michael & Suzanne Raines, Michael Raines arrives home to the sound of loud music.  He yells to the nanny, Leyla Merton (Rebecca Night), who turns the music down then both of them go in to check on the baby who is apparently sleeping.  The baby isn't sleeping and he orders Leyla to phone 999.  Suzanne Raines arrives home after Brooks and Devlin have already arrived.  Autopsy shows the baby had the characteristic injuries of Shaken Baby Syndrome.  He died between 7 and 9 p.m., but the abuse could have occurred anywhere within the last 12 hours of his life.

Jessica goes over the baby monitor the Raines used with their son but she is unable to retrieve the recording from it.  She does know someone who can if he has the hard drive.  Devlin sees the baby's mum as the prime suspect in his death.  However, in this particular case, the nanny, Leyla, was the primary caregiver for the baby although she had no formal childcare training.  Chandler orders them to speak with the parents first but to go easy on them.

Both Michael and Suzanne Raines appear to be extremely competent parents who did everything right with their son.  Brooks and Devlin inform them that they don't believe it was crib death and that someone shook the boy.  While they are speaking with the police, Suzanne's mobile rings.  It's work and she has to take the call despite her husband telling her to let the call go to voicemail.  When Devlin suggests that Suzanne was under a lot of pressure from work and the baby, Michael Raines immediately jumps to her defense.  Neither of the Rains' saw their son the day he died.  Suzanne rushed out to work and didn't even open the door.  Michael was in Manchester overnight on business.  Michael's ex-wife, Andrea, has a key to the Raines home as she and Michael share an online jewelry business and the office for it is in the Raines house.

Brooks and Devlin speak with Andrea Raines who was looking at samples the day the baby died.  She didn't return until early evening and provides them with contact information for the individual she met with.  She tells them that the nanny overdosed the baby and they should be talking to her instead.  After finding out the details of the overdose, Chandler orders them to speak with her.  She explains that she was tired and didn't read the bottle properly.  The baby was teething and she'd been up with him half the night.  She denies hurting baby Alex the day he died.  They bring up the loud music she was listening to and suggest that she was playing it because she knew the baby was dead.  Leyla used 'controlled crying' with Alex despite the fact Mrs. Raines disapproved of it.

After a discussion where Devlin, Brooks and Chandler don't all agree on the use of controlled crying, Chandler instructs them to speak with Leyla's former employers to see if they experienced any problems with her care.  Mrs. Allen tells them Leyla used to spend the entire evening on her laptop and she worried she spent the entire day on it as well.  She borrowed a 'nanny cam'.  She heard her daughter, Mia, in her room crying while Leyla was on the sofa having sex with her boyfriend.

Jessica accessed Leyla's email and social networking accounts and finds that Leyla's boyfriend, Lloyd is stationed in Afghanistan.  They met on a social networking site and have only met a handful of times.  She reads some racy communications between the two.  She checked Leyla's media files and found a video of Leyla and her boyfriend having sex.  The video was made the night the baby died.  It started at 8:21 p.m. and finished at 8:45 when Leyla heard Michael Raines come home.  She found an email where Leyla told her boyfriend Michael was delayed, his wife was at work and that if he (Lloyd) came to the house she (Leyla) would make sure the baby didn't get in their way.

In interview, Leyla is adamant that Lloyd wouldn't hurt the baby or anyone.  Alex cried just after Lloyd arrived.  She claims she went upstairs, rocked him back to sleep and by time she got to the bottom of the stairs he was crying again.  Lloyd was in the baby's room, but she claims he wasn't in there long.  He told her he used to get his baby brother to sleep all the time.  The police take a closer look at Lloyd and find he has no criminal record and has been in the army since he left school and stationed in Afghanistan for the past five months.  He did have a baby brother that died at 3 months of age but no cause of death could be determined.  The death was ruled as SIDS.  Lloyd was babysitting.

Devlin and Brooks arrest Lloyd on suspicion of Alex's murder.  In interview, he denies hurting his brother, Dante, as well as Alex.  He said he sang the baby "Blackbird" by the Beatles as it was a song his mum used to sing to him.  Brooks cites an attack on a fellow member of Lloyd's regiment and he explains that he was trying to break up a fight.  Brooks lays down a scenario of how he thinks things happened and Lloyd becomes angry.  Leyla is surprised to learn that Lloyd's baby brother died under his care.  She admits the lights on the baby monitor stopped flashing when Lloyd went into Alex's room.  When Brooks tells Lloyd about them working to recover the recording from the baby monitor's hard drive, Lloyd admits Leyla went back into Alex's room and started shouting and completely lost it.  He went in after her and turned the baby monitor off.  Since they both place each other in the baby's room, Phillips orders that both Leyla and Lloyd are to be charged with murder.

In court, the judge remands both defendants into custody.  Leyla's attorney, Helena Marsden (Jemma Redgrave) gives Steel and Phillips a motion to exclude Leyla's laptop, the video and email communications.  In court, both Steel and Marsden argue for and against the laptop and information it contained.  The judge rules the laptop evidence inadmissible. 

Steel would prefer to go after just one of the defendants instead of two so he can be sure of a conviction.  Devlin gives Phillips the retrieved video from the baby monitor.  The recording proves Lloyd was telling the truth about turning off the monitor then having sex with Leyla and being interrupted by Michael Raines.  Nineteen seconds after the baby monitor was shut off, Lloyd turned on the camera to record he and Leyla.  The video clears Lloyd of Alex's death.  When Steel and Phillips deliver the news to his attorney that he will be free to go, they are met in the prison by the warden who informs them Lloyd was stabbed by his cellmate a half hour ago and died before the ambulance arrived.

Steel meets with Helena Marsden for a drink and they discuss the case.  Marsden doesn't feel the video exonerating Lloyd proves Leyla's guilt but Steel thinks she has to be the only other possible suspect.  Steel speaks with Lucy, the technician who did the post-mortem on Alex, wanting her to testify in court.  She's 100% certain the baby was shaken but she doesn't want to testify. 

Steel brings Lucy into court to testify where she tells the jury about the severity of Alex's injuries.  Marsden questions whether she found any bruising or damage to the baby's arms, spine or bones, all of which were negative.  Marsden suggests an accidental head injury could have caused the same pattern of swelling and bleeding that Alex experienced.  Lucy admits that it is possible.  Marsden points out shortcomings in Lucy's post-mortem.

Steel calls Andrea Raines who testifies that Leyla was usually on the sofa checking email while Alex was in the cot or playpen upstairs, more of than not, crying.  She describes an instance where Alex was ill and needed changing but Leyla ignored the situation and went back to her laptop and put her earphones back on.  She describes another event, two weeks before Alex's death, where he threw his bowl of food in the kitchen.  Leyla shouted at him, grabbed him from the high chair then shoved him into the playpen.

Suzanne Raines tells the court they trusted Leyla and that it broke her heart to leave her child with a nanny.  Marsden questions why she returned to work after Alex's birth and suggests she wanted her job more than her child.  Marsden is able to illustrate that Suzanne Raines didn't research the agency where she hired Leyla from very well.  Marsden points out the amount of time Suzanne spent away from the house for her job.  She then asks if Alex had any injuries or bumps to the head recently and Suzanne admits the baby fell off the changer when Michael was reaching for a nappy, three weeks before Alex died.

The jury cannot reach a verdict in the case and the prosecution is given seven days to determine if there will be a retrial.  Steel further researches Suzanne's claim in court that their GP gave Alex a clean bill of health after his fall from the changer.  The GP found nothing external indicating an injury so Steel is forced to go back to Lucy.  There is the possibility the death could have been accidental but she would need to re-examine the brain and skull to be positive.  Steel has the baby exhumed despite Michael Raines begging him not to.  After examination, Lucy calls Steel with information there were signs of a healing fracture in Alex's skull.  They go back to Leyla to question whether she was rough with him which could have triggered the injury.  She denies ever mistreating him.  When Marsden finds out the prosecution thinks the death could have been accidental she threatens to sue for damages, which Leyla doesn't want.

Steel and Phillips question Andrea further.  She tells them that she passed Alex's room a few days before he died and saw Lloyd in there playing with Alex, flying him like an airplane.  She excuses herself for a meeting.  When she's gone, Steel knows she's lying as Lloyd couldn't have been there a few days prior.  They again question Andrea about her seven failed IVF attempts and press her for the truth.  She admits she dropped off files at the Raines home and that she held Alex the night he died.  She couldn't hold the baby anymore so she just let go.

Law & Order:  UK airs on Thursday nights at 10:00 p.m. on CityTV in Canada.  Season Four is currently not airing in the UK and will air at a later date.
For more information:
Law & Order:  UK ITV1 Official Site:  http://www.itv.com/drama/copsandcrime/lawandorder/
Internet Movie Database:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166893/
TV Rage:  http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-18198

UK Television: Law & Order: UK, Episode 4.2 "Denial"

Law & Order:  UK
Season Four, Episode Two, Denial
Denial, Original Air Date:  November 4, 2010 (Canada)
Denial, Original Air Date:  March 14, 2011 (U.K.)
Based on Law & Order (US) "DNR", Season 10, Episode 3 (6th October, 1999)

A high court judge is shot when she and her husband return from their vacation cottage.  At first, it appears to be a carjacking but, as the details of the case start to not add up the judges husband becomes a suspect for hiring her murder.  However, the judge insists her husband couldn't have done it as he was always with her and never had the opportunity to call the shooter.  Are they suspecting the wrong man or is the judge lying?

Rachel Callaghan (Juliet Stevenson), a high court judge, is shot in a car park and her car is stolen.  A tube of red dye gel is found at the scene.  If sprayed in an attackers face, it will not wash off for seven days.  From hospital, Devlin calls to order the GPS tracking device in Judge Callaghan's car be activated.  He and Brooks talk with the judges husband, Dan Callaghan (John McArdle) who didn't notice anyone suspicious in the car park.

The police locate where the GPS device signal stopped.  The tracking device is at the location but the car is not.  They get a time and location of the stolen car off CCTV and can see that there are two men in the car but their faces cannot be seen.  The plates are cloned.  Angela (Jessica Gunning) finds the location where the car is parked in the city and gives the information to Brooks and Devlin.

They find the car but the current owner, Nick (Oliver Le Sueur) claims the car is his.  In interrogation, he admits he didn't know the car was stolen even though he got a £56,000 car for £8,000.  He bought the car the day before and didn't know the name of the man who sold it.  He met the man in a scrap yard in Putney because he needed a car to look the part for his job and to impress a woman.  He identifies a photograph from a lineup but says the man did not have red paint on his face.

The police go to arrest the man Nick identified, Marty Flynn (Duane Henry), but he runs when they arrive.  Devlin catches him and they arrest and take him back for interrogation.  Marty tells them they want Eddie Wade, not him.  He denies shooting the judge despite a gun having been found in his flat.  Marty tells them Eddie had already stolen the car when he asked him to help him.  Eddie had paint on his face and needed Marty to take the car down to a dealer he had lined up as it was supposed to be shipped abroad.  Marty did the £8,000 deal with Nick and that angered Eddie who insisted the car should have been shipped to Africa.  Eddie wasn't interested in the money.  He said he was onto something a lot bigger than the Mercedes and Marty had bungled it.  Eddie told him to sit and wait for a £10,000 payment.

Chandler theorizes that if the interest wasn't in the money for the stolen car, Eddie might have been paid by someone to shoot Judge Callaghan.  Eddie had given Marty a mobile that someone should have called to make the second payment while he went into hiding wearing ski goggles to hide the red paint on his face.  Chandler orders a nationwide search for Eddie and surveillance for his flat in the event he returns home.  The bigger question is who wanted the judge dead.  Brooks knows of one person who knew the couple were returning home early:  the judges husband.

Brooks and Devlin question the judge and show him Eddie's photo.  He denies knowing him or the name.  He is angered when Devlin asks if he and his wife are getting on okay.  They go in to speak with the judge alone.  She is able to identify Eddie from the photograph they show her.  She tells them that had her husband not taken the tacky old mirror they brought back with them into their home she might not be in hospital right now.  That conflicts with what her husband had told them the night she was shot as he claimed she wanted him to take the mirror inside.

The police are able to find one number taken from the phone Eddie had given Marty.  They go to speak with the judges clerk to see if there are any other possible suspects.  Her clerk, Andrea Poole (Natasha Gordon), had called about a conference the judge needed to attend.  She is shocked to learn the attack on the judge is possibly an attempted murder.  Andrea knew of a few highly emotive cases the judge had ruled on. 

Going through the judges ongoing cases, Devlin and Brooks come across a man named Walter Reeves, a site manager who was running a protection racket on service companies.  The judge was building a case against him.  One of the companies in Reeves' pocket is Aeroclear, a company Eddie Wade just so happened to work for up until three years ago.  Aeroclear also happens to do repairs on the building the judge lives in. 

Brooks and Devlin interview the concierge of the building where the judge lived.  He had tried to change the air con company and Walter Reeves sent two men around to 'change his mind'.  He did as Reeves wished and doesn't want to give evidence against Reeves as he has family and worries for their safety.  He tells them he was the one who blew the whistle on Reeves which led to the judge starting to dig around into Walter Reeves' dealings.  The judge kept his name out of things for his own protection. 

They next speak with the man who runs Aeroclear, Zaki Smith (Edward Hughes).  He wants to put Walter Reeves away as much as anyone else.  He also claims Eddie Wade would never have done any work at the judges building as the company had gotten the maintenance contract seven years ago on Dan Callaghan's recommendation.  He tells them they worked together a lot before Dan Callaghan and Eddie Wade fell out with one another.  They find out about a shopping mall job Callaghan and Eddie had done together that led to their falling out.

They bring Dan Callaghan in for interview and again show him the photo of Eddie.  He identifies him as the man who shot his wife because they had shown him the photo before but still denies ever having known or seen him before.  They present him with the information about the shopping mall project he and Eddie Wade worked together.  He gets a touch rattled but still denies knowing him.  Devlin asks him who wanted the mirror unloaded and Dan again tells them it was his wife's.  He tells Callaghan his wife had said it was his idea and that they had been arguing that day.  Callaghan becomes overcome with emotion and tells them that Rachel has lost the use of a kidney and is getting worse.  He gets up to leave to go to her but Brooks stops him and places him under arrest on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder.

In court, Judge Mary Hall (Diana Quick) reads a statement from Rachel Callaghan stating her husband was with her at all times and had no opportunity to call and arrange her murder.  Alesha argues against the statement and strongly objects to bail for Callaghan.  Callaghan's attorney, Simon Wheeler (Terence Harvey), reveals that most of the Callaghan's money is tied up in trusts and that what is available now is earmarked for Judge Callaghan's care.  The judge grants bail on certain conditions, the first being assurance of £50,000, an amount Dan Callaghan's attorney said his client could provide.

Alesha tells Steel and Castle about Wheeler's revelation of the Callaghan's money being tied up in trusts and that Dan Callaghan does not have access to his wife's money.  There are no large withdrawals from Dan Callaghan's personal accounts but he was in Oxford Street the day the phone was bought.  They really have no evidence against Dan Callaghan.  Everything is circumstantial.

Alesha visits Judge Callaghan and her daughter Lindsay (Georginia Rich) in hospital to ask about the alibi she had given her husband.  She maintains her husband was with her every minute and had absolutely no time to make a call to order her murder.  When Alesha tells the judge about her husband lying about knowing Wade and about who wanted the mirror taken into their home the judge chastises her and says she will give evidence on his behalf if they prosecute him. 

Lindsay Callaghan catches up to Alesha as she is leaving to ask why they have to make things harder on her mother.  Alesha questions if the judge was as curt with her father as she was with her (Lindsay).  Lindsay tells Alesha the judge intends to sue the hospital for causing her renal failure and that they are wrong about her father.  Her mother's insurance and estate go to Lindsay's children.

The financial motive has disappeared but an eyewitness has come out.  A woman who lives on the same lane where the Callaghan's cottage is located insists she saw Dan Callaghan in the garden just five minutes after the call was made to Eddie Wade.  The same woman had thrown a party the night before and Dan Callaghan was drunk and introducing himself as Mr. Rachel Callaghan which led to the couple arguing. 

Steel and Phillips speak with Dave Jordan (Paul Ridley), Dan Callaghan's former architectural partner.  Jordan had let Callaghan go as he was a liability.  Rachel Callaghan never knew Dan was let go and Dave Jordan covered for him when she showed up at the offices wanting to speak with her husband.  The couple had put a deposit on some land in the Lake District where Dan could build their dream home but Rachel's promotion put a damper on those plans.  Dan was able to get £20,000 of the £25,000 deposit on the Lake District land back in cash.  Steel receives a call that the call to Eddie Wade was placed from within 500 metres of the Callaghan's cottage.

When Judge Callaghan is presented with the new information about the location of the call she says that someone was obviously following them and, when they saw them loading up their car to return home, made the call ordering her murder.  Her husband still couldn't have been involved.  She finally admits that Dan went into the garden but she could still see him through the window the entire time he was there.  When the judge says she knows her husband better than anyone, Steel drops the bombshell in her lap that Dan had lost his job surprising both Rachel and Lindsay Callaghan. 

Steel and Phillips arrive in Castle's office to tell him they know Rachel Callaghan is lying.  He informs them Rachel has asked her doctors to withdraw her medication because she wants to die.

In court, Steel makes the request to examine Rachel Callaghan on video because of questions of truthfulness in the original statement she had made.  Wheeler argues against this but tells the judge Rachel is prepared to give evidence one last time on what happened the day in question.  The judge allows Steel to proceed despite continued protests from Wheeler.  She warns if Steel pushes Rachel Callaghan one step too far, she will stop proceedings.  Later, even Castle warns Steel of the dangers of questioning Rachel.  Steel promises he will be careful in his questioning of the judge.

Rachel still insists Dan never left her sight on the day in question and still maintains someone must have been watching them.  Steel delicately pushes her harder but she holds with her story.  He tells her about Dan taking the £20,000 deposit for their property back in cash and that it was the exact amount of money Eddie Wade was promised if he killed her.  Wheeler wants to stop proceedings and the judge questions Rachel if she is alright.  After Rachel admits she is, the judge orders Steel to step lightly and questioning continues.  Steel reminds Rachel of her loyalty and oath to the law.  She admits to Steel she would act the same way he is if she were faced with a similar situation in court.  He begs her one last time to tell the truth.  Again, she provides an alibi for her husband.

In the hall, Lindsay Callaghan asks if her mother stuck to her story.  Lindsay tells Steel and Phillips that the judge knows Dan Callaghan ordered her murder.  As they are talking, the nurses station receives warning that the judge is going into renal failure as she has disconnected her dialysis machine. 

In court, Steel challenges Rachel Callaghan's mental capacity in light of her suicide attempt.  Wheeler objects but Judge Hall grants Steel permission for his psychiatrist to examine Rachel.  Judge Hall later speaks with Castle about her worries for Rachel Callaghan and that Dr. Armitage has recommended she be put on suicide watch.  In court, Judge Hall declares Rachel not competent to give evidence in Dan Callaghan's case. 

George Castle pays a visit to Rachel in hospital.  The two talk about old memories and better times.  Wheeler and Dan Callaghan come to see Steel and Phillips to tell them they intend to appeal Judge Hall's decision.  Castle tells Rachel she could come to terms with her condition in time.  She can't see what she has to live for.  He speaks plainly and clearly to her about how she should be thinking, what she has to live for and about her lying for Dan.  Dan describes the relationship between he and Rachel and starts talking about the day in question.  Rachel tells Castle the truth about what happened the day she was shot.  Dan confesses to making the call to Steel and Phillips.  Castle insists that now she has told the truth, Rachel needn't die.  She still wants to terminate her treatment.

Castle receives a call that the court decided to revoke its decision and Rachel's treatment was terminated.  She wants her husband with her as she is dying.  Castle and two PC's take Dan to Rachel's hospital room where they are able to embrace before she dies.

Law & Order:  UK airs on Thursday nights at 10:00 p.m. on CityTV in Canada.  Season Four is currently not airing in the UK and will air at a later date.
For more information:
Law & Order:  UK ITV1 Official Site:  http://www.itv.com/drama/copsandcrime/lawandorder/
Internet Movie Database:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166893/
TV Rage:  http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-18198

UK Television: Law & Order: UK, Episode 4.1 "ID"

Law & Order:  UK
Season Four, Episode One, ID
ID, Original Air Date:  November 4, 2010 (Canada)
ID, Original Air Date:  March 21, 2011 (U.K.)
Based on Law & Order (US) "Promises to Keep", Season 3, Episode 14 (10th February, 1993)

A young doctor is brutally murdered in the car park of the hospital where she works.  The case takes on a dramatic twist when the prime suspect turns out to have a shocking identity.  As the investigation continues, even more details emerge and the case takes on a complication that could potentially threaten the legal system.

In 1997, Billy Wells (Matthew Loreti) is given a sentence of 12 years for his part in the killing of teacher Yvonne Macy and her unborn child.  In the present day, at the Royal Hampton Hospital, Alice Cullen was murdered.  The murder wasn't caught on CCTV has it happened between cars and the cameras didn't pick it up.  Nothing was missing with the exception of her keys.  Brooks feels Alice Cullen knew her attacker.

When Brooks and Devlin search Alice Cullen's flat, they find that whoever killed her had already used her keys to get in and ransack the flat.  Matt Devlin finds an ultrasound that had been done of the child Alice was carrying and post-mortem confirmed she was 10 weeks pregnant.  Two dark hairs found on her clothes were sent in for DNA analysis.

Alice's parents Robert and Ellen Cullen (Ian Cairns & Geraldine Alexander) and her fiance, Joe Nash (Matthew McNulty), speak with Brooks and Devlin at the station.  Her parents cannot think of anything in her flat that anyone could have wanted unless it would have been an addict breaking into a doctors flat looking for drugs.  Devlin fingerprints Joe Nash to rule him out as one of the two sets of fingerprints they found at Alice's flat.  Her parents tell Ronnie Brooks they should be checking up on Alice's last boyfriend rather than Joe, her current one.

Brooks and Devlin speak with Alice's previous boyfriend.  He said he had moved on from Alice and "never lost any sleep" over her becoming engaged to Joe Nash.  He said the marriage and family wouldn't have lasted because she would have gone running home to her father the minute she didn't get her own way.  He insists that he's dealt with his anger issues and maintains that he didn't kill her.  His alibi that he was spending the evening with his personal assistant holds true. 

Nash's alibi was that he was in Chinatown.  Chandler sends Brooks and Devlin to investigate Nash's alibi further.  No one in Chinatown remembers seeing him so they go through his phone records and find he called Daniela Renzo (Nicola Walker), a psychiatric social worker, three times on the night Alice was murdered and none of the calls were made from Chinatown.  The calls put Joe at the murder scene a half hour before the killing, near Alice's flat at the time of the break-in and finally at Daniela Renzo's in time for bed.

In an effort to test Joe, Chandler sends Brooks and Devlin to convince him to make a public appeal for information about Alice's murder on the news.  He declines saying he wouldn't know what to say with all those people watching and they should ask someone else to do it instead. 

They next go to see Daniela Renzo who inform them Joe is a client and nothing more.  She gives them a few details about the issues Joe suffers from but doesn't divulge too much because of client confidentiality.  She is surprised to learn that Alice was murdered and tells them he was there, at her home, Sunday night.  He didn't want Alice to know of their appointments.  She said he called about 5:30, arrived at six and left about eight.  The other two calls to her were because he left his jacket at her home.

They speak with Joe again and he admits he didn't tell the truth because he was ashamed of needing a psychiatric social worker.  He was supposed to meet Alice for dinner that night but after his meeting with Daniela, he went to the restaurant but it was too late.  He says he then went to her flat but Alice wasn't there so he went home then back to Daniela's to collect the jacket he had forgotten there earlier that night. 

When they leave, Brooks brings up Joe's manner of dress and how he makes his bed to Matt.  They both exhibit behaviours of someone who has been in prison.  Joe did spend three months in prison for nicking cars when he was younger.  Ronnie Brooks is certain Joe is an ex-con.  Brooks finds in Nash's files from Manchester that the arresting officer for Nash's TWOC arrest was Detective Sergeant Marvin Douglas.  Martin Douglas was transferred from Manchester to London six months prior to Joe's arrest.  Brooks knows that for a fact because Douglas was an usher at his (Brooks') second wedding that took place one month after Douglas got back to London. 

Matt learns from Daniela Renzo's landlord that he tried to deliver a parcel to her three times on the day Alice was murdered but she was out all evening.  Chandler orders them to bring both Renzo and Nash in as she's covering for him or they are in it together.

Renzo and Nash share a look in the corridor before each of them is ushered into separate rooms.  Alesha watches on the monitors as Brooks and Devlin interview Joe Nash.  He admits that he and Alice were going to meet at the restaurant but they had a fight.  He didn't go to Daniela's flat until around 10:30 that night.  He called her from outside her flat but she was getting ready to go to bed and didn't let him in.  They push him wanting to know if he and Daniela were sleeping together and if Alice found out.  If that is what Alice and Joe fought about that night.  Joe begs to stop the interview saying he needs some sleep.  He doesn't want to tell them what he and Alice argued about.  He finally breaks down and admits they argued about his diary.  He also admits to killing Alice saying he never meant to do it. 

As Matt Devlin places Joe under arrest for Alice's murder, Joe starts rambling about not really being "Joe Nash".  He says the home office arranged things and he was moved down here and given the name and history and was given a new passport.  Chandler, who is with Daniela, questions her if she is more than just Joe's social worker to which Daniela replies "you've got no idea what you're asking".  She reveals to Chandler that she was assigned to help Joe deal with his new identity as he is on Life License.  Joe tells Brooks and Devlin about the murder of the teacher when he was a young boy.  He was released six years ago on Life License.  He isn't Joe Nash, he is Billy Wells. 

Castle, Steel and Phillips attend a meeting at the Offices of the Director of Public Prosecutions with Carla Hopley (Isla Blair) regarding Joe Nash.  They are informed that Joe Nash spent 3 months in the same YOI as Billy Wells.  They two shared a cell.  Steel questions why Nash would claim to be Billy Wells if he isn't.  The response is that Nash suffers from delusion disorder.  Alesha states that the police surgeon found Joe fit for questioning.  She insists that Joe Nash is definitely not Billy Wells.  She is adamant that there cannot be a trial.  Steel sees no problem in this as Joe has confessed to killing Alice.  She wants them to offer Nash a deal to plead manslaughter, diminished responsibility so he will be given a hospital order and it will be made sure that he will need Ministry of Justice approval for any future release.  They agree to the terms and Steel will present it to Nash's brief.

Nash's solicitor, Eli Smart (Benedict Wong) arrives with praise for Steel.  Steel presents Smart with the terms of the deal and Smart assures Steel that, while he just got the case that morning, he can be certain his client wouldn't turn down a deal that good.

Joe surprises everyone in court when he pleads "not guilty" instead of "guilty" as he was expected to do.  Eli Smart is as shocked and surprised as everyone else as he had no idea his client would change his plea.  Later, Phillips presents Steel with paperwork from Eli Smart that claims Joe Nash was coerced into confessing to Alice's murder. 

Steel meets with Joe and Smart and is told that Joe was confused when he made the claims that he was Billy Wells and that he killed Alice.  Smart wants Steel to look over the confession tapes again as he maintains Joe never actually said he killed Alice.  Steel and Phillips do just that.  Phillips says Joe did admit killing Alice while Steel questions if he really does.  He goes through the confession Joe makes word for word and notes that it is Billy Wells confession from 1997.  Joe's using the exact same words Billy Wells did leading Alesha to question if Joe really could be Billy Wells.  Steel compares photographs of a young Billy Wells to those of Joe and he can see similarities while Alesha isn't convinced.  Steel points out how the case changes if Joe truly is Billy Wells.  He wants to know one way or the other.

Chandler informs Steel that Joe's prints came back identified as Joe Nash.  He asks about the diary Joe mentioned in his confession.  It was never found and could very well have been destroyed by Joe.  He wants her to check Joe Nash's DNA against that of Billy Wells but there is no DNA profile in Wells' file to compare it against.

Steel and Phillips next go to the Dangerous Offenders Unit wanting more information about Billy Wells.  They hit a brick wall as they are told the information they want cannot be disclosed for the safety of both the offender and the social worker.  Unless they have authority from the Home Secretary, the information they want remains confidential.  Daniela Renzo will not even disclose anything to them without a signed letter of consent from Joe despite the fact she had already told Chandler she was assigned to help him deal with his new identity.  She's now a witness for the defense and they can hold their questions for court.

Joe Nash was attacked in prison and moved to the Vulnerable Prisoners Wing.  A new prisoner "went crazy" and attacked Joe after seeing him.  They pay Joe a visit in prison and ask him about his identity.  He denies being Billy Wells.  Steel pushes Joe, pointing out the verbatim confession and similarities between Yvonne Macy's murder and Alice's murder.  Joe insists he isn't Billy Wells and calls the guard to take him back to his cell.

Chandler tells Steel and Phillips there were certain details both defense and prosecution agreed to keep out of court in the Billy Wells trial.  Steel asks Chandler to check the Yvonne Macy file to see if when she was found if her underwear were in her mouth.  Chandler says she doesn't need to check because she already knows.  The fact Joe knew that one detail is proof enough for Steel that Joe Nash is, in fact, Billy Wells.  Steel wants to charge Joe/Billy accordingly now that his true identity is known.  Steel refuses to cover up Billy Wills true identity and his crimes to save face for the Home Secretary.  Castle warns him the issue isn't about one case and that this case could threaten the entire criminal justice system.  The repercussions could be frightening and that sometimes the truth causes more harm than good.  He tells Steel to talk to Eli Smart again to convince him to take the plea in light of the new information.  And he must do it before the DPP finds out what he's been doing.

Eli Smart says Nash's true identity changes nothing because he was hired to defend John Nash and that's what he is doing.  Steel tells him that if the fact he's really Billy Wells comes out he will never get a fair trial and they need to keep it out of court.  Smart agrees to book a visit with Nash. 

Chandler pays a visit to Steel's office and throws a thick folder down on his desk telling him to not ask how she got it.  The folder is Billy Wells prison records.  She flagged the last section that records identifying marks.  Billy Wells has a three-inch scar on his left arm from a suicide attempt.  Steel confronts Nash with the scar but Nash still insists he isn't Billy Wells until Steel tells him to pull up his sleeve.  He finally admits who he really is but he maintains that he never killed Alice.  Steel encourages him to take the deal because the DNA evidence will prove his guilt.  He tells Steel to find his diary and read what prison did to him and if he still thinks he could have killed Alice he'll see him in court.

Knowing that anyone who would have read Nash's diary would have known right off who he really was, Steel sends Devlin and Brooks to Daniela Renzo's.  Brooks finds it hidden behind a couch cushion.  The diary lays out every detail and Alesha remarks he gave it to Alice because he wanted her to know he was Billy Wells.  Daniela claims in interview that Joe gave her Alice's keys and begged her to get his diary back for him and that she had no idea Joe had killed Alice.  Chandler takes a swab from Daniela's cheek for DNA analysis.  After Steel informs her they have a DNA profile from the scene, she wants to get up and leave but Chandler orders her to sit back down.  He reads from Joe's diary where he had told Daniela he wanted to stop his appointments with her.  She claims Joe couldn't have survived without her.  She admitted to being with Alice the night she died but only to talk to her.  She tells Steel that she grabbed Alice's bag and Alice fell and hit her head against the car door; an accident.  Even if Joe/Billy had gone back to prison, Daniela felt she could have still worked with him and made sure he was alright.  She had no idea Alice was pregnant which is a wake up call to her that Joe/Billy didn't tell her everything the way she claimed he did.  Chandler places her under arrest for Alice's murder.

Steel and Alesha present a somber Eli Smart with Billy Wells release papers at a local pub.  Smart tells them Billy was found hanging in his cell two hours ago. 

Promises to Keep, the original Law & Order episode ID was based on is one of my favorites.  In the original, the amazing (and very underrated, I might add) Lindsey Crouse plays Dr. Diane Meade, the psychiatrist who is pulling the strings, so to speak, of her client Danny Garrett (Frederick Weller).  The US and UK shows differ in that in the US original, Meade and Garrett are actually having an affair and Meade even visits Garrett in prison where she tells him she loves him.  I liked the changes in the story for the UK version.  They were subtle but enough to give this version a unique twist. 

Law & Order:  UK airs on Thursday nights at 10:00 p.m. on CityTV in Canada.  Season four is currently not airing in the UK and will air at a later date.
For more information:
Law & Order:  UK ITV1 Official Site:  http://www.itv.com/drama/copsandcrime/lawandorder/
Internet Movie Database:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166893/
TV Rage:  http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-18198

UK Television: Law & Order: UK, Episode 3.7 "Anonymous"

Law & Order:  UK
Season Three, Episode Seven, Anonymous
Anonymous, Original Air Date:  October 21, 2010
Based on Law & Order (US) "Stalker", Season 8, Episode 18 (15th April, 1998)

When a young woman is found to have been thrown down the staircase of the building where she lives, the case takes on a new turn when Brooks and Devlin find e-mails from a cyberstalker in her home.  But when it appears the attack on the stairs might have been faked, things change.  The suspect is sent home and the woman is found dead a week later.  Because of the possibly faked attack, will who Brooks and Devlin believe killed the young woman get away with murder?

A young couple hears a commotion in the flat next to theirs late at night and upon investigating they find the body of a woman, Stephanie Blake (Michelle Bonnard), at the foot of the stairs.  The woman isn't dead but in serious condition.  The question is who hurt Stephanie and how did they get out of the building?

Using a spare key given them by the owner of the building, Maria Golofsky (Eileen Essell), Brooks and Devlin enter her flat and find a notebook full of e-mails addressed to the young woman all signed by "Giovanni".  She had tried blocking him and tracking him by the e-mails continued coming.  She had even changed her e-mail address a half dozen times.  The e-mails are extremely descriptive in a sexual nature and "Giovanni" appears to know every detail of Stephanie's life.  She had reported the e-mails to D.S. Frasier (Sara Woodward) at Northcross C.S.U.  Brooks and Devlin interview her and find out even more details about Stephanie's stalker including threats he had made against her.  Frasier gives them a tip about a prisoner at Ashbridge Prison who wanted Stephanie's new mobile number added to his list of approved numbers.

Shane Morgan (Mark White) had given Stephanie's name as well as number for his list of approved numbers but he claims he made a mistake.  After a little pushing from Devlin, Morgan admits that a bloke named Lowry wanted him to request the number because he was running low on phone credits and wanted to hook up with Stephanie.  Lowry was released from prison the week before.

Brooks and Devlin are finally able to track down Russell Lowry (Rocky Marshall) to question him about Stephanie.  He claims they met in a bar about a month ago and 'clicked'.  While talking with Brooks and Devlin, Lowry says "I like to spread the love".  Devlin remembers the line from one of the e-mails Stephanie had received.  There is absolutely no evidence to link Lowry to the scene of the crime.  Lowry had recently sold his laptop on eBay and they need to track the buyer down and need time.  To get that time, they go back to his neighbor to see if she wanted to file charges for him  having groped her not long after moving into the building.  She does file assault charges and Lowry is taken into custody.

When Stephanie Blake regains consciousness, Devlin and Brooks question her about Lowry.  She doesn't recognize him and can't identify him as the man who attacked her as she never saw him.  The only name she can give the police as to who might have been "Giovanni" is Lucas Dutton (Matt Cross).  They lived in the same block of flats when the e-mails started.  Dutton still lives in the same building but doesn't have any criminal record.  Lowry, on the other hand, did time in Woodbury Prison for computer fraud.  However, he was still in prison when the e-mails started.

Devlin and Brooks speak with Dutton who doesn't want to speak with them and even cites Article 8 of European Human Convention that them chatting with him would be a breach of his human rights.  From the front door, Devlin sees a video camera set up in Dutton's flat.  They forgo the warrant and take Dutton in for questioning.  Dutton has been videotaping a woman living in Stephanie Blake's old flat.  Dutton can quote laws by section and give his interpretation of them to make everything he is doing perfectly legal.  Dutton is a smart man as is his solicitor.  Before he will answer any questions regarding where he was at the time Stephanie was attacked Brooks and Devlin must show proof linking him to the crime.

While asking Mrs. Golofsky if she recognized Dutton's photo, she mentions that she had to ask Stephanie's mother to throw away the bag from the rubbish can in Stephanie's flat as there was a terrible smell coming from the flat.  That directly contradicts what Stephanie had told the detectives at the hospital.  She claimed she had taken the rubbish out and was attacked when going back to her apartment.

They bring Stephanie in for questioning when it appears she staged the attack herself so her case would be important enough to be investigated further.  She is angry and terrified because she knows "Giovanni" will kill her eventually and she feels the police can't or won't do enough to prevent it.  Stephanie having been pushed down the stairs cannot be investigated because it never happened.  To complicate matters for Stephanie, Phillips needs a copy of the report as one of the hospital lawyers wants to see it because Blake might be fired if it is true the crime was faked.  Devlin tells her to leave it with him.

A report comes in that is seriously troubling to Chandler, Devlin and Brooks.  Stephanie Blake was beaten and stabbed and her neck was broken. 

Brooks, Devlin, Steel and Phillips listen to Stephanie's call to 999 where she says "It's Giovanni--the man in the picture".  Dutton was in custody at the time of Stephanie's murder and Brooks and Devlin are positive Russell Lowry is the man they are looking for.  In a search of Lowry's flat, they find 25 different copies of Mozart's Don Giovanni.  Having very little to go on, Brooks and Devlin go to Woodbury Prison to try and find out how Lowry started e-mailing Stephanie while behind bars.  The early e-mails are traced to the prison's IP address.  Steel thinks that Lowry's cellmate, Keith Wilson (Rowe David McLelland) must have been helping him gain access to the media center at the prison.  Before he was imprisoned, Lowry worked for an organization setting up funds for animal rescue.  Stephanie Blake set up an account to deposit funds for the organization meaning the two would have talked on the phone as Lowry was the one who signed her up.  Due to him being a hacker, once he had her personal information, he could find out anything he wanted to know about her.  Keith Wilson denies helping Lowry at first but eventually admits he did allow him to use his information to use the computer.  Wilson owed Lowry a favor as Lowry helped him prepare the presentation that got him into the media program at the prison.  The man running the program had a problem with his firewall.  Wilson suggested Lowry could fix it and he eventually became the "unofficial IT support" for the program. 

Steel, Castle and Phillips know they are in for a rough time as Evelyn Wyndham (Anna Chancellor) is defending the case.  Wyndham, using Stephanie Blakes fabrication of her attack a week prior to her murder, is able to sway the judge to leave the 999 tape in as evidence but allow Wyndham to chip away at Stephanie's credibility.  If she can destroy that, the tape is worthless.  It's looking more and more unlikely that a murder conviction will be possible and perhaps they will only be able to get Lowry for cyberstalking.

Stephanie's mum, Jean Blake (Chrissie Cotterill) is angry that her daughter's murderer is apparently going to walk free for the murder.  She feels the police have let her daughter down every step of the way.  Brooks wants to re-examine all the evidence in the case and Chandler warns him and Devlin against allowing a guilty conscience to let him make any untrue changes to the reports.  Brooks talks again to Mrs. Golofsky asking her if there was anyone she might have buzzed into the building the night Stephanie fell down the stairs.  She is, at first, certain there wasn't anyone.  After he asks again, she admits that there might have been. 

Brooks takes the "new evidence" to Steel and Phillips to convince them he now believes Stephanie wasn't faking the attack.  Brooks insists that the evidence was misinterpreted at the time despite objections from Steel.  Brooks insists he absolutely has the evidence to back the claim up and Steel agrees to amend the indictment to attempted murder. 

Ronnie Brooks gets up in court and states that Mrs. Golofsky let someone into the building the night Stephanie was attacked but didn't know who it was because of her poor hearing.  Wyndham all but accuses Brooks and even Steel and Phillips of being dishonest in the case by reopening the case after she had started the process of highlighting Stephanie Blake's "bad character".  When questioned by Wynhdam if Devlin agrees with Brooks' revised conclusion, Brooks answers "as far as I know" then, when asked again says flat out "Well, of course he does.  She didn't stalk and kill herself, did she?"

Chandler is angry at Brooks' behavior and Devlin isn't too happy either.  Matt wants to know why Brooks didn't let him know what he had planned.  They could have gone together and found something on Lowry.  Matt is standing by the original report.

In court, under questioning from Wyndham, Matt testifies that he used the term "no crime" to describe Stephanie's attack on the stairs.  He states that he stands by the original report.  Steel questions him on Brooks going back over the original evidence and admits that he took no part in the re-evaluation because he was working other cases.  Steel establishes with Devlin that the original investigation concluded Stephanie was being stalked by "Giovanni" who they found to be Russell Lowry.  Devlin states he found no evidence to point to Stephanie facing substantial threat from "Giovanni"/Lowry.  Steel then points out that Devlin told Stephanie's employers that she faced a serious threat from "Giovanni" and gets Devlin to admit he lied about that. 

Russell Lowry is found guilty of both the charges of attempted murder and murder.

The ending of this case was excellent.  Steel was unrelenting in his examination of Matt Devlin.  He started in and didn't let up until he knew he had been successful in casting doubt on Matt's word.  As Steel told Phillips, Devlin was "collateral damage".  The questioning of Matt Devlin by Steel reminded me of when Executive A.D.A. Benjamin Stone (Michael Moriarty) grilled Dr. Elizabeth Olivet (Carolyn McCormick) on the stand for being biased in a rape case because of her own rape in order to win the case.  The harder Steel pushed, the more I was reminded of Ben Stone going after Dr. Olivet.  It is moments like this that make Law & Order so tense and utterly brilliant.

This episode wrapped up season three.  Six episodes are ready to air for season four.  Hopefully, we will get those around the end of November or in December. 

Law & Order:  UK airs on Thursday nights at 9:00 p.m. on ITV1 in the UK.
For more information:
Law & Order:  UK ITV1 Official Site:  http://www.itv.com/drama/copsandcrime/lawandorder/
Internet Movie Database:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166893/
TV Rage:  http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-18198