27x07 - Death By A Thousand Hits - Part 1

[bunniefuu]

27 speakers across the week.

We get the gist. In five years,

a friendly bot called Felix

will be doing 50 PMs a week.

And still have time to mop the floor!

I'll be future-proofing

the Lyell so we can

stick it to Felix.

Hello, Felix.

Hello, I'm Felix.

The pen is mightier than the sword.

- Thank you.

- You're welcome.

Social media

is a divisive sh*t show.

A toilet.

The basest form of social interaction

and a weeping sore

on the ass of humanity.

Or should I say the arse of humanity?

Well, let me tell ya.

I wholeheartedly agree.

But the world is changing.

And Kaskade prides itself on being

the social media platform

ahead of the curve.

We don't judge.

Or cancel.

We believe that people are responsible,

and should be treated as such,

that freedom of speech

is a basic human right

You've had the mic long enough!

Big Tech kills!

Big Tech kills.

Big Tech kills.

Big Tech kills.

Big Tech kills.

Big Tech kills.

Big Tech kills.

Big Tech kills.

What about your life?

What about our privacy?

Big Tech Kills!

Big

Big Tech kills!

Get off me!

Hey.

Enough.

Sit down, please.

So you're visiting from Myanmar, Mr Lwin?

What's your business in the UK?

I'm attending a trade fair in Guildford.

Eco heating and air-conditioning systems.

Says here you need a ticket.

Are you in possession of one, sir?

You should have mentioned

you had a Home Office waiver.

Apologies, sir.

We will get you on your way.

Testator silens

Costestes e spiritu

Silencium

Testator silens. ♪

Gabriel speaking.

Oh, good morning.

My name is Elinor Shaw.

I work at the Home Office.

What can I do for you, Elinor?

Well, my day job is immigration.

I'm a deputy secretary.

But the reason I'm calling

is because I also sit

on the budgetary oversight panel,

for my sins.

OK, um, consider me intrigued.

Well, I can see that, last May,

you applied for a second-stage

Home Office competed grant

on behalf of the Lyell.

I did, unsuccessfully.

Or are you calling me

to tell me something different?

Well, actually, additional

funding has been freed up

and the panel are now actively

reassessing close calls.

So we were a close call?

Yes, very.

The reassessment would involve

a two-day in-person inspection

by myself, which

I appreciate may not be

It's fine. When can you come?

Well, I've just had a cancellation,

hence the call.

Would today work?

Yes.

It would absolutely work.

Well, that's great.

- Dr Nikki Alexander.

- Jack Hodgson.

DI John Flynn. Thanks very much

for coming down.

- Greatly appreciated.

- No problem.

- Seeing a lot of this lately.

- What's that?

Drunk and homeless incidents.

A lot of them come down from London

looking for a better life.

Uniforms called in

four ambulances last week.

Paramedics pronounced him dead.

Left him in situ.

Any ID on the body?

No, no.

Paramedics also noticed some

footprints leading to the body

we did the best to preserve.

Prints aren't uniform.

- Can you help me turn him?

- Fine.

Some sort of wooden stake or post

broken off in his chest.

- Where's the rest of it?

- Not sure.

Single from Victoria.

OK. I went to the clubhouse

like you asked, sir.

Oh, right. Uh Dr Nikki Alexander.

- Hi.

- DC Alice Kirk.

Yeah. So, the barmaid said

it was proper cold yesterday.

A biting easterly wind.

- She say anything else?

- Yeah. Yes.

Um, yes. The customer

who was outside for a smoke

told her he saw a man staggering around

in a big coat.

Thought he looked drunk.

I've requested to access their CCTV.

What time did she see him?

Um, around 6pm, when she came on shift.

So he could have been

lying here for up to 14 hours

before he was found.

Three of the nails on

his right hand are snapped off.

- A sign of a struggle?

- Possibly, yes.

And the stake -

is that enough to k*ll him?

I'll know more after the postmortem.

Nikki, take a walk?

Laying out in the open

overnight and no-one sees him?

- Driftwood.

- Human detritus.

Unseen in plain sight.

So how did he lose his shoe?

I don't know.

There it is.

Swap?

Here's the rest of the stake.

Could be.

Exposed wood is clean and unblemished.

How did he get on the beach? Hmm?

His other shoe.

- Take a look at this.

- Ah.

There are shoe prints here.

One set of prints to and from.

Just him.

Spacing and tread orientation

suggests he's moving in

this direction, maybe running.

- Trips

- Running, trips,

loses shoe, falls hard on a stake.

Was he running to something or from it?

So the more access you can give me,

the more comprehensive my report,

the more likely the panel

will find favour with it.

Sure.

Anything you need.

I must warn you,

the panel aren't exactly

fleetfooted when it comes to

the decision-making process.

I remember from last time.

Well, the backlog's grown, I'm afraid.

- Four months, minimum.

- Ah, all good things!

So, where's the rest of your team?

Uh, they were called out first thing.

A John Doe on Fincham Beach.

Not our usual patch, but we have

a reciprocal deal down there.

Staff shortages.

That's a body you can't ID, right?

Yeah, that's right.

Well, not yet, anyway.

- All right, cheers, mate.

- No worries, Jack.

Lonely way to go.

Emptiness, stretching forever.

Very unlucky.

It doesn't look like luck

was ever on his side.

A strange accident, don't you think?

- Mm.

- In the middle of all this nothingness

he happens to trip and impale himself.

Hmm, one set of prints to

and from the broken stake.

Find something that points another way.

There's, er, someone else

I'd like you to meet with, actually.

Ah, Cara.

Uh, this is Elinor Shaw.

- Uh, Cara's

- No, I I understand.

- Oh.

- You're printing your assignment

because your printer is broken?

Huh!

Nice to meet you, Cara.

Oh, yeah, sure.

What's Cara's role here?

Is she an intern?

Uh, no. Uh, student.

Just doing some work experience.

- Oh, when does that finish?

- Uh Last week.

Um, we applied for an extension

and in the meantime,

she's just doing some observing.

Don't worry,

I know all about assignments.

My son Adam used to get into

a right state.

I used to have to ply him with snacks.

Uh, yes. Shall we?

Hello. Fish speaking.

This is May Lwin. I'm

I'm his wife. You with him?

Where are you calling from, May Lwin?

You're with him?

You're with my husband?

Listen, May Lwin, it's not safe to

Is he with you?

No, he's not.

I'm going to come and get you.

Just tell me where you are.

I know a scalpel from a syringe,

and that's about it.

I am the definition of lay.

But as a deputy secretary, I know

what a functioning team looks like,

and that's what I hope to observe.

A cohesive, efficient operation,

worthy of what could be

a significant grant.

So you'll be shadowing us?

Shadowing you, asking

you the odd question,

speaking to you one-to-one,

but doing my level best

not to get under anyone's feet.

Right. Sounds good.

The fact that you have a live case

in this Fincham Beach death

is, um, well, auspicious.

- Auspicious?

- Instructive,

perhaps I should have said.

Well, come and see us in action.

- Practice, not theory.

- Yes, exactly.

We have the CCTV from the clubhouse.

He was alone.

It doesn't capture the moment

he met with the stake.

You think he was att*cked with it?

I don't think we can rule it out.

Thanks.

DI Flynn!

I thought you were of the mind that

the postmortem report would suffice.

Well, I still think it's

an accident, but, erm

I just want to know.

Well, best endeavours.

DI John Flynn. Elinor Shaw.

Elinor works for the Home Office.

She's here to see if we warrant

additional funding.

- Hi.

- Hi.

I think we know the answer

to that one already, don't we?

Oh, my lips are sealed.

But I do promise to keep

my clipboard out of sight.

- Would you mind if I observe?

- No, not at all.

But you might have to ask him.

Sure.

Are you OK?

Yeah, fine.

Body is that of an

as-yet-unidentified adult male,

approximately 30 to 40 years old.

There's what appears to be a

recent fracture of the nasal bones.

Suffered near death?

Possibly, given the blood.

From falling on the fence, maybe?

Uh, maybe he just hit

the ground face-first.

I mean, it's notable that, uh,

there's only one set of footprints

leading to and from the broken post.

So you're proceeding on the basis

that this was an accident?

We're interpreting the

evidence sequentially.

No foregone conclusions.

There's some sort

of red dye on his teeth.

Could be from Southeast Asia.

Chewing betel leaves

stains the mouth red.

Oh, it's a thing, is it,

chewing betel leaves in Southeast Asia?

Yeah, it's a vital cultural practice.

It also causes tooth decay

and oral cancer.

Well, in terms of an ID,

it'd be great to narrow it down

to Southeast Asia.

Well, he has distinctive

tattoos on his legs

and another one here,

on his left arm.

Dr Alexander has asked me

to dig into the tattoos,

what they mean and signify culturally.

Yeah, well, yeah.

Might just be prison tats, so

There's a healed injury

on his right upper arm

thin, uniform, vertical scars.

Any idea what might have caused that?

No.

But scarring pigmentation

suggests that the wound was sustained

three to four months ago.

It wasn't dressed properly.

There's a grey fibre buried in the wound.

- Er

- Oh.

There's a wound to the chest

consistent with the fence post

recovered from the scene

and a slight scratch

adjacent to the primary wound.

From the post?

Possibly.

From the external wound

and the trajectory seen on the CT scan,

we know that the post entered

the chest at a downward angle,

just missing his heart.

Nonfatal?

At least, not immediately.

The downward angle is interesting.

In what way?

If he'd fallen on the post,

I'd expect to see an upward path,

with entry from below.

So, that's an anomaly?

Yes, it is.

Ian Fish. May Lwin, right?

Where is my husband?

Where is Htin Lwin?

Can we talk in the car?

If you get in the car,

we can have a proper conversation.

Where is he?

I don't know.

I was hoping you could tell me.

- You were supposed to meet him.

- That's right.

What happened?

I don't know. He didn't show up.

You were late.

He came all the way across the world

and you were late.

Yeah. Just a few minutes. I got

stuck in traffic leaving London.

His last text says he was waiting

for an hour. An hour!

I'm sorry.

I went to the place we agreed

to meet and he wasn't there.

I was waiting ages.

I kept calling, but he didn't answer.

- Where?

- Sorry?

Where you agree to meet?

Fincham Beach.

We go there now.

Maybe someone see him, remember him.

Fine. Good idea.

There's fragments of wood

under the nails of his right hand.

Is that from the post?

It seems likely. Tests will confirm.

There's also a faint blue bruise

above his right knee,

suggesting it was sustained recently.

There's evidence of

congested and oedematous lungs.

I've seen that before.

Drug users. Can be the sign of

an overdose, can't it?

It can be, among many other things.

It'd certainly explain a few things.

No track marks or other obvious

physical signs of drug use.

Maybe he smoked it.

Maybe.

Tox and stomach contents should clarify.

But you're not convinced?

He was in good shape and health.

For a homeless person.

For anyone his age.

There's evidence of

subendocardial ischaemia

which occurs when

the centre of the heart

is starved of oxygen.

See these pale areas?

- Cardiac arrest?

- Yes.

Arrhythmia. Likely PEA,

when the lower chambers pulsate,

but don't pump blood.

You seem surprised.

I am.

There's no sign of coronary disease.

Maybe it was just a new thing.

You know, smack disagreed with him,

he lacked the constitution.

I think we're entering

the realm of speculation.

Could it have been caused by

the impact of being impaled?

Yes.

It's possible the shock

triggered a cardiac arrest.

Fatal heart att*ck.

- So that was the cause of death?

- Definitely.

Of that, I'm certain.

So a man comes to the UK. Maybe

he dabbles in dr*gs, explaining

the congested lungs, maybe not.

As I said, let's see what the tox says.

He decides to jump on a train

and head down south,

something that we see a fair bit of.

3rd March,

off -peak single from Victoria.

He has some kind of like episode,

withdrawal or something.

He runs onto the beach,

he trips, he lands on the fence,

impaling himself

and inducing a massive heart att*ck.

- Sounds fairly simple to me.

- Certainly fits with the evidence.

As I also said, if he'd fallen on

the post, I'd expect to see an

upward wound tract, not a downward one.

Yeah, but that would depend on the

angle of the post in the ground.

If he was running at pace, he could

have been near-horizontal

at the point of impact.

- Explaining the downward trajectory.

- Possibly.

- We should keep an open mind, though.

- Yes, we should.

Otherwise, I think we're

in danger of tailoring the evidence

to a scenario.

Hi, sorry! Sorry I missed the PM.

I got stuck on Fincham Beach,

and then I think I probably

subconsciously started thinking about

- the last PM I attended.

- Highlights, Alice.

Just the highlights, please.

Yes. Um, no, I found someone

who did recognise him.

A woman who was cleaning

her ice cream van at the time.

She said she saw a middle-aged woman

and she was shouting at him.

- She seemed very agitated.

- Our victim?

Er, yes. She said his coat

was filthy.

And she thinks that she heard the

woman say something about her son,

but she can't be sure because she was

listening to music at the time.

- Did she say what happened then?

- Yes. She finished cleaning, and then

when she looked back, he was gone,

and the woman was standing there, alone.

Why meet here?

Htin Lwin was cautious, and rightly so.

He asked to meet somewhere

out in the open,

where we wouldn't be

observed or followed.

- Why? To do what?

- Rehearse.

Prepare for his interview on BBC News.

You're lying.

Look, May Lwin, I get that

you're upset and worried,

but I'm not the bad guy here, OK?

I'm not.

I'll level with you. I'm no saint and

my career's in the toilet.

I used to be on the nationals.

Regular contributor to Newsnight.

I was a big journalist, OK?

Successful. You understand?

Yes, I understand.

Well, this story is going

to put me back on the map.

It's an important story,

a story the world needs to hear.

It's Htin Lwin's story.

He came here to a safe haven.

They'd k*ll him back home

for speaking the truth.

That's why I pulled every favour I could

and spent my own money to

get him safely to the UK.

I'm a friend, not a foe.

And, yes, I was late.

That was poor show. That was sh*t.

But that's all I'm guilty of. OK?

You need to trust me.

OK.

- I'm sorry.

- Oh

I think something spooked him

and he's decided to lie low.

- Then why hasn't he called?

- I don't know.

But I say we stay in the area

and wait for him to make contact.

There's a motel down the

- Have you seen this man?

- No. Sorry.

Have you seen this man?

- I'm sorry, no.

- Sorry, no. No.

- Do you want a coffee?

- Uh, no. No, thanks.

Do you know what's the most

impressive part of what you do?

That's the sort of question

you can't get wrong.

It's all evidence-based. You

- You don't jump to conclusions.

- We try not to.

- That can be challenging.

- It can.

There's always

a measure of interpretation.

Yeah, I suppose it's human nature.

We always look for the bad guy.

I suppose it's why we love

conspiracy theories so much.

I'm surprised that you and

Dr Alexander seem to be

chasing rabbits down holes.

We're not.

Oh, I'm just an observer, but

it seemed to me that DI Flynn

was trying to keep your feet

on the ground.

- Our feet ARE on the ground.

- Stopping you from

jumping to conclusions.

What are you trying to say?

I'm sorry. That was inappropriate.

Yeah, it was.

I don't know what's

wrong with me. I

..I seem to say the wrong things

these days.

I guess I've just lost

my balance since

Well, I lost my son

a few months ago. And, um

yeah, I thought I was

dealing with it, but

- I'm really sorry.

- Thank you.

After the funeral, I went

straight back into the fray.

Compassionate leave sounded

like a terrifying black hole.

But now I think I'm

I'm losing my judgment.

Maybe I just need to take some

proper time out to grieve heal.

I'm really sorry if I said

something to upset you.

No, you're all right.

I'm sorry to hear about your son.

Sorry. Excuse me.

Oh, Velvy, have you got a moment?

Sure.

I just wanted to ask you

if you'd found out any other

information about the tattoos.

Um, yes, they could tell us a lot.

Well, they ARE telling us a lot.

g*ng tattoos?

I don't think so.

Um, the tattoos strongly suggest

he is from Myanmar.

Oh. Myanmar?

Well, one resembles

the number six in Burmese,

and one of the symbols looks like

it could be a police badge.

So I think it's, erm,

the insignia of Division 6,

which is an elite armed unit

in the Myanmar Police.

Oh, so he was a policeman.

Well, it fits with the thread of tactical

polyester we found in his wound.

- Fits how?

- Well, it's a hard-wearing fibre.

They're very common in uniforms.

Right.

And you're comparing these tattoos

to reliable samples?

Would you show me?

No problem.

Oh

Sorry.

My, erm

My computer must have lost power.

The bar.

- What?

- We go ask in the bar.

Oh, the clubhouse. Yes, OK.

- Er, let me go in and ask.

- What?

The people we're up against,

they don't know you're here.

- Much better it stays that way.

- I don't care.

You said you were going

to trust me, May Lwin.

Give me Htin Lwin's photograph.

Two minutes.

Hi.

I was just looking for somewhere

to watch the match tonight.

- This looked like a good spot.

- Mm.

Oh, I, um,

found this up on the road.

No-one's lost a photo wallet?

It's been difficult

to gather information.

Myanmar is in turmoil

and the Rohingya

are being ethnically targeted.

There was even a m*ssacre,

three months ago.

Hmm.

So the Myanmar Embassy

have no record of him.

But I've found a Burmese

community group here in London

who have helped with

the last of his tattoos.

So, these are, erm,

creatures from Burmese folklore,

invoked by the men

as a symbol of strength.

It is a rite of passage that

is specific to their country.

And what about this police tattoo?

Has that been confirmed yet?

No, but I am confident in my research.

According to the ice cream van witness,

the set-to between

the woman and the victim

took place here, 500 yards

from where his body was found.

- And?

- And nowhere near

the shoe prints.

That suggests he came onto

the beach from the north.

Right. So, what happened

between there and there?

Indeed.

DC Kirk thinks it warrants a closer look.

- Ah.

- Mm.

Be good for you to see us

out in the field.

The more comprehensive the report

Oh, er, yes. Um, yes, of course.

Er, yeah, sure.

So, you made much progress

with the tattoos, Velvy?

Um, yes. It's been a bit difficult,

but, um, I was just telling Elinor

that these are

creatures from Burmese folklore

This is a police emblem and, erm

reliable sources. This is

This is the same as this.

Yeah, how reliable?

These are

You have the double.

We go to police.

No, May Lwin, we can't do that.

My husband is policeman.

They understand.

Your husband stands accused, falsely,

- I know, of very serious crimes.

- Lies.

Nevertheless, if he's arrested

and extradited to Myanmar

But there's no extradition treaty.

Hello.

- Are you with her now?

- Oh, hello, Mike.

Can you call me back in five?

Cheers, mate. Speak in a bit.

- Can I ask you a question?

- Sure.

How did your son die?

Er, su1c1de.

Um

He was on a gap year abroad and

they said that he

jumped off a bridge.

"They said"?

I'm sorry.

I never ID'd him.

My son, Adam. I

They said it would be too upsetting.

The damage to his

his body and his face.

They may have been right.

That's what I thought.

That they had my best interests at heart.

And you don't think that now?

My eyes have been opened.

Oh, don't worry, I'm not one of

those tinfoil-hat wearers.

- But I see it every day.

- At work?

Politicians don't want the truth.

They want

sound bites and happy stats.

Whatever selective data

just gives them a headline or

- serves their narrative.

- So

do you think he's still alive?

You know, sometimes, I

I think I see him getting onto

a bus or sitting in a cafe.

It just doesn't make any sense

to me that he's gone.

What?!

All OK?

Nikki?

High bacteria and fungus levels

on his skin,

alcohol and heroin in his blood,

and in significant quantities.

Hmm. So maybe Flynn was right.

A homeless addict.

Er, this is Angus Day,

a witness who saw our victim

from the clubhouse.

I feel bad now.

I was going to check he was OK,

but my mate said,

"No, he's just pissed."

Yeah, it's a shame you didn't

trust your instincts.

Yeah.

Where was he when you first saw him?

And you didn't see which

direction he came from?

Why is that important?

Well, a witness said they saw him

standing by the ice cream van,

but other evidence suggests that

he came running onto the beach

down there.

OK.

Seems strange that

he'd run along the road

and then come back on himself

down the beach.

I think before I saw him,

I heard something.

Car braking, maybe. You know, tyres.

But you didn't see a vehicle?

No, I'd only just stepped

out here when I heard it.

But after you heard the car,

the man came into view?

- Yeah, I'd say so.

- How soon after?

God, I don't know, four or five minutes.

We'll have to check the road

for brake marks.

We will. All the way back to

the ice cream van.

Oh, Jack

Faded.

Old.

Probably months, not weeks.

- That's our witness?

- Yeah.

Although if Angus is right about

the sound of the braking,

then it's funny that she didn't

hear the tyres squealing.

Didn't you say she was

listening to music?

- Yes. Good shout.

- Wouldn't hurt to double-check.

- Mm.

- See if she can tell us

a bit more about the woman she

saw shouting at the victim.

Mm.

Um, I'm sorry, I've just

got to make a quick call.

OK, sure.

Adam

Didn't get anything much use

out of that, did we?

No.

Um, the Home Office lady, is she OK?

Full disclosure -

I'm not sure if she is, Alice.

Where's that?

Don't know.

Jack!

- From his coat?

- Mm.

Do you remember the scratch we found

next to the primary wound?

Yes.

I don't think it was from the stake.

There's a needle mark.

I can see it, now the swelling

has reduced.

And the bruise above his right knee,

you found corresponding splinters

on his trousers, didn't you?

Yes, only on the right leg.

Do you think they could be

from him breaking the post

over his own leg?

Uh

He was alone, could have stabbed himself.

Why would he do that?

By stabbing himself with a stake,

he draws attention to

the injection wound.

I guess that makes sense

with the evidence.

If the injection k*lled him

and it didn't show up in the tox,

we're looking at a pretty

sophisticated method of m*rder.

One purposely designed

to obscure the truth.

Are you ready for delivery?

Is she ready?

Look, she doesn't know anything.

If I put her on a plane

We're outside.

Are you ready?

Yes. Yes. I'm ready.

Everything OK?

I don't like waiting around.

You said you had a plan.

Yes, kind of.

We had a backup meeting point,

in case the beach

- didn't work.

- Didn't work?

It gets flooded sometimes. I'm

thinking maybe he's gone there.

- OK, we go now.

- We'll leave in ten minutes. OK?

Five.

Thank you.

No, no, no, no, no, no

- No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

- Sh!

Bitch!

Sorry.