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Related: Film discussion forum.

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Related: Film discussion forum.

Telly addicts

24 hours police custody - anybody watch tonight's?

93 replies

FloatyFlo · 19/02/2018 23:18

I bet the show producers were rubbing their hands with glee as that one unravelled! What an episode! What an absolute tool that copper was.

OP posts:

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KeepSmiling83 · 21/02/2018 07:53

I felt very sorry for his wife and family. They have done nothing wrong and yet they have the humiliation of everyone knowing their business.

I also wondered about consent. I have no idea why he would have agreed to it being aired especially as he is still in prison. Being a police officer in prison is terrible.

bigbootsj · 21/02/2018 08:46

I cannot get my head around why on earth would he risk absolutely everything, everything he must have worked so hard for, for a grand?? A grand!

ShatnersBassoon · 21/02/2018 08:52

I kept saying that had it been the plot of a drama it would have been so unbelievable that I'd have stopped watching! The evidence was so damning and no attempt was made to hide it, he was put to work on his own crime, the bullshit excuses...

We too kept shouting about it all being for just £1k too. Why risk everything for such a small payoff?! What an idiot.

thisismadness77 · 21/02/2018 08:57

Loved this on catch up last night!

HeyMacWey · 21/02/2018 09:10

In prison he would have been placed on the vulnerable prisoners wing, rather than in the general prison population, so basically with paedophiles and rapists.

But even still he'll have a rough time in there.

SandyDenny · 21/02/2018 09:27

I hadn't heard of this programme until I heard an interview with one of its makers on the radio earlier in the week so watched for the first time.

Having heard the interview I knew what was going to happen so no element of shock or surprise but I found it a little unsatisfying as we didn't find out more about why he'd done it. That's would have been very interesting.

I don't think he would have thought it would get to the surveillance stage, I think he planned on the blackmaileee paying up and not involving the police and that's why he hadn't taken precautions not to be on any CCTV.

Once he realised they were watching the pick up point he'd have had to write off getting the money and relied on the police not doing much investigating.

Did he say he had a wife and family? I didn't notice that.

Elendon · 21/02/2018 10:40

The truth is often stranger than fiction.

This was a lesson for the arrogant and entitled. He truly thought he could get away with it.

The letter in pieces in the kitchen bin, the photographs in the bedroom. Unbelievable, and frankly if put into a novel, would be dismissed, as most people reading that would think 'No way would that happen!' But it did.

strawberrysparkle · 21/02/2018 10:50

It was so odd! Almost like he was wanting to be caught? It made no sense at all that he made that many errors.

Surely he knew the police could see his searches? And his interest searches? And find the letter in his house?

At first I thought it was the wife of the man been blackmailed that was doing it!

RaspberryCheese · 21/02/2018 11:42

Its peripheral but the other question is, who on earth would pay Kirrie money or a roll in her motorhome..?

Elendon · 21/02/2018 12:07

The man who was blackmailed and remember she/her 'minder' was getting 500 texts a day. That's a lot! The man didn't even know the colour of her hair.

CassandraCross · 21/02/2018 12:11

SPOILERS AHOY

He was caught because he thought his blackmail victim would just pay up and not involve the Police, he set the sum fairly low in the belief that would happen. That's why he was so lax and made so many errors he didn't think he would have to cover his tracks because he would just be paid and it was easy money. I firmly believe this was his first attempt and he would have continued doing it.

I found it strangely amusing that he was watching the pick-up point knowing the money was there and that he couldn't pick it up, it must have been driving him mad.

His confession was laughable but unsurprising, otherwise he would have to say it was just greed.

I was glad the Chief Constable appealed for an increase in sentence and that it was granted.

Elendon · 21/02/2018 12:16

Hardly spoilers:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-42183963

I'm surprised this didn't get more coverage tbh.

TheQueef · 21/02/2018 12:17

The camper vans are popular because it avoids premises.

Kiri impressed me. Apart from feeling despair that she was a sex worker I laughed when she dropped out her companies house and tax status
Have that officer.
More power to her elbow.
Her menu was very telling.
Bare back and as busy as she is the customer (who goes home to his wife) is likely riddled with sti.

CassandraCross · 21/02/2018 12:24

I don't know the laws on prostitution I thought there was something about living off immoral earnings which meant you couldn't have anyone else involved, i.e., the partner who was pretty much her minder and admin person. I was surprised by the 'It's all legal, registered and I pay taxes' but as I said, I don't know the law.

Clutterbugsmum · 21/02/2018 14:17

I watched it again last night, I believe he had some sort of breakdown and in stead of asking for help, he concocted this scenario to be caught as it was such a feeble attempt at blackmail, and short of wearing a top saying 'It was ME' I don't think he could have done much more to be caught.

Unfortunately any and all money issues he has before he committed this crime have now been compounded 10 fold, and he will still have to deal with at a later date.

louise5754 · 21/02/2018 22:46

I've just watched this. What I don't get is that if he hadn't searched for the victim there would have been no link to the officer. Why did he have to look him up? He could have followed him home to put the letter on his windscreen?

Also why make up the lie about the drug rehabilitation? Not only did that not make sense but If he hadn't said that then the police wouldn't have seen his Internet search history i.e. Visiting prostitutes and looking for quick illegal ways to make money.

I kept waiting for the twist.

I too thought it would be the victims wife doing the blackmailing.

Very strange.

MissMary0fSweden · 21/02/2018 22:52

Yes I was surprised and I suppose impressed that the police ran the check to see who had been searching for details of the blackmail victim. I thought that with the photos etc, the assumption (and indeed the fact) would be that the blackmailer would have just followed him home.

Great episode.

TheQueef · 21/02/2018 23:21

Purely speculative but didn't they say he had an award in a big paedophile case?
Maybe he has had to look at bad shit so much it's spiralling down for him.

The money just didn't make sense.

FloatyFlo · 22/02/2018 11:42

I agree with the posters that have said he didn't think the 'victim' would go the police. That's why he made errors and didn't cover his tracks because he honestly thought the guy would just pay up.

There's an article about this episode on the radio times website. It has an inteview tv producer and one of the other coppers. The copper said the wife stood by Gareth and they're still together

OP posts:

Groovee · 22/02/2018 11:54

Just watched it. When they appeared to arrest him he reacted oddly. But it's good to show that there can be corrupt officers.

I felt for his colleagues as they had worked with him in that office. They seemed stunned with it like they couldn't believe it.

FloatyFlo · 22/02/2018 13:56

I felt for his colleagues as they had worked with him in that office. They seemed stunned with it like they couldn't believe it.

Yeah I agree. One of the detectives - I can't remember his name but the one he'd worked on a case with before - looked really gutted. I felt rather sorry for him. Must have quite heartbreaking to have your illusion of someone shattered like that.

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louise5754 · 22/02/2018 14:39

It's still so bizarre. Has he made any comments since as to why he did it?

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CassandraCross · 22/02/2018 17:29

It is bizarre louise, I don't think he has offered any explanation other than the bogus 'trying to get a prostitute into drug rehabilitation'.

I would love to know what went though his mind when he realised that his victim had gone to the Police and that he was tasked with surveillance on the money pick-up. I wonder if he thought, even at that point, that he wouldn't be caught and I also wonder if he hadn't been whether he would have followed through with the threat to the victim.

Muthafunker · 22/02/2018 20:23

Such a good episode. And to Kiri with her sole trader, tax paying business! The best.

Crinkle77 · 22/02/2018 20:25

I also thought it was the wife at first. I think there was definitely more to this than meets the eye. I am not convinced it was a one off and I think there could have been more going on with the debt situation.

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