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A Confession - ITV

267 replies

southeastdweller · 02/09/2019 20:14

Anyone else going to watch this tonight?

www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-08-29/a-confession-itv-martin-freeman-air-date-time-channel-cast/

OP posts:
PancakeAndKeith · 01/10/2019 22:30

But even if he was a complete arsehole in real life it it’s really relevant to the story.

purpleme12 · 01/10/2019 22:31

Maybe it'll become apparent? I don't know. I did think it was a bit odd?

Italiangreyhound · 01/10/2019 22:54

FatherFintanFay my 'ire' is all over the place because the whole thing has majorly pissed me off!

Who conducted the review of Steve's actions? Who decided that what he did was about finding a body and not about finding a potentially live victim when the murder said "Do you want another one?" To me those decisions were crucial.

Who decided that despite the fact his superior officer (not sure who he is) had not written down in his report that Steve was not to speak to the press, it was still considered that he probably did say it?

With no evidence that the superior officer had told Steve not to speak to the press, it was decided that he probably did say that.

Yet the evidence of a woman's dead body, the location of which was revealed by her killer, was deemed inadmissible.

I'm really not sure that 'following the rules' is really a defense when things are stacked so much against the 'innocent' in favour of the 'guilty', IMHO.

purpleme12 · 01/10/2019 22:59

I found it really strange how there was no evidence he was told not to speak to the court and yet it was still held up.
I don't feel like Steve really fought that allegation a lot? Although maybe he felt like he couldn't

Italiangreyhound · 02/10/2019 00:09

purpleme12 Yes, I wondered that too.

I wonder if his 'attitude' kind of went against him.

Had he kind of been different/'played' his response in a different way, been, caught up in the moment etc, very contrite etc, I wonder if they would have come to the same conclusion.

Wingedharpy · 02/10/2019 01:11

I wondered if the focus of Sian's Mum's relationship and family life was shown just to demonstrate the difference in how the 2 bereaved Mums handled things.(I'm mindful that this is a reality based drama and not a documentary).
Sian's Mum's focus seemed to be about looking to the future, getting married and ensuring her surviving children are happy.
Becky's Mum's focus seemed to be about campaigning to get the PACE law changed/ammended and supporting Steve Fulcher in his troubles.
I suppose it could be viewed that Sian's Mum is able to move on in some way, as she has had some sort of justice for her daughter whereas Becky's Mum hasn't.
If I was a Police Officer (it will never happen), I think I would spontaneously combust if I was faced with a suspect who trotted out the "no comment" response.
I imagine @ Italiangreyhound would too!

Italiangreyhound · 02/10/2019 03:13

Yes @Wingedharpy absolutely Karen could not move on because she had no justice. IMHO.

But would not combust if they said no comment, only if they have previously led the police to the scene of the murder. It is the total unfairness of allowing a criminal to express a confession, provide proof and then for that somehow to be inadmissible.

Maybe if killers were murdering middle-aged men instead of young women we would see a difference in the law!

MontyBowJangles · 02/10/2019 03:53

@Italiangreyhound ouch! Bloody good point though (re: middle-aged men). Wonder what the outcome would have been if Becky was a male politician not a female prostitute...

Love this thread btw, some really interesting thoughts. I agree Elaine getting engaged shows she can move on, whereas Karen can't. Also, Pete is being portrayed as very controlling. When the copper sat them down and said Karen Edwards would like to meet you, what do you think? (And this was a couple of years after Sian's death) it was Pete who quickly interjected and said "no". I wonder if it was him who prevented the two Mums meeting all along (a respectable pilot and his wife wouldn't want to be seen with a druggy prostitute's Mum? Sad).

MontyBowJangles · 02/10/2019 03:58

Also, they are using all of the officer's real names in this, inc Kier Pritchard who was the officer brought before the IPCC regarding the fact he'd failed to note the conversation in which he told Steve Fulcher not to speak to the press.

Kier is now the Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police...

But they changed the name of the DCC who commited suicide. I wonder if this is because the programme makers didn't have the family's support?

FatherFintanFay · 02/10/2019 07:57

The investigation into his conduct was carried out by ACPO, who are obviously police officers but are slightly separate from the day to day business of policing.

If you only look at this one case, then yes, it makes the system look stacked in favour of criminals, but generally speaking it really isn't. Anyway, I'm finding this thread quite stressful now so I won't be commenting further! I haven't been a police officer for a long time but I do still feel compelled to defend them and it doesn't do me a lot of good. I'm still enjoying the programme though, if "enjoy" is the right word, so it's all good.

Italiangreyhound · 02/10/2019 08:09

@FatherFintanFay absolutely not my intention to add to your stress levels...Flowers

Just for the record I'm intending to 'attack' individual officers or the police force in general.

Italiangreyhound · 02/10/2019 08:11

Yes it is weird it is so well made but enjoy is not the word. Do stick it out to the end if you can and come back if you ever want to.

Girasole02 · 02/10/2019 08:15

The best thing Martin has done in my opinion. Joe and Imelda also nailing it for me. Hopefully the real Fulcher will get some comfort knowing that the public feel he was poorly treated. Had to be misconduct really even though he acted with the best of intention. Gross was heavy handed as was the written rather than verbal warning.

InvisibleWomenMustBeRead · 02/10/2019 23:58

Shocking how he was treated - so unfair.

Blondeshavemorefun · 04/10/2019 14:51

IS it last episode next week so 6 or 3 more and 8

MontyBowJangles · 05/10/2019 11:09

Last episode this Monday coming.

Tonnerre · 05/10/2019 13:35

Why on earth should a murderer who pleads guilty get 5 years taken off just for admitting he did it?

To give him an incentive to admit it. It's in everyone's interests, because it saves the victims and witnesses from giving evidence, saves a hell of a lot of money, and in particular avoids the risk of him being found not guilty.

Tonnerre · 05/10/2019 13:38

With no evidence that the superior officer had told Steve not to speak to the press, it was decided that he probably did say that.

But there was evidence. Oral witness evidence is just as much evidence as written evidence.

Italiangreyhound · 05/10/2019 18:22

Tonnerre

"But there was evidence. Oral witness evidence is just as much evidence as written evidence."

Who provided the oral evidence?

MontyBowJangles · 05/10/2019 22:59

@Italiangreyhound Kier Pritchard did, in the ACPO hearing. He was Det Chief Superintendent at the time I believe (and is now the Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police).

Italiangreyhound · 05/10/2019 23:18

So Kier Pritchard said he did, and Steve said he didn't recall that. How does that count as oral evidence?

One person says they did, the other disputes that.

Tonnerre · 06/10/2019 02:20

When someone gives their version of events in a trial, tribunal, disciplinary case or whatever, that is evidence. The fact that there might be other evidence that contradicts it doesn't stop it from being evidence.

Day in, day out, hearings take place where it's the task of judges, juries, panels etc to decide between two or more witnesses giving conflicting oral evidence, and they have to decide which is more credible from things like their demeanour, whether they have motivation to lie, what is standard practice etc.

Think about, say, a case involving someone being knocked down in the road where the only witnesses are the person who was hurt and the person accused. The accused gives oral evidence that he was driving slowly and paying attention and the injured person ran out into the road in front of him, the injured person says he crossed the road with due care and the driver was speeding and paying no attention to his presence. Before the police get there there is a torrential storm that wipes out any evidence on the road. The statements of each of them are evidence and the judge will have to decide which of the two is more credible on a balance of probabilities - and will take into account things like the demeanour of each witness when giving evidence, whether they have been caught out in any inconsistencies, any previous record, the road conditions at the time, and so on.

In Fulcher's case, the panel decided that they found Pritchard more credible than Fulcher. That may be because of their respective demeanours when giving evidence, because they accepted that it would have been standard practice to give a warning about going to the press and it was highly unlikely Pritchard would have departed from standard practice, because they thought it possible that Fulcher had forgotten or wasn't paying attention, or did hear it and made a deliberate decision to ignore what he was told - or because they were constitutionally disposed to believe the more senior officer and wanted to "get" Fulcher. Whatever their reasoning, there was certainly evidence.

ChoccyJules · 07/10/2019 22:31

Well the finale was incredibly moving. The events were well wrapped-up and we got to see what happened to creepy Pete. I think Mr Freeman will be getting some shiny award or other for this.

Quite astonishing that Halliwell defended himself. He didn’t make the best job of it.

Steve Fulcher‘s belief that there are other unknown victims seems very plausible.

purpleme12 · 07/10/2019 22:33

I never felt I could relate to Sian's family and how they were

I could relate to Becky's mum

Twirlypoos · 07/10/2019 22:47

He’s been linked to a quite a few missing people ☹️ there’s still posters up in the town looking for Sally Ann John who went missing in 1995. DH was a taxi driver at the same time and police interviewed him a couple of times about Christopher Halliwell -he knew him by sight but not really to speak to.

www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/8956749.swindon-murders-girls-who-are-still-missing/