Law & Order: UK: Season 2

1. Broken

48min - The terrifying CCTV image of a toddler being led to his death haunts this episode of Law & Order UK which deals with the difficult and morally complex issue of children who kill. As a society, we are very unforgiving of child killers but if the killers themselves are only children, it begs the question - who really is responsible for the crime? With two children in the frame, each blaming the other, can forensic evidence prove who is guilty of strangling little Conor to death? In an emotionally gut wrenching episode, George defies his superiors and instead takes instruction from the victim’s mother who has a surprising point of view on the crime. But, in a post Bulger Britain, can the justice system, and ultimately the government, afford to be lenient?

2. Hounded

48min - When the body of a 16 year old girl is found dead in her home in the middle of the afternoon, the investigating police cannot be sure a crime was even committed. With no forensic evidence and nothing to suggest the victim didn’t die of natural causes, Matt and Ronnie question why they have been called out in the first place. However, the mother’s victim believes she was raped because she never slept naked. On further investigation, an unlikely murder weapon is uncovered and a likely suspect - someone with whom Crown Prosecutor James Steel has a history. Determined the accused is guilty, James pursues him with every power available. Like a man possessed, he pushes the boundaries of the law to the legal limit. Is our hero persecuting an innocent man or justified in his convictions?

3. Defense

48min - When three people are brutally murdered in a shop in central London and a fourth left for dead, Matt and Ronnie are up against the clock to find the killer who they fear could strike again at any moment. The nature of the attack was frenzied and brutal with the killer using a bayonet to slay his victims. With this information and a photofit, Matt and Ronnie are quickly must identify the killer before they strike again. James assumes a straightforward case ahead of him. However, things take an unexpected turn when he learns that the defendant has brilliant legal support. With the case for defence looking very strong, James’ only hope is to convince a deluded defendant to accept responsibility for his crimes.

4. Confession

48min - This week’s case hits close to home for DS Matt Devlin when investigating the death of a police officer, and his best friend, PS Pete Garvey. Devlin and Garvey had known each other since childhood and when Matt discovers Pete had recently been in contact with their childhood parish priest Jonathan Nugent (Matthew Marsh), his suspicions are alerted as Pete claimed to have been sexually abused by him as a child. With nothing but suspicions and unfounded rumours to go on, a murder charge cannot be brought against Nugent. Now a married man with a family of his own, can Matt really be sure they’ve got the right man? James and Alesha take an unusual approach in order to bring a charge - any charge - against the accused in a desperate attempt to get the case home.

5. Survivor

48min - Survivor begins with the investigation into the murder of Prison Officer Charlie Tyner who is found shot dead on a council estate in Hackney. It soon comes to light that, rather than being the good clean officer of Her Majesty’s Prison Service we first believe him to be, Charlie Tyner is corrupt and taking advantage of his position in prison in a number of ways. There are plenty of prisoners inside with reason enough to want to kill Charlie but, being in prison, they have solid alibis so who killed Charlie and why? Crown Prosecutors James Steel and Alesha Phillips find themselves at odds with their boss, George Castle, who is keen to bring to justice the killer of a prison officer. James and Alesha can’t help but feel Tyner’s abuse should be brought into consideration when charging the accused. And they have their eye on a much greater prize - a career criminal connected to Tyner who has evaded the justice system for too long. Can James and Alesha convince the key witness to give evidence against a man she claims to love?

Honour Bound

6. Masquerade

48min - The mystery surrounding the stabbing of student, Archie Rahman, has our cops chasing their tails when the only clue they have to go on is a library book checked out on the day of his murder. Two students connected to the book have given an alibi for each other but one of them is lying and it’s down to our cops to find out which one. When the perpetrator eventually confesses and claims to have acted in self-defence, Alesha is forced to face past demons. It’s a delicate balancing act for James who is tasked not only with prosecuting the offender but also with defending a dead victim. Unless the truth of what happened that day is uncovered, a murderer could walk free or an innocent victim be wrongly convicted.

7. Anonymous

48min - For two years, Stephanie Blake (Michelle Bonnard) has been stalked by a man who calls himself ‘Giovanni’. She knows nothing about him but he knows everything about her right down to the finest details of what she keeps in her bathroom cabinet. Over time, his e-mails and calls have become more intimidating but without an actual physical threat against her, there is very little the police can do for Stephanie. After initial investigations lead nowhere, the police are forced to abandon the case. Then something happens which shakes our police heroes to their very core. What should be a straightforward prosecution becomes complicated when a key piece of evidence is excluded. Up against Defence Barrister Evelyn Wyndham (Anna Chancellor), James has his work cut out for him. When one of the cops becomes a key witness for the prosecution, the question arises of whether his motivation is genuine or borne out of guilt. Will he perjure himself in order to get the right result?

8. ID

48min - When a pregnant junior doctor is found beaten to death in the carpark of the hospital where she works, the prime suspect becomes her boyfriend, Joe Nash (Matthew McNulty), who cannot provide a solid alibi for where he was at the time of the killing. Mobile phone traces put him in the right place at approximately the right time but when his therapist (Nicola Walker) provides him with an alibi for that evening, Matt and Ronnie begin to suspect they are having an affair. On arrest, a more harrowing truth emerges. What initially seems like a crime of passion soon unravels into a conspiracy involving senior level government officials. Risking their careers and defying the instruction of the Director of Public Prosecutions, James and Alesha must get to the bottom of this case before another life is destroyed.

9. Denial

48min - Love, betrayal, and assisted suicide are the themes of this episode when high court judge Rachel Callaghan (Juliet Stevenson) is shot in the underground carpark of her apartment building in what looks like a car robbery gone wrong. It soon becomes apparent that a hitman was hired to kill her. Despite being shot twice, the judge is left on life support in hospital with her husband and daughter by her bedside. The question on everyone’s minds is - who wanted the judge dead? A career criminal she’s been pursuing a case against? Or someone a little closer to home? As a woman used to putting up a fight, Judge Callaghan initially refuses to accept the doctor’s prognosis on her condition. However, as evidence begins to mount against the accused, her health slowly deteriorates and Judge Callaghan decides to have the hospital stop her treatment, which will bring about her death. In a poignant and tender climax, George is torn between friendship and respecting a person’s right to die as he tries to get Rachel to accept the truth of what has happened.

10. Shaken

48min - The unfolding tragedy of this episode takes you on unexpected twists and turns as what initially looks like a cot death of six month old Alex Raines is later diagnosed as shaken baby syndrome; leaving Ronnie and Matt with a murder investigation on their hands. But with many possible suspects - the neglectful mum, the absent dad, the resentful nanny, or her short-tempered boyfriend - who should our cops arrest? During the trial, some new evidence comes to light, casting doubt over the prosecution’s case. Pitted against the indefatigable Helena Marsden (Jemma Redgrave), the very framework of this family is pulled apart, and James and Alesha are forced to do some investigating of their own. The heartbreaking tragedy of what is uncovered leaves us wondering if there is more than one victim in this case.

11. Duty of Care

48min - When a fire at his home leads to the death of Ian Parnell - a teenager with severe disabilities - Ronnie and Matt soon discover the fire was no accident. The investigation draws our cops in many different directions by a multitude of potential perpetrators capable of having started the fire including the victim himself. But the finger of blame soon points towards the last person one would have expected. Complications develop in prosecuting the defendant when James and Alesha find themselves up against ‘win-at-all-costs’ defence lawyer Dominic Peck (Oliver Dimsdale) whose outrageous ego threatens the fair outcome of the trial. With Peck constantly shifting the goalposts and misinforming his client, James finds himself acting as defence and prosecution at the same time. In an emotionally heart-rending climax, the consequences of Peck’s behaviour are brought to a crashing conclusion.

12. Help

48min - Ex-Premier League Footballer, Robbie Nichols, is beaten to death with a tyre iron on a London street one evening in what looks like a robbery gone wrong. Investigations lead Ronnie and Matt to everyman, Mike Jones (Lorcan Cranitch). He was seen in the area at the time of the murder, has motive, and his DNA matches the DNA on the murder weapon. Proclaiming his innocence, Mike points the finger at a well known East End gangster who he says he saw at the scene of the crime on the evening in question. The police are at odds as to who to believe. Trying the accused is no mean feat for James Steel, who is up against the eccentric Defence Barrister Jason Peters (Eddie Marsan). Witness intimidation, false plea bargaining, and corruption stand in the way of the truth. But, in the end, will the decency of one good samaritan be enough to finally put a murderer where they belong?

13. Skeletons

48min - This explosive episode begins by the banks of the Thames, where our cops are searching for a missing child which, ultimately, takes us to very chilling and unexpected places. A body is found with a note reading: "They Must be Destroyed" - a terrifying echo for DS Ronnie Brooks of an old case in which he was involved. Andrew Dillon (Peter McNamara) - an out and out racist - was convicted six years ago of killing three young boys with an ethnic background. With Dillon safely locked up in prison, it looks like there may be a copycat killer picking up where Dillon left off. Or could there be an alternative and more terrifying truth? Senior Crown Prosecutor James Steel is under intense scrutiny once it is uncovered that he not only successfully prosecuted Dillon for the killings but also that his success was by and large due to ‘selective prosecution’. Is James guilty of perverting the course of justice? Did he tamper with and bury key evidence in order to win a conviction and secure a promotion?