My Caroline

by Roger Rapel

  Whilst in conference the Lab called Langton and confirmed the saliva of Forsyth was a match for the outstanding DNA profile. Langton smiled and nodded as he announced ‘the outstanding DNA is a match to Forsyth Jim.’ Jim punched the air; he felt like shouting but refrained; although his smile said it all.

  14

  The day of the trial arrived as the CPS and Counsel were in a huddle together, then Jim was called into an office. Counsel said ‘I think he’s going to plead to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, what are thoughts on that?’ Jim said ‘no I don’t accept that, he was clear on what he did, he raped her before he killed her, his DNA confirms he had sex with her. Yes he was under pressure, but only because she said she was going to tell his wife. In my opinion he knew exactly what he was doing,’ counsel nodded and said ‘that’s what I thought you would say, so a trial it is, on the counts of murder, rape and sexual assault.’

  The public gallery of the court was packed with family and friends of Caroline. There was a general din then the clerk of the court spoke into the microphone ‘quiet please, all-stand.’

  Then from behind a door that matched the wood panelling of the court a red robed judge appeared, with his well-worn wig on his head and worn gown suggesting he had been a long serving judge. He sat down after prosecuting and defence counsel had bowed to him. He then perched his half-moon glasses on the end of his nose. The clerk of the court said to the man standing in the dock ‘is your name Grant Forsyth?’ Forsyth with his head half bowed said ‘yes.’ ‘You stand before this court charged with the murder of Caroline Romney. How do you plead, guilty or not guilty?’ ‘Not guilty.’ The court went into a hush as the defence counsel nodded at Forsyth, who just looked straight ahead as the remainder of the charges were read out which he pleaded not guilty to as well.

  Jim sat and watched; he couldn’t believe the not guilty pleas. He was glad he had spent the hours in preparation trying to find chinks in the investigation; he had sat for hours thinking of answers which would knock back Forsyth’s defence barrister’s questions. But now he had to leave the court as the prosecution Counsel gave the outline of the case. Counsel gave an eloquent opening; Forsyth had been having an affair with Caroline; as the affair went on she had threatened to expose him to his wife unless he divorced her, so to keep her quiet he had strangled her, but not before he had raped and sexually assaulted her leaving her body in woodland.

  Then the witnesses were called in one by one, then after a day or so it was Jims turn. He spent 3 days in the dock being questioned.

  The defence QC tried to do the best for Forsyth, but with the overwhelming evidence he was struggling, other than trying to discredit the witnesses and police procedures he had little to go on.

  The jury were finally sent to deliberate the case, but it only took a couple of hours then they returned and delivered their unanimous verdict, guilty on all counts.

  The judge then read the reports he had been given then nodded to the clerk, who said to Forsyth ‘stand.’ The judge then looked at Forsyth over his half-moon glasses as he said ‘you have been found guilty on three counts, on count 1. The murder of Caroline Romney you are sentenced to life imprisonment, on count 2. The rape of Caroline Romney you are sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, on count 3. Sexual assault on Caroline Romney you are sentenced to 2 years imprisonment all these offences will run concurrently; take him down.

  The parents of Caroline thanked Jim and the prosecution QC; then they left the court crying and holding each other for comfort.

  Jim shook hands with the CPS and prosecuting QC then he smiled at the defence QC who was walking by; Jim thought another court game had just been acted out. Then he gave Vicky a smile and kissed her on the cheek as he said ‘well done Vicky a great job let’s have a drink to celebrate.’ They went to a local pub where they sat and chinked their glasses to a job well done.

  Jim then said ‘right we need to get into the child abuse case now, but take the rest of the day off, I need to go and have a talk with Langton, so see you in the morning’ Vicky smiled as she thanked Jim.

  Jim went into Langton’s office where he gave him the result, he still couldn’t get over how Forsyth had coughed so easily and then pleaded not guilty. Langton nodded then poured a scotch and handed Jim a glass as he toasted another good job. Langton picked up the phone and spoke to the chief’s secretary asking if the chief was free for a quick phone call. Langton then passed on the verdict and conviction.

  ‘Okay Jim the chief sends his thanks for a good job well done. Take a day off; then let’s crack on with the abuse case now this is over.’ Jim nodded as he drank his scotch then said, ‘It looks like it could be a big job.’

  15

  Jim and Vicky went to see Jackie at Central where the hub of the abuse investigation was being run from. They went to a side office where on a table there were photographs of victims some as young as 5 years old. There was a chart on a white board with the names of the suspects.

  Jim looked at one of the main offender who was a convicted paedophile. He looked devious with deep set eyes and a mouthful of bad teeth. Jim looked at his name Gordon Forsyth. Jim’s mind then went into overdrive saying to him-self no it can’t be, not a relation Grant Forsyth, albeit Forsyth was a fairly common name; also Grant Forsyth was a successful accountant, not a dirty old man with rotten teeth.

  Jim then said ‘what’s his background Jack?’ ‘He has been all over the place, the last time he was convicted he was in Manchester then on his release he moved down here.’ ‘Has he got family here?’ ‘I don’t know his antecedent history doesn’t give much of a family tree.’

  Jim then looked at the poor kids and the offences committed against them, his face showed the disgust as he read each account of how they had been groomed by a man and coaxed into a house where they were subjected to horrific offences then threatened to keep quiet. Vicky also cringed as she read the accounts of the poor girls. The eldest child was only about 9; none were any older.

  Vicky said ‘what a sick bastard’ Jim then said ‘welcome to this side of life Vick.’ Jackie then said ‘the problem is we have no identification of Forsyth, just a description, even when the photo of him was shown to the kids they were too scared to say it was him. He has really put the fear of god into these kids. The problem is most if not all of them come from broken homes and were looking for some kind of love and affection which Forsyth played on.’

  Jim asked if he had been nicked or interviewed for the current investigation. Jackie shook her head as she said ‘he knows the ropes and keeps on moving he never stays in any one place for more than six months or so.’ ‘Does he have to report to a probation officer or a police station?’ ‘Yeah to a probation officer, but as long as he keeps doing that he can’t be forced to stay in any one place; provided he notifies his probation officer he can move as often as he likes. What we need is surveillance on him to prove his association with other paedophiles and kids, but all the surveillance units are well tucked up with major crime investigations and won’t be free for months and we have no staff, we are under so much pressure here, so is the CID, they have so much to do with every day stuff, they haven’t the manpower to release anyone for any length of time.’ ‘Okay Jack let me have his address and we will do the best we can between us.’

  Jim went onto say ‘I will try and get Langton to pull some strings and get a couple of others to help from another sub-division.’ Jackie smiled as she said ‘Just be aware Jim, he has been nicked so many times he knows what to look for and is good at spotting surveillance, I picked that up from his file. The reports I have read so far all highlight his knowledge of police tactics.’

  Jim and Vicky drove by the address which was a rundown terraced house in amongst others that were equally run down. Jim said as he drove by number 43, ‘there it is the one with the dirty brown door.’ Jim drove around a couple of streets; then just as they turned a corner he saw a kid’s playground with a few kids playing on swings an
d round-a-bouts. As far as he could see there were no adults around. Jim said ‘we can’t watch his house he will clock us straight away. I bet this is where he does his watching and selects some of his targets. This is where we will set up an observation point and watch for him, plus another at the local primary school.’

  Jim then drove back to HQ’s where he spoke with Langton and requested a couple of others to help keeping a watch on Forsyth. Langton looked at him as Jim nodded saying ‘Yes another Forsyth whether he is related we don’t know as yet, but they’re socially worlds apart so on the strength of that, I doubt it.’

  Langton picked up the phone and made a couple of calls and got hold of two officers from another sub-division on a temporary basis. ‘Okay Jim what’s the plan?’ ‘We need to watch the playground near to his home that is one of the best places for him to watch for his victims. But we will have to find some kind of OP (observation point) we can’t sit in the open as the shelf life will be too short, as he’s pretty switched on. We also need to watch the local primary school.’ Langton nodded as he said ‘okay, but don’t waste the manpower as you won’t get them again if you do.’

  Jim was now under more pressure so went with Vicky where they looked at the houses that overlooked the playground. Jim contacted the intelligence section to see if any of the addresses had any friendly occupants or perhaps had been previous victims of crime, someone who could be approached to assist.

  Jim reviewed a couple of addresses given to him; if the occupants were still the same they had all been previous victims of crime. He noted one of the occupants had given evidence in court and watched the offender being jailed for the burglary of her house.

  Jim and Vicky knocked on the door, which overlooked the playground. The door was opened by Mrs Jones a middle aged widow. ‘Yes, who are you?’ Vicky said ‘Hi Mrs Jones from the police can we have a chat please?’ Vicky and Jim showed there ID cards as Mrs Jones let them in. Jim handed over his business card and said ‘here you go if you have any concerns about who we are please call our headquarters, they will confirm our identities.’ Mrs Jones looked at them both and said ‘I may do later, but not at the moment so please go on.’ Jim couldn’t tell her the real reason he why he wanted to use her house as a vantage point, so made up some story regarding suspects looking to steal cars in the area for criminal use.

  Mrs Jones was a switched on woman and knew she was being fed some cock and bull story, but went along with it. Jim then said ‘if it is possible we would like to use one of your upstairs rooms that overlooks the street where we think the thieves may be active, would that be okay, we won’t be any bother, would you mind?’ ‘Not at all, I would love it, I don’t get many visitors these days it would a great joy to have someone to talk to, plus it would be good security especially after that burglary.’ Jim nodded and said ‘can I take a look at the room upstairs just to make sure it covers the area we are looking for?’ Mrs Jones then said ‘do you mind if I call the police station?’ ‘No please do, you have my card.’ Mrs Jones called HQ’s where she spoke with the switch board operator who knew Jim and confirmed who he was.

  ‘Thank you I feel so much easier now, yes please go ahead it’s the first door on the left at the top of the stairs.’ Jim looked out of the window, it provided the exact view he required.

  Jim went downstairs and said ‘that is perfect Mrs Jones can we start on Monday morning say about 10 o’clock; you will need to tell the neighbours something, so we will come dressed in overalls looking like decorators, is that okay?’ ‘Yes that’s fine the room will be ready for you.’

  Jim and Vicky thanked Mrs Jones as they left and walked to their car and drove off. Jim then said ‘we need a camera and tri-pod and also some old clothes, you got anything that would make you look like a painter?’ ‘Yeah I got some old gear I use for decorating.’ Jim smiled and started to laugh. Vicky said ‘what?’ Jim couldn’t stop laughing as he said ‘high heels and miniskirt.’ ‘Fuck off Jim’ as she started to laugh and slapped his arm.

  They drove around the area and found the local primary school, Jim said ‘we need to get the other two to cover this, as I bet he watches the kids at playtime and at home time.’ Vicky said ‘he is some sick bastard doing that to little kids.’ Jim nodded as he looked at the houses near the school then he saw a couple that looked promising.

  Jim drove to central where they researched the area and checked the voters register. He found a house with only one occupant; so went to check it out leaving Vicky to sort out the cameras and tripods.

  Jim knocked on the door of the house he had chosen. The door was answered by a woman aged about 40 who was wearing an apron wiping her hands as she opened the door. Jim showed his ID and asked if he could have a quick chat. The woman Mrs Franklin invited him into the kitchen. The aroma of freshly cooked food filled the air. ‘Wow that smells good.’ ‘I’m cooking for my daughter and grandson they will be here soon.’ ‘Okay I won’t keep you a moment. We are looking to view the area around the school covertly as we suspect someone is going to steal some cars for the use in criminal activity.’ ‘How long would it be for?’ ‘Not sure, if we could use an upstairs room to view the area it would be great. Here’s my card please call HQ’s to confirm who I am.’ Mrs Franklin picked up the phone and dialled the number then spoke with the same operator. ‘Okay thanks, I’m happy now.’ Jim inspected the bedroom overlooking the school; it covered the most likely places that Forsyth could watch the kids in the playground from. He thanked Mrs Franklin and stated that two officers would be there as of Monday morning they would be dressed as painters to conceal who they really are.

  This was now a waiting game Jim hoped that it worked; he had two opportunities’ for success.

  16

  Monday morning came as Jim briefed the two DC’s from the neighbouring division Chris and Charlie. Then he said ‘look lads, many good OP’s have been lost due to inconsiderate behaviour, Mrs Franklin is a lovely woman and the house is tidy, so I suggest you take a litre of milk, some coffee and a pack of biscuits as a gesture, as I’m sure she will make you cuppa’s all day. I also expect you to get her a bunch of flowers at the end of each week to show your appreciation.’ They both nodded as Charlie said ‘what shall we wear?’ ‘She is expecting you as a couple of decorators so wear overalls on the way in and out, but take them off when inside. This could be a long job so treat her and the house well, sorry to go on, but this job is crucial to catch this piece of shit. Oh by the way the story is you’re looking for car thieves.’ Both Chris and Charlie nodded.

  Jim dressed in a dirty pair of overalls as did Vicky; they made their way, stopping off for coffee, biscuits and milk placing them in a white carrier bag. They knocked the door of Mrs Jones as they looked up and down the street; all was quiet with only the odd cat and stray dog wandering here and there. Mrs Jones opened the door and smiled as she let them in. Jim handed over the carrier bag. ‘Oh you are so kind, but you shouldn’t have.’ ‘It’s a pleasure Mrs Jones.’

  Both Vicky and Jim went to the bedroom where Vicky set up the camera and focussed in on the playground then placed the camera on the tri-pod and made the final adjustments.

  Jim removed his overalls and said ‘don’t get any ideas Vicky.’ She laughed and said ‘I’ll try and contain myself.’ Then the boring observations began just watching and waiting; playing hangman, noughts and crosses and re reading the newspaper and trying to do crosswords. The days were so long doing nothing just sat watching and hoping; albeit Vicky was good company, the banter and jokes could only go on for so long; it was a boring job as the time slowly passed away.

  Chris and Charlie were the same absolutely board out of their heads with nothing to do other than watch. Although Mrs Franklin kept them fuelled with coffee and biscuits, if the truth be known she was enjoying the company as she would make conversation with Chris and Charlie just chattering about all and nothing.

  The watching kept going for three weeks with nothing happening not even a sighting
of Forsyth.

  Chris said to Charlie the next morning at about 10.30, ‘is that him?’ ‘Yes mate that’s him.’ Chris called Jim ‘we got him at the school, it’s the kids play time, he’s just sat watching them, the dirty bastard.’ Jim thanked Chris saying ‘let me know the instant he leaves.’ ‘Okay will do.’ Charlie was snapping away at Forsyth with his camera as Chris was making notes.’

  Jim put his overalls on and left the op then went to Forsyth’s address; he went around the rear where he let himself in by forcing the back door, then quickly went inside and looked around, he found loads of pictures of kids most of them indecent; as he said to himself he is some sick bastard then he quickly went upstairs. As he reached the landing he heard a noise coming from one of the bedrooms, he went to look; he found a young girl naked, bound and gagged she had blood all over her face she was wide eyed and fearful looking. Jim got Chris on his mobile and said ‘nick him Chris then take him back to his address now.’ ‘What shall I nick him for?’ ‘Just say indecency with kids, I will meet you outside of the address, do it now and be quick.’

  Jim looked at the little girl and put his finger to his mouth and said ‘shoosh.’ He didn’t like leaving her there, but had to get out before Forsyth got back; he quickly made his way downstairs and got out of the overalls. Jim stood waiting outside the front door for 5 minutes after securing the back door; he then saw Chris and Charlie frog marching Forsyth down the road.

  Jim smiled and said ‘Mr Forsyth, can we have a quick chat please?’ ‘No you can’t I’ve done nothing wrong, this is harassment, I’m going to contact my brief.’ Jim then said ‘what was that noise?’ ‘What noise?’ ‘It sounded like a child crying, have you got a kid in there?’ ‘No I haven’t and no you can’t go in there, not without a warrant.’ ‘There I heard it again, I have got the right to enter if I believe life is in danger and hearing that cry I believe it is; give me the house keys or I kick the door in.’ Forsyth handed over the keys then Jim opened the door. By this time Vicky had joined them with the camera in her bag, Jim said ‘where is the kid?’ Forsyth knew he was fucked as he hung his head low then said, ‘upstairs.’ Jim and Vicky went upstairs where Vicky saw the poor little girl. Jim told her to take photos of the girl where she was; then call scenes of crime to do a full examination and take further photos.