Trespass (P.I. Johnson Carmichael Series - Book 2)

by Stephen Edger

  Patricia Tropaz had been at a popular bar in the Shirley area of Southampton on the night she was attacked and had walked home with two friends, before they caught a taxi back to their own homes. A barman on duty that night informed the police that he had seen Patricia fending off the advances of a tall man with blonde hair. He said he did not know the man’s name and unfortunately there were no other witnesses to help identify the mystery man. A month after the Crimewatch reconstruction, the barman had spotted the same man alone at the bar, eyeing up the ladies. The barman discreetly telephoned the police but there was nobody available to come and interview the man. Frustrated, the bar man, discreetly photographed the man and forwarded a copy of the image to the investigating detective.

  The police now had a face, but no name. An undercover operation was launched in Shirley, with two officers stationed in each of the five pubs in the area, on the look-out for the man in the photograph. They only had enough resources for three days surveillance and, at the end of the period, the man had not been spotted. Undeterred, a small group of officers voluntarily agreed to continue staking out the pubs in Shirley out of hours, determined to find the man in the photograph. After two weeks, the man was seen in a pub at the opposite end of the High Street. He was immediately apprehended and escorted to the station to answer some questions. The arresting officer sensed the man’s obvious discomfort and when Green refused to voluntarily submit his fingerprints for elimination purposes, they felt sure they had found their rapist.

  Green was charged on suspicion of murder but was bailed pending additional enquiries. The partial thumb print was eventually confirmed as a match to Green’s, which brought him into the frame for Cat and Sarah’s attacks. Neither woman could make a positive facial identification from a line-up but, when asked to don a balaclava and dark jumper, both confirmed that the voice and eyes of Nathan Green matched those of their attacker.

  He had been arrested for a second time and charged with both assaults, with bail being denied on this occasion. Although additional campaigns were run to try and identify any further victims, nobody else had come forward, and so a trial date had been set and Green had been remanded in custody until this date.

  The Crown Prosecution Service was confident of conviction but the defence barrister was looking to undermine the cases by questioning the methods followed. Ultimately, the initial arrest of Green had been made on the gut instinct of the arresting officer, in an attempt to secure that suspect’s fingerprints. The defence were set to argue that the original arrest was unsound and any subsequent evidence identified following the arrest should be inadmissible. The crux of the C.P.S. case was the partial print in Patricia Tropaz’s flat. As Green and Tropaz had no connection other than the incident witnessed at the bar, there was no sound reason for the print to be at the location.

  At 10:27, the court was asked to stand as Judge Thomas Adams entered the courtroom.

  7

  Thomas Adams indicated that those gathered in Court-4 should be seated. He adjusted the cushion on his own chair, until he was satisfied that it would bring comfort. He had not slept well the previous evening, certain that his future on the court circuit would be determined by the outcome of this trial.

  The Clerk of the Court asked the defendant to stand forward and confirm his name and address. He did so with a smile on his face. Seated behind two inches of re-enforced glass, he could feel the warmth of the media spotlight on him and was ready to play his part in the show. His barrister had told him he was confident of getting the case kicked out based on the lack of real evidence prior to the initial arrest. Hugh Charleston Q.C. was a barrister renowned for taking on cases where police procedure had not been followed sufficiently, and averaged one acquittal in every two defendants he represented. It was for this very reason that Tony Green had re-mortgaged the family home to acquire his services.

  Green took his seat when told to do so and waited for the prosecution barrister to call her first witness.

  ‘Remain calm and collected,’ Charleston had advised. ‘With any luck, you’ll be home by the end of the week.’

  Green had spoken regularly with his barrister in the weeks leading up to the trial, and at no point had Charleston asked him if he was guilty of the crimes he was charged with. It showed what a farce the system was: Green knew he was guilty but was also confident that if Charleston could prove that the initial arrest was unsafe, he would be free.

  ‘Something amusing?’

  Green glanced up and saw the judge staring straight back at him. He hadn’t realised he had been grinning like a Cheshire cat.

  Green shook his head.

  ‘I didn’t hear your response, Mr Green,’ Adams continued. ‘I asked you if there was something amusing you.’

  ‘No, sir,’ Green answered, blushing as he did.

  Adams indicated for the Clerk to swear the jury in and, once this was complete, the Clerk of the Court read the charge to Green and asked for his plea. Green stepped forward, so that his face was as close to the glass as possible, and so that he was able to crane his view to see Cat in the public gallery. He grinned at her and then declared loudly into the microphone, ‘Not guilty.’

  ‘There is no need to shout,’ Adams reprimanded, all too aware of the game the defendant was playing.

  Green returned to his seat and the proceedings got under way. Ms Elizabeth Collinghurst Q.C. made her opening statement to the court, laying out the evidence that would be reviewed against the defendant over the course of the trial. This was followed by Charleston’s declarations of his client’s innocence and how the police had failed to follow proper protocol.

  Cat Jurdentaag watched the man that she now believed had assaulted her as he sat and listened to the two people arguing for and against his incarceration. She wondered what could have made him so evil. What switch had been flicked in his head so that he thought it was okay to go out and assault an innocent woman for kicks. In many ways she pitied him: here was a man unable to form lasting relationships with the opposite sex who had to resort to forcing himself on them. At the same time, she reviled him and hoped that he would be locked up for the rest of his life. The police had explained to Cat that the trial would look at Sarah Hanridge’s case first as this had been the first attack chronologically. Cat had met Sarah, only once, and she had been surprised by the other woman’s reluctance to come forward. They had met at the police station, by accident, and had only chatted for a couple of minutes while they waited for the identity parades. The lead detective had sworn them both to secrecy as it was not permitted for the two of them to talk about the case prior to the trial. When he had explained the implications that such a meeting could have on the case, they had both agreed to keep quiet.

  Sarah had seemed timid and although they had shared a similar experience at the hands of Nathan Green, that was where the similarities ended. Cat was much stronger: she wanted revenge on the bastard who had defiled her, whereas Sarah seemed to want to bury her head in the sand and pretend that it had not happened. During the two minute conversation, Cat had urged Sarah to follow through with the case as the alternative was to watch the bastard go free and rape someone else.

  ‘I couldn’t live with that on my conscience!’ she had concluded before the women had been separated when D.C. Capshaw had realised his mistake.

  It took all of Cat’s determination to stop herself standing and berating the man in the dock. She had been told it would be a challenge to sit through the trial and to relive what had happened to her and the others but she had been obstinate: she would attend; she wanted to see him squirm. Now that she was listening to the barrister describing the build-up to Sarah Hanridge’s attack, she wasn’t so certain of her own convictions.

  ‘M’lud,’ Collinghurst began, ‘it was on the morning of Monday third of June nineteen ninety-one that Miss Sarah Hanridge was called to Flat-1, Acacia Park in the Highfield area of Southampton. Miss Hanridge was working as a G.P. at the time, and her office was approximately
ten minutes’ walk from the flat. Despite the proximity of the address, Miss Hanridge opted to drive to the appointment as she was making house calls that morning and had an appointment in nearby Bassett after this one. Miss Hanridge was alone when she arrived at the vacant property and she felt uneasy about entering the premises, which were in a state of disrepair. Miss Hanridge had been told by the receptionist at the surgery that the emergency appointment had been phoned through that morning by an anxious-sounding young man, who had claimed that his girlfriend was ill in the flat. He had claimed that he was new to the area and had yet to register with a doctor since his arrival. The surgery had agreed to send a G.P. to ascertain the condition of the man’s girlfriend. As the on-call doctor that morning, Ms Hanridge had agreed to visit the property.’

  Collinghurst paused for breath, and consulted her notes before continuing, ‘The flats in Acacia Park sit in a block with a communal entrance but each flat has its own front door. The entrance to the communal hallway was open when Miss Hanridge arrived so she proceeded to the door of Flat-1 and knocked. There was no answer. She knocked a second time and when there was still no answer she called out the man’s name and said that she was the doctor who had come to see his girlfriend. The door remained closed and Miss Hanridge could not hear any sounds coming from the other side. Assuming it had been a prank call, Miss Hanridge had turned to exit the building when she was confronted by a man dressed from head to toe in black, wearing a black balaclava. His sudden appearance startled Miss Hanridge and she almost laughed at first, believing it to be some kind of elaborate practical joke. The man withdrew a small blade, approximately four inches in length, and held it to Miss Hanridge’s throat. She opened her mouth to scream, but the man placed a finger to his lips in the way a teacher would to a child to encourage silence. Miss Hanridge was fearful for her life and in her panic was incapable of calling out. The man moved the knife from her throat and replaced it with his hand. It was at this point that Miss Hanridge noticed that the man’s fingernails looked perfectly manicured.’

  Collinghurst paused again to allow the fact to hover in the minds of the jurors before she continued, ‘The man pushed Miss Hanridge backwards towards the door of Flat-2, which was adjacent to the door to Flat-1. Miss Hanridge said the door must have been open or on a latch of some kind as the man did not need to use a key to unlock it. He continued to squeeze Miss Hanridge’s neck as he pushed her backwards into the property and then closed the door behind them. Miss Hanridge believes she must have passed out at this point as her next memory is of finding herself lying on her back on a carpeted floor. Her hands were bound above her head and some kind of sponge had been pushed into her mouth to prevent her screaming. The sponge had been fastened with a single strip of gaffer tape. Miss Hanridge could no longer see the man and had assumed he had robbed her and then left her bound up. Some time passed, Miss Hanridge cannot be certain how long, but then the man reappeared. He was still fully clothed and she remembers him rifling through her doctor’s bag, as if he was looking for something; drugs perhaps. She watched him and noted that his eyes looked “manic” and it was this that made her suspect that he may have been on some kind of medication. The man then threw the bag to the ground and crouched down, beside her, whispering, “I’m going to fucking kill you, bitch, but first I’m going to fuck you!”’

  Collinghurst took an orchestrated sip of water.

  ‘Miss Hanridge is not in the courtroom today as she has been seriously traumatised by the events that unfolded from this point. She has undergone extensive therapy for stress and anxiety. It is important for you to understand the impact this event has had on her. Following the attack she became isolated, unable to leave her house for several months out of fear that the man would return and finish the job. She gave up her medical licence as she no longer felt she could realistically stand by her Hippocratic Oath. My esteemed colleague is likely to question Miss Hanridge’s motives for contacting the police and will attempt to throw doubt on her version of events. It is important for the court to remember that it was the viciousness of the attack that is the reason she is not present today.’

  Collinghurst rifled through some papers on the desk in front of her and produced a single sheet of paper. She held it aloft so everyone in the court could see.

  ‘Miss Hanridge has written a statement detailing her recollection of what happened from this point on third of June nineteen ninety one. I shall read the statement verbatim to you, but I should warn you that the detail is difficult to hear, but it is important that her statement be heard.’

  Collinghurst began to read the statement aloud line by line and Charleston read his version of the same document silently, to ensure that Collinghurst did not deviate. Cat sat still in the public gallery and watched the reactions of the jurors as Collinghurst spoke. It was the first time Cat had heard Sarah’s version of events in such detail and each time Collinghurst indicated that Sarah was quoting the attacker’s words, Cat imagined her attacker saying the same thing to her. Cat was shocked by how similar Sarah’s account of the sexual assault was to her own. Sarah told of how the man had used his knife to make criss-cross marks on her body, had made her perform disgusting acts on him and had finished by making her beg him for more.

  ‘And then the attacker told me that if I called the police or tried to find him, he would come back and kill me,’ Collinghurst continued, still reading from the page. ‘He stole my doctor’s identification and credit card from my purse and said that he knew where I lived and would not be so lenient next time. Miss Hanridge managed to free herself some time later and as the cuts on her arms were only minor, she was able to treat herself when she returned home. She never made it to her next appointment and phoned in sick for the next few days. Miss Hanridge did not report this incident to the police at the time, as she felt ashamed of what had happened, and firmly believed that if she did not think or talk about it, then it was as if it never happened. Since coming forward, Miss Hanridge has undergone extensive psychological therapy to help her attempt to come to terms with what has happened. Miss Hanridge did not see the face of the man who attacked her, nor did she know his name until the moment in nineteen ninety two that she saw the artist’s impression of the man wanted in connection for the rape and murder of Patricia Tropaz. The moment she heard the details of that grizzly crime, she knew in her heart that it was the same man who had hurt her the year before. It was at this point and with the full support of her family that she contacted the police to report the crime.’

  Collinghurst placed the piece of paper down and looked towards the jury, ready to address them directly.

  ‘My esteemed colleague will argue that Miss Hanridge could not have made a positive identification of his client as she never saw the perpetrator’s face. Despite this she did positively identify her attacker’s eyes and voice when the accused, Nathan Green put on a black balaclava and uttered the words “I’m going to fucking kill you, bitch!” Miss Hanridge picked the accused out of a line-up of five other men who each put on the same mask and uttered the same words, yet it was the accused that she identified. Before I hand over to Mr Charleston to read to you the output of his discussions with Miss Hanridge, I will add that Nathan Green has yet to provide a valid alibi for his whereabouts on the morning of Monday the third of June nineteen ninety-one.’

  Collinghurst sat down as Charleston stood and began to read out the interview, under oath, that he had conducted with Sarah Hanridge the week before.

  8

  Cat Jurdentaag was on an uncomfortable plastic chair sipping lukewarm coffee from a Styrofoam cup. The court had adjourned after three hours for an hour’s lunch break. The media were still camped outside the court, waiting for the chance to interview any of the main players in the trial. Not wanting to have to fight her way through, Cat had chosen to remain inside and had opted for a floppy-looking egg and cress sandwich on stale white bread. She had topped this off with a cup of coffee and a bag of Skips; hardly a healthy snack, let
alone appetising, but there was only a limited choice.

  She knew that it would be her turn to take the stand within an hour of the trial re-commencing. W.P.C. Sharon Ramsay, who was the liaison officer who had originally taken Cat’s statement eighteen months ago, had been tasked with supporting Cat through the trial. Sharon was in her mid-twenties and looked barely eighteen, but had become a good friend of Cat’s during the lead up to the trial. Sharon was to act as a messenger between Elizabeth Collinghurst QC and Cat, as the two were not allowed to formally meet or discuss the case prior to its commencement. Sharon had advised that Cat should remain outside the court while some preliminary matters were discussed and that she would be called in, in due course.

  Sharon was a good listener and never seemed to judge Cat for any of her actions on the day the assault took place. From the moment the team investigating Patricia Tropaz’s murder had suspected that Cat’s attack may have been carried out by the same man, Sharon had been by her side, providing updates on the investigation and making sure that she was okay. Unlike Sarah, Cat had been only too ready to tell her story and to seek justice against the bastard who had raped her. That she had been unable to fight her attacker off was something that had bruised her ego and given her the resolve to fight him in court instead.