Where the Innocent Die

by Where the Innocent Die (retail) (epub)

  ‘Thank you, Mr Stride, you are, of course, correct.’

  Ridpath could see Mrs Challinor had made a mistake with the question. It immediately put her on the defensive.

  ‘What happened next?’

  ‘The police and ambulance arrived. I let them in and showed them to her room.’

  ‘You left the control room?’

  ‘I had to. With only two of us on, Joe was in no fit state to help. I got a demerit notice too.’

  ‘A demerit notice?’

  ‘During an emergency, as the officer in charge I wasn’t supposed to leave the control room, but I couldn’t see any way of dealing with the police and ambulance unless I did. When the police came, they took over the scene and I could go back to the control room.’

  ‘Thank you, Mr Osborne. Any questions, Mr Stride?’

  The barrister rose to his feet. ‘Just a few, ma’am.’ He turned to the witness. ‘Mr Osborne, did you at any time go into the victim’s room?’

  ‘No. When the police and ambulance arrived, I opened the door at the end of the corridor for them but didn’t go any further.’

  ‘So you never saw the body of the victim at any time?’

  ‘No, sir.’

  ‘One more question, Mr Osborne. You said you received demerit points from the company. Why?’

  ‘Like I said, I was the officer in charge and I shouldn’t have left the control room.’

  ‘Because it was against standard operating procedure.’

  ‘Yes, the company is strict about following SOP. I guess it’s for the good of the detainees, so everybody gets treated in exactly the same way.’

  ‘Thank you, Mr Osborne.’

  Mrs Challinor looked at the clock on the far wall. ‘I think we will break there to allow the jurors to eat.’ She turned to them. ‘This inquest into the death of Ms Chen will continue after the break. Please do not discuss this case with anyone. We will return at two o’clock to continue questioning Mr Carlton, the Centre Manager, and other witnesses. Thank you for your time and diligence this morning, jurors.’

  Mrs Challinor rose, bowed and exited through the rear door.

  There was an audible sigh of relief from the court and everyone spoke at once.

  Ridpath watched as the barrister and his attending solicitor immediately rang somebody on their mobile phone.

  Somehow he knew this phone call wasn’t good news for the coroner.

  Chapter 59

  ‘How much did you hear, Ridpath?’

  ‘Quite a lot. I came in midway through Cummings’s testimony. It was word for word what he told me before. Almost as if he had memorised it.’

  ‘He’s been coached.’

  ‘New Hampshire?’

  ‘Who else?’ Mrs Challinor took off her jacket. It was one of those unusually warm September days; the sun was streaming in through the large picture windows in her office and the air conditioning was struggling to cope. ‘The morning didn’t go well. They have kept to their stories and even when I introduced the new post-mortem evidence regarding her murder, they just stalled me.’

  ‘How did they explain the open door?’

  ‘Joe Cummings said he didn’t know. He thought he’d locked it, but he must have been mistaken.’

  ‘You still have the Removal Centre’s manager, the CCTV maintenance company, the emergency medics, the security officer and DS Barnes to interview.’

  ‘The manager is a lifer, somebody who’s spent time in the prison service and knows every bland pontification ever published. The security officer wasn’t there. And as for the policeman, his investigation was shoddy as if he didn’t care and was just ticking the boxes.’

  ‘We spoke to him last night, Mrs Challinor.’

  She looked up from her notes. ‘And?’

  ‘He knew Wendy Chen. She was one of his confidential informants who’d called him about a gang of people smugglers. She also called him from the Centre the day before her death.’

  ‘What? Why did he investigate her and why am I only just hearing about this?’

  ‘It gets worse. He was the one who reported her to Immigration Enforcement. Home Office rules…’

  ‘What?’

  ‘If an illegal immigrant comes into contact with the police they must be reported immediately.’

  ‘Even when that person is helping with another crime, helping to stop trafficking?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Mrs Challinor threw her file on the table. ‘Tell me that’s not screwed up, Ridpath.’

  He stayed silent.

  ‘But why run the investigation? He should have excused himself immediately.’

  ‘He said it was to help protect her. He was afraid if it came out she was an informant, the gang would harm her family in China.’

  ‘Jesus, it gets worse. So, if I ask him about this, it may lead to problems for the family?’

  ‘I don’t know, Mrs Challinor.’

  Ridpath walked over to look out of the sash window. Carol Oates was in deep conversation with the government solicitor, Archibald Sutton. He turned back to the coroner. ‘The use of a Taser might be worth pursuing.’

  ‘I’ve checked, it’s not part of the standard equipment in the Centre. I’ll ask but again I’m not hopeful.’

  She put her head between her hands and sighed. ‘It’s the blandness of the denials, the explanations and the semi-truths that annoys me. And the smirking face of the PR lady as she sits watching…’

  Mrs Challinor slammed her hand on the desk.

  ‘A woman was tasered and had her throat cut. Answer me this: how is anybody murdered when she’s locked up in a supposedly secure facility? A facility that has cameras everywhere yet they see nothing. Why was the door to Room 7 unlocked when all detainees are behind locked doors from 9.15 to 7.00 a.m.? Why has nobody been charged with murder?’

  ‘I don’t know, Mrs Challinor, but it’s what I intend to discover. This was an inside job. Somebody let the killer into the Immigrant Removal Centre and disabled the CCTV cameras.’

  ‘It feels like nobody cares, Ridpath. It’s just another girl from China who was due to be deported.’ She stared at him again. ‘It’s like she was a non-person, Ridpath, like she didn’t exist.’

  ‘They don’t know it yet, but I’m going to officially interview them again at Police HQ this afternoon as part of the MIT investigation. We’re sending cars to their homes as we speak. Perhaps, if they are lying, I can break their stories. Somebody on the inside helped murder Wendy Chen. We’ll come for David Carlton, the Centre Manager, after his testimony, arrest him outside the court. Just to shake him up a little.’

  ‘I wouldn’t count on breaking them, Ridpath.’

  He glanced at the clock. ‘It’s time to go back in, Coroner.’

  She pulled on her jacket. ‘Sorry, Ridpath, for the argument yesterday, not like me at all.’

  ‘Not like either of us.’

  ‘You still don’t believe I’m right to continue with the inquest, do you?’

  ‘No, Coroner, I think you should wait till we’ve completed our investigation.’

  ‘You’re not the only one.’

  Ridpath raised an eyebrow.

  ‘I had a phone call from the Chief Coroner’s Office this morning. Apparently they have received reports I have been acting “inconsistently” as they euphemistically put it. They’re sending an observer from London tomorrow.’

  ‘I haven’t made a complaint to them, Mrs Challinor, nor has Claire Trent to my knowledge.’

  ‘I have an inkling who it was, Ridpath. But the great thing about being a coroner is we are difficult to remove unless they can prove I am no longer in charge of my faculties.’

  ‘And how would they do that?’

  ‘There are ways. But coroners can always fight back.’

  ‘Mrs Challinor, if I could say one thing.’

  She waited for him to speak.

  ‘You can’t solve all the world’s problems.’

  ‘I’m not try
ing to, Ridpath. Just this one.’

  Chapter 60

  After his meeting with Mrs Challinor, Ridpath returned to his office to see Sophia.

  ‘Hiya, I enjoyed the work this morning. So that’s how a real investigation runs. Exciting.’

  ‘Most times it’s boring grunt work. Chasing down leads. Following up on dead-ends. Checking through paperwork. Preparing submissions for the CPS. And always, always, collecting evidence.’

  ‘It was good, felt like a team working together.’

  ‘Do you have anything for me?’

  ‘Dr Schofield gave me a brief heads-up on his report on the murder of Liang Xiao Wen.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘The MO is exactly the same as that of Wendy Chen. The actual report will be here soon. He’s couriering over a copy to MIT too.’

  ‘Right, I’m heading back there now. Call me later and tell me how it went this afternoon in court.’

  Before she could answer, he was out of the door and heading towards the car park. On the way, he bumped into Carol Oates again. Why did he have a feeling she was watching him and these accidental meetings were not accidents at all?

  ‘Hello Ridpath, I wanted to have a chat with you.’

  ‘I’m in a hurry, Carol, can we do it later?’

  She shrugged her shoulders. ‘Of course we can, but I thought you’d like to know we have a visitor from the Chief Coroner coming to Manchester tomorrow.’

  How did she know? Was she the one who had reported Mrs Challinor? Ridpath decided to play dumb. ‘Really, why are they gracing us with their presence? I thought they never left London.’

  ‘Something about Mrs Challinor’s handling of the immigration case, I think? But you can never be sure with the Chief Coroner’s people. I’d keep my head down if I were you.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  She smiled coyly. ‘You know what it means when they bother to make a visit…’

  ‘No…’

  ‘Well, it’s never good, let’s put it this way. The Chief Coroner would prefer never to get involved with the cases of an area coroner. The mere fact they are coming…’

  She let the insinuation trail away like her sentence.

  ‘So they prefer coroners didn’t investigate deaths properly, didn’t rock the boat and just toed the government or corporate line?’

  ‘No, of course not, but if a coroner is embarrassing the department, they have to step in, don’t they?’

  ‘Is Mrs Challinor embarrassing the department?’

  She shook her head vigorously. ‘I’m not saying that at all, but sometimes mud sticks and the last thing they want is for mud to stick on their new three-piece suits.’

  And you would be the one slinging the mud, wouldn’t you? It’s what Ridpath thought, but he said, ‘Look, I’m late for a meeting.’

  She stood aside. ‘Don’t let me get in your way. But one more thing. I needed Sophia but she wasn’t in this morning.’

  ‘She was with me.’

  ‘Oh, I suppose that’s OK, but she should have let Jenny know where she was. I can’t be expected to do my work and track down her whereabouts too. It’s a rule Jenny has to know where everybody is all the time.’

  It was a rule Ridpath broke every day of his working life at the Coroner’s Court. ‘I’m late…’ He edged past her.

  As he did, she spoke softly, ‘Remember, I would keep my head down if I were you in the next couple of days. We don’t want them to make too many changes around here, do we?’

  Chapter 61

  ‘Now, Mr Carlton, you are the manager of the Wilmslow Removal Centre, are you not?’

  The man was wearing a bland grey suit and an even blander grey smile. He had already been sworn in and Mrs Challinor was questioning him.

  ‘That is correct. I have been in charge of the Centre for the last two years and have worked for New Hampshire Detention Services for fourteen years.’

  ‘So you are in charge of the day-to-day running of the operations?’

  ‘I am.’ He smiled at the jury. ‘New Hampshire have a rigorous set of standard procedures that must be adhered to at all times.’

  ‘Even when these procedures come into conflict with the needs of the detainees?’

  ‘The operating procedures are designed to meet the needs of everybody in the Centre, Coroner, from the detainees to the staff, the visitors to the doctors and nurses. They have been designed in accordance with government policy and, in many cases, surpass that policy in the generosity with which they treat everybody associated with the Centre.’

  Mrs Challinor sighed. Questioning this man was like reading the human version of a corporate brochure. It was time to ruffle his feathers. ‘And yet, according to your own staff, three people have died in the Centre in the last four years.’

  The bland smile again. ‘While it is regrettable anybody has passed away while under the care of New Hampshire, it must be remembered, at the same time, over 3764 individuals including 128 children have passed through the door of our facility. All have been treated fairly and supportively, according to the relevant government policy of the day.’

  ‘Tell me what happened on the night of August 19th.’

  ‘Actually, it was the morning of August 20th. I received a phone call just after 4 a.m. that there had been a suicide in the Centre…’

  ‘But we now know it was murder, don’t we, Mr Carlton?’

  ‘We didn’t at the time, Coroner, the Custody Officer reported it to me as a suicide.’

  ‘What did you do?’

  ‘I came immediately to the Centre from my home, arriving at 4.45 a.m. The police and an emergency medical team were already there. I consulted with the two officers on duty and we switched off the alarm.’

  ‘It was still ringing since it had been pressed at 4 a.m.?’

  ‘Yes, it is standard operating procedure. Once activated, only myself or the police can switch it off. The police didn’t, so I did.’

  ‘And the detainees were still locked in their rooms?’

  ‘Standard operating procedure…’

  The coroner held up her hand and the man stopped speaking. ‘We get the message, Mr Carlton. ‘What happened after you switched off the alarm?’

  ‘I questioned the paramedics. They told me the woman was dead and nothing could be done.’

  ‘Did they tell you she had committed suicide?’

  ‘No, I simply presumed she had because of the information from my custody officers.’

  ‘What happened?’

  ‘I went to the corridor and checked the room.’

  ‘Did you go in?’

  ‘No, I closed the door. I thought the woman should be left undisturbed, so I waited in the control room until the police detectives arrived just after six. I then briefed the lead investigator, a Detective Sergeant Barnes.’

  Mrs Challinor stopped for a moment, checking her notes. ‘Mr Carlton, you just said you didn’t go into the room. Did you look in?’

  There was a pause and a glance towards the solicitors sitting at the table close to him. ‘I quickly checked it out. The dead woman was lying on the bed. There was blood everywhere and a knife on the floor close to the bed.’

  ‘So this persuaded you it was a suicide.’

  Another pause. ‘It was one of the factors, yes…’

  ‘But we heard this morning Dr Schofield has confirmed it was murder. How do you think murder was committed in your Centre?’

  Mr Stride was on his feet. ‘This witness is not a detective, Mrs Challinor. He is here to report what he saw, not what he thinks.’

  ‘Mr Stride, I will remind you once again this is not a court of law. I can ask Mr Stride anything I want, even if it is an opinion he may or may not hold.’ She turned back to the witness as the barrister sat down reluctantly. ‘Please answer the question, Mr Carlton.’

  ‘I have no idea how a murder may have been committed at the Centre. It is New Hampshire’s policy that all detainees, regardless of creed, colour, ra
ce or offence committed, are treated with dignity and respect within the parameters of government policy.’

  ‘Mr Carlton, do you think your standard operating procedures in any way contributed to the death of Ms Chen?’

  ‘At New Hampshire, we are constantly reviewing our procedures based on new information or new government policy. This is a continuous process…’

  ‘Do these new procedures involve having CCTV that works?’ the coroner interrupted him.

  Again a glance across to his solicitors. ‘Of course, it was regrettable some of the CCTV cameras were not working that evening, but in a facility as large as Wilmslow Removal Centre, we are bound to have some machinery that isn’t operative. It is our standard operating procedure that these cameras should be repaired as soon as possible.’

  A long pause as the coroner wrote his answer on her pad. ‘Mr Carlton. How was it possible a murder was committed in a secure establishment such as Wilmslow Removal Centre?’

  ‘I have no idea, Coroner, but it must be remembered deaths happen in all detention centres across the UK. In fact, in 2017, six deaths occurred, and only one in a New Hampshire facility I am happy to report. Incarcerating any individual, depriving them of their liberty, is always going to lead to difficulties. But as long as it is government policy to detain illegal entrants to the UK, New Hampshire will strive to maintain the best service possible, for both the detainees and our government employers. I am confident our standard operating procedures do this.’

  ‘One final question, Mr Carlton. Does the Removal Centre carry Tasers or stun guns as part of its standard operating equipment?’

  ‘We do not, ma’am.’

  ‘How was it one was used on Ms Chen?’

  ‘I have no idea. It is not part of our equipment.’

  This man had been too well coached in his answers. Mrs Challinor was never going to get anything resembling a human response from him.

  Two uniformed police officers entered the court at the back. What are they doing here? Were they the ones who were going to take Carlton off for questioning?