the day she used the stun gun on him.’ Jackson arched a rueful eyebrow. ‘And the knobkerrie wasn’t the worst of Charles’s problems, you know. For most of the time, she was holding a bread knife to his penis and threatening to castrate him.’
‘Go on.’
‘The only meaning I can take from that is that Jen thought Charles had been as excited by her dominatrix act as she was.’
Jones smiled cynically. ‘That’s a big leap of imagination.’
‘I’m not saying it’s rational, Superintendent. I’m saying it’s what an intensely egotistical woman might think.’
‘Yet according to Dr Campbell, Jen told Charles’s psychiatrist in Birmingham that she hoped his amnesia covered the end of the relationship. She sent him a series of love letters that didn’t even mention the rape, let alone how close he came to castration.’
‘But he didn’t read them and he didn’t reply.’
‘So?’
Jackson shrugged again. ‘If you were Jen what would you take from that?’
‘That the letters never reached Charles.’
Jackson nodded. ‘And what do you take from the fact that the contents were anodyne and only mentioned how good the relationship was?’
‘That she hoped he’d forgotten?’
‘Or she was afraid a nurse would have to read them to him because she didn’t know what his injuries were.’ She paused. ‘The more interesting question is why Charles was willing to hand them unopened to his psychiatrist when he was so resistant to revealing anything about the relationship.’
‘Go on.’
‘He knew Jen would do what his parents have done all his life . . . keep their secrets under wraps. He prefers it like that. The only way he knows how to deal with pain is to absorb it.’ She sighed. ‘He’s said all along you were out to crucify him . . . and that’s what you’ll be doing if you force him into court to support a prosecution. He’s carrying too much baggage to cope with having all this dragged into a public arena.’
Jones shook his head. ‘You underestimate him, Doctor. If I’ve learned anything about the lieutenant in the last few days, it’s that he’s a great deal more determined to face his fears than you and I are.’
METROPOLITAN
POLICE
INTERNAL MEMO To: ACC Clifford Golding From: Det Supt Brian Jones Date: 20 August 2007 Subject: Interview procedure
Sir,
Re Concerns expressed by Jennifer Morley’s legal representative
Please find attached a copy of Morley’s custody record, showing that she was charged well within the 36-hour time-limit allowed under PACE.
In the view of the interviewing officers and myself, the ‘breakdowns’ cited by Morley’s legal representative were determined attempts to run down the detention clock. Morley employed fainting spells, panic attacks and constant requests for healthcare assistance to disrupt her interviews. Despite these delays, she was charged at 11.45 on Friday, 17 August 2007, with the murders of Harry Peel and Kevin Atkins, making a detention time of 32 hours and 15 minutes. She appeared before magistrates three hours later and was remanded to HMP Holloway.
The custody officer is entirely satisfied that we had reasonable grounds for detaining Morley, and that all interviews were conducted in accordance with Codes of Practice. She was allowed several rest periods, including a sleep break, and was given appropriate assistance and monitoring at all times together with regular offers of food and beverages. Most of these were declined. A copy of her custody record was made available to her legal representative.
The following is a brief summary of events
