The Bill Spoilers 01 October 09
Thursday, 1 October 2009, 9:00PM - 10:00PM
When a traumatised young man is found clutching a missing person’s flyer of a boy, David Jarvis, who disappeared five years previously, D.S.’s Stevie Moss (Lucy Speed) and Max Carter (Christopher Fox) are called in to investigate.
P.C. Mel Ryder (Rhea Bailey) attends a scene where she finds a frightened seventeen year old man covered in bruises. As she tries to talk to him, he walks away and drops a piece of paper. Mel examines the leaflet which is a Missing Person’s appeal from five years ago concerning 12 year old David Jarvis (Alex Matten). Mel gently approaches the young man again and he tearfully admits that he’s David. At the station D.S. Stevie Moss (Lucy Speed) talks to David who is clearly traumatised. Through careful questioning David eventually admits that he was imprisoned and abused by a man called Gareth. He also tearfully recalls a crucifix above Gareth’s bed. D.S. Max Carter (Christopher Fox) examines the previous evidence from when David first went missing, but can’t find a connection to the name ‘Gareth’. Meanwhile, David’s sister Michelle (Joanna Horton) is brought into the station. Overcome with emotion, she is asked to identify David on a television screen, but she is unable to confirm whether it’s her missing brother…
As the investigation continues, local man and known sex offender, Gareth Hartill (David Phelan) is arrested. Gareth appears genuinely stunned by the allegations that have been made against him and finally confesses to meeting David the night before and paying him for sex. However, when the pair got back to Gareth’s house, David became hysterical and ran out. As gaping holes start to appear in David’s version of events, Max realises that David isn’t telling them the whole truth about his captivity. After further investigation, the team are stunned to learn that David is actually missing person Simon Eastfield and Stevie breaks the devastating news to Michelle. Despite lying about his identity, Max and Stevie are convinced Simon did suffer horrendous abuse at some stage in his life and work together to establish what really happened.
The Sergeants quickly discover that the prime suspect in the David Jarvis case, Terence Scanlon, could be linked to Simon and visit his house, which has been empty since his death a few years previously. They are horrified when they think the Scanlon’s bedroom was the one Simon was abused in and their fears are confirmed when they find an imprint of a crucifix on the bedroom wall. Back at Sun Hill, Simon reveals what really happened to him: it also becomes apparent Simon and David did know each other as 12 year olds. Simon clearly knows what happened to David when he went missing, but will he reveal the truth to Stevie…?
THE BILL is a talkbackTHAMES production and a direct commission by ITV. This episode was written by Chris Ould, directed by Reza Moradi and produced by James Hall.
