The Fall

- Who's that?

Who is that?

- It's just a patient, route traffic accident.

- We're only holding two cards now.

One, we have him, two, we have her and she's alive, the rest is a disaster.

- [Olivia] Do you have a friend called Daisy?

- Why?

- There's something about her online, how she met Daddy one time.

- Am I being interviewed under caution?

- Yes, you are.

- I knew that Rose was in that boot and I needed to get to her.

- And what about Mr. Spector's life?

Did you not have a duty to protect that?

(machines beeping) - I need some help in here!

- [Nurse] Rose, what are you doing?

- I want to go home.

- You can't.

- I want to go home!

- A man has come forward having seen Spector's photograph on the news.

He says Spector looks like a man who rents a lock-up from him in East Belfast, under the name Baldwin.

- We've just landed a not uninteresting little case.

The Belfast Strangler.

- You stay away from him!

- I haven't been near him!

- You need to get a grip!

You're obsessed, it's pathetic!

(girl screaming) - Who's pathetic now?

- Ma'am.

- Hello, Daddy.

It's me, Olivia.

- Why are you so big?

And you, you look different, older.

What's happening to me?

- More victims?

(tense music) (camera snapping) (dramatic music) (soft music) (Paul inhaling) - Are you in pain?

(bed whirring) Here.

(machine beeping) - We've seen fragments before, bits of pages that didn't burn in the car.

Enough to confirm that he kept journals, but nothing like this.

Nothing so extensive, nothing so detailed.

I'd put it to Spector that between the strangulation of Rose and the murder of Fiona Gallagher, that there must have been other attacks.

He said that there were no other attacks, that Fiona Gallagher was his first murder.

During that gap in time, he suggested that he always had a project to work on.

Are these those projects?

A.S. Might live in the Holylands area, who might be a journalist who seems to wake up late every day and skip breakfast.

Who wears a cream robe after her bath and sometimes doesn't completely close her bedroom curtains.

Or, R.W, who cycles to the university most days off, somewhere in the Lisburn Road.

Always brings her lunch with her and eats in the botanic gardens.

Who has clear, pale skin, wears close-fitting clothes and walks with a short stride that Spector likes.

Where on the continuum of his violence do these journals fit?

Are they just fantasies that sustain him, feed his appetites?

Or are they a record of nine more murders?

- [Therapist] What time of day is it?

Morning, afternoon, night?

- Morning.

- [Therapist] Where are we?

- Belfast General Hospital.

- Can you remember the name of your nurse?

- Kiera.

- Are you married, or do you have a partner?

- I'm married.

- Can you remember any other family members?

- Sally Ann has a father, John, and a mother, Carol.

We call her Cici.

- And what about you?

- Me?

- Do you have any family?

- No.

- [Therapist] Why is that?

- My mother died.

- [Therapist] And what about your father?

- When I was growing up, he was known as Peter Baldwin.

I thought that man was my father, till he left us.

My mother told me that he wasn't my real father, he was just a man.

- When did you become Paul Spector?

- Just before I met Sally Ann.

- And why did you change?

- Wanted a clean start.

New life.

- Why's that?

- Not sure.

- Has that new life worked for you?

- The sheer volume of garments suggests there were very many fetish burglaries at that time.

His journals talk of climbing scaffolding, finding windows open, doors unlocked, alarms not set.

I took this photograph to be of a woman.

On closer inspection, it's clear it's a mannequin.

And these pictures of him.

The bondage, the auto asphyxiation introduce a new element to our understanding of his sexual behavior.

Has any information returned to you over the last 12 hours voluntarily?

- I don't think so.

- Hold this in your hand.

Keep it safe.

Can you give it back to me in 15 minutes' time?

- Yes.

- Who's the British Prime Minister?

- Tony Blair.

- Have you heard of Facebook?

- Yes.

- What is it?

- It's a social networking site.

- And what about Twitter?

- Don't know what that is.

- So you don't know what a tweet is, or tweeting?

- The sound a bird makes.

- What's a hashtag?

- No idea.

Presumably, I'm supposed to know what these things are?

- Maybe.

- The main thing is that we identify and find these women.

Use the initials, look at solved or unsolved sexually motivated murders, or attempted murders, particularly strangulations, occurring in homes and apartments.

Check Missing Persons for suspected foul play.

We need to know if these women are alive or dead.

I think that's all, unless there's anything else?

- We've confirmed the list of children's homes Spector was in following the death of his mother.

We have lists of all his fellow pupils, including those at Gortnacull.

- [Gibson] Any news on the Benedetto girl?

- Uniforms called at her house this morning, ma'am.

She didn't come home last night, her mother has no idea where she is.

A warrant's been issued for her arrest.

- Thank you all.

- What's the last full day you remember?

- It was with Olivia.

- Go on.

- Took her to a playgroup, a musical playgroup.

She loves dancing.

And, all sing songs, The Wheels On The Bus.

She touches all the right places when she does, head, shoulders, knees and toes.

Then we went for lunch in the park.

She was pedaling on her tricycle.

There's a pair of swans on the water there, nine or 10 babies.

Ugly ducklings.

She was talking loads.

She's always getting me to play make believe with her.

- It sounds to me like Olivia is about two years old.

- Yes.

- [Therapist] But she isn't, is she?

(somber music) Can you describe what the memory loss feels like to you?

- Well, it feels like it's nighttime and there's a thunderstorm and I'm standing on a hillside, and I've been asked to draw a map of the valley below.

There's lightning flashes.

They light up the land, but only for a few seconds.

Not long enough to draw the map.

- Can you recall who you are?

In the sense of what you were like and what you're like now?

Your trait characteristics?

- I'm told I have a son.

I've no reason to think that people are lying to me, but I don't feel it.

I'm told I'm in trouble with the police.

Don't know what I've done.

I think that I might be different, but I don't know why.

I feel like I'm an alright person?

It will all come back to me, won't it?

- Your anterograde memory is working well.

Anything else you've forgotten, you can relearn.

- But the ownership has gone.

(phone ringing) - Gibson.

- [Doctor] Patrick Spencer, ICU Consultant, Belfast General Hospital.

- Thank you for calling me back, Doctor.

I understand he's conscious.

- He is.

His physiology is normalizing.

He's cardiovascularly stable and has made good progress given the massive insult and blood loss from the bullet wounds - [Gibson] But?

- But there is an issue.

Although his short-term memory seems to be functioning adequately, it seems Mr. Spector has suffered quite extensive long-term memory loss.

(dramatic music) - OK.

I'm just going to move your legs to the edge of the bed, here.

OK.

I'm now going to take your arm now.

OK, here we go Keep going.

Over here.

Here.

OK, that's good.

Well done.

- Apparently, he's docile, well oriented in time and space and has established good relations with his doctors and nurses.

- For pity's sake!

- It seems he can acquire new information and keep track of his medical procedures, but that he has almost no recollection of the events that have taken place over the last six years or so.

- Are we supposed to be taking this seriously?

- I think we have to.

- Are they linking this impairment directly to the shooting?

- The nature of the amnesia has not been established yet.

It might be organic, an injury to the brain because of blood loss or a resultant lack of oxygen, or it could be psychogenic, a result, perhaps, of trauma.

But until they do an MRI scan, they can't really say.

- So, perform the MRI scan.

- Spector has retained metal fragments from the bullet in his body.

If they contain iron, the fragments can be heated up and the magnet can drag them through the body and cause more organ damage.

- Are they conducting psychological tests yet?

- Yes, they are.

The Consultant Neuropsychologist is an Alison Walden.

- But Jim's right.

He must be feigning, surely?

Or at the very least, exaggerating his symptoms?

- To what end?

- The law does not concern itself with the present state of mind of the criminal defendant, only with the state of mind at the time the crime was committed.

And Spector's was clearly conveyed in his confession.

He clearly understood the difference between right and wrong at the time of the crimes, and therefore he will be held accountable.

- But it is founded on memory-based evidence.

And he's saying that he can't remember any of the crimes.

It poses all sorts of problems for the courts.

It's almost like he's claiming that he's innocent.

- It seems there's more than usual pressure to build the evidential case against him.

- That's precisely what we're doing, sir.

What will happen to him if the defense does ask for a mental health assessment?

- His potential dangerousness suggests a forensic unit rather than a hospital ward.

- And where would that be?

- The Foyle Clinic in East Belfast.

- Who will assess him?

- August Larson.

- He's the Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist.

Very experienced, very used to giving expert testimony in court.

- The sooner we get him out of the hands of the medics and back into the justice system, the better.

(phone ringing) - [Man] Thanks, Alison.

- Kiera Sheridan, Mr. Spector's dedicated nurse.

She provides him with one-to-one care.

She will limit your visit if patient status warrants it.

- Thank you.

- She'll show you in.

- [Man] What about the wife?

- I'm worried about her.

It's obviously been a devastating blow to her, as it would be to anyone who seems to have had no real suspicions.

But there's no possibility of her repeating the offense.

She's admitted her guilt, she's corrected the facts.

She might even end up being a witness for the prosecution.

I think we should drop the charges.

- If she'd told the truth in the first place about Spector's whereabouts, then we could have investigated him more closely.

And perhaps Rose Stagg would not have been put through the ordeal that she has.

- I just feel that pursuing her through the courts will likely have a very bad effect on her mental and physical health.

Is prosecution really in the public interest?

- As Director of Public Prosecutions, I have to say I think it is.

How things will unfold with Spector is unclear.

Prosecuting his wife sends a clear signal, we mean business and no-one involved will be getting off lightly.

- Sally Ann Spector miscarried in police custody.

That's a devastating thing to happen to any woman, but particularly her.

Her identity is wrapped up in her children and those that she cares for.

She's perceived as an angel by the parents of the babies she looks after in the NICU.

Now, it appears as if she's lost everything, her marriage, her work, her unborn child.

She's paid a very high price for her naivety.

- I can't believe that of all people, you are suggesting that we treat Sally Ann paternalistically.

I say we move ahead with the charges and we can use them as leverage against Spector.

- I do think we need to bear in mind the seriousness of the offense.

- We accepted instructions on your behalf from your wife when you were unconscious.

Today is an opportunity for you to say if you are happy for us to be representing you.

I believe that the nature of your injuries has been explained to you?

- Yes.

- And you understand that you were in police custody when you were shot?

- Yes, but I still don't know why.

No-one will tell me.

- An individual called James Tyler was responsible.

- I don't know who that is.

Why did he shoot me?

- I need to get more information from the police before I can explain that.

The more pressing issue, Mr. Spector, is that the police have charged you with a number of very serious crimes.

I mean, the most serious crimes on the Statute Book.

- What crimes?

- A series of murders.

- What sort of murders?

- With your permission, let me take you through the police charge sheet.

All the alleged crimes took place in Belfast.

The police claim that on the 10th day of December, 2011, you murdered University lecturer Fiona Gallagher in her home before fleeing the scene.

Death by strangulation.

(dramatic music) That on the 15th of March, 2012, you murdered architect Alice Monroe in her home, strangling her with a ligature.

They allege that you then washed and dried her body before putting her back to bed and posing her body.

That on the 16th of April, 2012, you murdered solicitor Sarah Kay in her home, strangling her with a ligature.

They allege that you washed and dried Sarah's body, washed and dried her bedclothes, painted her finger nails red, before posing her in her bed and taking photographs.

Sarah Kay was pregnant at the time of her death.

That four days later, on the 20th of April, 2012, you attacked and strangled accountant Annie Brawley in her home.

They claim that you also murdered her brother, Joseph Brawley, when he tried to defend his sister, stabbing him three times with some decorating shears.

You then fled the scene.

Annie Brawley survived the attack.

- I don't recognize any of these people.

I've never seen these people before.

- There's more.

They allege that on May the 3rd, you abducted Rose Stagg from her home, imprisoned her unlawfully and detained her against her will.

- I know her.

Rose what, who did you say?

- Stagg.

Perhaps you know Mrs. Stagg better as Rose McGill?

- Yes.

But I haven't seen her in the last four years or so.

- When did you last see her, do you think?

- Early summer, 2002.

- 2002 is 10 years ago, not four.

- Have you been listening to the charges, Mr. Spector?

It's May 2012.

- Sorry.

Sorry.

What happened to Rose?

- She's alive.

The police say you led them to her.

She was found in the boot of her own car.

The police suggest you left her trapped.

Left her to die.

- Why would I do that to Rose?

(water splashing) The police say they have a confession.

That you made a number of admissions.

I've no memory of that.

- We think it makes sense for your first appearance in court to be as soon as possible because it will initiate the evidential disclosure process.

Will you be strong enough?

Once we are in receipt of those documents, we will look at the detail of that confession and take you through every bit of evidence against you, every witness statement, page by page, line by line.

Is that all clear?

- Yes.

- Any questions?

- I just need some time for it all to sink in.

- Course.

- Do you know who that is?

(tense music) - No.

Should I?

- If any memories relevant to the case return to you, please contact Louise here.

We're here to help you, Mr. Spector.

We will guide you through this.

- Thank you.

(subway rattling) - Sorry, ma'am.

Rose Stagg is here to see you.

- Set up an interview room, Dani.

I'd like you to sit in.

- Of course.

- I woke to find him in bed with me.

(Rose gasping) He took me downstairs, his hand over my mouth.

He took me into the kitchen.

- Go on.

- He used my name.

He called me Rose.

(tense music) I thought perhaps I recognized the voice.

He said he didn't want to hurt me or my lovely family but that he would if I cried out.

And then he released me.

And when I turned round, I recognized him.

- [Gibson] What did you think in that moment?

- [Rose] Just for a moment, I thought that maybe it would be all right.

That maybe it was a joke, a game.

- What did you say?

- I just said, Peter?

He made me dress from clothes that were hanging in the utility room.

He made me write a note.

He told me what to put.

The house seemed so silent.

The sound of the pen on the paper seemed really loud in my head.

Like a whooshing.

All I could think about was getting him out of there, away from Nancy.

- Did you resist him at all?

- I was numb.

I didn't really struggle until he was walking me towards that awful building.

I thought, if he takes me in there, I'm gonna die.

I'm gonna be the next victim.

That's when I tried to run.

But he was too strong.

- He made tapes of you.

We found edited versions of those tapes on his phone.

- You've seen them?

He tied me to a chair.

It was fixed to the ground.

And he sat behind the camera, so that when I looked at him, I was looking directly into the lens.

He hardly spoke, he just stared at me.

I tried everything I could to get through to him.

I begged him, I flattered him, I insulted him.

I tried to provoke him, even.

He didn't respond.

His eyes were open, but it was like he was in a trance.

- Did he sexually assault you?

- No.

I don't think so.

- Did he perform sex acts on himself?

Did he masturbate in front of you?

- No, just the filming.

- Are those healing all right?

- I'm told I did it to myself.

I have no memory of that.

- We found the broken lens from a pair of sunglasses in the boot of your car.

Your blood was on them.

There were no other fingerprints.

- I can't work out if it's just marks or if it's a message.

- When I first saw it, it looked like an attempt to write I love you.

(somber music) Breathe.

- I always thought that I wanted love and security.

Now I just feel like I'm floating free in a void.

Oh.

You have such a strong sense of purpose.

I feel like there's nothing beneath my feet right now, like, nothing to steady them.

It's as if I'm slightly drunk!

- Rose, Rose.

Remember, you survived.

You got through it.

It's in the past.

(discordant music) - Paul Spector, a 32-year-old bereavement counselor from South Belfast charged with four counts of murder is due to make his first appearance in court today.

The four female victims, all young professional women in their 30s, were attacked in their homes at night.

Three of those women died of manual or ligature strangulation.

Spector, a married man and a father of two, is also charged with the attempted murder of accountant Annie Brawley and the abduction and unlawful imprisonment of Belfast radiologist Rose Stagg.

(dramatic music) - I worry this is all too soon for you.

- I'll be fine.

(voices clamoring) - [Reporter] Detective Superintendent Gibson!

The man you have in custody, will he be appearing in court today?

- [Man] Will you be making a statement any time soon?

(voices overlapping) - [Reporter] Chief Superintendent, is Spector appearing in person today?

- [Man] Give us an update on the condition of Rose Stagg.

- Are you ready for this?

- I'm a bit nervous, but yeah.

- Shall we head up, then?

- Stand there.

(keys jingling) Look straight into that camera.

You will be able to see the judge and the legal teams.

Answer any questions clearly.

- The prosecution has suggested we read the shortened version of the charge.

Are you happy enough with that?

- Yeah, that's fine.

- [Bailiff] All rise.

- Thank you.

Please sit.

- Are you ready to proceed, ma'am?

- I am.

- Mr. Spector, can you see and hear the proceedings?

- Yes.

- The charges against the accused are stated as four counts of murder, one of attempted murder, and one of abduction and unlawful imprisonment.

Can you confirm for the court that you are Peter Paul Spector?

- Yes.

- [Lawyer] That your date of birth is the 25th May, 1979.

- That's correct.

- And that you live at 64 Tiberias Drive, Belfast, BT6 7KM?

- So I've been told.

- Why is he answering in that manner?

- Ma'am, if I may.

My client has to answer in that manner because he has suffered significant memory loss.

As you no doubt know, Mr. Spector was shot while in police custody.

He lost his spleen as a result and was in a coma for some time.

The reason he is appearing from hospital is that he is still being held there in intensive care.

I have written reports from the ICU Consultant, Dr. Spencer, and from the Consultant Neuropsychologist, Dr. Alison Walden, that explain the nature and degree of my client's disability.

Dr. Walden is approved under Part 2 of the Mental Health Order 1986.

There's information there about the treatment Mr. Spector has undergone and an account of his behavior in hospital.

The memory loss, you will see, covers a period of approximately six years up to and including the recent shooting.

One of the primary foundations of criminal law is that all defendants are capable of actively participating in their defense.

Mr. Spector's amnesia prevents him from so doing.

Whilst Mr. Spector understands that he is in court and charged with a number of criminal offenses and understands the nature and object and the possible consequences of the proceedings, he cannot enter a plea.

He cannot consult with or assist his lawyer.

He cannot give evidence in his own defense.

On that basis, I feel I need to raise the issue of competence as to whether Mr. Spector is fit to stand trial.

- Mr. Healy, let me stop you there.

The concerns you have raised are noted, but you know as well as I do that it's not a matter on which this court can adjudicate.

Mr. Spector, do you understand that your case must be sent to Crown Court?

- Yes.

- [Judge] Then you will be held on remand in hospital until arrangements can be made to transfer you to a secure psychiatric clinic where more tests can be done to determine the nature of your mental disability.

(tense music) (voices clamoring) - That's the guy who's defending the murderer!

- Mr. Healy, how does it feel to be defending the Belfast Strangler?

- The alleged Belfast Strangler.

(ominous music) - [Reporter] Dressed in a blue sweatshirt and tracksuit bottoms, Mr. Spector spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth during the 10 minute hearing.

At that point proceedings took a bizarre twist as it became apparent that the alleged serial killer is suffering from significant memory loss.

Mr. Spector was remanded in custody to undergo further medical and psychiatric assessment.

Following the hearing, the public prosecution service confirmed that Sally Ann Spector will appear in the Crown Court on Monday, the 2nd of July to face charges of perverting the course of justice.

The prosecution claims that Mr. Spector's wife, provided her husband with false alibis.

(siren wailing) (phone ringing) - Gibson.

- [August] Superintendent Gibson?

- Yes.

- [August] I'm August Larson.

I'm the consultant psychiatrist who has been asked to assess Paul Spector.

- It's an odd time to be calling, Doctor.

- Are you still working?

- [Gibson] Yes.

- Well, there you are.

Before he's moved here, I need to determine the risk of violence towards himself and others and plan his management.

- Have you seen the list of crimes he's been charged with?

- [August] I received that information from the court, yes.

- In my experience, a history of previous violence is the best predictor for future violence for someone whether they are mentally disordered or not.

And Paul Spector is a violent sexual sadist.

- Why are you so kind to me?

If I've done the things that the police say I've done, then I'm a monster.

- It's my job.

- What?

- It says in your notes that there were tears in your eyes during your surgery.

That you were crying.

- Was I?

- Does that mean anything to you?

- Perhaps.

- I just can't believe the memory loss is real.

He's just the sort of person who would feign amnesia if he felt that there was something to be gained from it.

Even just for the sheer delight of duping people, particularly experts.

- Someone like me, for example?

I'm just saying that, from my conversations with him, it seems to me that he exhibits, if anything, a superior memory for his violence.

It's clear to me that he rehearsed the crimes in his mind over and over.

They were heavily scripted.

And so, the crimes themselves were memorable both in the way that they match the script and in the way that they differ.

So, in my view, it's extremely unlikely that he has forgotten anything.

- Faced with memory loss, there is only one way a clinician can go, and that is to investigate.

If we take him here, then that is what I intend to do.

If you have the time, I'd really appreciate getting a premorbid appraisal of Mr. Spector from you.

As someone who has had extensive dealings with him.

Anything at all you can tell me about him would be extremely useful.

- I'll help in any way I can.

- [August] Thank you.

Good night.

- Good night.

- Everything went dark.

- And did time seem to speed up or slow down?

- It sped up.

I was rushing through a tunnel.

- And did you see or feel surrounded by a brilliant light?

- There was a light.

- Can you describe it?

- Incredibly bright.

Blinding.

- [Nurse] And hot?

- No, not hot.

- Did you come to a border or a point of no return?

- There was a point.

I felt I could have gone on.

But there were voices calling me back.

- What voices?

- My daughter.

Olivia.

(ominous music) - [Nurse] And was there anyone else there known to you, living or dead?

- Yes.

- Who?

- I think my mother.

- And what happened?

How did you feel in her presence?

- Afraid.

- [Nurse] Did she speak to you?

- She was calling me.

I think she wanted me to come to her.

Towards the light.

But there was other voices.

My daughter calling me back.

- And did you want to come back to your body?

Come back to life?

- No.

But I couldn't just abandon her.

- Is that when you cried?

(somber music) - Hey.

Drink it all up.

Good girl.

- You came close with dying.

What do you now understand death to be?

What does death mean to you now?

- I know that life is our only true possession.

- And death?

- [Anderson] I've found a murder that looks promising.

- Really?

The right initials?

- [Anderson] That's not the connection.

A law student.

Susan Harper.

Do you think she looks right?

- Yes, absolutely.

- Just a bit younger.

- 21.

The only problem is there is someone doing time for it.

It's an individual called David Alvarez.

I remembered I saw his name yesterday on the list of children who were in Gortnacull at the same time as Spector.

So, I've done some digging.

And they are one and the same.

The David Alvarez who's doing time for the murder is the same David Alvarez who was a fellow pupil of Spector's at the home.

- Why was Alvarez convicted?

- His DNA on her body.

A subsequent confession.

- That's pretty conclusive.

What year is this?

- August, 2002.

In London.

Now, there's a gap in Spector's timeline.

We don't know where he was or what he was doing.

- No, we don't.

(discordant music) (waves crashing) - I'll see you in the morning.

Try and get some sleep.

I'll pray for you.

(tense music) (dramatic music)