#Demolition Girl | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

forensicated · 9 months ago

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Smiffina Episodes: Demolition Girl

A high rise block is set for demolition in Canley, the Relief are policing it to stop spectators and protesters getting too near. An attractive courier asks Sally if he can cut through as the demolition is taking a while and then invites her for a drink. Even Gina is bored of waiting back at the station. "Why does it take so long? It can't be that difficult to blow up a building!" Callum enjoys the chance to geek out about how the charges need to be laid for the correct domino implosion. "Who do you think you are, Fred Dibnah? You ought to get out more!"

As the warning siren goes, Sally is approached by a frantic woman, Sian, who claims her son is inside. Sally radios in to tell Gina who contacts the bosses and the demolition is paused whilst the building is searched floor by floor. Sian manages to talk Sally into letting her join the search and nothing is found. Gina heads to the scene to take over from Smithy to allow him to return to the station.

Sally reassures Sian he is probably with friends but they can fill out a Missing Person's form. In doing so it becomes clear that Michael doesn't exist, the headmaster at the school she said he attends has never heard of him and his mobile number is a dud. The hospital reports that there's no child that matches his name and date of birth on the system. Smithy searches Sian on the PNC. She has previous for drunk and disorderly and drink driving and spent time in a psychiatric clinic after attempting suicide.

Sally tells Smithy she spoke to the housing association responsible for the flats and that someone with the same surname as Sian lived in one of the flats with her partner. Sally and Ben explain that she's likely to be charged for maliciously delaying the demolition and costing the company thousands as well as causing further problems to the surrounding area. As they're about to lead her to a cell, Sian admits that she was searching for the flat she used to stay at as a child because she hid a diary in it that details historic sexual abuse at the hands of her auntie Yvonne's partner, 'Uncle' Graham Boyce.

Gina takes over and gently asks Sian what happened. Sian tells her that she'd bottled it up and suppressed it until she read about the demolition of the flats. That brought it back to the surface and she attempted suicide and then refused ongoing help. She can't remember much of the abuse as she has suppressed it. After lots of toing and froing, Gina speaks to the demolition company and they agree that the demolition can be delayed for 2 hours. After that it has to come down no matter what. Gina tells Sian that if she delays it she has to make a statement against her uncle. Without the diary they have little chance of getting him prosecuted. Sian agrees.

Jo finds that Sian did stay with her Auntie when she said it all happened as her mother went into hospital so Auntie Yvonne fostered her for a while. Boyce was unemployed at the time she told them he was there all day and her story is starting to add up background wise at least. Her mother has died so they can't ask her for any information or if she behaved any differently at the time. They need the diary as without it they have no case because Sian can't remember what happened outside of brief flashes of memory in her mind as her brain tries to protect her. Jo and Stevie visit Boyce to get a view of him. They pretend they've recovered valuable property from the flats and they're talking to people who lived there to see if they own it. He seems personable enough and now runs a gardening company. He claims they were happy times in the flats - The lifts never worked but the people were good and everyone got on. They leave him to his gardening and return to the station.

Sally and the others help Sian search the flats for her diary. Ben warns Sally about getting too close to her as she has with her last two cases under Gina's watch. (Lifesaver and Teacher's Pet) as her getting keyed up is doing the same to Sian. Gina gives them the warning that they have to get out of the building so the demolition can happen and sadly the diary is nowhere to be found. Sally is forced to withdraw the search. Sally asks Gina to delay it for another half an hour but Gina spells it out - it isn't her decision and only a court injunction can stop it. The warning siren goes up, some idiots breach the cordon and in the confusion Sian makes a run for the flats. Sally realises and chases after her with Gina and Ben screaming for her to stop. She manages to catch her but they're almost crushed in the resulting implosion and left covered in rubble and dust.

Gina takes her into her office and points out how many times they've been there lately. "I will not tolerate these stupid acts of heroism! Do you understand? After all this station has been through I will not lose anymore officers. I know why you did it, I know how important this case is to you but please. No more. Understood?" Sally nods and Gina sends her off to shower and change whilst Gina herself takes a few moments to gather herself.

Ben tells Sian that there's still a chance they could get her uncle to court if she can remember more and make allegations of actual acts. She says she can remember only feelings and flashes and wanted the diary to prove it to herself and rebuild her memories so she could report him. She takes a moment and goes outside for some fresh air. Ben sighs, "There's no proof...." He reasons, pointing out how Sian has repeatedly lied to them. Sally scoffs, "She tried to run back into that building, that's how much it means to her!" She snaps that they have to investigate no matter how unfounded it might be. Sally finds Sian and asks her to talk it through with her before she gives up fully and that they might be able to make a breakthrough on it. She brings Stevie down to take her statement with her. Sian insists she has to at least try because she can never truly recover if she doesn't as it colours her entire world - what she says, does and thinks no matter what she drinks or takes to blot it out.

She remembers he called her 'the love of his life' and details a pink dress that he kept in a box and asked her to wear whilst he abused her but she doesn't remember the actual abuse. She remembers her auntie's shift patterns - that is backed up by the NHS records - and that he'd only approach her when Yvonne was at work. Sally puts gentle pressure on her to get her to speak with her auntie about the abuse. They meet in a park with Stevie and Sally listening in. Yvonne admits that she was unhappy and lost 'far too troubled for a little girl'. Sian tells her the abuse she suffered and Yvonne claims she's a liar and that he adored her and wouldn't harm her. Sally and Stevie approach her and let her know that it's an official police investigation and take her to the station. Yvonne lets slip that there's another girl - his cousins daughter - that they fostered too but that Graham adored both. Eleanor has also cut off contact with both Graham and Yvonne.

Eleanor tells them that he called her 'the love of his life' like he did Sian. She remembers a pink dress that she'd wear - the same dress as Sian. It appears Eleanor was being groomed in the same way as Sian but she was returned to her mother before he had chance to actually abuse her. After Eleanor left, Graham's conscience appears to have been pricked and he told Yvonne that he didn't want anymore kids staying. Sally suggests they go for a confession to pull him out of his comfort zone given he is now a successful businessman with his own home and company and that that is all under threat with the allegations. Jo suggests Yvonne might have already told him but Stevie suggests not - after all, "how do you start that conversation?" Gina allows him to be brought in and wants his house searching to see if they can find the box and/or dress.

When arrested, Graham claims it's all nonsense. Yvonne arrives home to see him being arrested. He claims he cared about Sian in the normal 'family way' as she's his niece. He claims the 'dress' the girls remember is two different ones and that it was a birthday gift each had had their eyes on. He showed them affection (calling them the love of his life and kissing them) because neither had a dad in their lives so he was their only male role model. He asks where their proof is and claims he's being slandered.

Sally asks Yvonne if there's anywhere that Graham could hide things - she admits there's the shed that's full of his tools. She keeps telling Sally that the girls could be lying over and over again in a tone that suggests she's trying to reassure herself that's what has happened. Roger and Ben pull out the box that was described. Inside is the pink dress both girls described in interviews and Sian's diary.

When he sees it, Boyce claims it's simply a memory box. He claims Sian simply detailed her affection for her uncle in the diary and that it doesn't detail abuse. Jo reads an excerpt from one of the entries that details Graham forcing himself on her to kiss her. "I don't know how anyone ever doubted her!" Sally scowls. There's no sexual content in the diary but it does detail abuse and that Sian has not been able to get over it and is still in part that terrified child.

Sally argues with Stevie and Jo that they're not getting anything out of Boyce and he's simply denying it when they take a breather. Jo tells her to take a step back and Sally insists they should go in harder. "Why don't you get him to admit it then?" "What do you want, kidney punches?!" Stevie drawls. Sally reminds them that she was the one who told Sian to pursue it and that she doesn't think they're doing enough. Gina appears and tells her to back off. Sally snaps that she "can't stand by and-" "Let officers conduct their interview?" Gina interrupts. She tells Sally that she's too close to the investigation as usual and is not being objective or thinking clearly and sends her home to work on her apology for her colleagues. "I'm sorry Ma'am, but I'm concerned about Sian." "And that implies that no one else is." Gina points out. Thank god they finally call her out on it!

Ben takes her to a pub to calm down and instead Sally broods and claims Gina is comparing her to Emma. She drinks heavily as Ben tells her to calm down. "How can I calm down when another perverts going to be back on the streets?" Sally decides that she wants to go to a club instead and get off her face and drags Ben along.

In the interview room, Jo gets Graham to admit that he did prey on Sian because he saw her as a lonely needy child who wanted attention and craved affection and he couldn't resist her. He claims he kept the dress and the diary because he loved her and she loved him and that he still thinks of her as his daughter. Jo and Stevie reason that fathers don't behave like he did towards their daughters and tell him that Sian tried to kill herself because it all got too much for her. Stevie tells him there's only one person who can save her now and that's him. He breaks down and tells them how sorry he is - and admits the abuse. Stevie and Jo return the diary to Sian.

Sally and Ben are seen at the club and Sally is seen dancing with two drinks in her hands multiple times. Ben buys her water and she teases him by calling him Grandad. He tries to boost her and tells her she did her job well even if they don't get a conviction. Sally misreads the signs and kisses him. Ben returns it for a few seconds before drawing back and telling her it's not a good idea. Sally insists she's just having a laugh and he tells her that it's not a laugh, she's drunk. He suggests that they call it a night and offers to take her home and she claims she doesn't need a babysitter and walks off to the bar where she meets the courier from that morning. Stevie texts Ben and asks him to tell Sally about Boyce. He tries to find Sally who is kissing the courier outside. She pushes him away after reliving what is happened to her that morning and he tries his luck again and is pushy. She stupidly gets into her car. A different man knocks on the car window and asks if she's alright and Sally panics and drives off. Ben leaves her a voicemail and hangs up before looking up in horror as he hears a car crash and a woman scream.

Little add on from story B - Callum and Leon are searching for a missing 'stolen' pedigree dog. Only it hasn't been stolen, the man's wife was so jealous of the attention he paid the dog that she let it go free. Callum and Leon are not impressed at all and have am almost synchronised arm fold moment when they find out the truth.

(Interesting fact: They filmed this at an actual block of flat demolition in Glasgow. They got a warning 30 seconds before the detonation and started to do the scene thinking it was the actual one - then realised and had to reset and restart quickly as obviously there was no asking them to rebuild the flats and knock them down again so they could refilm it 😂😂😂 It's impressively done too given that Ali didn't go up to Scotland with them as she obviously wouldn't be able to do her stuff under the real rubble so they had to recreate it in London!)

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