Podchaser Logo
Home
On the Hook

On the Hook

Released Monday, 2nd October 2023
Good episode? Give it some love!
On the Hook

On the Hook

On the Hook

On the Hook

Monday, 2nd October 2023
Good episode? Give it some love!
Rate Episode

Episode Transcript

Transcripts are displayed as originally observed. Some content, including advertisements may have changed.

Use Ctrl + F to search

0:00

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen

0:02

to Hooked on Freddie early and ad-free.

0:05

Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app

0:07

or on Apple Podcasts.

0:10

Be sure to tap follow so that new

0:12

episodes of Hooked on Freddie download

0:14

to your device as soon as they're available.

0:23

Just a quick note before we start. There

0:26

are more sexual references in this episode

0:29

as the court case unfolds but

0:31

if you've come this far

0:33

I think you can handle it. Day

0:40

two of the trial has ended. Alan

0:43

Cooper has got through it, well just

0:45

about, and he'll be back in the dock

0:48

tomorrow. He's leaving

0:50

court and heading back to a friend's house where

0:52

he's staying during the trial. He

0:54

passes a television shop with a dozen

0:57

TVs in the window.

0:59

His face is on all of them.

1:02

Alan's headline news. He's

1:06

exhausted, drained. He gets

1:08

in and kicks off his shoes. He changes out

1:11

of his tie and his ill-fitting suit

1:13

but he can't relax.

1:16

Alan is halfway through the trial.

1:19

So far six witnesses have testified

1:22

against him. The prosecution

1:24

and defence seem to be neck and neck. No

1:27

one knows which way it's going to go. In less

1:30

than 24 hours

1:32

Alan will finally be called

1:34

to give evidence. Alan

1:37

jumps. It's

1:40

Tony Jennings, his defence barrister.

1:43

But he doesn't sound like he did in court that day,

1:45

commanding and confident. Tony

1:48

sounds different,

1:49

concerned. He was

1:52

cautious to tell me that I shouldn't come

1:54

across as like animal rights, sort

1:56

of extremist, you know. I

1:58

thought it might not look good.

1:59

with the jewellery, I assume.

2:02

The message is clear. If he

2:05

wants to win the troll, he

2:07

needs to win over the jewellery.

2:10

Alan needs to appear

2:12

respectable. Animal

2:14

rights activists were seen as scruffs, troublemakers,

2:17

extremists even, not

2:20

by everyone, but by a lot

2:22

of people. Alan

2:24

needs to turn on the charm, hold

2:27

it together. It's not prison,

2:29

he fears now. It's falling

2:32

apart.

2:33

I realised I had to concentrate 100%

2:38

on everything I said. I knew what

2:40

was at stake.

2:42

Serious mental breakdown. Stakes

2:44

don't get much higher than that, do they? The

2:47

accusations, the humiliation,

2:51

the abuse,

2:52

it's almost overwhelmed him already.

2:56

With the trial on a knife

2:58

edge, it's obvious to everyone,

3:00

including Alan, that everything

3:02

now depends on what he does

3:05

and says in the witness

3:06

box.

3:08

His performance will

3:10

dictate whether he walks

3:11

out of court or

3:14

leaves

3:15

in the back

3:17

of a prison van.

3:21

From Wandery and Blanchard House, I'm

3:24

Becky Milligan and this

3:26

is HUCKNESS OF MY

3:30

F HUCKNESS

3:44

OF MY F Episode 5.

3:51

On The Hook

3:52

The

3:56

last prosecution witness is on the stand

3:59

and the first piece of material

4:01

evidence, a colour photograph taken with an underwater

4:04

camera by a diver,

4:06

Neil Hope. It could seal Alan's fate. The prosecution

4:09

says it's a photograph of

4:13

Alan sexually abusing Freddy. But what precisely

4:15

does the photo show? Well,

4:21

I'm looking at a copy of that photo. It's

4:22

a bit faded,

4:25

but it's not quite as

4:28

a bit faded. It was

4:30

taken more than 30 years ago. But

4:33

you can

4:34

still see a lot. Alan

4:37

is underwater and he's close

4:40

to the camera. His torso's

4:42

in shot, but his head isn't. He's

4:45

wearing his signature wetsuit. A

4:47

fluorescent

4:47

yellow arm floats

4:49

into form.

4:51

Now, if you look closely, you

4:54

can see something next to Alan's

4:56

arm. A shape. It's

4:58

touching Alan's wrist. And

5:01

it's about 12 inches long. This

5:05

is Freddy's penis. So,

5:08

how does the photo land in court?

5:10

I mean, I wouldn't infer anything

5:12

from that, I have to say.

5:15

Dr Peter Evans was called as

5:17

an expert witness for the defence. He's

5:19

an expert in marine mammals and

5:22

at the time was based at Oxford

5:24

University. He didn't

5:26

appear in court, but he was asked to

5:28

review all the evidence before the trial

5:31

and provided a written testimony.

5:32

That looks like the

5:35

dolphin's penis and obviously it's

5:38

close to

5:39

Alan, but so what is

5:42

my response to that?

5:47

So, what? Even

5:49

though the prosecution presents this photograph

5:52

as a kind of trump card, it's a

5:55

bit underwhelming. Yes,

5:58

it shows Freddy's penis. But

6:00

it doesn't actually seem to reveal

6:02

Alan doing anything with it.

6:06

The prosecution barrister David Wood goes

6:09

out with a whimper.

6:11

And that concludes the case for the

6:13

Crown, your Honour. Members

6:17

of the jury.

6:18

Time for Alan's barrister Tony

6:21

Jennings to open the case for

6:23

the defence. If I can

6:24

direct your attention to the television

6:26

screen, there's something I'd like you all to see.

6:29

A TV to the right side of the judge

6:32

flicks on.

6:34

A video starts to

6:36

play.

6:38

The video shows Freddy

6:41

swimming in Amble Harbour. And

6:43

there are people in the water with him. It's

6:45

a happy, playful scene. Swimmers

6:48

enjoying the company of a wild dolphin.

6:50

But if

6:53

you look a little closer, Freddy's

6:55

erection is clearly visible.

6:57

It

7:00

says Tony Jennings is the nearest we

7:02

can get to calling Freddy as a witness.

7:07

Dolphins use their penises as tactile

7:10

instruments to explore their environment

7:12

and make contact with other animals,

7:14

including its humans. They

7:17

use the penis to hook people by the arms

7:19

or legs to pull them along. You

7:22

might assume, Members of the jury, that

7:24

there is a sexual connotation to all

7:26

of this. But it is difficult

7:29

to apply human conceptions

7:31

to a very intelligent creature

7:33

such as Freddy. And

7:37

now,

7:38

finally, it's time for Alan

7:41

to speak.

7:44

I call the defendant Alan

7:46

Cooper to the stand.

7:48

Tony Jennings looks round to see Alan

7:50

standing up.

7:51

I was like really focused when

7:54

I went into the dock 100%. I

7:56

was the most focused I've ever been in my life, actually.

7:59

I knew I had to be powerful

8:02

and Crown Court is no place to lie

8:04

or be indecisive even or

8:07

hesitant.

8:08

He can see Alan's made some

8:10

effort

8:11

just like he asked. Yeah,

8:13

comb my hair.

8:15

Alan is ushered from the defendant's

8:17

stock to the witness box. For

8:19

the first time in the trial he has a different

8:22

view of the courtroom.

8:23

He can see the faces looking

8:25

back at him, his accusers,

8:27

the jury, the press and

8:30

his

8:30

supporters too. He swears to

8:32

tell. To

8:34

choose the whole truth and nothing but the

8:36

truth.

8:38

Tony Jennings gets straight to the

8:40

point. Mr Cooper,

8:42

did you or did you not masturbate

8:45

Freddy the Dolphin using your hands,

8:48

thighs or knees while swimming

8:50

in Amble Harbour on the 28th of September 1990?

8:55

I did not Alan says.

8:58

Mr Cooper, did you ever seek any

9:00

guidance on what to do in a situation

9:02

where you found yourself being hooked

9:04

as it's called by this wild

9:07

animal's penis?

9:08

Alan says he did. He

9:11

sought advice from Dr Horace Dobbs,

9:13

a dolphin expert, who said it

9:15

was normal for anyone swimming with a male

9:17

dolphin to be hooked and

9:20

it was really nothing to worry

9:22

about.

9:23

Horace said it's just a load of nonsense.

9:26

Just go and have a great swim, just ignore

9:28

it sort of thing. It's what male dolphins

9:31

may do.

9:32

Dr Horace Dobbs is in court as well

9:35

waiting to be called as a witness.

9:37

Though these allegations Mr Cooper

9:40

must have had a significant effect on

9:42

you and on your family, is that

9:44

right?

9:45

Alan nods.

9:46

He says his mother who died six months

9:49

before the trial

9:50

had been very upset by it all.

9:53

And what about you Mr Cooper? How

9:56

have these accusations affected you

9:58

and your experience? of

10:00

swimming with Freddy the Dolphin.

10:02

So you know it completely

10:05

destroyed the whole

10:07

experience, the swim of the wild dolphin.

10:10

And Mr Crippler, how do you feel about

10:12

the allegations that have been leveled at

10:14

you?

10:15

Alan tells the court that he's absolutely

10:18

outraged and disgusted by the allegations.

10:21

He tells them how he's received

10:23

hate mail and death threats, how

10:26

his life has been completely derailed.

10:29

No further questions.

10:31

As Tony Jennings takes his seat,

10:33

the prosecution barrister David Wood

10:36

stands. He's ready for battle.

10:39

And Alan is fighting

10:41

for survival. Yeah, if you

10:44

screw up, it's going to be a mortuary.

10:46

David Wood begins.

10:49

Now Mr Crippler, I have your police statement

10:52

in front of me. You told the

10:54

police and I quote, Sometimes

10:56

Freddy plays rough.

10:58

Other times he's very gentle.

11:01

He initiates what he wants to do.

11:04

He initiates

11:07

what he wants to do.

11:10

Can you know the mind of a dolphin, Mr

11:12

Crippler?

11:14

Alan is adamant. He

11:17

stands by his statement that

11:19

he has never manipulated

11:21

a dolphin.

11:22

So you're hearing all these stuff

11:25

and you know it's full of bullshit, you

11:28

know. And yet you

11:30

know that, but he just told that

11:33

the jury will realize that. Mr

11:35

Crippler, you also say in this police statement,

11:39

In the wild, they use their penis

11:41

as a sensory object. They sometimes

11:44

wrap themselves against boats or

11:46

rocks. Dolphins are very sensitive

11:49

and enjoy wrapping themselves against people.

11:52

In the same police statement, Mr Crippler, You

11:55

say you spent up to 300 hours

11:57

swimming with Freddy. Three

11:59

hundred hours swimming with Freddy.

11:59

hundred hours. That's

12:02

an awful lot of time, isn't it, Mr. Cooper?

12:06

Enough time to come to understand

12:08

a dolphin's urges? And

12:11

perhaps help to satisfy them?

12:16

No, says Alan.

12:17

Never.

12:19

No further questions.

12:21

Alan is escorted out of the witness

12:23

box. That's it.

12:26

His chance to defend himself is over.

12:29

Has he done enough? He doesn't

12:32

know. Either way, he's

12:34

powerless to influence the proceedings any

12:36

further. All he can do now

12:39

is listen.

12:39

And hope.

12:59

I call Dr. Horace Dobbs to

13:01

the stand.

13:02

Dr. Horace Dobbs enters

13:04

the court. He follows the usher

13:06

to the witness box. He's

13:08

a dolphin expert called by the defence

13:11

to testify in court. The

13:13

one who Alan had asked for advice about

13:15

being hooked. Dr.

13:18

Dobbs, you're the director of

13:20

International Dolphin Watch. Am I correct?

13:23

Yes, that's correct. So you're

13:25

a dolphin expert. Tell me

13:27

about Freddy the dolphin. How

13:29

does he compare to other dolphins

13:31

you've studied? Freddy is possibly

13:34

the most friendly dolphin in the world. He's

13:37

especially attracted to women. Dr.

13:41

Dobbs, is a dolphin's penis used

13:44

exclusively for sexual or

13:46

reproductive purposes? No. No,

13:49

a dolphin's penis is also used for

13:52

exploring its environment.

13:54

It's a highly sensitive appendage.

13:58

Now the court has heard that a million... Little Dolphin's

14:00

penis is almost always erect,

14:02

but the dolphin doesn't always show it. Under

14:06

what circumstances might a dolphin

14:08

show their erect penis, Dr Dobbs?

14:11

When a dolphin doesn't feel threatened,

14:14

his penis may come out. It's

14:17

not like a man flashing in our guile

14:20

street. He

14:22

sticks it out at will, like we used to

14:24

gather

14:24

now. Dr

14:26

Dobbs, in your expert opinion,

14:29

what exactly does it mean when a dolphin,

14:32

as you put it, sticks it

14:34

out at will?

14:36

Well, I suppose you might say that when a

14:38

dolphin exposes its penis,

14:40

it's extending its finger of friendship

14:43

to you.

14:47

Now, Dr Dobbs, I think I'm right in saying

14:49

that you have swum with Freddy yourself.

14:52

Tell me, did Freddy hook you

14:54

with his penis? I've swum with Freddy,

14:57

yes, and he has told me along

14:59

with his penis, plenty of times.

15:01

He either hooks it into your arm

15:04

or your legs.

15:06

I think if he wants to give people a toe with it, they should

15:08

let him do it.

15:10

Is it true, Dr Dobbs, that Mr

15:12

Cooper came to you looking for advice

15:15

on how to react to Freddy when he

15:17

initiates hooking? Yes, that

15:19

is correct. And what advice did you

15:21

give Mr Cooper? Dr Dobbs.

15:24

I told him to treat it naturally and not to reject

15:26

the dolphin because he's doing it. Freddy's

15:28

doing it as a gesture of friendship.

15:32

Dr Dobbs, what do you

15:34

think

15:34

of the allegations against Mr

15:36

Cooper? I think people

15:38

have misinterpreted what's going on. I

15:42

feel I could be the person sitting in the dock

15:44

because I gave him that advice and it

15:46

could have happened to me. No further

15:48

questions.

15:49

Dr Horace Dobbs leaves the witness

15:51

box. His testimony has

15:53

gone well for Alan. It suggests

15:56

that Alan was simply following expert

15:58

advice.

15:59

No problem.

15:59

crime in that.

16:01

The defence calls Mr Peter Evans.

16:04

Mr Evans is also a dolphin

16:07

expert, a behavioural ecologist. Now

16:09

Mr Evans can't be with us

16:11

in court today, but he has provided us with

16:13

a sworn statement.

16:16

So

16:17

they said, well, would I be able to

16:19

write something in detail that

16:22

could be read out there? And

16:24

I said, yes, that's fine. I'll do that. So

16:26

I did that. Remember, all this

16:28

happened 30 years ago, but Peter

16:32

Evans has a good memory. In

16:34

fact, he remembers everything he sent

16:36

the court. The dolphin

16:38

penis, he said, is used

16:41

as much as a greeting, as

16:43

much as the greeting as anything else, but

16:46

also for holding bonds, social

16:48

bonds, not just sexual bonds, but

16:50

social bonds. Not just sexual

16:53

bonds. So it doesn't mean

16:55

that either the dolphin was wanting

16:58

to have sex with Alan or

17:00

vice versa. I don't see

17:02

any reason why you need to interpret

17:05

the behaviour of either of those parties

17:08

as necessarily sexual, just

17:11

because a penis is the object there.

17:15

And let me read that last sentence one more time.

17:18

I don't see any reason why

17:20

you need to interpret the behaviour

17:22

of either of those parties as necessarily

17:26

sexual. The

17:28

defence thanks Mr. Evans for

17:30

his statement.

17:32

The dolphin experts seem

17:34

to be swinging the case Alan's way,

17:37

but there are always witnesses a defence

17:39

barrister hesitates to call,

17:42

witnesses whose testimony could go

17:44

either way. Turns

17:47

out there were other people on the boat that

17:49

day who must have seen

17:51

and heard everything, who

17:54

the prosecution haven't called.

17:57

Should Tony Jennings take the risk?

18:00

and call them to the stand. Mary

18:02

McKeown is Alan's junior

18:03

barrister. We had

18:06

a long discussion as to whether or not

18:09

we should be dying that

18:09

route. And in the end, Tony

18:12

decided, yeah, that he would cross-gram

18:14

them.

18:16

Tony Jennings decides to

18:18

take a gamble. A

18:20

gamble because he has no idea

18:23

precisely what they'll say. This

18:27

could easily backfire.

18:47

The trial of Alan Cooper stretches

18:50

into its fourth

18:50

day. Alan is led

18:52

to the dock. The judge

18:54

walks in. Then

18:57

the jury. And Tony

18:59

Jennings is ready to roll

19:01

the dice. The

19:04

thing is, on the 28th of September 1990, there

19:09

were a boatload of witnesses, literally.

19:12

Several people on board that boat claim

19:14

to have seen Alan's now notorious

19:17

alleged indecent act. But

19:20

for reasons Tony Jennings can only guess

19:22

at, not all of them were called by

19:24

the prosecution. He's about

19:27

to find out if he's guessed

19:29

right. I'll call

19:31

Martin Roberts to the stand.

19:33

Martin and Anne Roberts, a married couple,

19:36

were on the boat that day.

19:38

Mr Roberts, can

19:39

you confirm that on the 28th of September 1990,

19:43

you were with Gordon Easton, Peter Bloom,

19:45

and others going to see Freddie

19:47

the Dolphin at Amble Harbour? Martin

19:50

Roberts says yes. Yes, he was. Now,

19:53

I want you to think very carefully,

19:55

Mr Roberts. This is a very important

19:57

question. What exactly?

20:00

did you actually see? Put

20:03

aside everything that you've heard in this case

20:05

if you will and describe precisely what

20:07

you saw yourself

20:11

and not

20:12

what you heard described.

20:15

Martin Roberts says what he

20:17

actually saw was Alan

20:20

stroking Freddy's

20:23

belly.

20:26

No further questions. Mrs.

20:30

Anne Roberts. I call Mrs.

20:33

Anne Roberts to

20:33

the stand. By now the

20:36

atmosphere in the courtrooms electric

20:39

in the public gallery whispered conversations

20:42

in the press box reporters are scribbling

20:45

furiously. There's a sense

20:47

this trial is reaching its

20:50

climax. Head's

20:52

turn as Anne Roberts enters.

20:56

All eyes are on her as

20:58

she makes her way to the witness stand.

21:01

She swears to tell the

21:02

truth the whole truth and

21:05

nothing but the truth.

21:08

Mrs. Roberts may I remind

21:11

you that you are under oath and

21:13

what you say in this courtroom could determine

21:15

the future of the man who stands accused

21:18

today. So I say to you

21:20

what I said to your husband please

21:23

think very carefully before you

21:25

answer. Did

21:28

you see Alan Cooper masturbating

21:30

Freddy the Dolphin's penis with his

21:32

hands knees and

21:35

or flippers? Can you please

21:37

tell the court what exactly you witnessed

21:39

while you were on that boat on the

21:41

28th of September 1990? Anne

21:44

Roberts says what she

21:46

saw was Alan's hand going

21:49

up and down

21:49

Freddy's belly. Now

21:52

you were on the boat with Peter Bloom were

21:54

you not? Mr. Bloom

21:56

a dolphin trainer has given evidence in

21:59

this case. Mrs Roberts,

22:02

what do you recall Peter Bloom saying

22:04

about Alan Cooper while he was in

22:06

the water with Freddie that day?

22:09

She says Peter Bloom said

22:11

that Alan

22:13

was sexually abusing Freddie.

22:17

Now this is possibly the most important

22:20

question of all, Mrs Roberts, because

22:22

part of the prosecution case against Alan

22:24

Cooper rests on the notion that

22:26

the people on the boat, you,

22:28

Mrs Roberts and your fellow passengers, were

22:31

disgusted by what they saw

22:33

happen between Freddie the Dolphin and

22:36

Mr Cooper. Mrs

22:39

Roberts, were you disgusted

22:41

by what you saw during this incident

22:44

or by what you heard Mr Bloom say?

22:50

Anne Roberts takes a deep breath.

22:54

By what I heard,

22:56

she says. No

23:00

further questions.

23:02

And Tony Jennings

23:03

is on a roll.

23:06

I would like to call Gordon Easton

23:08

to the stand.

23:09

Gordon is the lifeboat mechanic

23:11

in Amble who takes people out to see

23:13

Freddie and swim with him, the man

23:16

behind hundreds of boat trips, including

23:18

the one on that fateful day.

23:21

You saw Freddie many times,

23:23

Mr Easton. How often may

23:26

I ask did you see his penis?

23:28

Gordon Easton tells the court that

23:30

he saw Freddie's penis quite often.

23:33

On the day in question, did you see

23:35

Freddie's penis, Mr Easton?

23:37

No, not really, says Gordon.

23:40

He said the dolphin behaved

23:42

no differently with Alan Cooper than he

23:44

did with other swimmers in the water.

23:49

Thank you, Mr Easton. That

23:52

is the case for the defence.

23:55

And that's it. The

23:57

cross-examination is over. No more

23:59

witness. witnesses. No more opportunities

24:02

for Alan, Peter Bloom or anyone

24:04

else to persuade the jury of Alan's

24:07

guilt or innocence. The

24:09

last words go to the barrister's

24:11

summations. David

24:13

Wood for the prosecution

24:15

goes first.

24:19

Members of the jury, it is the

24:21

contention of the prosecution that Alan

24:24

Cooper did perform an indecent

24:26

act on Freddy the Dolphin in Amble

24:28

Harbor. And I put it to you that

24:30

it made a certain kind of sense

24:32

for him to do so. There

24:34

was a great deal of competition to swim with

24:37

the Dolphin. So when

24:39

Mr Cooper saw a boat approaching and

24:41

saw that the boat included among its passengers one

24:44

Peter Bloom, the owner of a Dolphinarium

24:46

Mr Cooper particularly disliked, well

24:50

it made a certain kind of sense to do something

24:52

which he knew the Dolphin would like. He

24:55

liked a great deal. To

24:57

keep the Dolphin close, to keep the Dolphin

25:00

away from Mr Bloom and his fellow

25:02

passengers. We say Mr

25:04

Cooper performed that indecent

25:06

act, an indecent act which

25:09

outraged public decency. The

25:12

prosecution's view is that there is only one

25:14

verdict you can deliver. You should convict

25:17

Alan Cooper. Mr

25:19

Cooper is guilty.

25:25

For one last time, Tony

25:28

Jennings rises.

25:33

Members of the jury, these allegations

25:36

are false. Yes, Alan

25:39

Cooper enjoyed a close relationship

25:41

with Freddy the Dolphin.

25:43

That is not a crime.

25:45

And yes, Alan Cooper spent 300

25:47

hours swimming with Freddy.

25:50

That is not a crime.

25:53

You have heard expert witnesses stand

25:55

in that witness box and say that it is

25:57

perfectly normal for a Dolphin

25:59

to hook up. swimmer with their penis and

26:01

pull them along in the water. That

26:04

is not sexual. It

26:07

is completely normal dolphin behavior.

26:09

Completely normal. It

26:13

is not abuse.

26:15

Far from it.

26:17

Furthermore, you have

26:18

heard a witness stand in that witness box

26:20

and say that they were not disgusted

26:22

by what they saw on the boat. They

26:25

were disgusted only by what they

26:27

heard. By what others had

26:29

told them was happening.

26:31

Witness saw nothing

26:34

because there was nothing to see.

26:36

And remember too that the prosecution

26:39

produced a photograph. A

26:41

photograph which showed nothing.

26:44

It showed nothing because again there

26:46

was nothing to see. Now these

26:50

allegations have had a very serious

26:52

effect on Mr. Cooper's life. He

26:55

has been abused in the street.

26:57

He has received death threats and for

26:59

what?

27:01

For what?

27:04

Members of the jury, these

27:06

allegations have no basis in

27:09

fact. Alan Cooper did

27:11

not perform an indecent act with

27:13

Freddy the Dolphin. He did

27:15

not outrage public decency.

27:19

It is our contention that the

27:21

prosecution has not

27:24

established beyond reasonable

27:26

doubt that Mr. Cooper is

27:29

guilty. They have not even

27:32

come close. And there

27:34

is one reason for that and one

27:36

reason alone. It

27:39

is because Alan Cooper is

27:42

innocent.

27:48

The judge turns to the jury.

27:54

Members of the jury, the

27:57

question you must ask yourselves is

27:59

this.

27:59

Did the prosecution

28:02

present compelling evidence to establish

28:05

beyond reasonable doubt that

28:07

Alan Cooper is guilty? Guilty

28:10

of the charge against him? To

28:13

do this, you must be satisfied

28:16

on two counts. Firstly,

28:19

that Mr Cooper behaved in an indecent

28:21

manner with Freddy the Dolphin. And

28:24

by that, I mean that his actions

28:26

were lewd, obscene and

28:29

disgusting.

28:32

Secondly, if you are

28:34

certain he did indeed behave in that

28:36

way with Freddy, you must

28:38

also be satisfied that his actions

28:41

outraged public decency.

28:44

In other words, you yourselves

28:48

must be outraged by his actions. If

28:52

you are satisfied on both counts beyond

28:55

reasonable doubt, then

28:57

you must convict Alan Cooper. But

29:01

if you believe that the prosecution has presented

29:03

insufficient evidence, then

29:06

you must find Mr Cooper not guilty,

29:10

and he will leave this court a free

29:12

man. Leave

29:14

aside anything you have read in the press.

29:17

Leave aside any prejudices you

29:19

may have. It is only

29:21

evidence that matters in a court of law,

29:24

members of the jury. This

29:27

is a very unusual charge indeed,

29:30

but it is a very serious one. A

29:34

charge that carries a possible custodial

29:36

sentence if you decide to convict Mr Cooper.

29:41

So approach your task diligently

29:44

and in all seriousness.

29:47

Consider all the evidence,

29:50

and consider what you conclude

29:53

to be the truth in this

29:55

case.

30:00

The jury retires to consider

30:02

its verdict

30:04

and all Alan can do now is wait.

30:07

You just don't know,

30:09

no one knows how a jury is going to react

30:12

or what things are going to happen.

30:14

Alan looks to his legal team for

30:16

reassurance but he doesn't

30:19

get it.

30:20

I remember 20 being very nervous

30:22

when the jury went out. I don't think I'd ever

30:24

seen him as nervous as that.

30:27

Even the supremely confident,

30:30

almost nonchalant Tony

30:32

Jennings has absolutely

30:34

no idea

30:37

whether he's done enough.

30:43

Next time it's the final episode

30:46

of Hooked on Freddy, the jury

30:48

return and we finally hear

30:50

what Peter Bloom has to say. The

30:53

irony is that it has nothing to do with me.

30:55

I've got nothing to apologise for. Who would

30:58

be to blame then? I don't know, not

31:00

me.

31:23

From Wondery and Blanchard House,

31:25

this is episode 5 of

31:28

Hooked on Freddy. The story

31:31

of an unusual friendship between

31:33

a swimmer and a wild dolphin

31:36

and the scandals

31:37

that threaten to destroy them both.

31:41

A quick note

31:41

about the dramatised exchanges

31:43

in this episode. There are no transcripts

31:46

of the court proceedings. So we've

31:48

spent a lot of time piecing together

31:51

everything we could about this trial based

31:54

on all the available records from

31:57

the time, including police records.

31:59

newspaper reports for the trial

32:02

and speaking to every participant we

32:04

could find who was willing to contribute. But

32:08

despite our best efforts, there are

32:10

a few gaps. We can't

32:12

always know every word that was said, so

32:15

we've used our extensive research to

32:17

fill those

32:17

gaps as best we could.

32:23

Parkton Frickie

32:24

is a set written and produced by

32:27

me, Becky Milligan,

32:27

with additional production by

32:30

Sharon Jones. Our managing

32:32

producers are Rachel Sibley for Wandry

32:35

and Amika Shortino-Noland for

32:37

Blanchard House. Original

32:39

music is by Daniel Lloyd Evans, Louis

32:42

Knight-Manel and Toby Matamont. Sound

32:45

design and engineering by

32:47

Vulcan Quizzletooth. Our executive

32:49

producers are Lawrence Grisel

32:51

and Rosie Pie for Blanchard House

32:54

and Michelle Martin, Rich Knight,

32:57

Jessica Rather

32:58

and Marshall Louis for Wandry. Music

Unlock more with Podchaser Pro

  • Audience Insights
  • Contact Information
  • Demographics
  • Charts
  • Sponsor History
  • and More!
Pro Features