Episode Transcript
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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
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