Chapter 5: The Lady Captain's Year -- August -- September
I have carried over the final few paragraphs from Chapter 4 for continuity.
DS Taylor then stood and said: "Jack Adams I am arresting you on the suspicion of committing grievous bodily harm to your wife Sally Adams! You do not need say anything.............
I hardly heard the rest of the caution. Amy and Pippa looked on in disbelief as DC Armstrong dragged me to my feet, pulled my arms behind my back and handcuffed my wrists. Then he started to propel me to the exit.
I resisted for a moment and called to my family, "Don't worry it's all a mistake, I would never hurt your mother, you know that!"
And that's how I came to be locked up in the police cells, wondering what the future held.
The following morning, I was taken from cell and brought to an interview room. Awaiting me was my lawyer and sat opposite him was DS Taylor and DC Armstrong.
I looked at my lawyer and asked, "Is there any word on Sally?" He shook his head and replied, "She is still in intensive care, I checked just before coming here."
I took my seat and waited for someone to speak. DS Taylor cleared her throat and said, "Please accept my personal apology for your arrest, new information has come to light that exonerates you from any involvement in her assault."
Before I could reply she continued, "We have in our possession a video camera recovered from the scene, that clearly identifies the perpetrators and we had no trouble finding them. They are now getting treated for their injuries and are under arrest."
"Why did you not inform us straight away that you were in fact rescuing her?"
"Because you lot jumped to conclusions, you never gave me any opportunity to explain and I was bundled out of the hospital into a cell so quickly I did not even have a chance to explain to my children, God knows what they must think of me!" I said bitterly.
I asked what charges would be brought against the bastards that first drugged, beat then assaulted my wife.
DS Taylor explained, "They will be charged with assault, we have insufficient evidence to prove she had not willingly taken the drugs, in fact she has been recorded asking for, and I quote 'a lift'. That could be construed as compliance to the drug taking. We have no evidence that she was anything but a willing participant in the orgy, again the video evidence depicts her as demanding more attention."
I pondered what DS Taylor had disclosed. Clearly Samuels had been selective in what he had recorded. Thinking quickly, I saw an opportunity to really stitch the bastards up.
I asked DS Taylor, "What if you had video evidence that clearly shows Sally resisting the beating and being coerced into consenting to the gangbang and drug taking?"
"Do you have such evidence?" the DC excitedly, "Cause if you have, we can do them for rape, and grievous bodily harm."
I asked them if I could have a word with my lawyer in private, they agreed and left us alone. I talked to him about the legality of the recording, explaining the involvement of Bob and if there would be any repercussions to him, if I released the video.
He asked if I had such a recording and when I confirmed it, he said, "I will negotiate with DS Taylor, but you have done nothing wrong in placing cameras in your own campervan and in my judgement, this evidence will be clearly admissible in court.
"The only issues may be, firstly, did you and Bob only use reasonable force in subduing the attackers and I think you did. Secondly, how did the said attackers come to be found, badly beaten, naked and tied to the War Memorial in the centre of town?"
I knew Bob would be in the clear as he was with Samantha during the immediate aftermath and my alibi was also full-proof as I had been at the hospital or in a cell all night.
So I said, "Lets get them back in."
Things moved quickly after that, DS Taylor accompanied me to my house and we viewed the video together. As I had remembered it did show Sally, begging not to be abused any more, and that she had only submitted to him under duress.
DS Taylor asked for a copy of the video clip and looking at me pointedly, said, "If I were you, I would 'lose' that PC, I don't think you are being completely honest about the chain of events leading up to last night. Their defence attorneys may decide to apply to subpoena it. If there are any other recordings on the hard drive relating to last night's activities or previous encounters it may damage the prosecution case!" She winked at me and left, she was one smart lady.
After she left, I removed the hard drive from the PC and dropped it off at my parent's house for safe keeping. As I drove to the hospital I tried to come to terms with my emotions.