Page 117 of Maybe Tomorrow

‘There’s been a change of plan,’ Pauline said, standing up.

The set ofGood Morning with Anne and Nickwas designed to resemble a home and was decorated in warm pastel colours. There were sofas and cushions and pot plants. It was made to look inviting, relaxed, and friendly. As Pauline made her way to the adjoining sofa, she smoothed down her beige trouser suit.

‘Good morning, Pauline. How are you?’ Anne asked.

‘I’m very well. Thank you.’

Pauline had a microphone attached to her lapel.

‘Did you have a good journey here?’

‘Yes. We made good time, didn’t we?’ she asked, turning to Leo. ‘Hardly any traffic at all.’

‘That’s good. Now, I want you both to relax. We’re just going to have a conversation about your son and your fight to get him released from prison. Treat it like we’re sitting in your front room at home, OK?’ She smiled.

‘I’ll try.’ Pauline gave a nervous laugh.

Nick walked out onto the set. He said hello to Pauline and Leo, shook their hands and took his position beside Anne. They had a genuine warmth about them that made them such professional interviewers. Pauline could already feel herself sinking comfortably into the sofa. When she looked up and saw the huge television cameras pointing at her, the nerves set in again. She reached over and grabbed Leo’s hand.

‘Coming out of the news now,’ someone said. ‘We’re live in five, four, three…’

The theme music kicked in.

‘Welcome back,’ Anne said with a smile. ‘Our next guest is a woman who has been fighting for ten years to get her son released from prison for a crime, she says, he didn’t commit. She claims she has evidence that witnesses lied during the original trial, yet the Crown Prosecution Service won’t acknowledge it. Pauline, first of all, how is Anthony doing in prison?’

Pauline took a breath. ‘He’s not doing too well,’ she said, feeling the rise of emotion building inside her. ‘He was badly beaten a couple of years ago. He had a collapsed lung and lost the sight in one eye. His health has deteriorated, significantly, since he was sent to prison.’

‘The crime he was found guilty of was the rape and murder of a vulnerable teenager, Alice Patterson. You say he’s innocent of that crime.’

‘Yes. I know people are going to say that, because I’m his mum, I’m going to stand up for him, but I wouldn’t do that. If he was guilty, I’d say he was. But I know, hand on heart, that he’s innocent and he should not be in prison.’

‘You say witnesses lied at the original trial,’ Nick said. ‘Who lied?’

‘The prosecution’s case hinged on the fact Anthony watched prostitutes in the red light district and was aggressive towards them. That’s simply not true. There were four witness statements, and at least one of those witnesses that I know of has come forward to say they were paid to make their statement.’

‘So, why isn’t the CPS reopening the case or asking for a retrial?’

‘I don’t know. They won’t talk to us at all. We have a charity involved called Wrongly Accused who have helped get people out of prison who were wrongly convicted. Jennifer Ripley, our solicitor, has been with us right from the beginning. She believes me. She believes Anthony. I know I’m here fighting for my son, but at the back of all this is a young woman who was murdered, and her killer has got away with it for ten years.’

‘One major problem, however, is that Anthony doesn’t have an alibi for the time of the murder, does he?’ Anne asked.

‘No. Anthony loves storms. On the night of the murder, there was a massive storm, and he was out at the coast watching it. Of course there aren’t going to be any witnesses to that as most people were indoors sheltering from the wind and rain.’

‘Leo, if I can turn to you,’ Nick said. ‘You’ve known the Winstanley family for a long time, and you and Pauline have recently become engaged, haven’t you?’

‘That’s right.’

‘Congratulations,’ both Anne and Nick said in unison, which made them all giggle.

‘Thank you,’ Leo smiled, clasping Pauline’s hand tighter. ‘We’ve always been close, but fighting for Anthony has brought us closer still. We’re determined to wait until Anthony is free and he can give his mother away. It’s what we all want.’

‘What are you hoping for, from appearing on this programme?’ Anne asked.

‘There was one woman who was a sex worker and appeared at the trial for the prosecution. Her evidence helped put Anthony away. We can’t seem to find her anywhere and we want to know how much of what she said was true and if she, like the others, was paid to lie in court. We won’t be seeking a prosecution from her lying under oath, but we need Tania Dove to come forward and help us.’

Anne turned directly to the camera. ‘If Tania Dove is watching, or if anyone knows Tania, you can call us up using the number on screen and pass on any relevant information.’ She turned back to Pauline. ‘How optimistic are you both for the future?’

‘Very,’ Leo said, firmly. ‘I know the last ten years have been a nightmare and we don’t know how much longer this is going to go on for, but we both believe in justice, and we know we will win.’