Sunday 8 July 2007 9:00pm - 10:00pm on ITV1.
When the body of a two-year old girl is discovered in a sealed oil drum with a crucifix branded on to her chest, Commander Blake is under pressure to solve the crime. Having taken over the case from DCI Doug James she has little to go on other than the name ‘Belinda’ stitched inside the hand-embroidered dress the dead child is wearing.
The discovery is made at the now derelict Elliston psychiatric hospital, meaning Blake and her team having to rigorously question and cross-reference statements given by the ex-employee’s and patients. Two names give cause for concern; patients Eric Thornton and John Littlewood. A third name also comes to light; a nurse at Elliston, Angela Gregory.
Delving into Eric’s life the team discover he lived in the attic of his mother’s home, a space where only he has access to. When they search the attic, they are met by a disturbing scene; a shrine, with crucifixes, candles and other quasi-religious iconography as well as evidence of drug use.
Meanwhile, following a disturbing encounter with her step-brother Eric at her family home, Sasha Thornton reports the visit to the police. Despite racing to the scene, they arrive too late to catch the fleeing suspect, and lose him in the chase.
As the investigation moves forward, the team attempt to trace the whereabouts of John Littlewood. However they hit a brick wall when they interview his mother, Vivienne Littlewood. She tells Blake that his lifeless body was found in a squalled Brixton squat following a heroin overdose five years previous.
With Littlewood dead, Blake focuses all the team’s thoughts on Eric Thornton.
Both his step-sisters, Sasha and Judy are interviewed, and Judy tells of her ‘little ones’ getting harmed; her beloved ornate Victorian dolls she has collected since childhood and cherishes as her own children. Judy shows Blake the doll she believes Eric damaged; she has given her the name Belinda.
Tracing Eric to his current job at Camley Garden Design, the team get a much needed breakthrough. They interview fellow worker Louise Parker who, it seems, may hold the key to his whereabouts.
Both were being treated for depression at the same clinic and the bond they appear to have formed may prove essential to the investigation. Could she provide the missing piece in the jigsaw puzzle for Blake and her team?
With Eric Thornton now on the run, Blake and DCI Doug James are growing increasingly concerned over his connections to the oil drum death.
The two officers now face a race against time to track down their prime suspect.
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