In Denial of Murder

A drama that time-shifts between the 1970's and the present to tell the story of Stephen Downing, who was wrongly jailed in 1973 for the murder of Wendy Sewell. More than 20 years on local newspaper editor Don Hale takes up the case. This dramitised account picks up in 1994 when Downing's parents first approached Hale. They claimed their son was the victim of a miscarriage of justice after he made a false confession under police duress. The Downing case is a compelling story and, as presented here, it's easy to see how Hale got caught up in it. Apart from the fact that it's a dream for a small town paper, there's the suggestion of a small town closing ranks and the apparently checkered romantic history of the victim.