Once the public furore and extended media frenzy over Professor Fox being charged with some of the crimes had died down, both members of the Fox family were brought up before magistrates once again.
This time, the full gamut of charges, including child trafficking, paedophilia and child imprisonment, were laid down. As before, both pleaded not guilty through their legal representatives.
They were then committed for trial at the Old Bailey in late July. Once again, their requests for bail were refused on the grounds of a possible flight risk and the potential for witness tampering. Fox denied that this was the case, but a report from his cellmate in Belmarsh[1] said just the opposite.
Reporting restrictions were not lifted, which severely limited what the UK-based media could say about the case beyond repeating the facts that were presented in court. The news about the charges related to the abuse of children like Dido and Chrissy was more than enough to dissolve any lingering support for Fox in the media despite him being something of a media darling in the past.
Most of the foreign media with a presence in the UK also played along with the UK laws on reporting of trials. This was alien to the US Gutter press and social media channels. They were used to knowing almost every sordid detail about a case before it came to trial. Because of that, they made up for the lack of real facts by inventing their own. Anything for ratings and clicks! Some of the conspiracy theories were so absurd and far-fetched that it seemed silly to think that anyone would believe them. One that gained a lot of traction was that Fox was the bastard son of ‘Lord Lucan’. While that was soon debunked, it showed how far some people would go for web page hits.
Both Dido and Chrissy were thankful for the UK laws until, towards the end of January, one US-based YouTuber posted a video where he named Dido as being a victim of Fox. His video had a lot of personal information on Dido that could only have come from Fox himself via his lawyer. Details of her academic records from the university were not public records but were there front and centre in the YouTube video.
This caused a lot of uneasy moments for her, especially at the university. She was thankful that Chrissy had not been mentioned, but deep down, she thought that it would only be a matter of time before Chrissy was no longer anonymous.
Dido and John had prepared a statement about her involvement in the case with all sorts of caveats depending on what was released about her to the world. Most of those caveats covered what was released in the video, but Dido was sure that there was more to come out, so they hastily re-drafted the statement to make it easier to counter further allegations. What was particularly distressing for Dido was that this video claimed that she was a willing participant in all the sex games… to use their words, which implied that she gave as good as she got when it came to sex with men. That implied that she was to use the words in the video, a ‘ho’. Dido was not that, and she would not rest until she’d made it clear that she was not a willing participant in any of the games organised by Fox.
Dido and John consulted with the CPS about her statement before she read it out to the media on the steps of the entrance to No 1 Court at the Old Bailey. It was the perfect place to talk about justice and the process of bringing Fox to answer for his crimes.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the media and anti-social media, my name is Dido Pleasance, and I am here today to answer the allegations made on YouTube and other anti-social media platforms against me. Let me begin by stating that I will read this statement and make copies of it available to everyone, but I will not be taking questions at the end. I prefer to let the legal system speak for me. To that end, I have instructed a team of lawyers in New York to file a defamation suit against the person who has told so many lies about me that it is shameful that he can get away with it. That suit will be filed this afternoon in Federal Court in Washington DC, where the person who made those allegations is based. I am asking for five hundred million dollars in compensatory damages. Any monies forthcoming from this suit will be given to victims of child trafficking.”
Dido took a deep breath before continuing to read her statement.
“I can confirm the details that are now out in the public domain, that I was held prisoner by Jonathon Fox and his son Marcus for over four years. What happened to me in that time will be fully revealed when I give evidence in the courtroom in the building behind us, but I will state here and now that nothing that happened to me while I was his prisoner was done willingly. If I refused to participate in his sex games, I would be punished. If I did not entertain his guests sufficiently well, then I would not get any food or drink for three days. If you think that scenario is being a willing participant, may I humbly suggest that you seek professional medical help right now.”
She looked up at those present. Two or three had turned away when confronted with the details. She would later find out that they worked for the gossip rags and were not interested in the truth. In their world, the more salacious the story, the more copies that would get sold and web page hits, which were fast becoming more important than sales. The gutter press was not something to be trifled with despite their obnoxiousness.
“I was lucky in that I escaped from Fox, and thanks to a fortuitous meeting with someone who I can safely say saved my life, I began a quest to first find out the name of the man who had abused me at will for years and then to bring him and his equally evil son to justice. How that came about is sub-judice, and under UK law, I cannot talk about it until the legal proceedings against both of them are complete. This might be alien to some of you who are from across the pond in the USA, but that is how we do things here. Frankly, I prefer our system where there is less speculation and almost zero conspiracy theories about the case until the facts are presented in court.”
“What I can say is that I legally obtained evidence about Fox’s crimes which, when presented to a panel of three judges in the court of appeal, resulted in the granting of a search warrant for his home north of London. When the warrant was executed, two… let me repeat that two underage children were found in cells in his basement. Those children are undergoing care at a place somewhere outside London. I have no idea where they are, and I don’t want to know, so don’t even try asking. Because they are underage, their names will not be revealed to the media, which again is part of UK Law.”
“Part of my plan to get justice for what Fox and his son did to me was for me to change my appearance and become a student at the university where he taught classes to Law and Criminology students. I am in my second year of a Criminology degree, and as such, I want to continue my studies and walk away with my head held high for bringing a criminal like Fox to face justice and, hopefully, a degree. I hope that issuing this statement will give hope to other victims of child trafficking. All I can say is that ‘all is not lost because some evil men have taken your childhood away.
“That concludes my statement. My next words on the subject will be as a witness on the trial of Jonathon and Marcus Fox in the very building we are outside of now. Thank you.”
Dido looked to her right. John Proudfoot was waiting close by with a car that would whisk her away, but for some reason, she stopped.
“I want to add this. If, as has been proposed, all the evidence was planted by the police, how is it that Mr Fox is facing a charge of actually trying to detonate the explosives at his house and sixteen counts of attempted murder? Please, I beg you, read the detailed list of charges and ask yourself how that evidence could be planted, especially as the timeline of events is there in the charge sheet for this particular offence. Examine the evidence that has been made public… then, just perhaps, you will start to see Fox as the evil bastard that he is.”
This time, she dashed to the waiting car.
A few minutes later, the car dropped Dido off outside the university building. She had a lecture to attend.
When she walked into the lecture room, almost everyone in the class stood up and clapped as Dido took her seat. Slightly bemused by the whole thing, she took her normal seat next to Trish.
Trish showed her a picture of Dido on her phone. Her speech was already going viral on social media.
“I am so glad that you could join us, Ms Pleasance,” said Dr Frazier, the lecturer.
“Is there some reason for your absence that I should know about?”
“I’m sorry, Dr Frazier. I have just come from giving a statement on the steps of the Old Bailey, to the media about the case of Professor Fox. For your information, I was one of his victims.”
After a moment’s thought, Dr Frazier said,
“Alleged victim. It is not proven yet.”
Dido shook her head.
“Is there something you want to say, Ms Pleasance?”
“No, Dr Frazier. There is not a lot I can say because the case is sub-judice. I know that I am a victim, and no matter what a jury might decide, that will remain the case for the rest of my life. There is nothing that can be done to take away the horrors I encountered during the years that he held me captive. If you call that alleged, then perhaps you are in the wrong profession, but as you have told us, the trial will prove it one way or another. I will welcome the chance to tell the world about someone who is quite possibly the most evil man to walk the streets of London since the days of Jack the Ripper.”
Dr Frazier took the hint and moved on with the lecture.
After the lecture was over, almost all the class surrounded Dido and began asking questions. A few were frankly obscene, but given the person asking them, it was to be expected.
“Sorry. I can’t say anything more. You all know the rules. Once a person is charged, very little can be said about a case until it comes to trial. I could only say what I did earlier after getting it approved by the CPS.”
That didn’t stop a few. It was then Trish stepped in and said,
“If you don’t shut the fuck up, I will have no alternative but to arrest you on charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice.”
Then, and to Dido’s surprise, Trish showed the class her warrant card.
“Yes, I’m a detective constable with the Durham Constabulary, and yes, I do have the power to arrest you.”
All the objections melted away.
“Come on, Dido, let’s get out of here and get some air. This place stinks!”
Trish grabbed Dido’s arm and led her away.
They ended up in the same coffee shop that they had visited on their first day as students. Trish sat Dido down while she went to get their order.
“What did you just do?” asked Dido when Trish returned with their drinks.
“I did what I had to do in the situation. I could not stand by and let that bunch of losers bully the woman I love. You put Dr Frazier in his place all right. Do that on the stand and Fox will get life.”
The mention of ‘love’ had not come up before between them. For Dido, it was a case of fearing being rejected by Trish if she mentioned it.
For Trish, it was the fear of being rejected by Dido because she was at the moment unable to commit to being with her 100% because of her duties in the Police.
“Me?” said Dido for want of anything else to say.
“Yes, you stupid. I knew from that day at Bangor station. I didn’t want to leave you, but I had to. I cried for most of the journey to Manchester. How I made my connection is still a mystery to me.”
“But… I’m not…”
“Stop right there. It is you, the person that I love. You have a good heart and want to do right. Not many people are like that. None of the boyfriends that I have had over the years had anything but sex on their minds. For once in my life, I have met someone who, despite everything that has happened to them, is a good person and is interested in me as a real person.”
Before Dido could argue, Trish kissed her. It had been far too long since their last kiss.
Trish grinned as she stirred some sugar into her coffee.
Dido hugged Trish. Now that the ‘love’ barrier had been broken, Dido was not going to let a silly thing such as a bed get between them.
“This is between us, right?” said Trish.
Dido caught on as to what she was saying.
“You mean at class and everything?”
Trish nodded.
“Yeah. It could get complicated now that you have come out as a cop. I fully expect many of the class to physically shun both of us. Me for obvious reasons and you because they identify you as my friend.”
Dido nodded.
“You and I both know that most of them could not investigate their way out of a wet paper bag. They don’t have a clue about real-life crimes. How many of them are doing this course because they didn’t get the grades to study law?”
“I think I know what your dissertation will be on for next year.”
“Oh, you mean the shortcomings of our legal system?”
Trish laughed.
“Not that. Human trafficking and the evidentiary requirements for bringing a case to trial and conviction.”
Dido shuddered and shook her head.
“You are the best person to do it. No one else would dare fail you, especially now that you have revealed all to the world, and Fox’s trial will be over by then.”
Dido shook her head.
“Honestly, I’m the last person to tackle that subject. I can’t be objective, can I? Being objective is key to what we do, isn’t it? I can only be subjective.”
“Think about it. We don’t need to decide for several months,” said Trish.
She looked at her watch.
“It is time we were getting back.”
They finished their drinks and walked back to the University. They resisted holding hands even if it was what they wanted to do. That would have to wait for another day.
After the end of their next class, it was clear that just over half of their compatriots were shunning Trish and, by implication, Dido. Trish was the enemy, the filth, a pig and worse. Almost all the rest were unsure about their position. This shunning affected their study group. None of those who were in it wanted anything to do with the pair.
Dido took control while they waited for the next class to start, and said to them,
“If you lot of idiots can’t handle being around someone who has sworn to uphold the law, which is what we as criminologists have to do every day, then you have no place being on this course. None of us are free from committing some sort of crime, even if it is just overstaying a parking place for a few minutes. Frankly, it is hypocritical of you to blank Trish because she is an officer of the law. She brings a different perspective to our discussions. It is your loss.”
Dido’s words made no difference. Their study group disintegrated. Their tutor, Roland Young, noticed this and asked why.
When Trish told him that she was a DC, he began to understand.
“I can see why the two of you work so well with each other. Right from the start, I could see that both of you have a very different perspective on life from everyone else on the course. With your very different backgrounds, you will make a formidable team after you are done with this place.”
“Dido has seen more serious crime in her short life than most police officers would in a dozen years on the job,” remarked Trish.
Their tutor nodded.
“On that subject, the Dean wants to see you, Dido.”
“I have nothing to say to him beyond what I am allowed to say by law. He is a lawyer, so he should know that. I have committed no crime worthy of a suspension. If he wants to go after me for bringing the university into disrepute, I know of a few people who would put him in his place in five seconds flat, and that includes three judges from the Court of Appeal who signed the search warrant for Fox’s home.”
Roland smiled.
“I told the dean very much the same thing. He will be watching you, so please, Dido, do not make any more enemies before Fox’s trial. If… and this is my opinion, so there is no need to answer, if Fox is convicted of even one crime, his life is over. There will be so much dirt flying around in the trial that he could never stand up in court and represent someone again. As for his career here? Even a minor guilty verdict would end that despite his reputation. Again, that is my opinion, and there is no need to answer.”
“Thanks, Roland,” said Dido.
“That is a pretty accurate opinion.”
Now that the scope of Fox’s crimes was out in the open, it was open season for the conspiracy merchants outside the UK. One went after Dido in a big way and accused her of enjoying every moment of her imprisonment and worse.
Dido was asked by the UK media to comment on it. All she could do was to say that the matter was in the hands of her lawyers.
Thanks to John, she soon had a lawyer who specialised in libel and would deal with it all on a pro-bono basis. Lawsuits citing libel were soon filed and gradually the intensity of the attacks reduced.
The US lawsuit was filed, and the blogger immediately filed a countersuit for defamation. That was thrown out at the first hurdle as Dido had never made a statement that mentioned him by name, plus the words that she had used had not accused him of anything, including lying. All she had done was state that a suit was to be filed against him. That was a matter of fact, and even in the shambles that is the US legal system, verifiable facts matter. As soon as the allocated Judge read the brief that Dido’s legal team had drafted, he tossed the countersuit with prejudice.
A day after the countersuit was thrown out, his lawyers quit ‘en masse’ because he had not paid them for three months. Dido’s suit was the twenty-second defamation suit filed against him. So far, he’d lost six by settling them before they came to court.
Dido’s brief to her legal team in the USA was to try to get a settlement that included their costs. An apology and an admittance that would be posted on all social media platforms that the blogger had made it all up was what she wanted. The last thing she wanted was for the case to go to trial before the trial of Fox. If that was the case, then most of the questions that she’d be asked were covered by the laws of sub-judice in the UK. She would be caught between a rock and a hard place. Her US Attorneys knew this right from the outset. One of the partners at the firm had studied postgraduate law at Oxford, so he was at least partially familiar with the UK laws.
As for Dido and Trish, they got their heads down and worked hard. They had exams to sit before what some in the media were saying was the ‘Trial of the Century’ began in late June.
[to be continued]
[1] Belmarsh - A Category A high security prison on SE London. It even has its own magistrates court in the building.