Allard kept his head lowered, eyes to the ground, as he explained that he had tried to cope with his wife being unable to have full sex with him. He even appeared to be embarrassed when he said that they had found ways round it.
Moran tapped the desk. ‘I know – she told us she’d give you a hand or a blow job instead… but I’m more interested in the women you forced yourself on.’
Jane saw Allard tighten his hands into fists. He appeared sickened at the way Moran had spoken about his wife, and Jane watched with interest as Allard took deep breaths to calm himself down, breathing in through his nose and holding it before releasing it through his mouth with a slight hissing sound.
‘OK… it started because I wanted to stop the feeling of anger… my frustration… understand? I paid prostitutes for sex in the back of the cab. Anyway, one night this tart ripped me off by snatching my money bag and running off. You know, I honest to God despised myself for what I was doing, but this slag angered me so much. I mean, she got away with a whole day’s takings, and I’d done two runs to Heathrow Airport. So I decided I’d take what I wanted from prostitutes without paying, as they would be unlikely to tell the police. I would park my cab near known prostitute haunts, dress up in dark clothes and watch them. When one walked away from a group, or her pimp, I reckoned she was probably going home and I would follow. I’d put on the stocking mask, grab them from behind and feel their breasts and vagina while I touched my penis.’
‘It turned you on and you masturbated.’
Allard nodded and Moran looked over at Jane to see if she was keeping up with taking down the details. She continued writing for a moment before giving him a small nod to continue. Moran leaned back in his chair. He spoke in a very matter-of-fact tone.
‘Well, Peter, seems you underestimated two prostitutes who came forward to report you. And two of your other victims were not on the game, they were just young women innocently walking home after an enjoyable night out or, as in the case of your arrest, a WPC acting as a decoy. You following me, Peter? Because, apart from WPC Tennison, you have destroyed those women’s lives and they’re now afraid to leave their homes.’
Allard looked shocked and tried to explain that from the way they were dressed he thought that they were all prostitutes.
‘Well, you were wrong. So how about you start helping me out by giving me full details of your attacks? That means I need you to describe the victims and where and when the attacks occurred.’
Allard started talking. It transpired that there had been two other attacks the police didn’t even know about. Moran tapped the desk with his pencil as if mulling over everything he had just heard.
‘OK, I notice that you haven’t admitted exactly what you did to these women.’
Allard shook his head. He took another long deep breath before he said quietly that he felt ashamed and found the details difficult to talk about.
Moran leaned closer to Allard. ‘OK, Peter, I can understand you have feelings of guilt, who wouldn’t, but see how much better you feel after telling the truth about what you did?’
Allard nodded.
‘And I can also understand that it must be even harder for you to admit to rape. I took a statement from the young victim… it was harrowing, even for me, so don’t make her relive the whole thing in court. Tell me the truth… tell me exactly what happened, in your own words.’
Allard looked Moran in the eye then slowly turned to face Jane. For the first time she noticed that without that flare of anger in his face, Allard was exceptionally good-looking. His thick hair was well cut, he had high cheekbones with wide apart, deep set, dark brown eyes, and when he lowered them in a submissive manner he had long, thick eyelashes.
‘I have never raped anyone and I am so sorry for what I did to you… I honestly never meant to hurt you. I was just trying to get away… please believe me. I am truly sorry.’
Jane jumped as Moran suddenly banged the flat of his hand down on the desk.
‘You scared the shit out of her! If she hadn’t resisted and we weren’t there you would have raped her, wouldn’t you?’
Allard looked shocked.
‘No… No! I swear before God, I never raped any of the women! That was never on my mind. I only touched them and masturbated.’
‘Indecent assault wasn’t enough for you… you wanted more. You needed full sex to satisfy your urges and the only way you’d get that is by raping a young girl.’
‘No… No, you’re wrong, I-’
‘Then why did you have a flick knife on you? The exact same type of knife that the teenage rape victim described seeing?’
Allard began twisting uncomfortably in the chair.
‘Please!… I didn’t commit any rapes! You know I wasn’t carrying a knife. I’ve never carried a knife, not even in my cab.’ He nodded towards Jane. ‘I only told her and the others I was carrying one so they wouldn’t scream!’
Moran accused him of being a liar. But Allard was adamant, claiming that he only ever committed the indecent assaults and he would plead guilty to those in court.
‘You think we’re stupid? You’re only admitting the assaults as the lesser of two evils… Right? Right?’
Allard looked pleadingly at Jane.
‘Honest, I wasn’t carrying a knife… I was never going to rape you… I’ve never raped anyone!’
‘Bullshit! You couldn’t have consensual sex with your wife, anal or otherwise, so the only way you could eventually satisfy your needs was to commit a rape.’
Allard refused to answer. Moran accused him again. Allard still said nothing.
‘You think I don’t know steroids make a man sexually violent, and that you’re remaining silent because of your guilt about committing rape? She was seventeen the same day you raped her, and she’s now so traumatized she won’t leave her home.’
Allard said nothing as he sat up straight. Moran paused, looked him in the eye and nodded, as if he’d just realized something.
‘You also don’t want to admit to the rape because of your wife. You think she’ll accept the indecent assaults because they are in some way her fault, but raping a teenage girl, she won’t accept that. Well, even if you don’t confess, believe me, I will make sure she comes to realize it was you and sees you for the animal that you really are.’
Allard looked helplessly at Jane.
‘Why don’t you tell him the truth? I might have said I had a knife, but I didn’t… that was only to frighten you. I thought you were someone else. Why are you lying? You know I’ve been set up with the flick knife, because he wants to charge me with a rape I didn’t commit.’
Jane didn’t know whether to believe Allard or not. There was something about his desperate pleas that made her feel uneasy about the whole situation. Moran picked up his desk phone, called the duty desk and asked for a uniform PC to be sent up to his office. He then told Allard that they would conclude the interview for now as he had further enquiries to make. Jane partially held up the pen in her hand as she had a question she wanted to ask. Irritated, Moran repeated that the interview was over.
Feeling frustrated, Jane went to the CID office, where DC Edwards was sitting at his desk writing.
‘Where is everyone?’ she asked.
‘They’re in the pub celebrating one of the detectives’ birthdays. As soon as I’ve finished these notes on the search of Allard’s house I’m joining them, if you want to come?’
‘DI Moran is with DCS Metcalf and he wants you to prepare the charges against Allard for all the indecent assaults.’
Edwards looked annoyed and mumbled something about having enough bloody work to do already and missing out on the booze-up.
‘I have to do the CRO 74, but could give you a hand as well if you need it?’
‘I have to go downstairs and get some blank charge sheets and the Guide to the Wording of Police Charges for an indecent assault and assault on a police officer,’ Edwards said as he walked towards the door.