Silent Witness

Silent Witness is a British crime drama series, produced by the BBC, focusing on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in 1996, and still on air, the series was created by Nigel McCrery, a former murder squad detective based in Nottingham. He later went on to create the hit series New Tricks, with writer Roy Mitchell.

Background

The original series was based on Professor Helen Whitwell, a forensic pathologist based in Sheffield, whom McCrery had known while serving as a police officer. The programme originally followed the activities of a female pathologist, Professor Sam Ryan, played by Amanda Burton. However, Burton's character departed early in the eighth series in 2004. There had been a succession of regular supporting characters, changing almost every series, but Dr Leo Dalton (William Gaminara) and Dr Harry Cunningham (Tom Ward), who were introduced in the sixth series in 2002, remained in the series and continued as lead characters following Ryan's departure, with Dalton replacing her as professor. A new character, Dr Nikki Alexander (Emilia Fox), was introduced to the team in the eighth series in 2004. While working as a forensic anthropologist, she appropriates facilities and software in the pathology department to analyse an Iron Age find, with the belated, bemused and begrudging approval of Dalton. Dr Alexander is able to assist in a set of cases being investigated by the team, as it turns out she had "worked in forensic pathology in Johannesburg for six months" and is Home Office certified to practice. She is of such assistance that she overcomes Leo's reluctance and, with Harry's support, is offered and accepts a position on the team.

Silent Witness (1985 film)

Silent Witness is a 1985 television film directed by Michael Miller. The film is based on a true rape case in Massachusetts.

Plot

Anna and Kevin Dunne are a newlywed couple who have recently moved to Pittsburgh. She is working in a discount department store, he is a garbage man. She leads a very happy life, until one night she, along with her husband, witnesses the rape of Patti Mullen in a bar. To her shock, she recognizes Michael, her brother-in-law, in one of the three rapists. The following days, Anna is dealing with a great dilemma. On the one hand, she sympathizes with Patti, a mentally unstable alcoholic who depends on witnesses, and she wants the rapists to be punished. On the other hand, she knows testifying against her brother-in-law will ruin the very close Dunne family.

Kevin advices Anna to remain quiet, which she initially does. She does visit Patti, though, who does not remember the rape completely. Anna admits to her about the rape, after which Patti presses charges. Kevin and Anna avoid being summoned to testify, which puts a great deal of feeling guilt on Anna's shoulders. She knows that Patti, because of her alcoholic background, can rely only on Anna. During the highly publicized trial, Michael's lawyer Huffman does not have any trouble proving Patti is unreliable. Not much later, it is revealed Patti has committed suicide.

Silent Witness (2013 film)

Silent Witness is a 2013 Chinese crime thriller film written and directed by Fei Xing and starring Sun Honglei, Aaron Kwok and Yu Nan.

Plot

Tycoon Lin Tai's daughter Lin Mengmeng becomes the murder suspect of his father's fiance Yang Dan. Her defense lawyer Zhou Li and prosecutor Tong Tao gains in-depth understanding through cross examinations in court.

In the first act, when Yang Dan's personal chauffeur, Sun Wei, was examined by Zhou Li, she lured him to confess that he was actually the one that killed Zhou Li. This allegedly happened after Lin Mengmeng had fled the scene after knocking Yang Dan's down with her red Cayenne SUV. Zhou Li got him to confess through a series of question that got him to also confess his wife was having an affair with Meng Meng's father, Lin Tai. Everything seems logical at that time and the court plus media were satisfied that the chauffeur Sun Wei was the killer.

However, Tong Tao, whom has been going after Lin Tai ever since he was called to bar as a legal prosecutor, found something to be amiss. He got his staff to verify that Sun Wei was terminally ill with brain cancer and hence surmised that Lin Tai must have bribed Sun Wei and got Zhou Li to led everyone to believe Sun Wei was the killer.