Episode 6635

Extended Summary

The jury file into the court room; Marilyn is among the spectators, with John sat behind Morag. The judge enters and asks if counsel are ready. The prosecutor begins by saying that the defence will claim John was not of sound mind but that he terrorised a community and contributed to the death of a young mother. Later, Bernice is giving testimony, explaining she used to work as a police psychologist. She says she has studied John’s profile and thinks he had motive for what he did. John complains to Morag and gets shushed by the judge. Bernice insists John knew what he was doing. Morag tries to protest that she isn’t qualified to say that but the prosecutor maintains Bernice’s credentials as Bernice states John fits the profile of a serial arsonist and is an ongoing threat to the community.

Irene apologises to Hunter and Olivia for leaving the house in a mess but says she has to run errands for Marilyn. Olivia offers to clean up but Irene says not to bother. After she’s gone, Olivia laments the stress she’s under. Hunter invites her for a swim but Olivia thinks they should clean up. Hunter says he’ll help after the swim and heads out, leaving his cereal bowl on the table. When he returns, Olivia is ironing and he dumps his wet towel on the board. Hunter invites her to have a shower with him and Olivia sarcastically asks if he wants her to scrub his back. She says he’s living like a pig and treating the place like a hotel. Hunter walks away.

Roo serves James at the Diner and short changes him, admitting she’s worried about Marilyn being in court, which she hadn’t told him anything about. She suggests they have lunch at Salt and jokes that he can hide in the toilet if they see anyone she knows. James says he’ll go and get changed. When Roo meets him there, she has got changed too. She recalls him wearing a suit to a barbeque when she first met him and they reminisce how Duncan was trying to set him up with a woman who wanted advice on taking selfies and her up with a man obsessed with his car, resulting in them going off together. James gets a call from a client and goes to take it.

In court, Nate relates that the brain tumour affected memory and decision making, saying John wasn’t responsible. The prosecutor cross-examines, pointing to Bernice’s testimony. Nate says he knows John personally. The prosecutor tries to ask him how much pain Billie was in but Morag objects and the judge agrees. The prosecutor tries to suggest John has deceived Nate. Nate admits cases like this are rare but says the brain tumour is a fact and stands by his diagnosis. The judge calls recess; John asks Morag how it’s going. Back at Salt, James tells Roo the phone call was a job offer which he turned down. Roo tries to get him to take it; he says it was for a news agency but he’d have to leave straightaway. He suggests they swing by the court house to check on Marilyn, before asking her where she sees them going.

Hunter accosts Nate at the Diner and asks if he thinks he’s messy. Nate replies that he doesn’t care and explains that he’s just been in court. Hunter asks how it went. He goes round to see VJ and tells him that it sounds like John needs his help, suggesting he changes his mind about testifying. VJ says Leah is looking after Luc so he can get some school work done. Hunter asks if Billie would have wanted John to go to jail. VJ replies that Billie wanted to not die.

Morag has put John on the stand. He says he initially thought the police had made a mistake and was devastated when he realised it was true, given that Marilyn was injured, friends lost their property and Billie died. The prosecutor asks him for details of helping out at the music festival the day of the bush fire, then asks how he can remember that but not starting the fire. John says it was the brain tumour and becomes increasingly angry as the prosecutor continues to insist that he is lying about not remembering starting the fires. Outside the court, John reflects on losing his temper which Morag warned him about. Marilyn privately asks Morag how it’s going and Morag admits it’s not good. There’s the closing arguments to go and Morag promises not to let Marilyn down.

Roo continues to dodge James’ question and asks what happened to having fun. James says he sees them as something long-term and doesn’t want to be with anyone else. Roo tells him to take the job and says she’ll think about it while he does. At the beach house, Hunter is struggling with a vacuum cleaner when Olivia comes home. Despite admitting he doesn’t know what he’s doing, he says she was right about him being a slob and visiting VJ has shown him their friends have real problems. Olivia suggests the cleaning can wait for an hour and they head upstairs.

The prosecutor gives his closing argument, saying that it is irrefutable that John started the fires and beginning to give details of how Billie died. VJ enters and nods to Morag, who asks to call another witness. The prosecutor protests and the judge is reluctant until Morag explains it is the deceased’s husband. VJ says he’s known John all his life and knows he loves Summer Bay and was devastated by what happened to Billie. He says sending him to jail wouldn’t bring Billie back and would just ruin a good man’s life. Later, the jury comes back in and the judge calls for a verdict. The foreperson pronounces him guilty on all counts. Marilyn, Morag and VJ leave the court in shock: John got fifteen years. John is dragged past them and James takes photographs nearby as he is placed in a police van and driven away.