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Clip description
Peggy Berman is the chief witness against the police in the inquiry into police corruption.
Curator’s notes
This clip uses archival footage of the exterior of the County Court of Victoria and arriving witnesses to set the scene and add context for the description of what took place inside the court (which could not be filmed for legal reasons). Brief shots of the relevant legal counsel, not necessarily taken on the same day, introduce them to the story. Through the use of available news footage and the subtitling of the incriminating muffled conversations between police on the tapes, the filmmakers have recreated a thrilling sequence.
Newspaper headlines from the time support and add power to a modern interview simultaneously heard in voice-over describing Peggy Berman’s treatment by the press. Berman had worked in an illegal abortion clinic and taped numerous phone calls and other exchanges between police. She gave evidence against the police despite death threats and while battling cancer. The interview footage of her is very moving as she fights back tears while shot in harsh close-up, before regaining her composure and finishing her statement.
