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[Narrator] A middle aged man,
a younger woman.
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[William] He provided her with a BMW X5.
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He paid for liposuction.
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He paid for beauty treatments.
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He paid for visits to London.
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[Narrator] Peter Morgan knew
just what he wanted
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from Georgina Symonds.
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Georgina is a commodity. She's a product.
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She's a service to Peter Morgan.
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[Narrator] A service over which
he wanted complete control.
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That meant electronically bugging her.
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What could he want
the covert device fitted for
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save to discover
whether she was seeing other people.
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[Narrator]
Speaking on the day she went missing,
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it would become clear
he was the last person to see her alive.
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[Narrator] Peter Morgan, Georgina Symonds,
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the married man and the party girl,
what could go wrong?
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I could just see
this was gonna end in trouble.
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- [ominous music]
- [heart beating]
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{\an8}[gentle music]
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[Narrator] The first time Georgina Symonds
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and Peter Morgan kissed,
it cost him 150 pounds.
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They met online but didn't have sex
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until the third or fourth date.
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This was not the way it had gone before
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for Peter with other escorts.
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{\an8}It was his practice
up until meeting Georgina
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{\an8}that he would always use
a different escort
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{\an8}on each and every occasion
and never return.
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[Narrator] Georgina was different.
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To Peter she was special.
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{\an8}He saw other escorts
for only a matter of weeks,
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{\an8}I believe, after he had become
besotted with Georgina Symonds.
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{\an8}I think when he referred
to his midlife crisis,
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{\an8}he was definitely referring to the women.
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[Narrator] Peter Morgan's
younger brother, Andy, remembers
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being baffled by the turn
his sibling's life had taken
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from well-off family man
with children to playboy.
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I don't think he ever wanted to hurt...
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Helen and the kids
or any of the family. He didn't.
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But at the same time,
I think he was being selfish
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and probably sort of headstrong
to a certain degree.
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[Narrator] For 40 years
of his life, he's a steady son,
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husband, father, and business man.
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There was no hint
of the tragedy Morgan would cause.
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He came from a very well-to-do,
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very well respected Wales family
in the South Wales area.
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{\an8}His father particularly was very eminent
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{\an8}within the country community
and had received
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the MBE for services
to that particular facet of life.
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We had quite a close knit family,
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obviously a working solid
relationship family,
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but my mom and dad are
a very proud sort of people,
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really hard-working.
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He was married to a childhood sweetheart,
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they had two daughters of late teenaged,
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early 20's years of age.
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They were ostensibly a happy family unit.
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[Narrator]
Peter and his wife Helen had met in 1984
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and married eight years later.
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Together they had built up
several successful businesses.
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Peter Morgan, in the late 90's,
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early 2000's, started a business
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where he sold prefabricated chicken huts.
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That became exceedingly successful,
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and in the late 2000's
he sold that for many, many millions,
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making him a multimillionaire overnight.
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Thereafter the money he used from the sale
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of that business he put into property,
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and again he became
exceedingly successful,
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with a large property portfolio
in the South Wales area.
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[Narrator] Peter and his wife sold
the businesses
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after working in them started taking
its toll on his well-being.
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{\an8}The business had
a negative impact upon Peter Morgan.
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{\an8}He was stressed to the point
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{\an8}that he developed stress-induced alopecia.
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[Narrator] Was it a coincidence
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that around this time
Morgan also had his first experience
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of paying for sex?
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It happened in 2003,
with Peter Morgan on a trip
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with friends to Amsterdam.
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After that he pulled back
completely from his work life.
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He called it early retirement,
and it really shocked me
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because he was sort of a role model to me,
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and I've always worked very hard,
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and my mom and dad have worked
incredibly hard.
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My sister works unbelievably hard.
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We are a hard-working family,
I think, in fairness.
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[Narrator] When he hit 50, rich,
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free from the pressures
of the daily grind,
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Peter Morgan indulged
in his other passion, machines.
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He'd always from an early age,
he had an interest
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in motorbikes and engines
and anything like that.
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[William]
He would buy very expensive motorbikes,
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ex-service tanks,
helicopters, and so forth,
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as well as the usual high-end sports cars
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which one would expect
to associate with someone
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in that facet of their life.
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A midlife crisis is
a psychological experience
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where someone is reflecting
upon where they are
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in their lives and where they want to be,
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and they can have a sense
of not being satisfied
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or fulfilled with who they are.
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[Narrator] Forensic psychologist,
Dr. Roberta Babb,
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believes these extravagant
purchases were just one sign
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of Peter Morgan hitting
a crossroads in his life,
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a fairly common one in middle age.
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During this time we may see people
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make changes to their wardrobe,
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they may buy expensive things.
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In an effort to help them feel different,
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they may change their clothes,
change their hair.
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And all of this is in an effort
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to actually increase their self esteem
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and their self confidence
about themselves.
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{\an8}[Narrator]
And what better self esteem boost
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{\an8}in Morgan's mind than the company
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{\an8}of beautiful younger women?
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{\an8}On a trip to a lap dancing club,
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{\an8}a friend introduced him
to a whole new world.
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One of those in whose company he was
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showed him how to use
a mobile telephone to arrange escorts,
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something he had apparently
never done before.
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{\an8}What you really have here is Peter,
a man in his mid-50's,
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he's buying a woman.
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[Narrator] That woman was
Georgina Symonds,
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for Morgan, a prize escort among escorts.
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He did seem different
with George, you know,
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when he sort of started,
when he first sort of
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started mentioning her,
you could tell he was
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sort of taken by her.
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The relationship began
in late 2011, early 2012.
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Thereafter their relationship blossomed
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almost as if it were
boyfriend and girlfriend,
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bearing in mind of course this was always
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a commercial relationship.
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But Peter Morgan began
to integrate himself
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into Georgina's life.
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I think he sort of...
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just felt a bond with her
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or felt affection for her rather than
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just for the sex, you know?
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[Narrator] This was
how Peter Morgan, then 50,
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felt about 22-year-old Georgina.
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They were lovers.
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But how did she feel about him?
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She did have a certain liking for him,
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although I don't know
how intense that genuinely was.
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The reality is that
she's being paid to be there.
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Georgina is a commodity, she's a product,
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she's a service to Peter Morgan.
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He gives her a set amount
of money for the things he wants.
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[Narrator]
The young woman, who had one child,
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believed this line of work was
a gateway to better things,
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and not just for herself.
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Georgina wanted the best for her daughter,
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which was understandable.
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[Narrator] Age 19 she'd had a baby girl
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with boyfriend Pete Deem,
moving in with him
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and his mother in Newport Gwent.
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It wasn't the perfect start
to family life,
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but Georgina had aspirations.
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Georgina came
from a very modest background.
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It would appear to be a loving family.
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Her first jobs appeared
to have been in telemarketing,
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and then she moved on
to burlesque dancing.
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Her mother was to tell
the court that she and her daughter
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had been on a course,
and Georgina took to it.
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We know that Georgina was creative
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and actually making the move
to dancing the burlesque club
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to high-end escort work.
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[Narrator] In many ways, for a smart,
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vivacious young woman, it was
a more attractive prospect
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than the nine-to-five job alternatives.
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She had been described
as someone with a lot of energy.
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She was concerned about her image,
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and she was a self-confessed party girl.
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Like most people,
she aspired to do better.
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I think it's fair to say
that once she was provided
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with the finer things in life,
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she had a more voracious appetite for it.
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We know Georgina Symonds was
a creative lady
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and the fact that
she wanted to better herself
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and that she saw high-end escort work
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as a way to make a lucrative living.
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It's very much seen as living this
amazing life and having a load of money,
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and having all these designer goods,
and being paid for,
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but in reality that is what it is.
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You're being paid for as a commodity,
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as an object, as a service, you know.
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[Narrator] Was this why in early 2012
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the prospect of having one steady client
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looked attractive to Georgina Symonds.
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Because after meeting Peter Morgan,
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that became the arrangement
which suited her,
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at a cost of 150 pounds an hour to him.
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They would spend time
together as a couple,
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and also with her young daughter.
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On the surface he seemed happy,
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but he never seemed
necessarily unhappy before.
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He just seemed to change a little bit.
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His personality changed.
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He just seemed, yeah,
I think he was just enjoying himself.
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[Narrator] Peter was a changed man.
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He obviously decided
he was gonna lose weight,
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and he was gonna have his teeth done,
and saw a bit of a makeover.
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I mean, in fairness,
he looked better for it.
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He looked healthier and younger.
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[Narrator] Peter later admitted
that it was not just sex
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that he enjoyed with Georgina Symonds,
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he also enjoyed her company,
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whether it was riding
quad bikes, motorcycles,
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or farm machinery around his land,
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or going shopping together,
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he simply enjoyed being with her.
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That's what he told friends.
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Over the next three years, Georgina was,
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in Morgan's eyes, his steady girlfriend.
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But while she was keeping Morgan company,
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her real boyfriend, Pete Deem,
was holding the fort at home.
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Georgina and the father of her child were
living together,
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and whilst of course
he didn't like the idea
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of her working as an escort,
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he nonetheless appreciated
the benefits of it
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and effectively turned a blind eye,
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as well as carrying on with his own life.
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Georgina Symonds and her partner, Pete,
led very different lives.
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Pete preferred to stay in
and liked the quiet life.
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[Narrator] Someone who refused to ignore
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her partner's infidelity
was Morgan's wife, Helen.
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Having suspected him
of cheating for over two years,
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in March 2015 she confronted him.
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This time he confessed,
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admitting to the extent
of his relationship with Georgina.
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Helen asked him to leave.
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I don't think he wanted
to move out really,
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so I think Helen did the right thing
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and put her foot down and said, well no,
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she wasn't gonna tolerate that.
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That to a certain degree was
perhaps not in his plans,
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so I don't think he was... he didn't
intend to move out from the house.
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But he seemed happy
when he moved out. He seemed okay.
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[Narrator] A dangerous scene was set.
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The multimillionaire man
in a midlife crisis,
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the angry wife, the lover
paid for by the hour.
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Was this a story of love and intrigue
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00:11:38,603 --> 00:11:40,363
which would end in tears?
248
00:11:40,443 --> 00:11:43,603
It appeared so
when the police came calling.
249
00:11:48,003 --> 00:11:49,403
{\an8}No.
250
00:11:54,643 --> 00:11:55,803
[gentle music]
251
00:11:55,883 --> 00:11:58,803
[Narrator] The revelations
about Peter Morgan's double life caused
252
00:11:58,883 --> 00:12:02,643
huge upset in the family, but he seemed
to believe it was worth it
253
00:12:02,723 --> 00:12:04,403
to be with Georgina.
254
00:12:04,483 --> 00:12:07,203
{\an8}I think he would have liked
to have moved with her
255
00:12:07,283 --> 00:12:08,683
{\an8}to a new address.
256
00:12:08,763 --> 00:12:10,763
I think that what he wanted ideally
257
00:12:10,843 --> 00:12:13,323
was to set up a new family with her.
258
00:12:13,403 --> 00:12:15,923
[Narrator] In August 2015
he changed the terms
259
00:12:16,003 --> 00:12:17,883
of the arrangement with Georgina.
260
00:12:17,963 --> 00:12:21,723
{\an8}Peter Morgan required Georgina
to be exclusive to him,
261
00:12:21,803 --> 00:12:22,763
foregoing all others.
262
00:12:22,843 --> 00:12:25,203
[Andy] He actually moved her into a site
263
00:12:25,283 --> 00:12:27,563
that he owned just outside Newport.
264
00:12:27,643 --> 00:12:29,803
He had a bungalow on the site.
265
00:12:29,883 --> 00:12:31,203
It was a Pencoed castle.
266
00:12:31,283 --> 00:12:35,843
{\an8}And I think at the time
the bungalow was empty,
267
00:12:35,923 --> 00:12:40,403
{\an8}and he moved her into there.
268
00:12:40,483 --> 00:12:43,043
[Narrator] With regular boyfriend,
Pete Deem, now sidelined,
269
00:12:43,123 --> 00:12:44,523
Georgina moved into the house
270
00:12:44,603 --> 00:12:46,883
that Morgan had earmarked
for redevelopment.
271
00:12:46,963 --> 00:12:50,123
The bungalow in the grounds
of his own estate sat alone
272
00:12:50,203 --> 00:12:51,843
on the edge of woodland.
273
00:12:51,923 --> 00:12:55,083
The property that he set
Georgina up in was quite remote.
274
00:12:55,163 --> 00:12:58,363
You didn't pass it
going anywhere except perhaps
275
00:12:58,443 --> 00:13:00,843
to go to another property
he owned beyond it,
276
00:13:00,923 --> 00:13:02,923
which was in a state of disrepair.
277
00:13:03,003 --> 00:13:05,523
And so there was
no real chance of her being seen
278
00:13:05,603 --> 00:13:07,803
by accident by a passerby.
279
00:13:07,883 --> 00:13:11,643
So, it was, in a sense,
an ideal place for him
280
00:13:11,723 --> 00:13:12,803
for that purpose.
281
00:13:12,883 --> 00:13:16,203
[Narrator] Not necessarily
an ideal place for Georgina.
282
00:13:17,043 --> 00:13:20,123
{\an8}I think you'd probably find
that living in that house
283
00:13:20,203 --> 00:13:21,683
{\an8}is very much like being in a prison
284
00:13:21,763 --> 00:13:23,843
because you're being paid to live there.
285
00:13:23,923 --> 00:13:25,163
She can't have other partners,
286
00:13:25,243 --> 00:13:26,523
she can't have friends around.
287
00:13:26,603 --> 00:13:28,243
[Narrator] Once installed in the bungalow,
288
00:13:28,323 --> 00:13:30,523
Peter Morgan wanted to make sure
that Georgina would have
289
00:13:30,603 --> 00:13:32,363
no need for other clients.
290
00:13:33,683 --> 00:13:38,963
He provided her with a BMW X5.
He paid for liposuction.
291
00:13:39,043 --> 00:13:40,803
He paid for beauty treatments.
292
00:13:40,883 --> 00:13:45,043
He paid for visits to London,
to the Shard, and so forth.
293
00:13:45,123 --> 00:13:48,563
He also took Georgina and her daughter out
294
00:13:48,643 --> 00:13:52,243
on family visits, holidays,
trips, and so forth,
295
00:13:52,323 --> 00:13:57,323
as well as paying her
round about 7,000 pounds odd a month.
296
00:13:58,043 --> 00:13:59,963
So a fairly substantial income
297
00:14:00,043 --> 00:14:01,843
as well as other fringe benefits.
298
00:14:01,923 --> 00:14:04,803
She wanted to improve her body image
299
00:14:04,883 --> 00:14:07,763
and spent a great deal
of his money doing that.
300
00:14:07,843 --> 00:14:11,803
She lived extravagantly
on the trips she took, went to London.
301
00:14:11,883 --> 00:14:15,523
And she wanted a nice car,
which he gave to her.
302
00:14:15,603 --> 00:14:17,723
[Narrator]
Georgina's relationship with Peter Deem,
303
00:14:17,803 --> 00:14:20,923
her boyfriend and the father
of her daughter, had ended.
304
00:14:21,003 --> 00:14:23,123
In the meantime,
Peter Morgan convinced himself
305
00:14:23,203 --> 00:14:26,803
that he and Georgina were
in a genuine relationship
306
00:14:26,883 --> 00:14:29,123
rather than a transactional one.
307
00:14:29,203 --> 00:14:32,283
He did say he had sort of fallen for her.
308
00:14:33,723 --> 00:14:38,363
And to a certain degree, I don't think
he was trying to fool himself.
309
00:14:38,443 --> 00:14:42,363
I don't... he would sort of say
she probably didn't feel
310
00:14:42,443 --> 00:14:44,963
the same way about him,
311
00:14:45,043 --> 00:14:49,043
but deep down perhaps
he thought that she did.
312
00:14:49,123 --> 00:14:52,523
He believes he's in some sort
of emotional relationship,
313
00:14:52,603 --> 00:14:55,083
an equal, consensual relationship
314
00:14:55,163 --> 00:14:58,843
where this is something
that she's chosen to be in.
315
00:14:58,923 --> 00:15:01,843
The reality is that
she's being paid to be there.
316
00:15:01,923 --> 00:15:04,683
[Narrator]
Dr. Jessica Taylor believes that messages
317
00:15:04,763 --> 00:15:06,123
between Morgan and Georgina reveal
318
00:15:06,203 --> 00:15:08,483
how differently
they saw their arrangement.
319
00:15:08,563 --> 00:15:11,243
[gentle music]
320
00:15:12,883 --> 00:15:15,203
The text messages are
actually really clear in that
321
00:15:15,283 --> 00:15:17,083
in some of those conversations
322
00:15:17,163 --> 00:15:20,323
Peter is a lot more emotional,
almost like he's fed
323
00:15:20,403 --> 00:15:21,923
into his own fantasy
that they're in some sort
324
00:15:22,003 --> 00:15:24,203
of relationship where she's supposed
325
00:15:24,283 --> 00:15:27,923
to respect him, trust him,
and treat him like an equal.
326
00:15:28,003 --> 00:15:31,923
{\an8}But her replies remain
very sort of non-emotional,
327
00:15:32,003 --> 00:15:34,643
{\an8}business-like, very financial.
It's, you know,
328
00:15:34,723 --> 00:15:35,923
{\an8}this person's getting more money than me.
329
00:15:36,003 --> 00:15:37,803
{\an8}When are you gonna send me the money?
330
00:15:37,883 --> 00:15:40,283
{\an8}This person's getting a car.
This person's getting holidays.
331
00:15:42,963 --> 00:15:45,443
{\an8}[intrigue music]
332
00:15:55,683 --> 00:15:57,963
It's very much like
well, I'm doing these things for you,
333
00:15:58,043 --> 00:16:00,043
you're supposed to be
buying these things for me.
334
00:16:01,883 --> 00:16:05,043
Whereas his responses are
more about emotions
335
00:16:05,123 --> 00:16:06,683
and relationship and things like that.
336
00:16:07,923 --> 00:16:13,043
It's almost like he has bought
his way into her entire life,
337
00:16:13,123 --> 00:16:16,163
and she is still having to deal with that.
338
00:16:16,243 --> 00:16:18,283
Being a commodity, being a service,
339
00:16:18,363 --> 00:16:21,963
she's almost dealing with that
in a very transactional way,
340
00:16:22,043 --> 00:16:27,243
whereas he has almost become
sort of obsessed with her
341
00:16:27,323 --> 00:16:30,003
and believes there's some sort
of emotional connection.
342
00:16:31,083 --> 00:16:32,963
[Narrator] Georgina began
to struggle mentally
343
00:16:33,043 --> 00:16:35,643
in the house
that Morgan had set her up in.
344
00:16:35,723 --> 00:16:39,483
She's in a house, she's being paid
thousands of pounds a month,
345
00:16:39,563 --> 00:16:41,843
she's being given gifts.
346
00:16:41,923 --> 00:16:44,163
And so there's an expectation
that she's doing really well,
347
00:16:44,243 --> 00:16:45,603
she's happy, she's empowered,
348
00:16:45,683 --> 00:16:47,483
everything is going really well for her.
349
00:16:47,563 --> 00:16:49,763
But the reality is she had a daughter
350
00:16:49,843 --> 00:16:52,603
that she was trying
to bring up at the same time,
351
00:16:52,683 --> 00:16:54,403
she was on her own in a house
352
00:16:54,483 --> 00:16:56,163
that she was being paid to live in.
353
00:16:56,243 --> 00:16:58,643
We don't know
what the reality of her life was like.
354
00:16:58,723 --> 00:17:01,683
We don't know what it's like to live
355
00:17:01,763 --> 00:17:04,803
almost this fantasy life
by a 55 year old man
356
00:17:04,882 --> 00:17:07,043
who expects you to have sex
with him when they want
357
00:17:07,122 --> 00:17:08,642
and give them what they want,
358
00:17:08,723 --> 00:17:10,803
while she's still very young,
359
00:17:10,882 --> 00:17:13,763
trying to live her life,
bring a daughter up on her own.
360
00:17:13,843 --> 00:17:15,362
{\an8}[Narrator] Around the same time,
361
00:17:15,443 --> 00:17:18,803
{\an8}31-year-old Pete Deem had become
deeply depressed.
362
00:17:20,323 --> 00:17:22,843
There were no reports
of Mr. Deem notifying friends
363
00:17:22,923 --> 00:17:25,362
or family members or Georgina
364
00:17:25,443 --> 00:17:28,243
of the state of his mental well-being.
365
00:17:29,243 --> 00:17:32,563
[dramatic music]
366
00:17:33,323 --> 00:17:35,883
Indicative of Georgina's thinking is
how she referred
367
00:17:35,963 --> 00:17:39,923
to the father of her child
and Peter Morgan.
368
00:17:40,003 --> 00:17:43,563
To others she referred
to Peter Morgan as rich Pete,
369
00:17:43,643 --> 00:17:46,923
in respect of the father
of her child, poor Pete.
370
00:17:48,083 --> 00:17:51,883
[Narrator] In November 2015,
Pete Deem took his own life.
371
00:17:56,003 --> 00:17:59,523
It was the second
of two blows for Georgina,
372
00:17:59,603 --> 00:18:02,283
who had been in mourning
since spring of that year.
373
00:18:03,043 --> 00:18:04,443
[Andy] I think it was
around April, that sort of time,
374
00:18:04,523 --> 00:18:07,243
that Georgia lost her father.
375
00:18:07,323 --> 00:18:10,283
Pete told me at the time,
and I think he had some dogs,
376
00:18:10,363 --> 00:18:12,883
and I think they... Georgia sort of said
377
00:18:12,963 --> 00:18:14,803
Pete had to look after the dogs.
378
00:18:14,883 --> 00:18:16,763
[Narrator] Over the space
of just seven months,
379
00:18:16,843 --> 00:18:18,243
the young woman had lost
380
00:18:18,323 --> 00:18:20,243
the two most important men in her life.
381
00:18:20,323 --> 00:18:23,003
She struggled to cope
with the double tragedy.
382
00:18:24,803 --> 00:18:27,403
I think it's bound to mark
a shift in the relationship
383
00:18:27,483 --> 00:18:29,883
when a tragedy of that sort befalls them.
384
00:18:29,963 --> 00:18:33,363
During the last year or so,
her life became pretty reliant
385
00:18:33,443 --> 00:18:36,763
on alcohol and class A drugs,
namely cocaine.
386
00:18:36,843 --> 00:18:39,883
Peter Morgan was
very concerned about her lifestyle.
387
00:18:39,963 --> 00:18:41,763
I think that's
a demonstration of the warmth
388
00:18:41,843 --> 00:18:43,323
of his genuine affection for her,
389
00:18:43,403 --> 00:18:46,803
because he tried to wean
her off the substances
390
00:18:46,883 --> 00:18:50,563
and the drink and was
partially successful in doing that.
391
00:18:50,643 --> 00:18:54,763
But she was a binge drinker
and binge user of cocaine,
392
00:18:54,843 --> 00:18:58,123
and when she started,
she found it very difficult to stop.
393
00:18:58,203 --> 00:19:02,403
[Narrator] Her arrangement
with Peter Morgan began to unravel.
394
00:19:02,483 --> 00:19:04,283
She would take out her stress on him.
395
00:19:05,003 --> 00:19:08,883
She would belittle him,
shout at him, be rude to him,
396
00:19:08,963 --> 00:19:11,043
and really not show any public affection
397
00:19:11,123 --> 00:19:12,883
towards him whatsoever.
398
00:19:13,563 --> 00:19:15,243
[Narrator] Morgan was keen to help,
399
00:19:15,323 --> 00:19:18,363
but Georgina had no interest
in letting him inveigle his way
400
00:19:18,443 --> 00:19:20,083
into every part of her life.
401
00:19:20,923 --> 00:19:25,923
Georgina is an escort,
but that's not her whole life.
402
00:19:26,003 --> 00:19:27,683
There's gonna be days
when she doesn't want to do it.
403
00:19:27,763 --> 00:19:29,163
There's gonna be days
where she doesn't want him
404
00:19:29,243 --> 00:19:30,643
coming in the house
and demanding sex off her.
405
00:19:30,723 --> 00:19:32,923
She's gonna be ill sometimes,
she's gonna be tired,
406
00:19:33,003 --> 00:19:34,843
she's gonna want to spend time
with her daughter,
407
00:19:34,923 --> 00:19:37,923
and do things
like a normal 24-year-old does.
408
00:19:38,003 --> 00:19:40,563
But the thing is
he had so much control over her
409
00:19:40,643 --> 00:19:43,603
that she has to live this job
24 hours a day.
410
00:19:43,683 --> 00:19:48,043
[Narrator] In January 2016,
following a period of heavy drug use,
411
00:19:48,123 --> 00:19:50,483
Georgina Symonds ended up in hospital.
412
00:19:50,563 --> 00:19:51,923
He was really concerned about her.
413
00:19:52,003 --> 00:19:54,763
She had initially overdosed,
414
00:19:54,843 --> 00:19:56,363
and he had taken her to the hospital,
415
00:19:56,443 --> 00:19:58,043
and they had let her out.
416
00:19:58,123 --> 00:20:00,843
[Narrator] Whilst there,
Peter encouraged Georgina
417
00:20:00,923 --> 00:20:04,283
to open up to a doctor
about her substance abuse.
418
00:20:04,363 --> 00:20:05,923
A few days later, she had a call
419
00:20:06,003 --> 00:20:08,243
from the local Safeguarding Authority.
420
00:20:08,323 --> 00:20:12,003
There came a point
such was the concern by others
421
00:20:12,083 --> 00:20:14,323
for Georgina's mental state
422
00:20:14,403 --> 00:20:16,403
that the social services were contacted
423
00:20:16,483 --> 00:20:18,923
as regards to the safety of her child.
424
00:20:19,003 --> 00:20:21,603
This she blamed solely upon Peter Morgan,
425
00:20:21,683 --> 00:20:23,843
which perhaps is a little unfair
in the circumstances.
426
00:20:23,923 --> 00:20:26,483
Her attitude to him changed markedly
427
00:20:26,563 --> 00:20:29,203
when the social services became involved
428
00:20:29,283 --> 00:20:31,963
with the quality
of her care with her child,
429
00:20:32,043 --> 00:20:34,363
and there's no doubt that
she blamed Peter Morgan
430
00:20:34,443 --> 00:20:37,763
for an intervention
of telling social services
431
00:20:37,843 --> 00:20:40,003
that the child wasn't
being looked after properly.
432
00:20:40,083 --> 00:20:41,843
And that was definitely something
433
00:20:41,923 --> 00:20:44,283
that would cause great
antipathy towards him by her.
434
00:20:44,363 --> 00:20:46,163
[Narrator] Georgina blamed Morgan
435
00:20:46,243 --> 00:20:48,403
and told him if her child was taken away
436
00:20:48,483 --> 00:20:50,043
it would be his fault.
437
00:20:50,123 --> 00:20:52,363
And I think he thought that
by them getting involved
438
00:20:52,443 --> 00:20:55,963
they'd take her daughter off her,
439
00:20:56,043 --> 00:20:57,443
and she would take her life.
440
00:20:57,523 --> 00:20:59,283
And that was the crux of it.
441
00:20:59,363 --> 00:21:01,723
And he was beating himself up over that
442
00:21:01,803 --> 00:21:05,563
and couldn't sleep properly
and didn't share it,
443
00:21:05,643 --> 00:21:09,243
but was obviously really
struggling with that.
444
00:21:09,323 --> 00:21:10,803
[Narrator] It came out in court later
445
00:21:10,883 --> 00:21:13,683
that Peter Morgan had not alerted
the authorities
446
00:21:13,763 --> 00:21:15,603
about Georgina's habits.
447
00:21:15,683 --> 00:21:18,403
Georgina though began
planning how to remove herself
448
00:21:18,483 --> 00:21:20,123
from the arrangement with Morgan,
449
00:21:20,203 --> 00:21:22,683
whilst ensuring that
she and her little girl
450
00:21:22,763 --> 00:21:24,803
were set up for the future.
451
00:21:25,323 --> 00:21:28,163
Georgina set her sights
on getting the house
452
00:21:28,243 --> 00:21:30,283
transferred to her own name
453
00:21:30,363 --> 00:21:33,123
and put pressure
on Peter Morgan to do that.
454
00:21:33,203 --> 00:21:35,003
What she wanted out of this, again,
455
00:21:35,083 --> 00:21:37,843
was the title deeds to the property
456
00:21:37,923 --> 00:21:41,723
and to be financially independent of him.
457
00:21:41,803 --> 00:21:45,483
He indicated that in due time
458
00:21:45,563 --> 00:21:47,643
the property would be transferred
into her name.
459
00:21:47,723 --> 00:21:49,923
He resisted to a certain extent,
460
00:21:50,003 --> 00:21:51,683
partially because there was
a question mark
461
00:21:51,763 --> 00:21:53,843
about whether it was owned
singly or jointly.
462
00:21:53,923 --> 00:21:57,603
The problem was that half the property
463
00:21:57,683 --> 00:22:01,163
was in the name
of Peter Morgan's estranged wife.
464
00:22:01,243 --> 00:22:03,883
She, once becoming aware of the situation,
465
00:22:03,963 --> 00:22:05,283
was obviously not going to comply
466
00:22:05,363 --> 00:22:09,083
with passing it
to 'a potential love rival'.
467
00:22:09,163 --> 00:22:11,403
[Narrator] As Morgan tried and failed
468
00:22:11,483 --> 00:22:13,763
to get onto a better footing
with Georgina,
469
00:22:13,843 --> 00:22:16,403
she began looking elsewhere for comfort.
470
00:22:16,483 --> 00:22:18,803
At the funeral of Peter Deem,
471
00:22:18,883 --> 00:22:22,883
she rejuvenated a friendship
with a close friend of his
472
00:22:22,963 --> 00:22:24,283
called Thomas Ballenger.
473
00:22:25,363 --> 00:22:28,003
And thereafter Mr. Ballenger
and Georgina became close
474
00:22:28,083 --> 00:22:30,323
and became involved intimately.
475
00:22:31,563 --> 00:22:32,883
[Narrator] Peter Morgan had abandoned
476
00:22:32,963 --> 00:22:35,843
his previously comfortable life
for a woman he now saw
477
00:22:35,923 --> 00:22:37,803
as increasingly erratic
478
00:22:37,883 --> 00:22:40,883
and who was becoming close to another man.
479
00:22:40,963 --> 00:22:43,443
I could just see
this was gonna end in trouble.
480
00:22:43,523 --> 00:22:46,043
I just thought
what have you given up here for...
481
00:22:47,843 --> 00:22:48,723
to end up with this?
482
00:22:48,803 --> 00:22:51,323
I begged him to sort of get out of there
483
00:22:51,403 --> 00:22:53,403
and sort of leave her
at that point really,
484
00:22:53,483 --> 00:22:56,843
and he just said,
"I can't leave her, I can't..."
485
00:22:56,923 --> 00:23:00,643
Effectively in his eyes that was
where he thought
486
00:23:00,723 --> 00:23:03,323
she needed him more than ever really.
487
00:23:04,683 --> 00:23:05,963
[Narrator] Blinded by his passion,
488
00:23:06,043 --> 00:23:07,603
Morgan embarked on a strategy
489
00:23:07,683 --> 00:23:10,803
of tracking
Georgina's every move, literally.
490
00:23:10,883 --> 00:23:13,883
{\an8}Peter Morgan was concerned
about something he didn't know,
491
00:23:13,963 --> 00:23:17,043
{\an8}and he went to the extent
of putting listening devices
492
00:23:17,123 --> 00:23:18,803
{\an8}in the house that she lived in.
493
00:23:20,003 --> 00:23:21,603
[Narrator] Morgan bought
a listening device
494
00:23:21,683 --> 00:23:24,883
costing 45 pounds,
which appears to be no more
495
00:23:24,963 --> 00:23:26,603
than a plug adapter.
496
00:23:26,683 --> 00:23:30,363
Whatever Georgina says
or gets up to in the house
497
00:23:30,443 --> 00:23:34,043
given to her by Peter Morgan,
he would now hear.
498
00:23:34,123 --> 00:23:35,923
And he becomes jealous.
499
00:23:36,003 --> 00:23:37,483
He becomes obsessive, he stalks her,
500
00:23:37,563 --> 00:23:39,523
he puts listening devices in her house.
501
00:23:39,603 --> 00:23:42,563
He's gotten to the point
where he's actually really controlling.
502
00:23:42,643 --> 00:23:45,883
[Narrator]
Extreme behavior from Peter Morgan.
503
00:23:45,963 --> 00:23:48,843
How far would his obsession take him?
504
00:23:48,923 --> 00:23:50,203
He said to me, he said,
505
00:23:50,283 --> 00:23:52,403
"When blackmail starts,
where does it stop?"
506
00:23:55,803 --> 00:23:58,683
[Narrator] In an isolated house
on the estate of a multimillionaire,
507
00:23:58,763 --> 00:24:01,003
an innocent looking plug adaptor.
508
00:24:01,883 --> 00:24:05,283
{\an8}In fact it contained facilities
for putting in a sim card,
509
00:24:05,363 --> 00:24:08,283
{\an8}which when dialed into
would activate a microphone,
510
00:24:08,363 --> 00:24:10,403
which in turn would allow the person
511
00:24:10,483 --> 00:24:12,523
at the other end
of the phone dialing in to hear
512
00:24:12,603 --> 00:24:14,803
what was going on
in the immediate vicinity
513
00:24:14,883 --> 00:24:18,243
to where that plug was situated.
514
00:24:19,043 --> 00:24:22,843
[Narrator] Peter Morgan regularly dialed
into the device.
515
00:24:22,923 --> 00:24:25,523
The plug was placed
in the living room of Georgina's home,
516
00:24:25,603 --> 00:24:28,963
and he was able to hear
either ambient goings on
517
00:24:29,043 --> 00:24:32,043
within the premises themselves,
or for example,
518
00:24:32,123 --> 00:24:35,123
one side of a telephone conversation
she was having.
519
00:24:35,203 --> 00:24:36,643
[Narrator] Morgan would later claim
520
00:24:36,723 --> 00:24:38,043
that he took the extreme steps
521
00:24:38,123 --> 00:24:40,683
because he was worried
about her drug habits,
522
00:24:40,763 --> 00:24:42,803
a position supported by his brother.
523
00:24:42,883 --> 00:24:46,163
{\an8}He did that not in a, well,
in a controlling manner,
524
00:24:46,243 --> 00:24:48,843
{\an8}but not in a controlling manner,
not in a bad controlling manner
525
00:24:48,923 --> 00:24:50,643
{\an8}in the sense that he wanted to make sure
526
00:24:50,723 --> 00:24:54,123
that she didn't overdose,
or was trying to avoid...
527
00:24:54,203 --> 00:24:57,003
trying to keep her off drugs and alcohol.
528
00:24:58,483 --> 00:25:00,483
[Narrator] Not everyone agrees
that his actions
529
00:25:00,563 --> 00:25:03,803
were motivated by affection or concern.
530
00:25:03,883 --> 00:25:06,123
This was the action
of a man who couldn't bear
531
00:25:06,203 --> 00:25:08,643
to be out of his mistresses' life.
532
00:25:08,723 --> 00:25:11,083
Peter Morgan suspected
that there were other men
533
00:25:11,163 --> 00:25:15,403
in Georgina's life, and he took steps
534
00:25:15,483 --> 00:25:20,203
to either satisfy himself
that was the case, or otherwise.
535
00:25:20,843 --> 00:25:23,683
[Narrator] Even Morgan's own lawyer was
never entirely sure
536
00:25:23,763 --> 00:25:25,523
why he bugged Georgina's home.
537
00:25:25,603 --> 00:25:27,603
{\an8}We never really got to the bottom
538
00:25:27,683 --> 00:25:30,123
{\an8}of why he planted
a listening device in the property.
539
00:25:30,203 --> 00:25:32,883
{\an8}It's obviously some sense
of insecurity on his part
540
00:25:32,963 --> 00:25:35,603
{\an8}that he wanted to monitor her behavior.
541
00:25:35,683 --> 00:25:38,763
But it came about in quite a strange way,
542
00:25:38,843 --> 00:25:41,523
because he wasn't objecting
to her carrying on
543
00:25:41,603 --> 00:25:42,803
seeing other men,
544
00:25:42,883 --> 00:25:45,803
and yet what did he want
the covert device fitted for
545
00:25:45,883 --> 00:25:48,563
save to discover
whether she was seeing other people.
546
00:25:48,643 --> 00:25:50,603
So there was a certain paradox there that
547
00:25:50,683 --> 00:25:52,243
I was never able to get to the bottom of.
548
00:25:52,323 --> 00:25:54,363
[Narrator] What is clear though
is that Morgan
549
00:25:54,443 --> 00:25:58,123
quickly became obsessive
about monitoring the device.
550
00:25:58,203 --> 00:26:01,363
In court, phone records were introduced
into evidence
551
00:26:01,443 --> 00:26:05,523
that showed that he had called
the device 514 times
552
00:26:05,603 --> 00:26:10,123
over a ten-week period
in the winter of 2015 to 2016.
553
00:26:10,203 --> 00:26:14,443
He rang in over 250 times during December.
554
00:26:14,523 --> 00:26:17,843
It's not just the frequency of the call,
it's the duration.
555
00:26:17,923 --> 00:26:19,843
He describes the listening device
556
00:26:19,923 --> 00:26:24,523
in his own mobile telephone
for many, many hours,
557
00:26:24,603 --> 00:26:26,323
often into the middle of the night.
558
00:26:26,923 --> 00:26:29,203
[Narrator] On January 10, 2016,
559
00:26:29,283 --> 00:26:31,443
Morgan listened in and heard something,
560
00:26:31,523 --> 00:26:34,883
in fact several things,
that made his blood run cold.
561
00:26:36,443 --> 00:26:38,123
He overheard this conversation,
562
00:26:38,203 --> 00:26:41,843
and she had sort of
let on in that conversation
563
00:26:41,923 --> 00:26:47,923
that she'd lied to Pete
about the social services.
564
00:26:48,803 --> 00:26:50,963
[Narrator]
Georgina had been telling Morgan
565
00:26:51,043 --> 00:26:52,763
that she still didn't know
if they were going
566
00:26:52,843 --> 00:26:54,803
to take custody of her daughter,
567
00:26:54,883 --> 00:26:58,283
accusing Morgan
of causing her all of that distress.
568
00:26:58,363 --> 00:27:01,283
In fact, the bugged conversation revealed
569
00:27:01,363 --> 00:27:03,643
that she had known for days
that the authorities
570
00:27:03,723 --> 00:27:06,603
had no concerns
about her daughter's well-being.
571
00:27:06,683 --> 00:27:08,243
And there was no doubt
that she was putting
572
00:27:08,323 --> 00:27:10,523
a lot of pressure on him, demanding stuff
573
00:27:10,603 --> 00:27:12,243
and being horrible to him.
574
00:27:12,323 --> 00:27:13,763
And he learned in that conversation
575
00:27:13,843 --> 00:27:15,683
that she was obviously lying to him.
576
00:27:15,763 --> 00:27:17,563
[Narrator] If Morgan was horrified
577
00:27:17,643 --> 00:27:20,803
at Georgina's manipulations,
there was far worse to come.
578
00:27:20,883 --> 00:27:24,843
On January 10, 2016,
as he sat late into the night
579
00:27:24,923 --> 00:27:26,963
listening to
Georgina Symonds' phone calls,
580
00:27:27,043 --> 00:27:31,763
Peter Morgan hears how she planned
to return to her old job.
581
00:27:31,843 --> 00:27:35,403
Georgina wanted
the title deeds of Pencoed Farm.
582
00:27:35,483 --> 00:27:37,683
If she were to have that,
then her plan was
583
00:27:37,763 --> 00:27:40,163
to extricate herself from her relationship
584
00:27:40,243 --> 00:27:41,803
with Peter Morgan.
585
00:27:41,883 --> 00:27:45,163
She spoke to others of her ambition
to go back to escorting,
586
00:27:45,243 --> 00:27:47,043
perhaps to work in the London area,
587
00:27:47,123 --> 00:27:48,563
and pursue a totally separate
588
00:27:48,643 --> 00:27:50,603
and independent life in that regard.
589
00:27:50,683 --> 00:27:52,523
[Narrator] She had been lying,
590
00:27:52,603 --> 00:27:54,603
planning on becoming an escort again,
591
00:27:54,683 --> 00:27:57,683
and then there was
what she could do with a video tape
592
00:27:57,763 --> 00:28:01,843
featuring Peter, Georgina,
and a third party.
593
00:28:01,923 --> 00:28:05,403
The threesome had been filmed
in his former marital home.
594
00:28:05,483 --> 00:28:08,043
One of the women borrowed
his wife's clothes.
595
00:28:08,123 --> 00:28:10,603
{\an8}So Peter's heard on this listening device
596
00:28:10,683 --> 00:28:14,203
{\an8}that she is potentially
thinking about blackmailing him.
597
00:28:14,283 --> 00:28:15,843
She mentioned having something
598
00:28:15,923 --> 00:28:17,763
with which to blackmail him.
599
00:28:17,843 --> 00:28:20,363
In fact, this was a recording.
600
00:28:20,443 --> 00:28:22,323
It was a recording of Georgina
601
00:28:22,403 --> 00:28:24,923
and Peter Morgan engaged in a sex act.
602
00:28:25,003 --> 00:28:28,643
It was just something
that he didn't want his daughters seeing.
603
00:28:32,083 --> 00:28:33,163
That was blackmail.
604
00:28:35,683 --> 00:28:37,923
And he said to me, he said,
"When blackmail starts,
605
00:28:38,003 --> 00:28:39,163
where does it stop?"
606
00:28:39,243 --> 00:28:41,683
So in his mind he had
to stop the blackmail.
607
00:28:41,763 --> 00:28:44,883
There was obviously
a great concern in Peter Morgan's mind
608
00:28:44,963 --> 00:28:46,923
of the implications
of what he'd been doing
609
00:28:47,003 --> 00:28:49,803
were his wife and children
to find out about it,
610
00:28:49,883 --> 00:28:54,163
because he was
and had been in a very stable,
611
00:28:54,243 --> 00:28:56,203
steady marriage for many years,
612
00:28:56,283 --> 00:28:58,243
and he had two children that he worshiped.
613
00:28:59,003 --> 00:29:00,643
[Narrator] Peter Morgan was devastated
614
00:29:00,723 --> 00:29:02,043
by what he had heard.
615
00:29:02,123 --> 00:29:04,123
But what had left him more heartbroken,
616
00:29:04,203 --> 00:29:07,683
the idea of his daughters
finding out what he had been up to
617
00:29:07,763 --> 00:29:10,523
or the fact that
the young woman he believed himself
618
00:29:10,603 --> 00:29:14,043
in love with felt no affection
towards him whatsoever.
619
00:29:15,683 --> 00:29:18,723
I believe that what was behind his concern
620
00:29:18,803 --> 00:29:20,523
about the conversation between Georgina
621
00:29:20,603 --> 00:29:23,843
and Thomas Ballenger
was that he was afraid
622
00:29:23,923 --> 00:29:25,683
that she was gonna resume the relationship
623
00:29:25,763 --> 00:29:27,963
she'd had transiently with somebody else.
624
00:29:28,043 --> 00:29:30,363
{\an8}He would have probably felt quite angry,
625
00:29:30,443 --> 00:29:35,443
{\an8}quite hurt, quite confused,
and maybe even a bit of shame.
626
00:29:35,523 --> 00:29:37,203
He's almost molded her into this doll
627
00:29:37,283 --> 00:29:39,803
that he gets to use, abuse, play with.
628
00:29:39,883 --> 00:29:41,283
He has total control over her.
629
00:29:41,363 --> 00:29:45,083
And then when she then threatens
that control,
630
00:29:45,163 --> 00:29:47,843
that financial control,
and he hears her talking about
631
00:29:47,923 --> 00:29:52,043
maybe I could exploit him,
that's when he realizes
632
00:29:52,123 --> 00:29:54,163
that he's losing control of her
633
00:29:54,243 --> 00:29:57,563
because essentially
he knows somewhere deep down
634
00:29:57,643 --> 00:30:00,883
that the only control
he has over that woman is finance.
635
00:30:00,963 --> 00:30:02,803
So if she takes back that control,
636
00:30:02,883 --> 00:30:04,883
she takes away the financial control,
637
00:30:04,963 --> 00:30:06,163
what does he have left?
638
00:30:06,243 --> 00:30:07,443
He knows
she wouldn't be interested in him.
639
00:30:07,523 --> 00:30:08,963
She's not gonna stick around.
640
00:30:09,043 --> 00:30:11,323
[Narrator] It was all Morgan could take.
641
00:30:11,403 --> 00:30:15,563
Over the next 24 hours
he ruminated, planned.
642
00:30:15,643 --> 00:30:18,203
Mid-morning on January 12, 2016,
643
00:30:18,283 --> 00:30:21,003
Peter Morgan arrived
at Georgina Symonds' home.
644
00:30:21,083 --> 00:30:24,123
He had arranged to drop off some items.
645
00:30:24,203 --> 00:30:26,243
He's offered to get her
new tires on the car,
646
00:30:26,323 --> 00:30:28,043
and he took a bath in there.
647
00:30:28,123 --> 00:30:30,483
They took a new bath down
and had that delivered.
648
00:30:30,563 --> 00:30:33,043
And I think he was just genuinely hoping
649
00:30:33,123 --> 00:30:34,723
to win her over, you know?
650
00:30:34,803 --> 00:30:38,043
[Narrator] Morgan offered Georgina
the house that she wanted
651
00:30:38,123 --> 00:30:39,963
and to take out an insurance policy
652
00:30:40,043 --> 00:30:42,483
which would mean,
in the event of his death,
653
00:30:42,563 --> 00:30:45,163
she would get a million pounds.
654
00:30:45,243 --> 00:30:47,323
But he wanted the video tape.
655
00:30:47,403 --> 00:30:50,363
We know that Peter Morgan went
to talk to Georgina
656
00:30:50,443 --> 00:30:53,683
about what he had overheard
when he was listening in.
657
00:30:53,763 --> 00:30:56,003
However, when he confronted her,
658
00:30:56,083 --> 00:30:57,883
she allegedly didn't back down.
659
00:30:57,963 --> 00:30:59,443
[Narrator] Georgina had no intention
660
00:30:59,523 --> 00:31:01,883
of kissing and making up
with Peter Morgan.
661
00:31:01,963 --> 00:31:03,883
Again she threw accusations at him
662
00:31:03,963 --> 00:31:06,923
that he had put
her daughter's well-being in jeopardy.
663
00:31:07,003 --> 00:31:09,283
He later told his family that he felt
664
00:31:09,363 --> 00:31:10,763
this was pure manipulation.
665
00:31:10,843 --> 00:31:12,483
He knew from the bugged conversations
666
00:31:12,563 --> 00:31:14,923
that social services had confirmed
667
00:31:15,003 --> 00:31:17,723
they were not concerned
about Georgina's parenting.
668
00:31:17,803 --> 00:31:20,603
Peter Morgan had an objective
669
00:31:20,683 --> 00:31:23,203
of trying to get the relationship
670
00:31:23,283 --> 00:31:24,963
back on a sound footing.
671
00:31:25,043 --> 00:31:28,283
And I believe that when he went
to her home that day,
672
00:31:28,363 --> 00:31:32,283
it was not his principal intention
to commit murder,
673
00:31:32,363 --> 00:31:34,843
but it was a fall back position
674
00:31:34,923 --> 00:31:37,283
that he'd set himself up for
were he to discover
675
00:31:37,363 --> 00:31:39,083
that she wasn't going to amenable
676
00:31:39,163 --> 00:31:41,083
to his suggestion
of getting back together.
677
00:31:42,163 --> 00:31:44,683
[Narrator] Morgan had
indeed come prepared to kill
678
00:31:44,763 --> 00:31:46,323
if he felt he had to.
679
00:31:46,403 --> 00:31:48,763
Up his sleeve was a length of twine
680
00:31:48,843 --> 00:31:50,843
with loops tied at each end,
681
00:31:50,923 --> 00:31:53,163
which he'd hooked around his wrist.
682
00:31:53,243 --> 00:31:55,523
Sitting beside Georgina on the sofa,
683
00:31:55,603 --> 00:31:57,843
he quickly wrapped
the string around her neck,
684
00:31:57,923 --> 00:32:00,323
pinning her wrists
so she couldn't struggle.
685
00:32:00,403 --> 00:32:02,643
Then he pulled the string
and tightened it,
686
00:32:02,723 --> 00:32:05,683
and then he let off,
and I think at that point
687
00:32:05,763 --> 00:32:09,523
he expected her to fully say sorry,
688
00:32:09,603 --> 00:32:13,323
and I won't blackmail you.
689
00:32:13,403 --> 00:32:18,163
Strangulation as a form of murder
is characterized by power and control.
690
00:32:18,243 --> 00:32:20,883
It's sadistic, and in that moment,
the person is aware
691
00:32:20,963 --> 00:32:23,123
that their life hangs in the balance
692
00:32:23,203 --> 00:32:26,363
and is under the control
of another person.
693
00:32:27,363 --> 00:32:28,763
[Narrator] Defiant till the last,
694
00:32:28,843 --> 00:32:32,523
Georgina did not apologize
nor beg for her life.
695
00:32:32,603 --> 00:32:34,403
And he went through with it.
696
00:32:34,483 --> 00:32:36,683
[Narrator] In the mind of Peter Morgan,
697
00:32:36,763 --> 00:32:39,083
he had gone too far to turn back.
698
00:32:39,163 --> 00:32:40,883
[dramatic music]
699
00:33:02,883 --> 00:33:04,083
[Narrator] Peter would later claim
700
00:33:04,163 --> 00:33:06,043
that as Georgina struggled,
he reached for a blanket
701
00:33:06,123 --> 00:33:07,723
to throw over her face.
702
00:33:07,803 --> 00:33:10,803
He couldn't bare
to look at her as she died.
703
00:33:10,883 --> 00:33:13,403
He held on
to the makeshift ligature nevertheless
704
00:33:13,483 --> 00:33:15,723
until she stopped moving.
705
00:33:15,803 --> 00:33:18,443
In a sign that he had been
prepared to kill throughout the attack,
706
00:33:18,523 --> 00:33:20,923
he then collected
a metal bar from his car.
707
00:33:22,083 --> 00:33:24,403
The bar was of use in the following way.
708
00:33:25,203 --> 00:33:28,323
He had cut the bar
so that it fitted in the back
709
00:33:28,403 --> 00:33:30,603
of his Porsche Cayenne SUV.
710
00:33:30,683 --> 00:33:32,963
Using items he had brought with him,
711
00:33:33,043 --> 00:33:37,883
polythene, ties, slips, and so forth,
712
00:33:37,963 --> 00:33:39,923
he bound the body up in polythene.
713
00:33:40,003 --> 00:33:42,163
[Narrator] He then tied
Georgina's hands and feet
714
00:33:42,243 --> 00:33:45,923
to the pole so he could
more easily carry out her body.
715
00:33:46,003 --> 00:33:48,443
He then drove the body
in the back of his vehicle
716
00:33:48,523 --> 00:33:50,123
to an outhouse.
717
00:33:50,203 --> 00:33:52,683
And whether or not Peter Morgan
had forgotten about this,
718
00:33:52,763 --> 00:33:55,163
there was also closed circuit television,
719
00:33:55,243 --> 00:33:58,363
so we're able to see
the arrival of Peter Morgan
720
00:33:58,443 --> 00:34:00,283
outside the outhouse.
721
00:34:00,363 --> 00:34:02,523
We see him opening
the boot of the vehicle,
722
00:34:02,603 --> 00:34:08,163
take out Georgina's body,
carry it into the premises,
723
00:34:08,242 --> 00:34:11,803
and then return
a little while later without it.
724
00:34:11,883 --> 00:34:14,282
[Narrator] It was just after midday.
725
00:34:14,363 --> 00:34:16,202
At a quarter past three that afternoon
726
00:34:16,282 --> 00:34:18,923
Georgina's daughter is let out
from school,
727
00:34:19,003 --> 00:34:21,123
but her mother is not
there to pick her up.
728
00:34:21,202 --> 00:34:24,403
Alerted by teachers,
Georgina's friends and family met
729
00:34:24,483 --> 00:34:26,682
at Pencoed Farm to search for her.
730
00:34:26,762 --> 00:34:28,363
She was nowhere to be seen,
731
00:34:28,443 --> 00:34:30,003
and she was not answering her phone.
732
00:34:30,083 --> 00:34:33,282
At around 8:00 the police were called.
733
00:34:34,242 --> 00:34:37,043
They attended and in due course discussed
with all present
734
00:34:37,123 --> 00:34:38,483
as to her final movements,
735
00:34:38,563 --> 00:34:40,443
what they had seen of her,
what she may be doing,
736
00:34:40,523 --> 00:34:42,363
whether they had been
able to contact her phone.
737
00:34:42,443 --> 00:34:45,643
This was recorded
on the police officer's body worn video.
738
00:35:02,323 --> 00:35:06,003
Yeah, and I know I saw footage
where he lied to the police
739
00:35:06,083 --> 00:35:07,483
when they were looking for her,
740
00:35:07,563 --> 00:35:10,603
because they had reported her missing.
741
00:35:10,683 --> 00:35:14,003
And that was the toughest
part for me for sure
742
00:35:14,083 --> 00:35:15,683
for the whole trial and everything
743
00:35:15,763 --> 00:35:16,923
because he obviously lied to the police.
744
00:35:17,803 --> 00:35:19,163
[Narrator] Having taken her phone with him
745
00:35:19,243 --> 00:35:20,603
when he had left the bungalow,
746
00:35:20,683 --> 00:35:22,883
it hadn't occurred
to Morgan to switch it off
747
00:35:22,963 --> 00:35:25,763
until he arrived to hide her body.
748
00:35:25,843 --> 00:35:28,643
A police search quickly revealed
that it transmitted
749
00:35:28,723 --> 00:35:30,683
its last signal from the farm.
750
00:35:31,283 --> 00:35:33,483
Part of the pretense
Peter Morgan had put up
751
00:35:33,563 --> 00:35:35,963
is that he didn't know
where her phone was,
752
00:35:36,923 --> 00:35:38,963
but towards the end of the evening
753
00:35:39,043 --> 00:35:42,003
he suddenly announced
to those investigating
754
00:35:42,083 --> 00:35:44,323
that he knew where her phone was.
755
00:35:44,403 --> 00:35:49,003
It was in fact in his Porsche motorcar
at another location.
756
00:35:50,043 --> 00:35:51,443
He had put it in there apparently
757
00:35:51,523 --> 00:35:54,603
to stop her buying drugs,
to stop her harming herself.
758
00:35:55,763 --> 00:35:58,163
As you can imagine,
at that point those investigating
759
00:35:58,243 --> 00:36:00,483
became more skeptical with his account
760
00:36:00,563 --> 00:36:03,203
and asked him to accompany them
to Maindee Police Station,
761
00:36:03,283 --> 00:36:04,803
which indeed he did.
762
00:36:05,723 --> 00:36:07,883
[dramatic music]
763
00:36:07,963 --> 00:36:10,083
[Narrator] As the evidence mounted
against him,
764
00:36:10,163 --> 00:36:12,123
would Peter Morgan confess?
765
00:36:24,963 --> 00:36:27,763
[Narrator] Shortly after 8:00
Tuesday January the 12th,
766
00:36:27,843 --> 00:36:29,803
and Peter Morgan is
in custody in connection
767
00:36:29,883 --> 00:36:32,323
with the murder
of his lover, Georgina Symonds.
768
00:36:32,403 --> 00:36:36,723
Confronted with the evidence
against him, he confesses.
769
00:36:43,483 --> 00:36:46,403
{\an8}The confession was extraordinary.
770
00:36:46,483 --> 00:36:49,883
{\an8}Although it evolved so that
not a consistent account
771
00:36:49,963 --> 00:36:53,883
{\an8}was given in each
of the four long interviews,
772
00:36:53,963 --> 00:36:56,403
but I think he came to the conclusion
773
00:36:56,483 --> 00:36:58,003
that the game was up.
774
00:36:58,083 --> 00:37:00,203
That his attempt to conceal the body,
775
00:37:00,283 --> 00:37:03,843
which had been a very amateur,
pathetic attempt in truth,
776
00:37:03,923 --> 00:37:06,963
meant that he knew he had been found...
777
00:37:08,003 --> 00:37:09,803
and that therefore
he thought the best thing to do
778
00:37:09,883 --> 00:37:12,203
was confess what he had done.
779
00:37:12,963 --> 00:37:16,843
[Narrator] At 4:48
on January 13, 2016, Peter Morgan
780
00:37:16,923 --> 00:37:20,083
was charged with the murder
of Georgina Symonds.
781
00:37:20,163 --> 00:37:24,683
At trial 11 months later,
he denied that same charge.
782
00:37:24,763 --> 00:37:26,723
He could not, he said, be held responsible
783
00:37:26,803 --> 00:37:28,483
for the murder of his mistress.
784
00:37:28,563 --> 00:37:31,803
Why? Because he had a mental condition.
785
00:37:31,883 --> 00:37:34,603
{\an8}Whilst accepting he killed Georgina,
786
00:37:34,683 --> 00:37:36,923
{\an8}Peter Morgan nonetheless pleaded
not guilty.
787
00:37:37,003 --> 00:37:40,683
{\an8}He did so on a legal basis,
or a two-fold legal basis.
788
00:37:40,763 --> 00:37:42,603
Firstly that he relied on the defense
789
00:37:42,683 --> 00:37:44,883
of diminished responsibility,
790
00:37:44,963 --> 00:37:48,643
namely that due to his mental condition,
791
00:37:48,723 --> 00:37:53,003
he acted in a way
he perhaps would not have done
792
00:37:53,083 --> 00:37:55,243
were it not for that condition.
793
00:37:55,323 --> 00:37:58,843
In support of that he called
a very eminent psychologist
794
00:37:58,923 --> 00:38:00,243
and psychiatrist to say
795
00:38:00,323 --> 00:38:03,123
that he was
borderline Asperger's syndrome,
796
00:38:03,203 --> 00:38:05,483
which was a contributing factor
797
00:38:05,563 --> 00:38:07,403
to attention deficit disorder,
798
00:38:07,483 --> 00:38:11,643
and this could have caused him
to act in the way he did,
799
00:38:11,723 --> 00:38:15,523
though wouldn't be
an ultimate defense for killing itself.
800
00:38:15,603 --> 00:38:19,123
It would allow him... the jury
to return the verdict of manslaughter.
801
00:38:19,923 --> 00:38:23,963
{\an8}The defense that he has
a mild Asperger's diagnosis
802
00:38:24,043 --> 00:38:27,163
{\an8}I think, in a way,
could be considered irrelevant
803
00:38:27,243 --> 00:38:30,043
when you look at the rest
of the evidence and his behavior.
804
00:38:30,123 --> 00:38:32,203
That he very clearly has capacity,
805
00:38:32,283 --> 00:38:34,043
his decision making is clear.
806
00:38:34,123 --> 00:38:38,763
He had successful businesses,
he was making large purchases.
807
00:38:38,843 --> 00:38:40,203
He was building property.
808
00:38:40,283 --> 00:38:42,763
He was commissioning trades people.
809
00:38:42,843 --> 00:38:45,363
He was able to control Georgina
810
00:38:45,443 --> 00:38:47,163
for a significant amount of time.
811
00:38:47,243 --> 00:38:50,003
The accommodation,
the finances, the text messages,
812
00:38:50,083 --> 00:38:52,243
there's no evidence there
of lack of clarity
813
00:38:52,323 --> 00:38:55,603
or decision making or capacity
or anything like that.
814
00:38:58,203 --> 00:38:59,963
It wasn't so bad that it prevented him
815
00:39:00,043 --> 00:39:03,123
from becoming a multimillionaire
many times over.
816
00:39:03,203 --> 00:39:05,843
It didn't prevent him
from having a fairly happy marriage
817
00:39:05,923 --> 00:39:07,323
up to a point.
818
00:39:07,403 --> 00:39:09,083
It didn't prevent him having friendships,
819
00:39:09,163 --> 00:39:11,443
and it didn't prevent him
behaving normally
820
00:39:11,523 --> 00:39:12,563
in front of others.
821
00:39:13,683 --> 00:39:16,483
[Narrator] In his mitigation
his family supported him.
822
00:39:16,563 --> 00:39:18,883
They'd seen evidence of the Asperger's.
823
00:39:18,963 --> 00:39:21,483
{\an8}I don't think the Asperger's, he said,
824
00:39:21,563 --> 00:39:23,643
{\an8}I don't think it affected him
in day to day life,
825
00:39:23,723 --> 00:39:27,523
{\an8}but when he was cornered, you always say
826
00:39:27,603 --> 00:39:28,883
if I was cornered like a rat...
827
00:39:28,963 --> 00:39:32,523
when he was confronted with that,
he was very narrow thinking.
828
00:39:32,603 --> 00:39:35,083
Not, almost not logical.
829
00:39:35,163 --> 00:39:36,883
[Narrator] He may have been illogical,
830
00:39:36,963 --> 00:39:38,403
but could that explain choosing
831
00:39:38,483 --> 00:39:40,323
to take the life of another?
832
00:39:40,403 --> 00:39:42,523
Not according to some analysts.
833
00:39:44,523 --> 00:39:45,843
The exploitation of women,
834
00:39:45,923 --> 00:39:47,283
the fact that he was using prostitutes
835
00:39:47,363 --> 00:39:49,083
whilst he was still married to his wife,
836
00:39:49,163 --> 00:39:51,883
it's more likely that it's
to do with his own misogyny
837
00:39:51,963 --> 00:39:54,923
and his entitlement than it's got
anything to do with Asperger's at all.
838
00:39:55,003 --> 00:39:56,963
And it's obviously really damaging
839
00:39:57,043 --> 00:39:59,843
for all of the millions
of people with Asperger's
840
00:39:59,923 --> 00:40:02,083
who would never commit violent crimes
841
00:40:02,163 --> 00:40:07,363
to then suggest that
that might be why he killed Georgina.
842
00:40:07,443 --> 00:40:09,963
[Narrator] Attempting to claim
diminished responsibility
843
00:40:10,043 --> 00:40:12,843
would mean if successful,
Morgan would be sentenced
844
00:40:12,923 --> 00:40:15,003
for manslaughter, not murder.
845
00:40:15,083 --> 00:40:17,843
The difference in sentencing can be huge.
846
00:40:17,923 --> 00:40:19,523
His defense team added another factor
847
00:40:19,603 --> 00:40:21,443
for the court to consider.
848
00:40:21,523 --> 00:40:22,803
The other defense was
849
00:40:22,883 --> 00:40:25,403
one of loss of control,
namely that there was something,
850
00:40:25,483 --> 00:40:28,283
a qualifying trigger
as it's called legally,
851
00:40:28,363 --> 00:40:31,443
to cause him to act in the way he did
852
00:40:31,523 --> 00:40:34,443
due to a loss of control due to passion.
853
00:40:34,523 --> 00:40:36,763
Passion Elle in France they call it.
854
00:40:36,843 --> 00:40:37,923
We don't have quite the same here,
855
00:40:38,003 --> 00:40:39,203
but it's the equivalent.
856
00:40:39,283 --> 00:40:40,803
And here it would have been the fact
857
00:40:40,883 --> 00:40:46,283
that he discovered
his lady friend had a partner,
858
00:40:47,323 --> 00:40:50,523
and secondly that she was
going to blackmail him.
859
00:40:50,603 --> 00:40:52,083
[Narrator] Morgan's defense team argued
860
00:40:52,163 --> 00:40:53,523
that he had loved Georgina,
861
00:40:53,603 --> 00:40:57,923
had lavished her with gifts,
had put a roof over her head,
862
00:40:58,003 --> 00:41:01,483
and that she had manipulated,
used, and abused him,
863
00:41:01,563 --> 00:41:04,803
all of which combined
to cause his lack of control.
864
00:41:04,883 --> 00:41:08,603
He was prone to be manipulated,
865
00:41:08,683 --> 00:41:10,683
and I think that's what happened,
866
00:41:10,763 --> 00:41:13,883
because he was so besotted with her,
867
00:41:13,963 --> 00:41:16,123
whether it was
what one would conventionally call love
868
00:41:16,203 --> 00:41:19,843
isn't for me to judge.
But he was certainly prone
869
00:41:19,923 --> 00:41:24,243
to that manipulation
because she had many cards in her hand
870
00:41:24,323 --> 00:41:26,123
that she could play to her advantage,
871
00:41:26,203 --> 00:41:29,243
and such was his behavior
that he let her do it.
872
00:41:29,323 --> 00:41:31,603
[Narrator] The prosecution argued
that there had been
873
00:41:31,683 --> 00:41:33,603
no loss of control
by Morgan, that, in fact,
874
00:41:33,683 --> 00:41:37,603
the murder had been meticulously
planned and executed.
875
00:41:37,683 --> 00:41:40,603
Peter Morgan clearly
resolved to kill Georgina.
876
00:41:40,683 --> 00:41:43,363
Either he was going to have her
or no one else would.
877
00:41:43,443 --> 00:41:46,643
Indicative of that was a list of items
878
00:41:46,723 --> 00:41:48,763
he typed into his mobile telephone
879
00:41:48,843 --> 00:41:52,763
during the night of the 11th of January.
880
00:41:52,843 --> 00:41:56,203
That included the items polythene...
881
00:41:57,563 --> 00:42:02,323
snips, short for scissors, ties for rope.
882
00:42:03,923 --> 00:42:08,923
Isabel listening device,
and bar, which was for an iron bar.
883
00:42:10,643 --> 00:42:13,123
He was a practical man
who had a logical mind
884
00:42:13,203 --> 00:42:16,043
when he put his mind to a topic.
885
00:42:16,123 --> 00:42:18,163
And he assembled the necessary things
886
00:42:18,243 --> 00:42:21,043
to take down to the bungalow
with the sort of precision
887
00:42:21,123 --> 00:42:22,683
that you would expect a person planning
888
00:42:22,763 --> 00:42:24,043
something important to do.
889
00:42:24,123 --> 00:42:26,403
[Narrator] The jury saw this footage,
890
00:42:26,483 --> 00:42:29,123
Morgan on the day before Georgina's death,
891
00:42:29,203 --> 00:42:30,883
fetching the things that he needed
892
00:42:30,963 --> 00:42:32,683
from his workshop in the barn.
893
00:42:33,883 --> 00:42:35,563
Peter Morgan went along on the morning
894
00:42:35,643 --> 00:42:39,283
of the 12th of January
either to kill Georgina or to scare her.
895
00:42:40,563 --> 00:42:44,843
On one view he hoped that
they would stay together
896
00:42:44,923 --> 00:42:47,603
and things would return back to normal.
897
00:42:47,683 --> 00:42:51,003
But when it became apparent
that would not happen,
898
00:42:51,083 --> 00:42:54,243
he took the decision,
the rationale decision to kill her.
899
00:42:55,163 --> 00:42:58,363
The fact that he took
along those implements
900
00:42:58,443 --> 00:43:00,883
with which to kill her,
with which to transport her body,
901
00:43:00,963 --> 00:43:03,563
clearly indicates an intention to kill
902
00:43:03,643 --> 00:43:06,163
and a planning of some meticulous nature.
903
00:43:07,843 --> 00:43:10,043
Perhaps in his own mind
he thought he wasn't going
904
00:43:10,123 --> 00:43:12,283
to go through with it at some point.
905
00:43:12,363 --> 00:43:14,283
Clearly that boundary was crossed,
906
00:43:14,363 --> 00:43:16,563
and sadly Georgina lost her life.
907
00:43:16,643 --> 00:43:18,403
[Narrator] For his family, the killing
908
00:43:18,483 --> 00:43:20,803
of Georgina Symonds began
with a clumsy attempt
909
00:43:20,883 --> 00:43:25,323
at reconciliation,
and emotions got out of control.
910
00:43:25,403 --> 00:43:28,283
I honestly don't, hand on heart, believe
911
00:43:28,363 --> 00:43:31,923
that at any point that was
what he wanted to happen,
912
00:43:32,003 --> 00:43:35,883
but perhaps he was prepared for that.
913
00:43:35,963 --> 00:43:37,843
But I don't think he thought
that was gonna happen,
914
00:43:37,923 --> 00:43:39,803
and he definitely didn't want
that to happen.
915
00:43:39,883 --> 00:43:42,883
[Narrator]
Which version would the jury believe?
916
00:43:42,963 --> 00:43:44,723
The controlling stalker who was enraged
917
00:43:44,803 --> 00:43:46,883
and jealous when he overhead an escort
918
00:43:46,963 --> 00:43:49,363
planning to blackmail him and leave?
919
00:43:49,443 --> 00:43:51,603
Or the man with Asperger's
who was overwhelmed
920
00:43:51,683 --> 00:43:54,283
by a loss of control
when he was manipulated
921
00:43:54,363 --> 00:43:57,483
and exploited
by the girlfriend that he loved?
922
00:43:57,563 --> 00:43:59,883
The jury considered both those defenses
923
00:43:59,963 --> 00:44:02,963
and rejected him, and consequently,
convicted him of murder.
924
00:44:03,043 --> 00:44:05,963
[Narrator] On December 21, 2016,
925
00:44:06,043 --> 00:44:07,323
Peter Morgan was found guilty
926
00:44:07,403 --> 00:44:11,003
of murdering 25-year-old mom,
Georgina Symonds.
927
00:44:11,963 --> 00:44:14,643
[theme music playing]