Crownies

While Richard and Tatum face the violent fallout of their lie, Erin faces a formidable opponent in court.

Erin is given her first major contest a seemingly open-and-shut ATM robbery case, But she is taken aback when she discovers the defence barrister is the formidable Claudia Swann. Soon, she begins to realise she may be dealing with a case much more complex than it appears. Conrad finds Richard's cougar porn stash and decides to confront him. Persuaded by Tatum to maintain the lie, Richard once again fools Conrad. But when Con catches Richard in bed with Lisa, there can be no more denial. Things get heated and the lie divides the household. While Richard and Tatum retreat to the safety of work, Conrad goes on a bender... Ben is given a case with more than twenty defendants. Lucky for him, they're hot gymnasts. Which means a bit of overtime for playboy Ben. And the DPP are under fire from the new Attorney General, but no one is under any illusions. They know the broadside has been directed by Miriam Mansie.
Erin is given her first major contest, but she takes offence when it's made clear she's been given a case that is less emotionally taxing that those she's been involved with lately. It's a seemingly open-and-shut ATM robbery case, but Erin is taken aback when she discovers the defence barrister is the formidable Claudia Swann. In court, Claudia begins to sway the case in favour of the defence – until a sudden change of plea leaves Erin taken aback and Lina suspicious. Erin decides to investigate the events behind the strange turnaround, and when she is warned off by a total stranger, she begins to realise she may be dealing with a case much more complex than it appears...
Conrad finds Richard's cougar porn stash and decides to confront him. Persuaded by Tatum to maintain the lie, Richard once again fools Conrad. But when Con catches Richard in bed with Lisa, there can be no more denial. Things get heated and the lie divides the household. While Richard and Tatum retreat to the safety of work, Conrad goes on a bender...
Ben is given a case with more than twenty defendants. Lucky for him, they're hot gymnasts. And even better, one of them wants to represent herself. Which means a bit of overtime for playboy Ben...
And the DPP are under fire from the new Attorney General, but no one is under any illusions. They know the broadside has been directed by Miriam Mansie.

Erin makes a decision that sends shockwaves through the DPP while Lina struggles to balance her work with Andy's fragile state.

Shaken by her encounter with the mysterious coffee man, Erin struggles to function as normal. Although she is doing well at work, the threat looms over her, and leads her to reassess her future at the DPP. Tracey puts Ben on a new case (with Tony) – that of Esther Carr – a woman who is suspected of defrauding her chronically ill brother, Glenn Carr, for whom she is primary carer. When Tony refuses to work with Ben, Lina is brought in to take over… and what she discovers will potentially save a life and force her to question where her own loyalties lie with Andy. Janet isn't far from taking her maternity leave and David has seen fit to swap her heavy work for shorter, more practical matters – including that of the wayward ‘sunbathing penis'. Miriam Mansie has been in to the DPP to implement the budget cuts she has been threatening in the media. David is left with no option but to ask Tracey for one solicitor from each group to fire. Someone has to go. Conrad and Danny pay Richard and Tatum a surprise visit and Danny orders Conrad and Tatum to sort things out while he takes a terrified Richard for a walk. Richard takes solace in the company of Ben – and his luxury hotel suite.
Erin, afraid after her recent threatening encounter with the mysterious coffee man, is finding it increasingly hard to function as normal. Despite Lina and Andy's encouragement to report the attack, Erin is worried that getting the police involved will embroil her deeper in an underworld crime syndicate, leaving her at the mercy of Claudia Swann. Although Erin's doing really well at work (and Janet's impressed with her objectivity), the threat looms over her and is one of the deciding factors that leads her to reassess her future at the DPP and make a major decision that will send shock waves through the DPP.
Tracey puts Ben on a new case (with Tony) – that of Esther Carr – a woman who is suspected of defrauding her chronically ill brother, Glenn Carr, for whom she is primary carer. The Police come to the DPP to seek advice before charging Esther, but their paper trail is weak and they're going to need more evidence. When Tony refuses to work with Ben, Lina is brought in to take over. Despite juggling work with trying to be there for Andy (who has discovered he was culpable for the shooting), Lina commits to her new case. When Tahli Carr, Glenn's daughter, returns from overseas, she pressures Lina to have Esther charged. What Lina discovers will potentially save a life and force her to question where her own loyalties lie with Andy.
Janet isn't far from taking her maternity leave, but until that time arrives, she's determined to continue her prosecutorial duties as normal. David, however, has seen fit to swap her heavy work for shorter, more practical matters – including that of the wayward ‘sunbathing penis'. Janet, though irritated, deals with the matters and decides to nolle the case on the basis of not enough evidence. It isn't long before she has her real work back, but the brief respite is a reminder of what her new, quieter life will be outside of the DPP.
David is not having a good day. Miriam Mansie has been in to the DPP to implement the budget cuts she has been threatening in the media. David is left with no option but to ask Tracey for one solicitor from each group to fire. The threat of this hangs over everyone, especially those in Group Five who believe and know themselves to be responsible for the leaked memo. Someone has to go, but when more than one person confesses, David is left with the realisation that he has been deceived by everyone, including his supposed ally, Janet.
On top of this, David receives an unexpected visit from Lyndi Quinn. Far from the hostile woman he's seen before, Mrs Quinn has brought in evidence that will exonerate David and damn her husband as being guilty as hell. What David chooses to do with the evidence remains to be seen.
Conrad and Danny pay Richard and Tatum a surprise visit and Danny orders Conrad and Tatum to sort things out while he takes a terrified Richard for a walk. Conrad is still angry about being lied to, but eventually he and Tatum talk it out (which inevitably leads to make]up sex). All is well until Conrad admits he hit a cop. Furious about the implications of this for her career, Tatum throws him out of the house again and tells him not to contact her.
Meanwhile, Danny shares with Richard his dreams for one day being a grandfather and drives him to work, where they are seen by Tracey. Danny gives Richard a wad of cash and orders him to find somewhere else to live. Other than finding ways of getting rid of Danny's dirty money, Richard is also intent on reconciling with Lisa. When she breaks his heart, he seeks solace in the company of Ben, who is staying in a hotel since he fell out with his Dad. The two boys have a long night of fun and frivolity which bonds them and allows them to forget, if briefly, that the axe is hanging over one of their heads.

Janet goes out on a limb and makes a promise she might not be able to keep. Conrad's brief comes into the DPP, and Tatum begins to understand exactly the damage she has caused.

When Conrad's brief comes across Tracey's desk, Richard is called in to explain. Now he discovers what Conrad did on the night when everything went to pieces. Tracey gives the file to Ben and Richard has to break the news to Tatum. Tracey's heart goes out to her when she sees how distressed she is, and she comforts her and suggests she move into Erin's office. Tatum and Richard remain estranged, but their estrangement takes an unexpected turn later that night at Gar's Bar. Janet and Lina are shocked to learn that Max Gardiner has been found dead and Sean has confessed to killing his son to protect their new baby. Virginia appears unannounced at the DPP, begging for Janet's help to keep Sean out of jail. Guilty and moved and extremely pregnant, Janet promises to ensure charges against Sean don't proceed. But the autopsy results on Max take that decision out of Janet's hands. Miriam Mansie pressures David to retire early but Janet believes that this witch hunt demands he release the Quinn tapes to clear his name, but after some soul searching, David destroys the tapes, sacrificing himself for the welfare of Quinn's daughters and takes some of his mountain of unpaid leave. He appoints Tony to take over and his first act is to destroy Tracey's whiteboard and demand that she return to work as an advocate. Horrified, Tracey gets drunk on shots with Tatum, and throws herself on her mercy – Tatum is not at all sure how to respond to her enemy's plea for help. Erin fronts up to the DPP for what she thinks is an exit interview, and is surprised when she is offered her job back. Unsure, what to do, she returns at the end of the day to pick up a promised reference, but then Janet goes into labour. With Ash uncontactable, Erin has no choice but to stay with Janet through the birth of the twins.
Tracey is surprised, and not pleased, when Conrad's brief comes across her desk. Richard is called in to explain, and it's only now that he discovers what Conrad did on the night when everything went to pieces. He pleads with Tracey to not give the file to anyone in his group, as they're all friends of Conrad's. But Tracey hands it on to Ben, after reminding him that the duties of a lawyer include not letting personal interests affect one's work. Richard breaks the news to Tatum, who know nothing about the assault. She's furious, and confronts Conrad – telling him not come near her. Tracey calls Tatum in to reprimand her and is shocked when Tatum, overwhelmed by guilt, bursts into tears. Tracey's heart goes out to her when she sees how distressed she is, and she comforts her and suggests she move into Erin's office. Tatum and Richard remain estranged, but their estrangement takes an unexpected turn later that night at Gar's Bar.
Janet and Lina are shocked to learn that Max Gardiner, the twelve year old they prosecuted for the murder of his brother, has been found dead. At first they assume he has killed himself out of guilt, but Dylan Thorne informs them that his father has killed him, ostensibly protecting their new baby. David asks Tony to take over the case, which makes Janet feel sidelined and furious. She is also overwhelmed with guilt – believing she should have stuck to her guns and refused to prosecute Max. She makes sure that Tracey knows not to give any of her cases away while she is on maternity leave. Virginia appears unannounced at the DPP, begging for Janet's help to keep Sean out of jail. Guilty and moved and extremely pregnant, Janet promises to ensure charges against Sean do 't proceed. But the autopsy results on max take that decision out of Janet's hands.
Going into labour at the office, with Ash unavailable, was not part of Janet's birth plan, and she discovers she's actually terrified.
Erin fronts up to the DPP for what she thinks is an exit interview, and is surprised when she is offered her job back. She asks Janet to provide her with a reference for a job with a defence firm, and returns at the end of the day to collect it. Practising tough love, Janet puts Erin through the paces of what defence work might involve, but before they can reach any resolution, Janet goes into labour. With Ash uncontactable, Erin has no choice but to stay with Janet, and make sure that she is alright.
David asks Janet's advice over the Quinn tapes. She thinks he should give then to the police, but David is uncertain. Miriam Mansie arrives and pressures David to retire early. Janet believes that this witch hunt demands he release the Quinn tapes to Miriam, to clear his name, but after some consideration, David destroys the tapes, sacrificing himself for the welfare of Quinn's daughters. But, enraged by the bullying from the AG's Department, he decides to take some of his mountain of unpaid leave – and appoint Tony to run the ship. Tony's first act is to destroy Tracey's whiteboard and demand that she return to work as an advocate.
Tracey, horrified by the idea of returning to advocacy, and equally horrified by the idea of Tony running the DPP, gets drunk on shots with Tatum, and throws herself on her mercy – Tatum is not at all sure how to respond to her enemy's plea for help.