Nigel Morton

**Nigel Morton** is a former Detective Constable in Central Police. He is now retired.

## Background

### Personal

He had a close personal and professional relationship with DCI Anthony Gates, as the two met and became close friends in training together. He is married to Melanie Morton.

### Professional

Morton joined Central Police in the early 1990's, having undergone training at Hendon Police College. It is not specified as to whether he served with the Metropolitan Police Service (which Hendon usually trains) beforehand.

He openly acknowledges that he was never particularly ambitious at ascending the promotion ladder within Central Police, and was fairly content in remaining a Detective Constable for his entire career.

Allegedly disabled by a leg injury in the line of duty, Morton had resigned himself to desk duties until Gates brought him into TO-20 prior to the events of Series 1. However it is somewhat of an open secret amongst his colleagues that Morton is faking the injury to receive disability benefits.

## Series 1

### A Disastrous Affair

Morton is first introduced with the rest of the TO-20 team within Kingsgate Station. It is suggested he conspired with the rest of the team to plant dog excrement in the service vehicle of DS Steve Arnott.

Later in the episode he is paired with DS Matthew Cottan to conduct surveillance on drug related activity on the Borogrove Estate, capturing images of Wesley Duke leaving a property with a large bag. He later presents the findings to the team, where they come to the conclusion that a property on Greek Lane is being used for drug manufacturing. Morton suggests attempting to turn Duke to become their informant, but the idea is shot down by an undercover DC Kate Fleming, who DCI Anthony Gates sides with.

Later, whilst examining the crime scene at the Greek Lane property, he chastises DS Matthew Cottan for leaving the property un-watched for 10 minutes which allowed the perpetrators to enter and kill the occupants.

### The Assault

Outside Kingsgate Station, Morton informs DS Steve Arnott that he is to escort him into the building. In a brief quip, Arnott makes a remark about Morton's lack of results throughout his career, a point he does not contest.

Whilst en route to the Greek Lane crime scene, Morton tells her how he was considering retiring due to an injury, but was motivated by DCI Anthony Gates to stay on.

### In the Trap

When DS Matthew Cottan voices his concern regarding DCI Anthony Gates conduct of the Greek Lane murder, and the fact that he is being investigated by AC-12, Morton confronts him and chastises him for thinking he has "backed the wrong horse".

Whilst en route to apprehend a vehicle with cloned plates related to the case, Morton mentions how DS Steve Arnott insisted that Gates was present with Jackie Laverty when she went missing, and the only others who can vouch for him are members of TO-20. He then speaks on the phone with Kate, who gives him the coordinates of the vehicle being tracked. When Gates decides to pursue the vehicle, Morton reminds him that under Health and Safety regulations, the Jaguar sedan they are driving is not a designated pursuit vehicle. Gates then decides to pursue the car on foot, and orders Morton to guide in the backup.

### Terror

Nigel stops by DCI Anthony Gates house, and asks him why he has stopped talking to him since the AC-12 investigation into him began to gain more traction. Gates apologises, and the two make plans for them and their respective wives to meet for a curry.

Morton is later interviewed by AC-12 regarding the accusations of laddering against Gates. He refuses to divulge any information, simply replying "no comment, sir" to each of Superintendent Ted Hastings questions. In responding to DS Steve Arnott, he claims that he has been a DC for twenty years, and has no ambition or desire to move up in the ranks. When the TO-20 group meet up after their AC-12 interviews, Nigel casts a level of suspicion on Kate, who was the one who filled out the complaint the muggers outside the Sunflower Cafe brought against Gates. He then laments how AC-12 can go after Gates after "all the crap" he took "at Hendon", and then assures him of his loyalty.

He later discovers DC Kate Fleming just after she has spoken to DS Steve Arnott, whilst she is holding two identical phones, blowing her cover as an AC-12 officer. He then blames Kate for Tony shutting him out, and when she responds coarsely, he assaults her by hitting her over the face with the handle of his walking stick. Before he can be apprehended by PC Karen Larkin, he gets into a car and drives away.

### The Probation

As DC Kate Fleming is clearing out her desk in the TO-20 offices after her cover is blown, Morton spitefully spits on the back of her head. He then makes a remark to DS Steve Arnott suggesting that Kate and Gates were romantically involved. Arnott then confronts him as he is getting into his car, saying that he knows Gates will try to contact him and to tell him to meet him at a specific location.

Morton later meets with Arnott at the location, but then assaults him by crushing his wounded hand before walking away. However, as Arnott makes his way back to his car, he is apprehended by Gates, who pushes him into the back of his own car and drives it away.

## Series 2

### Last Words

Morton meets with DI Matthew Cottan, his former colleague from TO-20 in an industrial estate. He harbours a certain level of animosity to Cottan due to him going against DCI Anthony Gates and becoming "squeaky clean" working for AC-12, and thus refers to him as "sir". Cottan questions him about providing a reporter from the Evening Post with a tip off about DCC Mike Dryden covering for his wife in a speeding offense, as Morton is implied to have done this frequently in the past for financial gain.

Morton confesses he sold the story, and that Dryden took the blame for his wife to give himself an alibi for what he was really doing that night. When pressed further, Morton only mentions that Dryden "likes them young" and that Cottan should tell people he heard it from DC Jeremy Cole of the Vice Squad, not him. Shocked upon hearing Cole's name, Cottan then blackmails Morton into making an official statement saying that he was aware that Cole was known as "The Caddy", threatening to tell DCC Mike Dryden of his leaking otherwise. The statement specifies that Cole was known by this nickname as he "frequently wore golf jumpers despite not playing golf".

### The Caddy

Morton accompanies DI Matthew Cottan to the site of the 5th September Ambush. Cottan asks him to make a statement that he was previously taken to the location by DC Jeremy Cole, who then tried to induce him into the criminal underworld, in order to further cement the now dwindling theory that Cole was "The Caddy". Morton voices concern about the gravity of such a lie, and refuses. This leads to an altercation between the two where Cottan grabs him by the neck, but Morton hits him in the stomach with his cane and runs off into nearby woodland unaided. As Cottan follows him into the woods, Morton backtracks and drives away in Cottan's service vehicle.

Back at the AC-12 Building, Morton is revealed to be returning the car, and meets with Cottan in the parking basement. Confused as to how he was able to run away, Morton then reveals to Cottan that he has been faking his disability to receive benefits and low risk assignments. He then reveals that he is aware of Cottan's corruption and links with the Organised Crime Group, having found a burner phone full of "interesting numbers" under the back seat of the car, which he has made a copy of. The two then mutually agree to stay quiet about each others secrets.

The Series 2 epilogue states that Morton continues to serve as a Detective Constable, and will be able to retire within a year with full pension plus disability benefits. He is shown meeting with Nick Ronson of the Evening Post, receiving a large envelope of money in exchange for presumably another tip off.

## Series 3

### Negative Pressure

Morton is visited by DI Matthew Cottan and DC Kate Fleming at his office in Crime Audit, where they question him about the veracity of his statement made in the previous series about DC Jeremy Cole being referred to as "The Caddy". He becomes defensive, and refuses to speak to them further without a solicitor present.

Later that day, he and Cottan meet at a curry house, where he threatens to reveal Cottan's secret unless he makes the matter go away. Cottan counter-suggests that Morton come to the AC-12 Building and officially amend his statement to say he actually heard the information on Cole from an old colleague and not first hand (but emphasises this colleague now needs to be either deceased or elderly). In exchange, Cotton demands that Morton hand over the cloned SIM card with the evidence of his connection with the Organised Crime Group. After some back and forth, they both acknowledge they want to "retire" and doing so would be mutually beneficial.

Morton later arrives at the AC-12 Building accompanied by his solicitor, and in an interview makes an official amendment to his statement. He claims he never heard Jeremy Cole use the nickname "The Caddy" himself, but instead got that information from DS Terry Capistrano, a former colleague of his in the Armed Robbery Unit. After Morton leaves, Cottan reveals to DC Kate Fleming that Capistrano is long retired due to developing Alzheimer's, and the lead is not worth pursuing further. That evening he meets again with Cottan and provides him with the cloned SIM card, which Cottan destroys by melting it with his lighter. After getting back in his car however, it is shown that Morton has another cloned phone and SIM card in his possession, which he stows in the glovebox.

### Breach

After DS Steve Arnott is framed for the murder of Lindsay Denton and being "The Caddy" by Cottan, DC Kate Fleming starts to become suspicious of DI Matthew Cottan and looks further into Morton's changed statement. She calls him in to the AC-12 Building late at night, and meets him with Superintendent Ted Hastings. Morton refuses to say a word to them unless he is provided immunity from prosecution by the Crown Prosecution Service, which the two detectives reluctantly provide. He then provides them with the information on what he knows about Cottan's corruption and the cloned SIM card. This evidence is later vital in AC-12 uncovering Cottan as a member of the Organised Crime Group.

In the epilogue, Morton is shown comfortably walking up and down his lawn mowing the grass, his walking cane discarded on a nearby wall, unneeded. The captions state that he was able to retire from Central Police with full pension and is still in receipt of disability benefits.