THE true story behind BBC drama Responsible Child has been branded "heart-breaking" by star Owen McDonnell, who has admitted he was keen not to manipulate the origins of the case.
The one-off drama is set around the story of a 12-year-old boy who is sent to trial for the murder of his step-father; it is told through the eyes of the young boy and his barrister, played by McDonnell.
The episode is loosely based on one particular true story, that of 14-year-old Jerome Ellis, who along with his brother Joshua, 23, was found guilty of the killing of their stepfather at their home in Surrey in 2013.
Neil Tulley was stabbed 65 times and their defence stated that Tulley was abusive and had threatened to kill Joshua.
"It’s based on a specific incident from about six years ago, I think. Obviously, they didn’t want to make it a direct copy, or manipulate it to tell a narrative, but the story was pretty much as they were. ‘The true story, if anything, was even more heart breaking in some ways," he said.
"Nick [Holt], the director, because he’s got a documentary background, he found out quite a lot of details about the original story."
He added: "I found it quite interesting to trawl the internet for the news coverage of that because news coverage, with anything to do with violence in children, tends to really divide between good and evil."
Speaking to Metro.co.uk he also suggested that he had always felts news coverage was "a very unfair and shallow reading of those situations" and so he chose to also spend time visiting crown courts around the UK to get a feel for "how the courts operate and how solicitors behave".
The BBC has not confirmed that the drama is based on the Ellis case.
At the time of Tulley's death, Joshua was convicted of murder – but his brother, Jerome, was found guilty of manslaughter on the grounds of loss of control.
In England, the age of criminal responsibility is 10 – but children between 10-17 can be arrested if they commit a crime, though they will normally receive anonymity and be dealt with by youth courts.
Six years on, Jerome is now 19 and a free man, living with a different name under a new identity.
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