law & order: svu sick (19/25)

The Law & Order spin-off following New York’s elite special victims unit continues its fifth season. Tonight, the agents attempt to bring down a rich toy executive they believe to be a paedophile.

The police are alerted when students on a website chat room stumble upon some sinister threats of violence towards a young girl. The cops trace the user’s address to the Ostilow family in New York. However, an investigation reveals that it was not an adult making the threats, but a 12-year-old boy named JJ. “It was just a joke,” claims the boy, but the detectives believe that the deeply disturbing nature of the threats betray something far more sinister than a simple childish prank.

JJ’s parents think he is a typical 12-year-old obsessed with the violence he observes in movies and comics, but Stabler recognises a rare and profound anger in the boy. Benson chats to his fiveyear-old sister, Lysette, assuming that she was the target of JJ’s threats. Although the meek little girl says her brother has never harmed her, she shows a horrified Benson a box full of her dolls –the majority of which have been burnt and mutilated in the genital area. “He’s emotionally disturbed,” says Cragen to Mr Ostilow, before insisting JJ is kept under observation in a juvenile detention centre.

The detectives visit JJ’s school and learn from the principal that his behaviour was erratic. The school bully adds that when he and JJ were involved in a fight in the toilets, JJ shocked his adversary by “screaming rape”. “JJ has all the signs of being molested,” says Stabler, grimly. “The question is,” says Cragen, “by whom?”

Dr Huang, meanwhile, visits JJ at the detention centre. After an initial show of hostility, the child opens up to the psychologist and tells of how he was befriended by his father’s former boss, a rich man who owned a toy store. “He touched me, and he made me touch him,” trembles JJ. “He paid [my parents] so much money that they never have to work again.”

It soon emerges that JJ’s harrowing story is true. JJ’s father, Jeremy, used to work for Billy Tripley, a thirtysomething toy mogul who inherited his father’s business. Tripley is an eccentric ‘Peter Pan’ figure who has spent his millions on creating a palatial playground to share with various kids. He donates millions to children’s charities then invites his beneficiaries to stay with him. It is clear that he molested JJ –and doubtlessly many others –and paid out a huge sum of money to the Ostilows to gag their son. Tripley admits to sharing a bed with JJ –an activity he denies is in any way dubious in itself –but denies molesting him. “I would kill myself before I did anything to hurt them,” says Tripley in custody. “Paedophiles never think they’re hurting them,” counters Stabler. “You’re just loving them, right?”

However, before the detectives can move any further to prosecute Tripley, they are sent a video of JJ solemnly recanting his accusation. They assume that this is because Tripley has threatened to claim back all the money he paid out to keep JJ silent. Benson and Stabler head to the Ostilows’ house only to be told JJ has been sent away, out of reach of the detectives. A judge later orders Jeremy Ostilow to bring the child before him, but he refuses and is sent to prison for obstruction of justice. “He’s protecting his millions,” says ADA Novak. “If JJ testifies, he loses everything.” Can the detectives find a way to bring the dangerous Tripley to justice before he harms another child?