Belinda Roach

Professor Belinda Roach is a notable character in ''After the Fall. ''She was a former Home Office pathologist who taught Nikki Alexander when she was student. She is portrayed by Georgie Glen.

Background
Roach was a Home Office-certified forensic pathologist, who helped secure convictions in at least three murder cases. Roach also mentored Nikki Alexander at the Institute of Pathology and the pair were close. The relationship soured however, after Roach was forced to go up against her former student in court. In 2005, Roach gave evidence for the defense in the case of Tony Hamilton, who was charged with attempting to murder his pregnant lover Suzie Banks by pushing her from a window. Roach argued in favour of Tony's version of events - that Suzie jumped herself and he tried to stop her. However, Nikki, now a pathologist working for The Thomas Lyell Centre, believed the evidence supported that Tony pushed her during an altercation. On the stand, Roach claimed Nikki was unreliable due to her inexperience and impulsivity. As a result, Nikki gave as good as she got, trashing Roach's evidence, claiming her opinion of her character was unfair and irrelevant and calling Roach "eccentric". This ultimately tipped the jury in favour of the prosecution and Tony was found guilty. Roach was, as Nikki put it "fed to the lions" - she was completely discredited by Nikki's testimony and journalists also labelled her an alcoholic after finding her drinking in a pub. Roach eventually retired and has resented Nikki ever since, blaming her solely for ruining her life.

After the Fall
Ten years after the Hamilton case, Nikki suspects someone has been in her flat, especially after finding her kitchen clock has been tampered with to display the exact time Nikki gave her testimony in court. Due to the fact two potential murder victims had been found with watches also set to this time, Nikki was understandably concerned and had Clarissa Mullery check the clock for prints.Clarissa found a thumb print on the clock's battery matching Roach's, shocking Nikki, as she hadn't spoken to Roach in years.

Nikki went to Roach's house to confront her - she didn't go to the police as she was reluctant to make groundless accusations against Roach. Roach was not particularly happy to see her former student, though she grudgingly invited her in. It is implied that Roach really had become an alcoholic this point, given the numerous wine bottles in her house and by her pouring herself a drink straight away. When Nikki began questioning Roach, she dismissed her claims and soon lost her temper, smashing her wine glass and revealing that because of Nikki ruining her credibility, her three earlier convictions were overturned allowing the killers to walk free. She denies being inside Nikki's flat, suggesting someone could've planted her thumbprint there to frame her and that if she wanted to get revenge on Nikki, she would've done so long before now. Roach spots someone in her garden and angrily goes out to check. Unfortunately, the person attacks Roach from behind, choking her into unconsciousness before bludgeoning her to death with Nikki's torch. Nikki finds Roach's body after going to check on her and tries to perform CPR, but to no avail.

Nikki is arrested for Roach's murder, with the police suggesting she killed her old professor in a fit of anger for trying to ruin her the way Nikki had, but it is eventually determined that Nikki had been framed and that Roach, too, had been set up, as the thumbprint contained no DNA and so must've been made from a mold. It is ultimately revealed that William Carmichael planted Roach's thumbprint and killed her, on the orders of Lydia Hamilton, who sought revenge against Roach for failing to get her husband released.