The wait for Criminal Record Season 2 is finally over. The Apple TV+ crime drama returned on April 22, 2026, bringing back the tense rivalry between DS June Lenker (Cush Jumbo) and DCI Daniel Hegarty (Peter Capaldi). The first episode, titled “Is It Him?,” throws viewers into a politically charged situation that turns deadly within minutes. Police monitor a protest leader’s every word through a live Arabic translation, waiting for the moment they can legally step in. But before that happens, a far-right mob breaks through police lines, and a young man ends up dead. The episode sets up a mystery that forces Lenker and Hegarty to work together again, though old trust issues remain. Here is everything that happened in the season premiere.
Police Use Live Translation to Track Protest Leader’s Speech
Criminal Record Season 2 Episode 1 opens with DS June Lenker stationed at a protest outside the Ministry of Defence in Suffolk Square, London. The protest is led by a group speaking out against Western interference in the Middle East, a topic pulled from real-world headlines. The police are not there by accident. They have intelligence on the protest leader and are waiting for him to cross a legal line.
An expert translates the leader’s Arabic speech live, feeding every word to Lenker and her team in real time. The police need the speaker to say something that can be taken as a direct threat before they can arrest him. For a while, the speech stays within legal limits, criticising American and British foreign policy without calling for violence. But then the leader uses a phrase about cutting off the “head of the snake” while mentioning American diplomats. It is not an outright threat, but it is close enough. The order comes down to move in and make the arrest.
Far-Right Mob Crashes Into Protest Leading to Deadly Stabbing
Before Lenker can act, another situation spirals out of control. A far-right counter-protest group, waving British flags and shouting about keeping the country in “British hands,” marches toward the Suffolk Square protest. The small police unit assigned to block them fails to hold the line. The mob breaks through and crashes directly into the original protest group.
Violence explodes immediately. Officers lose control of the crowd. In the middle of the chaos, Lenker spots a young man on the ground with a stab wound to his chest. His name is Rohaan. Lenker rushes to him, trying to stop the bleeding and keep him conscious, but the injury is too severe. Rohaan dies at the scene before paramedics arrive.
The tragedy hits Lenker hard. Rohaan dies in her arms. Later, viewers learn that Rohaan was not deeply involved in the protest at all. He came along because his friends were going. Someone promised him a trip to see the London Eye afterward. He barely understood what the protest was about. He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“She’s a mother of a young boy as well, who’s not dissimilar from Rohaan’s age. So it kind of opens up something for her about yes, on the surface, trying to find his killer, but underneath all of it, wondering whether her decision making anymore is any good.”
Cush Jumbo told Radio Times that this moment drives June throughout the entire season. The guilt of holding Rohaan as he died follows her into every decision she makes afterward.
Lenker Spots a Familiar Face in the Violent Mob
During the riot, Lenker catches a split-second glimpse of one of the attackers. His mask slips down, and she sees his face. She knows she recognises him but cannot immediately place where from. The image stays stuck in her head.
The police department faces heavy scrutiny after the protest turns deadly. Lenker visits Rohaan’s family against her superiors’ advice. They are not happy to see her at first. She represents the police force that failed to protect their son. But Rohaan’s grandfather later calls her to thank her for showing respect and for trying to save the boy’s life.
Lenker keeps digging. She eventually connects the face she saw to Billy Fielding, a man convicted of murdering his teenage girlfriend Cerys Jones six years earlier. Billy received a 17-year prison sentence. But if he was in prison, how was he at the protest?
Hegarty Returns With a Secret Offer for Lenker
Lenker starts asking questions about Billy Fielding. She calls Redheath Prison, where he was held, but gets passed from department to department. Officials tell her Billy has been moved, but they cannot provide any details about where or why. Something is clearly being hidden.
That is when Daniel Hegarty resurfaces. Lenker meets with him, and he confirms her suspicion. That was Billy Fielding at the protest. Hegarty now works for Intelligence, and he has clearer photos of Billy at the scene. Then he drops the real news. Billy escaped from prison by hiding under a catering truck. The police department chose not to release that information publicly. Two major policing failures in the span of days would destroy public trust. So they decided to catch Billy quietly first.
Hegarty offers Lenker a deal. If she helps him track down Billy, he will let her interview Billy about the protest stabbing. It is the only way she can get justice for Rohaan. Lenker knows she cannot trust Hegarty. Season one proved how manipulative he can be. But she has no other option.
Sonya, Lenker’s partner, strongly warns her against working with Hegarty again. She tells Lenker to keep her eyes open and never trust him. But Lenker moves forward anyway, driven by the image of Rohaan dying in her arms.
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The Chase Ends With a Shocking Hegarty Connection
The police set up surveillance on Ashley, Cerys Jones’s mother, hoping Billy might show up there. Their plan works. Billy breaks into Ashley’s flat. She screams, and Billy runs. A chase follows, with police officers pursuing Billy through the streets.
Billy reaches a canal and jumps across a gap to the other side. An officer chasing him tries to make the same jump but slips. He hits his head on a lock gate and falls face down into the water, unconscious. Billy is free and clear. He could keep running and escape. But he stops. He turns back, jumps into the water, and pulls the officer to shore.
This moment changes everything. A convicted murderer risking his freedom to save a police officer does not fit the picture the authorities have painted of him. The episode clearly wants viewers to question whether Billy really committed the crime he was sent to prison for.
Then comes the real shock. Hegarty arrives at the scene. A flustered Billy tries to explain that he came back to save the officer. When Hegarty does not respond, Billy calls him by his first name. “Dan.”
The two men know each other. And not just in a passing way. That level of familiarity means something much bigger is going on. Hegarty immediately tells Billy never to call him by his name again. The secret connection between them is now out in the open, at least for viewers.
The episode ends with a clear message. Hegarty has not been honest with Lenker about Billy Fielding. Their history runs deep, and whatever Hegarty is really doing, it is not just about catching an escaped prisoner.
Criminal Record Season 2 streams on Apple TV+. New episodes release every Wednesday. The first episode is available now in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, India, and other regions where Apple TV+ operates.
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