Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney/English Turnabout

In a barge docked somewhere along the River Thames in the city of London, a nightwatchman is going about his business, when he hears a commotion in a nearby cargo room. Two young ladies appear to be battling it out, but the guard is too late - he arrives only in time to watch the victim crumple and fall to the floor. The assailant appears to have been caught red-handed - it's an open-and-shut case, surely? Not when a certain Ace Attorney and his Ace Assistant are flying in from the States!

Case Information

 * Time of crime: 10:20 pm
 * Location: Unnamed freighter, River Thames, London, England
 * Criminal defendant: Espella Cantabella
 * Charge: Assault, theft
 * Victim: Olivia Aldente
 * Weapon: Steel pipe
 * Criminal defence counsel: Phoenix Wright, assisted by Maya Fey
 * Crown prosecutor: Flynch

Before the Trial
You find yourself in the defence lobby of a British courthouse, feeling a little under the weather. The Legal League of Attorneys' exchange program was just supposed to be a glorified vacation, right? So why do you, Phoenix Wright, and your, uhm, sort-of assistant, Maya Fey, actually have to stand in a foreign court? And why do you always get landed with the strangest of cases?

What's this case even about, anyway? Maya gives you a copy of the day's newspaper, with the headline "Elusive jewel thieves at large in London! Scotland Yard on red alert!" But you're only in England on exchange, so you can probably expect a fairly simple, less exciting case. Eventually, your client turns up: a young schoolgirl by the name of Espella Cantabella. You introduce yourself to her, but she doesn't seem to notice... Her teacher, Ms. Darklaw, informs you that Espella wishes to plead guilty, and that you should accept the punishment offered by the prosecution. She also gives you the case file - but before you have a chance to read it, you're summoned to the courtroom, completely unprepared! Before entering, Espella mutters something: "I'm... not a witch." ...What? Can things get any stranger? Luckily, Maya, cheerful as ever, is on hand to (try to) reassure you.

Inside the courtroom, the prosecutor, Flynch, informs the court that this is your first time defending in an English court, and uses the opportunity to get an early jab in. The Judge decides to ask you a few simple questions to get you up to speed. First, who is the defendant? Choose Espella. Next, what is she accused of? It turns out she is being charged with two offences, but you've got no idea what they are! Flynch reminds you that all evidence is kept in the Court Record. Maya tells you to touch the Court Record button on the Touch Screen, or press, to access the Court Record. Open the Court Record, and check the Police Records. It states that Espella is being charged with theft and assault. The Judge is now satisfied that you know what you're doing, and continues the proceedings.

Prosecutor Flynch will now outline his case. Espella illegally boarded a docked freighter, and attempted to steal from the ship's cargo: several crates worth of stuffed PC Badgers, the "mascot" of the Metropolitan Police. She was caught in the act by a member of the ship's crew, and later apprehended by its security guard. He then calls his first witness: the ship's security guard, Johnny Smiles, who was patrolling the freighter... with half a bar of chocolate... in the dark... while wearing sunglasses. Looks like this brother will be making you blue pretty quickly...

Time to hear your first testimony in an English court!

Johnny Smiles' Testimony: Patrolling on the Night of the Crime
Johnny names the criminal he arrested as the defendant, Espella Cantabella. He stutters a bit when Flynch asks if he followed standard procedure, though. Something about this guy's testimony doesn't add up, and now it's your job to cross-examine him to find the holes and lies. Cross-examination here functions mostly the same as it does in the standard Ace Attorney games, but if you're not familiar with the games, or want to refresh your memory, the Judge will offer to have the process explained to you. As Maya will inform you, the purpose of cross-examination is to carefully study a witness' testimony. Look out for anything that sounds suspicious, or that the witness is being overly vague about, and press him/her on those statements for more information (press, or touch the "Press" button on the Touch Screen). If you find a statement that directly contradicts evidence in the Court Record, you should present it (press or the "Present" button on the Touch Screen to access the Court Record, then select the contradictory evidence and choose "Present" to raise a nice big Objection! Get that index finger warmed up, and begin your first cross-examination!

Patrolling on the Night of the Crime: Cross-Examination
Press Johnny's first statement. He will explain that "ZZZO" is, apparently, security guard jargon used to refer to time, in this case 22:20, or 10:20 pm. Johnny is so sure of the time because his favorite TV show ends at 10:20 pm, "just" 20 minutes after his shift starts. At this point, Prosecutor Flynch submits a Crime Scene Photo to the Court Record. The defendant and victim were fighting underneath the security light at the back of the room, and a crate containing several PC Badgers has been broken open. It certainly looks anything but "in order". Present the Crime Scene Photo on Johnny's fifth statement. Congratulations! You've raised your first Objection! east of the Atlantic! Flynch objects, claiming that the crate was simply broken during the fight, but you point out another crate that has been forced open, despite being nowhere near the fight. Flynch tries to object again, but Johnny butts in to give another testimony.

Johnny Smiles' Testimony: What I Saw at the Crime Scene
Johnny's torch will be added to the Court Record. Note that it is covered in chocolate fingerprints.

What I Saw at the Crime Scene: Cross-Examination
Present the Medical Report on Johnny's fourth statement. If Espella was standing in front of the crew member, how could she have struck the back of their head?

"Nick, look at me!" Uh-oh. Maya's gotten hold of a steel pipe, and is swinging it in your direction! Don't worry, though, she'd never actually attack you... she's just trying to demonstrate that you couldn't possibly hit the back of someone's head while facing towards them... especially for someone short like her. Maya's "experimenting" aside, you have at least proven that Johnny is unreliable as a witness, and that the prosecution didn't investigate the case properly. This all helps strengthen your case. You have to plead not guilty now! ... ...Oh dear. It looks like Johnny wants to testify once again. But this time, he claims to have "decisive evidence" that Espella tried to "kidnap" PC Badger! (funnily enough, even Flynch is stunned at this revelation...) He submits a tag torn from one of the toys, which Espella was holding when she was arrested. Flynch is still confused, but reminds you that your client requested that you accept a guilty verdict before the trial, and asks you your stance on the matter now. You've come this far now, you have to continue the trial. Flynch is surprised, but agrees, and decides to call his second witness, denying Johnny another shot at testifying. The Judge will call a 15-minute break.

Break
Outside the courtroom, you find Ms. Darklaw, your client, reading Maya's newspaper. Oddly, she doesn't seem to be pleased about how the trial is going, and, of course, she again tells you to give up and accept the guilty verdict. She also warns you off pressing on "meaningless details" such as the PC Badger toy. Maya is less than pleased, and you've got your own suspicions as well... Why does Darklaw want you to just give up?

Maya's newspaper is added to the Court Record. Maybe it'll come in handy during the next part of the trial...

When the court reconvenes, Flynch calls his next witness: Olivia Aldente, the victim, and a cook on the freighter. She testifies about the incident as she saw it.

Olivia Aldente's Testimony: When I Found the Girl
She also mentions that the laceration she suffered is covered by her hat, which is on the very top of her head. Maya comments on how much taller Olivia is than Espella... does Olivia's fourth statement remind you of anyone from earlier?

Flynch submits a photograph of fingerprints found on the pipe, which have already been confirmed to belong to Espella. There were no other prints found on the pipe. It doesn't look good, but if you believe Espella really is innocent, then that means Olivia is lying. Time to cross-examine her, and weed out the lies.

When I Found the Girl: Cross-Examination
Press Olivia's fourth statement. Something is definitely not right about those fingerprints... Present the Fingerprint Photo on the same statement (her fourth). What is it about those fingerprints that could be so strange? Try to picture yourself making those prints on the pipe. To make such a set of prints on the pipe, you would need to hold it back-handed, so the contradiction is the position of the fingerprints! You now demonstrate to the court exactly what you mean. The fingerprints you leave on the pipe do not match those in the fingerprint photo, so clearly Olivia's testimony is incorrect!

She now tries to dig herself out of her hole by claiming that the attacker held the pipe "the other way around". Remember the old saying - "lies only beget more lies". Olivia's already lied once, so she's bound to slip up again sooner or later. Could Espella have hit Olivia holding the pipe back-handed? Of course she couldn't - so now you have to prove there's a contradiction. How can you prove it? Present the Medical Report. Remember exactly where Olivia was hit - her chef's hat covers the laceration, but the hat is on the top of her head, and Espella is shorter than Olivia... Espella landing the blow simply isn't possible. The fingerprints are irrefutable, though, but Maya gives you an idea... what if Espella actually tried to defend herself?

Well done; you've successfully managed to turn the trial about, and now Espella appears to be the victim, who was acting in self-defence. And if Espella is actually the victim, then that means the real attacker... is Olivia Aldente! Olivia's panicking now, a sure sign you're closing in on the truth. And she didn't leave fingerprints behind, because she was wearing gloves! She now tries to pin the blame on the security guard, Johnny Smiles, but you know from earlier that it's impossible. Remember Johnny's disregard for regulations, on account of his six months of "expertise"? He was supposed to be wearing gloves, but he wasn't, and you've got proof. Present Johnny's torch. It's covered in his chocolate fingerprints, thus proving that he wasn't wearing his gloves that night.

You've successfully blown a large hole in yet another witness' credibility, but you have yet to actually prove that Olivia Aldente is the true culprit. At this point, Prosecutor Flynch will bring back the topic of PC Badger. Note that one of its legs is missing. The Judge asks Olivia to testify about this.

Olivia Aldente's Testimony: About PC Badger
The stolen toy PC Badger is submitted to the Court Record. Note that while it is missing a leg, it is the only thing it's missing.

About PC Badger: Cross-Examination
Present the Torn Tag on Olivia's first statement. Espella had a tag in her hand when she was arrested, so why does the toy Olivia claims to have recovered still have its tag? Because the toy was swapped by Olivia before she gave it to the police. Olivia again tries to pin the blame on Johnny, and again, it's impossible that Johnny had anything to do with it. How can you tell? By checking Espella's tag for fingerprints. While the bailiff has this done, you ask Flynch if a toy was found at the scene without a tag. He says there was not, but admits the prosecution did not investigate thoroughly. If all the toys are identical, why did Olivia swap the one she took from Espella? Request a search of the ship for the toy with the missing tag. When Olivia hears this, she pleads with you not to search the ship again. Why would she do this? Present Maya's newspaper. It's only a possibility at this stage, but what if Olivia is involved with the jewel thefts? On hearing this, Olivia finally breaks down. Shortly after, the search team reports from the freighter: a toy without a tag was found hidden at the crime scene, and hidden inside was a diamond worth some £100,000. Additionally, Espella's fingerprints have been found on the tag she was holding at the time of her arrest. Olivia finally admits her role as one of the jewel thieves... but no one knows who really hit her with the pipe. Regardless of that, you've done your job, as always.

Espella Cantabella is found...



After the Trial
Maya congratulates you for another success, and even Darklaw finally relents and thanks you for getting a not guilty verdict. Espella's book grabs Maya's attention, but Espella still won't speak to anyone... And you never did find out who actually hit Olivia. Therefore, there must have been someone else at the scene. It's not unreasonable to assume Johnny completely overlooked the presence of a fourth person, since his sunglasses would have accentuated the darkness of the room, so it's probably not worth worrying about. Instead, with the obligatory court case over, you and Maya decide to plan out the rest of your vacation... until Maya notices that Espella has left her book behind. Maya's curiosity gets the better of her, and she decides to have a quick peek at the book. "Labyrinthia, huh?" ... Wait, why is the book glowing? And isn't that you and Maya in one of the illustrations? What's happening...?