A Way of Life

Leigh-Anne grows up in a troubled South Wales community. Her mother commits suicide when she is a child, and she endures abuse from her father. The family dynamic also includes worry for her younger sister, while their father later marries their mother’s sister and has a much younger daughter.

Leigh-Anne has a baby daughter, Rebecca, who is less than a year old, and she is fiercely protective of her. The father is in prison, but his mother stays in contact and suggests Rebecca would be better off in Leigh-Anne’s care.

Leigh-Anne constantly fears that Rebecca could be taken away by the local authorities. She has regular visits from a social worker and even sees the social worker speaking with Hassan Osman, which deepens her anxiety about losing her daughter.

Leigh-Anne has numerous confrontations with Hassan Osman in their deprived area. Desperate to support her baby, she is willing to take risky steps to earn money.

She tricks a much older man out of £30 by pretending to be a pimp and arranges a sexual encounter for him with a younger girl. She hopes to profit from the scheme despite the danger of being caught.

The act is witnessed by Hassan Osman’s teenage daughter Julie, which heightens the tension between Leigh-Anne and Osman. The witness foreshadows the conflict that follows.

Gavin, Robbie and Stephen are among Leigh-Anne’s few close allies, but they are heavily involved in crime in the neighbourhood. Leigh-Anne often participates or becomes a bystander in their antics, highlighting her precarious situation.

At a local library, Leigh-Anne and her friends encounter Hassan Osman and Julie. An argument escalates into a full-scale street fight during which the three boys brutally attack Osman while Leigh-Anne watches.

Hassan Osman dies as a result of the beating. When Leigh-Anne returns home, the police arrive to question her about the attack, and she sees Robbie wearing the bloodstained jumper from the incident.

The police take Leigh-Anne away to the station to answer questions related to the attack. She sees her three friends arrested as the investigation unfolds, marking a turning point in her life.

In the aftermath, Rebecca is handed over to Social Services. The social worker explains that no plan was in place to remove her and that Osman had been discussing his own daughter Julie’s issues.

Julie tells the police that she is pregnant with Gavin’s baby, adding another layer to the complex web of relationships and consequences surrounding the events.