Questioning the Lucy Letby verdict is a foolish insult to grieving families
17 July 2024, 13:04
Lucy Letby is guilty of the murder of seven infants and the attempted murder of many more. Why are people now questioning her conviction?
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Nurse Lucy Letby was found guilty of the murder of seven infants at the Countess of Chester Hospital last year.
Letby was also convicted of seven counts of the attempted murder of six infants.
She killed these babies by injecting their bodies with air, poisoning them with insulin and assaulting their tiny bodies with medical tools.
After last year’s legal proceedings, the former neonatal nurse became the most prolific child serial killer in modern Britain.
Earlier this month, Letby was also found guilty of the attempted murder of a premature baby girl. She’s now been handed 15 whole life orders and will never be released from prison.
The British media was subject to legal restrictions until the ruling in early July, meaning that news platforms weren't able to publish anything that may prejudice a jury.
Now that the case is finished and Letby found guilty, many journalists have decided to consult commentators and clinicians who are keen to question the verdict.
Here’s just some of the headlines I read online today:
- Is Lucy Letby Actually Innocent?
- The Disturbingly Shaky Conviction of Lucy Letby
- Questions raised over the Letby conviction
The main argument of these conspiracy theories which have infiltrated national news outlets is that nobody saw Letby kill, or attempt to kill, a baby.
Columnists suggest that the fault lies at the hospital, rather than Letby personally. She’s described as a ‘well-brought-up, highly experienced and mentally sound’ woman in one British newspaper.
I’d instead describe the nurse as a baby killer.
If my words aren’t enough, take a look at a note Letby wrote to herself: "I killed them on purpose because I'm not good enough to care for them".
I’m not a medical professional, but nor am I a lawyer. I didn’t sit in the court for months on end. Instead, my immediate instinct is to believe a judge and jury in Britain.
It’s an insult to the grieving parents of these poor babies to question the evidence laid before a court.
Guilty verdicts aren’t just taken out of thin air - this trial lasted over 10 months. Letby alone was questioned for 60 hours in the initial court case.
Disagreeing with the judgement of two different juries in two separate courts is just foolish.
It’s especially foolish if you read the words of Mr Justice Goss at this month’s sentencing hearing.
He told the child murderer: “You have no remorse. There are no mitigating factors.”
“You acted in a way that was completely contrary to the normal human instincts of nurturing and caring for babies and in gross breach of the trust that all citizens place in those who work in the medical and caring professions.”
We may never know why Letby wanted to kill so many babies. But prosecutor Nicola Williams reminded us earlier this month that ‘the Crown Prosecution Service does not have to prove a motive, we simply need to prove that the defendant committed the crime.’
Letby is a child killer. Disagree with me? That suggests that you don’t have faith in our jury system.
If that’s the case, then let’s unlock the doors to every jail and release the 95,000 prisoners currently behind bars in Britain.
In a world of endless true crime documentaries and dramatic television thrillers, we need to remind ourselves to have faith in our nation’s justice system.
Lucy Letby is guilty - whether you like it or not.
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