14th February 2025
As Spring approaches the show kicked off this morning on the case making the news in the UK, being the Lucy Letby convictions of July 2024 when she was convicted of the murder of 7 babies, the attempted murder of another 7 and handed down 15 whole of life sentences which she is currently serving following her employment as a neonatal nurse in the Countess of Chester Hospital in the years 2015-2016. Our host referenced the Report of Dr. Shoo Lee eminent Neonatologist being one of 14 leading experts who concluded during the week that there was no medical evidence that Lucy Letby murdered the babies. Our contributor Seamus Gunn said that their conclusion was that the deaths were due to either natural causes or bad medical care which was a stark finding given the fact that the Trial had lasted some 8 months and there had been 2 attempts to overturn the convictions which were rejected by the Court of Appeal. He said that it would now be up to the Criminal Cases Review Commission to assess whether the new evidence was sufficient to merit another referral to the Court of Appeal herein. Seamus Gunn said that the central allegation was that Letby had murdered the babies by injecting air into their bloodstream and poisoning them with insulin and that the technical evidence claimed was largely that of 1 retired Consultant Paediatrician. He said that the headline now from a 14 strong panel of Neonatologists and Paediatricians from around the world is that no scientific proof of this exists. They found no medical evidence supporting malfeasance causing death or injury. He said that he thought on the presentation by their lawyer Mark McDonald that they were optimistic that the CCRC would refer the cases back to the Court of Appeal. It was Seamus Gunn’s view that this was no quick process giving that another case in similar circumstances in which the same lawyer was acting, has been ongoing for some 19 years. He said that with the level of public interest and sensitivity the CCRC will be very careful in their consideration of the reports from the experts now to hand. He said that it should not be lost on the public that the Appeal Courts had already viewed the substantial evidence and concluded that the convictions were safe. There have also been 2 separate Jury Trials who have formed the same conclusions. Not only was there technical evidence but there was circumstantial evidence considered at the Trials. There is little doubt that this matter shall be back in the public domain when the CCRC reports further. Our contributor stressed that this was likely to take some considerable time.
A very varied Q&A followed, which can be listed to below