<
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/05/20/lucy-letby-was-found-guilty-of-killing-seven-babies-did-she-do-it>
"Last August, Lucy Letby, a thirty-three-year-old British nurse, was convicted
of killing seven newborn babies and attempting to kill six others. Her murder
trial, one of the longest in English history, lasted more than ten months and
captivated the United Kingdom. The
Guardian, which published more than a
hundred stories about the case, called her “one of the most notorious female
murderers of the last century.” The collective acceptance of her guilt was
absolute. “She has thrown open the door to Hell,” the
Daily Mail wrote, “and
the stench of evil overwhelms us all.”
The case galvanized the British government. The Health Secretary immediately
announced an inquiry to examine how Letby’s hospital had failed to protect
babies. After Letby refused to attend her sentencing hearing, the Justice
Secretary said that he’d work to change the law so that defendants would be
required to go to court to be sentenced. Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said,
“It’s cowardly that people who commit such horrendous crimes do not face their
victims.”
The public conversation rushed forward without much curiosity about an
incongruous aspect of the story: Letby appeared to have been a psychologically
healthy and happy person. She had many close friends. Her nursing colleagues
spoke highly of her care and dedication. A detective with the Cheshire police,
which led the investigation, said, “This is completely unprecedented in that
there doesn’t seem to be anything to say” about why Letby would kill babies.
“There isn’t really anything we have found in her background that’s anything
other than normal.”
The judge in her case, James Goss, acknowledged that Letby appeared to have
been a “very conscientious, hard working, knowledgeable, confident and
professional nurse.” But he also said that she had embarked on a “calculated
and cynical campaign of child murder,” and he sentenced her to life, making her
only the fourth woman in U.K. history condemned to die in prison. Although her
punishment can’t be increased, she will face a second trial, this June, on an
attempted-murder charge for which the jury could not reach a verdict."
Via
Garbage Day: Now is the time of sea shanties
https://www.garbageday.email/p/now-time-sea-shanties
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
