I just received the following email from one of my readers:
“Personally I don't find this a laughing, I told you so matter!!”
And given that I did start my last post off a little lightly, I think I should share the true feeling of the response I made to him.
Response:
Neither did I.
I am somewhere between depressed and really annoyed about it.
Depressed because it means someone who almost certainly should not be in a concrete box, is.
And annoyed (maybe even angry) because the criminal justice system in most western countries that prides itself on being this paragon of virtue that would ‘rather see nine criminals walk free than see one innocent behind bars’ does everything it can to create technicalities and rules to help the prosecution win. Prosecutors can delay and defeat discovery and get away with it. Present a case with hearsay, opinion, maybe and circumstantial evidence and have it all allowed. Get any and all exemptions and protections for their witnesses. And unlimited funds.
And yet, do any of these things on the defence side and you are likely to get an escalated expedited guilty verdict for little more than asking.
Even if she was guilty the prosecution and court should be willing to examine their own case and assuage us all that they ‘got it right’.
That they aren’t even willing to be transparent about their case?
Says it all, doesn’t it?
My position:
I really did not seek to offend anyone with my opening ‘bit’ but it has been one heck of a week. There is so much going on around us at the moment that we on the outside can’t begin to appreciate what it is like to be where she is. She would see some of what is going on out here but it is, I guarantee you, a very highly curated and censored view.
That said, I stand by what I say above. If the prosecution case was so solid:
Why didn’t they bring in expert neonatologists to review and present the evidence? Why was it a retired paediatrician with almost no neonatology experience who has made a name for himself grinding axes and giving less than stellar ‘expert’ evidence that amounts to little more than poorly supported opinion and ipse dixit?
Why did they feel the need to present a spreadsheet that was so deliberately and deceptively crafted that they didn’t even realise when their method had led them to make contemptuous and deceptive mistakes?
Why are so many of their witnesses that correlate with the care given to these babies, so desperate not only to ensure the public never know who they are, but so disingenuous that they couldn’t even face Lucy even as they were twisting the knife?
Why are they so unwlling to consider that the lack of a consistent or even verifiable or reliable modus operandi might actually mean they’ve made a mistake?
How do they explain the fact that there are more… at least 9 other babies, but possibly 10 if you include Baby K, that died during this period that they haven’t been able to pin on Lucy? If, as they would lead, any more than 2 or 3 deaths on the unit was exceptional and warranted investigation why aren’t they looking for the causes for that other larger group of babies that died that aren’t Lucy? Why can’t they possibly investigate or accept that whatever caused the other larger group to die that wasn’t Lucy, might also be a factor in the babies that died that they say are Lucy?
And all that leaves aside the fact that there is more significant and direct (less circumstantial) evidence that bacterial sepsis and NEC was endemic in both the entire hospital and especially the neonatal unit. Are we meant to ignore that, and the fact that many of these babies had signs and symptoms and commenced treatment for sepsis in the hours and days before they died?
I say again: If the prosecution case is so air tight and rock solid… why are they doing everything they can to be as opaque and unwilling to broach any form of appeal or review?
Justice should be seen to be done.
And it should be transparent.
People seem to be so easily triggered these days. And just writing this first sentence will trigger them even further. From my perspective, I’m so thankful for your insights and writings on Lucy’s case because I truly see that a huge injustice has occurred in her case and it is a tragedy for her and her family - and justice itself. I just want to thank you for all you do.
I was a bit surprised about your opening too. But I read on.
Like many here I feel sad and upset.
And why oh why did Lucy Letby have such incompetent representation?!