The Letby Case

[xoggoth]

Thought I'd beat SE to it and post this news story, one of the most inneresting in today's news.

Lucy Letby: killer or coincidence? Why some experts question the evidence | Lucy Letby | The Guardian

[agentzero]

Unfortunately this case is riddled with holes. It is plausible that she didn't do it. She wasn't on shift for every death and a pattern might have been created from noting that she was, ignoring the cases when she wasn't on shift.

The superinjunction and UK internet blocking of articles abroad relating to the case has been lifted. Private Eye has covered the case well.


Blocking:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/16/w...y-britain.html

More detail of the case and just some of the issues:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2...-did-she-do-it

The desire for retribution lead by certain British newspapers might have encouraged professional bias and mistakes with the professional analysis of what happened to the babies to have been ignored by the court. The research of the skin discolouring in each case looks to be open to discussion within the professional research community. The author of two papers has stated the discolouration method has been applied incorrectly throughout the case.

Not the justice system's finest hour. The Daily Mail coverage at the time was, as is the case with much of their content, systematically bias and wanted her convicted in the public arena at all costs. Justice should be trial by court and never trial by public opinion, given how skewed this can become in factions as the result of low quality media.

[SueEllen]

One of the thing with court cases that even when reporting restrictions have been lifted not everything is reported in the public domain by the media.

Oh and Lucy Letby had a chance to change her legal team before each trial, she did not.

This is the archive version of the New Yorker Article - https://archive.ph/AWpyz

[NotAllThere]

I just find it hard to believe anyone could have done what she has been convicted of.

[DoctorStrangelove]

Mmmm, remember the last time statistics led to wrongful conviction?

[xoggoth]

Trouble is, coincidences happen. If proof had to have a 99.99% certainty before conviction, hardly anyone would go to jail.

Maybe AI could solve the problem. Or maybe one day they will be able to extract details from people's memories.

[Fraidycat]

Mmmm, remember the last time statistics led to wrongful conviction?

Did those other statistical convictions come with written notes: “I AM EVIL I DID THIS” and “I killed them on purpose because I am not good enough”

[xoggoth]

Dunno, date of the notes is important here. If she had written them before an investigation started it would be proof. On the other hand, if she started writing them during the investigation when under huge stress, maybe she would start blaming herself for mistakes she may have made.

Self-blame (psychology) - Wikipedia

Rather foolish to write something like that but severe stress does not help rational thinking.

[SueEllen]

Mmmm, remember the last time statistics led to wrongful conviction?

The case didn't rely on statistics as no statistician was called to give evidence.

Oh and the defence team had the opportunity to call their own experts to back up the defence case. They didn't.

[DoctorStrangelove]

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/former-cab...193710771.html

Several former Cabinet ministers have expressed concern over the conviction of Lucy Letby, the former nurse, with the issue likely to be raised in Parliament, The Telegraph understands.

The Royal Statistical Society (RSS) has also announced it will “convene a meeting” in the wake of the verdicts, stating that it was aware of “concerns” from RSS members and the wider community regarding the use of statistical evidence in the case.

What do they know? They're only statisticians. Bloody amateurs.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/lucy-letby...060042164.html

A Guardian investigation has interviewed dozens of these experts and seen further evidence from emails and documents. Those raising concerns include several leading consultant neonatologists, some with current or recent leadership roles, and several senior neonatal nurses. Others are public health professionals, GPs, biochemists, a leading government microbiologist, and lawyers. Several of those still working in the NHS have asked to remain anonymous, fearing the impact if they are named.

These experts said they were acutely aware of the suffering of the families involved and did not want to reopen their trauma, but were so troubled they felt compelled to become involved.

Prominent statisticians have described as fallacious a shift table shown to the jury implicating Letby because she was the “one constant presence” when babies died or collapsed.

The Guardian also conducted interviews over several hours with the lead prosecution witness, Dr Dewi Evans, and the specialist instructed for the defence, the neonatologist Dr Mike Hall.