“The first speech in a court case is always convincing— until the cross-examination starts!” (Proverbs 18:17 The Message)
I am, apparently, “crass and insensitive” – at least, according to Wes Streeting, the UK Health Secretary.
Guilty or innocent?
And so, apparently, are all those who, like me, are questioning the Lucy Letby verdict, which convicted the neo-natal nurse as an evil serial killer, with some actively calling for a retrial.
I truly hope that those parents whose babies died, or were killed, in the Countess of Chester hospital do not feel further traumatised by the questions being asked – truly a parent’s grief is unimaginably sad.
But as I read all the details of the conviction, and the reasons for it, immediately following the verdict – i.e. long before doubts began to emerge in the media – I was kept awake at night worrying and wondering whether this was a miscarriage of justice. There were indeed many elements that seemed to point towards her guilt – but none was definitive; there was no ‘smoking gun’; no witnesses to any of the baby deaths. That said, it’s possible that Letby really is guilty – the trial continued for months, and the jury took a long time to carefully consider everything they had heard.
There were indeed many elements that seemed to point towards her guilt – but none was definitive; there was no ‘smoking gun’; no witnesses to any of the baby deaths.
Yet strange little details continued to concern me. One journalist who attended court throughout much of the proceedings pointed out that he became convinced of her guilt – as, it seems, did some others – when it was disclosed that she apparently showed no emotion on being first questioned and accused by the police. Most people, if innocent, would naturally have been shouting or crying their innocence. Lucy Letby did not.
Beyond reasonable doubt
This could, of course, simply be further evidence of her guilt. But was it? I personally struggle to know how I should express emotion when initially presented with even quite devastating news. I often appear unaffected by it – and I am not alone in this, even if it’s not particularly common.
More significant, perhaps, is that various medics and statisticians have since come forward to express serious doubts about Lucy’s conviction. Staff at her hospital were apparently cautioned against testifying in her favour. There are claims that Letby was told by counsellors to write the notes in which she apparently admitted 'I am evil' before it was used as evidence of her guilt. A Maths professor has claimed that the spike in baby deaths at the hospital where Letby worked was not out of the ordinary. And now we hear that neo-natal nurses are leaving the profession – fearful that they could be ‘stitched-up’, blamed for deaths that are possibly more the fault of a failing system. Indeed, concerns have been raised that the ward was regularly understaffed, and that there was evidence of a bacterial outbreak in the period under question.
It is not totally implausible that Lucy Letby is guilty of murder – maybe she really is ‘evil’, as the media have claimed. But is that enough to be sure? A guilty verdict in our court system should be one that is only reached when it is clear ‘beyond all reasonable doubt’. So it is surely not, after all, insensitive or crass to question such a verdict, when there is a genuine risk that an innocent woman has been imprisoned and vilified for life.
... it is surely not, after all, insensitive or crass to question such a verdict, when there is a genuine risk – and some would claim even a likelihood – that an innocent woman has been imprisoned and vilified for life.
The right questions
But when is it right to question what we are told? Certainly, we can’t question everything we hear – no-one has the brain power, the energy or the time to engage in a deep dive of the facts concerning every little scenario. In many ways, we have to decide in advance who and what we can trust, in general terms at least. Yet questioning is vital.
The Bible encourages us to feel comfortable questioning even God Himself. The Psalms are good examples of this, many of which ask God such pertinent questions as “You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” (Ps 43:2). I once sat down to study all the questions that Jesus asked – writing each one down. My list ran to many pages. Questioning was a technique Jesus used to get people to really think. He also wanted to know what was on the hearts of those he spoke to. And He, too, questioned His Father.
The verse quoted at the top highlights the importance of raising questions in matters of justice particularly: “The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him” (Prov 18.17). Ensuring true justice, which is a key theme throughout the Scriptures, can be a tricky matter, requiring much wisdom. Retrials are, at times, necessary. We have seen in recent months the convictions for scores of Post Office workers – as well as that of Andrew Malkinson, wrongly convicted of rape – dramatically overturned.
Challenging our authorities
But the need to question goes so much further than court cases, vitally important as they are. We saw what were probably the most damaging policies ever inflicted on our nation (and much of the world) in 2020, when draconian restrictions were foisted upon society – with devastating consequences that are still being felt today in many spheres of life.
But they failed terribly in this – instead pushing the Government to ‘lock down harder and longer’.
The worst of these could surely have been avoided had our parliamentary system worked as it should – with the Opposition questioning every move and detail of the unprecedented and highly dubious laws being passed by the then Government, interrogating them on the impact of each restriction, forcing them to count the cost. But they failed terribly in this – instead pushing the Government to ‘lock down harder and longer’.
In this day of ‘fake news’, disinformation and partisan, polarised politics, getting to the truth of things can seem harder than ever. It becomes all the more necessary to keep an open mind, and to query and ponder many of the things we hear. But at the same time, we must be careful not to simply reject everything that we hear that goes against our personal worldviews.
Rumours and lies
I’m not sure if we’ll ever get to the bottom of whether a few Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio have been eating pet cats – as both Donald Trump and J.D. Vance have claimed! Yet, many Trump supporters immediately accepted this as fact, without seeking the tiniest supporting evidence – making some of those same immigrants terrified of reprisals. Many others, on the other hand, were quick to dismiss the sensational story out of hand, even ridiculing the very possibility of it.
... at the same time, we must be careful not to simply reject everything that we hear that goes against our personal worldviews.
It seems to have been based on local rumours – and to have stemmed from elsewhere in Ohio (not Springfield) – where one woman (not an immigrant) was arrested for torturing and eating a cat, with footage of the arrest shared on social media. Is there more to the story than this? It’s difficult to ascertain for sure.
Some cultures do eat cats and dogs – the Chinese are well-known for it (apparently it’s a long-held tradition in parts of Switzerland, too). When touring China many years ago, with very limited language, the one thing my friends and I made sure of was to know exactly what meat we were ordering in local restaurants! We weren’t prepared to take chances!
Terrible things have happened when people rush to believe (or disbelieve) rumours – not just recently, but throughout history. Some of the awful pogroms on Jews were based on lies spread that they sacrificed and ate children – the so-called blood libels. So called ‘witch’ hunts happened in a similar way – and are still going on in some countries today, with rumours often begun by those who stand to gain from an accusation, according to the Rev Dr Helen Hall.
Wisdom from above
However, we should be careful to follow up our questions – if they are required at all – with a bit of research – looking for evidence that will make things clearer. Those who refuse to accept glaring evidence – such as those who have denied the Holocaust – can cause tremendous damage. There are reams of definitive evidence to corroborate this historical tragedy – and anyone who questions in a proper manner will quickly be led to the real facts.
As Christians, we must be very careful in what we choose to believe or disbelieve, being heedful to keep an open mind wherever the facts are not clear.
As Christians, we must be very careful in what we choose to believe or disbelieve, being heedful to keep an open mind wherever the facts are not clear. We must be careful, too, not to act as ‘the world’ does, but to always seek the truth.
We know that Jesus is the Truth, and we know that truth was so important to Him that He chose this as one of the descriptors of Himself. Along with truth, great wisdom is also required.
Let us pray to God our Father to give us wisdom and discernment in every situation where we find ourselves unsure of the truth of a matter.