Why are people obsessed with the Lucy Letby case?

Lucy Letby, the most prolific child murderer in modern British history, was found guilty after 10 months of harrowing evidence and rigorous cross examination. So why are so many people convinced that it could have been a mistake?

In brief…

• Despite Lucy Letby's conviction for murdering seven babies, doubts have been raised about the guilty verdict, from amateur internet sleuths to statistical experts.
• The News Agents interview conspiracy theory expert David Aaranovitch, who says this has been fueled by a history of miscarriages of justice, distrust in institutions, and a fascination with true crime.
• The “sheer ubiquity of conspiracy is both really interesting” and “potentially disturbing”, say The News Agents.

What’s the story?

Theories are swirling about Lucy Letby, the most prolific child murderer in modern British history.

In August 2023, the former neonatal nurse was convicted of murdering seven babies who were in her care and attempting to kill six more.

A flurry of armchair detectives still contest the outcome, churning out a range of theories protesting Letby’s innocence. But experts have concerns too, with a group of doctors, nurses and scientists claiming there was a flaw in the statistical evidence presented to the jury.

It has also reached the top of the national political conversations, with Conservative MP Sir David Davis raising doubts about the guilty verdict.

So why are so many people convinced that she might not be guilty, despite the 10 months of harrowing evidence and rigorous cross examination that informed the jury’s conclusion?

We are we so obsessed with the Lucy Letby case?

Why do people have doubts?

David Aaranovitch, who writes about conspiracy theories in his book Voodoo Histories, says there was a “perfect storm” of factors that sparked doubt in some people’s minds.

He told The News Agents: “What you have is a set of inexplicable acts - proved in the court of law but alleged if you don’t believe Lucy Letby to be guilty - which are very difficult to understand.”

There has also been a small history of people who have had convictions overturned for killing small children in ways that were “not obvious”, such as the case of Sally Clarke, he says.

“You can easily point to all these terrible miscarriages…and say ‘aren't people getting wiser about this stuff now and isn't it good that we're doing this?”, Emily says.

Emily adds: “Or You could say: ‘It's just about the internet. It's just about more people sitting at home in their rooms going through incredible chambers and depths and arguments with people they've never met before.

“And actually, it doesn't even matter whether you've had miscarriages in the past, people will be doing it.”

That’s because, as expected, speculation runs rampant online and on social media.

Aaranovitch says this is in part due to a rise in the popularity of true crime podcasts and TV series.

He says: “We also have this incredible true crime genre, which runs through everything now… which is that everybody thinks that they're capable of solving murders.”

That is why some people have a “deep desire to be the person who uncovers the real truth about this miscarriage of justice”, he says.

But what does allowing these theories to flourish say about the UK as a nation and its trust in institutions, laws and courts?

These are the questions Emily and Lewis ask on today’s episode of The News Agents.

The News Agents’ take

“The sheer ubiquity of conspiracy is both really interesting, potentially disturbing”, Lewis says.

“The reaction to it seems to us, in terms of the online commentary, the online sleuthing, the conspiracies which have resulted from it, unprecedented”.

Emily notes that what makes this challenging is the fact there are sometimes miscarriages of justice and this is partially what has sparked a distrust in our state institutions.

“We were quite nervous about this, walking into a conspiracy, oxygenating a conspiracy, but also allowing for this idea that there are mistrials, miscarriages of justice”, she says.

The Hillsborough disaster, the Post Office scandal and the infected blood scandal are all examples.

But ultimately, if you haven’t looked at all the evidence yourself, you are not well placed to come to make your own judgment, Emily says.

According to Lewis, there has not always been the same level scepticism and questioning that we see in today‘s society.

He says: “We used to have so much deference and probably almost never question anything, and now it's like we believe nothing. And that is the default, which I find caustic.”

Lewis also believes some of the sceptism stems from the fact Letby is a young woman, and therefore not your typical killer.

He says: “I think it is just difficult for us. I think we can't comprehend there aren't that many female serial killers…We tend to think of young men, spree killers.

“We can't comprehend it, partly because she's a woman, partly because she's a young one, partly because she's killing babies. None of it seems to compute in our mind."

Why are there so many conspiracy theories around the Lucy Letby case?

Listen in full on The News Agents

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