Was There Ever A Crime? The Trials of Lucy Letby with John Sweeney

In this episode hosts John Sweeney and Ed Abel Smith ask critical questions of the Cheshire Police investigation into the state of the neonatal clinic at the Countess of Chester Hospital: why did the coppers plump for the conclusion of a serial killer at large? Why did they hire, then fire a professor of statistics and not tell the defence? And did the police understand the complex medical reality, that the unit was looking after very sick premature babies, some of which had every chance of dying naturally? This is an independent podcast production, to support our work please visit our Crowdfunder 

In episode 2 - After a spike in deaths in the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2015, hospital bosses called in a team of independent expert doctors to find the root cause. Their report was damning, criticising environment, staffing and the consultants doing two scheduled ward rounds a week - the standard is two a day. The consultants pointed to a killer nurse on the loose. But did they have skin in the game? This podcast is a self funded independent production.  To support our journalism please donate via our Crowdfunder - https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/lucy-letby-was-there-ever-a-crime

Lucy Letby is the most prolific serial killer of our time. She is convicted of murdering seven babies and trying to harm many others. But there are serious questions about not only whether she is a killer at all, but whether there was ever a crime. In episode one, John Sweeney and Edward Abel Smith discover that all is not as it seems at the Countess of Chester Hospital, the place Letby is accused of carrying out her killing spree. Specifically, there were problems with the plumbing, meaning the neonatal unit where the babies died, was on a regular basis, literally full of shit.

New podcast announcement. Welcome to our new podcast series 'Was There Ever A Crime: The Trials of Lucy Letby'. Please help us fund this important journalistic project, go to our Crowdfunder here - https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/lucy-letby-was-there-ever-a-crime Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Lucy Letby is Britain's worst female serial killer in modern times. Or is she? On the day she was first convicted, veteran journalist John Sweeney tweeted: "Lucy Letby may well be the victim of a miscarriage of justice, that the Crown has taken a cluster of accidental and natural deaths and pointed the finger at Letby. There is no compelling evidence of a single murder. The law, sometimes, gets it wrong." In a forensic six-part podcast series, Sweeney, who helped free cot death mum Sally Clark in 2003, and investigative writer Edward Abel Smith address the elephant in the courtroom: was there ever a crime? The Crown's version is that there is compelling medical evidence, a confession and a spreadsheet proving she is the only common denominator when death happens on her watch, time and again. Lock her up and throw away the key. That's exactly what the trial judge did. Judge Goss told the court: "There was a deep malevolence bordering on sadism in your actions… you will spend the rest of your life in prison." The parents of those poor babies who died at the Countess of Chester Hospital have been going through hell, with every detail of their child's death being laid out in front of them. Nothing should take away from their tragedy or grief. But it is important in a country where we pride ourselves on our legal system, that Lucy's case is properly scrutinised. The trigger to this case was a spike in deaths in the unit, which looked after very premature, very small babies, sometimes only two pounds in weight at birth, from three deaths per year up to ten in 2015 and eight in 2016. How come? The series examines evidence from multiple Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections and internal reports that highlight significant issues at the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit. These reports indicate the unit was understaffed, with workforce levels 20% below national standards, and faced challenges in maintaining proper care standards. The CQC noted poor maintenance of premises, to the point where some risks had to be escalated during inspections due to patient safety concerns. Internal documents from 2015 revealed the unit was "currently understaffed and underskilled," according to the nurse manager. The hospital's overall rating remained "requires improvement," with particular concerns raised about maternity and neonatal services. In other words the hospital was in the shit, literally and metaphorically, in bad condition, poorly staffed, the sink flooded with raw sewage when it rained heavily; that the spreadsheets proving Lucy's guilt tell a lie as dishonest as painting the target around the arrow after it has been shot; that the babies who died were very, very sick; that her "confession" is no such thing rather therapeutic processing of stress; that the medical evidence against her is a poorly evidenced theory, not fact; that the spike in baby deaths in Lucy's unit can be readily explained by the hospital accepting the most vulnerable babies for the first time, a national surge in neonatal deaths and the shit; that there was never proof of a single crime. And the hospital did not publish evidence of a high-risk bacteria in the tap at the neonatal unit. This podcast, from the makers of the award-winning podcast series, Hunting Ghislaine, will be an extraordinary listen. Look out for the first episode, "Was There Ever A Crime? The Trials of Lucy Letby: A Hospital Full Of Shit" The series is being crowdfunded as we are without any commercial backers for this project. If you fear that Lucy Letby has been the victim of a miscarriage of justice, please contribute to our crowdfunder. Twitter/X: @johnsweeneyroar / @edwardabelsmith

John Sweeney has been keeping track of the people caught up in Vladimir Putin's war crimes for over 20 years. This week, he remembers some of the people silenced for speaking out - and why their deaths were 'almost certainly' at the hands of the Kremlin. Taking On Putin is funded by you - the listener. You can support the podcast on Crowdfunder. Follow John on Twitter - @johnsweeneyroar

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John Sweeney has been uncovering the evidence of Vladimir Putin's war crimes for over twenty years. Now, he's on the ground in Kyiv reporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This episode, John reveals how Putin uses sex to shame his opponents, but has made it extremely dangerous for others to discuss the the Russian president's own affairs. Taking On Putin is funded by you - the listener. You can support the podcast on Crowdfunder.   Follow John on Twitter - @johnsweeneyroar

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John Sweeney has been in Kyiv since before Russia's invasion of Ukraine - reporting the war from on the ground. But he's been on Vladimir Putin's case for over twenty years. This episode, he examines the evidence for the poisoning and murder of Kremlin critics going back decades, and recalls his own face-to-face encounter with President Putin. Taking On Putin is funded by you - the listener. You can support the podcast on Crowdfunder.   Follow John on Twitter - @johnsweeneyroar

John Sweeney's been on Vladimir Putin's case for more than 20 years - reporting on killings and crimes committed under Putin's leadership in Russia and beyond.  John's been reporting from on the ground in Ukraine since before Russia invaded, but now he's returning to London for a short break.  In this special episode, John is interviewed by his brilliant Ukrainian fixer Liza, and they reflect on the past three months of war.  Taking On Putin is funded by you - the listener. You can support the podcast on Crowdfunder.   Follow John on Twitter - @johnsweeneyroar

John Sweeney has been on Vladimir Putin's case for over twenty years. He's back in the UK after nearly three months in Kyiv reporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This episode John revisits a war-like act by Russian operatives on British soil - using a banned nerve agent to try to kill a former Russian spy. John asks why the British response to the attack was so muted. Taking On Putin is funded by you - the listener. You can support the podcast on Crowdfunder.   Follow John on Twitter - @johnsweeneyroar

John Sweeney has been on Vladimir Putin's case for over twenty years.  He's been in Kyiv since February, reporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine from on the ground. Early predictions of a rapid Russian victory turned out to be wrong, but they're doing much better in Eastern Ukraine. This episode John looks at the rot at the heart of the Russian system that's weakened their military machine, and the failures of Western leadership that mean a Ukrainian victory is also far from certain. Taking On Putin is funded by you - the listener. You can support the podcast on Crowdfunder. Follow John on Twitter @johnsweeneyroar

John Sweeney has been on Vladimir Putin's case for over twenty years.  He spent nearly three months in Kyiv reporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Currently back in London, this episode John explores the opposition to Putin from within Russia.  He tells the story of those who've given everything - even up to their lives - taking on the Kremlin to fight for democracy. Taking On Putin is funded by you - the listener. You can support the podcast on Crowdfunder. Follow John on Twitter @johnsweeneyroar

John Sweeney has been on Vladimir Putin's case for over twenty years - reporting on evidence of Kremlin-backed crimes in Russia, Chechnya, Ukraine and beyond.  John's been reporting from Kyiv throughout the Russian invasion. In this episode he examines stories that the master of the Kremlin may be seriously ill - and considers whether Putin facing his own mortality could be a motivation for launching a war that is costing so many other people's lives. Taking On Putin is funded by you - the listener. You can support the podcast on Crowdfunder. Follow John on Twitter @johnsweeneyroar

John Sweeney has been on Vladimir Putin's case for over twenty years. He's been reporting from Kyiv throughout the Russian invasion. In this final episode of Taking On Putin, John heads East towards the frontline, to speak to the people bearing the brunt of the Kremlin's war machine. He asks what is the real cost for all of us, of not taking on Putin? Taking On Putin is funded by you - the listener. You can support the podcast on Crowdfunder. Follow John on Twitter @johnsweeneyroar  

John Sweeney has been on Vladimir Putin’s case for over twenty years. In this special bonus episode of Taking on Putin, we bring you a sneak peek of John’s new audiobook, Killer in the Kremlin. Killer in the Kremlin is brought to you by Penguin, and will be published on Thursday 21 July 2022. Available on Audible, Apple Books, Google Play and other audio retailers.

The journalist John Sweeney has been on Vladimir Putin's case for 22 years since he first saw evidence of war crimes by the Russian army under Putin's command in Chechnya. John first called Vladimir Putin a war criminal in March 2000. And again and again he's seen evidence of Vladimir Putin killing people, killing people in Russia, killing people in Britain and around the world. Reporting from Kyiv this podcast will answer the question on everyones lips, who could do this to Ukraine, to civilians, to children? Who is Putin?  Taking On Putin is funded by you - the listener. You can support the podcast on Crowdfunder. - Follow John on Twitter - @johnsweeneyroar