Context
The defence opening at the original trial was delivered by Mr Benjamin Myers KC in late October 2022 after the prosecution opening. It set out the defence framework the jury was asked to hold in mind throughout the following eight months of evidence.
Key themes of the opening
- Ms Letby denied every allegation. She maintained her innocence throughout her arrest, her interviews, the charges, and would do so in evidence.
- The unit was under strain. Understaffing, plumbing and pharmacy incidents, and a pattern of late transfers of extremely preterm babies were part of the clinical context that explained the cluster of deterioration.
- The medical evidence is not what it appears. Skin signs, X-ray findings, and resuscitation marks are non-specific; the prosecution’s expert was applying criteria that did not fit.
- The shift chart is circular. Events were selected for the chart in part because Ms Letby was present. That is not evidence of her guilt; it is a feature of the methodology.
- The notes are self-blame. They were written by a young nurse who had been told, repeatedly, that she was the suspect in every unexplained death on her unit.
What to read alongside this
the defence closing speech (how the same themes were summed up after eight months of evidence), Ms Letby’s own testimony, the evidence page on unit conditions.