Innocent Murder ; The Trial of Sister Jessie McTavish, Edinburgh 1974 (Four Scots Trials Book 2)

Product Information

He dosed her with morphine before administering the insulin, and Mrs Wilby was found barely conscious in a state of a sudden and unexplained hypoglycaemic attack. He was apprehended after staff at the hospital noticed that it was always when he treated patients, most of whom only had minor injuries such as dislocated shoulders, that they inexplicably had respiratory failures.

Was "Bible John" one of the four Serial killers living in Glasgow in the 1960s or was Bible John a serial killer at all? In 1975, 35 patients at the VA Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, suffered respiratory failure, 10 of whom died. Initially she was linked to nine incidents in which children either died or required resuscitation, in a single year, and it was claimed that all had occurred during her shifts. Perhaps he felt he was releasing them from a state that he considered worse than death, relishing the power to grant life or death. Doctors may have said things to family (for example, ‘… he/ she is doing well, should go home next week’) when they really meant: ‘… this is close to the end, nothing more we can do, better to die at home’.

The establishment wants the public to believe that, since the Shipman case, it is now easier to detect when a health professional kills (or sexually assaults) a patient. Now of course the director of the hospital is in control – probably misinformed by his doctors, obviously having to show his ‘damage control’ capacities and to minimize any bad PR for his hospital. Detective Chief Superintendent Chris Gregg described Norris as "extremely arrogant" and without remorse for killing Doris Ludlam, 80, Bridget Bourke, 88, Irene Crookes, 79 and Ethel Hall, 86, while he worked at the Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) and the city's St James's Hospital. Post conviction, Sister McTavish got not one but two lucky breaks when a legal precedent from the days of capital punishment led to a successful appeal and the fact that in 1975 she was not subjected to a re-trial.

McTavish was tried in 1974 for the murder of an 80-year-old patient, Elizabeth Lyon [4] [5] and assaulting three other patients by giving them illegal injections. On January 11,2001, while studying at Dundee University, he attended a lecture by his tutor, Dr Isabella McLafferty, about the abuse of elderly patients. It is impossible to imagine how Norris rationalised his responsibilities as a nurse to preserve life and protect his charges from harm with his acts as a killer. But in 2005, with 7,000 statements from hospital staff, relatives and patients, and 3,000 pieces of evidence, he was charged with four counts of murder and one of attempted murder, leading to a trial that started in October last year and ended yesterday with his conviction.

I’m not going to go into what I think about the note or anything else as I know it’s been discussed. This week Allan tells us all about Insulin murders and attempted murders including the story of nurse Jessie McTavish who was accused of killing patients in her care in the 1970s. The press and public quickly develop a morbid fascination with the motives and behaviour of the accused doctor or nurse, possibly in an effort to try to better understand why they have committed what seems to be a gross breach of their instincts and training. There is a good mentorship and buddy system in place for new staff to the Department and this was in place at the time Benjamin Geen worked in the Emergency Department. Lucia de Berk, a paediatric nurse, was found guilty of seven murders and three attempted murders in a case that has close parallels with that of Sally Clark, the mother convicted in the UK of murdering her two children.

Nancy Grace dives deep into the day’s most shocking crimes and asks the tough questions in her new daily podcast – Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Another conference, gather some dossiers – half a dozen very suspicious cases to report to the police to begin with. The court in Arnhem subsequently concluded the case by declaring her innocent of the murders, a course of action urged on the court by the public prosecutors. With that knowledge and love for ingredients McTavish moved back to South East Queensland and opened his first business, a delicatessen. However, due to the actions of this man, a person from whom they should have received care and been able to trust, they passed away.I would support the implementation of a fail-safe system where every death has to be signed off, particularly where the elderly person has no relatives to protect them. Ben Geen’s case is very similar to those of his fellow UK nurse, Colin Norris (also jailed for 30 years). A review of the role of roster data and evidence of attendance in cases of suspected excess deaths in a medical context". In fact, if carrying out their true role as investigators, the police should have asked why these deaths, which had been accepted as non-suspicious when each patient died, are suddenly being viewed as unlawful killing and all linked to one person. WickedWe is reader supported, some products displayed may earn us a commission if you purchase through our links.