The Trial of Lucy Letby

“Trust me, I’m a nurse.” To their cost, the parents of seven dead babies and six with life-changing injuries took neo-natal nurse Lucy Letby, the most prolific serial child-killer in UK history, at her word. Letby’s trial lasted over 10 months and Liz Hull, the Daily Mail’s northern correspondent, alongside journalist and broadcaster Caroline Cheetham, covered it from start to finish in the first British podcast ever to report a jury trial as it progressed.

Hull attended the court every day, making precise shorthand notes of proceedings, and she and Cheetham turned these into conversational scripts, using actors to deliver them. In 46 episodes, over 11 months, they effectively brought the listener into the courtroom, augmenting the exchanges between witnesses, barristers and the judge with interviews with lawyers, criminologists, police, key witnesses and even the parents of twins whom Letby attacked.

The podcast attracted widespread praise, including for highlighting the vital role court reporting plays in the pursuit of open justice. It has been downloaded more than 14 million times globally.  The podcast “brilliantly paired new technology with one of the oldest disciplines in journalism – court reporting,” illustrating “how traditional journalism can reach a whole new audience,” concluded the judges.