BBC Scotland has commissioned a new investigative podcast, Disclosure Investigates: Killer on the Ward, which re-examines the case of Colin Norris, a former nurse from Glasgow dubbed the \u201cAngel of Death.\u201d<\/p>\n
Norris was convicted in 2008 of murdering four elderly patients, and attempting to murder a fifth, in hospitals in Leeds.<\/p>\n
The eight-part series, presented by journalist Louise Shorter and landing on BBC Sounds on 24 September, takes a fresh look at the evidence in the high-profile case.<\/p>\n
For almost two decades, Norris has maintained his innocence. 16 years after his conviction, Norris’s case returned to the spotlight when new evidence, considered by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), threw doubt on his guilt. The series follows the appeal process and explores a question at the heart of the case: were any murders committed at all?<\/p>\n
Through careful review of medical records, Disclosure Investigates revisits the suspected insulin poisoning of five women, who were recovering from hip surgery in hospitals in West Yorkshire. It examines the evidence that underpins Norris\u2019 convictions and reveals why experts continue to disagree on what may have happened. Via a re-appraisal of key witness statements, and an examination of new science, the series reveals a credible scenario in which the murders may never have taken place.<\/p>\n
As Norris fights to clear his name, Louise explores the human consequences of Colin\u2019s conviction. One family begins to process what they believe is long-awaited justice for their relative, while Norris\u2019 mother, June Morrison, relives the moment the jury returned its decision and the reality of watching her son disappear into the prison system.<\/p>\n
The Court of Appeal ultimately upheld Norris’s convictions, and West Yorkshire Constabulary remain convinced this delivered justice for the victims and their families. However, the podcast reveals that not all relatives of the women involved feel the decision has brought closure. For the son of patient zero, Ethel Hall, the appeal ruling does not sit comfortably with him, believing there should have been a retrial.<\/p>\n
But the story does not end with the Court of Appeal\u2019s judgment. Norris\u2019s lawyers believe they have reached the legal threshold for this new evidence to be put to a jury and (after a refusal from the Court of Appeal for the case going to the Supreme Court) are taking their case to the European Court of Human Rights, on the basis that he deserves a fair trial. No serial killer has ever been given parole in the UK, so Norris\u2019s appeal may determine whether he\u2019ll spend the rest of his life in prison.<\/p>\n
Heather Kane-Darling, commissioning editor, says: “This is a complex case of human loss that continues to have a profound impact on those involved. This re-examining not only looks at one of Britain\u2019s most controversial medical convictions, but also shines a light on the appeal process and the British justice system.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Disclosure Investigates: Killer on The Ward will be available on BBC Sounds from Thursday 24 September. It is a BBC Scotland production, commissioned by Gareth Hydes and Heather Kane-Darling. The head of audio and events for BBC Scotland is Victoria Easton-Riley. The series editor for Disclosure Investigates is Shelley Jofre and the senior producer is Kate Bissell.<\/p>\n
Follow for more<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BBC Scotland has commissioned a new investigative podcast, Disclosure Investigates: Killer on the Ward, which re-examines the case…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":774068,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[102,2960,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-774067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/774067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=774067"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/774067\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/774068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=774067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=774067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=774067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}