New Yorker Blocks Access To Article Challenging ‘Killer Nurse’ Conviction For UK Readers Due To Court Order
UK readers attempting to read the piece, however, are blocked from reading it on the publication’s website. (Screengrab via NewYorker.com)
A new feature on convicted child serial killer Lucy Letby by The New Yorker is restricted for readers in the UK due to a court order limiting press coverage of Letby’s ongoing appeal and retrial on one count.
The 13,000 word article, written by Rachel Aviv and published on Monday, raises questions about evidence and challenges the verdict against the former nurse, who last year was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of seven babies and six attempted murders.
Letby’s trial, spanning from October 2022 to August 2023, involved accusations of her injecting babies with air and physically abusing them with medical instruments. She pled not guilty to the 18 charges.
UK readers attempting to read the piece, however, are blocked from reading it on the publication’s website. The article is available to read for British users of The New Yorker app and print magazine subscribers.
A New Yorker spokesperson told Press Gazette on Tuesday: “To comply with a court order restricting press coverage of Lucy Letby’s ongoing trial, The New Yorker has limited access to Rachel Aviv’s article for readers in the United Kingdom.”
Letby faces a retrial for one count of attempted murder set to begin in June and is also awaiting the decision on her appeal, the details of which remain undisclosed due to legal constraints.
The trial was complicated by reporting restrictions. While typical UK restrictions applied, to avoid prejudicing the jury, reporters needed to manage the fact that seventeen babies and their families, alongside eight hospital employees, were granted anonymity, a move unprecedented outside of national security or risk-to-life cases.
At the time, Press Gazette reported how British broadcasters, including the BBC, Sky News, ITN, and newspapers, like The Guardian, Telegraph, The Times and The Sun jointly contested the anonymity applications as being in conflict with the principle of open justice. However, the trial judge ruled in favour of granting the applications.
