Nurse to appeal murder convictions

16 Dec 2009

An appeal is to be launched by a former nurse who is serving 30 years in prison, after being found guilty of murdering four patients at Leeds hospitals.

Colin Norris has been granted leave to challenge his conviction by Court of Appeal judges, although they said they had not judged the case on any merits.

Lord Justice Aikens, along with two others said the court had "considered very carefully" the papers in the case and announced that "we can say at this stage that we grant leave".

But he added: "I will emphasise that does not mean that we have formed any view on the merits of the case, but we do think it is a suitable case where leave should be granted."

The grounds of appeal, which according to Norris's QC William Clegg all focus on directions given by the trial judge, will be presented in a hearing expected to last one day.

Norris, from Egilsay Terrace, Glasgow, was jailed for life in March last year after being convicted of killing four women in 2002 by giving them massive doses of insulin while working at Leeds General Infirmary and St James's Hospital.

Copyright © Press Association 2009

Linda Smith, an associate solicitor with Irwin Mitchell, which represented the families of two of Norris's victims, said: "This is a very distressing development in a long-running case which goes back to 2002 and which was hugely traumatic for the families previously when they had to go through the court proceedings.

"In the case of Doris Ludlam, her devastated widower is now in a nursing home and so this will be something he and the family could well do without.

"They were robbed of their mother and wife by a callous killing and ever since, have been trying to rebuild their lives and move on as best they can.

"Christmas is an emotional time and a family-orientated time and that will make this news today even more difficult for them than it would have been anyway."

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