Beverley Allitt

Beverley Gail Allitt (born 4 October 1968) is an Inglis nourice an serial killer who wis convictit o murtherin fower childer, attemptin tae murther three ither childer, an causin grievous bodily harm tae a further sax childer. The creemes wur committit ower a period o 59 days atween Februar an Aprile 1991 in the childer's waird at Grantham and Kesteven Hospital, Lincolnshire, whaur Allitt wis employed as a State Enrolled Nurse. She admeenistered lairge doses o insulin tae at least twa victims an a lairge air bubble wis foond in the body o anither, but polis wur unable tae establish hou aw the attacks wur carriet oot. In Mey 1993, at Nottingham Crown Court, she receivit 13 life sentences for the creemes. Mr. Juistice Latham, sentencin, tauld Allitt that she wis "a serious danger" tae ithers an wis unlikely iver tae be considered safe enough tae be released. She is detained at Rampton Secure Hospital in Nottinghamshire.

Victims

• Liam Taylor (seiven weeks auld) – wis admittit tae the waird for a chest infection an wis murthert on 21 Februar 1991.
• Timothy Hardwick (eleiven year auld) – a boy wi cerebral palsy who wis admittit tae the waird efter haein an epileptic seizur. He wis murthert on 5 Mairch 1991.
• Kayley Desmond (than ane year auld) – admittit tae the waird for a chest infection. Allitt attemptit tae murther her on 8 Mairch 1991 but the bairn wis resuscitatit an transferred tae anither hospital, whaur she recovered.
• Paul Crampton (than five month auld) – admittit tae the waird for a chest infection on 20 Mairch 1991. Allitt attemptit tae murther him wi an insulin owerdose on three occasions the day afore he wis transferred tae anither hospital, whaur he recovered.
• Bradley Gibson (than five year auld) – admittit tae the waird for pneumonia. He suffered twa cardiac arrests on 21 Mairch 1991, due tae Allitt's admeenisterin insulin owerdoses, afore he wis transferred tae anither hospital, whaur he recovered.
• Yik Hung Chan (kent as Henry an aw, than twa year auld) – admittit tae the waird follaein a faw on 21 Mairch 1991. He suffered an oxygen desaturation attack afore he wis transferred tae anither hospital, whaur he recovered.
• Becky Phillips (twaw months auld) – admittit tae the waird for gastroenteritis on 1 Aprile 1991. She wis admeenistered an insulin owerdose bi Allitt an dee'd at hame twa days later.
• Katie Phillips (than twa month auld) – Becky's twin wis admittit tae the waird as a precaution follaein the daith o her sister. She haed tae be resuscitatit twice efter unexplained apnoeic episodes (which wur later foond tae be caused bi insulin an potassium owerdoses). Follaein the seicont time that she stoppit braithin, she wis transferred tae anither hospital but, bi this time, haed suffered permanent brain damage, pairtial paralysis an pairtial blindness due tae oxygen deprivation. Her parents haed been sae grateful tae Allitt's care o Becky that thay haed askit her tae be Katie's godmither. In 1999 Katie wis awairdit £2.125 million, bi Lincolnshire Health Authority, tae pey for treatment an equipment for the rest o her life. Lincolnshire Health Authority did no accept liability, but did acknawledge that Katie wis entitled tae compensation.
• Claire Peck (fifteen months auld) – admittit tae the waird follaein an asthma attack on 22 Aprile 1991. Efter bein put on a ventilator, she wis left alane in Allitt's care for a short interval durin which time she haed a cardiac arrest. She wis resuscitatit but dee'd efter a seicont cardiac arrest, again follaein a period when she wis left alane wi Allitt.

Trial an impreesonment

Allitt haed attackit thirteen childer, fower fatally, ower a 59 day period afore she wis brocht up on chairges for her creemes. It wis anerlie follaein the daith o Claire Peck that medical staff became suspicious o the nummer o cardiac arrests on the childer's waird an polis wur cried in. It wis foond that Allitt wis the anerlie nourice on duty for aw the attacks on the childer an she haed access tae the drogs an aw.

Fower o Allitt's victims haed dee'd. She wis chairgit wi attemptit murther an grievous bodily harm in November 1991. On Friday 28 Mey 1993 she wis foond guilty on each chairge an sentencit tae 13 concurrent terms o life impreesonment, which she is servin at Rampton Secure Hospital in Nottinghamshire.

Allitt's trial judge recommendit she serve a minimum term o 40 years (ane o the langest minimum terms iver suggestit bi a trial judge, Heich Court judge or politeecian), which wad keep her in preeson till at least 2032 an the age o 64, an even then she coud be released anerlie if she wis nae langer considered tae be a danger tae the public. In August 2006, Allitt launched an appeal on the lenth o her sentence. On 6 December 2007, the Heich Court ruled that Allitt wad hae tae serve at least 30 years in preeson, meanin she will nou hae tae wait till at least 2022 an the age o 54 till she can apply for parole.

Allitt's motives hae niver been fully explained. Accordin tae ane theory, she showed symptoms o factitious disorder, kent as Münchausen syndrome an aw. Münchausen syndrome bi proxy, kent as factitious disorder bi proxy an aw mey expleen her actions. This controversial disorder is describit as involvin a pattern o abius in which a perpetrator ascribes tae, or pheesically falsifees illnesses in someane unner thair care tae attract attention.

In popular cultur

In 2005, the BBC made a dramatisation o the story, "Angel of Death", in which Charlie Brooks played the role o Allitt.

In 2008, the Beverley Allitt story wis tauld as pairt o the production company Title Role's recreation documentaries, "Crimes That Shook Great Britain" in its awn episode, wi a young Lexi Wolfe playin Allitt.