A nurse convicted of murdering four patients and attempting to kill a fifth has been denied permission to appeal to the Supreme Court. Colin Campbell, 49, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2008 for the murders of Doris Ludlam, Bridget Bourke, Irene Crookes, and Ethel Hall on orthopaedic wards in Leeds hospitals.
The case relied on circumstantial evidence that the women, aged 79 to 88, suffered severe and unexplained hypoglycemia, a condition where blood sugar drops dangerously low, typically seen in diabetics. Campbell was present at the time of each incident or shortly after, and it was suggested he had injected the patients.
Campbell, formerly known as Colin Norris, has always denied wrongdoing. His lawyers argued that new medical knowledge shows unexplained hypoglycemia is more common than previously thought, making his conviction unsafe. The case drew comparisons to that of Lucy Letby, a nurse convicted of murdering seven babies.
However, three Court of Appeal judges – Lady Justice Macur, Sir Stephen Irwin, and Mr Justice Picken – rejected Campbell's application to take his case to the Supreme Court. This follows a 14-day hearing in June where his appeal was dismissed, after being referred by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).
The CCRC, which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, noted there was “very little evidence” pointing to Campbell's guilt, except that the cluster of cases suggested his involvement. Michael Mansfield KC, representing Campbell, highlighted four other cases of sudden hypoglycemia after Campbell was removed from his job.
The decision blocks further appeals, ending a series of unsuccessful challenges since his conviction at Newcastle Crown Court in 2008. Campbell was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 30 years.
