Case Study- Beverley Allitt-Angel of Death

BEVERLEY ALLITT-ANGEL OF DEATH

Background

A series of murders, the victims being infants and children between the age group of 17 and 11 years old were sought at the Grantham and Kesteven hospital in Lincolnshire. The killings were unfortunate mostly due to the cause of death being cardiac arrest or insulin (lethal hypoglycaemia). When after a 15-month-old, Claire Peck was found dead in the hospital, the suspicion rose within the staff of the hospital and the police was called in.

Brief about Beverley Allitt

While growing up with her 3 other siblings, she had weird tendencies. She wore dressings and casts over the wounds which she did even had, just to draw attention to her. She was an overweight adolescent and thus became more attention-seeking. She showed her aggression to others. She spent a lot of time in the hospital for medical attention and also got her perfectly healthy appendix removed. She also “self-harmed” herself.

She grew up studying and training as a nurse. She was yet suspected of odd behavior (smearing faeces on walls in nursing home). Her boyfriend at that time said later that she was aggressive, manipulative and deceptive, claiming false pregnancy as well as rape, before the end of the relationship. She failed her nursing exams. She was taken in for a temporary 6-month contract at the chronically understaffed Grantham and Kesteven Hospital in Lincolnshire in 1991, where she began work in Children’s Ward 4.

Crimes

1. Death of Liam Taylor- 1^st victim

On 21^st February 1991, a 7-month-old, Liam Taylor, was brought into the hospital with a chest infection complain. He was soon admitted on ward 4. Allitt assured his parents that she can manage their son’s condition and they need not worry about him. She asked the parents to go home and rest. After his parents returned, Allitt suggested that Liam had a respiratory emergency but he has recovered. Allitt also volunteered the extra night duty to look after Liam and also that his parents spent that night at the hospital. Liam was observed with yet another respiratory crisis before midnight but it felt that he recovered that too. Allitt was alone with the boy and his condition worsened drastically. Red blotches appeared in his face and he became pale. Allitt called for an emergency resuscitation team. The team members were confused because the alarm monitors failed to sound when the breathing stopped. Liam suffered from cardiac arrest and also from severe brain damage. He was only alive on the life support. On medical advice, his parents made the decision to remove the life support. Liam died due to heart failure. Allitt was not questioned about the death.

2. Timothy Hardwick-2^nd victim

After 2 weeks following Liam’s death, Timothy, 11-year-old boy, had cerebral palsy. He was admitted on ward 4 on 5^th March, 1991 following an epileptic fit. Again Allitt took over and took care of Timothy. Again, when she was alone with Timothy, she summoned for emergency resuscitation team. They found Timothy without pulse and he was turning blue. The team was unable to revive him. Autopsy was also conduced but cause of death remained unknown.

3. Kayley Desmond-3^rd victim

One-year-old Kayley was admitted to ward 4 with chest infection on 3^rd March 1991. She seemed to be recovering from it very well. After 5 days, Allitt was attending her. Kayley suffered cardiac arrest in the same bed as Liam’s. The resuscitation team was able to revive her. She was transferred to another hospital in Nottingham. When physicians where doing a thorough examination, they discovered an odd puncture hole under Kayley’s armpit. They also managed to find an air bubble near the puncture mark and attributed it be an accidental injection. No further investigation followed.

4. Paul Crampton-4^th victim

A 5-month-old was admitted in ward 4 on 20^th March 1991 for a non-serious bronchial infection. Allitt was attending him. Allitt summoned help. Paul suffered Insulin shock. He almost suffered near-coma three different times. Doctors revived him each him. They were unable to explain the fluctuations in the insulin levels. He was shifted to another hospital. Ambulance was called and Allitt rode him to a hospital in Nottingham. He was again found with too much insulin. Paul was fortunate enough to survive all the situations.

5. Bradley Gibson-5^th victim

5-year-old Bradley was a pneumonia sufferer. He suffered an unexpected cardiac arrest but the resuscitation team managed to save him. His blood test reports stated that his insulin level was high which made no sense to the attending physicians. Allitt attended him the next night and he suffered another heart attack. He was transferred to another hospital in Nottingham. Bradley recovered there.

These were the few cases in which Allitt acted as the Angel of Death. After a few more similar cases, suspicion rose for Allitt and the police was called upon.

Arrest

The police was able to gather sufficient evidence against Allitt after the investigation was started by 26^th July 1991. But Allitt was formally charged for the murders in November 1991.

Allitt refused any charges of murders initially and appealed that she was merely taking care of her victims. She was calm and restraint. When her home was searched, parts of missing nursing log were found. After her background check, the police indicated that Allitt had a pattern of behavior which leads to a very serious personality disorder.

Allitt was found in possession of symptoms of Munchausen’s syndrome and Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy. These were characterized by gaining attention through illness.

Munchausen’s syndrome- physical or psychological symptoms, self-induced or feigned in oneself to gain attention.

Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy- inflicting injury to others to gain attention on one self.

In the prison, many visits and assessments by multiple healthcare professionals to Allitt did not make her confess the crimes she did. After several court hearings, she was charged with 4 cases of murder, 11 cases of attempted murder, and 11 cases of causing grievous bodily harm. She lost weight rapidly whilst waiting for her trail and developed anorexia nervosa.

Trial

Her trial lasted for 2 months and Allitt attended the trials for only 16 days due to her continued illness. On 23^rd May 1993, Allitt was convicted and was found guilty of the crimes she committed. She was punished with 13 life sentences for the crime of murder and attempted murder. It was explained by a paediatrics expert, Professor Roy Meadow that the syndromes Allitt exhibited would never be cured and that she was a clear danger to whom she might come in contact with.

Author:- Srishti Dutta