“…of no more impact or relevance than for example if we had both had an interest in crown green bowling or church bell ringing”

A judge has denied he was asked to give legal advice to hospital bosses over concerns about nurse Lucy Letby because he is a Freemason, a public inquiry has heard. The Thirlwall inquiry into events surrounding the crimes of Letby heard that both Judge Simon Medland KC and the Countess of Chester’s former director of corporate and legal services, Stephen Cross, are members of the organisation.

This case gets murkier and more likely to turn out to have been a huge miscarriage of justice every week, doesn't it? 

Earlier this week, the inquiry heard of “rumours and hearsay” about a Freemason connection of a “number of high-ranking people in the hospital and elsewhere”. Dr Stephen Brearey, the neonatal unit clinical lead, said he understood Cross had risen “quite quickly” from a junior position, and queried whether the hospital had followed any processes “in terms of fit and proper candidates for executive roles” . He said he heard Cross had been demoted from a senior rank in the police force to a constable.

Blimey!  

Dr Brearey said people at the hospital had the impression there might be “deals going on behind the scenes”.

Gosh! You wouldn't expect that at a hospital, of all places, eh? *inserts tongue firmly back in cheek*