The family of Ethel Hall, an 86-year-old victim killed in 2002 at Leeds General Infirmary, are pushing for a retrial of Colin Norris, who was convicted six years later of murdering four patients and attempting to kill two others through insulin injections. Doubts about his guilt have grown due to new evidence suggesting hypoglycemia in the frail elderly is not as rare as previously thought, according to a BBC podcast. Family members now believe only a retrial can provide closure, despite Norris's conviction and subsequent appeals.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-26,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The family of Ethel Hall, an 86-year-old murder victim, is pushing for a retrial of her killer, serial nurse Colin Norris. In 2002, Hall fell into a hypoglycemic coma while recovering from a broken hip at Leeds General Infirmary in the UK. Suspicions targeted Norris, who was convicted six years later of killing Hall and three other patients by injecting them with insulin.
Despite losing two appeals, Norris’s conviction remains controversial due to new evidence revealed in a BBC Disclosure podcast. The family now expresses doubt about his guilt, driven partly by recent debates over the conviction of another nurse, Lucy Letby, who was convicted ten years later for killing seven babies and attempting to kill seven more.
The case has gained renewed attention with calls for justice and peace of mind from Hall’s family, highlighting ongoing concerns in medical legal cases.
Written for “Serial Killer Nurse Controversy” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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The family of an elderly murder victim are calling for a retrial of the Scots nurse convicted of killing her and three others on a hospital ward.
Suspicion fell on Colin Norris, a 26-year-old nurse from Glasgow, after patient Ethel Hall fell into a hypoglycemic coma while she was recovering from a broken hip in 2002.
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she → see → 2002
He was convicted six years later of killing the 86-year-old in Leeds General Infirmary by injecting her with insulin and using the same method to kill three other patients and attempting to kill two more.
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He → convict → two
The serial killer has lost two appeals but a new BBC Disclosure podcast reveals that members of Ms Hall’s family have growing doubts about his guilt.
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members → lose → guilt
The case has gained greater traction due to the debate over the guilt of neonatal nurse Lucy Letby, convicted of killing seven babies and trying to kill seven more in a Chester hospital 10 years ago.
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case → gain → hospital
In the podcast, family spokeswoman Helen Hall says legal moves have failed to provide the closure they had hoped for.
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they → say → closure
Ethel Hall died after she fell into a hypoglycemic coma while recovering from a broken hip
Nurse Colin Norris was convicted of killing four patients by injecting them with insulin and attempting to kill two more using the same method
Ms Hall, the wife of Ethel’s son Stuart, adds: ‘If he’s guilty, then fine, that’s it.
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that → die → son
But if he’s not guilty and he hasn’t done it, the evidence that they’re trying to keep him inside for is not enough.
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they → ’ → him
She said the family now believe the only thing that will give them peace of mind is a retrial.
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that → say → mind
‘I’m not saying that he should walk free, I’m not saying he should stay behind bars – he should have a fair trial,’ she added.
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she → say → trial
The condition known as hypoglycemia lies at the heart of Norris’s appeal as well as the medical evidence
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condition → know → appeal
which convicted him
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which → convict → him
Hypoglycemia occurs when someone’s blood sugar levels fall dangerously low.
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levels → occur → ?
It can normally be treated by medicine or by taking a high-sugar drink or food item.
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It → treat → drink
Ms Hall died after falling into a hypoglycemic coma, something considered rare then and now.
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Hall → die → coma
Norris quickly became a suspect after a colleague said he had predicted that the pensioner would not make it through the night.
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pensioner → become → night
A subsequent police operation went through all the deaths on wards where Norris had worked, looking for potential murders that may have gone unnoticed.
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that → go → murders
It identified three other cases of unexplained hypoglycemic deaths and one where the patient recovered.
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patient → identify → deaths
After his conviction, Norris, now known as Colin Campbell, lost his first appeal within a few years.
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Norris → know → years
The BBC says that two years later new scientific evidence came to light which claimed hypoglycemia in the frail and elderly is not as vanishingly rare as was once thought, suggesting the jury had been misinformed.
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jury → say → frail
This new evidence was submitted for a second appeal, which was not heard until last year.
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which → submit → year
Lawyers for the Crown successfully argued that the patients’ deaths could only be explained by deliberate insulin poisoning.
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deaths → argue → poisoning
The new BBC podcast says: ‘It is possible that a strong opioid prescribed to Ethel for her post-op pain put her in a coma, and insulin meant for somebody else was accidentally given to her before the blood sample, which proved poisoning, was taken.’
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which → say → poisoning
Campbell’s mother, June Campbell, said she will not stop seeking what she believes is justice for her son.
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she → say → son
‘If you’re a mum, you know,’ she said.
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she → ’re → ?
‘You’ll fight for your kids till the very end.’
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You → fight → end
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