The Lucy Letby case is the latest in a number of UK criminal medical cases that, beyond the rights and wrongs of each verdict, raises serious questions around how such cases are tried – especially when the evidence is limited, complex and circumstantial.

These cases often rely heavily on expert witnesses, whose testimony is crucial yet can be open to interpretation.

As an expert in the intersection of criminal and medical law, I am particularly concerned with how prosecution teams gather expert evidence in such cases – and how it is then communicated to juries through expert witnesses.

Generally speaking, in complex medical cases, police and prosecutors may risk becoming overly reliant on a small pool of experts when dealing with highly technical issues beyond their expertise.