Latest news with #PeterHitchens
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
Lucy Letby 'very likely' innocent, Peter Hitchens declares on new Mail podcast after release of explosive ITV documentary
Lucy Letby 's case must be immediately 'reopened in the courts', Peter Hitchens argues following the release of a 'powerful' ITV documentary that raised serious questions about evidence used to convict the neonatal nurse. Letby, 35, was convicted in 2023 of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. She received 15 whole-life sentences, making her one of the UK's most prolific child serial killers. However, since Letby's sentencing, there has been a growing section of the public who believe a miscarriage of justice may have occurred. You can listen to the latest episode of Alas Vine & Hitchens by clicking the player below or here This scepticism came to a head on Friday following the release of ITV's Lucy Letby: Beyond Reasonable Doubt? – which challenges the statistical and medical evidence used during the controversial trial. Hitchens told Mail columnist Sarah Vine: 'I would think anybody who watched that documentary, whatever your feelings are, would think now it's time to reopen the case. 'The main thing that emerges in the documentary is how extraordinarily weak the prosecution's case was, containing no actual facts. 'Nobody should be happy that somebody is in prison until their death on the basis of a trial that has attracted so much doubt. 'The leader of this panel of experts featured in the documentary, Dr. Shoo Lee, said he would only reexamine the case on the condition that if he thought Letby harmed one baby – he would tell her defence lawyer. 'When Shoo Lee came back from his examination, he concluded there had been no crimes committed. 'It's amazing that someone's been sent to prison for such a long time when the leading experts in the world say there were no crimes.' Letby's new legal team has repeatedly attempted to have the case reevaluated, with all requests rejected by the Court of Appeal. The court dismissed her appeal evidence, particularly claims that media sensationalism influenced the jury. Hitchens claimed that the children were likely not murdered but instead died because they were 'already very ill and received inadequate treatment'. 'People will say that the excess deaths stopped after Letby was taken off the ward', Hitchens said. 'That's true – but it's a classic example of false logic because at exactly the same time, there was this small, ill-equipped hospital which ceased to have the capacity to take on these very serious cases. 'I am not on any kind of warpath over this – the reporters who worked on it, the doctors involved, I believe everyone acted in good faith. Hitchens said he believed the notes were written, as the documentary also suggests, on the advice of Letby's counsellors and cannot be taken as sincere admissions of guilt 'My only view is that there might have been a terrible injustice here. Somebody is having the most important years of her life eaten away by locusts, while it maybe she shouldn't be there at all.' Vine put to Hitchens the existence of Letby's notes where she says, 'I killed them on purpose because I am not good enough'. Hitchens said he believed the notes were written, as the documentary also suggests, on the advice of Letby's counsellors and cannot be taken as sincere admissions of guilt. He argued: 'There are experts who are against Letby, who even say that the notes are worthless. 'She was given counselling by the hospital during this period before she was arrested. They had moved her to this meaningless desk job, where she wasn't using any of her skills. 'Letby was distressed and prescribed antidepressants – she also started taking sleeping pills. 'Her life became extremely dark, and she was offered counselling. One of the parts of that counselling was to write down her darkest feelings. 'Letby has never admitted to these crimes. People who use these bits of paper as a confession are wrong. She's always denied it, absolutely and firmly.' To listen to the full debate on Letby's guilt, search for Alas Vine and Hitchens now, wherever you get your podcasts.
Daily Mail
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE No nation should dictate who can and cannot have the bomb - Peter Hitchens attacks America's nuclear hypocrisy on new Mail podcast
Atomic powers like the US employ a lot of 'bilge' to justify their nuclear arsenals while condemning other nations who seek the same deterrent, Peter Hitchens tells Sarah Vine on the latest episode of the Mail's Alas Vine & Hitchens podcast. The acclaimed broadcaster argued that misinformation about the Manhattan Project and America's initial motivations for pursuing an atomic bomb provides an all-too-convenient explanation for why some nations are allowed nukes and others are not. While not a 'fantasist' who believes global nuclear disarmament is possible, Hitchens said that the disputes over who can possess nuclear weapons raise questions about whether any country should have access to them. Hitchens said: 'It has been very interesting to watch the US try to explain why Iran shouldn't have nuclear weapons, whereas it should. 'Apparently, no one cares that Israel, Pakistan and North Korea have them. You have to wonder what the logic is behind saying who can and cannot have them, apart from who's already got them, and who's biggest. 'We have an elaborate justification for nuclear weapons in our minds. During the Cold War, I was a fairly strong Nato enthusiast because it seemed logical that it was ridiculous for us to give up ours while allowing the USSR to keep theirs. Peter Hitchens: 'The argument that we dropped the bomb on Japan, and that's why they surrendered - is certainly not true.' Listen here 'But since then, it has been nagging at me – should they exist at all? Should any country be allowed to have them?' Hitchens said much of the justification for nuclear weapons stems from the end of the Second World War – specifically the perceived success of the strikes against Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which led to Japan's surrender. He explained: 'There is a wonderful museum at Los Alamos in New Mexico, where the bomb was originally developed – it has this tremendous display inside, which made the same argument over and over again. 'The argument is the bomb saved possibly millions of lives in 1945. That we dropped the bomb on Japan, and they surrendered. The trouble is, it's certainly not true. 'It was Stalin's decision to invade Manchuria that forced a surrender. The Japanese were terrified of a Russian revenge for everything they had done to them since 1904. 'The other justification for developing the bomb was that Hitler would get it first – Nazi scientists were nowhere near a nuclear weapon. It's complete fantasy. 'The West has dodged a big moral question with these justifications. In which case, why do we have it at all?' The ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East prove that nuclear weapons don't deter conflict as was once assumed, Hitchens contended. He added that nuclear weapons actually enable lower-level conflicts by creating a framework where conventional wars can rage without escalating to total destruction, leaving thousands dead. 'So-called conventional weapons are now of such horrifying power,' Hitchens began. 'Look at these Bunker Busters – my point being that nuclear weapons, rather than preventing war, have increasingly permitted lower-level conflicts to take place. 'Who would have thought that a war involving the Russian army could take place in Europe after the invention of nuclear weapons? Yet, here we are.' Speaking specifically about Iran, Hitchens reminded listeners that Israel had acted dishonestly with its own nuclear programme in the 1960s. He said: 'The reason we're in this mess in the Middle East is because the Israelis don't trust the Iranians, the Iranians don't trust the Israelis and the Americans certainly don't trust the Iranians. 'But, when the Israelis built their bomb – they weren't very public about it themselves. It only came out because an Israeli official got drunk at a cocktail party and blabbed to an American diplomat.'
Daily Mail
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Iran is one of the most civilised countries I ever visited - Israel attacking the nation only helps keep Ayatollah Khamenei in power, PETER HITCHENS tells SARAH VINE in new Mail podcast
Iran is a misunderstood nation that could be 'reeled into the civilised world' if handled differently by Israel and its allies, acclaimed broadcaster Peter Hitchens tells Sarah Vine on the latest episode of the Mail's Alas Vine & Hitchens podcast. Hitchens' perspective stems from his travels to Iran almost two decades ago - a visit that, he reveals, profoundly changed how he sees the nation. The best-selling author argued that large swathes of the Iranian population dislike the ruling Mullahs and suggested that if western nations stopped threatening the Islamic republic, its despotic rulers might be toppled in a coup. Recent weeks have seen escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, with both countries exchanging aerial strikes and missile attacks - a dangerous escalation that has some observers fearing the region could be on the brink of all-out war. 'Iran is one of the most civilised countries I have ever visited,' Hitchens said. 'The resistance by many of its people to the regime's attempts to turn them into obedient slaves is very strong. Recent weeks have seen escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, with both countries exchanging aerial strikes and missile attacks 'There's a great deal of confident, private discussion about the regime – which people refer to with contempt. It's much more like a southern European country than a Middle Eastern country in many ways.' Hitchens went on to state that foreign meddling in Iran's affairs not only led to the rise of the Ayatollah but continues to strengthen his stranglehold on power. He said: 'If we treated Iran more intelligently, it could be easily reeled into the civilised world. 'The Mullahs really like to be threatened; it strengthens their grip on power. If that threat was relaxed, then their power would shrivel away. 'Iran had a legitimate government in 1953, and do you know what happened to it? We overthrew it. 'Britain cooked up a putsch to overthrow Mohammed Mossadegh, the prime minister of Iran, over oil.' Many historians argue that foreign resentment from the 1953 coup contributed to the Shah's overthrow in 1979 and Iran's subsequent transformation into a theocratic republic. With Israel declaring on Thursday that Iran's leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, 'cannot continue to exist,' Hitchens expressed fear over what another potential forced regime change might to do the country. US President Donald Trump was coy over whether America would join Israel in attacking Iran, telling reporters: ' I might do, I might not.' 'When the people overthrew the Shah, no one wanted the Ayatollah', Hitchens began. 'Revolutions, wars, once they start – they get out of control. There is grave danger in knocking this current lot out. 'What will replace them? Will it necessarily be better? Just look at the chaos in Libya. Or in Syria, where we spent years and years destroying a country, only to accept an Al Qaeda operative as the new head of government. 'Iran is not Mordor – full of orcs. It's a real country, full of real people with differing opinions. There's something approaching a civil society there. 'And when left to their own devices, the Iranians have elected people who are genuinely opposed to the Mullahs.'
Daily Mail
28-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Rampage killings have become commonplace and drugs like cannabis are to blame - PETER HITCHENS tells SARAH VINE on provocative Mail podcast
Rampage killings have become commonplace throughout the Western world and the normalisation of mind-altering drugs is to blame, acclaimed broadcaster Peter Hitchens argued on the latest episode of the Mail's Alas Vine & Hitchens podcast. Responding to events in Liverpool on Monday, where a 53-year-old man allegedly high on drugs drove his car into a group of celebrating football fans, Hitchens said more must be done to restrict access to substances with the potential to cause 'madness'. A rampage killing is a specific type of mass murder where an individual kills several innocent people in a relatively short period of time. 'It is common now, in almost every major society in the world, that we get rampage killings', Hitchens said. 'It is incessant. It happens all the time. It never used to happen – and I think I know why. What has fundamentally changed since the 1950s and 60s? 'Crazy individuals are quite uncommon. Usually, madness is connected to some form of brain injury, which is either caused by serious head trauma or a disease. Or a third thing, drugs. 'Anders Brevik was a steroid user. The man who went wild in several Mosques in New Zealand was also on steroids. 'Drugs like steroids, SSRIs, antidepressants, and marijuana are often in the recent backstories of people who do these things. It's very hard to find these things out because the authorities aren't interested. 'There's a huge reluctance in our society to admit that there is a correlation between these things and drugs. There is an immense marijuana lobby – the other drugs have their lobbies as well. 'Particularly, there is a reluctance to admit any connection between the use of marijuana and insane violence.' Metanalyses conducted in America have shown a tenuous link between cannabis use and the propensity to commit violent crimes. However, other studies conducted in the wake of legalisation in certain US states have shown the opposite – with violence decreasing where dispensaries open. Mail columnist Sarah Vine disagreed with her co-host, arguing that psychotic people often seek out drugs and it is not the substances themselves that account for the perpetuator's underlying mental illness. She also emphasised that the prohibition of drugs like cannabis creates a black market actively incentivised to sell a more potent product. However, Vine concurred that the power of cannabis to stir mental illness has been downplayed in wider society. 'People think that because cannabis isn't chemically addictive, it isn't dangerous', Vine began. 'But it is highly psychologically addictive – I have friends that were heavy smokers that when they tried to quit, they went mad.' Hitchens compared the light policing of cannabis in the West to countries like South Korea, Japan, and China, making the point that Asia sees very few of these rampage-style killings. He argued: 'In South Korea, these things just do not happen because the possession of marijuana is still considered a crime. 'Asian governments have rejected the propaganda – if you're a public figure and you're caught with it, you do not merely go to jail, you are discredited. 'You are out of public life forever because it is seen as a shameful thing to do, as it ought to be. 'The people that promote it should also face shame because they are ruining lives. It is not a victimless crime – the family of a person who becomes permanently ill because of marijuana use is a family full of grief for the next 40 years. 'It ought to be punished – we must have it on our statute books that you are punished for possession.' To watch the full contentious debate, search for Alas Vine & Hitchens now, wherever you get your podcasts.
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Exiting menopause is like gaining a superpower - I am no longer a slave to my hormones, SARAH VINE tells PETER HITCHENS on provocative Mail podcast
Exiting menopause is like entering 'sunlit uplands', with your moods no longer governed by hormones, Mail columnist Sarah Vine described on the latest episode of the Mail's Alas Vine & Hitchens podcast. Vine, 58, admitted to co-host and broadcaster Peter Hitchens, that she now realises most of the 'stupid decisions' made in her life were 'hormone-related'. She added that the 'awful' symptoms of perimenopause and menopause were worth it for the sense of 'liberation' that comes afterwards. Menopause is when a woman's menstrual periods permanently stop, typically occurring in her late 40s to early 50s, marking the end of her reproductive years due to declining hormone levels. 'I have this theory that menopause is like a superpower', Vine told Hitchens. 'Everybody thinks that the menopause is awful, and it is quite awful to go through. I certainly had a rough time with it, but once it happens, it's like entering sunlit uplands. 'You enter a hormone-free existence. You're not full of estrogen and progesterone anymore - you don't have these uncontrollable feelings about nurturing people and small babies. 'You're just a normal human being – you have things like logic; you're not trying to eat chocolate all the time because your hormones are annoying you; you don't get mood swings or PMS. It's just lovely!' She added that too much attention is paid to the uncomfortable symptoms of the transition and not enough to the joys of life afterwards. 'People write books about the menopause and perimenopause – they're doing TV shows about it. It's really a hot topic', the columnist said. 'But no one ever talks about life after the menopause. I can't tell you what a slave to my hormones I was – I realise that most of the things that I have probably done wrong, most of the stupid decisions I made, have been hormone related. 'I realise now that if I didn't have this crazed cocktail of chemicals running around my body, I would have been much more efficient.' The average age for a woman to begin the menopause is 51. The transition period, perimenopause, usually starts sometime in a woman's early forties. Symptoms of the menopause range wildly from woman to woman. Some report difficulty sleeping, hot flashes, dry skin and eyes, and decreased libido. These unpleasant changes may go on for years but can be mitigated with HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy). Vine told listeners not to fear menopause, describing life afterwards as 'a pretty zen place to be'. 'That like the idea of being that older woman who is sort of a sage figure', the journalist told the podcast. 'That is so much easier when you're post-menopausal. People should stop being so worried about it – it is quite a zen place to be.' 'I don't like the sound of that – sounds pretty pagan to me', Hitchens joked.
