Chester Standard
In total, more than 70 live blogs were produced throughout the trial, with each day the chief reporter travelling from Chester to Manchester to cover the case from court. Each live blog went into unprecedented detail on the trial's developments, yet remained sensitive given the nature of the serious charges, and adhered to complex reporting restrictions. The latter prevented the publication of the identity of any babies or their families, while reporting restrictions were also imposed on several members of Countess of Chester Hospital staff. Updates were provided every few minutes from the courtroom, keeping readers up to date.
Towards the end of the trial (the final three months) every day was covered, from the defendant giving evidence to being cross-examined, the closing speeches by prosecution, defence and judge, and - after five weeks of the jury deliberating - the sentencing, an emotional day for all affected by the trial. An index of the trial's coverage was collated by the chief reporter and placed as a clickable link in a strap on the Chester Standard's homepage from November 2022 until shortly after sentencing took place in August 2023. Although the live blogs were predominantly text-based, there were opportunities to include images of exhibits, which had been released by police and the CPS to the media, within the coverage. These included text message evidence between the defendant and her work colleagues, photos of her home at the time of her arrest, and densely packed handwritten notes including the 'I AM EVIL I DID THIS' note.