Nurse guilty on new charge

BEVERLEY ALLITT, a hospital nurse, was found guilty yesterday of attempting to murder a four- month-old boy, adding to convictions for murdering three children in her care and attempting to kill another.

She was cleared yesterday of the attempted murder of two other people. Seven more charges will be decided tomorrow.

Yesterday, on their fourth day considering 26 charges, the jury at Nottingham Crown Court decided Allitt had attempted to murder Paul Crampton, aged five months, in a ward in 1991.

Earlier yesterday the jury had found Allitt not guilty of attempting to murder Dorothy Lowe, aged 79, at an old people's nursing home in 1991, and Jonathan Jobson, 15, the brother of a friend. It also cleared her of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to the teenager and the old woman. Allitt, 24, formerly of Corby Glen, near Grantham, Lincolnshire, was not in the dock to hear the verdicts. She suffers from anorexia nervosa and is being treated at Rampton top security hospital. She denied all charges.

On Friday the jury convicted Allitt of murdering eight-week- old Liam Taylor in her care at Grantham and Kesteven General Hospital in 1991.

She was also found guilty of attempting to murder five-year-old Bradley Gibson and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to seven- week-old Patrick Elstone.

On Thursday, Allitt was found guilty of murdering nine-week- old Becky Phillips and 15-month- old Claire Peck.