Unsafe Convictions of Nurses Must End: Time for Reform, - exclusive by Nineteen Nurses

Interview with Wrongly Convicted Nurse Amanda Jenkinson

Amanda Jenkinson was once a highly respected registered nurse. In 1993, she became the subject of a criminal investigation. In November 1996, Ms. Jenkinson — a dedicated nurse working in an intensive care unit — was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, contrary to section 18 of the Offences Against the Person Act. She was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.

In August 1999, an application was submitted to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to review the conviction.

The prosecution's case centred on injuries allegedly caused by deliberate interference with the controls of a hospital ventilator. The Crown’s argument relied heavily on expert forensic evidence indicating that the tampering had occurred during Ms Jenkinson’s shifts.

During its investigation, the CCRC obtained fresh expert evidence that identified serious deficiencies in the original forensic analysis. The newly commissioned expert concluded that the trial evidence had been fundamentally flawed, misleading, and unreliable. These conclusions were later acknowledged by the original expert witness.

In light of this new evidence, the CCRC referred the case to the Court of Appeal in July 2004 under section 9 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995.

In November 2005, the Court of Appeal quashed the conviction.

Although the conviction was ultimately overturned, the professional and personal consequences for Amanda Jenkinson were profound. Now, in an exclusive and deeply personal interview with Nineteen Nurses, she speaks publicly for the first time about the devastating impact the justice system had on her life — and her determination to ensure that no other nurse endures a similar ordeal.

Amanda conveys her deepest sympathies to all the patients and families affected. She is deeply saddened that they, too, were subjected to unnecessary trauma as a result of the investigation and trial.

Conviction, Silence, and a Shattered Life

Amanda's conviction attracted worldwide media attention, coming shortly after the highly publicised case of Beverly Allitt, the former children's nurse who murdered four babies at a hospital in Grantham in 1993.

"Newspapers were calling me the second Angel of Death," she says.

Her conviction led to relentless media vilification, both before and after the trial. National headlines cast judgment long before the court did — and when the Court of Appeal finally quashed her conviction in March 2005, there was no comparable public outcry.

"There was no furore like there was when I was convicted," Amanda says. "More importantly, nobody was ever held accountable for these terrible accusations against me. No public inquiry — just me, left to pick up the pieces of a shattered life."

Her case is one of many where healthcare professionals face criminal charges in clinical incidents — cases often built on questionable interpretations of medical decisions and bolstered by so-called "expert witnesses." Amanda has first-hand experience of misleading expert testimony, and her conviction was ultimately quashed due to such flawed evidence being presented in court.

Prison: “I Lived in Fear Every Day”

Amanda served her entire sentence in prison, often isolated due to her professional background and what she had been convicted of. When first entering in to the prison estate.

She was placed in the hospital wing — not because she was unwell, but because she was a first-time offender.

"The hospital wing is not what people think. It's full of self-harmers, addicts, people in deep psychological crisis. I saw people hanging themselves, people cutting themselves daily. The feeling of fear dominated my time in prison."

Her refusal to admit guilt meant she was denied parole.

"I had no release date. No time served for good behaviour — because I would not say I was guilty."

Amanda later took the Parole Board to court — and won — after they unlawfully refused her release based on her “non-admission of guilt.”

"We challenged the Parole Board, and the court ruled in our favour. But I still lived through all of it. No one gave those years back."

Trauma and CPTSD After Release

Amanda now lives with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD), a direct result of her wrongful conviction and incarceration.

"Prison taught me to survive, but it also taught me not to trust anyone. I still don’t feel safe. Even now, after release, I live with flashbacks, panic, and fear."

Despite this, she has returned quietly to private life, not as a campaigner on stages, but as a quiet supporter for others going through what she endured.

“I’ve been working quietly behind the scenes, helping healthcare workers and families who are facing unsafe convictions. There are more than people realise.”

Nursing Council Ordered to Reinstate Her Registration

In an unprecedented legal move, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) was taken to the High Court and ordered to amend Amanda’s registration, formally recognising that her conviction had been quashed and should never have stood.

This legal ruling set an important precedent — one that speaks to the deep flaws in how professional bodies respond to criminal convictions, often treating allegations as proof before due process is complete.

Tragically, Amanda never returned to nursing; a dedicated and compassionate nurse was lost to the failings of our legal system.

Addressing Parliament: A Call for Change

Amanda spoke to Parliament, sharing her harrowing experience and calling for systemic reform in how healthcare professionals are investigated and prosecuted.

"I told them everything. How the system failed me, how it’s failing others. And how, unless things change radically, it will keep happening."

She went on to say she felt "tainted, lost, sad, empty having had everything I worked for, everything that I held precious, taken from me. I feel broken and alone. The flashbacks, the nightmares never stop," she said.

“Change Will Only Come With Major Reform”

Amanda is now calling for a complete overhaul of the legal and professional systems that ensnare nurses like her. Her focus includes:

• Police investigation procedures involving healthcare professionals

• Expert witness regulation and accountability

• Appeal court rules on what constitutes “new evidence”

• A reformed Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC)

“Change will only come with major reform.

"The way police investigate healthcare professionals is the root of the problem. Then come the experts, followed by the appeals process. It all needs to change."

“I want my voice to be heard so this never happens again. But sadly, it already has. Nurses are still being wrongfully convicted. And still, no one is being held accountable.”

"Vexatious allegations must be taken seriously; meaningful learning cannot occur until the root cause is thoroughly investigated and safeguards are established to prevent recurrence. Bullying and toxic workplace culture within the NHS must be eradicated. How can we expect to care for patients if we treat each other with cruelty?"

Thank You, Amanda

Nineteen Nurses sincerely thanks Amanda Jenkinson for sharing her story — one of strength, dignity, and survival — and for highlighting the plight of wrongly convicted nurses across the UK. Her willingness to speak out is a powerful act of service to our profession.

We stand with Amanda in calling for meaningful, lasting change.

If you’ve been affected by a similar case or wish to support the campaign for reform, contact Nineteen Nurses at info@nineteennurses.com or use the contact button at the bottom of the page.

Unfortunately, we cannot give legal advice