Logan’s body was found having suffered 56 external injuries and after police became suspicious upon noting details such as his bedsheets being in the wash upon their arrival.
Despite his mother alleging another woman had abducted him, stepdad Cole ultimately confessed after being spotted on CCTV in the early hours of the morning disposing of the five-year-old’s body in a sports bag and dumping it.
Professor Robertson goes on to suggest that, “inevitably with something that is so awful as the apparent sustained neglect, abuse and murder of a child it is truly horrible for people to have to adjudicate on that”, adding that crimes against children or vulnerable individuals are particularly difficult for jurors given our preconceptions what we expect from them as caregivers.
Moreover, Robertson raised the issue that cases like these can cause significant personal issues among jurors with their own “unexplored trauma history” and suggests that more needs to be done to prepare civilians to serve on a jury – pointing to resources such as the Supporting You Through Jury Service as a valuable tool.
She sums things up by declaring that “there has to be provision for a referral for those who are particularly adversely affected”. A spokesperson for the HM Courts & Tribunals Service responded by insisting: “We recognise the importance of well-being throughout the process.
“This can include warnings of distressing evidence as well as offering a range of support such as counselling from GPs and advice from the Samaritans.”
