No winners but case must drive change

THE over-riding response to the verdict returned in the trial of doctor Bernadette Scully, who was found not guilty of her 11-year-old daughter Emily Barut’s manslaughter yesterday, must be a combination of profound relief, support and heartfelt sympathy.

This is a moment to be humane. It is also a moment to try to, with honesty, imagine how any of us might cope in circumstances as destructive and numbing, as dark and unrelenting as those faced by Bernadette Scully and her 24/7-dependant daughter Emily.

This sorry story is, for those involved, tragedy on a grand scale.