The trial of Lindsey Clansy, a mother of three, is to be retried, as the jury was unable to reach a verdict. In January 2026, she tricked her husband into going to buy medicine at a chemist’s on the other side of town, and whilst he was away she strangled her three young children with cable ties and then attempted to take her own life, but failed.
The issue at stake is whether Lindsey Clancy should be sentenced to prison or psychiatric care. All but one member of the jury believed that she was not of sound mind when the crime was committed, and that she should therefore not receive a conventional sentence. As the jury was not unanimous, the trial will be retried.
The debate has been heated online, with many feminists siding with the woman, as they usually do, even though Clancy’s actions are completely indefensible. Whilst many others, mostly men, argue that the act was clearly premeditated and that she should be sentenced to prison, or even to death.
Clancy suffered from some form of postnatal depression; she sometimes took medication and also saw a psychiatrist. Clancy claimed that she heard voices at the time of the offence, but according to the investigation, she had apparently never heard them before. She had previously worked as a nurse and led a normal life. Otherwise, the murders have been established; she has confessed, and the forensic evidence points to her and no one else.
So why is this horrific triple murder so interesting?
Of course, it is particularly appalling when young children are brutally murdered, especially by the very person who should be giving them love and comfort – their own mother. From a broader perspective, the crime and the trial reveal a society in decline, where traditional values, responsibility and adult roles are being eroded, and our actions are blamed on ailments, mental health issues and medication.
We are witnessing a civilisation in which far too many people are diagnosed and medicated. This often relates to stress, anxiety and depression. And because so many suffer from various ailments, our behaviour is often viewed through a medical lens. Donald Trump suffers from narcissistic delusions, Joe Biden is senile and on medication, Vladimir Putin probably has some sort of ailment too, and everyone knows that Greta Thunberg is autistic. We are not ourselves, but our illnesses, which are liberally diagnosed by journalists and experts.
By blaming their shortcomings on health problems, do people make their lives easier and perhaps avoid having to take as much responsibility as previous generations? But by constantly referring to their mental state, they sell a part of their soul, along with their own drive and ability to influence the world.
Are we perhaps no longer human beings with free will? But merely mental constructs that act predictably based on various medical factors? A sort of modern version of ‘fate’, where everyone is trapped in their own mental bubbles, and where even child murderers elicit sympathy because of their possible condition.
