sec ution ▁of ▁strong ▁jud icial ▁dis ple asure ▁over ▁the ▁Att orney - General ' s ▁plan ▁to ▁proceed ▁with ▁the ▁second ▁ind ict ment . ▁As ▁Lord ▁Chief ▁Justice , ▁God d ard ▁had ▁a ▁responsibility ▁for ▁the ▁conduct ▁of ▁all ▁courts ▁in ▁England ▁and ▁Wales , ▁from ▁magistr ates ' ▁courts ▁to ▁the ▁Court ▁of ▁App e al . ▁ ▁Adams ▁was ▁acqu itted ▁on ▁the ▁first ▁count ▁of ▁murder , ▁and ▁the ▁second ▁charge ▁was ▁controvers ial ly ▁dropped ▁via ▁a ▁n ol le ▁pro se qui — an ▁act ▁by ▁the ▁pro sec ution ▁that ▁was ▁later ▁called ▁by ▁Dev lin ▁an ▁" ab use ▁of ▁process ", ▁saying : ▁" The ▁use ▁of ▁n ol le ▁pro se qui ▁to ▁conce al ▁the ▁def ic ien cies ▁of ▁the ▁pro sec ution ▁was ▁an ▁ab use ▁of ▁process , ▁which ▁left ▁an ▁innoc ent ▁man ▁under ▁the ▁susp icion ▁that ▁there ▁might ▁have ▁been ▁something ▁in ▁the ▁talk ▁of ▁mass ▁murder ▁after ▁all ". ▁The ▁path ologist ▁Francis ▁Cam ps ▁considered ▁the ▁death s ▁of ▁up ▁to ▁of ▁ 1 6 3 ▁of ▁Adams ' ▁patients ▁might ▁be ▁susp icious , ▁Histor ian ▁Pam ela ▁C ull en , ▁but ▁he ▁only ▁conducted ▁post - mort em ▁exam in ations ▁on ▁two ▁of ▁these ▁which ▁produced ▁nothing ▁of ▁significance , ▁and ▁the ▁assistant ▁investig ating ▁officer , ▁Charles ▁H ew ett ▁sus pected ▁political ▁inter ference ▁to ▁ensure ▁Adams , ▁acqu itt al , ▁rather ▁than ▁accepting