Lucy Letby

Page semi-protected
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Lucy Letby (born 4 January 1990) is a British former

infant deaths which occurred at the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital
three years after she began working there.

Letby was charged in November 2020 with eight counts of murder and ten counts of

whole life order. An application to appeal her conviction was refused by the Court of Appeal
in May 2024 and she continued to assert her innocence of all charges in a retrial in July 2024, where she was further convicted of attempting to murder another child at the hospital. The jury at her original trial had failed to reach a verdict on the charge.

Management at the Countess of Chester Hospital were criticised for ignoring warnings about Letby. The British government commissioned an independent statutory inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the deaths, which began its hearings in September 2024.

Since the conclusion of her trials, some experts have expressed doubts about the safety of her convictions.

Early life and education

Lucy Letby was born on 4 January 1990 in Hereford, Herefordshire, the only child of a finance manager and an accounts clerk.[1] She was educated at Aylestone School and Hereford Sixth Form College.[1] A friend who knew her since secondary school told the BBC, "She'd had a difficult birth herself, and she was very grateful for being alive to the nurses who would have helped save her life".[2][3]: 18:40  This, the friend states, had led her to want to be a nurse all her life.[4] Letby pursued her education in nursing at the University of Chester, where she also worked as a student nurse during her three years of training, carrying out placements at Liverpool Women's Hospital and the Countess of Chester Hospital.[1][5] Letby was the first member of her family to study at university and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a specialty in child nursing in September 2011.[1]

Career

Letby began working as a registered nurse at the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2012.[6] In a 2013 staff profile, she said that she was responsible for "caring for a wide range of babies requiring various levels of support" and that she enjoyed "seeing them progress and supporting their families."[7] Letby also took part in a campaign to raise funds for a new neonatal unit at the hospital.[8] Letby told others that she found non-intensive care work "boring".[9]

Letby had two training placements at Liverpool Women's Hospital, in late 2012 and early 2015, which came under investigation after her conviction.[5] In 2015, Letby qualified to work with infants in intensive care,[10] and in April 2016, she was reassigned by the ward manager from night shifts to day shifts.[6][11]

In June 2016, Stephen Brearey, lead

neonatologist, asked management to remove Letby from clinical duties pending an investigation into her conduct.[6] Letby was transferred to the patient experience team in July 2016 and later to the risk and patient safety office, working there until her arrest in 2018.[12]

Initial investigations

In June 2015, four collapses occurred in the same neonatology unit of Countess of Chester Hospital, three leading to infant deaths.[6] The unit typically saw only two or three deaths a year, and the infants involved had failed to respond normally to resuscitation attempts.[3]: 23:40  Eirian Powell, the unit manager, and Stephen Brearey conducted an informal review, and reported the incidents to the committee of the NHS Foundation Trust responsible for addressing serious incidents. Upon review, the committee classed the deaths as medication errors. Brearey observed that Letby had been on shift for all of the incidents,[6] but considered it an unsurprising coincidence; there was only one other qualified junior nurse in the unit, and Letby often worked extra shifts to cover for staffing shortages. He stated, "Nobody had any concerns about her practice."[2] In 2023, reports from The Guardian and The Times stated he was suspicious of Letby beginning in 2015 and accused the hospital of negligence for ignoring his concerns.[13][6]

During a hospital visit in February 2016, the

MBRRACE-UK project found a neonatal death rate at least 10% higher than expected between June 2015 and June 2016. Additionally, the neonatal death total in 2015 doubled that of the previous year.[15][16] The mortality rate had risen above what might be considered 'normal' rates.[17]

Stephen Brearey phoned the duty executive on 24 June 2016, following the sixth and seventh unexplained deaths shortly after Letby returned from a holiday in Ibiza, demanding that she be removed from the unit.[6] The duty executive insisted that Letby was safe to work.[14][18] The Trust's executive directors convened to address the question whether to involve the police, determining Letby's involvement to be circumstantial. The medical director and chief executive instead organised a review through the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH).[6] The unit's services were scaled back by hospital managers on 7 July 2016, cutting cot space numbers and no longer accommodating premature births before the 32-week mark.[19]

The RCPCH review was initiated in September 2016 with a narrow scope that excluded investigating Letby's actions or the deaths, but instead focused on the unit's general service.[6][6] In October 2016, they reported they could not find a definitive explanation for the increase in mortality rate at the unit, but found insufficient staffing and senior cover. The medical director asked neonatologist Jane Hawdon from Great Ormond Street Hospital to carry out detailed case reviews recommended by the RCPCH. Hawdon identified four cases that "potentially benefit from local forensic review as to circumstances, personnel etc".[6][12][20] Records of the hospital board meeting show the medical director telling board members that the RCPCH and Hawdon reviews concluded that the deaths in the neonatal unit were due to issues with leadership and timely intervention.[18] The chair said he was misled about the scope of the review and its findings.[21]

In September 2016, Letby raised a formal grievance about her late June 2016 transfer from clinical duties to the hospital's risk and patient safety office.[18] This grievance was upheld by the board in January 2017, which determined her removal had been "orchestrated by the consultants with no hard evidence".[22] The medical director commented in the report that the trust's intention was to "protect Lucy Letby from these allegations".[6] The chief executive had met with Letby and her parents on 22 December 2016 to apologise on behalf of the trust and assure them that the doctors who made the allegations would be "dealt with".[6] He later ordered the consultants to send a letter of apology to Letby, which they did in February 2017.[23][24]

In March 2017, four consultants, including Stephen Brearey and Ravi Jayaram, asked management to involve the police after receiving advice for further investigation from the regional neonatal lead.[12][25] They then met with Cheshire Constabulary on 27 April 2017, to raise their concerns, with Letby due to return to work on 3 May 2017.[24] Brearey and Jayaram told the Cheshire Constabulary that infant collapses are "nearly always explainable".[26] In May 2024, staff writer Rachel Aviv for The New Yorker reported that a study of infant deaths in southeast London, published in the Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, found that about half of unexpected infant collapses remain unexplained after an autopsy.[2][27]

The trust publicly announced the involvement of the police in May 2017, stating this move was to "seek assurances that enable us to rule out unnatural causes of death."[12][28] The investigation, designated Operation Hummingbird, lasted a year.[29][30] Senior Investigating Officer Paul Hughes later said: "the initial focus was around the hypotheses of what could have occurred: so generic hypotheses of 'it could be natural-occurring deaths', 'it could be natural-occurring collapses', 'it could be an organic reason', 'it could be a virus', and then one of the hypotheses was that, obviously, it could be inflicted harm."[17]: 4:32 

2023 trial

On 3 July 2018, police arrested Letby on suspicion of eight counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder.[30] After Letby's arrest, police began investigating her entire career, including her time at Liverpool Women's Hospital.[20] Letby was bailed on 6 July 2018,[31] rearrested on 10 June 2019, and bailed again on 13 June.[32] On 10 November 2020, she was arrested once again and denied bail.[33][34][35] Letby denied all charges against her, and pointed to issues of hospital hygiene and staffing levels.[36]

Letby's trial began at Manchester Crown Court on 10 October 2022 before Mr Justice Goss.[37][38] She pleaded not guilty to seven counts of murder and 15 counts of attempted murder.[39] Letby's parents and the families of the victims attended the trial.[40][41]

The child victims were referred to as Child A to Child Q.[42] The press secrecy around the identities of the 17 babies and nine colleagues who gave evidence was "rarely seen outside proceedings involving matters of national security."[43] Two years before the criminal trial, Mrs Justice Steyn banned the identification of the living victims until their 18th birthdays. Several adult witnesses requested anonymity, which is rarely granted, unless testifying would endanger their lives. The judge approved these requests, ruling that getting testimony from the colleagues was more important than them being publicly identifiable.[43]

Evidence

The mother of one victim described hearing her infant scream, and walking in to find him with blood around his mouth and Letby in the room. She testified that Letby had attributed the blood to a

nasogastric tube, saying "trust me, I'm a nurse."[44] The baby's condition soon worsened and he died a few hours later.[44]

Letby later sent a sympathy card to the parents on the day of the baby's funeral.[3]: 13:55 [45] Upon Letby's arrest it was found on her phone that she had photographed the card before she sent it and had still kept pictures of it.[17][46] It was also revealed during the trial that Letby had to be told more than once not to enter a room where the parents of one of the victims were grieving.[47] Letby told a colleague that taking Child A to the mortuary was "the hardest thing she ever had to do".[48][49]

The Crown Prosecution Service cited texts sent by Letby to friends, describing them as a "live blogging" of events and as displaying "intrusive curiosity."[11] Three days after the death of Child A, Letby had messaged the manager of the unit offering to do more shifts, saying "from a confidence point of view I need to take an ITU baby soon X".[50] Two days later she had a heated text exchange with a colleague over her manager not assigning her to the intensive care room. Shortly after the exchange, Child C's condition worsened and died the following day.[50] After the third baby death in a fortnight 2015, Letby replied to a text from a sympathetic colleague saying that she would "keep ploughing on" and added "I think there is an element of fate involved. There is a reason for everything".[51] About two hours after the collapse of Child M, Letby sent texts reading: "Work has been shit but... I have just won £135 on Grand National!! [horse emoji]." and "Unpacking party sounds good to me with my flavoured vodka ha ha."[52] Letby had also searched for the families of several infant victims on Facebook, including on the anniversaries of their babies' deaths and on Christmas Day.[53][54] The prosecution said that she would search for a number of them within minutes of each other, as if "hunting for grief".[53] In total Letby had searched for 11 of the families affected.[17] Letby testified that this was out of "general curiosity" and said, "I was always on my phone". She searched for the families of infants 31 times; during the year the deaths took place, she searched for other people 2,287 times.[2]

The prosecution in Letby's case argued that suspicious incidents began in 2015, when Letby qualified to work with infants in intensive care,[10] and that in April 2016, when the ward manager reassigned Letby from night shifts to day shifts, their distribution shifted accordingly.[6][11]

A consultant testified that, in February 2016, he had walked in on Letby standing over a desaturating infant and failing to intervene. He said that Letby had responded to his questions by telling him that the infant had only just started declining. The infant in question survived the collapse.[3]: 22:55 

Between March and June 2016 another three babies almost died while under Letby's care.[3]: 26:00  Towards the end of June, she was helping care for triplets.[3]: 26:05  Consultants claimed that they had been in good health and the deaths of two boys on consecutive days were causing staff considerable distress and shock.[3]: 26:25 

In August 2015, one infant (referred to as Child E) died and within hours his twin (Child F) became seriously unwell but fully recovered later the same day. During the police investigation, a doctor helping police look over clinical records noticed unusual blood test results for Child F and one other infant (Child L). A third blood test result with similar characteristics was later discovered in the clinical records by the prosecution's lead expert witness. The first two of these test results resulted in attempted murder charges and became central to the trial, but Letby was never charged in relation to the third.[2] The prosecution argued that the test results demonstrated deliberate poisoning by insulin. Two of their medical expert witnesses described this evidence as the "smoking gun".[55][24] At trial, Letby herself accepted the prosecution's claim that the test results showed that two infants had been deliberately injected with insulin, but denied that she had done it.[56] Since the trial, this interpretation of the blood test results has been disputed by experts.[57][14] [58]

At the same time as Child L's blood sugar collapse, his twin brother, Child M, unexpectedly collapsed while under Letby's care but managed to survive after thirty minutes of resuscitation.[45]: 9:40  The prosecution argued that Letby had injected air into his bloodstream.[58] The prosecution also noted that, although by this point she was not supposed to work night shifts, Letby was caring for Child L as she specifically volunteered to do an extra shift to care for her.[59]

A paediatrician testified that he and other clinicians had previously raised concerns about Letby, but were told by hospital administration that they "should not really be saying such things" and "not to make a fuss." Another doctor testified that Letby commented an hour before one victim died, "He's not leaving here alive, is he?"[60][61][62] Although the consultants made their desire to have Letby removed from duties known to hospital staff after the triplet incident, this was refused and the next day another baby almost died under Letby's care.[3]: 26:20 

The prosecution presented the jury with a shift chart showing Letby as the only nurse on duty for 25 incidents.[

Criminal psychologist David Holmes has argued that the varied methods she was said to have used to attack the infants, such as insulin and air injections and overfeeding milk, would all have been specifically chosen as things that would dissipate and not be easily detected afterwards.[64]
: 34:10 

Handwritten notes

Searches of Letby's and her parents' homes,

post-it notes handwritten by Letby.[17][53] These included fragmentary phrases such as "help", "I'm sorry that you couldn't have a chance at life", "I don't want to do this anymore",[17][66] "not good enough", "why me?", "I haven't done anything wrong", "we tried our best and it wasn't enough",[2] "I am evil, I did this", and "I killed them on purpose because I'm not good enough to care for them".[67] Another document that was presented said "I don't know if I killed them. Maybe I did. Maybe this is all down to me".[68]

The defence argued that the notes were "the anguished outpouring of a young woman in fear and despair", written while Letby was dealing with employment issues including a grievance procedure with the NHS Trust. The prosecution said that the notes expressed Letby's frustration at being removed from the neonatal unit.[69] Letby herself denied that the notes were a confession, describing them as a reflection of her mental turmoil, written while she was being investigated.[53] After the trial, it emerged that the notes had been written on the advice of Letby's GP to help her process the extreme stress of being investigated.[70]

The Telegraph highlighted one note which read "I'll never marry or have children, I'll never know what it's like to have a family".[71]

Letby's diary was also found to be marked with the initials of the dead babies.[72]: 7:29  Initials of those who had died were found to have been marked on the dates they were born, the days the prosecution alleged she attacked them, and on the days that they died.[68]

Since the trial, some experts have contested the prosecution’s interpretation of the notes.[73][70] Another case of infant deaths that led to a conviction for murder, that of Kathleen Folbigg, also relied on constructing diary entries as a form of confession.[74] Emma Cunliffe, a legal expert, wrote about the flaws in Folbigg's case in Murder, Medicine and Motherhood in 2011, arguing that in the face of contested medical evidence, often the causes of infant death remain uncertain. Folbigg was exonerated in December 2023 after twenty years imprisonment and two inquiries.

Medical records

Searches of Letby's home found sensitive medical documents under her bed, including nursing handover sheets, resuscitation records, and blood gas readings.[3]: 44:00 [68][17] Of the 257 sheets, 21 related to infants Letby had allegedly harmed.[68][17] Letby testified that she "collect[ed] paper" and had forgotten to remove the sheets from her pockets at the hospital; she also claimed that she could not destroy them, but a paper shredder was found in her home.[17]

Letby's testimony

Letby herself gave evidence to the court in May 2023, breaking down in tears and claiming she was made to feel as though she were incompetent but "meant no harm."[75] Letby said that the allegations had negatively impacted her mental health, saying, "I don't think you can be accused of anything worse than that. I just changed as a person, my mental health deteriorated, I felt isolated from my friends on the unit."[3]: 51:00  It was also noted that she repeatedly contradicted herself, muddled up her story and became more and more frustrated with the prosecution's questions, which was unlike her usual calm demeanour.[76]

Defence arguments

Letby's defence lawyer said that Letby was "a dedicated nurse in a system which has failed," that the prosecution's case was "driven by the assumption that someone was doing deliberate harm combined with the coincidence on certain occasions of Miss Letby's presence," and that there had been a "massive failure of care in a busy hospital neonatal unit – far too great to blame on one person."[77] The defence argued that "extraordinary bleeding" in one infant could have been caused by a rigid wire or tube.[78][79]

The defence argued that the evidence presented by the prosecution was insufficient to justify their theories of how the infants were harmed. They argued that the evidence suggesting air embolism was so weak that there was "no case to answer". Defence barrister Benjamin Myers observed that "air embolism" made no appearance in Letby's internet search history. However, they did not call any medical experts of their own to the witness box.[2]

The only defence witness other than Letby herself was a plumber who testified that plumbing issues at the hospital led to sewage washing up into the sinks on the unit. He told the jury that issues like this at the hospital led to him being called out "maybe weekly". The defence argued that these hygiene issues could contribute to explaining the unit's high mortality rate.[80]

Verdicts and sentencing

Table detailing the charges for which Letby was convicted at her first trial

Final verdicts were returned by the jury on 18 August 2023.[81] Letby was found guilty of seven counts of murder of seven babies.

Letby was also found guilty of seven counts of attempted murder of six infants. Letby was found not guilty on two counts of attempted murder.[82] The jury was unable to reach verdicts on six further attempted murder charges.[82] Nicholas Johnson KC asked the court for 28 days to consider whether a retrial would be sought for these six counts.[83]

On 21 August 2023, Letby was sentenced to

whole life order, the most severe sentence possible under English law; she is the fourth woman in UK legal history to receive such a sentence.[84] Goss said that Letby committed "a cruel, calculated and cynical campaign of child murder involving the smallest and most vulnerable of children." In closing, he stated, "there was a deep malevolence bordering on sadism [...] you [Letby] have no remorse [...] there are no mitigating factors [...] the offences are of sufficient severity to require a whole life order."[85][86]

Letby opted

Secretary of State for Justice, wrote that the government will "look at options to change the law at the earliest opportunity" to compel defendants to attend their sentencing.[89] On 30 August 2023, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the UK government would introduce legislation to Parliament that would compel convicted criminals to attend their sentencing hearings, by force if necessary, or face the prospect of more time in prison.[90]

After the trial, Letby was transferred to

closed prison for women in County Durham.[91] As of January 2024, Letby is being held in HM Prison Bronzefield.[92]

Motives

No motive was upheld by the court, though it is not required for a finding of guilty.[93][94][95] The prosecution in Letby's case suggested several theories including boredom, thrill-seeking, and "playing God" as possible motives. They also alleged that Letby had a secret relationship with a married doctor involved with some of the cases. As evidence, they cited Letby's frequent texts to him on certain night shifts, as well as a piece of paper from Letby's office where she had written phrases including, "I trusted you with everything and loved you", "you were my best friend" and "please help me".[96] Letby denied all these suggestions, including the idea that she had a relationship with, or crush on, the doctor in question.[53][97]

The former detective who acted as lead investigator on the 1990s Beverley Allitt case drew parallels between Allitt's and Letby's cases, suggesting that Letby might have copied Allitt's methods.[45]: 17:30  Criminal psychologists Dominic Wilmott and David Holmes suggested that Letby may have been motivated by factitious disorder imposed on another, a theory also proposed about Allitt.[45]: 18:00 [64]31:15

hero complex".[98] Later that month, Wilson discussed Letby on Newsnight, where he argued that healthcare killers join the profession in order to target vulnerable victims, such as the very old or very young.[99]

Post-conviction

Disciplinary action

On 13 March 2020, while out on bail, Letby was placed on an interim suspension by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.[100][101] On 18 August 2023, Andrea Sutcliffe, Chief Executive and Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, stated that Letby "remains suspended from our register, and we will now move forward with our regulatory action, seeking to strike her off the register".[102] Letby was removed from the nursing register on 12 December 2023, having informed the Nursing and Midwifery Council that she did not accept guilt but did not contest the removal.[103]

Appeal

In January 2024, Letby applied to the Court of Appeal for permission to appeal her convictions, which a judge refused.[104] Letby renewed her application[105] and at a three-day hearing in April 2024 her lawyers put forward four grounds of appeal concerning the trial judge's refusal of applications, but in May 2024 the three judges of the Court of Appeal refused permission to appeal.[106][107]

As part of the appeal Letby's counsel Ben Myers again tried to question the inclusion of evidence by Dewi Evans, a doctor and the prosecution's lead witness, saying it should have been disallowed as evidence as he had been "dogmatic and biased".[108][109] The appeal judges rejected these criticisms, ruling that Evans did not lack impartiality, he was well-qualified to give an opinion, and it was up to the jury to assess the quality of his evidence.[109]

A second ground for appeal was that the medical evidence that Letby had fatally injected air into babies' bloodstreams was "very weak", whilst the third ground was that the judge had been wrong to direct the jury that they could convict even if they were unsure of the precise method used by Letby for every case.[108] The final ground was that the judge had failed to investigate the impartiality of one of the jurors.[108] All of these four grounds were refused by the Court, with the judges' subsequent written statement concluding that the trial had been "thoughtful, fair, comprehensive and correct" and that none of the four legal challenges advanced by Letby were "arguable", saying that the criteria for the admission of fresh evidence had not been met.[108]

Retrial

At a hearing on 25 September 2023, the CPS confirmed that there would be a retrial on one of the six counts of attempted murder against Letby on which the jury at the original trial could not reach a verdict. This was not to start until after judges had decided whether or not to grant Letby permission to appeal against her existing convictions.[110]

The retrial started on 10 June 2024.[111] The prosecution asserted that the child, 'Child K', repeatedly deteriorated when left alone with Letby, despite the previous nurse testifying that the baby's condition seemed stable when she left him.[112] The consultant on duty that night was Ravi Jayaram, and he alleged that he had gone into the nursery to reassure himself that the baby would be okay in Letby's care, only to supposedly find Letby standing next to Child K's cot and not doing anything or calling for assistance while the infant was desaturating.[112] It was established that the desaturation had been caused by the child's breathing tube becoming dislodged, and this happened again twice in the next few hours, which the prosecution asserted occurred when Letby was present.[112]

On 2 July, Letby was found guilty of attempted murder,[113] and on 5 July 2024 was sentenced to another whole-life order.[114]

She will try to appeal this last conviction on 24 October 2024.[115]

Further investigations

Following the verdict, it was reported that police were investigating whether Letby harmed other babies. There was a continuing investigation of incidents which detectives had identified as "suspicious" at the Countess of Chester Hospital involving around 30 other infants. Neonatologists looked into about 4,000 admissions at the hospital and Liverpool Women's Hospital, where Letby had worked from 2012 to 2015, and were to pass on any cases of "unexpected and unexplained" deteriorations to police. At least one family was told by police that the birth of their child at the latter hospital was part of the enquiry.[29][116] Cheshire Police have said that further charges could "possibly" be brought against Letby as a result of these further investigations.[3]: 55:20 

On 4 October 2023, Cheshire Constabulary announced an investigation into corporate manslaughter at the Countess of Chester Hospital.[117][118]

Thirlwall inquiry

After Letby's conviction the British government ordered an independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the deaths and other incidents.[119] The Department of Health and Social Care said the inquiry would examine "the circumstances surrounding the deaths and incidents, including how concerns raised by clinicians were dealt with."[120] It was affirmed that the inquiry would be non-statutory, so witnesses could not be compelled to give evidence and inquests would still be necessary. The trust's medical director, chief executive and the nursing director at the time of the incidents all commented they would fully cooperate with the inquiry.[121][6] The medical director retired in August 2018 and the chief executive resigned in September 2018 after signing a non-disclosure agreement.[6]

Sir Keir Starmer, Leader of the Opposition,[125] and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.[126]

In August 2024, a group of 24 neonatal and statistical experts wrote a letter to ministers requesting that the inquiry be postponed and its terms changed, in response to concerns about the safety of Letby's convictions. The inquiry rejected these suggestions.[127]

The education minister

statutory inquiry, describing it as the best way forward and meaning that witnesses would be compelled to give evidence.[130]

Lady Justice Thirlwall was appointed to chair the inquiry.[131] The terms of reference of the inquiry were published on 19 October 2023 and updated on 22 November 2023,[132] when she formally opened the inquiry.[133][134]

The inquiry began on 10 September 2024 and is being held in public. Following submissions, the Chair had ruled on 29 May 2024 that remote live viewing would be available to the Core Participants, their legal representatives and the media but that livestreaming "to the world at large" would not.[135]

Reactions

Calls for regulation and reform

The

strike off doctors who harm patients.[136] A neonatal consultant who alerted administrators about his suspicions about Letby also called for regulation of healthcare management.[137]

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Rob Behrens, called for radical change to NHS management in order to prevent future similar occurrences.[126][138]

Dewi Evans has called for an investigation into the possibility of charges of corporate manslaughter in relation to the Letby case.[139]

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health stated, "We must learn from these crimes and how Lucy Letby was able to bring harm to these babies so that no situation like this can ever happen again" and welcomed the independent inquiry.[140] NHS England's Chief Nursing Officer Dame Ruth May issued a statement saying, "The NHS is fully committed to doing everything we can to prevent anything like this ever happening again, and we welcome the independent inquiry announced by the Department of Health and Social Care to help ensure we learn every possible lesson from this awful case."[141]

On 21 August 2023, it was announced that the nursing director at the Countess of Chester Hospital at the time Letby was based there had been suspended from her job as a senior nursing officer at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust with immediate effect, because of information that came to light during the trial.[142] The Nursing and Midwifery Council subsequently announced she would face an investigation into her fitness to practice.[143] She and other executives at the hospital have been accused of ignoring warnings about Letby.[142]

It was reported that the British government were examining how Letby's pension can be stopped.[144] The NHS pension scheme regulations provide for a forfeit of pensions after a conviction of certain crimes.[145]

Safety of the convictions

Letby has always maintained her innocence and had the support of friends and some former colleagues,[146] and some medical, statistical and scientific experts have also expressed doubts about her convictions.[147][148] That Letby's defence only called two witnesses at her trial—Letby herself and a plumber—has been taken by some to suggest that the jury did not get a fair opportunity to hear a balanced view of the evidence. Since the conclusion of her second trial in July 2024 and the lifting of associated reporting restrictions, some of these concerns have been published in the press.[2][109][57][73]

Concerns about the medical evidence

In an article in The Guardian, investigative journalist Felicity Lawrence wrote that she had spoken to experts who expressed concerns about the evidence used to convict Letby, namely "several leading consultant neonatologists, some with current or recent leadership roles, and several senior neonatal nurses. Others are public health professionals, GPs, biochemists, a leading government microbiologist and lawyers." Though most did not declare Letby innocent, they said their concerns called into doubt the safety of her convictions.[109]

Interviewed for a Channel 5 documentary about the doubts concerning the case, consultant neonatologist and Ockenden Review team member Svilena Dimitrova expressed doubts about the safety of the convictions. Addressing some of the medical evidence, she described it as "implausible. And that's a polite way of putting it." Other experts on the programme disagreed with the overturning of the original pathologists' reports into the infants' deaths; they note that the majority of the infants Letby was convicted of murdering had undergone autopsies, and none of the original pathologists' reports had suspected an unnatural death.[73]

Insulin

Some experts have challenged the evidence that Letby poisoned two infants with insulin. Professor Joseph Wolfsdorf, a specialist in child hypoglycemia at Harvard Medical School, has questioned the accuracy of the insulin test results and the prosecution's interpretation of them. Expert in toxicology and insulin, Professor Alan Wayne Jones, has argued that the type of test used is "not sufficient for use as evidence in a criminal prosecution."[2] A guidance note about the test from the laboratory that carried it out reads, "If exogenous insulin administration is suspected as the cause of hypoglycaemia, please inform the laboratory so that the sample can be referred externally for analysis", but no further tests were ever done.[57] Professor of human metabolism, Keith Frayn, on the other hand, contends that the tests are accurate enough for the trial's purposes.[149]

Others have argued that even if the results are assumed to be accurate, there are other possible explanations for them.[150] One group of researchers argues that the prosecution dramatically underestimated the amount of insulin Letby would have needed to use if she had poisoned the infants. No evidence was presented at trial suggesting that any insulin had gone missing from the ward.[147]

Air via nasogastric tube

Lawrence's article quotes several expert neonatologists who described the claim that Letby had murdered three infants by injecting air into their stomachs via a nasogastric tube as "nonsensical or 'rubbish', 'ridiculous', 'implausible' and 'fantastical'". The method was considered by the experts she spoke to to be not practically feasible.[109]

Air embolism

The prosecution used a 1989 study by Shoo Lee and A. K. Tanswell to argue that discolourations observed on the skin of some of the infants were diagnostic of air embolism. After the trial, upon reviewing the descriptions of the infants' skin discolourations, Lee, a prominent neonatologist, disagreed that they are suggestive of air embolism. Lee also described any attempt to diagnose air embolism just by ruling out other possibilities as "a fundamental mistake of medicine."[2] The defence applied to use Lee as a witness for an appeal, but the Court of Appeal ruled that his testimony was not admissible since he could have been called at the trial and the prosecution's case did not solely rely on skin discoloration to indicate the condition.[109]

Abid Qazi, a former NHS paediatric surgeon who has published a case report about an infant's death from air embolism, reviewed the case of one of the infants Letby was convicted of murdering by this method and said, "I'm very sceptical about the diagnosis". He continued, "I have been closely following the case of Lucy Letby and I believe she has been a victim of the poor NHS system."[57]

Quality of the statistical evidence

The use of statistical analysis by the prosecution has attracted criticism from various experts on statistics. In 2024, the Royal Statistical Society issued a statement that they were "aware of concerns raised by some RSS members and the wider statistical community" and welcomed an investigation.[151] One of the key pieces of evidence was a chart that showed Letby had been present for a number of deaths and other incidents on the neo-natal unit. However, the chart omitted deaths and other incidents that had occurred when Letby was not present.[152][57][2] Burkhard Schafer, a professor specialising in the intersection of law and science at the University of Edinburgh, argued that the shift chart was a result of the Texas sharpshooter fallacy.[2]

Former

The Telegraph which he argues demonstrates that, using an identical number of nurses and incident rate to those at the Countess's unit, through random chance alone any nurse could be linked to as many incidents as Letby was. "You could make a chart like that for any nurse in any hospital". He continued, "You don't need a PhD in statistics or maths to know that [the chart shown to the jury] is dreadful. This illustrates what you can do with cherry-picked data." Professor of mathematics at the University of Bristol, Peter Green told the paper, "The spreadsheet duty roster is almost a textbook example which I would give to my students of how not to collect and present data."[57] Similarly, medical statistics professor Jane Hutton has been highly critical of the statistical evidence presented, including the shift chart, as examples of the prosecutor's fallacy.[153] Hutton had early been contracted by Cheshire Police to provide analysis but her expertise was never sought or used.[153]

Statistician Richard D. Gill and lawyer Neil Mackenzie KC, who co-authored a work with others on the use of statistics in court cases, have also strongly criticised the chart and questioned the outcome of the trial.[154][155]

Professor John O'Quigley, of University College London, has said of the evidence, "In my opinion there was nothing out of the ordinary statistically in the spike in deaths, and all the shift chart shows is that when Letby was on duty, Letby was on duty."[156] He has used data from across the NHS to show that the spike in deaths at the unit was not dissimilar to spikes in neonatal mortality seen in some other hospitals in the 2013 to 2018 period.[157] Others have posited alternative explanations for the spike at the Countess of Chester Hospital.[158][159]

Staff and infrastructure issues

In May 2024, The New Yorker published a feature article by staff writer Rachel Aviv that questioned Letby's conviction. Aviv pointed to pervasive staffing shortages, with staff "overtaxed" and only one specialist neonatologist for the ward, and hygiene issues. An inquest had found that an infant had died in 2014 due to doctors inserting a breathing tube incorrectly. As the defence had presented at trial, issues with the unit's drainage system meant that pipes were often blocked, leading to occasional sewage backup in the sinks.[2]

Aviv also highlighted a previous investigation into the increased mortality on the unit that was carried out by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), and the hospital's response. In September 2016, the RCPCH interviewed staff at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Their subsequent report concluded that medical and nursing staff levels were inadequate. They observed that the 2015 increase in mortality was not limited to the neonatal unit. They described Letby as "enthusiastic, capable and committed" and the staff on the unit as "very upset" about her removal from clinical duties. Of the doctors who suspected her, the report argued that they had a "subjective view with no other evidence". In a public response to the report, the hospital admitted issues with "staffing, competencies, leadership, team working and culture."[2]

Due to reporting restrictions imposed as a result of Letby's impending retrial, the online version of the article was disabled for British readers,[160][161] a decision which was questioned in Parliament by the Conservative MP David Davis.[162] The issue of The New Yorker's print edition that contained the article was, however, available for sale in British newsagents as usual.[163]

In August 2024, a report was leaked to The Telegraph that showed that the unit on which Letby worked had suffered an outbreak of a dangerous bacteria during the period in which the infants Letby was convicted of murdering died. This outbreak was not mentioned in Letby's trial. Commenting on the leaked report, professor of medical microbiology David Livermore argued that the bacterial outbreak is a simpler explanation for the observed spike in deaths on the unit than that Letby had murdered several infants.[164]

Timeline

X-ray timing

Letby hadn’t been on shift since the birth of Child C when an X-ray of the infant that was heavily discussed by the prosecution was taken.[147] Shortly after the broadcast of a File on 4 programme that discussed this case, Dewi Evans, who served as the prosecution's lead expert witness, said that he no longer agrees with the prosecution’s account of how the infant died, but instead claimed that Letby had killed him via another method.[165]

Mislabelled door swipe data

In August 2024, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) admitted to The Telegraph that during the first trial, swipe data for one of the doors to the neonatal unit had been mislabelled such that entries and exits were reversed. The CPS would not confirm to the paper whether the data for other doors had been correctly labelled.[166] Cheshire police reviewed the use of the false data and concluded that it was used in evidence relating to nine infants, but only played a central role in the case of Child K.[153]

A former staff member from the unit told The Guardian that there was another door to the unit which did not record entries or exits, meaning door swipe data could not account for all movements in and out.[153]

Interpretation of handwritten notes

During the trial, handwritten notes found at Letby's home were presented by the prosecution as amounting to a confession. Faye Skelton, a lecturer and specialist in forensic psychology, has highlighted that the notes also contain phrases that deny her guilt. She told Channel 5 that "they are perfectly plausible as the output of someone who is suffering extreme mental distress […] I do not see the notes as a confession or as an admission of guilt".[73]

In September 2024, The Guardian reported that the notes were written on the advice of counsellors as part of a therapeutic process. Richard Curen, the chair of the Forensic Psychotherapy Society, was quoted saying, "Doodling, journalling is a way of taking control of your thoughts. I don't think it relates to a confession of any kind."[70]

Criticism of witnesses

A number of medical experts questioned the veracity of the prosecution's witness Dewi Evans, a professional expert witness. Svilena Dimitrova, an NHS consultant neonatologist, and Roger Norwich, a medico-legal expert, have made official complaints to the General Medical Council (GMC) about Evans' evidence. Dimitrova told The Guardian that she believes "the theories proposed in court were not plausible and the prosecution was full of medical inaccuracies. I wasn't there, so I can't say Letby was innocent, but I can see no proof of guilt". Evans rejected the suggestion that he was biased and pointed out that the defence at the trial could have called expert witnesses to challenge his opinions but did not do so.[109]

The New Yorker article highlights that a report written by Evans as an expert witness in a previous case had been described by a Court of Appeal judge as "worthless" and including opinions that were "tendentious and partisan" and "outside Dr. Evans' professional competence."[2]

Reaction to doubt

Dewi Evans has said that he has received abuse by Letby's supporters online who doubt the safety of her conviction.[167][168] Speaking to the BBC about this, he described it as being similar to intimidation received by doctors from supporters of outed abusers in the 1980s and 1990s.[167] He has argued that people find it difficult to accept that a killer could be a "young, white, English nurse from a respectable background" who "hid in plain sight", adding: "It happened with Harold Shipman, it happened with Jimmy Savile, it is crucial to their getting away with it that they appear normal".[167]

The BBC reported how the barristers of the families had responded during the early stages of the Thirlwall Inquiry, speaking of the anguish pro-Letby campaigns had caused with Peter Skelton KC stating: "Lucy Letby's crimes, in particular, continue to be the subject of such conspiracies, some of which are grossly offensive and distressing for the families of her victims".[169] In response to these doubts of Letby's conviction, these barristers argued for the inquiry to be publicly livestreamed, with Richard Baker KC asserting: "They are toxic, they are often ill-informed, and they ultimately grow in the shadows. The more light that we put on this Inquiry, the less space there is for speculation and conspiracy".[169] However, the inquiry was unconvinced of the need to livestream and rejected the application.[169]

On 9 September 2024, it was reported that police were investigating an alleged assault on a prosecution witness by a member of the public with "pro-Letby" views.[170]

See also


Other homicides in Warrington, United Kingdom:

References

  1. ^ a b c d Ball, Tom; Mitib, Ali; Wace, Charlotte (18 August 2023). "Who is Lucy Letby? The nurse who became Britain's most prolific child killer". The Times. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Aviv, Rachel (13 May 2024). "A British Nurse Was Found Guilty of Killing Seven Babies. Did She Do It?". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 13 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k BBC One (18 August 2023). Panorama, Lucy Letby: The Nurse Who Killed (TV documentary). Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  4. ^ Moritz, Judith (18 August 2023). "What I learned about Lucy Letby after 10 months in court". BBC News. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b Moreau, Charlotte (19 August 2023). "Hereford 'very much home' for serial killer Lucy Letby". Hereford Times. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Lintern, Shaun; Collins, David (19 August 2023). "Revealed: the files that show how Lucy Letby was treated as a victim". The Times. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  7. ^ "Staff Profile – Lucy Letby" (PDF). 28 March 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  8. ^ "Home searched after baby murder arrest belongs to Chester children's nurse". The Standard. 4 July 2018. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  9. ^ "Lucy Letby found caring for less sick babies 'boring', trial told". BBC News. 21 March 2023. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  10. ^ a b Corcoran, Sophie (18 August 2023). "What is the evidence against Lucy Letby? Five key points that convicted baby killer". YorkshireLive. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  11. ^ a b c "Lucy Letby found guilty of baby murders". Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  12. ^ a b c d e Dunhill, Lawrence (18 August 2023). "Revealed: How trust execs resisted concerns over Letby". Health Service Journal. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  13. ^ Halliday, Josh (18 August 2023). "Lucy Letby whistleblower says babies would have lived if hospital had acted sooner". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  14. ^ a b c Halliday, Josh; Blight, Garry; Fischer, Harry; Kirk, Ashley (18 August 2023). "Timeline of Lucy Letby's attacks on babies and when alarm was raised". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  15. ^ "Countess of Chester Hospital: Woman held in baby deaths probe". BBC News. 3 July 2018. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  16. ^ Matthews-King, Alex (5 July 2018). "Lucy Letby: Newborn deaths doubled at hospital where nurse arrested on suspicion of babies' murders worked". Independent. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i Williams, Katie (22 August 2023). "The evidence seen during Lucy Letby's murder trial, from handwritten notes to cards for parents". Sky News. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  18. ^ a b c Moritz, Judith; Coffey, Jonathan; Buchanan, Michael (18 August 2023). "Hospital bosses ignored months of doctors' warnings about Lucy Letby". BBC News. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  19. ^ a b "Lucy Letby convicted of murdering seven babies at hospital neonatal unit". Nursing Times. The Press Association. 18 August 2023. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  20. ^ a b Parveen, Nazia; Halliday, Josh (4 July 2018). "Cheshire baby deaths: police widen inquiry to second hospital". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  21. ^ "Lucy Letby: Hospital bosses were misled, former chair claims". BBC News. 19 August 2023. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  22. ^ Dunhill, Lawrence (18 August 2023). "honest%20and%20objective". "Revealed: How trust execs resisted concerns over Letby". Health Service Journal. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  23. ^ Halliday, Josh (19 August 2023). "Doctors were forced to apologise for raising alarm over Lucy Letby and baby deaths". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  24. ^ a b c Halliday, Josh (19 August 2023). "'Trust me, I'm a nurse': Why wasn't Lucy Letby stopped as months of murder went by?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  25. PMID 37643786
    .
  26. ^ Harwood-Baynes, Megan; Parmenter, Tom. "How the police caught Lucy Letby". Sky News. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  27. PMID 19529996
    .
  28. ^ "Neonatal Update – Thursday 18 May". coch.nhs.uk. Countess of Chester NHS Foundation Trust. 18 May 2017. Archived from the original on 17 June 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  29. ^ from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  30. ^ a b "Nurse Lucy Letby arrested over Chester Hospital baby deaths". BBC News. 4 July 2018. Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  31. ^ "Update on Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit investigation". cheshire.police.uk. Cheshire Constabulary. 6 July 2018. Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  32. ^ "Nurse released on bail in Chester baby deaths inquiry". The Guardian. Press Association. 13 June 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  33. ^ "Chester hospital baby deaths probe: Nurse Lucy Letby rearrested". BBC News. 10 November 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  34. ^ "Nurse Lucy Letby charged with murder after Chester hospital baby deaths". The Guardian. PA Media. 11 November 2020. Archived from the original on 15 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  35. ^ Goddard, Ben (13 November 2020). "Hereford Nurse Lucy Letby Refused Bail". Hereford Times. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  36. ^ O'Donoghue, Daniel (10 July 2023). "Lucy Letby: Jury retires in trial of nurse accused of baby murders". BBC News. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  37. ^ McIntyre, Alex (30 September 2022). "Lucy Letby trial to begin as nurse denies murdering babies at Chester Hospital". CheshireLive. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  38. ^ Halliday, Josh (12 October 2022). "Doctor interrupted nurse Lucy Letby's attempt to kill newborn baby, court told". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  39. ^ Halliday, Josh (10 October 2022). "Lucy Letby was 'constant malevolent' presence on neonatal ward, court hears". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  40. ^ "Lucy Letby's parents arrive at court". Yahoo News. ITN. 26 October 2022. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022 – via uk.news.yahoo.com.
  41. ^ "Latest updates: Hereford nurse Lucy Letby goes on trial accused of baby murders". Hereford Times. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  42. ^ "Who are the children alleged to have been murdered by Lucy Letby?". ITV News. 14 October 2022. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  43. ^ a b Pidd, Helen (18 August 2023). "Lucy Letby trial: why the babies remain anonymous". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  44. ^ a b "Mother walked in on nurse Lucy Letby trying to kill baby, court told". The Guardian. 11 October 2022. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  45. ^
    ITV (19 August 2023). Lucy Letby: The Nurse Who Killed (TV documentary). Archived
    from the original on 23 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  46. ^ Patrick, Holly (19 August 2023). "Lucy Letby: Five key pieces of evidence presented during trial of nurse accused of murdering babies on hospital ward". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  47. ^ "Lucy Letby asked to leave baby's grieving family, trial hears". BBC News. 31 October 2022. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  48. ^ "Lucy Letby trial: nurse described newborns' deaths as 'sad and cruel'". The Guardian. 27 October 2022. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  49. ^ "Accused nurse Lucy Letby told colleague that taking first alleged murder victim to mortuary was hardest thing she'd ever had to do, court hears". Sky News. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  50. ^ a b "The text messages Lucy Letby sent as she murdered babies". BBC News. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  51. ^ "Lucy Letby: how did a nurse commit such unthinkable murders?". The Guardian. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  52. ^ Halliday, Josh (15 February 2023). "Lucy Letby: nurse won Grand National bet on day of attempted baby murders, court told". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  53. ^ a b c d e Halliday, Josh (18 August 2023). "What were Lucy Letby's possible motives for murdering babies?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  54. ^ "Lucy Letby: Nurse searched for parents on Facebook, jury told". BBC News. 19 October 2022. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  55. ^ "Lucy Letby: Hospital bosses 'didn't allow investigators to see clinical notes' related to baby deaths, expert says". Sky News. 19 August 2023. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  56. ^ "Lucy Letby appeal fund launched". The Telegraph. 23 August 2023. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  57. ^ a b c d e f g h Knapton, Sarah (9 July 2024). "Lucy Letby: Serial killer or a miscarriage of justice?". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  58. ^ a b Finnis, Alex (18 August 2023). "Lucy Letby trial verdict explained: The full list of charges, and how many murders she's been found guilty of". i. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  59. ^ "Lucy Letby trial: Nurse killed baby and sent parents card, trial told". BBC News. 12 October 2022. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  60. ^ "Lucy Letby trial: Nurse thought 'not again' over baby collapse". BBC News. 24 October 2022. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  61. ^ "Lucy Letby trial hears how doctor raised concerns but was told 'not to make a fuss'". Sky News. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  62. from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  63. ^ "Lucy Letby denies covering up murder of premature baby girl". BBC News. 2 June 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  64. ^ a b Sky News (19 August 2023). Sky News Special Programme: How the police caught Lucy Letby (News special). Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  65. ^ Powell, Tom (4 July 2018). "Nurse's home searched by police following baby murder arrests". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  66. ^ "Lucy Letby trial: Nurse's notes found in home search released". BBC News. 18 April 2023. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  67. ^ "Lucy Letby trial – 'I am evil, I did this': Read the 'confession note' written by nurse accused of murdering seven babies". Sky News. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  68. ^ a b c d Halliday, Josh (17 April 2023). "Lucy Letby: initials of babies noted in diary on dates of alleged attacks, court told". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  69. ^ Dowling, Mark (13 October 2022). "Revealed: The 'I am evil' handwritten note by Lucy Letby found at her Chester home". The Leader. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  70. ^ a b c Lawrence, Felicity (3 September 2024). "'I am evil I did this': Lucy Letby's so-called confessions were written on advice of counsellors". The Guardian.
  71. ^ "Lucy Letby: Quiet 'geek' who became a killer feared she would never have children of her own". The Telegraph. 18 August 2023. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  72. Channel 4 (UK) (19 August 2023). Lucy Letby: the full story of the serial killer nurse (News feature). Archived
    from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  73. ^ a b c d Lucy Letby: Did She Really Do It? (documentary). Channel 5. 5 August 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  74. .
  75. ^ "Nurse Lucy Letby Sobs on Witness Stand, Claims She Was 'Incompetent' But Meant No Harm". People Magazine. Archived from the original on 3 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  76. ^ "Who is Lucy Letby? The 'average' nurse who became one of Britain's most notorious child killers". Sky News. 21 August 2023. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  77. ^ Lennox, Aaran (13 October 2022). "Lucy Letby a 'dedicated' nurse in 'system which has failed', court hears". North Wales Live. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  78. ^ "Lucy Letby trial: Rigid wire or tube could have caused baby's 'extraordinary bleeding', court told". Sky News. Archived from the original on 19 November 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  79. ^ "Lucy Letby: 'Extremely high' dose of insulin found in baby allegedly poisoned". ITV News. 24 November 2022. Archived from the original on 24 November 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  80. ^ Halliday, Josh (14 June 2023). "Plumber tells Lucy Letby murder trial of drainage problems at hospital". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  81. ^ Halliday, Josh (18 August 2023). "Calls to force court appearances as Lucy Letby refuses to attend sentencing". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  82. ^ a b O'Donoghue, Dan; Moritz, Judith; Hirst, Lauren; Lazaro, Rachael (18 August 2023). "Nurse Lucy Letby guilty of murdering seven babies on neonatal unit". BBC News. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  83. ^ "Nurse Lucy Letby guilty of murdering seven babies on neonatal unit". BBC News. 18 August 2023. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  84. ^ "Every female British murderer given a whole life order". National World. 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  85. ^ "Lucy Letby sentencing live: Nurse to spend rest of life in prison". BBC News. 21 August 2023. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  86. ^ "Letby Sentencing Remarks" (PDF). judiciary.gov.uk. Manchester Crown Court. 21 August 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  87. ^ "Serial killer nurse Lucy Letby given whole-life sentence". BBC News. 21 August 2023. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  88. ^ Halliday, Josh (21 August 2023). "Lucy Letby sentenced to whole-life jail term for murdering seven babies". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  89. from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  90. ^ Symonds, Tom; Walsh, Aoife (31 August 2023). "Criminals to be forced to attend sentencing hearings". BBC News. Archived from the original on 4 September 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  91. ^ "Inside Low Newton: the high security prison that will house Lucy Letby'". Guardian. 21 August 2023. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  92. ^ "Serial killer nurse Lucy Letby has 'keys to her own cell' and leads cushy life". The Independent. 29 January 2024. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  93. ^ "Is Lucy Letby innocent? I'm a miscarriage of justice expert – here's what I think". The Independent. 13 July 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  94. ^ Ditum, Sarah (17 July 2024). "Letby Truthers want a good story". UnHerd. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  95. ^ "Lucy Letby's motivation: a 'void' in the harrowing case". The Week. 26 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  96. ^ "Lucy Letby trial: Nurse's notes read 'I killed them', jury told". BBC News. 17 April 2023. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  97. ^ "Lucy Letby denies rooting in bin after baby resuscitation". BBC News. 7 June 2023. Archived from the original on 26 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  98. ^ Wilson, David (20 August 2023). "Lucy Letby confirms yet confounds our ideas of a serial killer". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 July 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  99. ^ "Lucy Letby: A timeline of the most prolific child killer in modern Britain - BBC Newsnight". BBC News. 22 August 2023. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  100. ^ Nursing and Midwifery Council Investigating Committee Archived 18 August 2023 at the Wayback Machine nmc.org. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  101. ^ "Killer nurse Lucy Letby found unfit to practise and struck off register". 12 December 2023. Archived from the original on 22 December 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  102. ^ "NMC responds to verdict in Lucy Letby trial - The Nursing and Midwifery Council". www.nmc.org.uk. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  103. ^ Media, P. A. (12 December 2023). "Convicted child serial killer Lucy Letby struck off nursing register". Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 July 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  104. ^ Pidd, Helen (30 January 2024). "Child serial killer Lucy Letby loses initial attempt to challenge convictions". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 July 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  105. ^ "Lucy Letby renews bid to appeal her convictions". BBC News. 7 February 2024. Archived from the original on 18 February 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  106. ^ "British nurse Lucy Letby loses appeal over babies' murder conviction". Reuters. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  107. ^ "Lucy Letby: Judges reserve judgement on appeal bid". BBC News. 25 April 2024. Archived from the original on 26 April 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  108. ^ a b c d "A scrum of spectators and an elephant in the room during Lucy Letby retrial". The Guardian. 2 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  109. ^ a b c d e f g Lawrence, Felicity (9 July 2024). "Lucy Letby: killer or coincidence? Why some experts question the evidence". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  110. ^ Halliday, Josh (25 September 2023). "Lucy Letby to face retrial on charge of trying to murder baby girl, court told". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 July 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  111. ^ "Letby denies trying to harm any baby in her care". BBC news. Archived from the original on 2 July 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  112. ^ a b c "Lucy Letby found guilty of attempting to murder baby following retrial". Crown Prosecution Service. 2 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  113. ^ "Lucy Letby guilty of trying to kill baby girl". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  114. ^ "Lucy Letby: Serial killer nurse found guilty of attempted murder of extremely premature baby". Sky News. Archived from the original on 2 July 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  115. ^ "British nurse Lucy Letby to appeal conviction for attempting to kill a baby".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  116. ^ Vaughan, Henry (18 August 2023). "Lucy Letby: More families told their children may be victims of killer nurse - as police review care of 4,000 babies". Sky News. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  117. ^ "Cheshire Constabulary statement regarding Countess of Chester Hospital (4 October 2023)". Cheshire Police. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  118. ^ "Lucy Letby: Corporate manslaughter probe at Chester hospital". 4 October 2023. Archived from the original on 2 June 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  119. ^ "Government orders independent inquiry following Lucy Letby verdict". gov.uk. 18 August 2023. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  120. ^ "Lucy Letby: Government orders inquiry into nurse who murdered babies at hospital". ITV News. 18 August 2023. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  121. ^ "Lucy Letby: Government orders independent inquiry". BBC News. 18 August 2023. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  122. ^ a b "Lucy Letby: Families of victims call for greater powers in inquiry". BBC News. 19 August 2023. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  123. ^ "Lucy Letby's refusal to appear in court sparks renewed calls for change to law". Sky News. 20 August 2023. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  124. ^ Gregory, James (20 August 2023). "Lucy Letby inquiry should be led by judge, committee chair says". BBC News. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  125. ^ Crerar, Pippa; Halliday, Josh; Siddique, Haroon (21 August 2023). "Lucy Letby inquiry could be upgraded to compel witnesses, No 10 indicates". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  126. ^ a b "Ombudsman writes to Health Secretary calling for statutory inquiry and action on patient safety in wake of Letby trial". Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  127. ^ Lawrence, Felicity (27 August 2024). "Lucy Letby inquiry should be postponed or changed, experts say". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  128. ^ Abdul, Geneva. "Lucy Letby: doctor who raised alarm calls for regulation of NHS executives". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  129. ^ Rawlinson, Kevin; Mason, Rowena (25 August 2023). "Ministers indicate support for statutory inquiry into Lucy Letby killing". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  130. ^ "Lucy Letby: Inquiry given powers to compel witnesses to give evidence". BBC News. 30 August 2023. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  131. ^ Siddique, Haroon (4 September 2023). "Lady Justice Thirlwall appointed to lead public inquiry into Lucy Letby". Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 July 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  132. ^ "Thirlwall Inquiry: terms of reference". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  133. ^ O'Donoghue, Daniel; Moritz, Judith (22 November 2023). "Lucy Letby public inquiry formally opened by judge". BBC News. BBC. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  134. ^ "Lucy Letby inquiry should be live-streamed, say victims' families". BBC News. Archived from the original on 7 July 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  135. ^ "RULING ON LIVESTREAMING/LIVE-LINKS" (PDF). Thirlwall Public Inquiry. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  136. ^ Malnick, Edward; Sawer, Patrick; Bird, Steve (19 August 2023). "Doctors wage war on NHS managers after Letby murders". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  137. ^ "Lucy Letby: NHS managers must be held to account, doctor says". BBC News. 22 August 2023. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  138. from the original on 27 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  139. ^ Halliday, Josh (19 August 2023). "Lucy Letby: Police urged to investigate hospital bosses for corporate manslaughter". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  140. ^ "RCPCH responds to verdict in Lucy Letby trial". RCPCH. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  141. ^ "NHS England » Commenting on the verdict in the Lucy Letby trial". england.nhs.uk. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  142. ^ a b "Alison Kelly: Former nursing manager at Letby hospital suspended". BBC News. 21 August 2023. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  143. ^ "Lucy Letby: Claims nursing director ignored warnings to be investigated". BBC News. 22 August 2023. Archived from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  144. ^ "Child killer Lucy Letby 'to be stripped' of NHS pension after conviction". Evening Standard. 23 August 2023. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  145. ^ "Lucy Letby: Killer nurse to be stripped of NHS pension after baby murders". Independent. 23 August 2023. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  146. ^ Evans, Holly (27 August 2023). "Friends and colleagues of murderer Lucy Letby insist baby killing nurse is innocent". Independent. Archived from the original on 28 August 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  147. ^ a b c Hegarty, Stephanie; Nurse, Fay (1 October 2024). "Lucy Letby: Experts tell BBC about medical evidence concerns". BBC News. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  148. ISSN 0013-0613
    . Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  149. ^ Ball, Tom; Hamilton, Fiona (13 September 2024). "The actual evidence against Lucy Letby". The Times. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  150. ^ Hegarty, Stephanie (1 October 2024). "Lucy Letby: The Killer Questions". File on 4. BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  151. ^ "RSS statement on the statistical aspects of the Lucy Letby case". RSS. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  152. ^ Grimes, David R. "David Robert Grimes: Lucy Letby is Britain's most prolific serial child killer. But doubts linger about the evidence". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 20 July 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  153. ^ a b c d Conn, David; Lawrence, Felicity (10 October 2024). "Lucy Letby: police and CPS handling of case raises new concerns about convictions". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom.
    ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  154. ^ Steafel, Eleanor (24 August 2023). "How internet sleuths are already trying to prove Lucy Letby innocent". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  155. from the original on 7 July 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  156. ^ "Lucy Letby: killer or coincidence? Why some experts question the evidence". UCL News. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  157. ^ Knapton, Sarah (31 August 2024). "Letby hospital's 'inexplicable spike' in baby deaths not unusual". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 September 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  158. ^ Knapton, Sarah (6 September 2024). "Spike in deaths at Letby hospital 'could be explained by how small and premature babies were'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 6 September 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  159. ^ Lawrence, Felicity; Conn, David (8 September 2024). "A superbug, doctor shortages and a neonatal unit 'out of its depth': failures at Lucy Letby hospital revealed". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  160. Washington Post. Archived
    from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  161. New York Times
    . 16 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  162. ^ Lawrence, Felicity (15 May 2024). "MP uses parliamentary privilege to ask why Lucy Letby story blocked in UK". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 July 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  163. ^ Maher, Bron (15 May 2024). "New Yorker defies contempt risk to publish Lucy Letby story in UK print edition". Press Gazette. Archived from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  164. ^ Knapton, Sarah (3 August 2024). "Hospital where Lucy Letby worked suffered bacteria outbreak 'lethal' to babies". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  165. ^ Knapton, Sarah (1 October 2024). "Lucy Letby prosecution witness changed his mind about baby death". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  166. ^ Knapton, Sarah (16 August 2024). "We made mistakes over Letby evidence, admits CPS". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  167. ^ a b c "Support for Letby surprising, says lead witness". BBC News. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  168. ^ "Doctor who helped convict Lucy Letby reveals attacks from people convinced killer nurse is innocent". The Independent. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  169. ^ a b c Moritz, Judith; Coffey, Jonathan (4 July 2024). "Lucy Letby: Courtroom drama, a failed appeal, and battles over the truth". BBC News. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  170. ^ McShane, Asher (9 September 2024). "Police probe 'assault' on medical witness by activist with 'pro-Lucy Letby' beliefs". LBC. Retrieved 10 September 2024.