Lucy Letby, a former neonatal nurse, was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016. She was arrested several times, and in 2022 her trial finally started. The 10-month-long trial ended in 2023 when she was charged. A member of the police previously explained why it took so long to arrest Lucy.
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Meanwhile, a justice campaign was started for Lucy by people who felt her case was the ‘greatest miscarriage of justice in the UK.’ She is currently serving 15 whole-life sentences.
Apanel of 14 international medical experts has now casting a doubt on her conviction, suggesting that the deaths and injuries resulted from natural causes or medical negligence rather than deliberate harm.
New findings in Lucy Letby case by medical experts
According to the BBC, a team of 14 medical experts, including specialists from Canada, the US, Japan, Germany, Sweden, and the UK, conducted a thorough review of the medical evidence presented during Lucy’s trial. Their findings, led by Canadian neonatal care expert Dr Shoo Lee, were revealed in a press conference. The ‘impartial evidence-based report’ suggest that there was no solid medical basis for the murder convictions.
Dr Lee explained that the panel’s detailed analysis found alternative explanations for each of the incidents in question. He stated:
We did not find any murders. In all cases, death or injury were due to natural causes or just bad medical care.
Lucy was charged with seven murders and seven attempted murders. In our opinion, the medical opinion, the medical evidence doesn't support murder in any of these babies.
Adding:
Our full report will go to Lucy's barrister later this month, and then it'll be up to him and the courts to decide what next to do.
He specifically disputed the claim that air embolism—one of the primary methods Lucy was accused of using—could have caused the deaths. Referencing his own 1989 academic paper on air embolism, which was also used in the prosecution's case, he clarified that the paper had only documented instances of accidental air embolism in arteries and not veins.
The panel’s report also highlighted several cases where medical negligence or inadequate care could have been responsible for the babies’ deaths, reports The Guardian. The Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit was understaffed, had poor medical procedures, and failed to respond appropriately to critical conditions, as per their findings.
Lucy’s lawyers have now applied to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) for her case to be investigated as a potential miscarriage of justice. The commission will determine whether the new medical evidence is sufficient to justify an appeal or retrial. Lucy’s barrister, Mark McDonald, said:
The most important thing, the reason why Lucy Letby was convicted, was because of the medical evidence that was presented to the jury that today has been demolished.
What were the charges against Lucy Letby?
Lucy Letby was convicted in 2023 after a 10-month trial at Manchester Crown Court. The prosecution argued that she deliberately harmed babies in her care using various methods, including injecting air into their bloodstreams, poisoning them with insulin, and force-feeding them milk.
She was found guilty of:
- Murdering seven babies by injecting air into their veins or stomachs, leading to fatal collapses
- Attempting to murder seven others using similar methods
- Poisoning two infants with insulin
- Force-feeding milk and causing abdominal trauma to some newborns
During the trial, the prosecution relied on expert testimony that suggested the deaths were caused by unnatural means. However, Lucy’s defence argued that the unit had systemic medical failures that led to avoidable deaths.
She has consistently denied all allegations against her and has already lost two appeals against her conviction.
Timeline of Lucy Letby’s investigation
The Lucy Letby case is one of the most chilling medical crimes in the UK. Here is a brief timeline of her investigation and arrest based on the information provided by The Guardian and The Independent:
8 June 2015 – 22 June 2015: 3 murders and 1 attempted murder takes place in Lucy’s supervision.
End of June/July 2015: Internal review: Consultants raise concerns and initiate a meeting due to suspicious deaths linked to Lucy.
4 August 2015 – 23 October 2015: 2 murders and 2 cases of attempted murders are presented to the hospital.
8 February 2016: Thematic review - A review of the high number of deaths fails to find a clear cause but raises ongoing concerns about Lucy.
17 February 2016 – 25 June 2016: 4 attempted murders and 1 murder comes forward.
29 June 2016: Internal concerns - Consultants meet to discuss the inexplicable events and urge the hospital to remove Lucy.
30 June 2016: Lucy works her final shift at the neonatal unit.
19 July 2016: Administrative role- Lucy is moved to an administrative role in the hospital’s Patient Experience Team.
7 September 2016: Lucy registers a formal grievance against her employer.
18 May 2017: Police investigation begins - Cheshire Police launch an investigation into the deaths and collapses at the hospital.
3 July 2018: Lucy is arrested at her home in Chester and further searches take place.
10 June 2019: Lucy is re-arrested.
10 November 2020: Third arrest and charges - Lucy is arrested again and charged with multiple murders and attempted murders. She appears in court for the first time two days later.
4 October 2022: Trial begins - Lucy’s trial begins at Manchester Crown Court.
21 August 2023: Found guilty - Lucy is convicted of seven murders and six attempted murders. She is sentenced to 14 whole-life terms.
24 May 2024: Appeal denied - Lucy loses her bid to appeal her convictions.
12 June 2024: Retrial starts - The retrial begins for one of the attempted murder charges.
2 July 2024: Guilty - Lucy is found guilty of the seventh attempted murder
5 July 2024: Whole-life sentence - Lucy is sentenced to a whole-life order after the seventh attempted murder charge.
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Sources used:
BBC: Letby did not murder babies, medical experts claim
The Guardian: No medical evidence to support Lucy Letby’s conviction, expert panel says
The Guardian: Timeline of Lucy Letby’s attacks on babies and when alarm was raised
The Independent: Lucy Letby: Timeline of killer nurse’s attacks on babies and investigation
