Ex-nurse says inquiry should be suspended until review of convictions has finished
Lucy Letby has called for the public inquiry into her crimes to be halted, arguing there is now “overwhelming and compelling” evidence undermining her baby murder convictions.
Lawyers for the former nurse took the extraordinary step of writing to Lady Justice Thirlwall on Monday to say that the inquiry – which is due to end on Wednesday – should be suspended immediately.
Continue reading...Former head of nursing at Countess of Chester says Letby ‘cried in my arms’ after being removed from the ward
Lucy Letby’s former boss has said “if she was acting she deserves an Oscar” as she described tearful meetings with the neonatal nurse after accusations against her first emerged.
Karen Rees, the head of nursing at the Countess of Chester hospital before her retirement in March 2018, revealed to the Sunday Times that she had always believed in Letby’s innocence. The pair developed a close relationship in the months after Letby was removed from the ward over concerns she was connected to a sharp rise in infant deaths.
Continue reading...Exclusive: ‘No scientific justification’ to say former nurse definitely poisoned babies with insulin, according to study authors
The claim that Lucy Letby definitely poisoned babies with insulin has “no scientific justification whatsoever” and there is a “very strong level of reasonable doubt” about the convictions, according to the authors of a 100-page study on the case.
Prof Geoff Chase, one of the world’s foremost experts on the effect of insulin on pre-term babies, told the Guardian it was “very unlikely” anyone had administered potentially lethal doses to two of the infants.
Continue reading...Former nurse is serving 15 whole-life terms in prison yet an appeal is not guaranteed despite findings of expert panel
Despite 14 leading experts concluding there was “no medical evidence” that Lucy Letby murdered babies, there is no guarantee that her case will be sent back to the court of appeal – let alone quickly.
Letby’s fate now sits with the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), the miscarriage of justice body that has the power to refer convictions back for appeal, and what the outcome will be remains uncertain.
Continue reading...Babies former nurse was convicted of killing were victims of ‘bad medical care’ or died of natural causes, panel says
Babies the former nurse Lucy Letby was convicted of murdering were in fact the victims of “bad medical care” or deteriorated as a result of natural causes, an expert panel has concluded.
Outlining what the senior Conservative MP David Davis described as “one of worst injustices of recent times”, the international team told a press conference there was “no medical evidence” to support claims of deliberate harm.
Continue reading...Jailed neonatal nurse’s lawyer condemns ‘leaking by police’ as possible link to Liverpool Women’s hospital emerges
Lucy Letby maintains her innocence, her lawyer said on Wednesday as he condemned “leaking by the police” after it was confirmed the neonatal nurse had been interviewed over more suspicious deaths of babies.
Letby, who is serving a whole-life sentence for killing and maiming newborns in her care, was questioned under caution about other unexpected deaths and collapses of babies at the Countess of Chester hospital and, for the first time, at Liverpool Women’s hospital where she trained as a student, Cheshire police said.
Continue reading...Former medical director of Countess of Chester hospital says he is ‘truly sorry’ if he failed bereaved families
A boss at the hospital where Lucy Letby murdered babies has said he “sincerely regrets” not calling police sooner and is “truly sorry” if he failed the bereaved families.
Ian Harvey, a former medical director at the Countess of Chester hospital, told the Thirlwall inquiry he wished he had contacted the police nearly a year before they were informed.
Continue reading...Simon Medland KC told inquiry his membership of organisation was not the reason he was approached by hospital boss
A judge has denied he was asked to give legal advice to hospital bosses over concerns about nurse Lucy Letby because he is a Freemason, a public inquiry has heard.
The Thirlwall inquiry into events surrounding the crimes of Letby heard that both Judge Simon Medland KC and the Countess of Chester’s former director of corporate and legal services, Stephen Cross, are members of the organisation.
Continue reading...Consultant who raised concerns says there could have been earlier victims she has not been convicted of killing
Lucy Letby was likely to have harmed more babies than those she has been convicted of murdering on a hospital neonatal unit, a senior doctor has told a public inquiry.
Dr Stephen Brearey, a consultant paediatrician who raised concerns about the nurse, told the Thirlwall inquiry he believed Letby “didn’t start becoming a killer” in June 2015 and that she may have had earlier victims.
Continue reading...Newborn received 10 times the correct amount of painkiller and could have died if colleagues had not spotted error
Lucy Letby gave a potentially fatal dose of morphine to a newborn baby two years before she murdered her first victim, an inquiry has heard.
The infant received 10 times the correct amount of the painkiller at the end of a night shift in July 2013 and could have died if colleagues at handover had not spotted the error an hour later.
Continue reading...One mother told Thirlwall inquiry she was unaware for six years anything had happened
Parents of babies attacked by Lucy Letby were not told their children had suffered life-threatening collapses until they were contacted by the police years later, an inquiry has heard.
The parents of one newborn boy said it was “disgusting” they were “kept in the dark” by staff at the Countess of Chester hospital after their son’s health suffered a serious deterioration in June 2016.
Continue reading...Lawyer for relatives says Thirlwall inquiry into case of killer nurse, due to begin next week, is ‘vitally important’
Families of some of Lucy Letby’s victims are calling for CCTV on neonatal wards, tighter control of insulin in hospitals and more protection for NHS whistleblowers, their lawyer has said before a public inquiry begins next week.
The Thirlwall inquiry, which starts on Tuesday, has been set up to examine what happened at the Countess of Chester hospital, where Letby worked. She has been convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more while based there as a neonatal nurse.
Continue reading...Group including neonatal experts and statistics professors question its setup amid concerns about conviction
A group including some of the UK’s leading neonatal experts and professors of statistics is calling on the government to postpone or change the terms of a public inquiry over concerns about the conviction of the neonatal nurse Lucy Letby.
In a private letter to ministers, seen by the Guardian, the 24 experts said they were concerned that the inquiry’s narrow terms could prevent lessons being learned about “possible negligent deaths that were presumed to be murders” in the neonatal ward of the Countess of Chester hospital (CoC).
Continue reading...Former neonatal nurse convicted on retrial after jury at original trial was unable to reach verdict
Lucy Letby has been found guilty of trying to kill a two-hour-old baby girl on the hospital ward where she murdered seven other infants.
The “cold-blooded, calculated killer”, who is serving 14 whole-life prison terms, was convicted on Tuesday of attempting to murder the “extremely premature” infant after a retrial at Manchester crown court.
Continue reading...Judge says inquiry, due to begin in September, is ‘of profound importance’ and public should be allowed to watch
The Lucy Letby inquiry will examine matters of “profound importance” and should be broadcast live to the public, a senior judge has ruled.
Lady Justice Thirlwall said “the fundamental principle” was in favour of open justice and televised hearings would help inform public understanding.
Continue reading...Former nurse found guilty of murdering seven infants files bid to challenge her conviction
The child serial killer and former nurse Lucy Letby has formally filed a bid to challenge her conviction at the court of appeal, officials have said.
More details soon …
Continue reading...Exclusive: after newborn son was murdered, family say repeated calls to Countess of Chester’s medical director were unanswered
Demands for a statutory inquiry into the Lucy Letby murders have intensified after a bereaved family accused the hospital of “a total fob off” when they pleaded for answers.
The parents, whose newborn son was murdered and his twin poisoned, said they tried repeatedly to meet the hospital’s medical director but their calls went unanswered.
Continue reading...Profession faces long task to reassure families and patients that crimes and apparent failings will not be repeated
At hospitals around the UK nurses continue to pull on fresh scrubs and prepare for another day caring for patients. But many have been “rocked to the core” by the Lucy Letby case and some fear the foundation of public trust has been shaken.
That was the message from senior nurses on Tuesday as the horror of the child killer’s sentencing sank in and the profession braced for a long task to reassure families and patients that Letby’s crimes, and the institutional failings that appeared to have allowed them to continue, were truly an anomaly.
Continue reading...Judge said ‘lifelong harm has been caused in horrific circumstances’ as he addresses empty dock
The mother of twin boys, Children E and F, now reads her statement. Child E was murdered and Child F survived an insulin poisoning the following day. She says:
Our world shattered when we encountered evil disguised as a caring nurse. The heartbreak and shock left me feeling confused and numb. How could [Child E] collapse so suddenly after spending the day cuddling with us?
It was a living nightmare. Little did I know that the nightmare of pain and hurt would continue, emotionally battering me throughout my children’s lives.
We felt cheated, deceived, and utterly heartbroken once more.
He was buried in that gown, a gift from the unit chosen by Lucy. I feel sickened by the choice we made. Not a single day passes without distress over this decision.
We had to organise her funeral. The service took place the day before her due date. Her ashes were buried in a tiny box on her actual due date. Those weeks were particularly difficult… my arms, my heart, my life felt so painfully empty.
I needed to be her mum in every way … I questioned if I missed something. Did I do something wrong? I missed my daughter.
I love being a mum but, at the same time, live with grief and depression … I never feel good enough. I feel I have let myself go. My marriage is also scarred by all the hurdles we went through ... I feel not only that I lost [Child D] but I lost all those years of my life too.
I had a car crash after a nervous breakdown. I considered ending it all. I couldn’t continue and I didn’t want to. I was hoping that if I went to the other side I would see and be with my daughter.
We wanted justice for [Child D] and that day has come.
Continue reading...Former nurse will never be released from prison as judge describes ‘deep malevolence bordering on sadism’
The serial killer nurse Lucy Letby will never be released from prison after a judge sentenced her to a rare whole-life term for the “sadistic” murder of seven babies.
Letby, 33, is one of only three women alive to have been given such a jail term in the UK. She was sentenced at Manchester crown court on Monday.
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