In a crucial development, prosecutors are set to make a pivotal decision today regarding the potential retrial of child serial killer nurse Lucy Letby. The 33-year-old nurse was sentenced to a whole life order following her conviction for the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit in 2015 and 2016.
However, the recent trial at Manchester Crown Court left lingering questions, as the jury was unable to reach verdicts on six counts of attempted murder related to five children. A pivotal hearing is scheduled to take place at the same court on Monday, where the Crown Prosecution Service will unveil its course of action.
Lucy Letby vehemently denied all the allegations and formally lodged an appeal against her conviction at the Court of Appeal earlier this month. The jury in her trial struggled to reach conclusions on charges that she attempted to murder three baby girls, identified in court documents as Child H, Child J, and Child K. Notably, she was acquitted of two other counts of attempted murder.
Moreover, the jury was unable to reach verdicts on two counts of attempted murder concerning Child N, a baby boy, and an accusation that she tried to murder another male infant, Child Q. Nevertheless, she was found guilty of one count of attempted murder involving Child N.
The unsettling saga at the Countess of Chester Hospital was marked by a significant increase in the number of babies experiencing serious and unexplained collapses during 2015 and 2016. Concerns about Letby were first raised by the unit’s head consultant in late June 2015, and as more unexplained collapses occurred, concerns among consultants grew.
Lucy Letby was not removed from the unit until after the tragic deaths of two triplet boys and the collapse of another baby boy over three consecutive days in June 2016. Subsequently, she was assigned clerical duties but initiated a grievance procedure, which was ultimately resolved in her favor. She was slated to return to the unit in March 2017.
The arrest of Lucy Letby took place at her Chester residence in July 2018, and charges were filed in November of the same year. The trial commenced on October 4, 2022, with the jury reaching its final deliberations on August 18, 2023, and her sentencing occurring on August 21.
As Letby appeals her convictions, a court hearing to clear her name is anticipated later this month. Her appeal effort gains support from a scientist, Sarrita Adams, based in California, who claims that the case against her was constructed upon “unreliable expert advice” and a flawed understanding of science.
Sarrita Adams leads a group called Science on Trial, which argues that Letby’s conviction could represent a grave miscarriage of justice in the UK. Meanwhile, Cheshire police have confirmed they are undertaking a review of the care provided to 4,000 children, encompassing every baby admitted to the unit and those at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, where Letby completed training placements during her career, which commenced in September 2012.
