Doctors suspicious of Lucy Letby accused of ‘plotting’ and ‘lying’ by NHS executives

Lucy Letby pictured in a police mug shot

Doctors who pointed the finger at Lucy Letby were accused of “plotting” and “lying” by senior staff at the Countess of Chester Hospital, a public inquiry has heard.

The Thirlwall Inquiry investigating the wider circumstances of deaths in the neonatal unit between 2015 and 2016, and whether they could have been prevented, opened on Tuesday.

Letby was convicted of the murders of seven newborns and the attempted murder of seven other infants, and is serving 15 whole-life sentences.

In opening statements, the inquiry heard that many staff at the hospital did not believe the nurse was responsible for the deaths, and had been reluctant to remove her from the unit.

After she was consigned to desk duties, Letby filed a grievance in the autumn of 2016, and Dr Christopher Green, director of pharmacy at the Countess, was appointed to investigate her complaint.

Lucy Letby was convicted of murdering seven babies CREDIT: Cheshire Constabulary/Handout via Reuters

The inquiry heard how Dr Green was “disgusted” by the behaviour of consultants and warned “it is likely that they lied”.

Beginning his investigation in October that year, he found that the “drive” to remove Letby from the unit came from Dr Stephen Breary and “to a lesser extent” Dr Ravi Jayaram.

Allegations based on ‘gut feel’

Dr Green said although staff should be free to raise concerns about colleagues, he was concerned the allegations were based on “gut feel” and may fall under bullying and harassment.

He concluded there was insufficient evidence for a formal internal or police investigation, the inquiry heard.

The consultants were ordered to apologise to Letby, and it was recommended that the nurse be given written confirmation that she had “no case to answer” in relation to the deaths and collapses of babies on the unit.

Hospital executives had hoped to “draw a line under the Lucy issue”, but in 2017, seven doctors emailed calling for a forensic investigation into deaths in the neonatal unit.

At a meeting of the trust’s executive directors, the inquiry heard how Tony Chambers, the chief executive, observed that “things seem to have gone backwards”.

Consultants who raised concerns about Lucy Letby were ordered to apologise to her

Speaking of the consultants, Ian Harvey, the trust’s medical director, was recorded as replying: “Wonder what they are plotting.”

Rachel Langdale KC, the counsel for the inquiry, said: “The inquiry will be investigating whether by this stage a relationship of trust between the consultants and executive directors had truly broken down.”

Karen Rees, who was head of nursing at the Countess of Chester, told the inquiry in a statement that it came as a “complete shock” to be told that two consultants thought Letby was intentionally harming babies.

The inquiry also heard how Eirian Powell, the neonatal unit ward manager at the Countess of Chester, believed in 2015 and 2016 that there was “no evidence whatsoever” that Letby was to blame for deaths and collapses on the wards.

Responding to concerns in October 2015, Ms Powell said it was “unfortunate” that Letby was present at the deaths and collapses.

‘Each cause of death was different’

“Each cause of death was different, some were poorly prior to their arrival on the unit and others were suffering necrotising enterocolitis, gastric bleeding, and congenital abnormalities,” she wrote at the time.

At a meeting in May 2016, Powell reportedly said: “Lucy Letby works full time and has the qualification for speciality. She is therefore more likely to be looking after the sickest infants on the unit.”

The inquiry heard by the spring of 2017, the hospital had instructed a barrister to look into whether the police should be informed about the accusations, but he told executives there was “no evidence of crime”.

The legal expert warned that the police were “strapped for resources” and could only sensibly investigate cases where there were “reasonable grounds for suspecting a criminal offence had been committed”.

Despite the advice, Mr Chambers wrote to the chief constable of Cheshire Police, calling for a forensic investigation and Operation Hummingbird was launched soon after.

Ms Langdale said: “Could Letby have been stopped sooner than she was? Were opportunities for detection missed? Should concerns have resulted in an action?

“These questions go to the very heart of whether lives could have been saved and injury prevented.

“Her planned return to the ward only appears to have been stopped because of the tenacious lobbying of the consultants.

“But for their determined approach, it appears likely that she would have been permitted to deal with babies.”

Lady Justice Thirlwall, who is chairing the inquiry, has said it is likely to end early next year with the report being published next autumn.

People demonstrate outside the High Court during Lucy Letby's appeal hearing in April — Demonstrations take place outside the High Court during Lucy Letby's appeal hearing in April. Lady Justice Thirlwall has said it is not her intention to retry the case CREDIT: ZUMAPRESS.com / Avalon

The judge warned there had been an “outpouring” of comment on the validity of Letby’s convictions since the trial, but said it was not her intention to retry the case.

“The convictions stand,” she said. “The parents of the babies have waited years for answers to their questions and it’s time to get on with this inquiry.”

Sarah Knapton, SCIENCE EDITOR ; Alex Barton and Samuel Montgomery

10 September 2024 • 7:59pm

4:36PM

That’s all for today

Here is a summary of what the inquiry heard today:

Justice Thirlwall confirmed Lucy Letby’s convictions would stand.
The counsel said the inquiry would help keep babies safe in future.
Baby K was attacked during a CQC hospital inspection.
Consultants who made allegations were ordered to apologise to Letby in September 2017.
Ms Langdale, the counsel, compared Letby to Harold Shipman after ‘hiding in plain sight’.
A hospital meeting conducted in July 2015 following the deaths of three babies found that “no further investigation was warranted”.
A Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood meeting was only held for Child C.
Nurses wanted Letby to continue working on the ward despite consultants’ concerns.
A hospital report found neonatal was dealing with babies who were ‘more gravely ill than in previous years’.
Hospital bosses were said to have been keen to ‘draw a line under the Lucy issue’.
Consultants who called for an external investigation were accused of ‘plotting’ by hospital bosses.

4:08PM

Hospital bosses were advised there was ‘no evidence of crime’, inquiry hears

A barrister hired by the Countess of Chester in April 2017 to look at the evidence of a serial killer told hospital bosses that there was ‘no evidence of crime’.

The expert warned that the police were ‘strapped for resources’ and could only sensibly investigate causes where there are ‘reasonable grounds for suspecting a criminal offence had been committed.’

He warned that it was ‘very different from mere suspicion.’

However Tony Chambers, the chief executive, wrote to the chief constable of Chester Police calling for a forensic investigation.

Ms Langdale, the counsel for the inquiry, said: “Could Letby have been stopped sooner than she was? Were opportunities for detection missed?

“Should concerns have resulted in an action? These questions go to the very heart of whether lives could have been saved and injury prevented.

“As I have said, the police were not contacted until April 17. In that time Letby worked without formal restriction.

“Her planned return to the ward only appears to have been stopped because of the tenacious lobbying of the consultants.

“But for their determined approach, it appears likely that she would have been permitted to deal with babies.”

3:41PM

Consultants who called for external investigation were accused of ‘plotting’, inquiry hears

Consultants at the Countess of Chester were accused of ‘plotting’ by hospital bosses after they called for an external investigation into deaths at the neonatal unit.

Seven consultants sent an email to executives after two external doctors concluded that many of the deaths were unexplained and called for a broader forensic investigation into the deaths.

Four days after the email was sent, an executive directors meeting was convened.

At the meeting Tony Chambers, the chief executive, observed that following the consultants letter ‘things seem to have gone backwards’.

Ian Havey, the trust’s medical director, was recorded in the minutes as replying: “Wonder what they are plotting.”

Ms Langdale, the counsel for the inquiry, said: “The inquiry will be investigating whether by this stage a relationship of trust between the consultants and executive directors had truly broken down.”

3:21PM

Hospital bosses were keen to ‘draw a line under the Lucy issue’, inquiry hears

Minutes of meetings in January 2017 showed that hospital bosses were keen to ‘draw a line under the Lucy issue’.

Tony Chambers, the chief executive of Countess of Chester Hospital, told a meeting on January 10 that it was ‘not the case’ that one individual was to blame for the spike in deaths, and instead pointed to problems with ‘leadership and clinical interventions.’

At the meeting, Alison Kelly, who was Director of Nursing and Quality at the trust, said that they were now trying to protect Letby.

She said: “If we really believed that the individual was the causal factor for the change of survival rates on the unit we would have called the police. However we didn’t feel this was the case.”

In meetings in January, hospital bosses repeated that Letby had been exonerated.

Ms Langdale, counsel for the inquiry, said: “This inquiry will consider how it was that the executive directors were apparently proceeding on the basis that Letby was exonerated.”

The police interview with neonatal nurse Lucy Letby CREDIT: Cheshire Police

3:07PM

Consultants who made allegations were ordered to apologise to Letby, inquiry hears

In September 2017, consultants who made allegations against Lucy Letby were ordered to apologise after she brought a grievance against the trust, the inquiry heard.

A grievance hearing was chaired by a deputy chief nurse from a nearby trust who proposed that consultant Dr Stephen Breary and Dr Ravi Jayaram engage in mediation with Letby.

Doctors were warned they would face disciplinary action if they did not apologise to the nurse.

It was also recommended that Letby be given written confirmation that she had ‘no case to answer’ in relation to the deaths and collapses of babies on the unit.

Ms Langdale, counsel for the inquiry, said there is evidence that the outcome of the grievance hearing ‘came to dominate the thinking’ of hospital bosses.

“The grievance process was viewed as having exonerated Letby when in fact it contained no investigation of her actions whatsoever,” the barrister said.

2:52PM

Hospital report found neonatal was dealing with babies who were ‘more gravely ill than in previous years’, inquiry hears

The Countess of Chester Hospital carried out reviews into unexpected deaths during 2015 and 2016 at the neonatal unit.

Nurse Martin, the most senior children’s nurse in the trust, was asked to look at 17 incidents and identified six cases, of which Letby had been present at the period of collapse at three and involved in prior care of one further baby.

A second position paper compiled by the trust also found that the neonatal was dealing with babies who were ‘more gravely ill than in previous years’ which could be a contributory factor to increased deaths.

Overall the conclusions of the report that there had been an increase in workload intensity and acuity in the neonatal unit and those factors may have partly explained the increase in mortality.

Ian Harvey, the medical director, told the inquiry in a statement: “It was not a satisfactory explanation for the increase and that it was clear those factors were not the whole answer but were potential contributing factors.”

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) was also invited to review the rise in deaths and called for a detailed forensic case review for each suspicious death.

Ms Langdale, counsel for the inquiry said it was unclear how many of the recommendations had been followed.

2:20PM

Nurses wanted Lucy Letby to continue working on ward despite consultants’ concerns, inquiry hears

Nurses wanted Lucy Letby to continue working on the neonatal ward while consultants believed she should be removed, following the deaths of several babies, the inquiry has heard.

Karen Rees, who was head of nursing in Countess of Chester, told the inquiry in a statement that she was “very upset”, and that it came as a “complete shock” to be told that two consultants thought Letby was intentionally harming babies.

Executives at the hospital decided that by the summer of 2016 there was insufficient evidence to remove Letby from the neonatal unit.

In a statement Ian Harvey, the hospital medical director, told the inquiry that it was a “difficult balance” to strike.

“My general recollection of the days that followed is that the clinicians became more vociferous about her being removed while the nurses wanted her to remain on her unit,” he said.

Mr Harvey told consultants to stop emailing about their concerns regarding Letby.

“It was not intended to stop the discourse but to dampen down some of the theories which seemed to me to be appearing out of nowhere,” he wrote in his statement.

“However on reflection I do accept this email could have been worded better, I regret the language used and accept that this could have affected the appetite of the consultants to come forward. That was not my intention.”

1:23PM

Lucy Letby compared to Harold Shipman after ‘hiding in plain sight’

Lucy Letby has been compared to Britain’s most prolific serial killer Harold Shipman after “hiding in plain sight”.

Rachel Langdale KC, the counsel to the public inquiry into the Letby killings, compared the neonatal nurse to Shipman, who was responsible for more than 200 deaths.

Ms Langdale said: “History tells us that medical serial killers are deceptive, manipulative and skilled at hiding in plain sight.”

She added: “None of his victims realised that Shipman brought death which was disguised as the caring attention of a good doctor.”

“For ordinary decent right thinking people the actions of Letby will remain unfathomable. We will not be inviting speculation about her motive or mindset.

“We will ask why detailed rigorous medical analysis of sudden unexpected deaths and collapses did not take place earlier and why attacks were allowed to continue for a year.”

A public inquiry into the Shipman killings was launched in 2001. Prof Peter Furness, the former president of the Royal College of Pathologists, previously claimed that many of Lucy Letby’s victims might have been saved if ministers had not delayed key recommendations from the Harold Shipman inquiry.

1:01PM

Inquiry breaks for lunch

The inquiry has risen for lunch and will resume at 1.45pm.

1:00PM

No evidence ‘whatsoever’ Letby was to blame for deaths, inquiry hears

Eirian Powell, the neonatal unit ward manager at the Countess of Chester believed there was “no evidence whatsoever” that Letby was to blame for deaths and collapses on the wards.

In May 2016, a meeting was held at the hospital to discuss Letby’s shift patterns after she was moved off night shifts following a disproportionate number of deaths during the night.

Consultant Stephen Breary, said that Ms Powell became very defensive of Letby at the meeting and countered his concerns "forcibly and with great emotion."

“There’s no evidence whatsoever against Lucy Letby other than coincidence,” she is reported to have said.

“Lucy Letby works full time and has the qualification for speciality. She is therefore more likely to be looking after the sickest infants on the unit.”

In a statement to the inquiry Ian Harvey, the medical director of the hospital, said that the tone of the meeting was calm.

“I don’t recall anyone being aggravated or forthright about a concern about Letby,” he said.

Former nursing manager Alison Kelly also said there was nothing to justify the suspension of Letby.

Letby brought a grievance process against the hospital in which it was claimed that during the meeting Dr Breary made reference to a "murderess on the neonatal unit".

However Ms Landgdale said there was a dispute about "what was said by whom" which will be explored during evidence in the hearing.

12:39PM

Baby K attacked during CQC hospital inspection, inquiry hears

Baby K was attacked while the Care Quality Commission (CQC) was carrying out an inspection of the Countess of Chester, the inquiry has heard.

The CQC was visiting the hospital between February 16 and 19 in 2016.

Ms Langdale, the counsel inquiry said: “On the February 17 2016, at the very time the CQC inspection was taking place, Child K suddenly and unexpectedly deteriorated.”

Consultant Dr Ravi Jayaram said that he had become “uneasy” about the presence of Letby at unexpected deaths and collapses.

The doctor said he had found Letby standing by the incubator of Baby K when the child was collapsing and found the breathing tube had been dislodged.

Letby was convicted of the attempted murder of Baby K at retrial in July. Letby is currently seeking to appeal the conviction.

Legal counsel Rachel Langdale speaking at the Thirwall Inquiry CREDIT: Crown Copyright

12:21PM

Letby’s presence during death of Child I called ‘unfortunate’

After the death of Child I in October 2015, consultant Stephen Breary first raised his concerns about Letby in writing, the inquiry heard.

However Eirian Powell, who was the neonatal unit ward manager, responded to his concerns saying it was “unfortunate” that Letby was present.

But she said: “Each cause of death was different, some were poorly prior to their arrival on the unit and others were suffering necrotizing enterocolitis, gastric bleeding, and congenital abnormalities.”

Ms Langdale, counsel for the inquiry, said that the email from Powell "sets the tone" for what was to follow in subsequent months.

“Concerns despite being raised by the consultant of the neonatal unit we’re not see as urgent,” she said.

12:15PM

Doctors assumed tests were wrong for insulin poisoning case

The death of Child F from insulin poisoning was missed by doctors because they assumed tests were inaccurate, the inquiry heard.

In a statement, Doctor ZA, who has been granted anonymity, said she did consider whether insulin could have been delivered deliberately but “this seemed absurd and ridiculous unlikely.”

She said: “I felt the most likely explanation for the results was some sort of inaccuracy with the test, and I would have liked to repeat them but Child F had no further issues and was transferred back to the local unit.

“The test being wrong seemed the only possible explanation.”

Ian Harvey, the medical director at the Countess of Chester, said he was never informed of the insulin results and if he had known it would have “significantly altered my perception of the events on the neonatal unit.”

Ms Langdale, counsel for the inquiry, said that Lady Justice Thirlwall may wish to consider whether high artificial insulin results in babies should become a “never event” which would automatically flag concerns.

Lady Justice Thirwall speaking to lead counsel Rachel Langdale at the Thirwall inquiry CREDIT: Crown Copyright

11:54AM

No further investigation warranted following deaths of three babies, inquiry hears

The inquiry has heard that a meeting at the Countess of Chester on July 2 2015, following the deaths of three babies, found that “no further investigation was warranted”.

Ms Langdale said that the hearing would examine “whether there was a significant opportunity missed” to save the lives of babies who died after the meeting.

“As well as failing to recommend further investigation due to the number of unexpected deaths, the meeting on July 2 also failed to consider and document which staff were present at each resuscitation and whether, in addition to the deaths there had been any unexpected collapses over the same period.

“Had they done so the collapse of Child B would have been included in the index of concerns.

“Had factors being considered it seems likely that at this stage in July 2015 as a minimum, Letby’s presence at each sudden and unexpected death and her presence at the collapse of Child B.”

The inquiry heard how it would take the sudden and unexpected deaths of another two babies in August and October before the ‘commonality of staffing’ was revisited and further investigation was considered necessary.

11:48AM

Third part of the inquiry will consider wider NHS

Ms Langdale said the third part of the inquiry would consider the wider NHS, including the current culture, governance and management structures.

She said: “History tells us that serial killers are deceptive, manipulative and skilled at hiding in plain sight.”

She said an inquiry into Harold Shipman, a GP thought to have murdered hundreds of his patients, shed little light on why he carried out his crimes and found he was able to kill undetected over many years, enjoying a high reputation.

She added: “For ordinary, decent right-thinking people the actions of Letby will remain unfathomable. We will not be inviting speculation from witnesses about her motive or mindset.”

She said the inquiry would examine why detailed medical analysis of the deaths and collapses of babies did not take place earlier and whether bias in favour of Letby influenced the hospital’s response.

She said: “It was not until April 2017, almost two years after the first murder, that the hospital made a referral to the police and detailed multi-disciplinary medical scrutiny and analysis was finally conducted.”

11:47AM

Second part of inquiry will consider whether deaths were preventable

Rachel Langdale KC said the second part of the inquiry into Letby's crimes would consider whether they could have been prevented and whether she should have been removed from the neo-natal unit earlier.

She said: "The inquiry's unwavering process will not be examining the convictions but rather what the response of those at the time was and should have been to what they knew or should have known at the time.

"Our inquiry will serve the vital purpose of keeping babies safe in the future for those rare cases when a healthcare professional intends them harm."

She said witnesses would be expected to tell the truth "however difficult that may be".

11:46AM

Babies murdered and injured by someone trusted to care for them, inquiry hears

Rachel Langdale KC said: "At the Countess of Chester between June 2015 and June 2016 the neonatal unit was a place where babies were murdered and injured by someone trusted to care for them, a nurse on the ward."

She said the first part of the inquiry would include "heartbreaking" evidence about the experiences of the parents whose babies were attacked by Letby.

She added: "The provision of written or oral evidence to you is a testament to the enormous courage of the parents.

"In the midst of their pain they have demonstrated a selfless commitment in the principle that others in the future should not suffer as they do."

She said medical and scientific evidence in each case should be considered in the context of all other evidence and should never be compartmentalised.

She added: "Those who do this will be less likely to see the picture as a whole. They may reach conclusions that are not only wrong but are speculative and damaging."

11:37AM

Consultant paediatrician observed that one nurse was present during early deaths

Inquiry heard that at a meeting on June 27 2015 regarding the early deaths, consultant paediatrician Dr Stephen Brearey said that it was observed that one nurse was present at all the episodes - Letby.

Rachel Langdale KC said: “Dr Breary recalls that while the association remained in his mind following the meeting he was not at that stage overly concerned and recalled commenting ‘Not nice Lucy.”

11:32AM

Consultant not suspicious of deliberate patient harm, inquiry hears

The inquiry heard how staff at the Countess of Chester had started to notice that Letby was present at all the deaths and collapses.

However consultant Dr John Gibbs pointed out that Letby had worked more shifts than other neonatal nurses and believed it was ‘merely unfortunately’ she had been present.

“I was not suspicious of deliberate patient harm,” he later told police.

11:27AM

Inquiry will hear from pathologist who carried out Baby D post-mortem

The inquiry will hear from Dr Jo McPartland, the pathologist who carried out a post-mortem into the death of Baby D.

Dr McPartland gave the cause of death of Baby D as pneumonia and acute lung injury.

Ms Langdale, the counsel for the inquiry, said that Dr McPartland had not seen an X Ray report for Child D which would have been needed for a diagnosis of death by air embolism.

Dr McPartland, in a statement, also said that she had not been informed that the same member of staff had been involved in the series of deaths.

11:04AM

Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood meeting only held for Child C, inquiry hears

The inquiry has heard how a Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood meeting was only held for one baby, Child C.

The doctors admitted that the process for reviewing child deaths was ‘disparate and inconsistent.’

Rachel Langdale KC, said that Lady Justice Thirlwall may want to consider whether the failure to carry out adequate reviews of the early deaths may have allowed further deaths and attacks to take place.

After the death of Child C, the Countess of Chester Hospital was starting to get a reputation.

“(One doctor) explains in her statement to the police that some staff were beginning to ask questions.

“It was something that was on the grapevine when working at other locations, like ‘have you heard about Chester?” said Ms Langdale.

10:41AM

Circumstances of Baby A death outlined

Rachel Langdale KC is now outlining the circumstances surrounding the death of Baby A.

She tells the inquiry that Baby A’s death was "not just unusual, but also unexpected" with nurses and doctors in the neonatal unit being shocked by the sudden collapse.

Doctors had commented on the stable condition of Child A and within half an hour he had collapsed and died.

An unusual rash was found on the baby that would "flit and then disappear". Doctor Ravi Jayaram did not realise the significance until a similar rash appeared on another baby which collapsed.

“Nobody considered the death of child A was considered to be anything malicious,” said the KC.

10:33AM

Inquiry will keep babies safe in future, says counsel to the inquiry

Rachel Langdale KC says the inquiry "will serve the purpose of keeping babies safe in future from a healthcare professional who seeks to do them harm”.

She added: “Those who give evidence do so with the benefit of hindsight – I know that you - my Lady - expect witnesses to tell the truth, no matter how difficult that might be.

"For ordinary, decent, right thinking people the actions of Letby will remain unfathomable. We will not be inviting speculation from witnesses about her motivation or mindset."

10:31AM

Recap: Delays to post-Shipman reforms stopped scrutiny of Letby cases, says leading pathologist

Many of Lucy Letby’s victims might have been saved if ministers had not delayed key recommendations from the Harold Shipman inquiry, a leading pathologist has said.

Twenty years ago, a public inquiry into more than 200 deaths by Britain’s most prolific serial killer called for a new system of “medical examiners” to scrutinise any death that did not involve a coroner.

Legislation was passed in 2009 - but hospitals did not start introducing the roles until 2019, and a statutory system will not be introduced until next year.

Read the full story here.

10:28AM

Counsel to the inquiry outlines what hearings will look at

Rachel Langdale KC, the counsel to the inquiry, is outlining what the hearings will look at.

“We will consider whether Letby’s crimes could have been presented and whether she should have been removed or suspended earlier. We will ask if professional bodies should have been informed about Letby.

“The inquiry will not be examining the convictions but rather what the responses were at the time, what they knew or should have known.”

“History tells us that medical serial killers are deceptive, manipulative and skilled at hiding in plain sight.”

Speaking about Harold Shipman: “None of his victims realised that Shipman brought death which was disguised as the caring attention of a good doctor.

“For ordinary decent right thinking people the actions of Letby will remain unfathomable. We will not be inviting speculation about her motive or mindset

“We will ask why detailed rigorous medical analysis of sudden unexpected deaths and collapses did not take place earlier and why attacks were allowed to continue for a year.”

10:19AM

Convictions stand, says Justice Thirlwall

Lady Justice Thirlwall warned there had been an “outpouring” of comment on the validity of the convictions since the trial, but said it was not her intention to retry the convictions.

“The convictions stand,” she said “It’s my duty to focus the inquiry on the terms of reference.

“The parents of the babies have waited years for answers to their questions and it’s time to get on with this inquiry.”

10:17AM

At the heart of this inquiry are the babies who died, says Justice Thirlwall

Lady Justice Thirlwall has opened the inquiry and has said it is likely to end early next year with the report being published next autumn.

In her opening statement she said: “At the heart of this inquiry are the babies who died who were injured and their parents. I do nor presume to describe the feelings and emotions that those parents have already experienced.

“Death and injuries occurred in 2015 and 2016. The parents were told that natural causes were the reason for deaths of life long difficulties and so each parent grieved the loss of a new life and all that it promised.”

10:14AM

The inquiry begins

The inquiry has begun with opening remarks from Lady Justice Thirlwall.

The investigation at Liverpool Town Hall is to examine how Letby was able to attack babies on the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neo-natal unit in 2015 and 2016, and how its bosses handled concerns.

Opening the inquiry, Lady Justice Thirlwall said that appeal judgment was a "watershed" as the parents of the nurse's victim could now turn their minds to the inquiry.

10:08AM

Justice Thirlwall to take guidance from previous inquiries into hospital deaths

In Lady Justice Thirlwall's opening statement in November, the senior Court of Appeal judge said she would also probe what recommendations had been made from previous inquiries into events in hospitals and other healthcare settings, and what difference they made.

She referred to the case of another child killer nurse, Beverley Allitt, who murdered four infants and caused grievous bodily harm or attempted to murder a total of nine other children in Lincolnshire in 1991.

She said: "Everyone was determined that it would not happen again. It has happened again. This is utterly unacceptable."

10:04AM

Inquiry will focus on three main areas

The inquiry will cover three broad areas:

Firstly, the experiences of the parents of the babies who featured on the criminal indictment that Letby faced.
Secondly, the conduct of those working at the Countess of Chester and how Letby was able repeatedly to kill and harm babies. Despite mounting concerns raised to bosses by some consultants, she was not removed from the unit until after the deaths of two triplet boys and the suspected collapse of another baby boy on three successive days in June 2016 and police were not called in until the following year.
Thirdly, a focus on the wider NHS in examining relationships between the various groups of professionals, the culture within hospitals and how these affect the safety of newborns in neonatal units.

9:53AM

The Daily T: Is it “crass” to question Lucy Letby’s guilt?

David Davis has told The Daily T he thinks “the balance of probabilities” is that killer nurse Lucy Letby is innocent, as the health secretary has says the public campaign to free her is “crass and insensitive”.

Wes Streeting said that the public should continue to view the former nurse, who is currently serving 15 life sentences, as a murderer amid growing demands for her release.

Watch episodes of the Daily T here.

9:49AM

Letby’s conviction is unsafe, says Boris Johnson’s former science adviser

The Lucy Letby conviction is unsafe and raises questions about whether juries should be allowed to try complex scientific evidence, a former science adviser to Boris Johnson has warned.

James Phillips, who worked as a special adviser to the former prime minister and to the secretary of state for science during the Covid pandemic, said he believed evidence presented to the jury in Letby’s trial was flawed.

He said that the case bore similarities to how Covid was dealt with by the Government, with too much “group think”, poor science literacy, and experts not thinking mathematically or statistically.

Read full story here.

9:47AM

Public inquiry into Lucy Letby to begin at 10am

The public inquiry into the events surrounding the crimes of child serial killer nurse Lucy Letby will begin at 10am today.

Letby was convicted of murdering seven newborn babies and attempting to murder seven others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016.

The Thirlwall Inquiry, chaired by Lady Justice Thirlwall, was set up to examine how the neonatal nurse was able to harm babies in her care. The probe will also examine the broader conditions in the neonatal unit where Letby worked.

Letby is serving 15 whole-life orders, making her the fourth woman in UK history to be told she will never be released from prison.

Since her conviction last year, many scientists, doctors and statisticians have come forward to question the way that evidence was presented to the jury.

The first week of the inquiry will hear opening statements from the counsel to the inquiry, along with legal representatives from “core participants” including the families of Letby’s victims.

Evidence is scheduled to begin the following week and will continue until at least December.