Lucy Letby did not murder seven babies at Countess of Chester Hospital, claim experts, who say fresh medical evidence shows natural causes and “bad medical care” were to blame.
An international panel of 14 neonatologists presented what it described as “significant new medical evidence” in the case of nurse Letby, who is serving 15 whole-life orders for the murder of seven infants and attempted murder of seven others between June 2015 and June 2016 at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
The panel was convened by Canadian professor Dr Shoo Lee after he claimed the prosecution misinterpreted a 1989 paper he had written on air embolisms, which was used in evidence at Letby's trial.
Unveiling the findings on Tuesday, Dr Lee claimed the team found no evidence of deliberate harm in any of the cases, adding: “We did not find any murders. In all cases death or injury were deemed to be natural causes or just bad medical care.”
It comes as Letby's lawyers applied for her case to be reviewed by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) as a potential miscarriage of justice after she exhausted her challenges at the Court of Appeal.
The new research carried out by the expert panel will be submitted to the CCRC, which has the power to send her case back to the Court of Appeal if it finds there is a substantial possibility judges could overturn the convictions.
Key points
- 'We did not find any murders’, experts claim
- Medical experts' conclusion in four points
- Evidence against Letby has been ‘demolished’, lawyer claims
- What happens now?
Failings at Countess of Chester Hospital
17:00
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Alex Ross
Today’s press conference wasn’t the first time the hospital has come under scrutiny for alleged problems during the time Lucy Letby worked there.
Back in September, the hospital came under the microscope during the Thirlwall Inquiry, which was set up to examine how the nurse was able to carry out her crimes.
Peter Skelton KC, representing seven of the families, told the hearing there were “five basic failures which occurred right from the start and which continued for the next two years”.
They included an alleged failure to properly and swiftly investigate infant deaths.
Read our story from the inquiry here:
What were the alleged medical problems at the Countess of Chester Hospital?
16:40
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Alex Ross
At this morning’s press conference, panel chairman Dr Shoo Lee said his team found a number of medical problems at the Countess of Chester Hospital during the time of Lucy Letby’s convictions.
These included, he said, poor skills in resuscitation and inserting breathing tubes, a lack of understanding of some basic procedures, along with misdiagnoses and unsafe delays in treatment of acutely poorly babies.
Evidence of inadequate numbers of appropriately-trained staff, work overload, lack of teamwork and caring for ill babies “probably beyond their expected ability of designated level of care” was also found, he said.
Dr Lee said the Countess of Chester would have been shut down if it was in his homeland of Canada.
He said: “Death or injury of all the affected infants were due either to natural causes or to errors in medical care.
“There were serious problems related to medical care of patients at this hospital.
Starmer: Letby case was ‘horrendous’ and ‘shocked the nation’
16:20
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Archie Mitchell
Lucy Letby’s case was “horrendous” and “shocked the nation”, Downing Street has said amid growing claims the nurse is innocent.
Asked whether the prime minister thinks Letby is guilty, Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman added: “A criminal trial has taken place, and Lucy Letby was found guilty.
“There is, of course, an established process through the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which is independent of government and the Commission has today, confirmed they have received an application from Lucy Letby’s legal team, we obviously wouldn't get drawn on that independent process.”
The spokesman pointed to health secretary Wes Streeting’s previous comments that “we should also all remember what the families and those affected by this appalling case are going through and keep them in our thoughts”.
Who is Dr Shoo Lee
15:48
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Alex Ross
Dr Shoo Lee is a Canadian professor who co-authored a 1989 academic paper on air embolism in babies.
The work featured prominently at Letby’s 10-month trial and was used by the prosecution to highlight a variety of skin discolorations observed in babies.
But Dr Lee says his paper was misinterpreted by the prosecution and jury members could have been misled.
He was first contacted about Letby’s case in relation to the first appeal last year.
He is now leading the team of 14 international medical experts, which on Tuesday gave alternative causes of death in several of the cases against Letby.
What is the job of the Criminal Cases Review Commission?
14:54
As we’ve reported, an application has been submitted to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to review the Lucy Letby case.
The commission looks into criminal cases where people believe they have been wrongly convicted or wrongly sentenced.
If members find something wrong with a conviction or sentence, they can send the case to the Court of Appeal.
On the application lodged by Letby’s lawyer yesterday, the CCRC issued a statement, just minutes before this morning’s press conference.
It read: “We have received a preliminary application in relation to Ms Letby’s case, and work has begun to assess the application. We anticipate further submissions being made to us.
“It is not for the CCRC to determine innocence or guilt in a case, that’s a matter for the courts.
“It is for the CCRC to find, investigate and if appropriate, refer potential miscarriages of justice to the appellate courts when new evidence or new argument means there is a real possibility that a conviction will not be upheld, or a sentence reduced.
“At this stage it is not possible to determine how long it will take to review this application. A significant volume of complicated evidence was presented to the court in Ms Letby’s trials.
Appeals against Letby's convictions up until now
14:20
Lucy Letby is serving 15 whole life prison sentences after being convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others.
Last year, she lost two bids last year to challenge her convictions at the Court of Appeal.
The first bid in May was over seven murders and seven attempted murders, and in October for the attempted murder of a baby girl which she was convicted of by a different jury at a retrial.
Dr Shoo Lee gave evidence as part of the first application, but this was rejected as three senior judges.
They concluded there had been no prosecution expert evidence diagnosing air embolus solely on the basis of skin discolouration.
Now, Letby’s lawyers have lodged a request to the Criminal Cases Review Commission to investigate her case as a potential miscarriage of justice.
The body will assess if the new evidence gives a reasonable chance of a conviction being overturned - and the case could be referred to the Court of Appeal.
'We are here to tell the truth' - message to the families impacted
13:50
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Alex Ross
Dr Shoo Lee, who is leading the international panel of experts, issued two messages to the families of those impacted in the case.
He said: “We understand their stress and their anguish, and our work is not meant to cause more distress.
“Rather, it is meant to give them comfort and assurance in knowing the truth about what really happened.
“We know that they want to know the truth and that is why we are here to tell the truth.
“Should they have any queries or concerns, we’d be pleased to discuss them with them.”
What is the 'new medical evidence' against Lucy Letby's conviction
13:36
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Alex Ross
We’ve put together an explainer on who is on the panel of international experts, what is their evidence, and what happens now.
You can read it here:
A police review and public inquiry taking place
13:21
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Alex Ross
Following Lucy Letby’s final conviction last year, a number of actions have been taking place.
Today, we heard how an application has been lodged with the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, for the Letby case to be reviewed that is taking place.
A public inquiry into how the nurse committed her crimes is also under way, and detectives from Cheshire Constabulary are continuing their review of the care of some 4,000 babies admitted to hospital while Letby worked as a neonatal nurse.
Letby's lawyer wants case referred to the Court of Appeal by the summer
12:50
Mark McDonald, the barrister leading Lucy Letby’s legal team has described Tuesday’s presentation as a “gamechanger”.
Asked what he thought of the press conference, Mr McDonald said: “I’ve never known anything like it.
“You know, never before – and I mean it’s a grand statement to make – but never before have we had such an experienced credible body of experts come together across the world and say something has gone wrong, and I think it’s a gamechanger.”
Mr McDonald said he would like to see the matter “certainly referred to the Court of Appeal by the summer”.
'It is about a young woman's life', Dr Shoo Lee explains why he took investigation on
12:46
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Alex Ross
Dr Shoo Lee said he took on the Lucy Letby investigation because he “could not see how we could send an innocent woman to jail for the rest of her life if in fact she was innocent”.
Speaking after the press conference, he said that he was first contacted about the case in relation to an appeal by the convicted child killer and, after looking at transcripts, he became “concerned that there was a problem with this conviction because the evidence that’s being used to convict her – regardless of whether she is innocent or guilty – was wrong”.
He later added: “It is about a young woman’s life. All of us, our lives are precious. I could not see how we could send an innocent woman to jail for the rest of her life if in fact she was innocent.
“So I decided to investigate and that’s when I approached the solicitors to say I would be willing to look at the evidence to see whether or not there was a problem with the evidence.
“This is no longer just one physician standing up to say Lucy Letby was wrongly accused, this is the panel of 14 of the world’s top experts.
“If you don’t believe them who will you believe?”
Downing Street declines to comment on application for Letby case to be reviewed
12:34
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Alex Ross
Downing Street declined to comment on an application by convicted child serial killer Lucy Letby to have her case reviewed.
Asked whether Sir Keir Starmer thought she was guilty, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “This was a truly horrendous case that shocked the nation. A criminal trial has taken place and Lucy Letby was found guilty.
“There is, of course, an established process through the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which is independent of Government, and the commission has today confirmed they have received an application from Ms Letby’s legal team.
“We wouldn’t get drawn on that independent process.”
What happens now?
12:22
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Amy-Clare Martin
Despite the bombshell press conference, where a panel of leading neonatologists said they believe all Letby’s victims died of natural causes or bad medical care, Letby is still a convicted child murderer.
Having been sentenced to 15 whole life orders, she will never be released unless her bid to overturn her convictions succeeds.
The panel’s findings will now be passed to the Criminal Cases Review Commission who must decide if the new evidence merits the case being referred to the Court of Appeal.
But with a lengthy backlog, it could take years for them to investigate her case and there is no guarantee they will agree with her lawyer’s assessment that the evidence against her has been “demolished”.
If the CCRC application succeeds, it will then be up to judges at the Court of Appeal to review her conviction.
Medical expert's conclusions in four points
12:17
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Alex Ross
The press conference has ended and a report on the medical team’s evidence has been given to journalists.
Here is the conclusion summarised in four points:
- There was no medical evidence to support malfeasance causing death or injury in any of the 17 cases in the trial
- Death of injury of affected infants were due to natural causes or errors in medical care
- There were problems related to the medical care of patients at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit
- There were problems related to teamwork and inter-disciplinary collaboration of the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit
'Overwhelming evidence conviction is unsafe', says Letby's lawyer
11:58
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Alex Ross
Mark McDonald, the barrister leading Lucy Letby’s legal team said they would be back in the Court of Appeal “very soon”.
It comes after an application was made by the team to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) for a review of the convictions on the grounds of a potential miscarriage of justice.
Mr McDonald said: “There is overwhelming evidence that the conviction is unsafe. And if Dr Shoo Lee and the panel are correct, no crime was committed.
“And if no crime was committed, that means a 34-year-old woman is currently sitting in prison for the rest of her life for a crime that just never happened.”
Medical evidence against Letby has been ‘demolished’, lawyer claims
11:51
,
Amy-Clare Martin
Asked about the other circumstantial evidence brought by the prosecution against Letby, Mr McDonald said: “The reason why Lucy Letby was convicted was because of the medical evidence that was presented to the jury. That today has been demolished.”
Sir David added that the statistical evidence has also been demolished.
'If this was a hospital in Canada, it would be shut down', says Dr Lee
11:49
,
Alex Ross
Asked about the Countess of Chester Hospital during questions from journalists at the Lucy Letby press conference, Dr Shoo Lee, a retired medic from Canada, said: “I would say if this was a hospital in Canada, it would be shut down.
“It would not be happening.”
Lawyer says experts report is ‘overwhelming evidence that this conviction is unsafe’
11:41
,
Amy-Clare Martin
Letby’s barrister Mark McDonald said they have made an application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission who are “waiting eagerly” for the experts’ report.
“What we have just heard and what will be in the report is overwhelming evidence that this conviction is unsafe and must be urgently referred back to the Court of Appeal,” he said.
Sir David Davis says this is a ‘case study’ in why courts must overhaul how they handle expert evidence
11:27
“Back in 2011 the Law Commission published a report challenging the handling of expert evidence in court,” MP Sir David Davis says.
“This case is a case study in why that report should have been implemented. It hasn’t been and it should be now.”
He’s called for an overhaul of how “new evidence” is defined for the purposes of an appeal.
Final message to the families of the infants
11:26
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Alex Ross
Dr Lee says his evidence will be provided to the Criminal Cases Review Commission which is now handling a request from Letby’s lawyer to investigate the case.
He adds: “I hope our findings bring comfort and closure to the families to the affected infants and our hearts and sympathies go out to them.”
'Bad medical care' at the hospital, Dr Lee claims
11:23
Dr Lee finishes his conclusion by saying: “In our opinion, the medical opinion, the medical evidence doesn’t support murder in any of these babies, just natural causes and bad medical care.”
Letby is serving 15 whole-life orders after being found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to end the lives of seven more between 2015 and 2016.
'No medical evidence to support malfeasance', Dr Lee concludes
11:20
,
Alex Ross
Dr Lee has provided his evidence and is now drawing his conclusion.
He says: “There was no medical evidence to support malfeasance causing death or injury in any of the 17 cases at the trial.”
“Death or injury of all the infected infants were due to natural causes or medical care.
“There were serious problems relating to medical care of patients at this hospital.”
He highlights alleged issues relating to teamwork and collaboration at the Countess of Chester Hospital
'We did not find any murders’, experts claim
11:12
,
Amy-Clare Martin
Dr Lee says: “In summary, ladies and gentleman, we did not find any murders. In all cases death or injury were deemed to be natural causes or just bad medical care.
“In our opinion, the medical opinion, the medical evidence doesn’t support murder in any of these babies just natural causes and bad medical care.”
He adds: “If you are looking for the truth you don’t need to go any further.”
Baby 7 was not overfed, says Dr Lee
11:12
,
Alex Ross
Letby was convicted of the attempted murder of Baby 7, who was left severely disabled.
The jury was told that the baby was deliberately overfed, causing the baby to vomit, and then injected with air in the stomach, leading respiratory failure.
Dr Lee says the baby was “very ill”, and that was probably suffering from a viral infection, which led to the vomiting and large watery stools.
He adds: “There is no evidence to support any injection to the stomach or overfeeding.
Dr Lee argues it was ‘highly likely’ Baby 15 suffered an injury during birth
11:06
,
Alex Ross
The expert said Baby 15, the second of a set of pre-term triplets delivered by in-labour caesarean section, likely suffered an injury during a traumatic birth.
He said the allegation that air was injected into the infant’s intravenous line was “nothing but conjecture”.
He told the conference that an abdominal injury, likely caused during rapid delivery, caused the infant to bleed into her abdomen.
No evidence endotracheal tube to Baby 11 was dislodged, says Dr Lee
10:47
On Baby 11, Dr Lee argues there was no evidence to support the allegation of the endotracheal tube being dislodged.
He concludes the baby's deterioration was caused by an oversized endotracheal tube, adding the initial intubation was "traumatic and poorly supervised".
Alarm for Baby 9 on collapse was not turned off, says Dr Lee
10:44
We’re now on to Baby 9, who Dr Lee says the prosecution presented a case where the child died from having air injected inside their body, causing air embolism and death.
He adds that the jury was told an alarm connected to the baby was turned off to delay response to their collapse.
He says the died from respiratory complications caused by respiratory distress syndrome, complicated by a bacteria called stenotrophomonas maltophilia.
And on the alarm, he says it did not go off because it is set to sound when there is 20 seconds without breath.
“Because the baby is gasping with less than 20 seconds each time, it [alarm not sounding] wasn’t because it was switched off.”
He suggests the medics caring for her failed to respond timely to a bacterial infection with antibiotics.
Baby 4 died from systemic sepsis and pneumonia, says Dr Lee
10:32
,
Alex Ross
Concluding the death of Baby 4, Dr Lee says the infant died from systemic sepsis and pneumonia, adding again that the child's mother should have been treated with antibiotics before birth.
"We found no evidence of air embolism," he says.
“This was not a stable baby as alleged by the prosecution witness,” he adds. “This baby continued to deteriorate for the next few days until final collapse.”
Baby 4's mother was not given required treatment, Dr Lee says
10:29
,
Alex Ross
Baby 4 died due to collapse following the injection of air causing air embolism and death, the jury heard.
Dr Lee says there is no evidence that air embolisms result in patching of the skin, which was referred to in the trial.
This baby was born with a rupture of the membrane in their mother before birth, Dr Lee says.
He adds that the mother should have been given antibiotics to protect against infection.
In this case, he says, she wasn’t.
Baby 1 died from thrombosis with no evidence of air emoblism, Dr Lee says
10:25
The first case presented by Dr Shoo Lee is Baby 1, who the jury was given evidence to who they died from air emoblism.
Dr Lee gives a short timeline of the child’s death up until their collapse and death.
He questions evidence that the baby died from air embolism, and says there could have been an underlining cause.
He says the allegation was the baby, a pre-term boy who collapsed two days after being born, was injected air into his veins, causing his collapse and death.
He says the panel concluded the baby died from thrombosis, which is when a blood clot blocks blood vessels.
He says: "Our conclusion is that baby 1 died from thrombosis and that there was no evidence of air embolism.”
Panel examined all cases
10:14
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Alex Ross
Dr Shoo Lee says the panel examined all 17 cases that involved different allegations on causes of death and injuries
He says they will present their findings in brief. “If we went through it all, we’d be here forever,” he says.
“We will give you the highlights of what happened.”
Criminal Cases Review Commission confirms application submitted to investigate case
10:11
A Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) spokesperson said: “We are aware that there has been a great deal of speculation and commentary surrounding Lucy Letby’s case, much of it from parties with only a partial view of the evidence. We ask that everyone remembers the families affected by events at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.
“We have received a preliminary application in relation to Ms Letby’s case, and work has begun to assess the application. We anticipate further submissions being made to us.
“It is not for the CCRC to determine innocence or guilt in a case, that’s a matter for the courts.
“It is for the CCRC to find, investigate and if appropriate, refer potential miscarriages of justice to the appellate courts when new evidence or new argument means there is a real possibility that a conviction will not be upheld, or a sentence reduced.
“At this stage it is not possible to determine how long it will take to review this application. A significant volume of complicated evidence was presented to the court in Ms Letby’s trials.
“The CCRC is independent. We do not work for the government, courts, police, the prosecution or for anyone applying for a review of their case. This helps us investigate alleged miscarriages of justice impartially.”
Introducing panel and their qualifications and experience
10:10
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Alex Ross
Dr Shoo Lee, who says he is chair of the panel, is now introducing the panel members, and their experience.
Just before Dr Lee spoke, MP Sir David Davis: “He’s come here today, I suspect at his own expense, to put right what I think, anyway, is one of the major injustices of modern times.”
Panel's objective explained
10:07
,
Alex Ross
Dr Shoo Lee says concerns over the evidence provided at the trial led to him convening an expert panel to examine all the material, and look again at the cause of death and injuries.
It was, he says, to find if the findings were favourable or unfavourable to Lucy.
“Our objective was to provide an impartial evidenced based report on what what caused the infants’ deaths based on medical evidence.”
Panel issues message to infants' families
10:04
,
Alex Ross
Dr Shoo Lee begins by saying he is at the press conference to share the findings of the panel.
He, however, starts by saying the panel’s work has not been done to cause more distress for the families of the victims.
“Rather, it is meant to give them comfort and assurance in knowing the truth about what really happened.”
Press conference has started
10:00
,
Alex Ross
The press conference has started with MP David Davies introducing the panel which includes retired neonatologist Dr Shoo Lee and Letby’s lawyer Mark McDonald.
Application submitted to Criminal Cases Review Commission to investigate case
09:55
Last year, Letby’s lawyer Mark McDonald said he planned to submit an application to the independent Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates potential miscarriages of justice and can refer cases back to the Court of Appeal for consideration.
We’re just hearing that Mr McDonald’s team applied to the CCRC yesterday.
It comes ahead of the press conference which starts in just under 10 minutes.
'Evidence unreliable' - Letby's lawyer
09:37
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Alex Ross
Lucy Letby’s lawyer Mark McDonald has been speaking ahead of today’s press conference, where a team of neonatologists will present “new medical evidence” on the case.
Watch what he had to say here:
What are we expecting from the panel?
09:35
The panel of 14 international experts say they will present new medical evidence on the case of Lucy Letby.
The former nurse was found guilty of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of seven others, with two attempts on one child, when she worked on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.
At the press conference, retired neonatologist Dr Shoo Lee will disclose new analysis.
Dr Lee was the top paediatrician at Mount Sinai Hospital in Canada for more than a decade, and founded the Canadian Neonatal Network, which includes 27 hospitals and 16 universities.
It has been reported that in most of the 17 cases the panel of experts has recorded a different cause of death or collapse from the one given to the jury in Letby’s trial.
Dr Lee is expected to also claim his work on from an academic paper on air embolism in the bloodstream of babies was misinterpreted at the trial.
'Very concerned' - response from lead prosecution expert witness in trial
09:28
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Alex Ross
The lead prosecution expert witness at the trial of Lucy Letby was Dr Dewi Evans, a retired consultant paediatrician.
His opinion on the cause of death or collapse of the babies at Countess of Chester Hospital’s neo-natal unit was key toward securing Letby’s conviction.
Last year, Letby’s lawyer Mark McDonald announced he would seek permission from the Court of Appeal to apply to re-open her case on the ground Dr Evan’s evidence was “not reliable”.
Now new medical evidence set to be presented today is likely to cast further doubt on Dr Evan’s input to the trial.
Speaking to The Times last week, Dr Evans said: “I’m very concerned that people are getting their facts wrong. We’re clinicians, we’re scientists, we stick to facts.”
Who will be at the press conference
09:09
,
Alex Ross
In just under an hour we will hear from a panel of experts who will claim to provide “new medical evidence” in the case of Lucy Letby.
The panel, to be chaired by Conservative MP Sir David Davis, will include retired neonatologist Dr Shoo Lee.
Dr Lee was the top paediatrician at Mount Sinai Hospital in Canada for more than a decade, and founded the Canadian Neonatal Network, which includes 27 hospitals and 16 universities.
The former nurse’s barrister, Mark McDonald, will also be present.
'This is why I think Lucy Letby is guilty – and you should too'
09:00
,
Alex Ross
Last year, Nigel Bunyan, who has spent hours examining the evidence presented at the Letby trial, wrote a story for us following the news the convicted killer’s lawyers were launching a fresh appeal.
Here’s why he thinks Letby is guilty, and why he says others should feel the same.
Where and when is press conference taking place
08:49
,
Alex Ross
An international panel of experts in the care of newborn babies will present what they say is “significant new medical evidence” in the case of convicted child serial killer Lucy Letby.
The press conference is in Westminster, and starts at 10am.
Sir David Davis MP will be chairing the panel, which will include barrister Mark McDonald who is leading Letby’s legal team.
We’ll bring you live coverage of it here
Leading neonatologist 'wasn't happy' on how research was presented at Letby trial
08:23
,
Alex Ross
On today’s panel is retired medic Dr Shoo Lee, who co-authored a 1989 academic paper on air embolism in babies – which featured prominently in Letby’s 10-month trial.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, Dr Lee has said he “wasn’t happy” with how his research was represented to the jury in the trial at Manchester Crown Court.
“I looked at [the court transcripts] and I wasn’t very happy because what they were interpreting wasn’t exactly what I said,” he told The Sunday Times.
Dr Lee said there are two “specific” signs of air embolism: the Lee sign (a specific skin discoloration characterised by pink-red blood vessels visible against a purplish-blue background) and the Liebermeister sign (when pale areas are seen on the tongue). Both were absent.
He added that the infants Letby was accused of harming should not have been diagnosed with air embolism, as it is “a very rare and specific condition and should not be diagnosed by excluding other causes of death or collapse and concluding that it must be a case of air embolus because nothing else could be found”.
“So what they were saying during the trial was that the baby collapsed and he had this skin discoloration, which equals air embolism. And what I said during the appeal was ‘No it doesn’t,’” Dr Lee added.
Public inquiry and ongoing police review into Letby's crimes
08:19
,
Alex Ross
A public inquiry into how Letby was able to commit her crimes began hearing evidence in September, with closing legal submissions expected in March.
The inquiry findings of Lady Justice Thirlwall are expected to be published this autumn.
Detectives from Cheshire Constabulary are continuing their review of the care of some 4,000 babies admitted to hospital while Letby worked as a neonatal nurse.
The period covers her time at the Countess of Chester Hospital from January 2012 to the end of June 2016, and includes two work placements at Liverpool Women’s Hospital in 2012 and 2015.
Letby has been interviewed at HMP Bronzefield in Ashford, Surrey, under caution in relation to the ongoing investigation into baby deaths and non-fatal collapses.
She maintains her innocence.
Lucy Letby case could be 'biggest miscarriage of justice in UK history'
08:17
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Alex Ross
Last year we spoke to the lawyer representing Lucy Letby, who said the case could be the “biggest miscarriage of justice in the history of the United Kingdom”.
Mark McDonald is planning to submit an application to the independent Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates potential miscarriages of justice and can refer cases back to the Court of Appeal for consideration.
In December, Mr McDonald said – that separately from the CCRC application – he would also seek permission from the Court of Appeal to apply to re-open Letby’ case on the grounds that Dr Dewi Evans, the lead prosecution medical expert at her trial, was “not reliable”.
Retired consultant paediatrician Dr Evans said concerns regarding his evidence were “unsubstantiated, unfounded, inaccurate”.
Speaking to us last year, Mr McDonald, who said he was working unpaid, said: “It is not just right for Lucy Letby that they [CCRC] look at this as a matter of priority, but it is right for the families of those poor children that have died that they get a resolution, a final resolution to this.”
