Lucy Letby
Constabulary/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

Missing Evidence, Expert Warnings and Scandal Shake Letby’s Trial Outcome

Lucy Letby, the nurse currently serving 15 life sentences for murdering seven babies and attempting to kill seven more between 2015 and 2016, now faces fresh doubts over her conviction. New police notes obtained by the UnHerd news website reveal that Letby was absent for more than a third of the suspicious incidents recorded at the Countess of Chester Hospital, raising questions about the integrity of key evidence presented during her trial.

The documents indicate that when chief prosecution witness Dr Dewi Evans initially examined 28 suspicious cases, Letby was not present for ten of them. This omission directly challenges the prosecution’s narrative. Nick Johnson KC, a leading barrister for the prosecution, had asserted that Letby was “the one common denominator” in the unexpected deaths or collapses. The discrepancy between the evidence and the prosecution’s assertion has now stirred significant controversy, with critics arguing that the jury at Manchester Crown Court may have been misled, as reported by the GB News.

Adding to the growing concerns is the role of forensic evidence, or rather, the absence thereof. With no clear motive or forensic confirmation linking Letby directly to the tragic incidents, the prosecution relied heavily on circumstantial evidence. This reliance has fueled calls for a review of the case, with prominent voices within the medical and legal communities urging a closer reexamination of the evidence.

In a related development, Canadian neonatologist Dr Shoo Lee is scheduled to hold a press conference on Tuesday. Dr Lee is expected to challenge the application of his 1989 research on air embolism during Letby’s trial. He contends that none of the skin discolourations noted in the babies matched those typically seen with the condition, describing air embolism as a “very rare and specific condition” that should not have been diagnosed simply by ruling out other causes. His upcoming remarks cast further doubt on the medical evidence that was instrumental in securing Letby’s conviction.

Dr Lee, who was not called by Letby’s original defence team, has also announced plans to present findings from an independent review conducted by a “blue ribbon committee” of 14 international medical experts. The committee’s preliminary assessments suggest that in potentially every case, the official causes of death may have been misinterpreted. “This is not fair, because the evidence that was used to convict her, in my opinion, wasn’t quite right,” Lee told The Sunday Times. He added, “What I can say is that we looked at the cases in great detail and we came to very definite conclusions about what happened in every case.”

Former Cabinet Minister David Davis has similarly demanded a retrial, describing Letby’s conviction as a “clear miscarriage of justice.” Davis argues that police and the Crown Prosecution Service are withholding key evidence, including hospital notes regarding Baby O. One note from consultant Dr Stephen Brearey highlighted that “sub-optimal care”—specifically, the misplacement of a needle—was “undoubtedly a significant contributory factor in the baby’s death, if not the outright cause.”

Additional scrutiny has been directed at Dr Dewi Evans, whose expertise has now been questioned by an Appeal Court judge. While Evans maintains that the concerns are “unsubstantiated, unfounded, inaccurate,” he has refrained from further comment pending the conclusion of Lady Justice Thirlwall’s public inquiry. Meanwhile, a new legal team led by criminal defence barrister Mark McDonald has been tasked with taking Letby’s case to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, ensuring that every facet of the case is thoroughly reexamined.

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