THE new evidence put forward by Lucy Letby’s defence lawyers is “full or errors”, according to the families of the babies she’s convicted of murdering.
They say details heard at the Thirlwall inquiry, including of supposed infections that two babies had, are inaccurate.
SWNSKiller nurse Lucy Letby was convicted of ruthlessly murdering seven babies in her care[/caption]
GettySome insist Letby has been made a scapegoat for hospital failings[/caption]
Letby said ‘I’m innocent’ as she was led from the dock when she was sentencedAFP
The hearing, which closed last week to consider conclusions, reviewed events at the Countess of Chester Hospital at the time of the deaths between June 2015 and June 2016.
Former nurse Letby, 35, is serving a whole life order for murdering seven helpless infants and attempting to murder seven more on the hospital’s neonatal ward.
Richard Baker KC, representing the families, made submissions to “debunk” arguments from 14 medical experts who claimed the evidence against Letby is “unsafe”.
Their arguments are being used as part of a Criminal Cases Review Commission challenge.
Preliminary reports are understood to have been lodged with the Commission, the body that investigates potential miscarriages of justice.
It has confirmed it is looking into Letby’s case.
Among such contested arguments, includes Baby I having a bacterial infection causing thick secretions which blocked an endotracheal tube.
However, the families say testing suggests the child never developed the infection and the tube was not in place when they died.
Letby’s new team, headed by human rights barrister Mark McDonald, also claims Baby G had an infection causing vomiting.
But the families say the child became severely unwell after being attacked.
It comes after the victims’ parents have criticised the “misinformed circus” of supporters of Letby.
“The media PR campaign aimed to garner public sympathy for Letby demonstrates a complete lack of understanding for Letby’s crimes and the complexity of the case,” the mother of Baby C, a premature boy murdered with an injection of air, said.
“The misinformed and inaccurate media circus…is potentiating the distress of all of the families involved.”
The Sun revealed last week what Letby’s own parents, Jonathan, 79, and Susan Letby, 65, said about the case.
Statistical misrepresentation consultant, Professor Richard Gill, is among an increasing number of supporters who believe the ex-nurse is innocent.
He has been pushing for a retrial and even joined protesters outside Liverpool Town Hall, where the inquiry was being held, last week.
Professor Gill has previously helped free multiple medical professionals wrongfully convicted of killing patients, including Dutch nurse Lucia de Berk and Italian nurse Daniela Poggiali.
He wrote to the couple and received a personal response from the usually fiercely private pair.
EPAA report into the deaths by a panel of neonatologists and paediatric specialists found medical care and natural causes were the reasons for the collapses and deaths on the neo-natal unit[/caption]
PALucy’s parents John and Susan Letby outside Manchester Crown Court ahead of the verdict in her first case[/caption]
Andrew Price / View Finder PicturesThe road in Chester where Letby previously lived[/caption]
Speaking to The Sun, he said: “I have written to her parents and I actually got a letter back from them, which was very touching.
“It was two letters because there was a formal letter… the standard one which they send to anyone who sent them a letter, but also a longer personal letter in which they said they knew about what I’d been doing.
“That was a very nice personal letter.”
In one correspondence, seen by The Sun, Letby’s parents reveal they “firmly believe” their daughter’s convictions will be “the biggest miscarriage of justice in British history“.
They thank Prof Gill for his work in support of their daughter’s cause – and that they are pleased “public opinion is beginning to sway” in her favour “at last”.
Prof Gill – who has argued he can prove Letby’s innocence – wrote back asking if he could give them a call “to talk about some more things”.
However, he never got a response.
He added: “We know they don’t like publicity and that they get a lot of unwelcome attention.
“I think that’s a pity because at this stage it wouldn’t harm Lucy’s case if they got interviewed by one of the journalists who are sympathetic to her and the idea that this is a miscarriage of justice.”
Prof Gill has also slammed Cheshire Police after it announced that staff at Letby’s former hospital could now face corporate manslaughter charges amid growing concern she was the victim of a miscarriage of justice.
The force said its current probe had widened into gross negligence manslaughter.
Prof Gill told The Sun he believes the police are using a “diversionary tactic”.
He said: “It will be interesting. Those top managers can pay for top lawyers, and they can get good expert advice.
“NHS statistics show that the increase in mortality can be fully explained by changes in admissions policy.
“I think this is a diversionary tactic by the police which will backfire on them.”
Previous reports have suggested other supporters of Letby – a mix of those convinced of her innocence and others harbouring a ghoulish fascination with the case – have been organising ‘tours’ of her old haunts, including gathering outside her old home in Chester.
With this in mind, it’s unsurprising that when The Sun spoke to Letby’s old neighbours they were keen to distance themselves from the notorious case which has no doubt blighted the area.
Letby moved from nursing accommodation into the neighbourhood in April 2016, purchasing her three-bed home for £179,000.
Following her dramatic arrest there in 2018, she sold the semi-detached property in 2019 for £201,000, to a man said to have known about the charges against her.
He told The Sun he did not wish to speak about the shocking case.
Another neighbour meanwhile – a retired NHS worker who had worked at the Countess of Chester Hospital at the same time as Letby – questioned the anomaly of the high number of baby deaths in the maternity unit.
She said: “The amount of deaths was reportedly higher than the norm, but was put down to an anomaly.
“We don’t know if this was because they were trying to save more babies, which being so ill would have died anywhere else.
“We are all retired in this part of the road and we all have our own opinions on things, but we don’t make them public.”
Sickeningly, Facebook groups, including the now defunct ‘Pervert$ unite to support Lucy Letby’, previously saw members gushing over their love for her.
More recently, a sick pub birthday party was held, and there was even talk of a Letby-themed speed dating event.
The charges Letby was convicted on in full
Child A, allegation of murder. The Crown said Letby injected air intravenously into the bloodstream of the baby boy. COUNT 1 GUILTY.
Child B, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby attempted to murder the baby girl, the twin sister of Child A, by injecting air into her bloodstream. COUNT 2 GUILTY.
Child C, allegation of murder. Prosecutors said Letby forced air down a feeding tube and into the stomach of the baby boy. COUNT 3 GUILTY.
Child D, allegation of murder. The Crown said air was injected intravenously into the baby girl. COUNT 4 GUILTY.
Child E, allegation of murder. The Crown said Letby murdered the twin baby boy with an injection of air into the bloodstream and also deliberately caused bleeding to the infant. COUNT 5 GUILTY.
Child F, allegation of attempted murder. Letby was said by prosecutors to have poisoned the twin brother of Child E with insulin. COUNT 6 GUILTY.
Child G, three allegations of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby targeted the baby girl by overfeeding her with milk and pushing air down her feeding tube. COUNT 7 GUILTY, COUNT 8 GUILTY, COUNT 9 NOT GUILTY.
Child H, two allegations of attempted murder. Prosecutors said Letby sabotaged the care of the baby girl in some way which led to two profound oxygen desaturations. COUNT 10 NOT GUILTY, COUNT 11 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT.
Child I, allegation of murder. The prosecution said Letby killed the baby girl at the fourth attempt and had given her air and overfed her with milk. COUNT 12 GUILTY.
Child J, allegation of attempted murder. No specific form of harm was identified by the prosecution but they said Letby did something to cause the collapse of the baby girl. COUNT 13 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT.
Child K, allegation of attempted murder. The prosecution said Letby compromised the baby girl as she deliberately dislodged a breathing tube. COUNT 14 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT.
Child L, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said the nurse poisoned the twin baby boy with insulin. COUNT 15 GUILTY.
Child M, allegation of attempted murder. Prosecutors said Letby injected air into the bloodstream of Child L’s twin brother. COUNT 16 GUILTY.
Child N, three allegations of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby inflicted trauma in the baby boy’s throat and also injected him with air in the bloodstream. COUNT 17 GUILTY, COUNT 18 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT, COUNT 19 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT.
Child O, allegation of murder. Prosecutors say Letby attacked the triplet boy by injecting him with air, overfeeding him with milk and inflicting trauma to his liver with “severe force”. COUNT 20 GUILTY.
Child P, allegation of murder. Prosecutors said the nurse targeted the triplet brother of Child O by overfeeding him with milk, injecting air and dislodging his breathing tube. COUNT 21 GUILTY.
Child Q, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby injected the baby boy with liquid, and possibly air, down his feeding tube. COUNT 22 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT.
Professor Richard Gill is among those believing Letby is innocent
Letby carried out the rampage while working at the Countess of Chester Hospital
Derbyshire ConstabularyFootage released by police shows the moment Letby was arrested[/caption]
Andrew Price / View Finder PicturesLetby’s former home, which she sold after her arrest[/caption]
Derbyshire ConstabularyShe lied to police in her interview back in 2018[/caption]
PAA court sketch of Letby during one of her trials[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
