Lawyers for Lucy Letby, the British nurse convicted of infant murder, have requested a suspension of the inquiry into the neonatal deaths. This request follows a medical expert panel's finding that there was no evidence of criminal behavior. Judge Katherine Thirlwall announced the request from Letby and the former management of the Countess of Chester Hospital before hearing closing arguments for the inquiry.
Read Also...:
Man last known to be seen with missing University of Pittsburgh student tells prosecutors how he rescued her f
03-20, 2025
Eminem's ex-employee accused of stealing and selling rapper's unreleased music
03-20, 2025
Jury finds Greenpeace liable for hundreds of millions in relation to pipeline protest
03-20, 2025
British teenager who killed family and planned school massacre gets minimum 49 years in prison
03-20, 2025The inquiry, launched last September, aims to determine the responsibility of hospital staff and management for the infant deaths at the hospital in northwest England. The inquiry operates on the premise of Letby's guilt. She is currently serving a life sentence without parole after being convicted of seven counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder for her actions as a neonatal nurse between June 2015 and June 2016. Following last year's trial, she was also found guilty of an eighth count of murder in a separate hearing.
Letby's lawyers argue that the inquiry could reach flawed conclusions if the convictions are overturned, and that the £10 million (approximately $20.3 million USD) of taxpayer money spent to date would be wasted. Prosecutors stated that Letby left little trace when harming the babies: she would inject air into their bloodstreams, inject air or milk into their stomachs through nasogastric tubes, interfere with breathing tubes, or poison them with insulin. They also pointed out that she was the only staff member on duty in the neonatal ward when these children deteriorated or died.
However, since Letby's conviction last year, a panel of 16 international medical experts in pediatrics and neonatology reviewed the medical evidence and concluded that there was little conclusive evidence that she was responsible for the infant deaths. Dr. Dewi Evans, a retired neonatologist from Canada, stated last month that the panel believed that each infant's death or deterioration was due to natural causes or substandard medical care. The panel also questioned the premise that there was an unexplained surge in hospital deaths. They stated that the roster evidence showing Letby's presence at all the deaths was "incomplete, selective, and therefore meaningless."
The Criminal Cases Review Commission, which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, is reviewing Letby's convictions. It may refer its findings to the Court of Appeal. Following the medical panel's findings, the hospital's former management, including Chief Executive Tony Chambers, Medical Director Ian Harvey, Nursing Director Alison Kelly, and Human Resources Director Sue Hodgkinson, have also requested a halt to the public inquiry. Despite calls for a review of the evidence against Letby, several related investigations into the matter are ongoing. Cheshire Police announced last week that its investigation into corporate manslaughter at the hospital has expanded and is now investigating individuals for suspected gross negligence manslaughter. Letby's lawyer, Mark McDonald, criticized this decision, citing the medical panel's findings. Mr. McDonald said: "We now have substantial and significant expert evidence that completely undermines the case against Lucy Letby and points in a very different direction to the one that the police are currently pursuing with their investigation. It is time for them to step back and ask themselves whether they have made a huge mistake." Another inquiry is investigating the deaths and near-deaths of other babies while Letby worked at the Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool Women's Hospital between 2012 and 2016.
