At least one more baby is likely to have been poisoned with insulin by Lucy Letby, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
The cases of up to 91 babies who collapsed or died at Countess of Chester Hospital while she was a nurse there have been reviewed by prosecution medical experts during the first phase of the police investigation. This can also be revealed.
They included the 17 children whom Letby was originally charged with murder or damage between June 2015 and June 2016. Last week, the 33-year-old was convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder another six, leading them to is the most prolific child killer. in modern British history.
Yesterday, Dr Dewi Evans, the lead prosecutor’s expert in the trial, said he would return to look again at the remaining 74 children and would liaise with Cheshire officers, who have confirmed their investigation into Letby is ongoing.
Dr. Evans told the MoS he had uncovered at least one other case of suspected insulin poisoning and another possible attempted murder where he believed the baby had been injected with air but survived.
Lucy Letby’s conviction for multiple murders depended on the medical evidence examined by prosecutor’s experts
Dr. Dewi Evans, the prosecution’s lead expert in the trial, said he would return to look again at the remaining 74 children whose cases he was investigating and would liaise with Cheshire officers.
His comments come as it emerged yesterday that two more families want police to investigate the deaths of their babies, believing they may have been killed by Letby.
The Daily Telegraph reported that both mothers could be considered frail – one of the women is from Lithuania and doesn’t speak much English, while the other has learning disabilities and struggles with reading and writing. They both believe that Letby was present when they were in hospital with their children.
The nurse appeared to have signed one baby’s baptismal record with an apparently loving message, while the other baby’s father recognized Letby from media coverage of the process.
Police officers contacted the families during their initial investigation, but they were not involved in the original case that went to trial.
Sources close to the investigation say at least 30 babies who have collapsed suspiciously and are still alive have already been identified by detectives.
When the police were finally called in May 2017, Dr Evans was sent the medical records of 33 children for review.
After Letby’s arrest and publication of her photo a year later, many more parents contacted the police, prompting the officers to compile and send the medical notes of another 58 babies.
“This woman didn’t show up one day and started giving babies intravenous air,” Dr Evans said. “Letby must have done something before then (June 2015).
“I believe there is at least one other case of insulin poisoning that needs further investigation. When I went back last week and checked my notes, I also found another child who suddenly deteriorated, which I suspect was due to air being pumped into the bloodstream. That child recovered and went home.’
Letby was convicted of the attempted murder of two boys, Baby F and Baby L, who were poisoned with insulin eight months apart on the ward, in August 2015 and April 2016. She also assaulted their twin brothers, killing Baby E and tried to kill baby M.
The trial found that while blood tests showed high concentrations of the drug in Baby F and Baby L, none of the doctors picked up on the usual results, which were simply included in the babies’ medical notes without proper testing. It meant that Letby assumed she could get away with it, and her killing spree continued.
It wasn’t until the medical records of both twins were reviewed by the police that anyone realized that she had not only injected babies with air, but also poisoned them.
Cheshire Police have pledged to medically examine the cases of 4,000 babies admitted to the neonatal units at Countess and Liverpool Women’s Hospital, where Letby trained in 2012 and 2015, to ensure that the ‘footprint’ of the killer nurse’s career is thoroughly investigated. .
They have declined to speculate on the exact number of babies Letby might have harmed, but have not ruled out future charges or prosecutions.
Sources have told the Mail that while a number of deceased babies could be included in future investigations, most of them are children who have survived.
Dr. Evans said: ‘I think there will be grounds for a second trial. I believe there is at least one more case of insulin poisoning and air embolism. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be reviewing all my 91 cases, not including the babies Letby found guilty of murder or damage.’
It is revealed that two more families want the police to investigate the deaths of their babies, thinking they may have been killed by Letby
While completing a three-year nursing course at Chester University, Letby did an internship at the local hospital, where she would later murder or mutilate her victims.
Sketch of a court artist by Elizabeth Cook of Letby, responding to her lawyer Ben Myers’ final questions
According to the Times, prosecution witnesses have already been questioned in connection with other suspicious incidents, including those that took place as far back as 2012.
Evans also urged police to look into the 247 transfer notes found at Letby’s home and that of her parents following her arrest in July 2018. ‘I don’t think she took them home for posterity’ , he said.
The prosecution suggested that she take them as mementos of her victims and use them as cheat sheets to search Facebook for their parents, whom she had a morbid fascination with.
Dr. Evans said he was shocked by the revelations in recent days, adding: ‘There needs to be a legal review and the police must investigate the managers for corporate manslaughter. It is absolutely appalling that they have not heeded the concerns of the advisers and, I am very sorry, gross negligence on the part of everyone.
“Now they have all left the hospital. Ian Harvey is located in the south of France. Well, he should have been sent to the South Pole.’
Letby, 33, from Hereford, received 14 life sentences on Monday for seven murders and seven counts of attempted murder, against six infants.
Judge Goss said she committed a “cruel, calculated and cynical campaign of infanticide” and that her crimes involved a “profound malice bordering on sadism.”
Mr. Harvey has challenged some of the advisers’ claims and, along with other senior hospital managers, has insisted that he will cooperate with any government investigation.
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