An expert witness in the trial of serial killer nurse Lucy Letby has reported a further 25 suspicious incidents to police.
Dr. Dewi Evans described discovering even more troubling cases after reviewing all 82 medical records provided to him following her murder convictions.
The pediatrician, 75, told the Telegraph he had now stopped working on the Operation Hummingbird probe into Letby and was at a loss as to why no follow-up action was taken as he was no longer licensed to practice – having retired in 2009.
Letby, 34, was convicted at Manchester Crown Court in August last year of seven murders and seven attempted murders in relation to 13 victims – after twice trying to kill one of the babies.
She was sentenced to 14 life tariffs for each guilty count, meaning she will die in prison and face no prospect of parole.
Dr. Dewi Evans described finding more worrying cases after reviewing all 82 medical records provided to him following Lucy Letby’s murder convictions.
Lucy Letby, 34, was convicted of seven murders and seven attempted murders at Manchester Crown Court in August last year
Judge Justice Goss said she was responsible for a ‘cruel, calculated and cynical campaign of infanticide’ between June 2015 and June 2016.
A jury at a retrial in July convicted Letby of the attempted murder of another child known as Baby K.
A public inquiry is underway into how she could have killed the babies while on duty at the Countess of Chester Hospital in Cheshire.
It will also look at how the NHS handled the case and its response to doctors who raised concerns.
Doctors at the Countess say they have repeatedly raised concerns about a spike in deaths in the neonatal unit to hospital bosses, but their concerns were dismissed and no action was taken.
The investigation found that executives will dispute exactly when they were specifically told Letby was linked to foul play.
Dr. Evans was the doctor who originally reviewed babies’ medical records from hospital after consultants raised concerns about deaths in Letby’s care.
He has now told the Telegraph: ‘Following the verdict, I wrote to Cheshire Police last September and said: ‘Look, I have only made preliminary reports on this but I think they need to be looked at in more detail.’ .
“And I just listed 25 cases of mine, and nothing may come of any of them. For example, I found a baby with a displaced breathing tube.
“Well, you can’t prove anything without one displaced breathing tube, but if that breathing tube has been moved and there’s no apparent reason for it, then you might be a little concerned.
Judge Justice Goss said Lucy Letby (pictured) had been responsible for a ‘cruel, calculated and cynical campaign of infanticide’ between June 2015 and June 2016
Body-worn cameras captured the moment Letby was arrested at her home in July 2018
A photo of a court artist from Letby giving evidence at Manchester Crown Court in June this year
‘And then there are other babies who suddenly became seriously ill with an infection. Okay, premature babies are always at risk of infection. So there were even more worrying cases.’
He also said that 10 deaths were not presented to the jury at the criminal trial due to the absence of “key consistencies” that suggested foul play.
Some doubts have been raised about Letby’s guilt in recent months – with some members of the Royal Statistical Society expressing concern about the use of statistics to secure a conviction based on probabilities.
But Dr. Evans said today: ‘There were issues with all those seven (babies) that were suspect. Why did this baby collapse? That’s suspicious. Babies don’t do that suddenly.
‘Why didn’t these babies respond to CPR? That in itself is suspicious.
‘Most surprising were the comments from neonatologists who should know better, as they commented on cases where they have not seen the clinical records and have not been in court.’
The criminal trial was told that after being removed from primary care in July 2016, Letby filed a complaint against the hospital.
It was confirmed and managers instructed consultants to write a letter of apology to Letby, who was told that preparations would be made for her to return to the unit.
Only because consultants continued to object and insist that the police be involved did this never happen.
Following Letby’s conviction in August last year, Medical Director of the Countess of Chester Hospital, Dr Nigel Scawn, said: ‘I speak for the entire trust when I say how deeply saddened and shocked we are by the crimes of Lucy Letby.
A public inquiry is underway into how Letby (pictured) could kill the babies while on duty at the Countess of Chester Hospital in Cheshire.
Doctors at the Countess of Chester Hospital (pictured) say they have repeatedly raised concerns about a spike in deaths in the neonatal unit to hospital bosses
Police officers stand guard outside Liverpool Town Hall on September 10 – the building houses the ongoing Thirlwall investigation into the Lucy Letby case
“We are deeply sorry that these crimes occurred at our hospital and our thoughts remain with all the families and loved ones of the babies who were injured or died. We cannot understand what they have been through.
‘This case has had a profound impact on our patients and our local community, as well as on our staff, who are committed every day to providing safe and high-quality care to all our patients.
“Our staff are devastated by what has happened and we want to ensure lessons are learned.
“We are grateful for the cooperation of our staff, especially those who maintained the utmost professionalism in providing testimony in this trial.”