Lucy Letby’s conspiracy theorists ‘should be ashamed’, says study

The parents of babies murdered by former nurse Lucy Letby have said conspiracy theorists should be “ashamed”, in a statement read out by a lawyer at a public inquiry.

Letby, 34, was sentenced to 15 life terms after being convicted in two trials of the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of seven others.

The inquiry, led by Lady Justice Thirlwall at Liverpool Town Hall, will investigate events at the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital, where Letby was a nurse from 2015 to 2016. Letby was first arrested in 2018 and sentenced in 2023 and 2024.

There have been numerous reports highlighting the doubts some have about Letby’s convictions. For example, a group of neonatal experts and statisticians have called on the government to delay the inquiry or change its terms because of their concerns.

Speaking at the inquest on Thursday, Richard Baker KC, a barrister representing the parents of children C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, O, P and R, five of whom Letby murdered, said: “Anyone who recklessly promotes conspiracy theories, or who parrots them without challenging the same tired misconceptions about this case, should be ashamed.

“The families, together with the jury, endured 10 months of evidence – in Family K’s case, two trials. They did so with impressive dignity, hearing the evidence against her and having no doubt that she was guilty. The jury had no doubt that she was guilty.

“The trial was overseen by an experienced Supreme Court judge and carefully and comprehensively reviewed by the Court of Appeal.

“This process, conducted with scrupulous honesty and exhaustive detail, is arrogantly ignored by those who criticize its outcome. These individuals offer superficial opinions based on second- or third-hand accounts, and express conclusions that it might be generous to call half-baked at times.

“In the meantime, the families, a jury, the judge, the appeals court, and even the team that represented Letby at trial must remain silent while others use the losses these families have suffered as currency to build their own reputations.”

Baker revealed that babies’ breathing tubes became disproportionately dislodged during Letby placements in late 2012 and early 2015 at Liverpool Women’s Hospital.

He told the inquiry that collapses of babies in neonatal units caused by events such as the dislodgement of endotracheal tubes – a feature of some of the allegations made against Letby during her criminal trials – were “unusual”.

He said: “It typically occurs in less than 1% of services.

“You will hear that an audit carried out by Liverpool Women’s Hospital found that while Lucy Letby was working there, endotracheal tubes became dislodged in 40% of the shifts she worked. One might wonder why.”

Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust has previously confirmed it is working with Cheshire Police in the investigation into Letby’s time in hospital.

Earlier, Peter Skelton KC, representing the families of children A, B, I, L, M, N and Q, two of whom were murdered, said the parents were “left in the dark” by the Countess of Chester Hospital about their babies’ collapse and the care and investigations that were subsequently carried out.

“They should not have been told when those investigations were completed, but as soon as they began. Not telling them was morally irresponsible,” he said.

“It is a sign of a health care culture that is still paternalistic and secretive even today. Moreover – and of more practical importance – it meant that the studies themselves did not capture information that only parents could have provided or answer questions that only parents would have asked.”

The investigation is ongoing and is expected to take nearly five months.