A public inquiry into how former nurse Lucy Letby was able to murder seven newborn babies at the hospital where she worked began on Tuesday September 10th at Liverpool Town Hall.
The inquiry will delve into the circumstances surrounding the killings, which occurred between 2015 and 2016 at the neonatal unit of Countess of Chester Hospital, and why the deaths went unnoticed for months.
Lucy Letby, now 34, was convicted last year of murdering seven infants and attempting to kill seven others. She is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole, after being found guilty of using methods such as overfeeding the babies with milk, injecting them with insulin, or introducing air into their systems. Despite her conviction and failed appeal attempt earlier this year, Letby continues to deny all charges.
The independent inquiry, chaired by Lady Justice Kathryn Thirlwall, was ordered by the UK government to provide closure to the victims’ families and investigate whether failures in governance contributed to the delayed detection of Letby’s crimes.
In her opening statement, Lady Thirlwall underscored the importance of the inquiry for the affected families, saying, “At the heart of this inquiry are the babies who died, who were injured, and their parents.”
The probe, commonly referred to as the Thirlwall Inquiry, will scrutinize the response of the National Health Service (NHS), hospital staff, and regulators to concerns about Letby raised before her eventual arrest.
Central to the inquiry are figures like Alison Kelly, the former director of nursing at Countess of Chester Hospital, who has been suspended for failing to act on doctors’ complaints about Letby’s suspicious behavior.
The inquiry’s opening follows news that Letby has enlisted a new defense team led by lawyer Mark McDonald, who claims fresh evidence could clear her name.
McDonald has suggested that medical data and statistical analysis presented during Letby’s trials were flawed, leaving room for doubt about her guilt. His team plans to petition the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to return the case to the Court of Appeal.
However, Lady Thirlwall made it clear that the inquiry will not reconsider Letby’s convictions. “It is not for me to set about reviewing the conviction – the court of appeal has done that – the convictions stand,” she said.
Letby’s case continues to stir public debate, with some questioning the medical evidence used against her, while the victims’ families face ongoing speculation about her innocence. Lawyers representing the families have described the rumors as distressing, with calls for the focus to remain on the horrific impact of the crimes.
The inquiry hearings are expected to run until the end of the year, after which a final report will be published. While the findings cannot impose civil or criminal liability, the inquiry aims to uncover whether systemic failures allowed Letby’s actions to go undetected for so long.
Letby was apprehended after months of growing concern from medical professionals at the hospital. Despite warnings from doctors, no immediate action was taken, raising serious questions about hospital governance and oversight. The upcoming sessions are expected to delve into these issues in detail, providing much-needed answers to the families of the victims.
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