Consultant paediatrician Dr Mark Deakin, 53, can now be named after reporting restrictions were lifted following his death two months ago. He had been granted lifelong anonymity ahead of giving evidence in the trial of Lucy Letby, who was convicted of murdering and attempting to murder babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.
Letby, 36, broke down in tears and tried to exit the dock when the married father-of-two entered the witness box and answered questions from behind a screen. The then-junior doctor swapped numerous messages with Letby when they worked together at the Countess of Chester.
Messages and 'crush' allegations
A fellow nurse teased her about "flirting" with Dr Deakin, who Letby called "sweetie" in text exchanges, the court heard. His name appeared repeatedly on scrawled notes found at Letby's home address following her arrest, including several references to "love was all we needed".
The prosecution accused Letby of having a "crush" on the doctor and suggested she attacked some of her victims to get his attention. Giving evidence, Letby said the pair would meet outside work but denied they were in a relationship and maintained Dr Deakin was merely a "trusted friend".
Inquiry evidence and later career
In October 2024, Dr Deakin told the public inquiry into how Letby was able to commit her crimes that she had "misled and maybe manipulated" him into giving her information about her victims. He swapped 1,355 Facebook messages with Letby in a three-month period when they worked together between June 2016 and September 2016.
In one message, Letby asked about the condition of Child N, an infant she attempted to murder in early June 2016, and asked Dr Deakin whether she had done anything wrong. The inquiry heard Dr Deakin messaged back: "Oh Lucy, poor little thing. I am sure he has had the best care possible and you will have done everything you could for him."
Dr Deakin went on to support her grievance case against her removal from the neonatal unit to non-patient duties from July 2016 and also set up a number of "observational visits" to Liverpool's Alder Hey Children's Hospital the following year when he worked there as a locum consultant, the inquiry heard.
Complaint and death
Child N's mum later filed a complaint against Dr Deakin with Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, where he permanently moved to from the Countess of Chester, and alleged he had shared confidential information about her son with Letby. Alder Hey also went on to investigate him over what he knew about Letby at the time of her visits to their hospital.
Dr Deakin was reportedly dismissed for gross misconduct on June 23 this year and was said later to have been found collapsed in his car at a retail park about 20 miles from his home in Cheshire. He was rushed to hospital but died on July 3. His death has been referred to Cheshire Coroners' Court.
Letby, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life terms for the murders of seven babies and attempting to kill seven more at the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit. She was twice denied permission to appeal against her convictions in 2024. The Criminal Cases Review Commission, which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, is considering evidence presented on her behalf by an international panel of medics who claim poor medical care and natural causes were the reasons for the babies collapsing. The lifelong anonymity was lifted by Lord Justice Singh on Wednesday after an application by Associated Newspapers.
