A panel of international experts has claimed there is 'significant new medical evidence' in the case of convicted child serial killer Lucy Letby, suggesting the babies died from natural causes or medical errors, not murder. The panel, chaired by retired neonatologist Dr Shoo Lee, reviewed all 17 cases from Letby's trial and concluded there was 'no medical evidence to support malfeasance causing death or injury'. Dr Lee stated: 'Death or injury of all the affected infants were due either to natural causes or to errors in medical care.'
Letby, 35, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after being convicted at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others between June 2015 and June 2016. She attacked babies by injecting air into their bloodstream while working as a nurse on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital. In May 2024, she was refused leave to appeal by three High Court judges.
The panel's findings were presented at a press conference in London, chaired by Tory MP and former Brexit secretary Sir David Davis, who called the case 'one of the major injustices of modern times'. Dr Lee disclosed that the new evidence centred on a 30-year-old academic paper he co-authored, which was used in the trial but he now says 'wasn't quite right'. The experts examined all 17 babies in six different ways, with Dr Lee citing specific cases such as baby one, a pre-term boy who collapsed two days after birth with skin discolouration.
Letby's lawyer, Mr McDonald, provided an update on her life behind bars, telling LBC he was regularly asked about her status but felt it was unfair to comment. Downing Street declined to comment on Letby's application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which confirmed it had received an application from her legal team. The Prime Minister's spokesman said: 'This was a truly horrendous case that shocked the nation. A criminal trial has taken place and Lucy Letby was found guilty.'
