Conservative former cabinet minister David Davis has accused Cheshire police of making 'egregious' failures in their investigation into Lucy Letby, the nurse convicted of murdering seven babies. Speaking in Parliament, Davis claimed the force did not follow official guidance or best professional practice, and that Letby has suffered a miscarriage of justice.
Davis criticised the police for launching a criminal investigation after a single meeting with two consultants at the Countess of Chester Hospital, and for focusing too narrowly on suspicion against Letby rather than examining all factors. He said the force failed to appoint appropriate medical and statistics experts, and stood down a medical statistician after initially asking her to examine the increase in deaths.
The MP's intervention is based on reviews by two former police detectives: Stuart Clifton, who led the investigation into nurse Beverley Allitt, and Steve Watts, a former assistant chief constable who wrote national police guidelines on investigating deaths in healthcare. Both initially believed Letby was guilty but now agree the case is a serious miscarriage of justice, Davis said.
Letby was convicted in 2023 of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more while working at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2015-16. She received 15 whole-life sentences, and the Court of Appeal refused her permission to appeal. Her lawyer has applied to the Criminal Cases Review Commission to have the case sent back to the Court of Appeal.
Responding for the government, policing minister Sarah Jones said Letby was convicted following 'a proper process' and that Cheshire police had received high ratings from the police inspectorate. 'This country uses due process, there has been due process, that has been followed in the convictions of Lucy Letby with a trial by jury, and upheld on appeal,' Jones said.
