Netflix Documentary Reveals Unseen Lucy Letby Arrest Footage
A new Netflix documentary titled The Investigation of Lucy Letby has aired shocking unseen footage of the former nurse's arrest, presenting evidence that may challenge her conviction for the murder of seven infants. The explosive film includes emotional scenes from her family home and statements from key figures, sparking renewed debate over her guilt.
Emotional Arrest Scene with Six-Word Plea
The documentary opens with a highly charged scene showing Letby's arrest at her family home in Hereford in June 2019. As police enter, her mother Susan wails in distress, pleading, "Please no, not again no!" Officers proceed upstairs to arrest Letby in her bedroom, where she is found in a dressing gown.
Upon descending the stairs, Letby requests, "Please can I see my cat?" and is permitted to stroke the animal before being handcuffed. Off-camera, a microphone captures her telling her parents, "You know I didn't do it." Her mother responds, "I know you didn't. We know that!" with her father John also heard agreeing.
As she leaves the house, Letby says to her cats, "It's alright, look after the boys," and urges her sobbing mother, "Just go in mum. Don't look mum just go. Mum just go in." The footage has drawn criticism from her parents, who call it a "complete invasion of privacy" and fear their home may become a tourist attraction.
Letby's Explanation of Post-It Note "Confession"
Throughout the documentary, Letby is often shown in police custody responding with "no comment" and appearing emotionless. However, her demeanor changes when questioned about post-it notes and papers where she made comments.
Letby explains, "I just wrote it because everything had got on top of me. It was not long after I had been removed from the unit. I felt like I might have hurt them without knowing. That made me feel guilty. I felt like in my practice I might have hurt them without knowing through my practice. And that made me feel guilty."
She adds, "I was blaming myself. But not because I had done something, because of the way people were making me feel. I felt like I had only done my best for the babies, trying to say that my practice wasn't good or I had done something, I just couldn't cope. I did just not want to be here anymore. I felt It was all spiralling out of control. And I didn't know how to deal with it all."
Mother of Victim Speaks for First Time
The documentary features the first interview with the mother of one of the babies attacked by Letby, identified as 'Sarah'. Her daughter Zoe was born on June 20, 2015, and died two days later.
Sarah recalls, "It was hard looking at her in the incubator. I couldn't take her out, but I was able to hold her hand. She was so fragile, small and precious, I became a mummy. The doctors were telling us that she was responding very well, that she was responding as expected, and there were no concerns."
She describes the horror that followed: "I was fast asleep when a nurse turned a light on. She said, 'You need to come right now'. I asked, 'what's going on?' And she said, 'there's no time we need to go'. I remember being wheeled down the long corridor thinking, what's going on. I felt the panic in the room. The doctor was trying everything to keep her heart pumping. He wasn't giving up. I wanted him to keep fighting. But the other doctor put her hand on his shoulder and said, 'You need to stop, you need to let her go'. The doctor was still holding Zoe, but he stopped what he was doing. That was it. It was finished. It was over."
Upon seeing Letby's picture on the news, Sarah says, "As soon as I saw her face I recognised the nurse straight away. When I visited Zoe for the last time she had a clipboard but she wasn't really doing any jobs. She was just there, watching us." During the trial, she notes that Letby recalled details of almost all the 17 children she was accused of harming—except baby Zoe.
Letby's Prison Conditions and Future Plans
In the documentary, Letby's friend Maisie reads from a letter received from Letby in prison. Letby writes, "Maisie, there are no words to describe my situation, but knowing that I have your friendship regardless, is so important and special to me. I have my own room and toilet. I'm able to shower each day and go outside for a walk. Getting outside is so important, even though it's bit chilly. I miss Tigger and Smudge so much, it's heartbreaking that they cannot understand why I'm no longer there. They must think I'm a terrible mummy. Mum and Dad are taking good care of them, though, and are, no doubt, spoiling them."
Poignantly, Letby adds, "I'm trying to do all that I can to remain strong and positive. I'm determined to get through this. I will not give up." Maisie, who admits to having doubts, says, "Over the last few years, I've got through questioning has she presented one side to me and a different side to other people. There's always doubt, because as much as you know someone, you never know the whole of someone. They can still have things that you don't know about them. But unless I saw actual evidence, I can't believe it. I know that people think that I support a baby murderer, but she's my friend and currently, in jail, forever."
Doctor Admits "Tiny, Tiny Guilt" and Legal Fight for Retrial
Dr John Gibbs, a consultant paediatrician at the Countess of Chester Hospital during the baby deaths, expresses mixed feelings in the documentary. He states, "Some people are claiming that we consultants had a vendetta against Lucy Letby. Where's your evidence for that? I have been accused online of killing babies, which is shocking. I live with two guilts, guilt we let the babies down and tiny, tiny, tiny guilt did we get the wrong person? Just in case. I don't think there was a miscarriage of justice, but you worry that no one actually saw her do it."
The final segment focuses on Letby's barrister, Mark McDonald, who joined her legal team after her conviction. He argues she has "no motive" and that the prosecution evidence is flawed. Dr Shoo Lee, a Canadian neonatal care expert whose academic paper was used in the conviction, suggests alternative explanations for each case, saying, "A young woman could be in prison for crimes that she didn't commit," and describes his work as her "last chance."
McDonald is using a review by an international panel of medical experts as new evidence, submitting it to the Criminal Cases Review Commission in hopes of securing a retrial. The Investigation Of Lucy Letby is now available on Netflix, offering a comprehensive look at the case that continues to divide opinion.
