A doctor who exchanged hundreds of 'flirty' messages with Lucy Letby has told the public inquiry into her crimes that he now believes she 'misled and maybe manipulated' him into providing information about her victims. The medic, referred to as Dr U to protect his identity, spoke at the Thirlwall Inquiry on Monday, detailing his communications with the former neonatal nurse.
Dr U, who was a junior doctor at the Countess of Chester Hospital at the time, swapped 1,355 Facebook messages with Letby between June and September 2016. He frequently reassured her in messages about her care of three infants, including a boy she attempted to murder and two brothers from a set of triplets she killed. He later supported her grievance case and arranged observational visits for her at Alder Hey Children's Hospital.
During the inquiry, Dr U admitted that sharing information about patients was inappropriate. 'In hindsight, no. Looking at the content of the messaging here, I have shared too much,' he said. He added that he now sees the messages as reflecting 'panic about the events that had taken place and her role in them'.
Letby, 34, is serving 15 whole-life orders for the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of seven others between June 2015 and June 2016. The inquiry continues.
