Disturbing Link Between Lucy Letby and Original Angel of Death Nurse Beverley Allitt
Britain's most prolific child serial killer in modern history, Lucy Letby, shares a chilling connection with another notorious nurse dubbed the Angel of Death, Beverley Allitt. This disturbing link has emerged through the ongoing Thirlwall Inquiry, which is investigating whether hospital management learned from Letby's offences at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Parallels in Killing Sprees
Lucy Letby was convicted in August 2023 for the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of seven others during a 12-month period from 2015. Sentenced to spend the rest of her life in jail, Letby pleaded not guilty to all charges but will never be released. Her crimes shocked the nation, yet they echo a similar tragedy from 25 years earlier.
In 1991, Beverley Allitt, then in her early 20s, embarked on a sinister killing spree at Grantham and Kesteven Hospital in Lincolnshire. She was convicted two years later for murdering four babies and causing grievous bodily harm to six other children. Allitt received 13 life sentences and was told she must spend at least 30 years behind bars; she has since been transferred to Rampton Hospital in Nottinghamshire.
Inquiry Revelations and Historical Context
During her opening comments to the Thirlwall Inquiry, Rachel Langdale KC referenced the Clothier Inquiry, which was conducted following Allitt's crimes. Langdale stated, “Nevertheless, and distressingly, 25 years later another nurse working in another hospital killed and harmed babies in her care.” This highlights a failure to prevent such atrocities despite previous investigations.
The inquiry will hear from a senior lecturer in the child nursing programme at the University of Chester, where Letby qualified in 2011. This lecturer explained that Allitt's case forms part of student training and learning, suggesting a direct educational link between the two nurses' actions.
NHS Safeguards and Family Concerns
Barrister Sir Robert Francis KC was tasked with examining how the NHS reacted to Allitt’s campaigns of murder, along with those of GP Harold Shipman. His five-year examination into up to 1,200 deaths at Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust in 2010 established a duty of candour within the health service, which remains in place today.
However, solicitor Tamlin Bolton, representing families of six Letby victims, emphasized that relatives want Lady Thirlwall's inquiry to serve as a strong reminder of that duty. Bolton noted, “A lot of the families I represent didn't know their children had suffered collapses, they didn't know the hospital had an increased death rate on that neonatal unit.”
Emotional Impact and Future Recommendations
In her opening statement, Lady Justice Thirlwall, a senior Court of Appeal judge, focused on the human toll: “At the heart of this inquiry are babies who died or were injured and their parents.” She described the sequence of events from celebration at birth to sudden collapses, with some babies recovering, others surviving with lifelong consequences, and some dying.
The families hope the inquiry will lead to submissions and recommendations to prevent such tragedies in the future. As Ms. Langdale stated, “For ordinary, decent, right-thinking people, the actions of Letby will remain unfathomable.” The inquiry aims to uncover systemic failures rather than speculate on motives, ensuring that lessons from both Letby and Allitt are learned to safeguard vulnerable patients.
