A consultant doctor linked to Lucy Letby died after reportedly being dismissed from his NHS hospital post for sending texts about a baby she attempted to murder. The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was reportedly found collapsed in his car the day after he was sacked.
Doctor's death and disciplinary action
The doctor, said to be 53, was taken to intensive care but died around a week later on July 3, according to reports. He had appeared before a disciplinary hearing the month before over inappropriate texts he sent to Letby, a former neo-natal nurse, while they worked together at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
According to the Daily Mail, the messages are understood to have breached patient confidentiality. They reportedly included details of the care of a premature baby boy with haemophilia, known only as Baby N, who Letby was convicted of trying to kill the day after he was born in June 2016.
Allegations and trial background
Reports claim the doctor also faced other serious allegations, including inappropriately accessing medical records. He was reportedly known as 'Dr A' during Letby's trial.
Letby, who is serving 15 whole-life terms for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more between June 2015 and June 2016, maintains her innocence. She denied they were having a romantic relationship but claimed they were 'best friends'. However, she called him 'sweetie' in messages and broke down in tears when he entered the courtroom at Manchester Crown Court to give evidence.
Disciplinary hearing and aftermath
The Daily Mail reports, citing sources, that Dr A attended a three-day disciplinary hearing in early June this year and was sacked for gross misconduct two weeks later. The next day he was reportedly reported missing by family and was later found collapsed in his car at a retail park around 20 miles from his home in Cheshire.
Despite being taken to intensive care, he reportedly never regained consciousness and died on July 3 at Whiston Hospital, Merseyside. The Cheshire Coroner, according to the Mail, confirmed 'preliminary inquiries' into his cause of death had begun.
In 2024, at the Thirlwall Inquiry – the public inquiry investigating Letby's crimes – the doctor said he had been 'misled' and 'maybe manipulated' by Letby into giving her information about babies she had attacked.
