Killer nurse Lucy Letby is passing her time in prison by playing Uno and chess with a killer stepmother. Letby, currently serving 15 whole-life sentences, has struck up a friendship with Beinash Batool, who was convicted of the murder of 10-year-old Sara Sharif in December 2024. The pair, serving their time at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, the largest women's prison in Europe, bonded over their shared love of games, first the card game Uno and more recently chess.
Prison Chess Club
A charity, Chess in Schools and Communities, holds a weekly club at the prison, with inmates even taking part in the world prison online championships. In recent years, teams from the prison have picked up silver and bronze medals. A source said: "The game has been promoted for years in Bronzefield now and there is a very competitive chess club. Letby and Batool have even started teaching the game to other cons in there."
"It has been seen over the years that chess helps with anger management and also obviously helps to keep them occupied. Letby and Batool are two of the more intelligent teammates as well, so are flourishing. But victims' families might not like the idea of them playing so much. However, staff have to do what they can to keep them occupied and keep the peace. They still play Uno together as well and are really good friends, but have switched to playing more chess now."
Background of the Convicts
Batool, stepmother of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, who was murdered in a prolonged campaign of abuse, was convicted of murder in December 2024 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 33 years. Former neonatal nurse Letby is serving 15 whole-life prison orders. She was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder eight others at the Countess of Chester Hospital. A whole-life order means she will spend the rest of her life in prison and will never be eligible for parole.
Prison Life and Privileges
The pair are also said to pay monthly visits to the hair and beauty salon, with other prisoners cleared from the room to prevent attacks. Batool previously worked in the prison library. She is said to have moved to a role in the chapel where she is in charge of photocopying leaflets and other materials for Muslim and Christian prisoners. While seen as a 'cushy' job, reports suggest Batool has not embraced the role. The source said: "She's doing f****** photocopies, she collates papers for the Muslim prisoners and the Christian prisoners, and puts them in envelopes, that's all she does. And now she's whinging because 'Oh, I've never worked in my life, I've always had a man support me' and 'I just hate this job'."
Letby and Batool are understood to be held on House Block Four, where each cell has its own ensuite shower. Inmates on the block mainly consist of women serving life sentences for crimes such as paedophilia and child murder. Fellow lags have described Letby's prison life as "cushty" as she spends her time gorging on junk food, watching daytime TV, and even taking on new roles at the notorious prison, raking in cash.
Safety Concerns
The prison source told the Mail: "Despite their crimes, Letby and Batool are model prisoners and senior officers like them playing chess. It helps with anger management and keeps them occupied. There's a very competitive chess club. They've even been teaching other cons." They said Letby is too fearful to walk the prison corridors herself, out of terror of being attacked. She is always accompanied by a prison guard. A source said: "She turns on the tears at the drop of a hat, she gets all her visits in the family room, which is really lovely, even though she doesn't have children, it's meant to be for children and they've made it really nice. Her parents come to see her."
They added: "The staff are terrified of Lucy, and they pander to her bulls**t. If she was out in general pop she wouldn't have survived. There are women here with nothing to lose, they have said they will kill her, what's one more life sentence when you're already serving life?"
Case of Sara Sharif
Batool was convicted with husband Urfan Sharif. Sara was discovered dead in her bed after the family had fled to Pakistan. The jury found she was killed by her father and stepmother, and her uncle, Faisal Malik, was complicit in causing or allowing her death.
