Lucy Letby Appoints Barrister with Controversial Past for Victims' Inquests
Convicted neonatal nurse Lucy Letby, serving a record 15 whole life terms for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others, has appointed a barrister with a controversial legal history to represent her at upcoming inquests into her victims' deaths. Anton van Dellen, 55, will act as counsel for Letby in any future coroner's court hearings, The Daily Mail has learned.
Barrister's Background: From Medicine to Law and a Notorious Trial
Dr van Dellen, originally from South Africa, is a qualified doctor who worked as a surgeon and senior NHS manager, including roles as deputy chief executive of Staffordshire Ambulance Service and head of the Welsh Ambulance Service. He later studied law at Cambridge and was called to the bar in 2010. However, in November 2012, he stood trial at Basildon Crown Court accused of grooming a 15-year-old boy for sex after befriending him on Facebook.
The prosecution alleged he drove the teenager from Benfleet, Essex, to a secluded spot, locked his car doors, and encouraged him to perform a sex act. Dr van Dellen denied one charge of meeting a child under 16 after sexual grooming, claiming he was not interested in sex with the boy and that the youth made the first advances. A jury subsequently acquitted him.
Legal Career and Notable Cases
Based at Fraser Chambers in London, Dr van Dellen specialises in defamation and privacy law, conducts regular pro bono work, and sits as a coroner in West London. According to his chambers' profile, he qualified as a doctor and surgeon at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg in 1994 but removed himself from the medical register in May 2010 and no longer practices medicine.
His notable cases include representing the partner of Daniel Whitworth, a victim of serial rapist and killer Stephen Port, at inquests that concluded Metropolitan Police failings allowed Port to continue his crimes. More recently, he presided over the inquests of Strictly Come Dancing star Robin Windsor, who died in February 2024, and Michael Brudenell-Bruce, the 8th Marquess of Ailesbury, who died in May 2024.
Inquests into Letby's Victims: Details and Delays
Inquests into the deaths of five of Letby's victims were opened and adjourned in February 2024 by Jacqueline Devonish, senior coroner for Cheshire. The babies, who cannot be named for legal reasons, include:
- Baby C, a premature boy murdered in June 2015
- Baby E, a twin boy murdered in August 2015
- Baby I, a premature girl killed in October 2015
- Babies O and P, two triplet brothers murdered on successive shifts in June 2016
Coroner's officer Detective Inspector Darren Reid stated the inquests were requested due to 'reason to suspect an unnatural death.' Ms Devonish suspended the hearings until after Lady Justice Kathryn Thirlwall delivers her report from the public inquiry into Letby's crimes later this year. A further review is scheduled for May 5, with full inquests set for two weeks from September 14.
Legal Context and Controversies
Letby, 36, was convicted over two trials at Manchester Crown Court in August 2023 and July 2024 for crimes committed at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. She maintains her innocence and has twice failed to gain leave to appeal. Her legal team has submitted new medical expert reports to the Criminal Cases Review Commission in a bid for a third appeal.
Mark McDonald, Letby's other barrister leading her bid for freedom, criticised the inquests as a 'cynical' attempt to alter death certificates—originally stating natural causes—while her guilt is challenged. He claimed 'systemic' problems existed on the neonatal unit but acknowledged inquests are 'not the forum to re-litigate the convictions.'
Richard Baker KC, representing families of the deceased babies, argued inquests should not be a 'collateral attack' on Letby's convictions, noting the coroner is 'bound' by guilty verdicts in law. Letby was granted 'interested party' status, allowing her lawyers to receive evidence, question witnesses, and make legal arguments.
Previous Inquests and Investigations
An inquest into Baby A, Letby's first victim killed in June 2015, was held in October 2016 with a narrative conclusion that could not determine the cause of death as natural or unnatural. His parents do not want his inquest reopened. An inquest into Baby D, murdered in June 2015, was opened in January 2016 but suspended due to criminal proceedings and further delayed to this year's dates.
Letby was removed from clinical duties in July 2016 after paediatricians raised concerns, but these were not mentioned at Baby A's inquest. Cheshire Constabulary began investigating in May 2017 after a spike in baby deaths. In January 2024, the Crown Prosecution Service announced no further charges against Letby, concluding the evidential test was not met for alleged offences involving two infants who died and seven who survived.
