Lucy Letby's Crimes: A Comprehensive Examination
Former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby is currently serving a whole life order in prison, having been found guilty of one of the most shocking series of crimes in recent British history. Convicted in August 2023, Letby was found responsible for the murders of seven infants and the attempted murders of seven others while working at the Countess of Chester Hospital in Cheshire between 2015 and 2016. Her case has since been the subject of intense public scrutiny and a recent Netflix documentary, The Investigation of Lucy Letby, which features previously unseen footage and interviews with the mothers of her victims.
The Investigation and Arrest
Lucy Letby was initially arrested in July 2018 on suspicion of eight counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder. The investigation centred on her role as a neonatal nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital, where she was suspected of deliberately harming the vulnerable babies in her care. Her trial commenced at Manchester Crown Court in October 2022, where she pleaded not guilty to seven counts of murder and fifteen counts of attempted murder.
Evidence Presented at Trial
The prosecution presented a harrowing array of evidence during the trial. Testimony from grieving mothers included one account where a mother heard her child scream and found the baby bleeding from his mouth. Letby, who was present, allegedly dismissed the incident, attributing it to a nasogastric tube and stating, "Trust me, I'm a nurse." The infant died hours later.
Text messages sent by Letby to colleagues were described by prosecutors as showing an "intrusive curiosity". Following the death of one child, she requested intensive therapy unit shifts, messaging her manager: "from a confidence point of view I need to take an ITU baby soon X." After another death, she texted a colleague pondering fate, writing: "But then sometimes I think, how do such sick babies get through & others just die so suddenly & unexpectedly? Guess it's how its' meant to be."
Further digital evidence revealed that Letby had searched for the families of several victims on Facebook, with some searches occurring on the anniversaries of the babies' deaths and on Christmas Day. Letby claimed this was due to "general curiosity" and her habitual phone use.
Physical Evidence and Contradictions
During the trial, a hospital consultant testified that he witnessed Letby standing over a desaturating infant without intervening. She later claimed the decline had just begun. The prosecution also pointed to unusual blood test results indicating deliberate insulin poisoning in two children, though this was disputed by some experts post-trial.
A search of Letby's home uncovered 257 official medical documents hidden under her bed, including blood gas readings and shift handover sheets that were not permitted to leave the hospital. Perhaps most damning were post-it notes found in her possession, which read: "I am evil, I did this", "I killed them on purpose because I'm not good enough to care for them", and "help". Letby's defence argued these were "the anguished outpouring of a young woman in fear and despair" rather than a confession.
The Convictions and Sentencing
Ultimately, the jury found Lucy Letby guilty of seven counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder. They could not reach a verdict on six remaining counts. The methods of her crimes were varied and brutal:
- She murdered three children by injecting air into their bloodstream and attempted this with two others who survived.
- She murdered three more victims by injecting air into their stomachs.
- She attempted to murder two babies by poisoning them with insulin; both survived.
- She attempted to murder one infant twice by administering excessive milk through a nasogastric tube, leaving the child severely disabled.
- Another baby died after suffering an assault that damaged his liver.
In August 2023, Letby was sentenced to life imprisonment, the most severe penalty under UK law. She became only the fourth woman in British history to receive a whole life order, joining the notorious ranks of Myra Hindley, Rosemary West, and Joanna Christine Dennehy.
Can Lucy Letby Appeal Her Sentence?
Lucy Letby is currently serving her sentence at HM Prison Bronzefield. She has made attempts to appeal her convictions since they were handed down. In January 2024, she appealed her convictions but was refused by a judge. Later that year, she hired a new defence lawyer, Mark McDonald, who applied for a case review in February 2025.
That same month, a panel of fourteen experts examined Letby's case and called for it to be sent back to the Court of Appeal for review. They claimed there was irrefutable evidence that she was not involved in the deaths. Dr. Shoo Lee, who appears in the Netflix documentary, stated publicly: "I could not see how we could send an innocent woman to jail for the rest of her life if in fact she was innocent." Despite these claims, as of now, Letby's life sentence remains in place, with any potential appeal subject to further legal proceedings.
