Netflix Documentary to Reveal Unseen Lucy Letby Arrest Footage
Unprecedented footage of serial baby killer Lucy Letby being arrested in her bed will be broadcast as part of a new Netflix documentary examining her case. The film, titled Investigation of Lucy Letby, will delve into the police inquiry into her crimes, featuring clips from her police interviews, testimony from senior detectives, and an interview with the mother of one of her victims. This marks the first time a family member involved in the prosecution has spoken in a television documentary.
Dawn Arrest Captured on Bodycam
In a trailer released today, Letby is shown in bed looking bewildered as a police officer explains her rights and arrests her. The bodycam footage, filmed during her first dawn arrest in July 2018, also depicts her being led out of her semi-detached home in the Blacon suburb of Chester, still dressed in pink pyjamas and a grey fleece dressing gown. She is heard telling Cheshire Constabulary officers: ‘Don’t look, just go in.’
Another clip shows Letby crying as she is placed in handcuffs and kissing one of her beloved cats goodbye before being taken away. Her trial revealed she was devastated when her two pets, Tigger and Smudge, had to be re-homed after she was charged with killing and harming children in November 2020.
Police Interviews and Confession Note
The trailer includes footage of Letby’s police interviews, where Detective Sergeant Danielle Stonier questions her about a ‘confession’ note found during a search of her property. DS Stonier says: ‘You wrote a note saying, ‘’I killed them on purpose.’’ Letby replies: ‘No comment.’ In other interview clips, Letby states: ‘I felt like I had only ever done my best for those babies…I loved my job (and) it was all spiralling out of control.’
Additional footage shows Letby in the back of a police car in handcuffs, being searched for weapons, alone in a police cell, and waiting at a police station reception desk where suspects are routinely charged.
Documentary Release and Case Details
The film is scheduled for global release by Netflix on Wednesday, February 4, coinciding with the opening of inquests into the deaths of six of Letby’s victims. Letby, 36, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after being convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others—one of whom she attacked twice—between June 2015 and June 2016.
On Tuesday, it was confirmed she will face no further charges over more deaths and collapses of babies investigated by police. Cheshire Constabulary passed additional evidence to prosecutors last year for consideration, linked to eight potential offences of attempted murder and one offence of murder at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Another two allegations of attempted murder and murder were linked to one child at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, where Letby undertook student training placements.
Contributors and Ongoing Legal Proceedings
Other contributors to the documentary include Dr John Gibbs, one of the doctors at the Countess of Chester Hospital who blew the whistle on Letby; journalist Kim Pilling of the Press Association, who attended every day of Letby's two trials; Dr Dewi Evans, the lead prosecution expert; and Mark McDonald, Letby's new barrister.
Letby, formerly of Hereford, has always maintained her innocence. Her new defence team has submitted reports to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, the body that investigates potential miscarriages of justice, hoping her case will be referred back to the Court of Appeal for potential release. Lady Justice Thirlwall’s public inquiry report into how Letby was able to commit her crimes on a hospital neonatal unit is due to be published later this year.
