Letby Parents Condemn Netflix Documentary as 'Complete Invasion of Privacy'
The parents of convicted child nurse Lucy Letby have issued a scathing criticism of an upcoming Netflix documentary, describing its use of footage filmed inside their family home as a "complete invasion of privacy" that would "likely kill us" to watch.
Arrest Footage Sparks Outrage
In a statement provided to the Sunday Times, Susan and John Letby expressed profound distress over the documentary's inclusion of police video showing their daughter's arrest. The footage, which forms part of The Investigation of Lucy Letby scheduled for release on 4 February, captures officers detaining Letby in her bedroom within the couple's home.
The parents revealed they were unaware Netflix intended to use this material until informed by their daughter's legal representative. "We had no idea they were using footage in our house," they stated. "We will not watch it – it would likely kill us if we did."
Concerns Over Home and Community Impact
Beyond the personal distress, the Letbys voiced serious concerns about the documentary's potential consequences for their community. They worry the broadcast could transform their modest home, situated in a small cul-de-sac in a small town where everyone knows everyone, into what they fear might become a "tourist attraction."
They described particular anguish over scenes showing their daughter "being arrested in her bedroom in our house and her saying goodbye to one of her beloved cats," characterising these moments as "even more distressing" than previous media coverage.
Questions Over Police Cooperation
The couple directed pointed questions towards Detective Superintendent Paul Hughes, an investigating officer in their daughter's case. They claimed to have always cooperated fully with the investigation, yet questioned why he appeared to authorise the release of the arrest footage to Netflix without their knowledge.
"Why is Paul Hughes... allowed to show the world what took place in our house that morning and Netflix not even have the decency to tell us?" they asked. The Letbys suggested the officer seemed to harbour a "deep hatred" towards them, despite their early cooperation with police when they first reported concerns about hospital consultants making their daughter a scapegoat in March 2017.
Documentary Context and Legal Background
The Netflix production promises to feature never-before-released material, including interviews with police and legal professionals involved in the case. This comes as Lucy Letby continues to serve 15 whole-life terms following her conviction for murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others between June 2015 and June 2016.
Recent developments have seen the Crown Prosecution Service confirm Letby will face no further charges regarding additional infant deaths and collapses investigated by police. In an unusual move, Cheshire Constabulary publicly expressed disappointment with this decision, stating it was "not the outcome that we had anticipated."
Letby has been twice denied permission to appeal her convictions, though a campaign group maintains her innocence and has submitted reports to the Criminal Cases Review Commission seeking to overturn the verdicts.
Neither Netflix nor Cheshire Constabulary provided immediate comment regarding the parents' criticisms when contacted for response.
