Lucy Letby ‘may have murdered three more babies and tried to kill another 15’
Lucy Letby may have killed three more babies and tried to murder another 15, it has been claimed.
Dewi Evans, a paediatrician who gave expert evidence against the neo-natal nurse at her trial, reviewed the notes of dozens more babies outside those in her criminal case.
Letby, 33, was given a whole life sentence for murdering seven babies and trying to kill six more while working in the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit between 2015 and 2016.
Dr Evans told The Daily Mail: ‘Initially, I looked at 32 cases and there are seven of those [which were not part of the trial] that need more scrutiny.
‘These babies had illnesses that were life-threatening and three of them died – but we need to look at them to see if they were placed in harm’s way as well.
‘They were poorly so it may be impossible to show beyond reasonable doubt whether they were the victim of inflicted harm.
‘But there are seven cases that concern me which we need to look at more thoroughly. I will be liaising with Cheshire Police to bring those cases to their attention.’
It was confirmed on Friday that Letby has lodged an application for permission to appeal the convictions.
Dr Evans said after Letby’s arrest in 2018 he was asked to look at 48 more babies – and found concerns with as many as 18 of them.
‘They go back to 2012, although most date back to June 2014 – 12 months prior to the first fatality,’ he said.
‘I found several cases that are highly suspicious where an endotracheal tube – placed in a baby’s throat when they need breathing support – had been displaced, had come out.
‘These tubes can come out accidentally, but for so many to come out is very, very unusual, especially in what I consider to be a good unit.
‘I suspect these tubes were displaced intentionally. Of the 18, there could be up to 10 babies who were placed in harm’s way. As far as I know they survived without suffering any long-term harm.’
She often attacked her victims by injecting air into their bloodstreams or into their feeding tubes, poisoning them with insulin, overfeeding them milk or shoving plastic medical tubes down their throats.
Letby was said to have an interest in ‘uncommon medical conditions’ and ‘specifically targeted twins, and latterly triplets’.
Dr Evans, who gave evidence 17 separate times over Letby’s 10-month trial, added: ‘One thing we can be reasonably sure of is that Lucy Letby did not turn up to work one day and decide to inject a baby with air into their bloodstream.
‘I think the modus operandi evolved over time and I think that prior to air embolus, tube displacement was probably something that she did.’
The jury at Manchester Crown Court heard she completed a training course on air embolus and how to inject drugs just weeks before murdering her first victim, Baby A, in June 2015.
Police are now reviewing the notes of some 4,000 babies admitted to the neo-natal units of the Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool Women’s Hospital over Letby’s five-year nursing career.
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