Family of baby murdered by Lucy Letby hit out at ‘sick’ campaign to free her
The parents of a baby murdered by serial killer Lucy Letby condemned a “sick” campaign calling for her to be freed.
Letby, 34, was convicted over the deaths of seven babies and the attempted murders of seven others, with two attempts on one child, when she worked on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.
Her new barrister Mark McDonald said there is “absolutely” a strong case that Letby is innocent.
He claims new medical evidence and expert opinion reveal “flaws” which undermined the prosecution of the former nurse, who was found guilty in two trials.
Calls for the convictions to be overturned outraged the parents of Baby E and F, as the twins were known for legal reasons.
Letby was found to have murdered Baby E by causing an internal bleed and giving a lethal injection of air. Baby F was poisoned with insulin but survived.
The couple sat through the trial in full and have criticised campaigners who were not present to hear all of the evidence.
Baby E and F’s parents told the Sunday Times: “Our family is deeply shocked by the ongoing speculation surrounding what is being referred to as a miscarriage of justice.
“Certain pieces of evidence being discussed in the media are grossly out of context and misrepresented.
“Misinformation is being circulated about what transpired in court. Having attended... we are fully aware of what was said.
“This whole traumatic experience made us question humanity.
“Why are people going out of their way to support a serial killer of babies?
“The spread of lies and misinformation is deeply distressing and makes us sick to our cores.
“We just want some peace to grieve, knowing the person who caused so much agony is where she belongs.”
The couple said the prosecution case was built from “individual bricks” of evidence, adding: “Once they were all put together the wall of evidence was overwhelming. To take each brick out separately is simply taking evidence out of context.“
Letby's parents Susan, 63 and John, 78, who have never spoken publicly, expressed their “heartfelt thanks” to those supporting her bid for freedom.
Letby is serving 15 whole-life orders – making her only the fourth woman in UK history to be told she will never be released from prison.
Her trial ran for 10 months from October 2022 to August 2023, with a retrial ordered after a jury was unable to reach a verdict on one count of attempted murder of a baby girl.
Mr McDonald compared Letby’s conviction to that of the Guildford Four and Birmingham Six – two groups of people wrongly accused of carrying out IRA pub bombings in the 1970s whose convictions were later quashed.
“These were some of the biggest miscarriages of justice in UK history, and yet they were found to be innocent,” he said.
The barrister added that he had so far seen “quite a lot of evidence that there are some real concerns” over Letby’s convictions.
A public inquiry examining events at the Countess of Chester Hospital following Letby’s multiple convictions is due to begin on September 10 in Liverpool.