News Analysis
The Case of Lucy Letby— Guilty or Innocent?
When we imagine a nurse, we think of someone who offers care, support, and compassion, a life saver, rather than a life taker. However, such is not the case with Lucy Letby, a former neonatal nurse who had been working at the Countess of Chester Hospital where multiple newborns died in her care.
According to The Independent, the now 34-year-old nurse was arrested on the 3rd of July in 2018 after multiple allegations were made regarding her involvement in the deaths of seven babies, as well as the attempted murders of six others. These allegations were brought on after many of her colleagues shared their suspicions regarding her involvement in these deaths.
Aside for the crimes themselves, it becomes increasingly worrying however to hear how little was done to actually get to the bottom of these deaths, with it being stated that these babies ‘could have been saved,’ as the title of an ITV News YouTube video announced. This displays the failure of the hospital to take proper action in ensuring safety to their patients. As this source highlights, it took two years for the hospital higher ups to act against Letby, even though many of her colleagues had made clear their concerns. However, as discussed, in a shocking turn of events, the doctors accusing Letby of murder had to apologise to her after the hospital threatened them with consequences. Thus, by choosing to sweep Letby’s crimes under the rug, the hospital allowed her killings to continue, risking the lives of more babies as a result.
During her trial, the shift rotas were vital pieces of evidence in concluding her conviction, however, there are some who maintain that Letby is innocent. An article written by The Guardian highlights that there was no forensic evidence tying her to these deaths, neither was there any eyewitnesses who caught her performing such killings. Using statistics and experts to explain medical information that some jurors may have struggled to comprehend, it makes sense that some may feel that Letby received an unfair trial.
Within the article, it has also been made clear that the Letby conviction was handed down due to her being the ‘one constant presence’ during these deaths and collapses occurring. Within 2013-2014, there had been only 4 deaths at the hospital, while between 2015-2016, it had faced 13 deaths. There were no explanations available for these occurring at the time, causing suspicions to fall on Letby. This later caused her to be taken off the neonatal unit before her arrest after consultants took matters to the police.
Looking to a video on Channel 4 News, the parents of twin boys baby L and M have stated that Letby ‘was very cool, calm and calculated and a criminal minded lady.’ The trauma the families have since had to endure is striking to hear, as they learn of Letby’s actions against their own children. During the police search of Letby’s home, they uncovered hospital records with the names of the babies she killed. it has been suggested that she kept these documents as trophies to remind her of her victims.
Letby was already given 14 whole life terms in prison, though during her sentencing, she was not present at the dock. However, in an article by the BBC, it is said that during her retrial she had been handed a 15th whole life term for the attempted murder of a baby girl, known as baby K. Doctor Ravi Jayaram had found Letby standing over the incubator without taking any action, he then intervened and resuscitated baby K successfully, however, the child was transferred on February 17th to a specialist unit before dying three days later.
Regarding the hospital itself, the police are investigating a charge of corporate manslaughter, this began in October 2023. A public enquiry is also to be held on the 10th of September to determine how Letby successfully committed these crimes on the unit for so long.
Given all this evidence against Letby, what becomes further shocking is the knowledge that not everyone believes she is guilty. In an article from BBC News, Doctor Evans, a retired paediatrician who was the lead medical expert in the case has been reported to the General Medical Council by some of Letby’s supporters. As he has noted, the news is a shock to many and so, the result is to ‘shoot the messenger,’ as Doctor Evans explained.
The article ends by explaining that due to Lucy Letby’s normal appearance, it becomes further difficult to stomach that someone who ‘hid in plain sight’ is capable of such crimes. As she was someone with such an outwardly ordinary life, who could blend in so easily, it makes it all the more difficult to realise the culprit was a young, white woman with a normal background, therefore giving rise to fear and rejection of Letby’s actions.
This is not the only known support for Letby, as a Facebook group has come together to share their views that there has been an injustice regarding her case, as one user has announced: ‘Lucy for me is still a brilliant Nurse – yes, you read that right – despite being ‘stripped’ of her Nursing registration.’ This duality between those who view her as guilty, and those categorising her as innocent could be due to the worries over the statistics employed in her case, as they were key pieces of evidence suggesting she was the only nurse on duty during every death, as shown on The Justice Gap. However, outside of the babies discussed within the case, others died in the hospital when she was not on shift. This calls into question how likely it is that she had orchestrated the murder of defenceless children, therefore, could it all have simply been a tragic coincidence?
An article from Independent offers further doubt in the Letby case, as many of her friends and family firmly believe in her innocence. One close friend for instance is Janet Cox, a nurse who was a former colleague of Letby’s. This woman has appeared in court, showing her support for her friend and maintains that Letby is innocent. There are also further doubts regarding Letby’s involvement in such crimes, as the hospital is said to have been offering subpar care, which was the true cause for so many deaths.
The case of Lucy Letby is a tragic one regardless of her guilt or innocence, as many parents have suffered the loss of their children. However, the question may well be whether it is the fault of Letby, or is there really a conspiracy against her as claimed? What we must remember is that this is not the first time a nurse has been accused of murder; the case of Lucia de Berk is an example of wrongful conviction. In the end, one might wonder if Letby is the correct person behind bars, or if the police should be looking elsewhere.
