Detective who investigated Beverley Allitt brands Lucy Letby a 'copycat' killer

• Report by Amelia Beckett

The detective who investigated killer nurse Beverley Allitt three decades ago has described Lucy Letby as a "copycat murderer".

Letby was given a whole-life sentence on Monday after being convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others while working on the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.

The 33-year-old's crimes make her the most prolific child killer in modern UK history. But they bear chilling resemblance to the case of Beverley Allitt, the hospital worker notoriously nicknamed the "Angel of Death".

Letby injected her victims with substances such as air and insulin.

Identical methods were used by Allitt, who murdered four babies at Grantham and Kesteven Hospital in 1991.

Retired Det Supt Stuart Clifton told ITV News that Letby may have drawn inspiration for her crimes from Allitt. Describing her as a "copycat murderer", he said: "It's almost like she read the Allitt book."

As well as killing four infants, Allitt, now 54, was convicted of attempting to murder three and causing grievous bodily harm to a further six. She received 13 life sentences at Nottingham Crown Court in May 1993.

Mr Clifton, 79, from Boston, said: "Anything like this inquiry stays with you through your life. You have to feel for the parents of these children who were obviously distraught.

"There are so many parallels between this and the Letby case. I have never been able to understand how someone in the caring profession could do this. To me it beggars belief that there's more than one person that has committed these actions against babies."

The 'Angel of Death': Who was Beverley Allitt and what were her crimes?

Having grown up in nearby Corby Glen, Beverley Allitt worked as a nurse at Grantham and Kesteven Hospital in Lincolnshire.

Over a 59-day period between February and April 1991, she murdered four babies and attempted to kill three others. 

At least two of her victims were killed using overdoses of insulin. A third was found with a large air bubble in their body. Allitt was the only nurse on duty when all the attacks were carried out.

It was only following the death of her fourth victim, Becky Phillips, that medical staff became suspicious of the number of cardiac arrests on the children's ward and police were called.

She denied her crimes, but on 28 May 1993 was found guilty and given 13 life sentences, with a minimum term of 30 years, and was committed to Rampton Secure Hospital in Nottinghamshire.

She became known by the nickname the "Angel of Death".

Now 54, Allitt became eligible for parole in November 2021, but remains at Rampton.

Her motives have never been fully explained. According to one theory, she showed symptoms of a disorder known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy, in which a perpetrator ascribes symptoms to, or physically falsifies illnesses in someone under their care to attract attention to themselves.

'The lesson clearly wasn't learnt'

David Crampton's son, Paul, was one of those targeted by Allitt. Although Paul survived, it is believed she injected him with insulin.

Mr Crampton said: "We were told that Paul was going to be discharged within a day. But when I returned, Paul was clammy, cold grey. It was a big shock.

"He'd gone into hypoglycemic shock, because his blood sugar had dropped so low. It happened three times before he was transferred to Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.

"We now know this removed him from the care of Allitt and this saved his life."

Following Allitt's conviction, an independent inquiry was launched. Mr Crampton gave evidence, calling for better systems in hospitals to alert staff to abnormalities.

Thirty years later, he says those lessons have not been learnt.

"My instincts tell me that because this seemed to go on so long then the lesson learnt of understanding a developing pattern of unusual events clearly wasn't learnt.

"You'd have to conclude that joining these dots together and making the big decision - whatever that was, close the ward, put the staff on leave didn't happen. So that lesson is unlikely to have been learnt."

The government has announced an independent inquiry into Letby's crimes which will examine how she was able to kill for so long, despite concerns being raised by senior doctors long before she was arrested.

Some of the victims’ families have called for a public inquiry, which has greater powers.

Jane Tomkinson, acting chief Executive officer at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said the trust "welcomes the announcement of an independent inquiry".

She said: "In addition, the trust will be supporting the ongoing investigation by Cheshire Police."

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