Babies in cots and incubators should be monitored by CCTV, parents tell Inquiry

Babies in cots and incubators should be monitored by CCTV, the parents of a baby girl allegedly attacked by Lucy Letby have told an inquiry.

Jurors at Letby’s 10-month trial could not reach a verdict on an allegation she attempted to murder the infant, Child J, who collapsed while in the nurse’s care.

The Crown Prosecution Service opted not to seek a retrial over the incident at the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit in the early hours of November 27 2015 during which Child J had a seizure and required resuscitation.

The Thirlwall Inquiry into events surrounding Letby’s year-long killing spree heard that weeks later the baby suffered another nightshift collapse when the nurse was again on duty, although she was not charged in relation to that.

In a statement to the inquiry, Child J’s parents said: “We will never know the truth. It’s for this reason we believe babies should be monitored using technology such as CCTV. It should be here for each cot space and incubator.”

Giving evidence, Child J’s father said: “I believe that generally in this period CCTV would have answered a number of questions that will be probably remain unanswered forever for a number of parents.

“I think there is a concern generally in society about the amount of CCTV but this is the vulnerable members of our society, our babies and the elderly, and in those cases I also believe they deserve the right to be protected in any way that is necessary.

“People who are working in those settings should accept that as part of them wanting to do the right thing and be in an environment that is 100% dedicated to the patients and their safety.”

He said he could not understand why more action was not taken before his daughter’s collapses as consultants had already expressed concerns about Letby’s presence when babies died on the unit.

He added it was “inconceivable” and “ludicrous” that she was later moved from the neonatal unit to a non-patient role at the hospital in July 2016 despite fears she had deliberately harmed infants in her care.

Child J returned home in January 2016 and is now “doing very well”, her mother told the inquiry.

But she added: “This journey has severely impacted our lives even though we have a healthy and happy child.

“We recognise we haven’t suffered the terrible loss and sadness and ongoing lifelong challenges of many of the other families. They have lost babies who would normally have gone on to live happy lives in loving families.

“We stand in solidarity with them.”

The mother of Child H, a baby girl who was allegedly targeted twice by Letby in September 2015, said she “struggled” with a message that Letby passed to her at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

The infant required resuscitation after two profound oxygen deteriorations in the early hours of September 26 and 27.

Jurors at Letby’s trial found her not guilty of attempted murder over the first incident and could not reach a verdict on the second incident.

Child H’s mother told the inquiry that Letby handed her a red box as her daughter was placed in an ambulance for transfer to another hospital on September 27.

She said: “It had a teddy bear on the top and inside the box was a cot card and her wristband from the Countess of Chester. There was also a plastic bag with a white sticky label on the front that said ‘For my Mummy and Daddy xxx’.”

Inside the bag was was a hat her daughter wore when she was receiving breathing support from a Cpap (continuous positive airway pressure) machine, she said.

Child H’s mother went on: “To me it almost seemed a bit like a memory box. I remember thinking that it was quite morbid. You know, because she was not dead.

“I did ask about that during the criminal trial and I was told it wasn’t a memory box as such, that was something that they did.

“But I remember not feeling entirely comfortable about that. And especially the fact that the writing on that label… says ‘For my Mummy and Daddy’ with a ‘xxx’ on it from Lucy Letby, and the fact that she handed that over to us, I do struggle with that.”

Rachel Langdale KC, counsel to the inquiry, asked: “In terms of Letby, did you have any suspicions or concerns about her while you were at the Countess of Chester?”

Child H’s mother replied: “Some of the nurses you could have like a chat with or a laugh and you’d get to know them because you’re there a lot, and you’re there for quite a while.

“But Lucy Letby didn’t really register much with me. She was pretty unmemorable, to be perfectly honest. I do remember her being present during that first collapse but on the whole there was very little conversation between us.”

Letby, 34, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016.

The inquiry is expected to sit until early next year, with findings published by late autumn 2025.

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