Child killer Lucy Letby launches new bid to clear her name after witness 'changes his mind'
The legal team for killer nurse Lucy Letby has said they will be asking the Court of Appeal to immediately review all of her convictions because an expert witness “has now changed his mind on the cause of death of three babies”.
Speaking in London on Monday, Letby's barrister Mark McDonald declared he had "fresh developments on the case and new evidence which 'significantly undermines the convictions'".
Letby, 34, is serving a whole life term in prison for the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of seven others when she worked at the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Earlier this month Cheshire Police revealed she had been interviewed in prison under caution as part of ongoing investigations into more baby deaths.
The force said it had "recently" spoken to her over deaths and non-fatal collapses at the Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
Mr McDonald said a crucial expert witness for the prosecution - Dr Dewi Evans - has now changed his mind about causes of death of three babies.
The barrister said: “The primary grounds of appeal at the previous hearings related to the admissibility before the jury of the evidence of the lead prosecution expert Dr Dewi Evans.
“The defence argued twice at trial that Dr Evans’ evidence should be disregarded. This was refused by the trial judge.
“It was then later argued in the Court of Appeal, and was refused in the court of appeal.
“Remarkably, Dr Evans has now changed his mind on the cause of death of three of the babies: Baby C, Baby I and Baby P.”
Dr Evans was not at the event and has been contacted for comment.
Letby, 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
Since the first guilty verdicts were delivered in August 2023 Letby has launched several unsuccessful appeals to overturn her convictions and the subsequence life sentences.
A public inquiry let by Lady Justice Thirlwall is currently examining events at the Countess of Chester Hospital and their implications following those convictions.
The inquiry has heard claims it is “likely” that she murdered or assaulted children at the Countess before June 2015.
Letby appointed Mr McDonald as her new barrister last September to help overturn her conviction by arguing that the evidence presented during her trial was unreliable.
Mr McDonald, who specialises in criminal defence, has been gathering expert testimonies for the case.
Speaking to the media on Monday, he continued: “Dr Evans had said to the jury that Lucy Letby had injected air down a nasal gastric tube and this had led to the death of the three babies.
“This was repeated to the Court of Appeal, who may have been misled when they ruled on the application for leave against the convictions.
“Dr Evans has also said that he has revised his opinion in relation to Baby C and has written a new report, a new report that he has given to the police, months ago now.
“Despite numerous requests, the prosecution has yet to give this report to the defence.
“The defence will argue that Dr Evans is not a reliable expert, and given that he was the lead expert for the prosecution, we say that all the convictions are not safe.”
Mr McDonald spoke alongside Dr Richard Taylor, a neonatologist from Victoria, British Columbia, Dr Roger Norwich, a consultant paediatrician, and Peter Elston, who is a statistician.
The defence team also had reports from two neonatologists that it claims count as fresh evidence in the cases in relation to Baby C and Baby O.
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said: “Two juries and three appeal court judges have reviewed a multitude of different strands of evidence against Lucy Letby.
“She has been convicted on 15 separate counts following two separate jury trials.
“In May, the Court of Appeal dismissed Letby’s leave to appeal on all grounds – rejecting her argument that expert prosecution evidence was flawed.”
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.