Doctor Dewi Evans rejects claims ‘he changed his mind’ over cause of death of Lucy Letby victims
A doctor has said claims he has changed his mind over the cause of death for three of Lucy Letby’s victims are “unsubstantiated” and “inaccurate”.
Retired consultant paediatrician Dr Dewi Evans responded to the assertions of Letby’s barrister Mark McDonald, who said the prosecution’s lead medical witness had altered his views on how the infants had died at the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit.
Mr McDonald told reporters he was immediately seeking permission from the Court of Appeal to relook at her case on the grounds that Dr Evans is “not a reliable expert” and the former nurse’s convictions for murder and attempted murder are unsafe.
On Tuesday, 17 December, Dr Evans said: “Mr Mark McDonald’s observations regarding my evidence is unsubstantiated, unfounded, inaccurate.
“His method of presenting his information reflects clear prejudice and bias. I find his style most unedifying, most unprofessional. It’s highly disrespectful to the families of babies murdered and harmed by Lucy Letby.”
Letby, 34, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016.
Mr McDonald told a news conference in London on Monday, 16 December, that Dr Evans had altered his view about how babies had died.
He 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.”
Mr McDonald, said he would immediately seek permission from the Court of Appeal to take the “exceptional but necessary decision” to apply to reopen her case.
Dr Evans, who was not present as the press conference on Monday, released a statement which says: “Mr Mark McDonald’s observations regarding my evidence is unsubstantiated, unfounded, inaccurate.
"His method of presenting his information reflects clear prejudice and bias. I cannot recall any KC advocating on behalf of a client via a press conference, especially a case of such sensitivity.
"I find his style most unedifying, most unprofessional. It’s highly disrespectful to the families of babies murdered and harmed by Lucy Letby. The only place appropriate to deal with any potential appeal is the relevant Court.
"If required I would be pleased to give evidence in the usual way; on oath, subject to cross examination, and where my evidence is placed in the public domain.
"I would expect any other participant to agree to the same principles. Anything disclosed through any other source is, as Lady Thirlwall put it so eloquently, just “noise”.
Following Dr Evans' statement, barrister Mark McDonald said: “Dr Evans has written a new report on Baby C, 12 months after Lucy Letby was convicted, please can this be fully disclosed to the defence by the prosecution.
"This issue of reliability of any prosecution medical expert is now a matter for the Court of Appeal and Criminal Cases Review Commissions but certainly the disclosure of this new report may help them in deciding this question”
Since Letby's first guilty verdicts were delivered in August 2023, the former neonatal nurse 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.
Following the press conference, the Crown Prosecution Service 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.”
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