Lucy Letby Retrial Sought After Shocking Convictions

Lucy Letby’s name has become synonymous with one of the most disturbing cases in modern British healthcare. Once a trusted neonatal nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital, Letby was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more between June 2015 and June 2016, a crime spree that sent shockwaves throughout the UK and beyond. But as the dust settles on her trials and the consequences ripple through the medical and legal communities, questions about the evidence and her guilt continue to swirl, with a campaign for her retrial gaining momentum.

Born in January 1990 in Hereford, England, Letby grew up as the only child of John and Susan Letby in a quiet cul-de-sac. Described as quiet, reserved, and ambitious, she was seen by friends and family as destined for a career in pediatric nursing. According to The Times, her childhood friend Jade Thomas noted, “She was definitely focused and career-driven from even such a young age, but if there was an opportunity to go out with someone I don’t think she would’ve turned it down because she wanted to settle down and have a husband and children of her own.”

After attending comprehensive schools and Hereford Sixth Form College, Letby moved to Chester for three years of nursing training at the University of Chester, completing placements at Liverpool Women’s Hospital and the Countess of Chester Hospital. She qualified as a children’s nurse in 2011, and her parents marked her graduation with a proud announcement in the local paper, complete with a photo of Letby in her mortarboard. Not long afterward, she joined the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit as a full-time nurse. She was even featured in the Chester Standard for a baby grow fundraising appeal, expressing her joy in “seeing babies progress and supporting their families.”

Yet, beneath the surface of this seemingly ordinary career, a tragedy was unfolding. In 2015, the hospital began to notice an unusual spike in unexplained infant deaths and collapses. According to the BBC, staffing charts revealed Letby was present at every single incident. The hospital removed her from the neonatal unit in 2016 after a doctor raised suspicions, assigning her to administrative duties within the hospital’s risk and patient safety office. In May 2017, hospital executives contacted the police, triggering Operation Hummingbird—a sweeping investigation into the deaths and collapses that occurred between June 2015 and June 2016.

Letby was arrested three times over the following years: first in July 2018 on suspicion of murder, again in June 2019, and finally in November 2020, when charges were officially brought. The scale of the investigation was staggering, involving over 2,000 witnesses and the review of 500,000 pages of medical records, as reported by Yahoo News U.K. The trial, which began in October 2022 at Manchester Crown Court, stretched for ten months and was one of the longest-running murder trials in British history.

Prosecutors painted a harrowing picture of Letby’s actions. They alleged her first victim, a days-old twin boy known as Child A, died after being injected with air just 90 minutes into her shift in June 2015. The following day, she allegedly attempted to murder his twin sister, Child B, using a similar method, though the baby survived. Over the next year, Letby’s attacks escalated, including attempts to kill Child F with insulin and repeated efforts to murder Child G by overfeeding and injecting air. In June 2016, her killing spree ended when she was removed from the unit after the deaths of newborn triplet brothers, Children O and P—both killed with air, according to the prosecution.

Key evidence in the trial included handwritten notes discovered at Letby’s home, bearing chilling phrases such as “I am a horrible evil person,” “I AM EVIL I DID THIS,” and “I killed them on purpose because I’m not good enough to care for them,” as reported by The Guardian. Prosecutor Nick Johnson KC told the court, “It was, after all, one of her favorite ways of killing.” The defense, however, argued that these writings were the anguished outpourings of a young woman overwhelmed by the accusations against her, not confessions. Letby herself testified, “I only ever did my best to care for them,” according to The Times. Her attorneys placed blame on alleged subpar medical care from other staff members.

In August 2023, the jury found Letby guilty of seven counts of murder and six of attempted murder. She was handed 14 whole life sentences, ensuring she would die behind bars. A retrial in July 2024 resulted in an additional conviction for the attempted murder of another child, known as Child K, after a previous jury could not reach a verdict. She received a fifteenth life sentence, making her one of the most notorious serial killers in UK medical history, as described by the BBC.

Letby is currently incarcerated at HMP Low Newton, a high-security women’s prison in Durham, England, which also houses other infamous inmates such as Rose West and Sharon Carr. The prison, according to The Guardian, offers faith services, education, and training, with most prisoners housed in single cells or small units. Letby’s life behind bars may be isolated, but her case is far from closed in the public eye.

In January 2026, Cheshire police confirmed that Letby would not face further charges for nine additional attempted murders and two murders, citing insufficient evidence. “Today’s announcement does not affect or undermine the convictions of Lucy Letby for multiple murders and attempted murders of premature babies following an extensive investigation and two criminal trials, including one of the longest running murder trials in British criminal history and two unsuccessful appeals,” police said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the legal battle continues. Letby’s barrister, Mark McDonald, has challenged the medical evidence used to convict her, arguing it was flawed. He has assembled a panel of experts, including Dr. Shoo Lee and 14 other senior clinicians, who dispute the prosecution’s interpretation of air embolism and insulin poisoning as causes of death. The panel claims the prosecution misinterpreted Dr. Lee’s research, and the defense argues that the evidence was not as clear-cut as presented at trial. In February 2025, McDonald submitted a file to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which is now investigating whether there is a real possibility the Court of Appeal might quash Letby’s convictions based on new evidence.

Adding another layer of complexity, the Cheshire Coroner’s Court announced it would conduct inquests into the deaths of six babies Letby was convicted of killing. At the time, their causes of death were listed as “natural” or “unknown,” but families are now requesting that these be changed to “unlawful killing.” Letby will be represented by lawyers at the February 2026 hearings, and her legal team continues to seek a review of her case as a potential miscarriage of justice.

Despite the overwhelming evidence and her convictions, Letby maintains her innocence. With the CCRC’s investigation ongoing and the coronial inquests looming, the final chapter in the Lucy Letby saga remains unwritten, leaving the public—and the families of her victims—waiting for a definitive conclusion.