Convicted child killer Lucy Letby has been quizzed about a further spate of baby deaths, Cheshire Police have confirmed. The former nurse was interviewed under caution in prison, over a number of unexpected deaths and collapses of infants at the Countess of Chester Hospital, where she previously worked.
She was also questioned – for what is believed to be the first time – about a number of cases at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital, where she previously undertook a clinical placement as a student.
The 34-year-old former neonatal nurse was convicted in 2023 for murdering seven babies and trying to kill seven more while working at theCountess of Chester Hospital over a 13-month killing spree between June 2015 and June 2016.
She is currently serving a rare whole-life sentence after being convicted last year. Police interviewed her following a review of all 4,000 babies she cared for during her career, which dates back to January 2012.
A Cheshire Police spokesperson said: “We can confirm that, following agreement, Lucy Letby has recently been interviewed in prison under caution in relation to the ongoing investigation into baby deaths and non-fatal collapses at the Countess of Chester Hospital and the Liverpool Women’s Hospital. Further updates will follow.”
Following her conviction last year, Letby has been serving her sentence at HMP Bronzefield, in Ashford, Surrey, a prison which caters for category A women prisoners, meaning she is considered to be a high risk to the public, police, or national security if she were to escape.
It is understood that the interview was pre-arranged and her legal representative was present, reports The Mirror.
Letby, who is originally from Hereford, was arrested and charged for her crimes back in November 2020, and subsequently convicted last year of seven charges of murder and seven of attempted murder – one child she tried to kill twice. She was also later found guilty of an eighth attempted murder charge against another premature baby girl, following a retrial in July.
As a result of her crimes, she is currently serving 15 whole-life sentences and earlier this year was denied the opportunity to appeal her convictions, meaning she will die in prison.
The nurse was on duty, or had been working the shift prior, for a total of 12 out of 13 baby deaths that occurred at the Countess of Chester Hospital between March 2015 and July 2016.
The new interviews also come as the formal Lucy Letby inquiry continues reports the Daily Mail.
The Thirlwall Inquiry, which began in October, was set up to examine events at the Countess of Chester Hospital and their implications following the trial, and subsequent convictions, of former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby of murder and attempted murder of babies at the hospital.
Several key witnesses in the inquiry so far, include barrister Louis Browne KC; former Senior Coroner for Cheshire, Alan Moore, and Helene Donnelly, ambassador for cultural change, who previously raised concerns at Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust as an NHS whistleblower.
