Lucy Letby Defence Was Denied Maternity Notes in 14-Baby Murder Case
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 22
Lucy Letby Defence Was Denied Maternity Notes in 14-Baby Murder Case
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 22
Summary
Maternity notes for babies in Lucy Letby’s case were seized by Cheshire Police but not disclosed to her defence before the trials, according to a BBC investigation.
The CPS said the obstetrics records were not used to build the prosecution case and were therefore treated as irrelevant, though the BBC said the defence had requested them.
Dr Dewi Evans, the prosecution’s chief medical expert, said he never saw the full notes and relied on brief maternity summaries, maintaining the missing records would not have changed the outcome.
Phil Bennett of Imperial College said pregnancy, labour and neonatal care should be assessed together; after reviewing Baby O, he argued a delivery-related liver injury could explain the collapse.
The disclosure issue adds to wider post-trial scrutiny of Letby’s convictions, for which she is serving 15 whole-life terms, and comes amid separate allegations of maternity failings at Countess of Chester Hospital.
With crucial evidence hidden from her trial, is Lucy Letby's conviction truly safe?
Were the Chester baby deaths a result of hospital failures, not a murderous nurse?
The Lucy Letby Case: Evidence Disclosure Failures, Expert Disputes, and the Fight to Overturn the UK’s Most Controversial Conviction
Overview
A major issue in the Lucy Letby case centers on the non-disclosure of crucial maternity notes, which were seized by police but never shared with Letby’s defense or reviewed by the prosecution’s main medical expert. This missing evidence has raised serious concerns about the fairness of the trial, as it may have prevented the defense from presenting a full picture or alternative explanations for the babies’ deaths. The lack of access to these notes has sparked significant debate among legal and medical professionals, forming a key reason for ongoing legal challenges and calls for a comprehensive review or retrial.