Convicted serial killer Lucy Letby is back in the news after a panel of medical experts working with her defence team said they believe the 35-year-old did not commit the murders.
The case against the former nurse has been extremely complex from the outset – not least because nobody saw Letby attack the seven babies she was convicted of murdering, nor did anyone witness the attempted murder of seven others.
Instead, prosecutors had to draw on technical medical evidence – along with statistical data and other troubling details about Letby’s life – in order to prove their case.
She was found guilty by a jury and given 15 whole life sentences. Senior judges have twice rejected her efforts to overturn her convictions – but a new report claims Letby is the victim of a miscarriage of justice.
Who are the experts who believe Letby is innocent?
Fourteen senior clinicians from around the world have analysed the medical evidence against Letby, including British doctor Neena Modi, a former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
The panel was assembled by Dr Shoo Lee, a retired Canadian doctor based at the University of Toronto who specialises in the treatment of young children. He said the panel worked without payment and were not familiar with the case prior to reviewing the evidence.
Dr Lee became involved with Letby’s defence after being made aware that prosecutors had used a 1989 academic paper he co-authored as part of their case.
That paper focused on how air embolisms could lead to a baby’s skin becoming discoloured. It was relevant because prosecutors successfully argued that Letby attacked some of her victims by injecting air into them, causing a fatal embolism.