logo
Lucy Letby: Former hospital bosses call for Thirlwall Inquiry to be suspended

Lucy Letby: Former hospital bosses call for Thirlwall Inquiry to be suspended

BBC News17-03-2025

Lawyers for former bosses of the hospital where killer nurse Lucy Letby murdered babies have asked for the public inquiry into the events surrounding her crimes to be suspended.Inquiry chair Lady Justice Thirlwall said she had received the request from counsel for the management team weeks after a panel of international medical experts blamed the deaths on bad medical care and natural causes.She said she had previously had similar pleas from Letby's legal team and Conservative MP David Davis. Submissions will be heard on the topic later at Liverpool Town Hall, along with the closing statements.
Letby, 35, originally from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders for murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others.Lady Justice Thirlwall said that lawyers for the former hospital executives - chief executive Tony Chambers, medical director Ian Harvey, director of nursing Alison Kelly and HR director Sue Hodkinson - had also written to the secretary of state for health to seek a suspension of the inquiry.Why Letby case is under more scrutiny than everThe findings of a panel of 14 international experts in neonatology and paediatrics were revealed by Letby's legal team last month.Chairman of the panel Dr Shoo Lee said the experts had poured over trial transcripts and medical records and they "did not find any murders".Those findings have been passed to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which investigates potential miscarriages of justice.Letby's legal team hopes the commission will refer her case back to the Court of Appeal. A crowd of about 50 people gathered outside Liverpool Town Hall before the inquiry resumed, holding signs claiming Letby was innocent.
The Thirlwall Inquiry is hearing closing submissions from core participants after it finished hearing evidence in January.In his closing speech, Neil Sheldon KC, who represents the Department of Health and Social Care, said lessons from previous cases where health professionals had harmed babies had not been learnt.In 1991 a nurse, Beverly Allitt, murdered four children at a hospital in Lincolnshire and in 2015 another nurse, Victorino Chua, was jailed for murdering two patients at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport.Mr Sheldon said "There has been a long standing failure to learn the lesson of past inquiries and investigations and to implement those lessons. "Recommendation have been made but insufficient action has been taken."The tragic events at the Countess of Chester Hospital should not have been allowed to happen in the first place."Lady Justice Thirlwall is due to publish her final report this autumn.
Read more stories from Cheshire on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Constance defends Police Scotland sex and gender policy
Constance defends Police Scotland sex and gender policy

The Herald Scotland

time5 hours ago

  • The Herald Scotland

Constance defends Police Scotland sex and gender policy

Last weekend, in The Herald on Sunday, a senior Police Scotland source accused the force of creating a 'culture of fear', where staff felt unable to raise concerns about how to record the sex of transgender suspects. READ MORE: The whistleblower claimed that officers were being instructed to search and record individuals 'as they present', even though no formal policy to that effect appeared to exist. She warned this could result in rapes committed by men being recorded as having been carried out by women — a scenario she described as 'unbelievable' and deeply traumatic for victims. On Tuesday, Scottish Labour MSP Pauline McNeill raised The Herald on Sunday's report in Holyrood, saying there was 'clear confusion' in the force due to the lack of official guidance. 'Many staff say they have to record someone — and indeed search them — based on how they present, even if that is the moment of arrest,' she said. 'It appears there is no official guidance, so staff are left to navigate sensitive and legally significant decisions without it.' She asked the Cabinet Secretary whether she was not 'concerned about the apparent lack of clarity being experienced by officers on the front line about how to record the sex and gender of suspected serious sexual offenders.' Ms Constance said: 'I do believe that there currently is clarity.' She also pointed to the comment given to The Herald on Sunday by the force, which said the whistleblower's account was 'inaccurate and misleading.' Ms McNeill said the force had offered contradictory explanations. While Chief Constable Jo Farrell told the Scottish Police Authority in September last year there was a clear approach, she said in a letter to her and in press reports, they had 'indicated since then that there is no set policy on how to record sex and gender of individuals.' The force is reviewing how it records sex and gender, and the Justice Secretary said this would take full account of the UK Supreme Court's landmark ruling on the definition of 'sex' in the Equality Act — which confirmed it means biological sex. Ms McNeill urged the Cabinet Secretary to engage directly with the force: 'Surely she must have a discussion now with Police Scotland about how they are recording sex when it comes to sexual crime, and that there is clarity for police officers on the front line?' Ms Constance replied that the Chief Constable had already given clear public assurances, and that Police Scotland would also consider forthcoming guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which is currently under review. Tess White, the Conservative MSP for North East Scotland, accused Police Scotland of 'kicking the can down the road.' 'The force provided assurances to the Scottish Police Authority that the timeline for review does not preclude any immediate improvements identified and required to internal practice or policy, and that is in stark contrast with the meeting the Cabinet Secretary herself held with the Chief Constable on 30 April in which she emphasised that Police Scotland must await EHRC guidance on the Supreme Court ruling. 'Will her government now get off the fence and finally issue an urgent directive to public bodies to comply with the law and put an end to this mess?' Ms Constance said ministers were already taking action by working to ensure public services would be in a 'state of readiness' to respond to the EHRC guidance when it is finalised. READ MORE Speaking after the debate, Ms McNeill said she found the minister's answer 'disappointing.' 'The Government is responsible for this confusion — it is too important for them to leave to another review. If they support my view on data that the sex of the offender should be recorded then they should act to clear up the confusion.' Fraser Hudghton, from the Free Speech Union, said: 'The Justice Secretary's response in Parliament does not cut it. She is either being misinformed by the leadership at Police Scotland who have lost all control, or she is playing fast and loose with the facts. 'We know from serving officers and staff that police leadership are in thrall to 'woke' policies that originated from the SNP Government, regardless of what that means for data collection or the effective prosecution of criminals. It has to stop.' A spokesperson for Police Scotland previously told The Herald on Sunday: 'It is inaccurate and misleading to suggest a male accused of rape would be recorded as a woman. It is inaccurate and misleading to suggest female officers and members of staff are coerced into carrying out intimate searches on male prisoners.'

'El Chapo' brother of ex-Liverpool player disputes sentence for £26m drug empire
'El Chapo' brother of ex-Liverpool player disputes sentence for £26m drug empire

Daily Record

time8 hours ago

  • Daily Record

'El Chapo' brother of ex-Liverpool player disputes sentence for £26m drug empire

Jonathan Cassidy imported hundreds of kilos of cocaine into the UK in modified vehicles before it was distributed by his younger brother Jamie. An ex-builder who ran a £26m drug empire with his former Liverpool FC wonderkid brother has failed in his bid to challenge his EncroChat sentence. Jonathan Cassidy imported hundreds of kilos of cocaine from South America in an international drugs racket with his younger brother Jamie and business partner Nasar Ahmed, reports the Liverpool Echo. Cassidy, 50, boasted on Encrochat messages that his criminal enterprise was reminiscent of Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán under the name "WhiskyWasp. However, following the hack of the EncroChat network by European law enforcement, Cassidy fled to Dubai. He was arrested upon his return to the UK in October 2020. Following over three years of legal challenges where the brothers and Ahmed fought the admissibility of the EncroChat data, the defendants pleaded guilty in February 2024. Cassidy was sentenced to 21 years, nine months for conspiracy to import cocaine; conspiracy to supply cocaine; and conspiracy to conceal, transfer and disguise criminal proceeds. Cassidy appeared before London's Court of Appeal on May 20 this year in a renewed application for leave to appeal against his sentence. His challenge, brought before the high court by counsel Michael Bromley-Martin KC, said too low a discount was applied as credit for his guilty plea and the sentencing judge failed to consider exceptional mitigating factors. But dismissing his case, the Court of Appeal bench of Lord Justice Fraser, Mr Justice Hilliard and Mr Justice Constable said they were "not persuaded that the resulting sentences are manifestly excessive or reached after an error in principle". 'Instrumental in organising significant quantities of drugs' The high court heard that EncroChat data showed Cassidy's first importation occurred in early March 2020, when 194 kilograms of cocaine, which was in blocks embossed with snowmen, was imported into the country. The payments for the consignment were arranged by Ahmed, with the two men sharing the profits, which amounted to between £2,000 and £10,000 per kilo. The ECHO previously reported how the gang brought the drugs into the UK via Amsterdam hidden in vehicles with modified hides. Cassidy exchanged messages with a Dutch contact on April 2 of the same year to arrange 90 kilos of cocaine and Ahmed arranged a Hawala banker in Amsterdam to release payment. Arrangements continued until police arrested a courier and found €800,000 and nine-and-a-half kilos of cocaine. But despite the dent in operations Cassidy exchanged messages with an associate in the Netherlands about a contact who claimed to be able to source 1,200 kilos of the class A drug. Discussions were had about purchasing 10 kilos as a test run with it arriving a few days later between April 14-15. At the same time Cassidy directed his brother Jamie to oversee the distribution of 162 kilos of cocaine, with the younger man providing a list of who had been given what. By this time EncroChat had been hacked and law enforcement had access to messages. An associate of the three men called Leon Atkinson was supplied cocaine sourced from and supplied by Ahmed, with payments nearing £500,000 in Bitcoin to a wallet controlled by a contact. The Court of Appeal heard that although details varied, "both Cassidy and instrumental in organising significant quantities of drugs, arrangements payment, instructing couriers and so on". Panadol box led police to Cassidy Message analysis showed the men not only conducted business on their Encro phones, but they began to use them for everyday conversations, sharing photos of their families and special occasions. On one occasion, Cassidy referred to plain clothed police officers as "quick scruffy c**** with rucksacks", while in a different message he shared a picture of a box of Panadol. Both of these messages, paired with cell site and fingerprint analysis, helped create a detailed timeline of events for detectives. Another message showed how highly Cassidy thought of himself. When watching an episode of Narcos, he sent an image to a friend joking that he and drug lord El Chapo, who had an estimated net worth of $1bn, shared the same birthday. His friend responded: "Coincidence, I think f***ing not". The administrators of EncroChat warned users on June 13 2020 that government entities had gained access to the domain and security was no longer guaranteed. Ahmed searched online for travel updates to the UAE on July 13, but was arrested at his house in Bury two days later. Cassidy used his iPad to read an article on the ECHO about a fugitive who had been on the run for 16 years but was arrested from Portugal on his return. He left the country on a flight to Dubai that evening, but perhaps emboldened by the fact his brother had been able to return to the country without being stopped, he flew back in October, where he was arrested. Cassidy, his brother and Ahmed were all sentenced in February 2024. The judge drew attention to the scale of the operation, the amount of drugs imported, the size of the transactions and the highly organised nature of the operation. He sentenced Cassidy to 27 years, but then reduced the sentence due to conditions in prison due to covid, as well as an additional discount of 15% for the defendant's guilty plea. ‌ Cassidy's brother Jamie, a youth star at Liverpool who was top scorer for England u16s before injuries blighted his promising career, was sentenced to 13 years and three months, while Ahmed received a custodial sentence of 21 years and nine months. 'Not persuaded sentence was manifestly excessive' The Court of Appeal heard Cassidy's sentence was reduced by four months to take into account him serving a period of imprisonment during covid conditions while on remand. The judges found the sentencing judge's adjustment was sufficient and not outside the range that could properly be granted. Ahmed also appeared during the same hearing at the Court of Appeal to challenge his sentence on the same grounds as Cassidy, in particular that he was awarded an insufficient reduction for his guilty plea. The judges confirmed they dismissed Ahmed's appeal and refused a renewed application. In May 2022, four associates linked to the Cassidys and Ahmed were jailed for almost 40 years after a selfie of Atkinson led to their downfall. Liverpool man Joshua Avis is wanted by Greater Manchester Police in connection with their investigation. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Former Newsround and Most Haunted star becomes Reform UK's new chairman
Former Newsround and Most Haunted star becomes Reform UK's new chairman

Daily Mirror

time12 hours ago

  • Daily Mirror

Former Newsround and Most Haunted star becomes Reform UK's new chairman

Dr David Bull takes over from Zia Yusuf, who dramatically quit as Reform UK's chairman last week, before returning to the party in a new position just two days later A former BBC Newsround presenter has been made Reform UK's new chairman. Dr David Bull takes over from Zia Yusuf, who dramatically quit the role last week, before returning to the party in a new position just two days later. ‌ Nigel Farage welcomed Dr Bull, who was previously Reform's co-deputy leader, saying he would come to the role of Reform UK chairman with "terrific verve, energy, enthusiasm". Mr Farage, Reform's leader, added: "It's going to be great fun." Mr Yusuf said he is "hugely excited" that Dr Bull was taking the role. ‌ Some viewers might recognise Dr Bull, now 56, from his former years as a TV presenter, with his credits including Newsround and paranormal series Most Haunted. The now Talk TV presenter's broadcasting career first started in 1995, when he starred as an on-screen doctor for Sky TV giving people advice to people travelling abroad. The Reform politician then joined Newsround in the late 1990s. It followed Dr Bull having qualified as a physician in 1993 from St Mary's Hospital Medical School in London. He went to present other BBC kids shows, before joining BBC's Watchdog to present its Healthcheck spin-off. His presenting credits also include Most Haunted Live and Hospital Live. After his years as a TV doctor, Dr Bull turned to politics. He was selected as Tory candidate for Brighton Pavilion but stood down in 2009 before the election to head up a Conservative policy review on sexual health with Anne Milton, the shadow health minister. ‌ ‌ In 2019, he was elected as a Member of the European Parliament, as part of The Brexit Party, and served until the UK left the EU. He has since been Reform UK's Deputy leader and health spokesman. Mr Yusuf resigned after criticising Reform MP Sarah Pochin for asking a "dumb" question at PMQs about a burka ban. In a parting jibe, he added: "I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office." But he returned to the party just days later. Mr Yusuf said he regrets his social media post about Ms Pochin. He will now lead the so-called "Doge team", which is inspired by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency in Donald Trump's administration. Dr Bull reportedly backs "banning the burqa".

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store