Latest news with #JusticeThirlwall
Telegraph
19-03-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Letby public inquiry will not be paused
A public inquiry into the crimes of Lucy Letby will not be halted, its chairwoman has ruled. The Thirlwall Inquiry has been examining how the former neonatal nurse was able to murder or attack 14 babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital. The inquiry finished hearing evidence last month and the final report is due to be published in November. But the hospital's former executives and Letby requested a pause to the inquiry, pending the outcome of her latest challenge to her multiple convictions for murder and attempted murder. On Wednesday, Lady Justice Thirlwall refused the application from the senior managers. In closing submissions on Tuesday, Kate Blackwell QC, representing former chief executive Tony Chambers, former medical director Ian Harvey, former director of nursing Alison Kelly and former HR director Sue Hodkinson, said there was a 'real possibility' that Letby's convictions may be overturned, and to continue the report work would be unfair to her clients. The former senior managers have also made a request to Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, to suspend the inquiry on similar grounds. Letby's solicitors wrote to Lady Justice Thirlwall on Monday to suggest her final report would be 'redundant and likely unreliable' unless proceedings were halted. Richard Baker KC, representing families of Letby's victims, said the applications to stop the inquiry were motivated by the desire from Britain's most prolific child serial killer to 'attempt to control the narrative' and for the executives 'to avoid criticism'. He added that there was 'nothing remarkable or new' about recent medical evidence presented on her behalf. Last month, an international panel of neonatologists and paediatric specialists, working pro bono for Letby's defence team, told reporters that bad medical care and natural causes were the reasons for the collapses and deaths attributed to Letby. Those findings will be passed to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, and the former nurse's legal team hope her case will eventually be referred back to the Court of Appeal after two previous failed bids. Sitting at Liverpool Town Hall, Lady Justice Thirlwall said: 'I'm not satisfied that there is any unfairness in the current situation. I am satisfied that the process has been fair. 'As I have said before, it is not the actions of Lucy Letby that I am scrutinising, it is the actions of all those who were in the hospital... and what they did at the time, in the light of what they knew at the time and in the light of what they should have known at the time... 'There are already large numbers of concessions about what was not done and what should have been done. Those significant concessions come from the organisations and the hospital including the doctors and the managers. 'Perhaps principle, and most obvious among the concessions made by just about everyone is the acknowledgement that there was a total failure of safeguarding at every level, and that will not change.' Lady Justice Thirlwall said she expressed no view on the merits of Letby's application to the CCRC. She said: 'It is clear that this will be a very lengthy process for the CCRC... it is inevitable that the pause being sought is of a length which is entirely outside of my control but it appears on the face of it to be a very lengthy one.' Letby, 35, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted across two trials at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others between June 2015 and June 2016.
Sky News
17-03-2025
- Health
- Sky News
Lucy Letby's lawyers call for baby deaths inquiry to be suspended
Lawyers for the former nurse Lucy Letby have called for the suspension of the inquiry into the events surrounding her crimes, claiming there was "overwhelming and compelling evidence" that her convictions are unsafe. The Thirlwall Inquiry is this week hearing closing submissions after the conclusion of the evidence which first started to be heard last September. The final report is due to be published in the autumn, but the lawyers have written to Lady Justice Thirlwall arguing it should be paused to allow for a review into Letby's convictions. The letter, seen by Sky News, says there is "now substantial evidence that undermines all the convictions" and any report could be "based on the wrong premise" and will "not only be redundant but likely unreliable". On Monday, Lady Justice Thirlwall said she had also received a request for the inquiry to be suspended last month from counsel for the management team at Countess Of Chester Hospital at the time Letby attacked babies in 2015 and 2016. 3:06 The hospital's former senior executives made the request weeks after an international panel of neonatologists and paediatric specialists said bad medical care and natural causes were the reasons for the collapses and deaths on the neo-natal unit. Those medical findings have been passed to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates potential miscarriages of justice. Lawyers for the former hospital executives have also written to the health secretary calling for the inquiry's suspension. Letby's legal team hope her case will eventually be referred back to the Court Of Appeal. The 35-year-old former nurse from Hereford is serving 15 whole-life prison terms. She was convicted across two trials at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others between June 2015 and June 2016. In the letter to Lady Justice Thirlwall, Letby's lawyers wrote: "It is estimated that over £10m has been spent so far on the inquiry. "It is now clear there is overwhelming and compelling evidence that Lucy Letby's convictions are unsafe. "For the inquiry to be effective and the taxpayer's money not to be wasted, we urge that the inquiry be suspended and to wait for the outcome of the review to take place."
Sky News
17-03-2025
- Sky News
Why are there calls to suspend Lucy Letby inquiry - and what have we learnt from it?
Why you can trust Sky News After Lucy Letby was sentenced to 15 whole-life terms for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others, an inquiry was launched to ensure lessons were learnt. The Thirlwall Inquiry is examining three broad themes - the experiences of all victims' parents, how the concerns of clinicians were handled, and to ensure lessons are learnt from the case of the most prolific child serial killer in modern British history. About 133 witnesses, including parents who lost their children, hospital executives, and Letby's former colleagues at the Countess of Chester Hospital, have provided live evidence to the inquiry since September, with a further 396 giving written statements. The closing statements this week come days after a police investigation into corporate manslaughter was widened to include gross negligence manslaughter. The inquiry also heard that two baby deaths remain the subject of ongoing police investigation, which Letby has been interviewed in prison over. Inquiry chair Lady Justice Thirlwall is expected to publish her official report in the autumn, outlining the detailed findings and recommendations based on the evidence that has been heard. This week, the Thirlwall Inquiry is hearing closing submissions from the various interested parties. Here's what has been said during the key testimonies so far. 2:34 Why is it called the Thirwall inquiry and why are there calls for it to be suspended? Opening the inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall on 10 September last year, Lady Justice Thirlwall said the probe bears her surname so that the parents do not repeatedly see the name of the person convicted of harming their babies. She said the babies who died or were injured would be at the "heart of the inquiry" and condemned comments at the time that questioned the validity of Letby's convictions - which the nurse tried and failed to challenge at the Court of Appeal - and some of the evidence used at trial. The inquiry also remains separate to a 14-member expert panel, led by retired neonatologist Dr Shoo Lee and senior Conservative MP David Davis, which in February said it had analysed medical evidence considered during Letby's trial and claimed there was no medical evidence that the nurse murdered or attempted to murder 14 premature babies. Letby's lawyers have since applied for a review of her case as a "potential miscarriage of justice" by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) after two failed bids at the Court of Appeal. On Monday, the judge said she had received a request last month from lawyers representing former executives at the Countess of Chester Hospital asking for the public inquiry to be suspended. Lady Justice Thirlwall also said she had recently received a written request from solicitors representing Letby for her to pause the inquiry. In the letter to the judge, which Sky News has seen, Letby's lawyers warned Lady Justice Thirlwall that her final report would "not only be redundant but likely unreliable" if it was not put on hold until after the conclusion of the former nurse's CCRC application. Letby couldn't 'wait to get first death out of the way' One of the nurses who started as a newly qualified nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital on the same day as Letby told the inquiry that the serial killer had told her she "can't wait for her first death to get it out the way". The nurse said she thought the comment was "strange" at the time, but she put it down to Letby just making conversation. She also recalled Letby being "animated" when telling her she had been involved with resuscitation attempts of a child on the ward in 2012. "It was kind of like she was excited to tell me about it," the nurse said. 'Likely' Letby murdered or attacked more children Neonatal clinical lead at the Countess of Chester Hospital, Dr Stephen Brearey, told the inquiry that he thought it was "likely" Letby murdered or started to harm babies prior to June 2015. He agreed that "on reflection" several unexpected collapses and deaths before that date now "appear suspicious". Dr Brearey added he did not have concerns about those incidents at the time, saying that hospital staff "thought we were going through a busy or particularly difficult patch". The inquiry was told that the dislodgement of breathing tubes, which was how Letby tried to kill Child K, generally occurs on less than 1% of shifts. However, it happened on 40% of shifts that Letby worked when she was a trainee at Liverpool Women's Hospital. Newborn given potentially fatal morphine overdose Two years before Letby carried out the murder of Child A, she and another nurse gave a potentially fatal dose of morphine to a newborn baby. Neonatal unit ward deputy ward manager, Yvonne Griffiths, told the inquiry that the infant received 10 times the correct amount of the painkiller at the end of a night shift in July 2013. Describing it as a "very serious error", she said the infant could have died if colleagues had not spotted the error an hour later. Letby was told she had to stop administering controlled drugs as a result of the error, a decision that she told management she was not happy about. Letby offered 'tips' on how to get away with murder In a WhatsApp exchange in 2017, Letby and union rep Hayley Griffiths discussed the US legal drama How To Get Away With Murder. The discussion took place a year after the neonatal nurse was moved to clerical duties following concerns she may have been deliberately harming babies. In a message to Letby, Ms Griffiths wrote: "I'm currently watching a programme called How To Get Away With Murder. I'm learning some good tips." To which Letby replied: "I could have given you some tips x." 0:42 Ms Griffiths responded saying she needed "someone to practice on to see if [she] could get away with it", and Letby replied: "I can think of two people you could practice on and will help you cover it up x." The union rep said: "I truly and deeply regret having started that conversation... this is completely unprofessional." No support or counselling given to parents The parents of two triplet boys murdered by Letby told the inquiry they were given no support or counselling after the deaths of their children. The children died on successive days in June 2016. Letby was their designated nurse and their deaths led to her being removed from the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit to a non-patient facing role. 5:47 The triplets' father said: "Following the deaths of our children, we didn't receive any support or counselling from anyone. Had we received some support, we might have been in a better position to try and act on what our instincts were telling us, which was that something had gone badly wrong." Senior consultant: 'I should have been braver' Letby's trial in 2023 heard that senior paediatrician Dr Ravi Jayaram caught the serial killer "virtually red-handed" after an incident in a nursery room at the hospital in February 2016. Addressing that incident while giving evidence at the inquiry, Dr Jayaram said he had walked into the nursery after feeling "significant discomfort" that Letby was alone with Child K. After walking in, he said he saw "a baby clearly deteriorating" and the child's endotracheal tube (ET) dislodged. Despite his concern over the incident, the consultant did not tell anyone at the hospital, or the police. Explaining why he said nothing, Dr Jayaram said: "It's the fear of not being believed. It's the fear of ridicule. It's the fear of accusations of bullying. "I should have been braver and should have had more courage because it was not just an isolated thing. There was already a lot of other information." Hospital boss: 'I should've done better' Tony Chambers, the former chief executive of the Countess of Chester Hospital, was a key witness to give evidence during the inquiry. During his evidence, Mr Chambers offered an apology to the families who had fallen victim to Letby and said his language had been "clumsy" in telling the killer nurse the hospital had "her back". "I absolutely acknowledged that we hadn't got that right. We could have done better, we should have done better. I should have done better," he said. When pressed on if he tried to "stall and obstruct the police being called or this being made public", he added: "Had that been what I had done then it would be. But I think it's an outrageous statement and I do not believe it represents my actions." Jeremy Hunt: 'Terrible tragedy happened on my watch' Jeremy Hunt appeared at the inquiry in January where he apologised to the victims' families, saying he was sorry "for anything that didn't happen that could potentially have prevented such an appalling crime". Mr Hunt was health secretary at the time Letby committed her crimes in 2015 and 2016. The MP told the inquiry the former nurse's crimes were "a terrible tragedy" which "happened on my watch" and "although he doesn't bear direct personal responsibility for everything that happens in every ward in the NHS" he does have "ultimate responsibility for the NHS". He recommended that medical examiners should be trained to see the signs or patterns of malicious harm in the work of a healthcare professional.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Ex-hospital bosses call for inquiry to be suspended
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 ever The 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. Why Letby case is under more scrutiny than ever Significant changes made at Letby hospital - CEO Two baby deaths still being probed - Letby inquiry Thirlwall Inquiry Cheshire Police Countess of Chester Hospital
BBC News
17-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Lucy Letby: Former hospital bosses call for Thirlwall Inquiry to be suspended
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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.
