Lucy Letby news – latest: Killer nurse to be stripped of NHS pension after baby murders
Lucy Letby is set to be stripped of her NHS pension after her murderous rampage on the neonatal ward where she worked.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay is looking into all measures that prevent her pension from being paid to her, The Independent understands.
The NHS Pension Scheme Regulations allow him to forfeit pensions if NHS employees are convicted of crimes – particularly those that are “gravely injurious to the state or to be liable to lead to serious loss of confidence in the public service”.
Letby will spend the rest of her life in prison after being found guilty of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder six others, but she refused to appear in the dock to hear the sentence handed down on Monday.
It sparked widespread outrage with several British newspapers calling for a law change, arguing that the worst offenders “should be forced to appear in court to witness the impact of their crimes”.
Judge Mr Justice Goss said Letby would be sent written copies of the victim impact statements.
Key Points
Exclusive: Lucy Letby to be stripped of NHS pension after baby murders
Serial killer nurse Lucy Letby will die in prison after being sentenced to whole life order
Exclusive: Letby still paid by hospital for years after baby murders
Whistleblower hits out at NHS failings after concerns about killer nurse ignored
Inside the Lucy Letby trial: Doctors’ desperation, babies’ pain – and the indifference of their killer
Thursday 24 August 2023 20:00 , Martha Mchardy
The jury heard harrowing evidence from the parents, and doctors and nurses left traumatised by the suffering inflicted by Lucy Letby, writes Nigel Bunyan.
Inside the Lucy Letby trial: Desperation, pain and a killer’s indifference
Watch: Lucy Letby ‘weaponised her craft to inflict harm, grief and death’ on newborns, police say
Thursday 24 August 2023 19:30 , Martha Mchardy
Watch: Doctor who helped catch Lucy Letby describes seeing her stood over sick baby
Thursday 24 August 2023 19:00 , Martha Mchardy
Inside jail where Lucy Letby expected to spend rest of her days
Thursday 24 August 2023 18:30 , Martha Mchardy
Nurse Lucy Letby, the most prolific child serial killer in modern British history, will die in prison after being sentenced to a whole-life order.
Judge Mr Justice Goss handed the baby murderer the rare sentence, which is life imprisonment with no possibility of release, at Manchester Crown Court on Monday. It comes after the serial killer nurse cemented herself as one of Britain’s worst criminals on Friday when she was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others.
Following a nine-month trial and over three weeks of deliberations, a jury found her guilty of 14 of the 22 counts she faced, after she embarked on a campaign of horror at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.
While it has not been confirmed, Letby could be placed in HMP Low Newton, a maximum security prison that is home to many of the deadliest female killers in recent history.
The jail, which was opened in 1965, has housed Britain’s youngest female murderer Sharon Carr, as well as Baby P’s mother Tracey Connelly. Dubbed ‘‘The Devil’s Daughter’’, Carr murdered an 18-year-old woman after picking her out at random when she was just 12 years old.
Read more:
Inside prison where baby killing nurse Lucy Letby expected to spend rest of her life
Parents of Lucy Letby victims accuse former hospital director of ‘total fob off’
Thursday 24 August 2023 18:00 , Martha Mchardy
Parents of babies attacked by Lucy Letby received a “total fob off” from a hospital medical director after raising concerns, a lawyer representing them has said.
Ian Harvey was medical director at the Countess of Chester Hospital at the time the 33-year-old nurse carried out her crimes, murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others, but he retired in August 2018, a month after she was first arrested.
Richard Scorer, from law firm Slater and Gordon which is representing two of the families, accused Mr Harvey of a “shameful” failure to address parental concerns.
Eleanor Barlow reports:
Parents of Lucy Letby victims accuse former hospital director of ‘total fob off’
Voices: As a psychologist, I get why Lucy Letby’s friends are standing by her
Thursday 24 August 2023 17:30 , Martha Mchardy
A fundraiser to appeal the killer nurse’s guilty verdict? Friends saying they don’t believe she did it? Naive, stupid, biased, blinkered? Not necessarily, says Dr Jessica Taylor. Standing by loved ones who have done horrific things is more common than you think…
As a psychologist, I get why Letby’s friends are standing by her | Dr Jessica Taylor
Watch: Lucy Letby’s childhood friend claims killing was ‘not in her nature’
Thursday 24 August 2023 17:00 , Martha Mchardy
Watch moment Lucy Letby arrested over baby deaths
Thursday 24 August 2023 16:30 , Martha Mchardy
Lucy Letby used ‘code’ in diaries that helped detectives crack case
Thursday 24 August 2023 16:00 , Martha Mchardy
Detectives investigating serial killer nurse Lucy Letby say they were “surprised” by the amount of material they found at her home and that a “coded system” in her diaries helped officers uncover key evidence.
Letby, one of the most prolific child killers in modern British history, has been jailed for life for murdering seven newborn babies and trying to kill six more between June 2015 and June 2016 in the neonatal ward at the Count of Chester Hospital where she worked.
The 33-year-old, only the fourth woman in UK history told she will never be released from prison, deliberately injected infants with air, force-fed them with milk or poisoned them with insulin during a “cruel, calculated and cynical campaign of child murder”.
Matt Mathers reports:
Lucy Letby used ‘code’ in diaries that helped detectives crack case
Why did Lucy Letby murder seven babies?
Thursday 24 August 2023 15:30 , Martha Mchardy
Nurse Lucy Letby has been found guilty of murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital in a rare case that has shocked the nation.
An independent inquiry has been set up to understand how Letby was able to carry out the killings and attempt six others before being reported to the police.
The reasons why Letby, a neonatal nurse, committed the murders may never be fully understood, although prosecutors and other experts told jurors during her trial of several possible motivations.
The Independent takes a look at some of the main theories discussed in court.
Matt Mathers reports:
Lucy Letby motive: Why did serial killer nurse murder seven babies?
Mother of baby murdered by Lucy Letby says killer nurse chose gown child was buried in
Thursday 24 August 2023 15:00 , Martha Mchardy
A mother of a child murdered by Lucy Letby has revealed the serial killer nurse chose the gown that her child was buried in.
The families of Letby’s many victims are in court as part of her sentencing hearing on Monday, to explain the devastating impact the nurse’s crimes have had on their lives.
Letby was given a whole life order after being convicted on Friday of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of six more.
Holly Bancroft reports:
Mother of baby murdered by Lucy Letby says killer nurse chose gown child buried in
Judge Rinder joins calls for law change after Lucy Letby’s refusal to attend sentencing
Thursday 24 August 2023 14:30 , Martha Mchardy
Judge Rinder has called for a law change following the refusal of Lucy Letby to attend her sentencing hearing and listen to the “unbearable pain of her victims”.
Letby did not leave her cell on Monday as she was given a whole-life sentence in prison for the murder of seven babies and the attempted murders of six more.
Former barrister Robert Rinder, 45, who had a hit TV show from 2014 to 2020 during which he passed judgement on small claims court cases, tweeted: “Families of children murdered by Lucy Letby gave impact statements today.
Read the full story:
Judge Rinder joins law change calls after Lucy Letby’s refusal to attend sentencing
Richard Madeley suggests criminals refusing to attend sentencing should be ‘tasered’
Thursday 24 August 2023 14:00 , Martha Mchardy
Richard Madeley has suggested that criminals such as Lucy Letby should be “tasered” if they refuse to appear for their court sentencing.
The serial killer nurse, 33, did not attend her sentencing on Monday (21 August) where she was handed a whole-life order for murdering seven babies and the attempted murders of six others.
“If we’re being told we can’t get these people back into court because... they might be aggressive and dangerous, well that’s why you go in mob-handed... you have tasers to deal with people like that, and you have truncheons,” the Good Morning Britain host said.
Holly Patrick reports:
Richard Madeley suggests criminals refusing to attend sentencing should be ‘tasered’
The Lucy Letby case has exposed a justice system that is failing victims
Thursday 24 August 2023 13:30 , Martha Mchardy
The trial of the country’s most prolific child killer has raised fundamental questions about how we prosecute criminals – only a radical overhaul of the system will deliver justice for all, writes former chief crown prosecutor Nazir Afzal.
The Lucy Letby case has exposed a justice system that fails victims | Nazir Afzal
Probe into Lucy Letby murders ‘must be strengthened,’ says former UK victims’ commissioner
Thursday 24 August 2023 13:00 , Martha Mchardy
Dame Vera Baird KC, the UK’s former national victims’ commissioner, on Wednesday told The Independent the probe into failings surrounding the Lucy Letby baby murders must be strengthened.
Ms Baird said there “must be a duty of candour” and called for a “radical change of attitude” to victims in the Letby case.
“Poor grieving victims are treated as partisan and their views are downgraded. The scepticism of a complacent establishment,” she added.
Watch: Mother recalls moment she found Lucy Letby standing over newborn baby’s cot
Thursday 24 August 2023 12:30 , Martha Mchardy
Criminologists on why ‘nice’ nurse Lucy Letby became baby murderer
Thursday 24 August 2023 10:00 , Martha Mchardy
“It can’t be Lucy - not nice Lucy.”
These were the now-chilling words of a doctor faced with yet another devasting and inexplicable death of a baby on the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital.
But despite her “beige” appearance, it was Lucy Letby behind that and other deaths - a “cruel and calculating” killer of children, hiding in plain sight.
Now convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to kill six others, Letby has become the most prolific child serial killer in modern British history.
But despite being sentenced on Monday to a whole life order, questions linger about what led the 33 year-old to commit such appalling crimes. While her reasons may never be fully understood, prosecutors and other experts told jurors during her trial of several possible motivations.
Tara Cobham reports:
‘Killing addiction’: Criminologists on why ‘nice’ Lucy Letby became baby murderer
Lucy Letby’s former boss who ‘ignored concerns’ over killer nurse investigated by watchdog
Thursday 24 August 2023 09:30 , Martha Mchardy
Lucy Letby’s former boss, who has been accused of “ignoring” concerns about the serial killer nurse, is being investigated by the nursing watchdog.
Alison Kelly, who was director of nursing at the Countess of Chester Hospital before leaving in 2021, has been suspended from her current role as nursing director at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust in Salford.
Letby, Britain’s most prolific child serial killer, was on Monday handed a whole life prison sentence for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six more in 2015 and 2016 while working at the hospital.
Now, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has confirmed that her former boss, Ms Kelly, has been referred for a fitness to practise investigation.
Rebecca Thomas reports:
Lucy Letby’s former boss who ‘ignored concerns’ investigated by watchdog
Editorial: Were suspicions about Lucy Letby ignored to prevent ‘reputational damage’ to the NHS?
Thursday 24 August 2023 09:00 , Martha Mchardy
The protection of patients should never be sacrificed to protect the image of a hospital. The NHS is a service, not a business.
Editorial: Was Lucy Letby overlooked to prevent ‘reputational damage’ to the NHS?
Parents of Lucy Letby victims accuse former hospital director of ‘total fob off’
Thursday 24 August 2023 08:30 , Martha Mchardy
Parents of babies attacked by Lucy Letby received a “total fob off” from a hospital medical director after raising concerns, a lawyer representing them has said.
Ian Harvey was medical director at the Countess of Chester Hospital at the time the 33-year-old nurse carried out her crimes, murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others, but he retired in August 2018, a month after she was first arrested.
Richard Scorer, from law firm Slater and Gordon which is representing two of the families, accused Mr Harvey of a “shameful” failure to address parental concerns.
Read the full story:
Parents of Lucy Letby victims accuse former hospital director of ‘total fob off’
The Lucy Letby case has exposed a justice system that is failing victims
Wednesday 23 August 2023 23:30 , Sam Rkaina
Former chief crown prosecutor Nazir Afzal writes: Trust is the battle of our age. Institutions need it to fulfill their duties, but they seem to expect it rather than earn it. It’s no coincidence that the NHS is run by local “trusts” – but that’s just a word without them relentlessly upholding it.
With that in mind, the revelations about the Countess of Chester Hospital Trust in relation to the serial child killer Lucy Letby and those who managed her will have a devastating impact on the ability of the local population to trust them.
The key issue is a lack of accountability. They appear to many to be above the law – nobody gets held responsible for failures. In fact, they often get promoted. There appears to be no regulation that applies to senior managers, the same way it does doctors and nursing staff.
Families should have ‘full confidence’ in Letby inquiry, says Barclay
Wednesday 23 August 2023 22:30 , Sam Rkaina
The inquiry into serial killer Lucy Letby’s crimes will “fully investigate” how NHS whistleblowers were treated, Health Secretary Steve Barclay said.
Mr Barclay said he was engaging with the families affected by Letby’s “horrendous crimes” and that it was important that they had “full confidence” in the inquiry.
But he declined to say whether the inquiry would be given statutory footing, despite calls from a number of families involved.
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Rob Behrens and former home secretary Jack Straw have joined those calling for an inquiry into Letby’s crimes to be given a statutory footing, which would mean witnesses would be compelled to attend to give evidence.
Click here for the full story.
Watchdog backs Lucy Letby public inquiry and warns of need to root out NHS ‘culture of fear’
Wednesday 23 August 2023 21:23 , Sam Rkaina
The health watchdog has joined calls for a full public inquiry into failings surrounding the Lucy Letby baby murders, warning that the NHS has a “culture of fear” in which leaders dismiss staff concerns.
The parliamentary health service ombudsman, Rob Behrens, has written to the health secretary warning that the culture of fear in NHS trusts is “not isolated” to the serial killer nurse’s hospital.
Letby, 33, Britain’s most prolific child killer, is serving a whole-life sentence for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six more between 2015 and 2016.
Following her conviction, reports surfaced that doctors had tried to raise concerns about her but their complaints were “ignored” by NHS executives at the Countess of Chester Hospital allowing her to continue her horrific killing spree.
Click here for the full story.
Exclusive: Lucy Letby still paid by hospital for years after arrest for baby murders
Wednesday 23 August 2023 20:00 , Martha Mchardy
Serial killer nurse Lucy Letby was still being paid her NHS salary years after her murderous rampage ended, The Independent can reveal.
Britain’s most prolific killer of children, who is serving a whole-life sentence for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others between 2015 and 2016, continued to be paid until she was charged with the horrific crimes in 2020.
That meant she was still receiving her salary from the Countess of Chester Hospital four years after she killed the last child and two years after she was first arrested.
As a “band 5” nurse, Letby, 33, would have been earning between £28,406 and £34,581.
Rebecca Thomas and Archie Mitchell report:
Lucy Letby still paid by hospital for years after arrest for baby murders
Watch: Dragging criminals like Lucy Letby into court could ‘make it all about the defendant,’ says justice secretary
Wednesday 23 August 2023 19:30 , Martha Mchardy
Forcing criminals, such as Lucy Letby, to attend court for sentencing, runs the risk of letting defendants become “in control of events,” Sir Robert Buckland has said.
The nurse, 33, was not present to hear remarks from the judge and victims’ families on Monday (21 August) as she was given a whole life order for murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six more.
The former justice secretary said he worries that “dragging” criminals into court for sentencing “makes it all about the defendant once again.”
Sir Robert suggested that sound and pictures should be beamed into cells if criminals refuse to appear.
Could Lucy Letby have been stopped sooner?
Wednesday 23 August 2023 19:00 , Martha Mchardy
Serial killer nurse Lucy Letby was free to target babies for nearly a year after she murdered her first patient as hospital leaders repeatedly ignored concerns raised by whistleblowers, The Independent has learned.
Staff raised concerns over three “unexplained” baby deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital in July 2015 but health chiefs failed to investigate the allegations, several hospital insiders have claimed.
Letby’s murderous rampage had started the month before and she went on to target another 14 infants over the next 12 months. The former nurse, 33, has now been found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others – becoming Britain’s most prolific child killer.
Rebecca Thomas reports:
Could Lucy Letby have been stopped sooner? The missed opportunities to catch killer
Read the harrowing family victim statements killer nurse Lucy Letby refused to hear
Wednesday 23 August 2023 18:30 , Martha Mchardy
The families of serial killer Lucy Letby’s victims branded the nurse “evil” as they gave emotional victim impact statements during her sentencing.
The 33-year-old did not appear in the dock at Manchester Crown Court on Monday as she was given a whole-life order after being convicted of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of six more.
But the judge, Mr Justice Goss, ordered that she be sent a transcript of his sentencing remarks and copies of the statements read out by the families of her victims.
Read what each family said in full:
Read devastating accounts of Letby victims’ families after she refused to hear them
VOICES: I’m a psychologist and this is why we struggle to believe women like Lucy Letby exist
Wednesday 23 August 2023 18:00 , Martha Mchardy
Why do so many of my sister feminists assume that if a woman commits a terrible crime, a man must have made her do it, asks doctor Jessica Taylor. Because of the misogyny that still portrays us as healers and huggers, incapable of violent murder…
This is why we struggle to believe women like Lucy Letby exist | Dr Jessica Taylor
Watch: Olivia Pratt-Korbel’s mother says ‘heart goes out’ to Lucy Letby victims’ families
Wednesday 23 August 2023 17:30 , Martha Mchardy
Lucy Letby used ‘code’ in diaries that helped detectives crack case
Wednesday 23 August 2023 17:00 , Martha Mchardy
Detectives investigating serial killer nurse Lucy Letby say they were “surprised” by the amount of material they found at her home and that a “coded system” in her diaries helped officers uncover key evidence.
Letby, one of the most prolific child killers in modern British history, has been jailed for life for murdering seven newborn babies and trying to kill six more between June 2015 and June 2016 in the neonatal ward at the Count of Chester Hospital where she worked.
The 33-year-old, only the fourth woman in UK history told she will never be released from prison, deliberately injected infants with air, force-fed them with milk or poisoned them with insulin during a “cruel, calculated and cynical campaign of child murder”.
Matt Mathers reports:
Lucy Letby used ‘code’ in diaries that helped detectives crack case
Watch: Mother recalls moment she found Lucy Letby standing over newborn baby’s cot
Wednesday 23 August 2023 16:36 , Martha Mchardy
The harrowing family victim statements killer nurse Lucy Letby refused to hear
Wednesday 23 August 2023 13:30 , Maanya Sachdeva
The families of serial killer Lucy Letby’s victims branded the nurse “evil” as they gave emotional victim impact statements during her sentencing.
The 33-year-old did not appear in the dock at Manchester Crown Court on Monday as she was given a whole-life order after being convicted of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of six more.
But the judge, Mr Justice Goss, ordered that she be sent a transcript of his sentencing remarks and copies of the statements read out by the families of her victims.
Here is what each family said in full:
Read devastating accounts of Letby victims’ families after she refused to hear them
‘Killing addiction’: Criminologists on why ‘nice’ nurse Lucy Letby became baby murderer
Wednesday 23 August 2023 13:00 , Maanya Sachdeva
Cconvicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to kill six others, Lucy Letby has become the most prolific child serial killer in modern British history.
But despite being sentenced to a whole life order, questions linger about what led the 33 year-old to commit such appalling crimes.
While her reasons may never be fully understood, prosecutors and other experts told jurors during her trial of several possible motivations.
Criminal psychologists have now given their own verdicts, describing the case as “extremely rare and unusual” and arguing that Letby “broke all the rules” normally applied to serial killers.
Tara Cobham reports:
‘Killing addiction’: Criminologists on why ‘nice’ Lucy Letby became baby murderer
Parents of Letby victims accuse former hospital director of ‘total fob off’
Wednesday 23 August 2023 12:25 , Maanya Sachdeva
Parents of babies attacked Lucy Letby received a “total fob off” from a hospital medical director after raising concerns, a lawyer representing them has said.
Ian Harvey was medical director at the Countess of Chester Hospital at the time the 33-year-old nurse carried out her crimes, murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others, but he retired in August 2018, a month after she was first arrested.
Richard Scorer, from law firm Slater and Gordon which is representing two of the families, accused Mr Harvey of a “shameful” failure to address parental concerns.
Mr Scorer said: “Our clients received a series of anodyne letters from Harvey containing no proper explanation or clarification.
“The letters invited them to contact Harvey for more explanation and they tried to contact him repeatedly, but despite many attempts to get through to him they never received a return call.
“Our clients have described his response as a ‘total fob off’.
“It seems that Harvey had little interest in passing any meaningful information to the parents, responding properly to any of their concerns, or complying with any duty of candour to them.
“In our view this failure to address parental concerns was shameful and another matter which needs to be investigated by a statutory inquiry with the power to compel witnesses and the production of documents.”
Letby murders: Why there is a push for inquiry to be upgraded from non-statutory
Wednesday 23 August 2023 11:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The crimes of child serial killer Lucy Letby will be examined in a public inquiry.
The Government ordered a probe after the nurse was last week found guilty of murdering seven babies and trying to murder six more.
It will investigate the events on the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit between 2015 and 2016 to ensure “vital lessons are learned”, ministers said.
But concerns have been raised over the decision not to put the probe on a statutory footing, with pressure growing on the Government to strengthen it.
Letby murders: Why there is a push for inquiry to be upgraded from non-statutory
Mother recalls moment she found Lucy Letby standing over newborn’s cot seconds before ‘all hell broke loose’
Wednesday 23 August 2023 11:23 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A mother has spoken of the moment she found killer nurse Lucy Letby standing over her newborn’s cot just seconds before “all hell broke loose”.
Vicky Whitfield and husband Mike, believe their daughter Felicity, could be one of Letby’s first victims after she spent time in the neonatal ward at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2013.
Vicky said: “As I was walking towards the cot, Lucy was standing over it. She just looked up at me and walked away. I sat down and within seconds beepers started going off and all hell broke loose.”
Felicity suffered a collapsed lung but thankfully survived.
Mum on moment she found Lucy Letby standing over baby’s cot as ‘all hell broke loose’
Former home secretary says some witnesses ‘won’t be bothered about being shamed'
Wednesday 23 August 2023 10:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Former home secretary Jack Straw has said some witnesses in the Lucy Letby inquiry “won’t be bothered about being shamed” for not attending unless the probe is put on a statutory footing.
He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “You can shame a lot of (witnesses) but you can’t shame them all, and there may be witnesses in the Letby case who really ought to be on the stand, who are the most vulnerable in terms of the positions they have taken, and who won’t be bothered about being shamed - they would rather be shamed for their absence than actually appear on the stand.
“Being able to compel a witness is really very, very important.
“There isn’t really any direct connection between whether an inquiry is judicially led with full powers and whether it is speedy.”
Exclusive: Lucy Letby still paid by hospital for years after baby murders
Wednesday 23 August 2023 10:31 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Serial killer nurse Lucy Letby was still being paid her NHS salary years after her murderous rampage ended, The Independent can reveal.
Britain’s most prolific child killer, who is serving a whole-life sentence for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six more between 2015 and 2016, continued to be paid until she was charged with the horrific crimes in 2020.
That meant she was still receiving her salary from the Countess of Chester Hospital four years after she killed the last child and two years after she was first arrested.
As a “band 5” nurse Letby, 33, would have been earning between £28,406 to £34,581.
Lucy Letby still paid by hospital for years after baby murders
Lucy Letby used ‘code’ in diaries that helped detectives crack case
Wednesday 23 August 2023 10:11 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Detectives investigating serial killer nurse Lucy Letby say they were “surprised” by the amount of material they found at her home and that a “coded system” in her diaries helped officers uncover key evidence.
Letby, one of the most prolific child killers in modern British history, has been jailed for life for murdering seven newborn babies and trying to kill six more between June 2015 and June 2016 in the neonatal ward at the Count of Chester Hospital where she worked.
The 33-year-old, only the fourth woman in UK history told she will never be released from prison, deliberately injected infants with air, force-fed them with milk or poisoned them with insulin during a “cruel, calculated and cynical campaign of child murder”.
Lucy Letby used ‘code’ in diaries that helped detectives crack case
Former victims’ commissioner joins calls for inquiry
Wednesday 23 August 2023 09:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Former victims’ commissioner Dame Vera Baird has joined growing calls for the inquiry into serial killer nurse Lucy Letby to be given powers to compel witnesses to attend and give evidence.
The government announced a probe on Friday after Letby was convicted of murdering seven babies and the attempted murder of six others.
But it was not put on a statutory footing, meaning witnesses will not be required by law to attend, raising concerns that hospital managers could avoid being held accountable for putting reputation before child safety.
The grieving families of Letby’s victims have demanded the government orders a full independent public inquiry into how the nurse was able to go on a prolonged killing spree at the neonatal ward.
Baird, who served as the victims’ commissioner for England and Wales from June 2019 to September 2022, told the Independent that the inquiry “must” be given statutory. She also called for a “radical change of attitude” towards the victims.
Ministers initially said the decision to hold a non-statutory inquiry into the case was the right one because it would be more flexible and allow the victims’ families to get justice more quickly.
But No 10 has since indicated that the probe could be upgraded after the government came under pressure to give it more powers to compel witnesses.
