Three people who were part of the senior leadership team at the hospital where nurse Lucy Letby was convicted of killing seven babies have been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
Cheshire Constabulary said in a press statement that the suspects, who occupied senior positions at the Countess of Chester Hospital (CoCH) between 2015 and 2016, were arrested on Monday.
All three have since been bailed pending further inquiries, the force said, adding that corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter probes are ongoing.
Calls for Retrial
Letby’s legal team is pushing for a retrial and working with a number of expert doctors and scientists who believe the babies’ deaths can all be explained by medical reasons, but the police statement said the arrests do not impact her convictions.Following the arrests, senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Paul Hughes said: “In October 2023 following the lengthy trial and subsequent conviction of Lucy Letby, Cheshire Constabulary launched an investigation into corporate manslaughter at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
“This focuses on senior leadership and their decision-making to determine whether any criminality has taken place concerning the response to the increased levels of fatalities.”
He said that in March, the scope of the investigation widened to also include gross negligence manslaughter.
“This is a separate offence to corporate manslaughter and focuses on the grossly negligent action or inaction of individuals.
“It is important to note that this does not impact on the convictions of Lucy Letby for multiple offences of murder and attempted murder.
“As part of our ongoing inquiries, on Monday June 30 three individuals who were part of the senior leadership team at the CoCH in 2015-2016 were arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.”
A spokeswoman for CoCH declined to comment, telling PA it would not be appropriate “due to the Thirlwall Inquiry and the ongoing police investigations.”
Letby’s barrister Mark McDonald said in an emailed statement that the police’s latest announcement has come at a “very sensitive time” and that a proper and full public inquiry into failings by the hospital is needed.
He said: “Yet another press release from the police at a very sensitive time when the Criminal Cases Review Commission are looking at the case of Lucy Letby.
“Despite this, the concerns many have raised will not go away, and we will continue to publicly discuss them.
“The reality is that 26 internationally renowned experts have looked at this case and the lead expert has concluded that no crime was committed, no babies were murdered.
“What is needed is a proper and full public inquiry into the failings of the neonatal and paediatric medical care unit at the Countess of Chester hospital.”
Letby lost two bids last year to challenge her convictions at the Court of Appeal for the seven murders and seven attempted murders, and separately in October for the attempted murder of a baby girl, which she was convicted of by a different jury at a retrial.
‘Just Bad Medical Care’
He told journalists: “We did not find any murders. In all cases, death or injury were due to natural causes or just bad medical care.”Lee said that doctors had failed to spot a dangerous bacterial infection in one baby who later died, labelling this a “preventable death.”
The infant victims are identified only by a letter to protect the privacy of the families and the surviving children.
In the case of one victim, Baby K, Letby was convicted of attempting to murder the infant by dislodging her tube, which Lee said was inserted incorrectly by a doctor.
According to the panel of experts, another baby died after suffering a blood clot when doctors left lines into the body without an infusion.
Lee, who coauthored a 1989 academic paper on air embolism in babies, has said previously that this study was misinterpreted by the prosecution at Letby’s trial and incorrectly used as evidence of her guilt.
Claims Chief Witness ‘Unreliable’
In December, McDonald announced he was seeking permission from the Court of Appeal to apply to reopen the case on the grounds that Dr. Dewi Evans, the lead prosecution medical expert at Letby’s trial, was “not reliable.”McDonald said that Evans had “changed his mind” about the medical cause of death for two of the babies, although the doctor had not changed his opinion that it was murder and that Letby was responsible.
Retired consultant paediatrician Evans said in response that concerns regarding his evidence were “unsubstantiated, unfounded, [and] inaccurate.”
Letby has always maintained her innocence and her legal team said in December that more than 50 experts had come forward to offer their services for free because they believe there may have been a serious miscarriage of justice.
According to the verdict of the court, Letby attacked the infants by various different means while working as a nurse on the neonatal unit, where all the babies were either premature or born with serious health conditions. One such method was said to be injecting air into the bloodstream, causing an air embolism blocking the blood supply and leading to sudden and unexpected collapses.
Letby has been interviewed under caution at HMP Bronzefield in Ashford, Surrey in relation to the ongoing investigation into additional baby deaths and non-fatal collapses at the wards for premature babies where she worked.
In February, the Criminal Cases Review Commission announced it was assessing a preliminary application from Letby’s legal team to recommend reopening the case.
A statement from the body, which works independently of police, the courts, and government, said at the time it was not possible to determine how long its review of the case would take, owing to the volume of evidence.
Police are continuing a review of deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies at the neonatal units of the Countess of Chester and Liverpool Women’s Hospital which happened during Letby’s time as a nurse there from 2012 to 2016.
