A senior doctor has told a public inquiry he thinks it is “likely” that nurse Lucy Letby murdered or assaulted children at the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit before June 2015, when the first killings she was convicted of took place.
Letby, 34, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after being found guilty at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of the babies, between June 2015 and June 2016.
Giving evidence to the Thirlwall Inquiry into the events surrounding the deaths of the premature babies, neonatal clinical lead Dr. Stephen Brearey said: “On reflection I think it’s likely that Letby didn’t start becoming a killer in June 2015, or didn’t start harming babies in June 2015.
“I think it’s likely that her actions prior to then over a period of time changed what we perceived to be abnormal.”
Brearey said the reporting culture on the unit was good and staff knew they were supposed to report things they thought had gone wrong, but “in retrospect” he believed some of the incidents between June 2015 and June 2016, and “probably before,” were deteriorations of babies that could have triggered further investigation.
Peter Skelton, KC, representing families of the victims, said: “Child A was murdered on June 8 2015. Is it your view that she [Letby] had murdered or assaulted children in your hospital prior to that date?”
Brearey, who was one of the first to suggest that Letby might be harming babies deliberately, responded, “I think that’s likely, yes.”
The inquiry heard that the consultant kept a “drawer of doom” containing death files and inquest reports of babies who had died and collapsed. He said that it was normally almost empty, but that between 2015–16, it had started “getting full.”
Skelton said, “On reflection now, do you look back and see a number of unexpected collapses or deaths which with information now available to you appear suspicious?”
“Yes,” the medic replied.
Skelton said, “On reflection now, do you recall having any concerns about those collapses or deaths at the time or did your colleagues?”
Brearey said: “No, as far as I’m aware neither me or my colleagues had concerns at the time. We just thought we were going through a busy or particularly difficult patch at times.
“I think events were happening that were unusual. Our perception of what is normal for a neonatal unit in terms of the number of collapses you might expect in a week, a month, or a year, that changed, and I think that was the case for doctors and nursing staff.”
NHS ‘Not Perfect’
Skelton said, “One of the effects of normalising the abnormal is that when abnormalities occur you don’t recognise it and you don’t take appropriate action—is that a reflection that resonates with you?”Brearey said: “I think so, yes. We are working in the NHS, it’s not perfect. There are lots of rational ways of trying to explain it away which, at the time, looking back on it, wouldn’t have made sense—blaming the transport service or blaming another trust for maybe babies sending back when they weren’t completely stable, rather than taking a step back and thinking, ‘What’s happening here?’”
The barrister asked, “Did anyone in your hospital suspect Lucy Letby was harming children prior to June 2015?”
“No,” replied the consultant.
Letby was moved to clerical duties in July 2016 after consultants raised concerns with hospital management that she might have been deliberately harming babies.
‘Not Nice Lucy’
After three deaths in June 2015, when he was told that Letby was identified as the one member of staff present on each of these three occasions, he recalled his first reaction was to say: “Oh no, not Lucy. Not nice Lucy.”He said the death of a baby girl, Child I, in October 2015 was a “significant moment that raised my level of concern quite considerably.”
He said the infant’s death came after a series of collapses and followed her return to the Countess unit after periods of stabilisation when she was transferred to another hospital.
A separate review by Cheshire Constabulary of the care of 4,000 babies admitted to the Countess of Chester while Letby was working as a neonatal nurse from January 2012 to the end of June 2016 is ongoing.
Police are also investigating Letby’s work placements at Liverpool Women’s Hospital between October and December 2012, and January and February 2015.
There has been a growing clamour for Letby to be allowed to appeal, following doubts about the safety of her convictions, but the purpose of the Thirlwall Inquiry is not to re-appraise the verdict of the criminal court.
A number of highly qualified scientists, doctors, nurses, and statisticians have come forward to question the evidence presented to the jury and have also queried statements made at the inquiry.
Experts wrote a letter to Chair of the inquiry Lady Justice Thirlwall, claiming a statement it heard from Richard Baker, KC, who represents the families, about the number of dislodged breathing tubes found on shifts where Letby was working was “not credible.”
Letby has so far been denied an appeal but has a new legal team led by barrister Mark McDonald, who will be asking the Criminal Cases Review Commission to review the trial.
McDonald was refused permission to attend the inquiry with core participant status on the grounds that it would cause disruption.
The inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall is expected to sit until early 2025, with findings published by late autumn.
