A married doctor, referred to as Doctor A during Lucy Letby's trial, has died. Prosecutors described the registrar as Letby's 'boyfriend,' though she maintained he was her 'best friend.' The doctor worked with Letby at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2016, two years before her arrest.
During Letby's ten-month trial, the doctor successfully applied for anonymity and was referred to as Doctor A. Evidence presented in court suggested Letby's infatuation with the registrar was a potential motive for her crimes, as she may have known he would be alerted to assist when a baby became critically ill. Texts and notes found at Letby's home referred to the doctor as 'sweetie' and 'love.'
The pair reportedly went to London together, enjoyed days out, and exchanged over 1,300 Facebook messages in three months in 2016. In one message, the doctor told Letby she was "one of the few nurses I would trust with my own children."
Letby broke down in court when Doctor A was called to give evidence against her. In testimony to a public inquiry in 2024, the doctor stated he felt he had been "misled" and "maybe manipulated" by Letby. Sources indicated the doctor, who was in his 50s, moved to a different hospital and had been ill prior to his death last month. His funeral has since been held.
Letby was convicted in 2023 of murdering seven infants and attempting to kill seven others between June 2015 and June 2016. She is serving a life sentence, but her legal team is pursuing an appeal, with the Criminal Cases Review Commission examining new medical evidence suggesting natural causes or poor care may have been responsible for the babies' deaths.