Dr. Mark Deakin, a married father of two and a doctor described as Lucy Letby's 'boyfriend,' prioritized his concern for the nurse over his duty to patients, an inquiry found. Deakin forwarded a confidential email to Letby in an apparent attempt to warn her that staff had become suspicious of her actions.
Following a 2016 staff meeting concerning babies who had died or become ill under Letby's care—a meeting Letby herself did not attend—Dr. Deakin messaged her with details, writing, 'You need to keep this to yourself.'
Dr. Deakin, 53, who died earlier this year after being dismissed for exchanging 1,355 messages with Letby, was identified by name earlier this month after the Daily Mail sought to lift an anonymity order. Inquiry chairman Lady Justice Thirlwall stated that Dr. Deakin, identified as Dr. U, 'blurred boundaries' between his professional obligations to patients and his desire to support Letby, concluding, 'He put her first.'
The inquiry learned that Dr. Deakin was an experienced registrar at the Countess of Chester Hospital, where Letby murdered seven infants and attempted to murder seven others between June 2015 and June 2016. Dr. Deakin stated that he supported Letby due to her struggles with mental health, admitting in hindsight that he shared an inappropriate amount of clinical detail about patients.
During his time as a night-shift registrar in June 2016, Dr. Deakin was involved in the care of two of Letby's victims. He acknowledged failing to recognize the significance of elevated insulin levels in Baby L, a twin, after Letby administered an overdose of the medication.
Lady Justice Thirlwall disputed the notion of a 'collective failure' in this instance, stating, 'It was a failure by the doctor who was responsible for caring for Baby L at the time, namely Dr [Deakin].'
The following month, Dr. Deakin attended a meeting discussing the deaths of two babies. While colleagues recalled that concerns about Letby were raised, Dr. Deakin stated he had no recollection of this and harbored no concerns about her.
He later messaged Letby, who was not invited to the meeting, with the message: 'You need to keep this to yourself. The meeting this afternoon looked at everything with Child O and P from birth onwards, reviewed everything, the room, beds, medical views and actions. We looked at all documentation, medicine. If you have any doubt about how good you are at your job stop now, documentation was perfect.'
The subsequent day, Dr. Stephen Brearey, the hospital's lead neonatal consultant, emailed Dr. Deakin suggesting he prepare an inquest statement while the details were fresh, noting it could 'include things we discussed yesterday that might not be in the notes'—a reference to Letby's involvement. Dr. Deakin forwarded this message directly to Letby, instructing her, 'This email has to stay between us.'
During his testimony to the inquiry, Dr. Deakin explained he had been attempting to reassure Letby and 'give her some insight into what was going on,' adding, 'In hindsight that was an error on my part...I shouldn't have sent it.' Lady Justice Thirlwall characterized his actions as 'most unwise,' labeling it 'another example of the blurring of boundaries...between his duties to his patients, and his desire to help and support a young nurse. He put her first.'
The inquiry found that Dr. Deakin's support for Letby, then 36, extended into 2017 when he assisted her in obtaining observational theatre placements at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool. He did not disclose to Alder Hey that Letby was no longer permitted to care for babies in the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Testifying before the inquiry, Dr. Deakin asserted he had been 'misled and maybe manipulated.' He expressed deep regret for his actions, stating, 'I'm really sorry that things have come to end as they have. I have a lot of regrets about how that period of time took place.'
During Letby's criminal trial, she reportedly broke down in tears and attempted to leave the dock when Dr. Deakin took the witness stand and testified from behind a screen. The prosecution suggested this reaction was due to her dislike of hearing her 'boyfriend' give evidence, a suggestion she countered with 'That's unfair.'
Dr. Deakin's name appeared frequently on notes found at Letby's residence after her arrest, including several with the phrase 'love was all we needed.'
