The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has decided not to bring further charges against Lucy Letby, a convicted serial killer nurse, for alleged harm to six additional infants. This decision was upheld after a review prompted by families who believed Letby should face additional accusations. Letby is currently serving a whole life sentence for the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of seven more.
The CPS had previously considered new charges in November 2024 after an investigation into Letby's actions at the Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool Women's Hospital, where she worked between June 2015 and June 2016. However, in January this year, the CPS announced there was insufficient evidence to proceed with 11 accusations involving nine babies, two of whom died. Families of six of these infants then invoked the Victims' Right to Review scheme.
Malcolm McHaffie, Head of the CPS's Special Crime Division, stated that an independent prosecutor re-examined substantial evidence. The review considered six alleged offences of attempted murder, but ultimately upheld the original decision not to file any new criminal charges. The CPS has communicated this outcome to the families involved and offered meetings to address their questions.
Letby's conviction came after two separate trials at Manchester Crown Court in 2023 and 2024. The CPS emphasized that the review's outcome is final. Detectives had pledged to investigate the full scope of Letby's nursing career, which spanned four years. The police had examined medical records of approximately 4,000 babies and passed a file to prosecutors suggesting Letby had harmed more patients than initially charged.
In January, the CPS cited a lack of a "realistic prospect" of conviction by a jury for the potential new charges. Concerns raised by Dr. Dewi Evans, the former lead prosecution witness, regarding the deaths and collapses of at least 15 other children, including potential insulin poisoning and breathing tube tampering, were also considered. However, proving some allegations, such as displacement of breathing tubes, was deemed difficult, as babies can dislodge them independently.
Letby has consistently maintained her innocence. Two applications for leave to appeal her convictions have already been refused. Her legal team has presented reports from a panel of international experts who suggest that no murders occurred and that the babies died or collapsed due to natural causes or inadequate care. These findings were submitted to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which is examining whether Letby's case should be sent to the Court of Appeal for a third time.