Letby's dad 'made threats in angry meetings' with hospital CEO

The ex-CEO of the hospital where Lucy Letby took the lives of seven infants reported that the father of the convicted killer "made threats" during "heated discussions".

Tony Chambers oversaw the Countess of Chester hospital in 2015 and 2016, a time during which the nurse was also involved in attempts to kill seven other newborns.

During the public inquiry regarding Letby's actions, Mr. Chambers stated that he and his fellow board members "just didn't understand" the reasons behind the increasing death rate among infants in the neonatal unit.

He also expressed his regret to the families of Letby's victims for any suffering that might have been extended due to the choices or actions he made with good intentions.

Nicholas de la Poer KC, the lawyer for the inquiry, questioned Mr. Chambers regarding the discussions he had with Letby and her family in December 2016.

This followed the decision of the managers to support a complaint she had filed with the hospital in September of that year. The complaint was regarding her being taken off the neonatal unit and assigned to clerical work due to allegations made against her by senior consultants.

During the Thirlwall Inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall, it was reported that Mr. Chambers informed Letby that she would be going back to the unit. He expressed his admiration for her strength by saying, "Your resilience, Lucy, amazes me."

He mentioned that John Letby, the father of Lucy Letby, planned to notify the General Medical Council (GMC) about the doctors who had accused his daughter of injuring infants.

"Letby’s father was extremely upset and was issuing threats," he stated.

He was issuing threats that would have exacerbated an already challenging situation by jeopardizing the doctors' GMC referrals.

"He was holding a gun to my head."

Mr. Chambers mentioned that he thought he might not have managed that meeting effectively, but he was attempting to ease the tension between himself and Letby's father.

During a meeting, Letby insisted that any record of her being removed from the unit should be erased from her personnel file. She also requested "four apologies" from the consultants who had expressed concerns about her.

Mr. de la Poer inquired, "Do you think this was highly manipulative conduct?"

Mr. Chambers responded, "I didn't sense that I was being controlled back then..."

"It appeared that the father was the one orchestrating things, not Letby."

He acknowledged that he told her, "Don't worry, Lucy, we're here for you." Looking back, he considered that it was a bit of a "clumsy way to put it."

He mentioned that a report on neonatal mortality released by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) in September 2016 had confirmed her position.

Mr. Chambers stated during the inquiry that he acknowledges the RCPCH review did not clear Letby of any wrongdoing, as it did not examine any connections between her actions and the deaths. However, he also mentioned that the review did not suggest anything unusual or concerning.

"I was quite aware of the need to prevent any further tension, especially coming from her father," he said.

Mr. de la Poer inquired, "If Lucy Letby was trying to assert control and achieve her goals by going on the attack, then she managed to enlist you as part of her efforts."

Mr. Chambers expressed, "I definitely don't believe that's the case." He went on to say that he thought Letby simply wanted to return to the work she was passionate about.

Previously, the inquiry revealed that Mr. Chambers met with consulting pediatricians on June 29, 2016. He mentioned that this was the first occasion he learned about worries regarding Letby's connections to the unexplained deaths and collapses of infants.

He stated during the inquiry that the worries regarding Letby were "extremely alarming" to learn about, but emphasized that "we wouldn't hastily assume that criminal behavior is the reason behind it."

Mr. Chambers stated, "There was solid opposition to the idea that this individual nurse was intentionally inflicting harm."

"Many people showed great support for this person."

Letby was scheduled to take a two-week break starting June 30, and following that, she was assigned to office tasks, which meant she never went back to the unit.

Mr. de la Poer inquired about a gathering that took place on March 27, 2017, during which consultant Dr. Stephen Brearey suggested to Mr. Chambers that the police needed to be brought in.

Mr. Chambers mentioned that during that meeting, they decided to reach out to the police. However, he didn't send a letter to the chief constable of Cheshire Constabulary until May 2, after discussing it with criminal barrister Simon Medland QC.

Nonetheless, Mr. de la Poer indicated that when Mr. Chambers first reached out to the police, he did not fully emphasize the seriousness of the situation and seemed to be attempting to deter them from pursuing an investigation.

Mr. Chambers firmly said "absolutely not," explaining that the hospital had communicated with the police in a straightforward and honest manner, sharing their sincere beliefs based on their understanding of the situation at that time.