Lucy Letby loses bid to appeal against conviction

Lucy Letby has been sentenced to 15 life sentences for the murder of seven infants and the attempted murder of seven more.

The Court of Appeal has rejected serial killer Lucy Letby's attempt to contest her recent conviction for trying to murder a baby girl.

Attorneys representing the former nurse requested three high-ranking judges to allow her to challenge her conviction from July, where she was found guilty of trying to kill a newborn referred to as Child K. This conviction came after a retrial.

Letby, 34, had previously been convicted of killing seven infants and trying to kill six more at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.

Her attorneys contended that her new trial was unjust due to the bias the jury faced from the media reporting on the original trial, which concluded in August 2023.

Letby, currently sentenced to 15 life terms in prison, has had her appeal regarding the other 14 convictions rejected by the Court of Appeal.

An investigation is currently taking place at Liverpool Town Hall to examine how she was able to carry out her crimes.

During the earlier proceedings at the Court of Appeal, Benjamin Myers, KC, who is defending Letby, highlighted that her initial trial in 2023 was an "extraordinary situation with significant media attention," which might result in "serious unfairness."

"We are addressing how media coverage and public opinions from the first trial are affecting the second one," he mentioned.

Mr. Myers KC informed the judges that even though the media coverage of Letby’s initial 14 convictions was correct, the overall impact of those articles and the subsequent commentary resulted in a wave of intense anger and hostility.

This implied that her retrial ought to have been halted because it was deemed an "abuse of process"—a legal term referring to a trial that is so compromised by unfairness that it should be discontinued. This decision was based on the "overwhelming and irreparable bias" stemming from the first trial.

He especially highlighted the "emotional" remarks made to the press by the police officers who were part of the investigation into Letby's offenses.

Nick Johnson KC, who led the prosecution in the initial trial, expressed in written statements that the defense's request was "misguided." He noted that the jury determined Letby to be a "serial killer and a chronic liar."

Mr. Johnson remarked, "The statements made by the police following the convictions in the initial trial were sensible and provided a fair and measured description of the terrible crimes for which this individual has been found guilty."

Lord Justice William Davis, alongside Lord Justice Jeremy Baker and Mrs. Justice McGowan, announced at the beginning of their decision that they would not grant Letby the opportunity to appeal her conviction.

During a ruling that was momentarily interrupted by a fire alarm at the Royal Courts of Justice, he mentioned that the Court of Appeal needed to consider the unique expertise of the judge who presided over both trials, along with the measures he implemented to guarantee that the second trial was conducted fairly.

Lord Justice Davis stated, "We are convinced that the judge made the correct decision in determining that Letby could receive a fair trial."

He described the idea that the police shouldn't have discussed the case as "unrealistic."

The ex-nurse appeared via video from HMP Bronzefield. She looked exhausted and weary, wearing a green wrap-around shirt, and remained expressionless throughout the two-hour session of arguments.

When the judges rejected her application, she remained calm and didn’t display any visible reaction to the decision.

When the court clerk informed Letby that the hearing was wrapping up and the video link would be disconnected, she softly responded, "Alright."

She had already received 14 life sentences for killing seven infants and trying to kill six more, including two attempts on one child. Additionally, she was given a 15th life sentence for her assault on Child K.

Letby has had two different attempts to appeal turned down by the Court of Appeal.

In February 2016, during the middle of Letby's 13-month period of misconduct, child K was assaulted, as revealed in her retrial.

The jury determined that Letby had removed a breathing tube from the baby 90 minutes following its birth.

It was reported that the neonatal nurse simply stood beside her crib, seemingly inactive.

The victim was stabilized after a doctor unexpectedly arrived at the scene, as revealed during the retrial.

Dr. Ravi Jayaram, a pediatric consultant, stated that he observed no signs indicating that Letby was attempting to assist the child, and noted that the automatic breathing alarm had been turned off.

Letby stated that she didn't remember the event at all.

Child K was subsequently moved to a different hospital, where she passed away three days later due to birth-related complications that were not connected to Letby's actions.

Letby’s lawyers have previously informed the BBC that they intend to request the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to examine her case.

The CCRC looks into possible wrongful convictions and has the authority to send cases back to the Court of Appeal for review.

Further contributions from PA Media.