Fresh concerns have emerged regarding the conviction of nurse Lucy Letby, who is serving whole-life sentences for the murders of seven babies and attempted murders of eight others.
In an opinion piece in the UK Daily Mail (paywalled), journalist John Sweeney described how attention was now shifting to one of the prosecution’s key witnesses, an anonymous consultant known as “Dr. B,” whose past clinical failings are now under scrutiny.
Dr. B, one of the so-called “Gang of Four” consultants who accused Letby, played a pivotal role in the trial.
However, new revelations suggest that Dr. B was involved in a 2014 neonatal death due to significant errors.
During the care of premature baby Noah Robinson, Dr. B twice inserted a breathing tube into the infant’s esophagus rather than the windpipe, leading to his death.
An inquest concluded the death was due to “misadventure,” citing ignored warning signs. This information was not disclosed to the jury during Letby’s trial.
Critics now question whether the jury had a complete picture of the hospital’s systemic failures, including poor hygiene, under-staffing, and consultant errors.
The revelations have led to calls for greater transparency in the ongoing Thirlwall Inquiry into the Countess of Chester Hospital, where the incidents occurred, fuelling other concerns about open justice and the credibility of the case against Letby.
