Doubt Cast on Lucy Letby Convictions as Experts Challenge Insulin Poisoning Claims
A major new study challenges key evidence used to convict Lucy Letby, the former nurse serving 15 whole-life sentences for the murder and attempted murder of infants at the Countess of Chester Hospital. The report, authored by international experts, states that there is "no scientific justification whatsoever" for the claim that Letby deliberately poisoned babies with insulin and highlights a "very strong level of reasonable doubt" about her convictions.
Professor Geoff Chase, a world-leading expert on insulin’s effects on pre-term babies, said it was "very unlikely" that lethal doses were administered, contradicting the prosecution’s case. The trial hinged on blood test results showing low blood sugar, high insulin, and low C-peptide levels. However, a detailed review of the babies’ medical records by experts in neonatology and bioengineering found that the data was "inconsistent" with insulin poisoning.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is now formally reviewing the case after a panel of 14 experts found no evidence of murder or deliberate harm. Senior Conservative MP (member of parliament) Sir David Davis has called the case "one of the major injustices of modern times."
During Letby’s trial, prosecutor Nick Johnson KC (kings court) told jurors the nurse "undoubtedly" poisoned two infants eight months apart by adding synthetic insulin to their feeding bags. However, the 100-page study, authored by Chase and chemical engineering expert Helen Shannon, points out that low blood sugar is "not uncommon" in premature infants. The babies also lacked symptoms typically associated with insulin poisoning, such as seizures or heart arrhythmia.
The report, citing over 250 peer-reviewed papers, criticizes the reliability of the immunoassay test used to detect insulin. Shannon stated, "There is no scientific justification whatsoever for the prosecution’s claim that there was 'no doubt that these were poisonings.'" She argued that a more forensic test should have been used.
The insulin charges were crucial to Letby’s conviction, as they were considered the strongest evidence of deliberate harm. Letby’s defense lawyer, Benjamin Myers KC, told jurors he could not dispute the test results because the original blood samples had been disposed of.
A CPS spokesperson defended the verdicts, stating, "Two juries and three appeal court judges have reviewed a multitude of different strands of evidence against Lucy Letby." The Court of Appeal also rejected her request for an appeal in May 2024.
With the CCRC now reviewing the case, the new expert findings raise serious concerns about the reliability of the medical evidence presented at trial.
#LucyLetby #JusticeForLucyLetby #LegalReform #WrongfulConviction #MedicalEvidence #InsulinPoisoning #CriminalJustice
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