Lucy Letby’s legal team has claimed that “new evidence” has undermined her murder convictions, calling for an immediate review.
This demand has come as an expert witness “has now changed his mind of the cause of death of three babies” and that the lead prosecution medical expert at the trial was “not reliable”.
The serial killer nurse is currently serving a whole-life sentence for the murder of seven babies and attempting to kill seven more while she worked as a neo-natal nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
She had been convicted in August 2023 and was also refused permission to appeal against the convictions the following year, in May 2024.
Speaking at a press conference in London today, lawyer Mark McDonald said: “The primary grounds of appeal at the previous hearings related to the admissibility before the jury of the evidence of the lead prosecution expert Dr Dewi Evans.
“The defence argued twice at trial that Dr Evans’ evidence should be disregarded. This was refused by the trial judge.
“It was then later argued in the Court of Appeal and was refused in the court of appeal.
“Remarkably, Dr Evans has now changed his mind on the cause of death of three of the babies: Baby C, Baby I and Baby P.”
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The lawyer made his speech alongside other speakers, including medical experts neonatologist Dr Richard Taylor, consultant paediatrician Dr Roger Norwich and statistician Peter Elston.
McDonald continued: “Dr Evans had said to the jury that Lucy Letby had injected air down a nasal gastric tube and this had led to the death of the three babies.
“This was repeated to the Court of Appeal, who may have been misled when they ruled on the application for leave against the convictions.
“Dr Evans has also said that he has revised his opinion in relation to Baby C and has written a new report, a new report that he has given to the police, months ago now.
The lawyer made his speech alongside other speakers, including medical experts neonatologist Dr Richard Taylor, consultant paediatrician Dr Roger Norwich and statistician Peter Elston
PA
“Despite numerous requests, the prosecution has yet to give this report to the defence.
“The defence will argue that Dr Evans is not a reliable expert, and given that he was the lead expert for the prosecution, we say that all the convictions are not safe.”
The 34-year-old convicted murderer from Hereford is currently serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted at Manchester Crown Court of seven counts of murder, and seven further charges of attempted murder.
She has also been convicted of the attempted murder of a baby girl by a different jury at a retrial.
So far, she has lost two bids to bring her convictions to the Court of Appeal.
