‘HER MYSTERY BOYFRIEND’ FINALLY NAMED — MARRIED DAD LINKED TO LUCY LETBY REVEALED AFTER HIS DEATH

The doctor once described in court as Lucy Letby’s “boyfriend” can finally be named — and his identity has emerged after his death at the age of 53.

For years, the man was known only as “Dr A”.

During Letby’s trial, his identity was protected by a court order as he gave evidence from behind a screen.

Now, after his death, reporting restrictions have been lifted and the consultant paediatrician has been identified as Dr Mark Deakin, a married father of two who worked alongside Letby during the period covered by her convictions.

The revelation has brought renewed attention to one of the most intriguing relationships surrounding the Letby case — a relationship prosecutors argued was emotionally important to the former neonatal nurse.

But the story of Dr Deakin did not end with the trial.

His later involvement with Letby, an investigation into his conduct at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and his sudden death have now brought his name back into the spotlight.

THE MAN BEHIND “DR A”

Deakin worked with Letby at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2015 and 2016.

During their time working together, the pair exchanged more than 1,300 Facebook messages.

The messages covered both professional and personal matters, and the court heard that Letby referred to Deakin affectionately in some communications.

Prosecutors suggested that Letby had developed a strong attachment to the married doctor.

They argued that her interest in him could have been relevant to some of the incidents involving babies in her care.

Letby rejected that interpretation.

When questioned during her trial, she denied that she and Deakin had been romantically involved and described him as a trusted friend.

THE MOMENT HE ENTERED THE COURTROOM

Deakin’s appearance at Letby’s trial became one of the courtroom’s most striking moments.

Because of the reporting restrictions, he gave evidence behind a screen.

According to reports, Letby became visibly emotional when he entered the witness box and at one point attempted to leave the dock.

The prosecution questioned Deakin about his relationship with Letby and the extensive messages they had exchanged.

His evidence later became important beyond the criminal trial itself.

THE BABY AT THE CENTRE OF THE MESSAGES

One particularly significant part of the evidence involved Baby N, a premature boy with haemophilia.

Letby was convicted of attempting to murder Baby N.

During the period when she was working at the Countess of Chester, she contacted Deakin about the infant and asked questions about his condition.

Deakin responded with information about the baby’s care.

Years later, he acknowledged that he had shared too much.

During the Thirlwall Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Letby’s crimes, Deakin said he had been “misled and maybe manipulated” by her.

He expressed regret over the information he had provided and acknowledged that, with hindsight, some of his messages were inappropriate.

HE HELPED LETBY VISIT ALDER HEY

The story took another unexpected turn after Deakin moved to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.

In 2017, he helped arrange several observational visits for Letby.

At that point, she had already been removed from frontline neonatal duties at the Countess of Chester after concerns had been raised about the cluster of infant collapses and deaths.

According to the later investigation, Letby was allowed to observe clinical activity at Alder Hey, including ward rounds and other hospital activities.

The investigation subsequently examined whether Deakin should have facilitated those visits.

It also found concerns about his access to Baby N’s medical records.

A FORMAL INVESTIGATION YEARS LATER

Alder Hey launched a formal investigation into Deakin’s conduct in 2024, several months after Letby was convicted.

The inquiry examined his relationship with Letby, the information exchanged between them and the circumstances surrounding her visits to the hospital.

According to reports, investigators concluded that Deakin had likely been aware of concerns surrounding Letby’s role in the rise in infant deaths at the Countess of Chester.

Deakin disputed knowing the full extent of those concerns when he arranged the visits.

He also admitted breaching Baby N’s confidentiality but maintained that he had not understood the wider situation involving Letby at the time.

THEN CAME THE DISMISSAL

In June 2026, Deakin faced a disciplinary hearing over his conduct.

The proceedings lasted several days.

He accepted that he had breached patient confidentiality but continued to dispute aspects of what he knew about Letby when the events occurred.

The disciplinary process ended with Deakin being dismissed for gross misconduct on June 23.

Just one day later, his family reportedly became concerned about his whereabouts.

He was subsequently found unconscious in his car at a retail park in Cheshire.

He was taken to hospital and remained in intensive care.

He died on July 3, 2026, aged 53.

HIS DEATH REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION

Deakin’s death has been referred to the Cheshire Coroner.

Authorities have not publicly established a definitive cause of death.

That distinction is important.

Although his death occurred shortly after his dismissal, current reporting does not establish that the disciplinary proceedings caused his death.

The circumstances remain subject to investigation.

WHY HIS NAME COULD FINALLY BE REVEALED

During Letby’s criminal trial, Deakin was granted lifelong anonymity.

That protection was intended to safeguard him while he gave evidence.

Following his death, however, an application was made to lift the reporting restrictions.

Lord Justice Singh subsequently ruled that he could be identified.

That is why the man who spent years being referred to only as “Dr A” can now be named publicly as Mark Deakin.

THE RELATIONSHIP LETBY DESCRIBED DIFFERENTLY

The question of what exactly Deakin meant to Letby remains one of the more debated aspects of the case.

Prosecutors described him as a figure she was deeply attached to.

They pointed to the volume of their messages, affectionate language and notes found at Letby’s home.

Letby, however, maintained that they were not a couple.

Deakin himself later told the public inquiry that he believed Letby had misled or manipulated him into providing information.

The evidence therefore presents a complicated picture of a professional relationship that became unusually close — and later became the subject of intense scrutiny.

A NEW CHAPTER IN THE LETBY STORY

Lucy Letby remains imprisoned after being convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others.

She is serving 15 whole-life orders.

Her convictions remain in place, although the Criminal Cases Review Commission is considering material submitted on her behalf.

Now, years after Letby’s trial first introduced the mysterious “Dr A” to the public, his identity has finally been revealed.

Mark Deakin was a consultant paediatrician, a husband, a father of two — and a man whose professional and personal connection to Lucy Letby became an unexpected part of one of Britain’s most notorious criminal cases.

His name is no longer hidden.

But many questions surrounding his relationship with Letby, his actions at Alder Hey and the final weeks of his life remain part of a story that is still unfolding.