‘HER MYSTERY BOYFRIEND’ FINALLY NAMED… THE MARRIED DAD LINKED TO LUCY LETBY IS REVEALED FOR THE FIRST TIME

The mystery doctor who became one of the most talked-about figures surrounding Lucy Letby’s trial has finally been named.

Dr Mark Deakin, a married father-of-two and consultant paediatrician, had been protected by a court anonymity order when he gave evidence during Letby’s trial.

Now, following his death at the age of 53, those reporting restrictions have been lifted — allowing his name and photograph to be published for the first time.

And his story adds another extraordinary chapter to the already complex case surrounding Britain’s most notorious former neonatal nurse.

THE DOCTOR AT THE CENTRE OF LETBY’S EMOTIONAL WORLD

Deakin worked alongside Letby at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

During the trial, prosecutors suggested that Letby had developed a “crush” on the doctor and argued that her emotional fixation on him could have been connected to some of the incidents involving babies on the neonatal unit.

At one point, prosecutor Nick Johnson KC referred to Deakin as Letby’s “boyfriend.”

But Letby rejected that description.

She insisted that Deakin was a trusted friend rather than a romantic partner, although the court heard that the pair met outside work and exchanged a large number of personal messages.

A fellow nurse had also teased Letby about “flirting” with Deakin, while messages showed Letby referring to him as “sweetie.”

Handwritten notes recovered from Letby’s home also contained references to Deakin, including the phrase “love was all we needed.”

1,355 MESSAGES — AND A RELATIONSHIP THAT RAISED QUESTIONS

The extent of their communication became even clearer during the later Thirlwall inquiry.

Investigators found that Deakin and Letby exchanged 1,355 Facebook messages over roughly three months in 2016.

Some of those communications concerned babies who had been treated on the neonatal unit.

One particularly significant exchange involved Baby N, an infant Letby was convicted of attempting to harm.

Letby contacted Deakin about the baby’s condition and asked whether she had done anything wrong.

The inquiry later heard that Deakin had provided information to Letby about patients.

By 2024, Deakin told the inquiry that he believed Letby had “misled and maybe manipulated” him.

He described his involvement as a major mistake and said he had significant regrets about the assistance he had provided to her.

HE HELPED LETBY AFTER SUSPICIONS HAD ALREADY EMERGED

The connection became even more controversial because Deakin later helped arrange observational visits for Letby at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.

This happened after Letby had already been removed from frontline neonatal duties at the Countess of Chester amid concerns surrounding the unusually high number of infant collapses.

Deakin eventually worked at Alder Hey himself.

An investigation later examined his communications with Letby and concerns surrounding patient confidentiality.

The inquiry heard that details relating to Baby N had been shared inappropriately.

Alder Hey subsequently dismissed Deakin for gross misconduct on June 23, 2026, following a disciplinary process relating to his conduct and confidentiality issues.

THEN CAME THE SHOCKING FINAL CHAPTER

Just one day after his dismissal, Deakin was found collapsed inside his car at a retail park.

He was taken to hospital and admitted to intensive care.

He died nine days later, aged 53.

His death was in July 2026, and the circumstances surrounding it have been referred to the coroner. An inquest is expected.

There is currently no public finding establishing that his dismissal caused his death, and the circumstances remain a matter for the coroner.

That timing, however, has inevitably drawn renewed attention to the doctor whose name had remained hidden throughout one of the UK’s most closely watched criminal trials.

WHY WAS HIS NAME HIDDEN?

Deakin had been granted lifelong anonymity before giving evidence.

During his testimony, he appeared behind a screen as special measures were used to protect his identity.

Letby became visibly emotional when he entered the witness box and reportedly tried to leave the dock.

The anonymity order remained in place even after the criminal trial and into the later public inquiry.

But following Deakin’s death, Associated Newspapers applied for the restrictions to be lifted.

Lord Justice Singh ultimately ruled that the anonymity could no longer be maintained, citing principles surrounding open justice and freedom of expression.

His identity was therefore publicly revealed on September 2, 2026.

A CONNECTION THAT STILL RAISES QUESTIONS

Deakin’s role has attracted renewed scrutiny because his relationship with Letby extended beyond ordinary professional contact.

He exchanged thousands of messages with her, supported her grievance after she was removed from the neonatal unit and helped arrange visits for her at another children’s hospital.

Yet he later told investigators that he believed he had been manipulated.

The revelations have also placed renewed focus on what hospital staff knew about concerns surrounding Letby — and how information was shared between colleagues during the period when suspicions were beginning to emerge.

Importantly, Deakin was not the sole basis for Letby’s convictions. The prosecution case relied on evidence from numerous medical professionals, hospital staff and other witnesses.

LETBY REMAINS IN PRISON

Letby, now 36, remains in prison serving whole-life sentences after being convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others.

She has consistently denied the allegations and continues to challenge her convictions.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission is examining aspects of her case, while the Thirlwall Inquiry is due to publish its final findings later this month.

Now that Dr Mark Deakin can finally be named, a man who was once referred to only as an anonymous doctor in one of Britain’s biggest criminal trials has stepped out of the shadows.

His identity may have been hidden for years.

But his complicated connection to Lucy Letby — the messages, the alleged emotional attachment, the hospital visits, the confidentiality concerns and the circumstances surrounding his final days — is now part of the public record.