‘DR A’ FINALLY NAMED… THE MARRIED DAD AT THE CENTER OF LUCY LETBY’S MYSTERY

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

He was the married father-of-two who sat behind a screen while giving evidence at one of Britain’s most notorious criminal trials — and whose name had been kept secret by a court order.

Now, the mystery doctor has finally been identified.

Dr Mark Deakin, a 53-year-old consultant paediatrician, has been named for the first time following his death, after the Court of Appeal lifted the anonymity order that had protected his identity.

The decision has brought a fresh spotlight on Deakin’s extraordinary connection to convicted nurse Lucy Letby, including their extensive private messages, his support for her after she was removed from the neonatal unit and his later involvement in arranging visits for her at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

But there is another striking twist.

Deakin was dismissed by Alder Hey for gross misconduct on June 23, 2026.

The following day, he was found unconscious inside his car at a retail park in Cheshire.

He was taken to hospital but died nine days later, on July 3.

His death has been referred to the Cheshire coroner, with an inquest expected.

THE MAN KNOWN ONLY AS “DR A”

Deakin had been granted lifelong anonymity before appearing as a witness during Letby’s trial.

When he entered the witness box, Letby reportedly broke down in tears and attempted to leave the dock.

The doctor gave his evidence from behind a screen, meaning the public could hear his testimony without knowing his identity.

That anonymity remained in place for years.

But on September 2, 2026, Lord Justice Singh ruled that the circumstances had fundamentally changed following Deakin’s death.

The Court of Appeal concluded that the original justification for protecting his identity no longer applied and lifted the reporting restrictions.

The decision followed an application by Associated Newspapers, supported by The Times, with Deakin’s family also making representations to the court.

And suddenly, “Dr A” had a name.

Mark Deakin.

THE 1,355 MESSAGES

Deakin and Letby had worked together at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

During a three-month period between June and September 2016, they exchanged 1,355 Facebook messages.

The sheer volume of communication became an important part of the evidence surrounding their relationship.

Prosecutors suggested Deakin was more than simply a colleague to Letby.

Nick Johnson KC described him as a potential romantic focus and suggested Letby had developed a “crush” on him.

The prosecution argued that her desire for his attention could have formed part of the motive behind some of her actions.

But Letby rejected that interpretation.

She insisted Deakin was not her boyfriend and described him as a trusted friend.

Evidence showed that the pair had spent time together outside work, including meals and a trip to London.

Letby had also searched for Deakin’s wife online.

Notes recovered from Letby’s home contained references to love and Deakin’s name.

Yet the precise nature of their relationship remained disputed.

“I LOVED YOU”

Some of the most striking evidence came from handwritten notes recovered after Letby’s arrest.

One note referred to Deakin as her “best friend” and included an expression of love.

The prosecution used such material to argue that Letby was emotionally attached to the doctor.

But Deakin himself later offered a different interpretation of their relationship.

During the public inquiry into the Letby case, he said she had “misled and maybe manipulated” him into giving her information about babies under his care.

That testimony became particularly significant because some of the messages involved confidential medical information.

THE BABY AT THE CENTER OF THE MESSAGES

One of the babies discussed in the messages was Child N, whom Letby was convicted of attempting to murder.

The inquiry heard that Letby contacted Deakin about the child’s condition and asked whether she had done anything wrong.

Deakin responded reassuringly, telling her that he was sure the baby had received the best possible care and that she would have done everything she could for him.

The communication later came under scrutiny because of concerns that confidential information about the child had been shared.

Child N’s mother subsequently made a complaint to Alder Hey.

That complaint would eventually become a key part of the investigation into Deakin’s conduct.

HE HELPED LETBY VISIT ALDER HEY

The connection between Deakin and Letby did not end when she was removed from clinical duties at the Countess of Chester.

Deakin later moved to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

While working there, he arranged several “observational visits” for Letby in December 2016.

At that point, Letby had already been removed from the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester and placed in a non-clinical role after senior consultants had raised concerns about her.

The visits later became a major focus of an internal Alder Hey investigation.

Questions were raised over what Deakin knew about the concerns surrounding Letby at the time — and whether he should have facilitated her access to the hospital.

Deakin maintained that he did not know she was suspected of harming babies when he arranged the visits.

However, the later disciplinary process rejected his account.

THE DISMISSAL

Alder Hey eventually launched a formal investigation into Deakin.

The process lasted around 18 months.

It examined his relationship with Letby, the observational visits he arranged and concerns over access to confidential medical records.

The investigation concluded that Deakin had been in a very close relationship with Letby and was likely aware that concerns had been raised about her.

It also found that he had accessed Child N’s medical records inappropriately, including after Letby’s conviction.

Deakin accepted that he had breached the child’s confidentiality but disputed the finding that he knew about suspicions surrounding Letby when he arranged her visits.

After a three-day disciplinary hearing, Alder Hey dismissed him for gross misconduct on June 23, 2026.

THEN, ONE DAY LATER…

The timing of what happened next has inevitably attracted attention.

Just one day after his dismissal, Deakin was found unconscious inside his car at a retail park around 20 miles from his Cheshire home.

Emergency services took him to hospital.

He was admitted to intensive care.

Nine days later, he died.

He was 53.

His death has been referred to the Cheshire Coroner’s Court, and an inquest is expected to establish the circumstances surrounding what happened.

Importantly, there is currently no established finding that his dismissal caused or contributed to his death. The timing is striking, but the circumstances remain a matter for the coroner.

WHY CAN HE BE NAMED NOW?

Deakin’s anonymity had been granted because he was a witness in the Letby proceedings.

The protection was intended to preserve his privacy while he was alive.

Following his death, however, the Court of Appeal considered whether the order should continue.

Lord Justice Singh concluded that the original justification for anonymity was no longer relevant.

The court also considered the importance of open justice and the media’s right to report fairly on proceedings.

As a result, the lifelong anonymity order was lifted.

For the first time, the man previously known simply as “Dr A” could be publicly identified.

LUCY LETBY’S CASE CONTINUES

Letby, now 36, remains imprisoned after being convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.

She is serving 15 whole-life terms.

Her direct appeals were unsuccessful, but her case is currently being considered by the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

An international group of medical experts has challenged aspects of the evidence used to convict her, arguing that some of the babies’ collapses may have had natural or medical explanations.

Those claims have not overturned her convictions.

THE MYSTERY OF “DR A”

For years, the public knew him only as a letter.

Dr A.

A married doctor.

A colleague of Lucy Letby.

A man who exchanged more than 1,300 messages with her.

A witness who caused Letby to break down when he entered the courtroom.

A doctor who later arranged hospital visits for her.

And, ultimately, a man whose professional conduct became the subject of an 18-month investigation.

Now his identity is no longer a secret.

But the questions surrounding his relationship with Letby — what he knew, what he did not know, and how much he understood about the concerns surrounding her at the time — remain part of the wider story.

And with his identity finally revealed after his death, “Dr A” has become Mark Deakin — a name that was hidden for years but is now permanently tied to one of the most closely watched criminal cases in modern Britain.