LUCY LETBY CASE TAKES ANOTHER DRAMATIC TURN — INQUIRY FINDS “COMPLETE FAILURE” TO PROTECT BABIES AS HER LEGAL TEAM FIGHTS ON

The Lucy Letby case has entered another major chapter after a long-awaited public inquiry found a “complete failure” to protect babies at the hospital where the former neonatal nurse worked.

The Thirlwall Inquiry, which examined events at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2018, published its final report on September 15, 2026.

But while the findings have exposed serious failures by hospital management, the inquiry did not determine whether Letby’s criminal convictions were safe or whether she was guilty or innocent.

That question remains within the criminal justice system, with the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) continuing to examine her case.

“A COMPLETE FAILURE TO PROTECT BABIES”

Lady Justice Kathryn Thirlwall said the hospital suffered from dysfunctional management and governance, a major divide between senior leadership and clinicians, and a failure to understand basic safeguarding responsibilities.

The inquiry concluded that safeguarding procedures were not properly activated when concerns arose that a member of staff might be deliberately harming babies.

It also found that senior nurses failed to accept that concerns raised by consultants might be justified, while senior managers took too long to contact police.

The inquiry said some collapses and deaths might have been avoided if safeguarding procedures had been followed and action had been taken sooner.

DOCTORS RAISED CONCERNS — BUT ACTION WAS DELAYED

The report examined what hospital staff knew about the sudden collapses and deaths of babies and what they did in response.

According to the inquiry, doctors raised concerns, but instead of those concerns being treated primarily as potential safeguarding issues, hospital leadership pursued other explanations and commissioned reviews that did not directly address whether deliberate harm could be occurring.

The report also found that some consultants were themselves investigated during a grievance process involving Letby.

Three consultants were told to apologise to her, while plans were even developed — although later abandoned — to potentially return Letby to the neonatal unit.

The inquiry said police were not contacted until almost a year after one of the deaths that prompted increasing concern.

WHAT HAPPENED TO LUCY LETBY?

Letby, now 36, was convicted in 2023 of murdering seven newborn babies and attempting to murder seven others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.

She was later convicted in a retrial of attempting to murder another baby.

She received multiple whole-life sentences and continues to maintain her innocence.

Her previous applications for permission to appeal have been rejected, but her legal team has now taken the case to the CCRC, which is considering whether there is a basis to refer the convictions back to the Court of Appeal.

TWO EXPERTS HAVE LEFT HER DEFENCE TEAM

The publication of the inquiry report came just after two experts involved in Letby’s defence withdrew from her legal team.

They raised concerns about the scientific credibility of some arguments being used to challenge her convictions, saying certain claims were inconsistent with available evidence, established science and physiology.

Letby’s barrister Mark McDonald, however, continues to argue that fresh scientific evidence should be considered by the CCRC.

Speaking to Reuters, McDonald said his focus remained on getting the case back before the Court of Appeal.

The CCRC does not provide a timetable for its decision, meaning there is currently no confirmed date for any potential referral.

THE INQUIRY DOES NOT OVERTURN HER CONVICTIONS

Lady Justice Thirlwall made this point explicitly in her final statement.

She said the inquiry was not an investigation into Letby’s criminal convictions or her guilt and that it was not the role of the inquiry to second-guess the Court of Appeal or interfere with the CCRC’s ongoing work.

That distinction is important.

The inquiry’s findings concern hospital management, safeguarding, governance and the response to concerns about babies.

They do not constitute a new criminal judgment about Letby.

POLICE HAVE NOT BROUGHT MORE CHARGES AGAINST LETBY

Following Letby’s convictions, police conducted a wider review of her work history to determine whether there was evidence relating to additional babies.

In January 2026, prosecutors decided that no further criminal charges should be brought against her following that review. The Crown Prosecution Service later upheld that decision after a review.

Meanwhile, the inquiry has raised serious questions about the hospital’s management.

Three senior members of the hospital leadership team remain under investigation over suspected gross negligence manslaughter, according to Reuters.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

For now, two separate processes are continuing.

The Thirlwall Inquiry has concluded and issued recommendations for major changes to neonatal safeguarding and NHS governance.

The CCRC, meanwhile, continues to examine Letby’s application and has not announced whether it will refer her convictions back to the Court of Appeal.

The inquiry has therefore added a new layer to an already extraordinary case — exposing major institutional failures while leaving the question of whether Letby’s convictions should stand to the criminal appeals process.

For the families involved, however, the inquiry’s chair stressed that their experiences should remain at the centre of the story.

Lady Justice Thirlwall warned that the parents who lost or saw their babies harmed had already suffered profoundly and should not become “collateral damage” in the continuing public argument over Letby’s guilt or innocence.