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

For years, his identity was hidden behind a court order.

He was simply known as the doctor prosecutors described as Lucy Letby’s “boyfriend” — a married father-of-two who had exchanged more than 1,300 messages with the former neonatal nurse at the center of Britain’s most notorious baby-murder case.

Now, following his death, his name can finally be revealed.

He was Dr Mark Deakin, a 53-year-old consultant paediatrician who worked with Letby at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

And the circumstances surrounding his final weeks have brought renewed attention to his extraordinary connection to the convicted killer.

THE MAN WHO WAS KEPT ANONYMOUS

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

He gave evidence from behind a screen, and Letby reportedly became emotional when he entered the courtroom.

Prosecutors portrayed Deakin as someone who had been at the center of Letby’s emotional world, suggesting she was infatuated with him.

Letby, however, denied they were romantically involved and described him as her “best friend.”

The court heard that the pair exchanged more than 1,300 Facebook messages during 2016. Their conversations included discussions about patients and their private lives.

THEN CAME THE BABY N CONTROVERSY

One of the most serious issues surrounding Deakin involved Baby N, a premature boy with haemophilia whom Letby was later convicted of attempting to murder.

Investigators found that Deakin had exchanged messages with Letby concerning the baby, including confidential medical information.

He later acknowledged that he had breached patient confidentiality.

Deakin also arranged several observational visits for Letby at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in 2017, despite concerns that had already been raised about her at the Countess of Chester.

An investigation by Alder Hey eventually concluded that Deakin had engaged in serious misconduct, including inappropriate access to medical records. He was dismissed from the hospital for gross misconduct on June 23, 2026.

ONE DAY LATER, EVERYTHING CHANGED

The very next day, relatives reported Deakin missing.

He was later found collapsed inside his car at a retail park in Cheshire.

He was taken to intensive care but never regained consciousness.

Nine days later, on July 3, 2026, Dr Mark Deakin died at the age of 53.

His death has been referred to the Cheshire Coroner, and preliminary inquiries are underway. The cause of death has not been publicly established.

There is currently no established evidence that his death was connected to Letby or his dismissal, and it would be wrong to suggest otherwise while the coroner’s investigation remains ongoing.

WHY CAN HIS NAME BE REVEALED NOW?

That question has a surprisingly important answer.

Deakin had been protected by a reporting restriction during Letby’s trial.

After his death, Associated Newspapers applied for the order to be lifted.

Lord Justice Singh ruled that the anonymity restriction was no longer necessary, citing principles of open justice and the media’s right to report fairly on court proceedings.

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

“MISLED AND MAYBE MANIPULATED”

Deakin later told the Thirlwall Inquiry that he believed Letby had “misled and maybe manipulated” him into providing information about babies she had attacked.

He acknowledged that supporting her and helping arrange opportunities for her at Alder Hey had been a serious mistake.

The inquiry heard that the two had exchanged 1,355 Facebook messages between June and September 2016, while also meeting socially for walks, meals and trips.

Now, after years of anonymity and months after his sudden death, the identity of the doctor who occupied such a mysterious place in the Letby story has finally emerged.

But many questions surrounding their relationship — and the decisions made by those around Letby during those years — remain part of the wider story.

Dr Mark Deakin was once known only as “Dr A.”

Today, his name is public.

And his complicated connection to Lucy Letby is no longer hidden behind a court order.