LUCY LETBY CASE TAKES NEW TURN AS DOCTOR WHO FIRST RAISED SUSPICIONS SAYS HE IS ‘NOT CERTAIN’ OF HER GUILT

A dramatic new development has emerged in the Lucy Letby case after a retired paediatrician who was among the doctors whose evidence helped convict her said he is no longer certain that she was responsible for the deaths and collapses of babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

Dr John Gibbs has now said that a retrial could be “the most appropriate thing for everyone” if serious new evidence continues to raise questions about the convictions.

His comments come just days after the publication of the long-awaited Thirlwall Inquiry report, which found major failures in the management and safeguarding of babies at the hospital.

Letby, 36, remains in prison after being convicted across two trials of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder eight others.

She has always maintained her innocence.

DOCTOR SAYS HE IS NO LONGER CERTAIN

Dr Gibbs was one of three consultants whose evidence contributed to the prosecution case against Letby.

But speaking to The Sun, the retired paediatrician said his position had changed.

Asked whether he was still certain that Letby had killed the babies, Dr Gibbs answered:

“No.”

He said he now had a “very small concern” that there may not have been deliberate harm involved in some or all of the incidents.

Dr Gibbs also said that, if Letby were imprisoned for crimes she did not commit, that would be an extremely serious miscarriage of justice.

He suggested that a retrial could provide a way for the evidence to be examined again.

Importantly, these are Dr Gibbs’ current views. They do not overturn Letby’s convictions or establish that she is innocent.

‘I DON’T THINK SOMEONE ELSE WAS HARMING THEM’

One of the striking aspects of Dr Gibbs’ comments is that he did not simply suggest another person may have been responsible.

Asked whether he believed someone else had been deliberately harming the babies if it was not Letby, he said he did not.

Instead, he said he had developed a small concern that there might not have been deliberate harm at all.

His comments therefore raise questions about how the medical evidence surrounding the babies’ sudden deteriorations and deaths should be interpreted.

The issue is particularly significant because medical evidence played a major role in the prosecution case.

LETBY HAS ALREADY BEEN CONVICTED TWICE

Lucy Letby was convicted in August 2023 after a trial lasting more than 10 months at Manchester Crown Court.

She was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others.

The jury could not reach verdicts on six additional attempted-murder allegations, while she was acquitted of two other attempted-murder counts.

In 2024, Letby faced a further trial concerning one of the outstanding allegations.

She was convicted of attempting to murder another baby and received another whole-life order.

She is now serving 15 whole-life orders.

The Court of Appeal has previously rejected challenges to her convictions. A 2024 Court of Appeal judgment confirms that the original trial resulted in seven murder convictions and seven attempted-murder convictions, with whole-life orders imposed.

THIRLWALL INQUIRY EXPOSES MAJOR HOSPITAL FAILURES

The latest controversy comes shortly after Lady Justice Kathryn Thirlwall published the findings of her public inquiry into what happened at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

The 822-page report identified serious failures in hospital leadership, management and safeguarding.

It concluded that there had been a “complete failure to protect babies” on the neonatal unit.

The inquiry found that concerns about Letby had not been dealt with appropriately and that safeguarding procedures should have been considered once there were suspicions that a member of staff might be deliberately harming babies.

However, the inquiry was primarily concerned with the hospital’s systems, management and safeguarding failures.

It was not a criminal appeal and did not overturn Letby’s convictions.

The distinction is important: criticism of the hospital’s handling of concerns does not, by itself, establish that Letby was wrongly convicted.

SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE ALSO UNDER SCRUTINY

The renewed debate comes as questions continue to surround some of the scientific arguments being advanced in Letby’s defence.

The Guardian reported earlier this month that two scientists had withdrawn from her defence team because of concerns about the scientific credibility of some arguments being used to challenge the convictions.

The scientists said certain claims were inconsistent with available evidence, established physiology and science.

At the same time, other experts and campaigners continue to question aspects of the prosecution evidence.

The competing interpretations mean that the scientific debate surrounding the case remains highly contested.

A REVIEW OF LETBY’S CONVICTIONS IS ALREADY UNDERWAY

Letby’s case is also being examined by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), the independent body responsible for investigating potential miscarriages of justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

However, a CCRC review does not mean a conviction has been overturned.

For a case to return to the Court of Appeal, the CCRC would first need to decide that there is a basis for referring it.

As of September 23, 2026, there is no confirmed order for a new trial arising from Dr Gibbs’ comments.

His call for a retrial is therefore a newly expressed opinion, rather than a legal decision.

THE FAMILIES REMAIN AT THE CENTRE OF THE CASE

Any renewed examination of the evidence is likely to be deeply difficult for the families of the babies involved.

The Sun reported that Dr Gibbs acknowledged that questioning Letby’s convictions would be extremely distressing for the families.

But he argued that this should not prevent potentially important evidence from being examined.

The central question, he said, was ultimately why so many babies collapsed or died at the neonatal unit during 2015 and 2016.

That question has remained at the heart of the continuing debate over the case.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

For now, Lucy Letby remains convicted and imprisoned.

There has been no confirmed retrial.

But Dr Gibbs’ latest comments add another significant voice to a growing public debate over the evidence used to convict her.

The CCRC review remains an important part of the legal process, while the aftermath of the Thirlwall Inquiry has intensified scrutiny of the hospital’s management and safeguarding failures.

Whether those developments will eventually lead to another appeal or a retrial remains to be determined through the legal process.

For the moment, the position remains clear:

Lucy Letby’s convictions have not been overturned — but one of the doctors whose evidence helped convict her now says he is no longer certain that she was responsible.