LUCY LETBY CASE FACES FRESH QUESTIONS AS NEW EVIDENCE IS REVIEWED

Fresh questions are being raised over the conviction of former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby, as her legal team continues its attempt to have her case reviewed by the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Letby is serving 15 whole-life prison terms after being convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016.

She continues to maintain her innocence.

But while claims of a mass public movement demanding her immediate release have circulated online, there is no reliable evidence that thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in support of Letby.

The real development is happening inside the legal and medical review of her case.

THE CASE IS STILL UNDER REVIEW

The Criminal Cases Review Commission, or CCRC, confirmed in February that its review of Letby’s convictions is ongoing.

The commission has received submissions and expert reports from her legal team and says it is examining whether new evidence or new arguments create a real possibility that her convictions would not be upheld by the courts.

The CCRC has also made clear that it does not decide whether Letby is innocent or guilty.

That decision belongs to the courts.

So far, Letby’s previous attempts to challenge her convictions through the Court of Appeal have not succeeded.

NEW MEDICAL ARGUMENTS HAVE FUELLED THE DEBATE

A group of medical experts has questioned parts of the evidence used to support the prosecution case.

Among those involved is Canadian neonatologist Dr Shoo Lee, whose analysis has been cited by Letby’s supporters as part of their argument that some of the babies’ collapses may have had natural or medical explanations rather than being deliberately caused.

Other experts, however, have rejected or challenged aspects of the defence’s medical arguments.

The disagreement is significant because the prosecution case relied heavily on medical evidence and interpretation of the babies’ clinical records.

It is not a simple dispute that has already been resolved in Letby’s favour.

TWO EXPERTS LEFT THE DEFENCE TEAM

Just days before the Thirlwall Inquiry report was published in September, two experts who had been involved with Letby’s defence withdrew from the legal team.

The Guardian reported that they had concerns about the scientific credibility of some arguments being advanced by the defence and believed certain claims were inconsistent with available evidence and established physiology.

Their withdrawal has added another layer to an already highly contested debate surrounding the case.

It does not, however, determine whether Letby’s convictions are correct or incorrect.

That question remains with the courts and the CCRC.

THE THIRLWALL INQUIRY DID NOT OVERTURN LETBY’S CONVICTIONS

A major development came on September 15, 2026, when Lady Justice Kathryn Thirlwall published the long-awaited report into what happened at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

The inquiry identified serious failures in hospital management, governance and safeguarding.

Thirlwall said there had been failures to respond appropriately after concerns were raised about Letby’s involvement with babies on the neonatal unit.

But the judge made an important distinction.

The inquiry was not an investigation into Letby’s criminal convictions or her guilt.

It did not overturn her convictions and did not decide whether the courts had reached the wrong conclusion.

That means the inquiry’s findings cannot, by themselves, establish that Letby was wrongly convicted.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The CCRC’s review remains the key legal development to watch.

If the commission concludes that the new material meets its legal test, it could refer some or all of Letby’s convictions back to the Court of Appeal.

If it does not, her convictions remain in place.

The commission has stressed that it makes impartial, evidence-based decisions and does not act because of public pressure.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prosecution Service has also confirmed that a separate review of decisions concerning six additional infants upheld the decision not to bring further charges against Letby.

For now, there is no confirmed “secret file” that has destroyed the prosecution case, no court ruling declaring Letby innocent and no verified mass protest movement demanding her immediate release.

What does exist is an ongoing legal review, competing medical interpretations and a continuing debate over how the evidence surrounding the convictions should be understood.

And that debate is far from over.