https://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/24557360.chester-lucy-letby-inquiry-begin-liverpool-next-week/
The inquiry set up to examine events at the Countess of Chester Hospital during the time serial killer nurse Lucy Letby worked there is to begin next week.
The Thirlwall Inquiry, to be led by Lady Justice Kathryn Thirlwall, will take place at Liverpool Town Hall from Tuesday, September 10, at 10am. It is expected to last until the end of the year.
It will examine how the nurse was able to murder babies on the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit in 2015 and 2016.
Letby, of Hereford, has been sentenced to 15 whole life orders after she was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, following two trials.
The hearings will be held in public and those involved in the inquiry, including the families and media, will be able to apply to watch remotely over live links.
The Thirlwall Inquiry website – where transcripts will be available after each day’s hearing – has confirmed the first two days of the inquiry, on Tuesday and Wednesday, will be hearing opening statements from counsel to the inquiry. This will be followed on Thursday and Friday by opening statements from legal representatives on behalf of core participants.
Core participants include the families of children named on the indictment, the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, NHS England, as well as former Countess chief executive Tony Chambers, former medical director Ian Harvey, former director of nursing Alison Kelly and former HR director Susan Hodkinson.
Other core participants are the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Department for Health and Social Care, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Care Quality Commission.
Previously, we reported the inquiry would not be livestreamed to the public, despite lawyers for the families arguing that would prevent the spread of “grossly offensive” conspiracy theories.
Lady Justice Thirlwall responded: “I do not accept that this is a risk the inquiry should take. Not only is there a significant risk to the inquiry itself, I take account of the human cost of a breach.
“For a parent, who has already suffered so much, to be identified online is unthinkable.”
Reporting restrictions remain in place preventing any parent or child from the original Lucy Letby trial indictment being identified. Reports instead referred to Child/Baby A-Q.
Mark McDonald said new medical evidence and expert opinion revealed ‘flaws’ which undermined the former nurse’s convictions.
There is “absolutely” a strong case that Lucy Letby is innocent, her new barrister has said ahead of a fresh attempt to appeal the serial child killer’s convictions.
Mark McDonald said new medical evidence and expert opinion revealed “flaws” which undermined the prosecution of the former nurse, who was found guilty in two trials.
“You know, I’ve been so encouraged by the amount of people that have come forward: experts in neonatology, anaesthetists, pathology, statistics; that have come forward and have identified flaws in the trial that now want to give evidence for her, and we’ll want to draft reports to put in to the CCRC to assist.
Letby is serving 15 whole-life orders – making her only the fourth woman in UK history to be told she will never be released from prison. Mr McDonald added: “We’re looking really at issues in relation to statistics. And I know that sounds probably quite bizarre to hear, ‘well, what statistics got to do with it?’
“You may remember that there were some bold assertions made during the trial in relation to, for example, (that) there was a spike of deaths, she was always on duty, when in fact, when analysed by some of the leading statisticians in the country, they’re seeing flaws in those assertions made by the prosecution to such a fundamental extent we believe it undermines the conviction.”
New medical evidence, which contradicts that presented by prosecution experts at the trial, has also been brought forward, Mr McDonald said.
“We’re looking at neonatology for a start,” he continued.
They’re seeing flaws in those assertions made by the prosecution to such a fundamental extent we believe it undermines the conviction. Mark McDonald, barrister
“We’re looking at the whole idea in relation to insulin, the testing of insulin, whether or not that testing was reliable, whether or not that the assertion that there was insulin present is accurate.”
The barrister added he would be asking the CCRC for Letby’s case to be sent back to the Court of Appeal “on fresh evidence” but said the process “might take a long time”.Letby’s trial ran for 10 months from October 2022 to August 2023, with a retrial ordered after a jury was unable to reach a verdict on one count of attempted murder of a baby girl.
Mr McDonald compared Letby’s conviction to that of the Guildford Four and Birmingham Six – two groups of people wrongly accused of carrying out IRA pub bombings in the 1970s whose convictions were later quashed.
“These were some of the biggest miscarriages of justice in UK history, and yet they were found to be innocent,” he said.
The barrister added that he had so far seen “quite a lot of evidence that there are some real concerns” over Letby’s convictions.
A public inquiry examining events at the Countess of Chester Hospital following Letby’s multiple convictions is due to begin on September 10 in Liverpool.
Free Lucy 