Chester, England– Lucy Letby, the neonatal nurse convicted of the murders of seven babies at the Countess of Chester hospital’s neonatal unit between June 2015 and June 2016, has faced a setback in her attempt to challenge her convictions at the court of appeal. The 34-year-old had lodged an application for permission to appeal against all of her convictions in September, however, a judge has refused her application after considering the case documents, a judicial spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday.
Letby, who was sentenced to 14 whole-life orders after being convicted of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of six others, has now lost her initial attempt to challenge her convictions. This has further solidified her status as one of Britain’s most notorious child serial killers, making her the third woman in the UK to be handed a whole-life jail term, alongside the likes of Rose West and Joanna Dennehy.
As Letby’s legal team have not revealed her grounds for appeal, it remains to be seen whether she will be able to identify any errors of law or substantial fresh evidence to support her appeal. Despite the setback, Letby will face a retrial at the same court in June on a single count of attempted murder of a baby girl, known as Child K, in February 2016. Additionally, a court order prohibits reporting of the identities of the surviving and dead children, further complicating the legal proceedings surrounding the case.
In December, Letby was stripped of her nursing credentials after a panel ordered she be struck off from the register at a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) hearing. Her actions were deemed “so serious that to allow her to continue practicing would pose an unacceptable risk to the public and would undermine public confidence in the profession,” according to the panel chair, Bernard Herdan. This decision has added another layer of consequences for Letby in addition to her criminal convictions.
The case continues to attract significant attention and scrutiny, especially in light of the severity and nature of Letby’s crimes. As the legal proceedings unfold, the public remains captivated by the developments and anxiously awaits the outcome of the retrial and any potential further appeals.