The formal inquests into the tragic deaths of five infants murdered by former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby are scheduled to commence today at Cheshire Coroner's Court in Warrington. HM Senior Coroner for Cheshire, Jacqueline Devonish, will oversee the proceedings concerning Baby C, Baby E, Baby I, Baby O, and Baby P, who all died at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2015 and 2016.
Procedural Steps and Timeline
During today's session, the coroner is expected to open and then adjourn each inquest, suspending the hearings until later this year. Provisional dates for the full inquests, should they proceed, have been pencilled in for between September 14 and 25. However, these dates are contingent upon the outcome of the ongoing Thirlwall public inquiry, led by Lady Justice Thirlwall, which is investigating how Letby was able to commit her crimes. The inquiry's report is anticipated to be published after the Easter period.
Legal Representation and Status
Ms Devonish has granted interested party status to Lucy Letby, who will be represented by her barrister, Mark McDonald. Letby, aged 36 and originally from Hereford, is currently serving 15 whole-life orders at HMP Bronzefield. Her convictions relate to the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of seven others, with two attempts on one victim, during her tenure at the hospital's neonatal unit between June 2015 and June 2016.
Previous Inquests and Investigations
An inquest into the death of Baby A was conducted in October 2016, resulting in a narrative conclusion that could not determine whether the infant's collapse and subsequent death were due to natural or unnatural causes. Notably, concerns raised by consultant paediatricians in July 2016 about Letby potentially harming babies were not mentioned during this inquest. The family of Baby A has expressed no desire to reopen the case.
Similarly, an inquest into Baby D's death was opened in January 2016 but was suspended as criminal proceedings commenced. Cheshire Constabulary was not contacted by hospital management to investigate the spike in baby fatalities until May 2017.
Recent Legal Developments
Last month, the Crown Prosecution Service announced it would not pursue further charges against Letby, despite police submitting evidence files concerning alleged offences involving two deceased infants and seven survivors. CPS officials concluded that the evidential threshold was not met in any of these cases.
Letby has been twice denied permission to appeal her convictions in 2024. Meanwhile, the Criminal Cases Review Commission is examining evidence from an international panel of medical experts, who argue that poor medical care and natural causes, rather than criminal acts, led to the babies' collapses.
