Key facts
- The Thirlwall inquiry into the crimes of nurse Lucy Letby concluded without fully addressing the initial investigation's validity.
- The inquiry accepted Letby's guilt as fact, focusing on hospital management's delays in reporting concerns.
- Experts, including Dr. Shoo Lee, argued that the babies' deaths were due to poor care, not murder.
- The inquiry's report stated it was not an investigation into criminal convictions but concluded three babies might have survived with earlier action.
- The Criminal Cases Review Commission is still examining Letby's application regarding potential miscarriages of justice.
A public inquiry into the crimes of nurse Lucy Letby, chaired by Lady Justice Kathryn Thirlwall, has concluded that hospital managers delayed calling the police, potentially contributing to the deaths of three babies. The inquiry, which cost £18 million and spanned two years, largely accepted Letby's guilt as fact, focusing on the hospital's management and culture. However, the report has faced criticism for not adequately investigating the possibility of a miscarriage of justice or engaging with experts who dispute the murder convictions.
Set up in 2023 by then health secretary Steve Barclay, the Thirlwall inquiry aimed to determine if hospital management's actions and culture contributed to the failure to protect babies from Letby. In her opening statement in September 2024, Lady Justice Thirlwall dismissed "noise" surrounding Letby's convictions, stating the court of appeal had already upheld them. The inquiry's core premise was that managers failed to act on warnings about Letby.
However, a significant group of British and international experts, led by Canadian neonatologist Dr. Shoo Lee, have argued that the babies were vulnerable newborns and premature, with poor care on the unit, rather than victims of murder. These experts contend that their research was misrepresented by the prosecution. Reviews by Alder Hey pathologists and Dr. Jane Hawdon found no evidence of deliberate harm, though they identified "sub-optimal care."
Despite these dissenting views, Thirlwall concluded that safeguarding measures should have been implemented earlier and the police called in sooner. The inquiry did not deeply engage with how Cheshire constabulary and the Crown Prosecution Service reached a different conclusion from other experts who reviewed the same medical evidence. The Criminal Cases Review Commission is still considering Letby's application concerning potential miscarriages of justice.