Lucy Letby may have killed three other babies and attempted to murder 15 others, a pediatrician claimed at her trial yesterday.
Dewi Evans, who testified as an expert against the neonatal nurse, raised new concerns about child deaths not part of the prosecution’s case.
He also has suspicions about the cases of five children who survived, including one potentially poisoned by insulin. And he told the Mail’s Trial of Lucy Letby podcast that he had identified ten other child survivors who may have been harmed by Letby.
It is likely all had their breathing tubes tampered with by the murderous nurse whose “modus of operation changed over time,” he said.
Letby, 33, was convicted last month of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others at the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Letby (pictured), 33, was convicted last month of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others at the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Dewi Evans (pictured), who gave expert evidence against the neonatal nurse, raised further concerns about child deaths not part of the prosecution’s case.
She would squirt air into the children, give them too much milk and attack them. She was imprisoned for life. Last week his legal team requested permission to appeal the convictions.
Dr Evans said: “Initially I looked at 32 cases and seven of them (which were not part of the trial) require further review.”
“These babies suffered from life-threatening illnesses and three of them died – but we need to examine them to see if they were also put at risk. They were in poor health, so it may be impossible to demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt whether they were harmed.
“But there are seven cases which concern me which we need to look at more closely. I will be liaising with Cheshire Police to bring these to their attention.
Dr Evans said that following Letby’s arrest in July 2018, he was asked to review the notes of 48 other babies – not included in the trial – and found concerns about up to 18 of them.
“They date back to 2012, although most date back to June 2014, which was 12 months before the first death,” he said.
“I discovered several very suspicious cases in which an endotracheal tube – placed in a baby’s throat when they need breathing assistance – had been misplaced and had come out.
“These tubes can come out accidentally, but for that many to come out is very, very unusual, especially in what I consider a good unit.”
“I suspect these tubes were moved intentionally. Of the 18, there could be as many as ten babies who have been placed in harm’s way. As far as I know, they survived without suffering any long-term damage.
Mr Evans also has suspicions about the cases of five children who survived, including one with possible insulin poisoning. And he told the Mail’s Trial of Lucy Letby podcast that he had identified ten other child survivors who may have been harmed by Letby.
Letby injected air into children, gave them too much milk and assaulted them while they worked at the Countess of Chester Hospital (pictured). She was imprisoned for life. Last week his legal team requested permission to appeal the convictions.
Dr Evans, who was the prosecution’s main expert and gave evidence 17 times during the ten-month trial, added: “One thing we can be reasonably sure of is that Lucy Letby did not turn up at work one day and did not decide to inject. a baby with air in his blood.
“I think the modus operandi evolved over time and I think before the air embolism tube was moved, that was probably something she did.”
During Letby’s trial at Manchester Crown Court, the jury heard that she had undergone training on air embolism and how to inject drugs just weeks before the murder of her first victim, Baby A, the June 8, 2015. He died when air was injected into his body. its blood circulation.
All of the babies examined by Dr Evans were born at the Countess, although he said he had heard “anecdotal” concerns about babies having their breathing tubes moved at Liverpool Women’s Hospital – cases which the police were investigating. Letby completed internships there in 2012 and 2015.
Dr Evans said he also suspected that at least one other baby, whose notes specified had high insulin levels, may have been poisoned by Letby around November 2015.
This was “in the middle” of the other two insulin cases: Baby F, who was poisoned in August 2015, and Baby L, who was deliberately given insulin in his drip in April 2016.
Dr Evans described the failure of doctors at the unit to appreciate the significance of Baby F’s blood test results as a “terrible tragedy”.
“If they had acted on it, it would have stopped all the further deaths and collapses,” he said.
Dr Evans said that after Letby’s arrest in July 2018, he was asked to review the notes of 48 other babies – not included in the trial – and found concerns about up to 18
During Letby’s trial at Manchester Crown Court, the jury heard that she had undergone training on air embolism and how to inject drugs just weeks before the murder of her first victim, Baby A, the June 8, 2015. He died when air was injected into his body. its blood circulation
All the babies examined by Dr Evans were born at the Countess (pictured), although he said he had heard “anecdotal” concerns about babies having their breathing tubes moved at Liverpool Women’s Hospital – cases which the police were investigating. Letby completed internships there in 2012 and 2015
Three more babies died and four more were injured by Letby over the next ten months, before she was finally removed from service in June 2016.
Cheshire Police are examining the medical notes of 4,000 babies admitted to neonatal units at Chester Countess Hospital and Liverpool Women’s Hospital during Letby’s five-year nursing career.
Their investigation, dubbed Operation Hummingbird, is ongoing and they have not ruled out Letby being charged with other crimes.
Following the trial, sources told the Guardian that detectives identified around 30 other babies, in addition to the 17 trial participants, who may have been injured by Letby. They all survived.
Dr Evans urged detectives to carefully examine the medical notes of the babies named on 257 nursing discount cards discovered at Letby’s home after his arrest.
His trial found the sheets should have been destroyed as confidential waste at the hospital at the end of each shift.
