Cheshire PoliceSenior doctors and scientists have told the BBC they have concerns about how crucial evidence was presented to the jury at Lucy Letby’s trials.The BBC’s File on 4 has examined how expert witnesses helped to build the case against the former nurse.The programme raises concerns about how courts grapple with cases of significant medical complexity – with the juries in Letby’s two trials presented with huge amounts of complicated medical evidence relating to each child.The experts who spoke to the BBC raise questions about the amount of insulin she needed to harm babies in her care, the health condition of one of the babies she was convicted of murdering, and pathology findings presented to the jury.A public inquiry is under way to establish how Letby was able to murder and injure babies. At its opening Lady Justice Thirlwall was scathing about those who have questioned the verdicts, saying this was causing “enormous additional distress to the parents”.Last month some of the families of the babies gave evidence at the inquiry.Each of the experts interviewed by File on 4 acknowledge how difficult it must be for the families to hear doubts raised about the trials. However, they say they feel so strongly about the evidence they felt compelled to speak out.BBC File on 4 examines some of the most contentious statistical, scientific and medical evidence in the Lucy Letby trial. Listen to Lucy Letby: The Killer QuestionsAvailable now on BBC Sounds and on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday 1 October at 20:00, and Wednesday 2 October at 11:00.More than 100 days of complex evidence was heard during Letby’s first trial, which ended in August 2023. She was found guilty of murdering seven babies and trying to kill six others between June 2015 and June 2016 at the Countess of Chester Hospital.In a second trial held this year, a different jury found Letby guilty of attempted murder – after the first jury failed to reach a verdict. She is serving 15 whole-life sentences and four judges have dismissed her attempt to appeal these convictions.Most of the experts File on 4 spoke to were not present at the trials, and they don’t offer an opinion on her guilt. They have studied key medical evidence presented in court. Their concerns – that some of it was misinterpreted – form part of the growing speculation around her convictions.It comes after Letby’s new lawyer, Mark McDonald, told the BBC he plans to take her case to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates alleged miscarriages of justice.Insulin evidenceAt her first trial Letby was found guilty of attempting to murder two babies – referred to in court as Baby F and Baby L – by adding insulin to intravenous feed bags.The prosecution said both babies …
