- Lucy Letby’s appeal suspense: Lucy Letby is appealing her murder convictions, arguing that the judge at her original trial wrongly refused her applications.
- The case has raised concerns about the evidence presented against Letby and the fairness of the trial.
- Letby is also due to face a retrial on one count of attempted murder.
- The case has sparked debate about the strength of the evidence against Letby and the handling of the trial.
Lucy Letby, a neonatal nurse from Hereford, is currently facing a significant legal challenge as she awaits the decision on whether she can appeal her convictions for the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016. Letby’s legal team has submitted an appeal against all her convictions, arguing that the judge at her trial wrongly refused legal applications during the trial. This appeal is based on four points, but due to legal restrictions, the specifics of these arguments cannot be reported.
The appeal process began with a paper exercise review by a single judge, which Letby lost. She then sought a second stage of the appeal process, renewing her application before Dame Victoria Sharp, Lord Justice Holroyde, and Mrs Justice Lambert at a public hearing. This hearing concluded on Thursday, and the judges have reserved their decision, indicating that they will announce their verdict at a later date.
Letby’s convictions were handed down by Mr. Justice Goss, who sentenced her to 14 whole life tariffs for each guilty count, meaning she will die in jail without the prospect of parole. The trial highlighted a ‘cruel, calculated, and cynical campaign of child murder’ by Letby, who was found guilty of seven counts of murder and seven of attempted murder, including one baby she tried to kill twice.
The jury was unable to reach verdicts on six counts of attempted murder in relation to five other children. Letby will face a retrial at Manchester Crown Court in June on a single count that she attempted to murder a baby girl, known as Child K, in February 2016. A court order prohibits reporting of the identities of the surviving and dead children who were the subject of the allegations.
Letby has always maintained her innocence, denying any harm to the children in her care. Her legal team has not revealed the grounds for her appeal, but for an appeal to succeed, it must identify errors of law or draw on substantial fresh evidence.
In December, Letby was stripped of her nursing credentials after a panel ordered her to be struck off from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register, citing her actions as “so serious that to allow her to continue practising would pose an unacceptable risk to the public and would undermine public confidence in the profession”.
The outcome of the Court of Appeal’s decision will be crucial for Letby, as it will determine whether she can challenge her convictions. If the judges decline to give the go-ahead for the challenge, it will mark the end of the appeal process for her.
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