Veteran Tory MP David Davis wants to visit Lucy Letby in prison as part of a probe into whether the serial baby killer was the victim of a miscarriage of justice.
The former Brexit secretary is currently analysing the evidence used to convict the neonatal nurse of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more.
He launched his investigation after doubts were raised about Letby’s guilt with some members of the Royal Statistical Society expressing concerns over the use of statistics to secure a conviction on the basis of probabilities.
Separate prosecution claims that Letby tried to kill two babies with insulin were summarised in a damning investigation by The New Yorker magazine as: ‘One would have to believe that she had managed to inject insulin into a bag that a different nurse had randomly chosen from the unit’s refrigerator.’
Mr Davis, a civil liberties campaigner, is understood to be concerned about the justice system’s institutional reluctance to admit to its own failings, leading innocent people to languish in prison.
Now he has told The Daily T Podcast that he would visit Letby in prison if he was ‘at least three-quarters persuaded that she’s innocent’.
Veteran Tory MP David Davis wants to visit Lucy Letby in prison as part of a probe into whether the serial baby killer was the victim of a miscarriage of justice
The former Brexit secretary is currently analysing the evidence used to convict the neonatal nurse of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more
Supporters of ex-nurse Lucy Letby demonstrate outside the High Court in London during her appeal hearing in April
Letby killed her first victim at the neonatal ward at the Countess of Chester Hospital, pictured, in the north of England (file photo from August 2023)
Lucy Letby, 34, was convicted last year of murdering seven premature babies and trying to kill six others (she is pictured on the neo-natal ward in 2013)
He said: ‘I may not be allowed to, her lawyer may say no; she may say no. That’s got to be with her permission.
‘For me to do anything about this, I’ve got to be at least three-quarters persuaded that she’s innocent.
‘I’ll read millions of words of evidence over August and come to a conclusion in probably September or maybe October.’
Mr Davis has said that if after speaking to experts, he does come to the conclusion that she is innocent he will raise the case with parliament and seek to get a Criminal Case Review Commission referral.
The 34-year-old was convicted last year of murdering seven premature babies and trying to kill six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital where she worked between 2015 and 2016.
She inflicted unimaginable harm on her victims – all while appearing as a smiling, harmless nurse. This image was taken in 2012 three years before Letby’s killing spree began
Face of evil: A beaming Letby is pictured graduating from university in September 2011, left, and as a young schoolgirl, right
This image shows Letby being arrested by cops at her home in north England in 2018 after she went on a year-long killing spree, murdering seven babies and trying to kill seven more
Her innocent first victim, known only as Baby A was born six weeks prematurely and was barely a day old when he was handed into the care of Letby at 8pm on June 8, 2015.
Within an hour, the infant would be dead. Heartbroken hospital staff were baffled at why none of the normal techniques to revive the newborn had failed to save his life.
Less than 28 hours later, Letby attempted to kill Baby A’s twin sister, injecting air into the youngster, causing her to stop breathing. On this occasion, medics are able to revive the infant.
The next week, Letby would strike again, this time killing Baby C, who was born seven weeks prematurely weighing just 800g (1lb 12oz).
The baby killer’s reign of terror continued for almost a year until the alarm was raised and Letby was removed from the ward.
But even after pediatricians raised their suspicions about her activities, hospital executives initially refused to remove her from the unit. When they eventually did so they chose to give her a desk job in the patient safety department.
Letby was arrested in July 2018 and charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder in November 2020.
The killer was hauled into court in October 2022, in what would become one of the longest criminal cases in British history when she was found guilty of seven murders and six attempted murders.
Then in June this year Letby was convicted of attempting to kill a seventh baby following a three-week retrial at Manchester Crown Court.
This graphic shows how Lucy Letby’s horrific killing spree progressed throughout 2015 and 2016
Letby is pictured being quizzed by cops after she was arrested in July 2018
During her court case, Letby wept as she was jailed for life for her killing spree. She is pictured in a court portrait in August 2023
She is currently serving 15 whole life sentences at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey and will never be released.
Detectives are currently reviewing 4,000 babies Letby cared for at the Countess of Chester and Liverpool Women’s Hospital, where she trained.
Dr Dewi Evans, an expert witness in the first trial, previously said he believed Letby experimented with tampering with the breathing tubes of babies before beginning her year-long murder spree in June 2015.
Sources have told the Mail police are considering some 40 more cases, as well as probing the Countess for corporate manslaughter.
A public inquiry into how Letby was allowed to remain on the neonatal unit, despite the concerns of senior doctors, is due to start in September.
Letby has consistently maintained her innocence and in May was refused permission to appeal against last year’s convictions.
