Justice Kathryn Thirlwall announced the requests before hearing closing statements in the inquiry that began in September seeking accountability for staff and management for the harm to babies at Countess of Chester Hospital in northwest England.
The inquiry was predicated on Letby’s guilt, and Thirlwall had said she would not review the convictions after an appeals court upheld them. But lawyers for Letby said that if the convictions are overturned, the inquiry might reach the wrong conclusions, and 10 million pounds ($13 million) spent so far will have been a waste of taxpayer funds.
“In short, it will defeat the purpose of a public inquiry, to fully and fearlessly understand the circumstances in which the babies died or became unwell,” attorney Louise Mortimer wrote in a letter to Thirlwall.
Thirlwall is expected to publish a final report in the fall.
But a group of 16 international medical experts in pediatrics and neonatology who reviewed the medical evidence concluded that natural causes or bad medical care led to the death or collapse of each newborn, Dr. Shoo Lee, a retired neonatologist from Canada, said last month.
The panel also questioned the premise that there was an unexplained spike in deaths at the hospital. It said evidence of schedules that showed Letby was present during all the deaths was “incomplete, selective and, therefore, meaningless.”
Letby’s convictions are being examined by the Criminal Case Review Commission, which looks at potential miscarriages of justice. It could refer its findings to the Court of Appeal.
What a mess. If Lucy was convicted on weak made-up evidence that hosiptal will pay millions in compensation.
IIRC from watching a documentary about this, there was a lot more evidence.
Also, if they concluded that bad medical care led to the deaths, and Letby was a care giver on each case, then that isn’t really painting the picture they want to paint.
You should probably read the myriad articles that have been written about this since it has happened. It looks very much like an attempt to blame systematic failings on an individual to stop anyone higher up having to carry the bag. There is evidence that they used the sign in data wrong showing that she was not on ward when at least one of the babies she is accused of injuring crashed.
It said evidence of schedules that showed Letby was present during all the deaths was “incomplete, selective and, therefore, meaningless.”
I smell a scapegoat.