Police continue to probe two baby deaths in 2015 and 2016, Letby inquiry told
Some 17 deaths have been looked at by Cheshire Constabulary but two remain under investigation.
Police are continuing to investigate two baby deaths linked to the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2015 and 2016, the public inquiry over the crimes of child serial killer Lucy Letby has been told.
A document prepared by the Thirlwall Inquiry legal team outlined that 13 deaths happened at the Countess of Chester’s neonatal unit during that period and four more occurred at other hospital neonatal units following transferral.
All 17 deaths have been looked at by Cheshire Constabulary but two remain under investigation.
The document overview, which relates to 2015 and 2016, states: “Two of the deaths that occurred on a neonatal unit (either at the Countess of Chester Hospital or other hospital neonatal units post transfer) remain the subject of ongoing police investigation.”
Last month, it emerged Letby, 35, had been questioned in prison under caution by detectives probing deaths and non-fatal collapses at the Countess of Chester, and also Liverpool Women’s Hospital, where she trained as a student.
Police have been reviewing the care of some 4,000 babies admitted to hospital from when Letby started her employment in January 2012 to the end of June 2016, and includes two work placements at Liverpool in 2012 and 2015.
They previously emphasised that only those cases highlighted as medically concerning would be investigated further.
The former neonatal nurse was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more between June 2015 and June 2016.
One of her attempted murder victims, Child K, died days after Letby deliberately dislodged her breathing tube but prosecutors said she did not cause her death.
The other nine babies who died in 2015 and 2016 – and did not feature in the criminal trial – also feature in the legal team’s overview document.
Among details listed are the cause of death recorded at post-mortem or the registered cause of death, with several citing congenital conditions.
Cheshire Constabulary declined to comment on the inquiry document.
Following Letby’s convictions, police said some of the 17 deaths – 10 in 2015 and seven in the first half of 2016 – were no longer under investigation because a natural, or biological, cause had been identified.
In 2012, three babies died on the Countess of Chester’s neonatal unit, two died in 2013 and in 2014 three died.
Letby, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted at Manchester Crown Court of seven counts of murder and eight counts of attempted murder, with two attempts on one of her victims.
She maintains her innocence.
The public inquiry, chaired by Lady Justice Thirlwall, is hearing its final week of evidence at Liverpool Town Hall, with findings expected to be published in the autumn.
