Inquests into deaths of six babies murdered by Lucy Letby delayed to next year
The infants died in 2015 and 2016 when Letby was employed as a nurse
Last updated 5 hours ago
Inquests into the deaths of six babies who Lucy Letby was convicted of murdering have been delayed until next year.
The infants died at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2015 and 2016 when Letby was employed as a nurse in the neonatal unit.
Full hearings into their deaths were scheduled for September after each inquest was previously opened and suspended.
However, the hearings have been relisted to provisionally begin on May 10 2027 after it was announced that Lady Justice Thirlwall’s inquiry report into how the nurse was able to commit her crimes will not be published until at least September.
A statement on the Thirlwall Inquiry website said:
"The inquiry can now give a further update regarding publication of the final report.
"The report will be published at the earliest practical date. However that will not be until after the summer recess of Parliament.
"We will give further updates regarding publication in due course."
On Wednesday, the suspensions of the inquests of Baby C, Baby D, Baby E, Baby I, Baby O and Baby P were formally continued at Cheshire Coroner’s Court.
A statement issued on behalf of the court said:
"The coroner considers it appropriate to maintain the suspension in order to ensure that the findings and recommendations of the Thirlwall Inquiry can be fully considered before the inquests proceed."
The matter will be further reviewed in November, added the statement.
Letby, 36, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others between June 2015 and June 2016.
She was twice denied permission to appeal against her convictions in 2024.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission, which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, is considering evidence presented on her behalf by an international panel of medics who claim poor medical care and natural causes were the reasons for the babies collapsing.
An inquest into the death of Baby A – another of Letby’s victims – was held in October 2016 and a narrative conclusion said it could not be determined what caused the youngster’s collapse and subsequent death or whether it was due to a natural or unnatural event.
Letby was removed from clinical duties in July 2016 after consultant paediatricians raised concerns that she may be deliberately harming babies, but those fears were not mentioned at Baby A’s inquest.