Full Breakdown
Experts Withdraw from Lucy Letby Defence Over Scientific Credibility Concerns
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Lucy Letby Convictions and Current Review
Former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby was convicted in 2023 of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. The convictions include two attempted murders—Baby 6 and Baby 12—by allegedly spiking feeding bags with insulin. Letby is serving 15 whole-life orders. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), the UK’s miscarriage-of-justice watchdog, has been reviewing the case for 18 months and is considering a dossier of expert evidence submitted last year. A public inquiry led by Lady Justice Kathryn Thirlwall is set to publish its findings soon, and a criminal investigation into possible corporate and gross-negligence manslaughter at the hospital remains open.
Experts Withdraw from Defence Over Scientific Concerns
Helen Shannon, a British chemical-engineering specialist, and Geoff Chase, a bioengineering professor based in New Zealand, withdrew from Letby’s defence team on Monday. Both had produced a 100-page report last year casting doubt on the insulin-poisoning convictions, describing it as “very unlikely” that two babies were poisoned. They warned that continued association with such arguments posed “a serious ethical issue” under professional engineering codes in both countries.
Official Statements & Responses
The CCRC declined to comment on the withdrawals.
Background & Context
The insulin-poisoning theory formed a central pillar of the prosecution’s case, linking Letby to the deaths of Baby 6 and Baby 12. Earlier investigations highlighted missed opportunities for hospital management to intervene after doctors raised alarms about a spate of unexplained neonatal deaths in 2015-2016.
Verbatim Quote
“We cannot, with integrity, support arguments which are inconsistent with the available evidence, science and established physiology … After disclosing these concerns, continued association with arguments we believe are demonstrably inaccurate creates a serious ethical issue under the professional engineering codes governing us in New Zealand and the UK, and exposes us to professional sanction.” — Mark McDonald