What is the Thirlwall inquiry, set up after Lucy Letby’s murder convictions?

An inquiry set up to examine what happened at the Countess of Chester hospital during the time Lucy Letby worked there will begin this week. Hearings for the Thirlwall inquiry, led by Lady Justice Kathryn Thirlwall, will be held at Liverpool town hall and will examine how Letby was able to carry out the murders of a number of babies at the Chester hospital’s neonatal unit in 2015 and 2016.

Who is Lucy Letby?

Letby is a 34-year-old former neonatal nurse sentenced to 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others. She was working at the Countess of Chester hospital when she committed the crimes but was originally from Hereford.

What crimes was Lucy Letby convicted of?

In August 2023, Letby was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six more, making her the worst child serial killer in modern British history.

Her victims included two identical triplet brothers, killed within 24 hours of each other, a newborn weighing less than 1kg (2lb) who was fatally injected with air, and a girl born 10 weeks premature who was murdered on the fourth attempt.

The jury was unable to reach verdicts on six further counts of attempted murder, relating to five babies. She later faced retrial on one count of attempted murder.

What was the outcome of the second trial?

In July this year, Letby was found guilty of trying to kill a two-hour-old baby girl on the same hospital ward where she murdered seven other infants.

The infant, known as Baby K, was born 15 weeks premature and weighed only 692g when Letby tampered with her breathing tube, causing a “life-threatening” deterioration. Letby was sentenced to another whole-life order.

Has Letby lodged an appeal?

Yes, but in May, she was denied permission to appeal against her convictions for murdering babies. She had asked three senior judges to allow her to challenge the convictions at the court of appeal in London.

Letby had put forward four grounds of appeal, each of which involved the submission that the trial judge wrongly refused applications she made during the trial at Manchester crown court.

What will the public inquiry look at?

The Thirlwall inquiry has been set up to examine events at the Countess of Chester hospital and their implications after Letby’s trial and subsequent convictions.

The three key areas being looked at by the inquiry are: the experiences of the victims’ parents; the conduct of staff at the hospital with regard to Letby when she was employed at the hospital; and the effectiveness of NHS management.

Who is involved in the inquiry?

The inquiry is chaired by Thirlwall, a senior court of appeal judge. The counsel to the inquiry is Rachel Langdale KC.. Formerly the leading counsel for a core participant in the Mid-Staffordshire NHS foundation trust public inquiry, she has also acted for local authorities and individuals in inquiries relating to safeguarding and children in care.

Among the core participants are the families of the children named on the indictment, who will be represented by legal teams. Others include the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Department for Health and Social Care, the Countess of Chester hospital NHS foundation trust, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the Care Quality Commission and NHS England.

What will happen in the first week?

The first week will see opening statements from the counsel to the Inquiry and from legal representatives on behalf of the core participants.

What about reports questioning her guilt?

There have been reports in some publications, including the Guardian , casting doubt on the safety of Letby’s convictions. The families of the victims have said the reports have been upsetting. This subject is outside the remit of the inquiry.