Lucy Letby may have murdered three more babies and attempted to kill another 15, expert witness claims
KILLER nurse Lucy Letby may have murdered three more babies, an expert witness has claimed.
Letby was found guilty last month of murdering seven babies and the attempted murder of seven more at the Countess of Chester Hospital in Cheshire.
She was given 14 whole-life orders for her crimes and told she would die behind bars.
But now Dewi Evans, who gave expert evidence against the neo-natal nurse, has revealed the death toll could be much higher.
Dr Evans told MailOnline that he has looked at 32 other cases – and has concerns with 18.
He explained: “These babies had illnesses that were life-threatening and three of them died – but we need to look at them to see if they were placed in harm’s way as well. They were poorly so it may be impossible to show beyond reasonable doubt whether they were the victim of inflicted harm.
“But there are seven cases that concern me which we need to look at more thoroughly. I will be liaising with Cheshire Police to bring those cases to their attention.”
Letby is now at Low Newton prison, Co Durham, where child-killer Rose West was formerly held and triple-killer Joanna Dennehy is an inmate.
She is the fourth woman to receive a whole-life order in Britain after West, Dennehy and Moors murderer Myra Hindley.
The nurse’s not-guilty plea forced families to endure a harrowing ten-month trial.
It also meant the Crown Prosecution Service ran up a bill of £2,504,245 to jail her.
The full cost to the taxpayer will be even higher as it does not include Letby’s legal aid, likely to run to six figures.
Replying to a Freedom of Information request, the CPS said: “The figure accounts for counsel, experts and presentational fees.”
Letby refused to attend court when the judge delivered his sentence, prompting families’ anger.
There had been tears in court as powerful victim impact statements were read by bereaved relatives of her victims.
Analysts have suggested Letby’s possible motives could include an “obsession” with a doctor at the hospital and enjoyment of a sick “thrill”.
She is serving her sentence at Low Newton prison in County Durham, previously home to Rose West and where triple-killer Joanna Dennehy is now a fellow inmate.
West, Dennehy and Moors murderer Myra Hindley are the only women other than Letby to receive a whole-life order in Britain.
After last month’s verdicts, the government announced an inquiry into the Letby case – and last week granted it legal powers to compel witnesses to give evidence.