Everything we know about Lucy Letby's new court date and if she could be freed
Six months on from a conviction which sealed the fate of one of Britain's most evil serial killers, Lucy Letby is due back in court.
The ex-nurse who was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempts to kill six others will see her case once more put to a judge in an appeal to challenge the convictions. Letby's bid, which is often protocol in high-profile cases involving the most serious crimes, will be brought before the Court of Appeal in April.
The 34-year-old was given 14 whole life orders by a judge at Manchester crown court in August for the seven murders and attempted murders of six others, with two attempts on one of her victims. The horrific crimes, news of which appalled the nation, were carried out while Letby was working as a neo-natal nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.
Letby, from Hereford, carried out her attacks by injecting air intravenously and administering air and/or milk into the stomach via nasogastric tubes. She also added insulin as a poison to intravenous feeds, interfered with breathing tubes, and inflicted trauma in some cases.
While handed the ultimate sentence a judge can impose, meaning she will die in prison, Letby was told her crimes had been "a cruel, calculated and cynical campaign of child murder involving the smallest and most vulnerable of children", causing "untold mental suffering" to their families. She now has one final lifeline which could overturn the conviction.
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
Footage from Letby's arrest on July 2018 (Getty Images)Why is Lucy Letby back before the Court of Appeal?
Letby is appealing for her conviction to be reviewed by a higher court, which is the right of defendants under the UK justice system. The majority of British killers who have been convicted had appealed, either to review the length of their sentence or to have top judges removed from the jury process review their conviction.
The ex-nurse had an initial application to take forward her challenge refused by a single judge without a hearing last month. But she is able to renew her efforts before a panel of three judges at the hearing in nine weeks’ time.
When is the appeal?
The bid to challenge her convictions is due to be considered by the Court of Appeal at a hearing in April. Lawyers for Letby will ask senior judges for permission to bring an appeal against all her convictions at the hearing in London provisionally listed for April 25, a judiciary spokeswoman confirmed on Friday. If permission is granted, it will mean another separate hearing at a later date.
What will happen in court?
This is Letby's last lifeline in the legal process. The case will be put forward to a panel of three separate judges. The hearing in April will lay out the case and can end in only one of two results - either a judge declines to give permission for the appeal, marking the end of the process for Letby and upholding the jury's conviction, or they do decide to prooceed. If she does receive permission, then the appeal will be heard at a separate hearing at a later date.
Could Letby be freed?
Technically, yes. If the appeal is reviewed properly. Although this is very unlikely. Dylan Rhys Jones, Senior Lecturer in Law at Wrexham University, told the Mirror that Letby's lawyers will have an opportunity to re-lodge her application in a leave for appeal - but only if "new and compelling" evidence comes to light, or if witnesses "change their evidence".
He said: "She's got the opportunity to re-lodge her application, and she can do that once, but she has to be very careful. You can't just do that willy-nilly and hope for the best."
But the expert lawyer warned that there were already clear weaknesses that had been shown in her initial appeal being rejected. He added: "In the end, the judge hearing the case does have the ability to grant a leave to appeal, but that is only something that happens in exceptional circumstances."
"Is there any prospect of her appealing successfully? At the moment, clearly there isn't. The way things stand at the moment would lead me to believe that the chance of her successfully appealing is fairly small."
Are there any other legal proceedings in the case?
The jury in Letby’s trial at Manchester crown court was unable to reach verdicts on six counts of attempted murder in relation to five children. She will face a retrial at the same court in June on a single count that she attempted to murder a baby girl, known as Child K, in February 2016. A court order prohibits reporting of the identities of the surviving and dead children who were the subject of the allegations.
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