Lucy Letby, a British neonatal nurse, has initiated a bid to appeal her convictions after being found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others. Last month, Letby was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of release following a trial at Manchester Crown Court, where she was convicted of the seven murders that occurred between June 2015 and June 2016 at the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital in northwestern England.
In addition to the seven murder convictions, Letby was found guilty of seven attempted murders involving six other babies at the same hospital. However, she was cleared of two additional charges of attempted murder, and the jury was unable to reach a verdict on several other charges.
Officials at the Court of Appeal have confirmed that they received an application for permission to appeal against the convictions. Typically, such applications are initially considered by a judge without a formal hearing. If the application is rejected, the convicted individuals have the right to pursue their appeal at a full court hearing, which typically involves two or three judges.
Letby’s motives for her actions remain unclear, but the magnitude of her crimes suggested a level of intricate planning. She was accused of deliberately harming the babies in various ways, including injecting air into their bloodstreams, administering air or milk into their stomachs via nasogastric tubes, poisoning infants by adding insulin to intravenous feeds, and interfering with breathing tubes.
Judge James Goss imposed a rare “whole-life order” on Letby, emphasizing that her actions exhibited “malevolence bordering on sadism.” In the United Kingdom, only three other women have received such a severe sentence.
Following the verdicts, the British government initiated an independent inquiry to investigate the broader circumstances surrounding the events at the hospital, including the handling of concerns raised by staff.