Killer nurse Lucy Letby's conviction appeal to be heard

The court of appeal will consider Letby's bid to challenge her convictions, in a hearing which gets underway today

Author: Jess Glass, PA / Sophie MerrickPublished 22nd Apr 2024
Last updated 22nd Apr 2024

Child serial killer Lucy Letby's bid to challenge her convictions is set to be considered by the Court of Appeal.

Lawyers for Letby will ask senior judges for permission to bring an appeal against all her convictions at the hearing in London, which is expected to finish this week.

The nurse, 34, had an initial application to take forward her challenge refused by a single judge without a hearing in January.

But she is able to renew her efforts before a panel of three judges at the hearing in London.

If judges again decline to give permission, it will mark the end of the appeal process for Letby.

In August 2023, Letby, of Hereford, was sentenced to 14 whole life orders after she was convicted of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of six others, with two attempts on one of her victims.

The offences took place at the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit, where Letby worked as a nurse, between June 2015 and June 2016.

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 deceased children who were the subject of the allegations.

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