Lucy Letby's supporters: who are they and why do they believe she is innocent?

The case of Lucy Letby took on a shock twist yesterday after an international panel of experts claimed they “did not find any murders” in the deaths of the babies she was found guilty of killing. Letby, as former NHS neonatal nurse is serving 15 whole-life orders in prison following her sentencing at Manchester Crown Court last year. Her legal team has made an application to Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to review the case, and a group of doctors and politicians held a press conference supporting her supporter’s claim that a miscarriage of justice has occurred.

These doctors and politicians claim that the medical evidence used to convict her was faulty or presented poorly. The expert analysis concluded that the infant deaths were due to natural causes, or errors in medical care provided by the overstretched neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Despite the convictions, Letby still has supporters amongst the general public too. They filled the public gallery during her trial and protested outside, wearing yellow butterfly badges to match one seen in a photo of Letby in scrubs.

Letby, who pleaded not guilty, has never confessed to the suspected killings. Here are the people supporting Letby’s case:. Canadian doctor Shoo Lee, a retired pediatrician, convened the international panel of 14 experts to re-examine the 35,000 pages of medical evidence against Letby. The panel was independent from Letby’s legal team, and promised to publish its results regardless of its finding.

Dr Lee’s 1989 paper, Pulmonary Vascular Air Embolism in the Newborn, was used by infant abuse expert Dr Dewi Evans to support his air embolism theory as part of the prosecution to convict Letby. Letby was convicted of killing the infants by injecting air into their veins or stomachs, or by spiking nutrient bags with insulin. Speaking at the panel today, Dr Lee said: “The notion that these babies can be diagnosed with air embolisms because they collapsed and had these skin discolorations has no evidence in fact.”.

Conservative MP Sir David Davis, who chaired the expert panel for Letby’s legal team, described the situation as "one of the major injustices of modern times". Sir Davis has previously used his speeches in the House of Commons to call for a retrial, claiming “there was no hard evidence against Letby” and the case against her was “based on a coincidence she was on shift for a number of deaths”.

He has called attention to what he describes as “a poor understanding of probabilities” in the data presented at the trial. Sir Davis has said he had previously been convinced by the “tabloid narrative” that Letby was guilty. But he changed his mind after corresponding with doctors and academics. He has also spoken of his conviction in Letby’s innocence in TV interviews. In October last year, Sir Davis said he was “90 odd per cent sure” that the former nurse is innocent.

Dr Hammond was in attendance at the press conference, where he described the evidence presented as “one of the most damning reviews of a neonatal unit I have ever witnessed”. “My view on Letby is very simple. Nurse murderers do happen but they’re very rare. Doctors’ mistakes are far more common,” Dr Hammond posted on X. “So before Letby was convicted of murder after so many unexpected neonatal collapses, there needed to be a robust analysis of whether doctors had made mistakes in the management of the babies, and whether doctors had made mistakes in their analysis of why the babies had collapsed,” he added. “This did not happen at the original trial, but I’m glad it is happening now.”.

Human rights barrister Mark McDonald is Letby’s new legal representation. He took over from her former counsel, Benjamin Myers KC, when Letby replaced her legal team in September 2024. “I knew almost from the start, following this trial, that there is a strong case that she is innocent,” McDonald said when he took on the role. “The fact is, juries get it wrong. And yes, so do the Court of Appeal, history teaches us that.”.