Like most people, when I first heard about Lucy Letby’s conviction, I had no doubt that justice had been served. The idea of a neonatal nurse deliberately harming babies is horrifying beyond words, and her whole-life sentence seemed to reflect the gravity of the crimes she was found guilty of.

But now, after reading the recent Private Eye report on the case, I find myself unsettled. I am not a legal expert, nor do I claim to know whether she is guilty or innocent but I can’t ignore the serious questions being raised. What if the case against her wasn’t as clear-cut as we were led to believe? Could she have suffered one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history?

Lingering Doubts

The prosecution’s case against Letby was largely built on circumstantial evidence. There was no CCTV footage, no eyewitness testimony of wrongdoing, and, crucially, no forensic proof that she deliberately harmed any babies. The case instead relied on medical experts who concluded that the deaths and collapses were unnatural and must have been caused by foul play.

That conclusion is now being questioned. Private Eye points to alternative explanations for some of the deaths, underlying health conditions, possible medical negligence, and even hospital management failures. The report also suggests that once Letby became a suspect, other possibilities were disregarded. That’s a deeply troubling thought.

The Role of the Hospital and the Evidence Gaps

One of the most unsettling aspects of the case is the role of hospital management. Before any criminal allegations were made, the hospital was already under scrutiny for a rise in baby deaths. Could it be that Letby became a convenient scapegoat?

Then there are the specific pieces of evidence that don’t quite sit right:

In cases where babies were allegedly poisoned with insulin, there was no direct evidence linking Letby to administering it, no witnesses, no syringe, nothing.

The infamous notes in which she wrote phrases like “I am evil, I did this” were presented as a confession but could they instead be the words of a devastated woman who had been accused of something unthinkable?

The trial lasted ten months, the jury deliberated for weeks, and yet even they could not reach verdicts on many of the charges.

Could This Be Another Wrongful Conviction?

The UK has seen wrongful convictions in medical cases before. Sally Clark, Angela Cannings, and Trupti Patel were all accused of murdering children based on flawed expert testimony and were completely exonerated. If we have made mistakes like this in the past, we have to at least consider the possibility that it could happen again.

To be clear, I am not saying I know Lucy Letby is innocent. I don’t know. But after reading Private Eye, I cannot shake the feeling that there are too many unanswered questions. If there’s even the slightest chance that justice has gone wrong here, then surely the case needs to be reviewed as a matter of urgency.

After all, the only thing worse than a guilty person walking free is an innocent person being locked away forever.