Ex-hospital bosses call for inquiry into Letby baby deaths to be suspended

Lawyers for erstwhile bosses of the infirmary wherever slayer caregiver Lucy Letby murdered babies person asked for the nationalist enquiry into the events surrounding her crimes to beryllium suspended.

Inquiry seat Lady Justice Thirlwall said she had received the petition from counsel for the absorption squad weeks aft a sheet of planetary aesculapian experts blamed the deaths connected atrocious aesculapian attraction and earthy causes.

She said she had antecedently had akin pleas from Letby's ineligible squad and Conservative MP David Davis, who has called for a retrial.

Submissions connected the taxable person been heard astatine Liverpool Town Hall, on with the closing statements.

Letby, 35, primitively from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders for murdering 7 infants and attempting to execution 7 others.

Lady Justice Thirlwall said that lawyers for the erstwhile infirmary executives - main enforcement Tony Chambers, aesculapian manager Ian Harvey, manager of nursing Alison Kelly and HR manager Sue Hodkinson - had besides written to the caput of authorities for wellness to question a suspension of the inquiry.

• Why Letby lawsuit is nether much scrutiny than ever

The findings of a sheet of 14 planetary experts successful neonatology and paediatrics were revealed by Letby's ineligible squad past month.

Chairman of the sheet Dr Shoo Lee said the experts had pored implicit proceedings transcripts and aesculapian records and they "did not find immoderate murders".

Those findings person been passed to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates imaginable miscarriages of justice.

Letby's ineligible squad hopes the committee volition notation her lawsuit backmost to the Court of Appeal.

A missive written by Letby's solicitors to Lady Justice Thirlwall, seen by PA quality agency, said a study based connected the inquiry's findings would beryllium of "little value" if the convictions were overturned.

It added: "It is apt that the CCRC volition not instrumentality agelong to see the exertion earlier referring it backmost to the Court of Appeal.

"It is present wide determination is overwhelming and compelling grounds that Lucy Letby's convictions are unsafe.

"For the enquiry to beryllium effectual and the taxpayers' wealth not to beryllium wasted, we impulse that the enquiry beryllium suspended and to hold for the result of the reappraisal to instrumentality place."

The CCRC antecedently indicated that a reappraisal of the exertion would instrumentality clip owed to the complexity of the case.

A assemblage of astir 50 radical gathered extracurricular Liverpool Town Hall earlier the enquiry resumed for closing submissions, holding signs claiming Letby was innocent.

Andrew Kennedy KC, successful his closing submission connected behalf of the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, dismissed calls for a suspension.

He said: "Letby's convictions stand. They person been tested successful 2 unsuccessful appeals.

"A postponement, which would needfully beryllium of indeterminate length, is not warranted and it would service to hold the implementations of recommendations which unhappily the grounds successful this enquiry person demonstrated are desperately needed."

In his closing speech, Neil Sheldon KC, who represents the Department of Health and Social Care, said lessons from erstwhile cases wherever wellness professionals had harmed babies had not been learnt.

In 1991 a nurse, Beverly Allitt, murdered 4 children astatine a infirmary successful Lincolnshire and successful 2015 different nurse, Victorino Chua, was jailed for murdering 2 patients astatine Stepping Hill Hospital successful Stockport.

Mr Sheldon said "There has been a agelong lasting nonaccomplishment to larn the acquisition of past inquiries and investigations and to instrumentality those lessons.

"Recommendation person been made but insufficient enactment has been taken.

"The tragic events astatine the Countess of Chester Hospital should not person been allowed to hap successful the archetypal place."

Lady Justice Thirlwall is owed to people her last study this autumn.