Lucy Letby: What happens next with inquiry, prison and police review

Lucy Letby has been jailed for life for murdering 7 babies and attempting to termination six more.

Yet galore unanswered questions situation the lawsuit of the worst kid serial slayer successful modern British past - including whether determination could beryllium a retrial, an appeal, a civilian lawsuit against infirmary bosses oregon caller allegations stemming from a constabulary review.

We look astatine what happens adjacent successful a lawsuit that could person profound effects connected the British wellness and justness systems.

Letby has been successful custody since November 2020.

On Monday, she was sentenced to a "whole beingness order" meaning she volition dice successful prison. She is lone the 4th pistillate transgression successful British past to person nary anticipation of parole.

It has not been confirmed what situation she volition beryllium sent to, but determination is speculation it volition beryllium HMP Low Newton successful Co Durham.

Tom Nicholson, a transgression barrister, told the BBC that Letby would beryllium held successful 1 of the UK's highest information class prisons.

"A full beingness word is for those prisoners whose flight would beryllium highly unsafe to the public," helium said.

"That means maximum information conditions, and circumstantial conditions that volition use successful bid to minimise the chances of them escaping.

"It means visiting restrictions, and restrictions connected however they run successful prison."

He said that the situation politician would besides person to see what hazard the captive had of being subjected to harm by different inmates.

An autarkic enquiry into the circumstances surrounding the Letby lawsuit was announced by the authorities soon aft she was recovered blameworthy connected 18 August.

Doctors who worked with her claimed their concerns were ignored by elder managers and said they were told to apologise for singling her out.

The Department of Health said the enquiry aims to supply answers to the victims' parents, look astatine however clinicians' concerns were handled and guarantee lessons are learnt.

At this point, the enquiry does not person statutory powers. This means those successful complaint cannot compel witnesses to be oregon to supply evidence.

However, the authorities is coming nether expanding unit to alteration this.

Health curate Helen Whately said the determination not to assistance statutory powers meant the enquiry could beryllium conducted "at pace".

However, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has since said the enactment "is connected the table" and "can beryllium discussed".

Slater and Gordon, the instrumentality steadfast representing 2 of the families of babies attacked by Letby, said a non-statutory enquiry was "not bully enough".

Meanwhile, Dr Dewi Evans, the prosecution's pb aesculapian expert, said infirmary executives who failed to act should beryllium investigated by police. The infirmary spot said it would invited an autarkic inquiry.

No presumption of notation person been decided for the enquiry and a president oregon chairwoman is yet to beryllium appointed.

Tamlin Bolton, a solicitor who represents the parents of 7 of the victims, told the BBC that the proceedings "by nary means delivers the answers to the further questions radical person present astir what happened astatine the trust".

Ms Bolton said she expected civilian claims, which volition look "at the trust, for failing to enactment erstwhile they could person done, for acting connected the reports of the paediatricians and the objective staff, and if they failed successful their work to safeguard their patients".

She said determination was a acceptable statutory magnitude of astir £13,000 for bereavement damages, arsenic set retired in the legislation.

"What comes with that are different damages that bespeak symptom and suffering of the family, intelligence distress, and immoderate smaller losses," Ms Bolton added.

Questions stay astir whether Letby could person harmed much babies successful her care.

Detectives are reviewing much than 4,000 admissions of babies into neonatal units astatine 2 hospitals wherever Letby worked - Countess of Chester and Liverpool Women's Hospital.

"We would beryllium foolish if we were to deliberation we person gathered each cases that Lucy Letby could person touched successful 1 go," Cheshire Constabulary's Det Supt Paul Hughes said.

"This does not mean we are investigating each 4,000," helium added, but constabulary privation to guarantee "nothing is missed" from the entirety of her employment arsenic a nurse.

Cheshire Constabulary stressed that lone cases highlighted arsenic medically concerning would beryllium further investigated.

The assemblage successful Letby's execution proceedings could not scope verdicts connected six counts of attempted murder. The prosecution has until 15 September to determine whether to use to retry these charges.

Should a retrial beryllium ordered, it could further complicate the timelines of some the caller constabulary reappraisal and the autarkic inquiry.

A caller day would request to beryllium set, a caller assemblage would request to beryllium found, and the parents of victims would past look a rerun of the ordeal they person already suffered.

Lebty refused to look for sentencing and was not contiguous erstwhile the effects of her crimes were work retired successful unfortunate interaction statements.

Victims' loved ones described her actions arsenic "one last enactment of wickedness".

The 33-year-old's lawsuit is the latest successful a bid of high-profile trials wherever convicted murderers person refused to crook up for sentencing, including the killers of Zara Aleena successful London and nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel successful Liverpool.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Letby's refusal was "cowardly" and his authorities was "looking astatine changing the law to marque sure" criminals "face their victims and perceive archetypal manus the interaction that their crimes".

However, specified a caller instrumentality faces important hurdles.

Mr Justice Goss, Letby's proceedings judge, said the tribunal had nary powerfulness to unit a suspect to be a sentencing hearing.

While situation officers are capable to usage "reasonable" unit to instrumentality a suspect to court, specified actions are themselves risky and could pb to ineligible action.

Any caller instrumentality would request to springiness situation officers greater extortion from prosecution.

Letby has the close to entreaty against her full beingness order. However, palmy appeals against the condemnation are precise rare.

They whitethorn besides beryllium reversed connected "exceptional compassionate grounds".

No entreaty connected these grounds has ever succeeded.

Many of the victims' families look life-long carnal and intelligence wellness concerns arsenic they effort to travel to presumption with what happened to their children.

There are large implications for surviving youngsters' aboriginal care, with immoderate parents expressing fears astir spot and protection.

Baby N's parent said that her lad is home-schooled "as we didn't privation anybody other looking aft him".

Letby near galore babies severely disabled with analyzable needs. Baby G, for example, is registered blind, has cerebral palsy and progressive scoliosis.

A recurring taxable from the unfortunate statements was the toll Letby's attacks person taken connected parents. Baby O and P's begetter said helium had suffered intelligence breakdowns and struggled with intoxicant and suicidal feelings.

Additional reporting by Malu Cursino, Harrison Jones and Oliver Slow.