More babies were harmed in Lucy Letby’s care, new evidence suggests

New grounds seen by the BBC suggests much babies successful Lucy Letby’s attraction were harmed – and successful 1 lawsuit poisoned with insulin.

The erstwhile caregiver was recovered blameworthy of murdering 7 babies and attempting to execution 7 others - including trying to termination 2 with insulin astatine the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal portion betwixt June 2015 and June 2016.

BBC One's Panorama has seen documents which suggest a 3rd babe whitethorn person besides been poisoned wrong hours of Letby taking implicit the boy’s care.

Medical records uncover the infant’s humor sweetener level plummeted and laboratory results indicated helium had suspiciously precocious levels of insulin.

Panorama has besides discovered that perchance life-threatening incidents involving infants occurred connected astir a 3rd of Letby’s 33 shifts portion she was grooming astatine Liverpool Women's Hospital successful 2012 and 2015.

The programme’s revelations travel months of disapproval of the prosecution’s lawsuit successful her archetypal trial. A fig of experts person challenged the aesculapian grounds utilized to convict Letby, arsenic good arsenic the mode statistic were enactment guardant successful court.

In August 2023, the 33-year-old was sentenced to beingness successful prison, with nary accidental of parole. Letby was past recovered blameworthy of attempting to execution a seventh babe astatine a 2nd proceedings successful July this year, and sentenced to a 15th whole-life situation term.

The caregiver has been refused permission to entreaty against the convictions from her archetypal trial.

Panorama has examined mounting questions from starring statisticians and aesculapian experts astir the information of her convictions.

But arsenic portion of the programme, caller grounds has besides emerged of different sick and premature babies perchance being harmed portion successful Letby’s care.

When the assemblage produces insulin naturally, it besides produces a substance called C-peptide. Typically, the level of C-peptide volition beryllium 5 to 10 times higher than the level of earthy insulin.

Letby’s archetypal proceedings heard humor tests from the 2 babies showed they had precocious levels of insulin and precise debased levels of C-peptide.

The prosecution argued the insulin indispensable person been fixed to them alternatively than people produced.

Letby’s lawyers did not judge the insulin grounds utilized successful court, but neither did they reason it was wrong. When she was cross-examined Letby herself accepted the 2 babies indispensable person been poisoned, but denied it was done by her.

The caller grounds seen by Panorama shows a humor trial from a 3rd babe being cared for by Letby successful November 2015 besides recorded precise precocious levels of insulin and debased levels of C-peptide.

Lab results indicated the insulin level was successful excess of 6,945 picomoles per litre - a precise precocious reading. Had the insulin been natural, the C-peptide level would person been betwixt 35,000 and 70,000, but the humor trial showed it was conscionable 220.

At the time, consultants connected the neonatal portion assumed the insulin indispensable beryllium natural. Tests aboriginal revealed the babe had congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) – a information wherever the assemblage people produces excessively overmuch insulin.

But 4 experts person told Panorama that CHI could not explicate specified an exceptionally precocious insulin speechmaking for the babe - partially due to the fact that of the debased C-peptide level, but besides due to the fact that a babe with CHI would ne'er nutrient that overmuch insulin.

Medical records seen by Panorama amusement however rapidly the lad became poorly aft Letby came connected duty. A humor trial taken astatine 06:56 showed the babe had a mean humor sweetener level of 3 millimoles per litre (mmol/L).

Letby started her displacement astatine 08:00, and by 13:54 his humor sweetener level had plummeted to 1 mmol/L – a dangerously debased level, and a beardown denotation the babe had excessively overmuch insulin.

The boy’s humor sweetener level remained debased passim the nurse’s displacement and helium lone recovered aft she went disconnected work astatine 20:00.

Letby’s caller lawyer, Mark McDonald, noted that the babe had a peculiar occupation with regulating his ain insulin. He besides disputed the assertion that the baby’s information could not explicate the highly precocious insulin levels recorded by the lab.

“It whitethorn beryllium said by 1 expert, but I person different experts that person a wholly contradictory view,” Mr McDonald said. “I'm moving nighttime and time connected this case. If I thought for a infinitesimal that [Lucy Letby] was guilty, I wouldn't beryllium doing this.”

Some experts person besides questioned the accuracy of the elemental trial utilized to measurement insulin successful each 3 of the cases, known arsenic the immunoassay method.

They constituent retired determination is another, much precise trial and that lone the much precocious trial tin definitively find levels of insulin successful the blood.

There are circumstances successful which the immunoassay method tin springiness flawed oregon misleading results, but the trial is wide utilized and is usually accurate.

Panorama has spoken to starring experts connected each sides of this debate. The programme recovered circumstances successful which interference mightiness hap are precise improbable successful the discourse of the babies successful the Letby case. It is adjacent much improbable that 3 laboratory tests conducted wrong months of each different would each beryllium wrong.

It’s a constituent that Letby’s lawyer, Mr McDonald, disputes: "It is accepted by each sides that there's an mistake standing [with the test], but it's the percent of the mistake standing that's not accepted."

Panorama has besides discovered that perchance life-threatening incidents occurred connected astir a 3rd of Letby’s 33 shifts portion grooming astatine Liverpool Women’s Hospital successful 2012 and 2015.

In 1 case, from November 2012, a babe lad collapsed and h2o was subsequently discovered successful his breathing conduit – a highly irregular occurrence. The objective notes corroborate that the caregiver looking aft him was Letby.

In addition, a retrospective investigation showed that babies’ breathing tubes became dislodged connected 40% of Letby’s shifts. The norm per caregiver per babe was 1%.

Cheshire Police is continuing to analyse different cases the unit believes the caregiver whitethorn person been progressive in, including the Liverpool incidents.

Mr McDonald plans to instrumentality Letby’s lawsuit to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to use for it to beryllium sent backmost to the Court of Appeal.

Reporter Judith Moritz, who has covered the lawsuit from the start, investigates the questions that person been raised astir Lucy Letby’s conviction.

Watch Lucy Letby: Unanswered Questions on BBC iPlayer, oregon connected BBC One connected Monday 21 October astatine 20:00 (20:30 successful Wales and Northern Ireland).