Lucy Letby Case: Child Serial Killer Loses First Attempt To Appeal Convictions for Killing 7 Newborn Babies, Trying To Slain 6 Others

The Court of Appeal has dismissed the application for appeal filed by Lucy Letby, the former nurse convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others.The judicial spokesperson confirmed that a judge has refused Letby's plea to contest her convictions.

In a shocking case that sent shockwaves through the medical community, Letby, originally from Hereford, received 14 whole life orders with no chance of parole for her heinous crimes committed at the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester hospital between 2015 and 2016.

Lucy Letby's Appeal Denied

Nurse Found Guilty Of Murdering Seven Babies At Countess Of Chester Hospital — (Photo : Cheshire Constabulary via Getty Images)
CHESTER, ENGLAND - JULY 3: In this frame from a police body-camera video provided by Cheshire Constabulary, Lucy Letby is arrested on July 3, 2018 in Chester, England. Letby, a former nurse at Countess of Cheshire Hospital, was convicted on August 18, 2023 of murdering seven babies, and attempting to murder six more, in the hospital's neonatal ward between 2015 and 2016. She was found not guilty of two counts of attempted murder, while the jury did not reach verdicts on six further counts of attempted murder.

Letby's attempt to overturn her convictions came to a halt as the judge in the Court of Appeal rejected her application. The former nurse was also stripped of her nursing credentials by a panel, leading to her removal from the Nursing and Midwifery Council register in December.

Despite Letby's insistence on maintaining her innocence, the panel found her unfit to practice nursing. It is noteworthy that Letby can renew her application within 14 days at a full court hearing before two or three judges.

Following her conviction, Letby was transferred from Low Newton jail in County Durham to HMP Bronzefield. Recent reports suggest that she has been provided with a key to her own cell in the Category A prison, allowing her to secure privacy if she feels threatened.

This unusual arrangement, considered a reward for good behavior, has drawn attention to the privileges Letby enjoys in prison. Sources indicate that it resembles a hotel-like environment, though surrounded by fellow inmates, as per to Daily Mail.

Child Serial Killer Set for 'Baby K' Retrial

Letby has reportedly bonded with other high-profile inmates, including Michelle Smith, who murdered her own 42-day-old baby, and Shauna Hoare, involved in the killing of 16-year-old schoolgirl Becky Watts. The trio has been seen playing board games together and sharing meals, according to insider reports.

In September, it was announced that Letby would be retried for one count of attempted murder involving a newborn baby girl known as 'Baby K.' The decision to forgo retrials on the remaining five charges of attempted murder demonstrates a deliberate and strategic approach to the legal proceedings.

At the retrial declaration in Manchester Crown Court, Letby appeared via video link, while her parents were not present. The prosecution, led by Nick Johnson KC, announced that a retrial had been ordered in the case of 'Baby K,' who was born in February 2016.

Letby, who refused to come up from the cells during her initial sentencing, has consistently applied for leave to appeal her convictions. The retrial is set to take place in June, marking another chapter in this disturbing case that has captured public attention, BBC News reported.