MP claims Lucy Letby lawyer denied access to evidence

Lucy Letby
-Credit:PA Media


A lawyer for convicted child serial killer Lucy Letby is being denied access to evidence, an MP has claimed. Conservative former minister Sir David Davis used justice questions to raise concerns on behalf of Letby’s legal team, who are seeking to reopen her case.

Letby, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016.

Her legal team last month said they would make a fresh bid to challenge her convictions on the grounds that the lead prosecution medical expert at her trial was “not reliable”.

ADVERTISEMENT

READ MORE: 'Mowgli' gang member admits drug plot as police warn 'we're watching you'

READ MORE: Boy, 3, hit by taxi outside school 'could have been killed'

Barrister Mark McDonald said he would seek permission from the Court of Appeal to take the “exceptional but necessary decision” to apply to reopen her case.

Retired consultant paediatrician Dr Dewi Evans responded by saying concerns regarding his evidence were “unsubstantiated, unfounded, inaccurate”.

Sir David, the MP for Goole and Pocklington, wants a retrial for Letby and said he believes it will “clear” the former nurse. He told the Commons: “Can the Secretary of State explain to the House under what circumstances are the police and Crown Prosecution Service allowed to deny access to evidence after a trial has concluded to a defence lawyer seeking to appeal, as has happened in the Lucy Letby case and I believe in others?”

ADVERTISEMENT

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood replied: “He will appreciate as the Justice Secretary I am not able to interfere in any independent decisions made by the police or the Crown Prosecution Service.

“But he has made his point and I will ensure it is dealt with by the appropriate individuals – either the Home Secretary or the head of the CPS.”