Letby victim Baby O 'had liver lacerated' in medical blunder, expert claims - after witness 'changed mind' on three deaths
16 December 2024, 16:33
One of Lucy Letby's victims, known only 'Baby O', had its 'liver lacerated by a doctor' an expert has claimed - as the killer nurse's lawyers prepared to mount an appeal against her conviction.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The former nurse is serving a rare whole-life sentence for murdering seven babies and trying to kill seven others while working as a neo-natal nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
She was convicted in August 2023 and was refused permission to appeal against the convictions in May 2024.
Speaking on Monday, Letby's legal team, led by barrister Mark McDonald, confirmed they are set to ask the Court of Appeal to immediately review all of the nurse's convictions.
The team cited new evidence - including from an expert witness who "has now changed his mind" in relation to three other baby deaths - "Baby C, Baby I and Baby P."
Additional grounds for appeal came from Dr Richard Taylor, a neonatologist from Victoria, British Columbia, who explained that the full report into Baby O's death left him "disturbed".
The neonatal doctor explained the full report into the baby's death revealed medics were trying to release a build up of gas in the baby's abdomen, known as apnoea, when they inserted a needle into the right side instead of the left.
The high pressure from the gas buildup saw the baby's liver pushed down towards its hips, with the doctor ultimately "lacerating the liver by mistake" due to the organ's movement, the expert claimed.
As part of the press conference held on Monday, Letby's team took aim at the doctor in question, suggesting they must be "unable to sleep at night" following the nurse's conviction.
LBC has reached out to the Countess of Chester Hospital for comment.
Read more: Killer nurse Lucy Letby questioned from prison over deaths of more babies at two hospitals
Read more: Doctor at Lucy Letby hospital warned of 'Harold Shipman situation' in 2016, inquiry hears
Medical expert Dr Taylor explained the report revealed the child was "doing reasonably well" before the apnoea, which then saw medical staff at the hospital place the baby in an incubator and onto a ventilator.
"The baby was not unwell, particularly" but was put on "very high-pressure settings" where the ventilator was concerned - levels the doctor described as "inappropriate".
He added the pressure settings "were so high that the liver was pushed right down into the pelvis", Dr Taylor said.
The doctors then "placed a needle into the abdomen" to aspirate it on the right side.
"The needle perforated the liver. The baby was still being ventilated with the needle in the liver. The liver was now being lacerated by the needle. This led to bleeding... into the abdomen.
"The baby went into shock," Dr Taylor claimed.
"They were unable to resuscitate the baby, partly because they didn't realise what they'd done."
He added: "The doctor knows who they are. I have to say from a personal point of view that if this had happened to me, I would be unable to sleep at night knowing that what I had done had led to the death of a baby and now there is a nurse in jail convicted of murder."
Speaking at a press conference in London on Monday, barrister Mark McDonald explained the grounds for an appeal.
Mr McDonald said: "The primary grounds of appeal at the previous hearings related to the admissibility before the jury of the evidence of the lead prosecution expert Dr Dewi Evans.
"The defence argued twice at trial that Dr Evans' evidence should be disregarded. This was refused by the trial judge.
"It was then later argued in the Court of Appeal, and was refused in the court of appeal," he continued.
"Remarkably, Dr Evans has now changed his mind on the cause of death of three of the babies: Baby C, Baby I and Baby P."
