PM: Letby murders one of the 'most horrific crimes in our history'
Rishi Sunak says Lucy Letby committed one of the ‘most despicable, horrific crimes in our history’ as he bows to pressure and says a judge WILL run an inquiry into how neonatal nurse was able to kill seven babies
- It comes after days of demands for the probe to be beefed up
Rishi Sunak today said child-killer Lucy Letby had committed ‘one of the most despicable, horrific crimes in our history’ as he bowed to pressure to toughen up the probe into how she was able to kill seven babies.
The Prime Minister said it was important that a judge led the inquiry into the neonatal nurse’s serial murders at the hospital when she worked.
It comes after days of demands for the probe to be beefed up with powers to compel witnesses to give evidence. Ministers had initially resisted this, arguing it would mean that it would take too long.
But victims’ families joined politicians and medical experts in pushing for a more far-reaching exploration of how management at the Countess of Chester Hospital missed repeated attempts to catch her.
Speaking to broadcasters this morning Mr Sunak said: ‘This was one of the most despicable, horrific crimes in our history, and it is really important that we get answer, particularly for the families of the victims…
‘The Health Secretary (Steve Barclay) is taking that work forward, speaking to them and making sure we understand what they need and want and how best we can address that
‘Whatever form the inquiry takes, I believe it is important it is judge-led, that it has a strong, independent voice to get to the bottom of what happened.’
Letby, 33, was sentenced to a whole-life term on Monday for the murder of seven babies and the attempted murders of six more.
The Prime Minister said it was important that a judge led the inquiry into the neonatal nurse’s serial murders at the hospital when she worked.
Letby, 33, was sentenced to a whole-life term on Monday for the murder of seven babies and the attempted murders of six more.
Dr Susan Gilby, who took over as the Countess of Chester Hospital’s medical director a month after Letby was arrested in 2018, last night said victims’ families were treated in an ‘appalling’ way by executives.
Senior doctors at the hospital, where the nurse carried out her year-long killing spree on the neonatal unit, raised concerns for months before she was finally taken off frontline duties.
Dr Gilby told Sky News there was ‘certainly a possibility’ that management failures to deal with complaints led to lives being needlessly lost.
She added: ‘But it needs to be an external and objective review, looking at all the evidence, and giving people the right of reply to that evidence, that will come to that conclusion, and not for individuals such as myself.
‘From a personal point of view, and obviously speaking more as a mother than a doctor or a senior leader in the NHS, it’s my greatest fear and I think it’s more likely than not that that will turn out to be the case.
‘I sincerely hope that it isn’t.’
The hospital saw a significant rise in the number of babies suffering serious and unexpected collapses in 2015 and 2016.
Letby’s presence when collapses took place was first mentioned to senior management by the unit’s head consultant in late June 2015.
Concerns among some consultants about Letby increased and were voiced to hospital bosses when more unexplained and unusual collapses followed, her trial at Manchester Crown Court heard.
But Letby was not removed from the unit until after the deaths of two triplet boys and the collapse of another baby boy on three successive days in June 2016.
She was confined to clerical work but registered a grievance procedure, which was resolved in her favour, and was due to return to the unit in March 2017.
The move did not take place as soon after police were contacted by the hospital trust.
Parents of babies have claimed they received a ‘total fob off’ from hospital medical director Ian Harvey after raising concerns, a lawyer representing them said.
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