Parents of babies attacked by Letby ‘kept in the dark’, inquiry told

Parents of babies attacked by Lucy Letby were not told their children had suffered life-threatening collapses until they were contacted by the police years later, an inquiry has heard.

The parents of one newborn boy said it was “disgusting” they were “kept in the dark” by staff at the Countess of Chester hospital after their son’s health suffered a serious deterioration in June 2016.

The boy’s mother said they only learned about this incident six years later – in late 2022 – when police told the parents that Letby had attempted to kill the infant on the night shift.

Letby, 34, was found guilty of attempting to murder the boy, who can be named only as Child N, in the early hours of 3 June 2016 but a jury was unable to reach verdicts on two further counts of attempted murder.

The former neonatal nurse was sentenced to 15 whole-life orders after being convicted of murdering seven babies and trying to kill another seven. She maintains her innocence.

The Thirlwall inquiry into the killings was told on Tuesday that Child N’s blood oxygen levels had plummeted in the early hours of 3 June, prompting doctors to respond to a “crash call” to revive him.

The days-old infant made a relatively swift recovery but Child N’s mother said she had “no idea there had been an issue” with her son that morning until six years later, a month before the criminal trial began in October 2022.

She added: “I was not aware of anything significant or sinister that had occurred prior to 15 June. We were essentially kept in the dark about this.”

In a statement read by the family’s barrister, Peter Skelton KC, Child N’s father said: “We did not know that Child N had had problems overnight on 3 June. I find this disgusting. As parents we have an absolute right to know what was happening to and with our son.”

The boy’s mother said hospital executives were “complicit” in the harm because they had failed to launch a “thorough or prompt” investigation when concerns were first raised about Letby.

She added: “They shouldn’t be able to continue in their roles and should face criminal action.”

The father of twin boys attacked by Letby also told the Thirlwall inquiry on Tuesday that no one from the hospital told them that there was anything unusual or suspicious about their sons’ sudden deterioration in April 2016.

He said the family only learned there was anything untoward in 2019, when they were contacted by police.

One of the consultants told detectives in 2019 that he recalled seeing “very unusual … patches of pink flitting” on Child M’s abdomen after an incident in which Letby was later convicted of injecting the baby with air.

But Child M’s father said on Tuesday they were not told about these “blotches” at the time, nor did they know their son was at one stage being treated for the serious intestinal condition necrotising enterocolitis (NEC).

The inquiry was also told that the mother of Child L had made a formal NHS complaint about one of Letby’s colleagues for discussing her son’s case with the nurse using Facebook Messenger and text message.

She said the doctor, who can be named only as Dr U, showed a “disregard for and blatant breaches of patient confidentiality”.

The mother said she lodged the complaint last year with PALS, the NHS patient and liaison service, at the hospital where the doctor now works. She has yet to be told of any outcome, the inquiry heard.