LONDON — Lucy Letby, a former nursing professional in the UK, has been denied the opportunity to appeal her conviction concerning the attempted murder of an infant under her care.
At 34 years of age, Letby is currently serving several life terms without the option of parole after being found guilty of killing seven newborns and attempting to murder another seven during her tenure as a neonatal nurse at Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.

Letby’s legal representative contended that her retrial in July regarding the attempted murder of an infant referred to as Child K should not have proceeded due to the “overwhelming and irremediable prejudice” influenced by extensive media coverage surrounding her earlier trial in 2023.
This retrial was necessitated when jurors at Manchester Crown Court could not arrive at a conclusive verdict on the charges related to Child K.

Throughout the proceedings, Letby claimed her innocence, asserting that she never caused harm to any child. She monitored the court hearing via video call from prison and exhibited no visible reaction when her appeal was rejected.
A similar ruling was issued in May concerning her previous attempts to appeal her earlier convictions.

This recent decision arrives alongside an ongoing inquiry into the hospital’s failure to effectively recognize the alarming number of fatalities within the neonatal ward and to take action against Letby sooner.