No evidence Lucy Letby was framed

By: Sam Doak
August 30 2023

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Context

On August 21, Lucy Letby, a former nurse at England’s Countess of Chester Hospital, was convicted of murder. Letby, who was found guilty of six counts of attempted murder and seven of murder, gained widespread attention nationwide primarily because her victims were babies under the care of the hospital at which she was formerly employed. 

Despite the highly public nature of Letby’s trial, a vocal minority online has attempted to circulate conspiratorial narratives concerning her arrest. In this vein, one prominent U.K.-based conspiracy theorist commented, “Is it possible that nurse Lucy Letby is innocent? This criminal lawyer thinks so. Could the whole thing be a cover-up? Or a set-up? Could there be links to organ-harvesting? Some people think so. Perhaps police should investigate the Trust's bank accounts around the time of those poor babies' deaths.”

This line of thinking that Letby was framed to cover up organ harvesting has gained some traction amongst some social media users, despite the fact that both the media and law enforcement have well-documented the events leading up to Letby’s conviction.

In fact

There is no evidence that suggests Countess of Chester Hospital, its staff, or the NHS trust responsible for running the facility have engaged in organ trafficking. Nor is there any available evidence that suggests Lucy Letby is the victim of a miscarriage of justice. 

The events that led to Letby’s arrest and conviction have been well documented. According to Sky News and other outlets, Cheshire constabulary was contacted by staff at Countess of Chester Hospital with concerns relating to unusual spikes in unexplained deaths, who informed police that these events coincided with the presence of Letby. Further investigations of staffing data showed that Letby’s presence coincided with a high number of these unexplained deaths. 

After Letby was identified as a suspect, a search of her home was completed. This revealed evidence, including notes in which Letby wrote, among other things, "I AM EVIL I DID THIS," and "I killed them on purpose because I'm not good enough." Further investigations revealed that Letby frequented Facebook pages associated with the family members of her victims. 

Ultimately, the court determined that the available evidence was sufficient to find Letby guilty of seven counts of murder and six of attempted murder. In his sentencing remarks, Mr Justice Goss addressed Letby, who chose not to be present in the courtroom, stating, “The methods you employed to carry out your murderous intent were only revealed by the later detailed investigation into the events of and surrounding the collapses and deaths of the babies which commenced in 2018. There was pre-meditation, calculation, and cunning in your actions.”

A summary of the evidence relied upon to secure Letby’s conviction can be found on the Crown Prosecution Service’s website. Such materials included medical records, text messages, social media activity, notes, and diaries. 

The verdict

No evidence has come to light that suggests Lucy Letby is innocent or was framed. The investigation and available evidence upon which her convictions are based have been well documented. This claim has, therefore, been marked as false.