CPS and police are facing MP’s call for a review over ‘serious professional failings’ in Lucy Letby probe
An influential Tory veteran is demanding a review of the ‘serious professional failings’ that led to Lucy Letby’s conviction.
Sir David Davis, who was elected as a Conservative MP in 1987, will write to the Director of Public Prosecutions asking him to conduct a review into the handling of Letby’s case.
Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday, Sir David described Letby’s conviction as a ‘miscarriage of justice’ and pointed to numerous ‘professional errors’ by both Cheshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
By failing to follow ‘all avenues of reasonable inquiry’ during the investigation, Sir David said Cheshire Police ‘did not follow the letter of the law or best professional practice’.
And he accused both Cheshire Police and the CPS of ignoring advice from a panel of independent experts to call witnesses for Letby’s case.
He said: ‘They failed to pursue alternative avenues of investigation.
‘They failed to refer the case to the appropriate specialist authorities.
‘They did not exercise due care in the appointment of key witnesses and experts.
Sir David Davis, who was elected as a Conservative MP in 1987, will write to the Director of Public Prosecutions and ask him to carry out a review into the handling of Lucy Letby’s case.
Lucy Letby, a nurse in the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester hospital, was convicted of multiple murders and attempted murder of babies in her care but always maintained her innocence.
‘They failed to engage actual experts on complex statistical evidence and failed to properly inform the jury about this fact.
‘They failed on several occasions to disclose critical material to the defence.
‘On the evidence before us, there are clear and serious departures from statutory guidance and numerous departures from best professional practice.’
Sir David also called on the police to provide ‘a number of documents’ relating to their investigation to Letby’s legal defence.
He added that he would also publish ‘the full list online’ of the information that needs to be shared, including senior investigating officers’ policy books and decision books, records of designated lines of inquiry, records kept by functional managers and minutes of all meetings held.
Letby, a nurse in the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester hospital, was convicted of multiple murders and the attempted murder of babies in her care but has always maintained her innocence.
His case is being reviewed by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) after judges rejected bids to appeal his convictions.
The former Brexit Secretary compared the Letby case to that of Sally Clark, who was found guilty of murdering her two young sons but whose conviction was overturned three years later.
The prosecution relied on flawed statistical evidence regarding the likelihood of two babies in a wealthy family dying from sudden infant death syndrome (Sids).
Sir David said: ‘Despite the warning signs of the Sally Clark case, we see Cheshire Police either ignoring or flouting the rules by repeatedly ignoring the relevant measures.
Responding, police minister Sarah Jones said MPs needed to be “very careful to avoid any suggestion of impropriety that has not actually been detected”.
‘An appropriate process took place, which included an independent assessment by the CPS, a trial by a jury and two appeals which resulted in the conviction and imprisonment of Lucy Letby,’ he added.
