Letby has request rejected to appeal murder sentence
An appeal by former nurse Lucy Letby to have her murder conviction overturned has been thrown out.
Last August, 34-year-old Letby was handed a whole-life prison sentence for the murder of seven babies, and attempted murder of six others, which she carried out while working as a neonatal nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in 2015 and 2016.
“An application by Lucy Letby to appeal against her convictions has been refused by a judge”
Court of Appeal spokesperson
Shortly after the conviction and sentencing, Letby – who has maintained her innocence throughout – submitted a request to appeal her convictions.
This week, a Court of Appeal spokesperson revealed that Letby’s application for an appeal had been rejected.
She now has 14 days to issue a new appeal request, if she wishes, which must be made on a claim of an error of law during her trial.
A Court of Appeal spokesperson said: “An application by Lucy Letby to appeal against her convictions has been refused by a judge who considered the case papers.
“There are now 14 days for her to renew her application, in which case there would be a hearing before a full court of three judges to decide whether leave to appeal should be granted.
“Any renewal outside the 14-day time limit will require an application for an extension of time.”
Letby’s life order, a sentence reserved for the most serious crimes, means she will spend the rest of her life behind bars.
She was given this sentence at Manchester Crown Court in August 2023, after a lengthy jury trial.
The case sent shockwaves through the profession, and a public inquiry into her crimes and how they were allowed to happen is taking place.
This inquiry is in its early stages, having launched its terms of reference in October.
In December, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) struck Letby off its professional register during a fitness-to-practise hearing.
There, a statement from Letby was read out which revealed that she still refuted all of the accusations against her.
The statement read: “I accept the fact of the convictions. However, I do not accept I am guilty of any of the allegations.
“I maintain my innocence in respect of all the convictions. They are now the subject of an appeal.”
The NMC’s panel decided that a failure to strike Letby off would “provoke a crisis of public confidence” in nursing, and agreed to permanently remove her from the register.
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