Letby baby deaths inquests to open next month

Inquests into the deaths of five babies killed by Lucy Letby are to open next month, a coroner's court has confirmed.

The former nurse was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016 and is serving 15 whole-life jail terms.

Cheshire Coroner's Court said inquests would be held on five babies who were murdered at the Countess of Chester Hospital and a further infant who died while Letby worked at Liverpool Women's Hospital would be opened on 4 February.

It comes after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed Letby would not face any new criminal charges over allegations of murder and attempted murder against nine children at the two hospitals.

A spokesman for the coroner's office said the update about the inquests was "completely coincidental" to the CPS announcement on Tuesday.

He said due to the complex nature of the various investigations involving the babies, the coroner's office has been in dialogue with the families for several months.

Reporting restrictions remain in place, which protect the identities of the babies and their families.

The coroner's court added: "Given the existing lifetime injunctions, the pre-inquest review hearing will be closed to members of the public including the press."

Cheshire Police had submitted evidence to the CPS after investigating other incidents going back to 2012, covering Letby's career and training in Liverpool.

The CPS said on Tuesday it had reviewed the file regarding further allegations against nine children but "the evidential test was not met in any of those cases".

Correction 17 February: An earlier version of this article stated that inquests into the deaths of six babies killed by Lucy Letby were to open on 4 February. It has been amended to state that this is five babies killed at the Countess of Chester Hospital. It has also been updated to make clear that a further inquest was expected to be opened for another baby who died while Letby worked at Liverpool Women's Hospital.

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