‘Strong reasonable doubt’ over Lucy Letby insulin convictions, experts say (Josh Halliday, the Guardian)

Execerpts:

Prof Geoff Chase, one of the world’s foremost experts on the effect of insulin on pre-term babies, told the Guardian it was “very unlikely” anyone had administered potentially lethal doses to two of the infants.

The prosecution told jurors at Letby’s trial there could be “no doubt that these were poisonings” and that “these were no accidents” based on the babies’ blood sugar results.

However, a detailed analysis of the infants’ medical records by leading international experts in neonatology and bioengineering has concluded that the data presented to the jury was “inconsistent” with poisoning.

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The two insulin charges are highly significant as they were presented as the strongest evidence of someone deliberately harming babies, as it was based on blood tests.

Letby’s defence barrister Benjamin Myers KC told jurors he “cannot say what has happened” to the two babies and could not dispute the blood test results, as the samples had been disposed of.

In a highly significant moment during her evidence, Letby accepted the assertion that someone must have deliberately poisoned the babies, but that it was not her. Experts now working for her defence say she was not qualified to give such an opinion and that it should not have been regarded as a key admission.

The trial judge, Mr Justice Goss KC, told jurors that if they were sure that the babies were harmed on the unit – which Letby appeared to accept – then they could use that belief to inform their decision on other charges against the former nurse.