Doctor tells Letby the number of baby deaths in June 2015 was ‘unusual’

A senior doctor has told a public inquiry he believed someone might harm babies after he was told nurse Lucy Letby was on duty in June 2015 over three infant deaths.

The child serial killer went on to murder four more babies in the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital before being transferred to administrative duties in July 2016 after consultants raised concerns about Letby to executives.

Giving evidence to the Thirlwall inquiry into the events surrounding Letby’s crimes, neonatal clinical lead consultant Dr. Stephen Brearey said the June 2015 deaths were “unusual” as they amounted to the normal annual death rate.

When told at a meeting on July 2 by the unit’s nursing manager that Letby was identified as the only staff member present on each occasion, he said his first reaction was, ‘Oh no, not Lucy. Not nice Lucie.”

Dr. Brearey told the inquiry: “It was a spontaneous comment when her name came out. It didn’t necessarily mean anything.

“I believed that the entire nursing team we worked with were good people, so honestly, I probably would have told that to all the nursing staff.”

He said that at the time he investigated the deaths he did not believe Letby’s presence was “overly concerning” because it was a small ward and nurses could condense their shifts, and that clusters of deaths would not necessarily be spread across an entire country. year.

Counsel to the inquiry Rachel Langdale KC asked: “Why ‘oh no, not nice Lucy’? What was the meaning of the ‘oh no’, what connection was made in your head?”

Dr. Brearey said: “Obviously part of my mind was thinking the worst.”

Mrs Langdale said: “Where were your thoughts going?”

Dr. Brearey said: “The concern that someone would harm babies.”

Asked whether he was aware of Letby’s attack on fellow child murderer Beverley Allitt, the doctor said: “I remember discussing it with colleagues because I think historically we were all aware of the case.

“It was there and could be why I said ‘not nice Lucy’. But there is one thing you have to be aware of historically, and another thing you have to consider that it could happen on your unit.”

Dr. Brearey said the death of a girl, Child I, in October 2014 was a “major moment that significantly increased my concern.”

The doctor said the youngster’s death following a series of collapses following her return to the Countess after periods of stabilization when she was transferred to another hospital had “raised a few alarm bells”.

Ms Langdale said: “By the time of Child I did you think there might have been deliberate damage done here?”

Dr. Brearey said: “Yes, there was significant concern at that stage.”

Ms Langdale said: “And even before that, at the meeting in July, when you said ‘oh no’, was there a causal link made that someone could do this in bad faith?”

“Yes,” said Dr. Brearey.

Ms Langdale said: “Why is it that if you thought someone in bad faith could kill babies or harm them, you wouldn’t make the connection with deterioration, or with what we now know to be attempted murder, to think about what causes them?”

Dr. Brearey said: “I accept that it was not on my mind and it is clearly something I have thought about and it should have been.

“It’s probably because of the workload I had to do this at the time. Most assessments were done outside office hours.

“Dealing with deaths independently was, in addition to my other tasks, a considerable workload. On reflection, I feel like there were a lot of clues and incidents, in terms of the morbidity side of things, that could have led us to the conclusion earlier that something was wrong.

Dr. Brearey said he was “extremely concerned” after Child O’s death in June 2016, when he noticed an “unusual” rash that he thought was similar to a previous rash in 2015.

At the beginning of his testimony, Dr. Brearey apologized to parents of babies Letby attacked and to parents “involved in the ongoing police investigation.”

He said, ‘I’m sorry for my part in not being able to protect your babies. All I can say is that I did my best, and I recognize that sometimes my best wasn’t enough.

“I hope you all get the truth and justice you deserve.”

Dr. Brearey acknowledged that the failure to record and appreciate the results of blood tests in August 2015 and April 2016, which showed abnormally high insulin levels in two baby boys – whom Letby poisoned – was a “collective failure” of the consultants, along with the laboratories in Chester and Canada. Liverpool and “the system in general”.

Letby, 34, from Hereford, is serving 15 life sentences after being convicted at Manchester Crown Court between June 2015 and June 2016 of the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of seven others, with two attempts against one of her victims .

The study, which will take place at Liverpool Town Hall, is expected to last until early 2025, with the findings due to be published by the end of autumn that year.