Lucy Letby: new medical experts' view of baby deaths

Observers have called for Lucy Letby to be released on bail after a panel of medical experts working with her defence team said they believe she did not commit the murders.

Letby, who is serving 15 whole life sentences for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others, has lost two bids to appeal against her convictions, but the report offers her fresh hope in her quest to clear her name.

Who are the experts?

The 14 senior clinicians were gathered from around the world, and they include British doctor Neena Modi, a former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

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The panel was assembled by Dr Shoo Lee, a retired doctor based at the University of Toronto, who heads the Canadian Neonatal Foundation.

What did they say?

Dr Lee said there were alternative explanations for each of Letby's convictions for murder or attempted murder, after the panel found that "in all cases death or injury were due to natural causes or just bad medical care".

For instance, he said infection killed Baby Seven, chronic lung disease complicated by antibiotic-resistant bacteria caused the death of Baby Nine, and traumatic delivery led to the death of Baby 15.

He accused the Countess of Chester Hospital of a "litany of failures", said Sky News, including "unsafe delays in diagnosis and treatment, poor skills in resuscitation and incubation, and the misdiagnosis of diseases".

He called into question the evidence of Dr Dewi Evans, who was the prosecution's lead medical witness, but Dr Evans has insisted that criticism of his evidence is "unsubstantiated".

The panel also questioned the prosecution's claim that Letby injected air into babies' bloodstreams, causing an air embolism that blocked the blood supply. Dr Lee said this claim has "no basis in evidence".

What does this mean for Letby?

The panel's findings have been sent to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which investigates alleged miscarriages of justice. The commission said yesterday that it's formally examining the case.

A barrister close to the case told The Guardian the report was so "game-changing" that Letby could be released on bail if the "court of appeal believed there was a real possibility of her convictions being quashed".

But such a development would be at least 12 months away and would be "strongly opposed" by the Crown Prosecution Service, added the broadsheet.

What did the families say?

A mother whose baby son Letby was convicted of trying to murder criticised the panel's "upsetting" and "disrespectful" report. "They said the parents want to know the truth, but we've had the truth", she told the Daily Mail, adding that "we believe the jury made the right decision".

Dr Lee said the report was intended to give the relatives "comfort and assurance in knowing the truth about what really happened".