Seized maternity notes not given to Lucy Letby defence for trial, learns

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Seized maternity notes not given to Letby defence for trialImage source, Cheshire PoliceImage caption, Lucy Letby is currently serving 15 whole life termsByStephanie Hegarty, Ben Robinson and Cleuci de Oliveira , File on 4 InvestigatesPublished1 hour agoMaternity notes for the babies Lucy Letby has been convicted of murdering were not made available to her defence ahead of her trial, the has learned. The neonatal nurse was convicted of murdering and attempting to murder 14 babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2015 and 2016. File on 4 Investigates has discovered that maternity notes for the babies in the case - which include details of the mother's pregnancy, labour and birth - were seized by Cheshire Police.

But they were not reviewed by the prosecution's chief medical expert or disclosed to Letby's defence. The Crown Prosecution Service said Letby was convicted following two jury trials and that the Court of Appeal dismissed her argument that prosecution evidence was flawed. Letby, originally of Hereford, is currently serving 15 whole life terms.

The Details

Since her trial, and subsequent retrial on one case, there have been concerns raised about some of the evidence presented to the jury. One concern is that the maternity history of the babies in the case was not adequately considered. Experts told the that it is critical to fully assess the pregnancy, labour and delivery of a baby when determining why they collapsed and died.

Dr Dewi Evans, the chief medical witness for the prosecution, said the full maternity notes were not relevant to the case. "I never saw any obstetric notes and I have no idea what happened to them," he said. "I don't think that maternity care was a particular issue in the Letby case.

I think most of the babies I dealt with were born in acceptable condition. "Evans said he did see brief maternity summaries - "usually a couple of paragraphs" - attached to each baby's neonatal notes. Image source, PA MediaImage caption, Lucy Letby was convicted of murdering and attempting to murder 14 babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2015 and 2016File on 4 Investigates has also learned from several sources that the Crown Prosecution Service did not disclose the obstetrics records to the defence.

What Experts Say

The CPS reasoned that because the prosecution did not use them to form its case against Letby, they were not relevant. The has also seen evidence the defence did request the maternity notes but they were not released. Evans said the CPS should have disclosed the records, even if the prosecution was not using them.

He added: "With the benefit of hindsight, would that have made a difference to the outcome? The events that occurred to these babies were events that occurred after they were born. "However, Phil Bennett, professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Imperial College London, disagreed.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.