Long-delayed Thirlwall inquiry report into Lucy Letby case to be published
A public inquiry report examining how nurse Lucy Letby was able to murder and attempt to murder babies at a Chester hospital neonatal unit is due to be published this afternoon, after months of delay.
The findings of the long-awaited Thirlwall inquiry are expected to be published this afternoon in the UK. The public inquiry examined how former nurse Lucy Letby was able to murder and attempt to murder babies at the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital over a two-year period.
Letby, now 36, was convicted in 2023 of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others during 2015 and 2016. She received 15 whole-life sentences and was twice refused permission to appeal in 2024. In a second trial in July 2024, she was also convicted of attempting to murder a further infant.
Letby has consistently maintained her innocence, and a number of doctors, scientists and statisticians have publicly questioned how evidence was presented to jurors at her trial. The Criminal Cases Review Commission, which examines potential miscarriages of justice, is currently reviewing evidence submitted on her behalf by an international panel of medical experts who argue that poor care and natural causes, rather than deliberate harm, explain the babies' deteriorations.
What the inquiry covered
The inquiry, chaired by senior judge Lady Justice Thirlwall, was formally launched in October 2023 by then health secretary Steve Barclay, two months after Letby's conviction. Between September 2024 and February 2025, it heard evidence at Liverpool Town Hall from numerous witnesses, including parents of Letby's victims.
The inquiry did not examine the validity of Letby's convictions or her possible motives. Instead, it focused on how hospital managers, nurses and midwives responded to her conduct — including whether she should have been suspended sooner, whether police should have been alerted earlier, and whether management acted appropriately when concerns were first raised. It also assessed the effectiveness of NHS governance structures and the information given to parents about their babies' care.
The report was originally due in November 2025 but was pushed back repeatedly. Separately, inquests into the deaths of the babies Letby was convicted of murdering are scheduled for May 2027.
