Lucy Letby, the former neonatal nurse convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital, has been denied permission to appeal against her convictions.
Letby, 34, of Hereford, was found guilty in August 2023 for crimes committed between 2015 and 2016 while she was working at the hospital.
At a short Court of Appeal hearing earlier today, Dame Victoria Sharp, sitting with Lord Justice Holroyde, announced the decision to refuse Letby’s request to appeal her convictions. The judges declined to make the full reasons for their decision public, and details of Letby’s appeal bid remain undisclosed for legal reasons.
Dame Victoria stated: “Having heard her application, we have decided to refuse leave to appeal on all grounds and refuse all associated applications. A full judgment will be handed down in due course.”
Letby’s lawyers had argued for an appeal at a two-and-a-half-day hearing last month. Dame Victoria previously indicated that the appeal was based on four points related to the trial judge’s refusal of certain legal applications. However, with the judge’s decision today, this ruling effectively marks the end of the appeal process for Letby.
Despite the denial of her appeal, Letby will face a retrial at Manchester Crown Court in June on a single count of attempting to murder a baby girl, known as Child K, in February 2016.
The original trial and subsequent appeal have garnered significant public attention, highlighting the gravity of Letby’s actions and the legal proceedings that followed her conviction.
