David Davis to visit Lucy Letby in prison as part of investigation into whether baby serial killer was victim of miscarriage of justice

Veteran Conservative MP David Davis wants to visit Lucy Letby in prison as part of an inquiry into whether the serial baby killer was the victim of a miscarriage of justice.

The former Brexit Secretary is currently analysing the evidence used to convict the neonatal nurse of the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of seven others.

He launched his inquiry after doubts were raised about Letby’s guilt, with some members of the Royal Statistical Society expressing concerns about the use of statistics to secure a conviction based on probability.

Separate accusations that Letby tried to kill two babies with insulin were summed up in a damning investigation by The New Yorker magazine as follows: “It looked as if she had managed to inject insulin into a bag that another nurse had chosen at random from the unit’s refrigerator.”

Mr. Davis, a civil liberties advocate, appears concerned about the institutional reluctance of the justice system to admit its own failings, leading to innocent people languishing in prison.

He has now told the Daily T Podcast that he would visit Letby in prison if he was “at least three-quarters convinced she is innocent”.

He said, “I may not be allowed to, her lawyer may say no, she may say no. It has to be done with her permission.”

“For me to do anything about it, I have to be at least three-quarters convinced that she is innocent.

“I will read millions of words of evidence during the month of August and come to a conclusion probably in September or maybe October.”

Mr Davis said if, after speaking to experts, he concluded she was innocent, he would raise the matter in parliament and seek a referral to the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

The 34-year-old was convicted last year of murdering seven premature babies and attempting to murder six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital where she worked between 2015 and 2016.

His first innocent victim, known only as Baby A, was born six weeks premature and was barely a day old when she was taken into Letby’s care at 8pm on June 8, 2015.

Within an hour, the infant would be dead. Heartbroken hospital staff were perplexed that none of the usual newborn resuscitation techniques had succeeded in saving his life.

Less than 28 hours later, Letby attempted to kill Baby A’s twin sister by injecting air into the little girl, causing her to stop breathing. This time, doctors were able to resuscitate the baby.

The following week, Letby struck again, this time killing Baby C, born seven weeks premature and weighing just 800 g (1 lb 12 oz).

The baby killer’s reign of terror continued for almost a year until the alarm was raised and Letby was withdrawn from service.

But even after pediatricians raised suspicions about her activities, hospital officials initially refused to remove her from the department. When they finally did, they opted to give her a desk job in patient safety.

Letby was arrested in July 2018 and charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder in November 2020.

The killer was brought to trial in October 2022, in what would become one of the longest criminal cases in British history, when she was found guilty of seven murders and six attempted murders.

Then, in June this year, Letby was found guilty of attempting to kill a seventh baby after a three-week retrial at Manchester Crown Court.

She is currently serving 15 life sentences at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey and will never be released.

Detectives are currently examining 4,000 babies Letby cared for at the Countess of Chester and Liverpool Hospital for Women, where she trained.

Dr Dewi Evans, an expert witness at the first trial, had previously said he believed Letby had experimented with manipulating babies’ breathing tubes before beginning his year-long killing spree in June 2015.

Sources told the Mail that police were considering around 40 other cases and were investigating the countess for manslaughter.

A public inquiry into how Letby was allowed to remain in the neonatal unit, despite concerns from senior doctors, is due to begin in September.

Letby has always maintained his innocence and was refused permission to appeal last year’s convictions in May.