Letby public inquiry report further delayed to ‘after Easter’

The publication date of the inquiry report into how child serial killer Lucy Letby was able to commit her crimes on a hospital neonatal unit has been further pushed back to “after Easter”.

Lady Justice Thirlwall previously announced she hoped her findings from the public inquiry surrounding the events at the Countess of Chester Hospital would be released in November and then later revised that to early next year.

The latest update issued on the Thirlwall Inquiry website states: “The inquiry has written to core participants with an update on the timetable for the final report. Work on the report is ongoing, and publication is scheduled for after Easter 2026.

“A further update on the timetable will be provided at the end of February 2026.”

The former nurse, 35, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted across two trials at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, is considering evidence presented on her behalf from an international panel of medics who claim poor medical care and natural causes were the reasons for the babies collapsing.

Lawyers for the families of Letby’s victims have dismissed the panel’s conclusions as “full of analytical holes” and “a rehash” of the defence case heard at trial.

In July, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it had received evidence from Cheshire Constabulary about further allegations related to deaths and collapses of babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital and also Liverpool Women’s Hospital where Letby worked as a trainee.

The CPS said it would “carefully consider the evidence” before deciding whether any further charges would be brought.

Probes

Police have said separate corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter probes are continuing,

Letby, who has always maintained her innocence, lost two bids last year to challenge her convictions at the Court of Appeal, in May for seven murders and seven attempted murders, and in October for the attempted murder of a baby girl which she was convicted of by a different jury at a retrial.