A doctor described during Lucy Letby's trial as her 'boyfriend' has died on the anniversary of the serial killer nurse's arrest. The consultant, known only as Dr A after being granted anonymity, was found collapsed in his car at Whiston Hospital, Merseyside. He was admitted to intensive care but died nine days later, on July 3 – eight years to the day since Letby was first arrested on suspicion of murdering babies. An inquest into his death has been listed to take place next February.
Background of the Case
Dr A had recently been sacked over messages swapped with Letby about one of the babies she would go on to try and kill, according to the Daily Mail. The newspaper reported that he faced a disciplinary hearing in June over the messages, which were said to have breached patient confidentiality. The doctor is reported to have been seriously ill.
The only flicker of emotion betrayed by Letby during her 10-month trial came in mid-February 2023 when Dr A was sworn in as a witness. His voice prompted her to break down in tears as she abruptly left her seat and walked towards the exit door of the dock. When the time came for her to enter the witness box, she said she loved him as a 'trusted friend' but was not in love with him.
Messages and Relationship
Jurors heard they swapped 1,355 Facebook messages over four months between June and September 2016, discussing babies who collapsed while they were on shift together. One such message was Letby inquiring about the condition of Child N, an infant she attempted to murder in early June 2016, and querying with the medic whether she had done anything wrong. The inquiry heard he messaged back: 'Oh Lucy, poor little thing. I am sure he has had the best care possible and you will have done everything you could for him.'
The prosecution accused Letby of having 'a crush' on the doctor and that she had attacked those infants to get his attention at work. His name appeared repeatedly on a number of scrawled notes found at Letby's home address following her arrest. Letby said the pair would meet outside work, telling jurors 'sometimes he came to my house, sometimes we would go out for meals or coffee or walks'. She said the friendship 'fizzled out' at the beginning of 2018 before her arrest in the summer of that year.
Thirlwall Inquiry Testimony
Giving evidence to the Thirlwall Inquiry in 2024, which is looking into how the deaths may have been prevented, he said Letby 'misled and maybe manipulated' him into giving her information about babies she had attacked. Asked by counsel to the inquiry Rachel Langdale KC: 'Do you think it was appropriate to be messaging about Child N with her at this time?' The doctor said: 'In hindsight, no. Looking at the content of the messaging here, I have shared too much. It is common to give updates and how patients are without naming them or giving lots of clinical detail.'
'I gave details at the time that I thought were helpful but I see now that was probably not the case.' In relation to a question about messages 'needing information from you about babies and how they might have died', he added: 'It felt like a supportive gesture. That now feels like a mistake. It is something I have considered on a daily basis for the last six to eight years.'
Letby's Convictions
Letby, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016.
