In a significant development, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has officially announced that Lucy Letby, the nurse previously convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit in 2015 and 2016, will face a retrial.
This retrial pertains specifically to one of the six counts of attempted murder related to five children.
While Lucy Letby had been handed a life sentence for her previous convictions, a recent jury trial at Manchester Crown Court failed to reach a verdict concerning the attempted murder charges in the cases of five children. The CPS has now decided to pursue a retrial, focusing on the allegation that Letby attempted to murder a baby girl identified as Child K in February 2016.
A provisional trial date has been set for June 10, 2024, at the same court, with an estimated duration of two to three weeks. The delay in scheduling the trial is attributed to a significant backlog of cases currently burdening the court system.
Lucy Letby, who attended the hearing via videolink from HMP New Hall in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, confirmed her identity but did not speak further.
It is worth noting that Lucy Letby is also in the process of seeking an appeal against her previous convictions.
Additionally, the Department of Health has announced plans for an independent inquiry into Letby's case, aiming to examine the circumstances surrounding the incidents and the response to concerns raised by healthcare professionals.
Jonathan Storer, Chief Crown Prosecutor of CPS Mersey-Cheshire, emphasized the complexity of the decisions regarding retrials, taking into account the perspectives of affected families, law enforcement, and legal counsel.
These decisions were made after careful consideration of the evidence presented during the extensive trial and its alignment with the legal criteria for proceeding with prosecution.
In another harrowing incident that shook Akron, Ohio, a 23-year-old woman, Sydney Powell, stands accused of brutally killing her mother, Brenda Powell, aged 50. The motive behind this heinous act was the revelation of a closely guarded secret – Sydney's expulsion from college. See detailed story here
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