Inquests to open for babies killed by former nurse

Inquests into the deaths of six babies killed by Lucy Letby are to open next month, a coroner’s court has confirmed.

The former nurse was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016 and is serving 15 whole-life jail terms.

Cheshire Coroner’s Court said the inquests would be on five babies who died at the Countess of Chester Hospital and one at Liverpool Women’s Hospital would be opened on 4 February.

It comes after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed Letby would not face any new criminal charges over allegations of murder and attempted murder against nine children at the two hospitals.

A spokesman for the coroner’s office said the update about the inquests was “completely coincidental” to the CPS announcement on Tuesday.

He said due to the complex nature of the various investigations involving the babies, the coroner’s office has been in dialogue with the families for several months.

Reporting restrictions remain in place, which protect the identities of the babies and their families.

The coroner’s court added: “Given the existing lifetime injunctions, the pre-inquest review hearing will be closed to members of the public including the press.”

Cheshire Police had submitted evidence to the CPS after investigating other incidents going back to 2012, covering Letby’s career and training in Liverpool.

The CPS said on Tuesday it had reviewed the file regarding further allegations against nine children but “the evidential test was not met in any of those cases”.