The Letby Murders: A Timeline and Cast
- Cassian Creed
- Aug 4
- 7 min read
Detailed Timeline: The The Letby Murders
Pre-June 2015: Countess of Chester Hospital Neonatal Unit
The neonatal unit is described as a sanctuary for fragile lives, a place of ultimate trust.
It typically sees only two or three deaths in an entire year.
June 2015: The Beginning of a Pattern
June 8, 2015: Child A, a premature but stable baby boy, collapses and dies suddenly after Lucy Letby takes charge of his care. The cause is attributed to prematurity.
June 9, 2015 (around midnight): Child B, Child A's surviving twin, suffers a nearly identical collapse. The medical team resuscitates her, and she survives. Lucy Letby is present during both "Couplet Events."
June 14, 2015: Child C, another premature baby boy in good condition, collapses and dies just before midnight. An autopsy later reveals an unusually large amount of air in his stomach, consistent with deliberate force. Lucy Letby is on shift and attended to him.
June 22, 2015: Child D, a healthy full-term baby girl, collapses three times and dies. Evidence later points to a deliberately injected air embolism. Lucy Letby is on shift.
Late June 2015: Dr. Stephen Brearey conducts an informal review, noticing a "chilling correlation" between the recent collapses and the presence of Lucy Letby. He raises concerns with the unit manager.
August - October 2015: Escalation and Growing Alarm
August 4, 2015: Child E, a premature baby boy, dies from a massive air embolism and unexplained bleeding. His mother finds Lucy Letby with him shortly before his death, observing bleeding from his mouth.
August 5, 2015: Letby targets Child E’s surviving twin brother, Child F, poisoning him with a massive, non-prescribed dose of insulin. The medical team saves him, and blood samples later show abnormally high levels of synthetic insulin.
October 2015: After the death of Child I, senior doctors, led by Dr. Stephen Brearey and Dr. Ravi Jayaram, formally raise their concerns about Lucy Letby to senior hospital management. They present data linking her presence to the spike in deaths and collapses.
Autumn 2015 onward: Hospital executives, including Medical Director Ian Harvey and Director of Nursing Alison Kelly, dismiss the doctors' concerns, prioritizing reputation. Doctors are instructed to apologize to Letby and cease their "campaign." This inaction allows Letby to attack ten more babies.
June 2016: The Breaking Point and Removal
June 2016 (early): Lucy Letby embarks on her final killing spree, murdering two triplet boys, Child O and Child P, on consecutive shifts, and lethally poisoning Child G with milk and air.
June 24, 2016: After the death of the second triplet, Dr. Brearey urgently demands Letby's immediate removal from the unit. His plea is refused by management.
Late June 2016: The consultant doctors unify, agreeing not to work another shift until Letby is removed. This forces management's hand. Lucy Letby works her last shift in the neonatal unit and is moved to a clerical role in the patient safety office.
After Letby's removal: The inexplicable deaths and collapses cease entirely.
Months later (2016): The hospital commissions an external review from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, which is inconclusive.
Early 2017: Police Involvement
Early 2017: Fearing a cover-up and Letby's potential return to patient contact, Dr. Stephen Brearey and Dr. Ravi Jayaram, among other consultants, go directly to the Cheshire Constabulary.
May 2017: Operation Hummingbird Begins
May 2017: The Cheshire Constabulary formally launches "Operation Hummingbird," a full-scale criminal investigation into the unexplained deaths and collapses at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
July 2018 - November 2020: Arrests and Charges
July 3, 2018: Lucy Letby is arrested at her home on suspicion of murder. She calmly denies all allegations during police interviews. Police find hospital paperwork, including confidential handover sheets and resuscitation notes, at her home.
June 2019: Letby is re-arrested as more evidence comes to light.
November 2020: Letby is re-arrested and formally charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder. She is remanded in custody. Police find handwritten notes, including "I AM EVIL I DID THIS," at her home.
Pre-Trial (November 2020 - October 2022)
The case enters a long and arduous pre-trial phase due to its scale and complexity.
The prosecution discloses tens of thousands of pages of evidence to the defense.
Strict reporting restrictions are imposed by the court, referring to victims only by letters (Child A, Child B, etc.).
October 2022 - August 2023: The Trial
October 2022: The trial of Lucy Letby begins at Manchester Crown Court, more than seven years after the first murder.
Over six months (Oct 2022 - April 2023): The prosecution, led by Nick Johnson KC, presents its case, calling expert medical witnesses (including Dr. Dewi Evans) to detail unnatural causes of death (air embolisms, insulin poisoning), showing statistical correlation via staffing rotas, and presenting psychological evidence (notes, trophy collection, social media searches).
May 2023: Lucy Letby takes the stand for fourteen days, denying every allegation, portraying herself as a dedicated nurse and a scapegoat for hospital failings.
After 10 months of testimony: Closing arguments are delivered by both prosecution and defense.
22 days: The jury deliberates for a lengthy period, reviewing evidence for each charge.
August 18, 2023: Lucy Letby is found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others.
August 2023: Sentencing and Aftermath
August 21, 2023: Lucy Letby is sentenced. She refuses to attend her sentencing.
Mr Justice Goss delivers a whole-life order, meaning she will spend the rest of her natural life in prison with no possibility of parole. He describes her actions as a "cruel, calculated and cynical campaign of child murder" with "deep malevolence bordering on sadism."
The British government orders a full, independent statutory inquiry, the Thirlwall Inquiry, to investigate the broader circumstances and systemic failures.
Police continue to review records of every baby Letby ever cared for.
Cast of Characters
Principal People:
Lucy Letby: A neonatal nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital, convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others between June 2015 and June 2016. She was seen by colleagues as competent, dedicated, and quiet, initially deflecting suspicion with acts like creating memory boxes for grieving parents. Her crimes were characterized by a "God complex," a need for attention, and sadistic tendencies, using methods like air embolisms and insulin poisoning. She maintained her innocence throughout the investigation and trial.
Dr. Stephen Brearey: A lead consultant pediatrician at the Countess of Chester Hospital. He was one of the first and most persistent doctors to notice the pattern of unexplained collapses and deaths and to raise formal concerns about Lucy Letby to hospital management. He played a crucial role in pushing for action, eventually going to the police directly when hospital management failed to respond adequately.
Dr. Ravi Jayaram: A consultant pediatrician at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Along with Dr. Brearey, he was instrumental in identifying the suspicious pattern of deaths and was a key whistleblower, formally raising concerns about Lucy Letby to hospital management. He provided harrowing testimony during the trial, including witnessing suspicious behavior by Letby. He also went to the police with his concerns.
Ian Harvey: The Medical Director at the Countess of Chester Hospital during the period of the crimes. He is criticized in the sources for dismissing the concerns raised by the consultant pediatricians about Lucy Letby, prioritizing reputational management over patient safety, and failing to escalate the issue to external authorities.
Alison Kelly: The Director of Nursing at the Countess of Chester Hospital during the period of the crimes. Like Ian Harvey, she is cited for her role in the institutional failure to address the doctors' warnings about Lucy Letby, contributing to the delayed intervention.
Nick Johnson KC: The lead prosecutor in the trial of Lucy Letby. He meticulously presented the prosecution's "fortress of proof," encompassing statistical, medical, and psychological evidence, leading to Letby's conviction.
Ben Myers KC: The lead defense barrister for Lucy Letby. He argued that the deaths were a tragic coincidence or due to systemic failures at the hospital, portraying Letby as a scapegoat. He led Letby's defense, including her testimony.
Dr. Dewi Evans: A renowned independent pediatrician and neonatologist. He was a key expert witness for the prosecution in the Lucy Letby trial, providing crucial medical analysis that helped transform circumstantial suspicion into hard scientific evidence of deliberate harm, particularly regarding the air embolisms and insulin poisoning.
Mr Justice Goss: The judge who presided over the trial of Lucy Letby at Manchester Crown Court. He delivered the whole-life order sentence, describing Letby's actions as a "cruel, calculated and cynical campaign of child murder" with "deep malevolence bordering on sadism."
Victims (referred to by their trial designations):
Child A: The first baby murdered by Lucy Letby (June 8, 2015), a premature but stable boy whose sudden collapse was initially attributed to prematurity.
Child B: Child A's twin sister, who suffered a nearly identical, near-fatal collapse the day after Child A's death. She survived.
Child C: A premature baby boy who died on June 14, 2015, with later evidence suggesting deliberate air administration.
Child D: A healthy full-term baby girl who died on June 22, 2015, with evidence pointing to an air embolism.
Child E: A premature baby boy who died on August 4, 2015, from a massive air embolism and unexplained bleeding. His mother observed Letby with him shortly before his death.
Child F: Child E's twin brother, who was poisoned with insulin the day after Child E's death. He survived due to medical intervention.
Child G: A baby boy lethally poisoned with milk and air in June 2016.
Child I: An infant whose death in October 2015 led to the senior doctors formally raising their concerns.
Child O: One of two triplet boys murdered by Letby on consecutive shifts in June 2016.
Child P: One of two triplet boys murdered by Letby on consecutive shifts in June 2016.
Other Mentioned Individuals/Entities:
Cassian Creed: The author of "Lucy Letby: Angel of Death," a true crime and forensic AI analysis. He uses his proprietary Forensic Analysis Engine, AI-AL, to dissect the case.
AI-AL (Forensic Analysis Engine): Proprietary AI used by Cassian Creed for forensic analysis, including perpetrator profiling (PERP-X), victimology (VIC-X), motive analysis (Motive-X), witness credibility (Wit-X), and evidence analysis (Evid-X), and scenario probabilities (Scen-X).
Cheshire Constabulary: The police force responsible for "Operation Hummingbird," the criminal investigation into the Countess of Chester Hospital deaths.
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS): The main public prosecuting authority in England and Wales, responsible for bringing the case against Lucy Letby to trial.
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health: An organization that conducted an external review commissioned by the hospital, which was ultimately inconclusive.
Thirlwall Inquiry: The full, independent statutory inquiry ordered by the British government to investigate the broader circumstances of the case, including the failures of hospital management.
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