Child K — a dislodged breathing tube in a 25-week infant
Prosecution claim
At the Child K retrial (July 2024), Dr Ravi Jayaram testified that he walked into the nursery to find Letby standing over the infant, whose endotracheal tube had become dislodged and whose oxygen-saturation alarm had been silent. The jury convicted on this single count.
Counter-evidence
The Panel reviewed Child K's medical notes and Jayaram's contemporaneous 2016 records. In extremely preterm infants (25 weeks), spontaneous ET-tube dislodgement is a frequent and expected event; UK neonatal guidance specifically warns clinicians to assume the tube has moved whenever such a baby deteriorates. The Panel found no objective evidence of interference. Analysts comparing Jayaram's 2016 notes with his 2024 testimony have highlighted material differences in his account of where he was, what he saw and when the alarm was sounding.
A dislodged endotracheal tube in a 25-week infant is a routine event, not evidence of wrongdoing.
What the jury heard
The Child K retrial (June–July 2024) focused squarely on Dr Jayaram's eyewitness account. The jury was told his testimony was consistent with his 2016 contemporaneous notes.
What the Panel says
The Panel reviewed Child K's charts and concludes the deterioration is consistent with spontaneous ET-tube dislodgement, which is a routine occurrence at 25-week gestation. It found no objective medical evidence of interference.
What independent experts add
- Independent analysts have highlighted differences between Dr Jayaram's 2016 notes and his 2024 oral testimony — location, sequence of alarms, and what was seen.
- UK neonatal guidance explicitly warns clinicians to assume ET-tube dislodgement in any unexplained desaturation in an extremely preterm infant.
- lucyletbyinnocence.com has archived a side-by-side transcript of Jayaram's 2016 and 2024 accounts.