2015 — 2026
Timeline of the Letby case
Key events in chronological order — colour-coded by category so that incidents, management failings, legal milestones and new expert evidence can be read separately.
- Incident
Child A dies on the neonatal unit
A triplet twin, known as Child A, collapses and dies on the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit. This is later charged as the first alleged murder.
- Incident
Child B collapses — survives
Child A's twin collapses the following night and is resuscitated. Prosecution later alleged attempted murder.
Source: R v Letby court evidence
- Management failing
Consultants first raise concerns about Letby
Dr Stephen Brearey and other consultants first flag concerns about the cluster of deaths and collapses on the unit and note Letby's presence at each event. No action taken by executive team.
Source: Thirlwall Inquiry — Dr Brearey witness statement
- Management failing
Thematic review flags Letby
An internal neonatal thematic review identifies Letby as the common factor across unexplained deaths. Hospital executives delay escalation.
Source: Thirlwall Inquiry — Trust internal documents
- Management failing
Letby removed from clinical duties
Following further deaths in June 2016, Letby is moved to a non-clinical role in the risk and patient safety office. Police are not contacted.
Source: BBC News archive, Chester Standard
- Management failing
Consultants demand police referral — refused
Seven consultants write to executives demanding police involvement. The Trust instead commissions an external review from the RCPCH.
Source: Thirlwall Inquiry — consultants' joint letter
- Management failing
RCPCH review published
The RCPCH review focuses on service issues and does not examine individual cases in depth. It is later criticised by consultants and at the Thirlwall Inquiry as inadequate.
Source: RCPCH, Thirlwall Inquiry testimony
- Legal milestone
Cheshire Police finally involved
Nearly two years after the first death, Cheshire Police open Operation Hummingbird.
Source: Cheshire Constabulary press briefing
- Legal milestone
Letby arrested for the first time
Letby is arrested at her home in Chester on suspicion of multiple counts of murder and attempted murder.
Source: BBC, Cheshire Police
- Legal milestone
Letby charged
Letby is charged with the murder of eight babies and the attempted murder of ten others (charges later amended).
Source: Crown Prosecution Service
- Legal milestone
Trial begins at Manchester Crown Court
Trial opens before Mr Justice Goss. Prosecution relies on expert testimony from Dr Dewi Evans, shift rota analysis, and handover notes.
Source: Court reporting — BBC, Guardian
- Legal milestone
Convicted of seven murders and seven attempted murders
Jury returns guilty verdicts on seven counts of murder and seven of attempted murder. Not guilty on two counts; jury fails to reach verdict on six others.
Source: R v Letby judgment
- Legal milestone
Sentenced to whole life order
Letby becomes only the fourth woman in UK history to receive a whole life order, meaning she will never be eligible for parole.
Source: Sentencing remarks, Mr Justice Goss
- New evidence
Royal Statistical Society flags chart issues
Statisticians publicly raise concerns that the prosecution's shift-rota chart suffers from the 'Texas sharpshooter' fallacy — selecting only events where Letby was present and using that as proof.
Source: Royal Statistical Society commentary
- New evidence
Rachel Aviv article in The New Yorker
Award-winning investigative journalist Rachel Aviv publishes a lengthy New Yorker piece ('A British Nurse Was Found Guilty of Killing Seven Babies. Did She Do It?') interviewing independent experts and challenging the medical evidence. The article is geo-blocked in the UK during the retrial.
Source: The New Yorker, 13 May 2024
- Legal milestone
First appeal refused
Court of Appeal refuses leave to appeal the original convictions. Legal team begins preparing CCRC application.
Source: Court of Appeal judgment
- Legal milestone
Retrial on Child K begins
Letby is retried at Manchester Crown Court on the one count the first jury could not agree on — the attempted murder of Child K. Dr Ravi Jayaram's evidence is central.
Source: Court reporting
- Legal milestone
Convicted on Child K retrial
Letby convicted of attempted murder of Child K; Mr Justice Goss imposes a further whole life order.
Source: Sentencing remarks, 5 July 2024
- Legal milestone
Thirlwall Inquiry hearings begin
Public inquiry chaired by Lady Justice Thirlwall opens to examine how hospital management, NHS bodies and regulators responded to the concerns raised by consultants.
Source: thirlwall.inquiry.gov.uk
- New evidence
David Davis MP raises the case in the Commons
Former Brexit Secretary Sir David Davis MP uses a Commons adjournment debate to call the convictions a 'miscarriage of justice' and list the principal evidential concerns — the first senior parliamentarian to do so.
Source: Hansard, House of Commons
- New evidence
International Expert Panel — Dr Shoo Lee
A panel of 14 international neonatologists and paediatric specialists, convened by Dr Shoo Lee, presents findings at a London press conference. The Panel concludes there is no medical evidence of deliberate harm in any of the cases reviewed; deaths and collapses are attributed to natural causes or sub-optimal clinical care.
- New evidence
Bar Council intervention
A letter signed by senior barristers and legal academics — coordinated via the Bar Council — is published in The Times calling on the CCRC to prioritise an urgent review of the safety of the convictions.
Source: The Times letters page
- New evidence
Three former Countess of Chester executives arrested
Cheshire Police arrest three former senior executives on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the deaths. No charges announced at time of writing.
Source: Cheshire Constabulary statement, BBC News
- New evidence
CCRC application filed with 31+ expert reports
Letby's legal team, led by Mark McDonald KC, files a formal application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission accompanied by reports from more than 31 independent experts contesting the medical evidence.
Source: Mark McDonald KC, press statement
- New evidence
Peter Hitchens and Lord Sumption call for review
Commentators including former Supreme Court Justice Lord Sumption and Mail on Sunday columnist Peter Hitchens publicly call for a review, citing the Panel's findings and the statistical problems with the prosecution case.
Source: Mail on Sunday; Lord Sumption Reith Lectures follow-up interviews
- Legal milestone
Thirlwall Inquiry final report expected
Lady Justice Thirlwall's final report — focused on institutional failings rather than conviction safety — is expected to be published after Easter 2026.
Source: thirlwall.inquiry.gov.uk
- New evidence
CCRC review continues
The Criminal Cases Review Commission continues its review of the submitted evidence. If referred, the case could return to the Court of Appeal.
Source: CCRC public case tracker