Lucy Letby barrister says killer 'should have been included'

The findings of Lady Justice Kathryn Thirlwall were published on Tuesday into failures at the Countess of Chester Hospital to stop Letby in carrying out her crimes last decade.

Mark McDonald, who is leading her bid to be granted an appeal, issued a statement after Lady Justice Thirlwall presented her findings to the families, media and public.

He said: “This inquiry has proceeded on the wrong premise, and it follows that this has inevitably affected the report as a whole.

“Errors made at trial have in important respects been repeated in the inquiry’s conclusions, and the alternative narrative identified by nearly 30 internationally renowned experts has not been properly considered.

“I do however wholeheartedly agree with the introduction of CCTV in all neonatal units and cots – this would have significantly impacted the outcome at trial and we would not be where we are today with an innocent woman in prison for crimes she did not commit.

“It is particularly regrettable that Lucy’s application to participate in the Inquiry was rejected.

“Had she been represented, the inquiry would have been able to hear an alternative account – one that said that insulin results were unreliable, one that said the deaths did not stop when Lucy left the unit and one which, in the view of international experts, provides a fundamentally different and more accurate understanding of what happened.”