THE doctor “boyfriend” of Lucy Letby blurred boundaries and put his desire to help her above his duties to his patients, an inquiry has found.
Consultant paediatrician Dr Mark Deakin, 53, who died earlier this year, exchanged more than 1,300 Facebook messages with his Countess of Chester Hospital colleague Letby between June and September 2016, the Thirlwall Inquiry heard.
In her report, published on Tuesday, Lady Justice Kathryn Thirlwall said the doctor, who is not named in the report because of reporting restrictions which were lifted earlier this month, had contacted Letby after a mortality review for babies O and P in July 2016.
He told her she needed to “keep it to herself” but said: “If you have any doubt about how good you are at your job stop now, documentation was perfect.”
He also forwarded an email to her from Dr Stephen Brearey in which he was told there was likely to be an inquest.
When asked at the inquiry why he did that, he said he was trying to reassure and “give her some insight” but accepted, in hindsight, it was an error.
Lady Justice Thirlwall said: “I agree with him. It is another example of the blurring of boundaries.
“Here, between his duties to his patients, and his desire to help and support a young nurse who had, as he did not realise, many people supporting her.
“He put her first.”
The report says the doctor’s support for Letby, 36, continued well into 2017 when he helped her to observe theatre observations in Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.
During his evidence to the inquiry, he said he had provided support by being “misled and maybe manipulated”.
He said: “I have a lot of regrets about how that period of time took place.”
During her trial, Letby broke down in tears and tried to leave the dock when the married father-of-two entered the witness box and answered questions from behind a screen.
The prosecution suggested it was because she didn’t like hearing her “boyfriend” give evidence, to which she replied: “That’s unfair.”
His name appeared repeatedly on scrawled notes found at Letby’s home address after her arrest, including several references to “love was all we needed”.
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