More criminal charges being considered over baby deaths at Lucy Letby hospitals

The Crown Prosecution Service has said it is considering whether to bring further criminal charges over the deaths of babies at hospitals where Lucy Letby worked.

The CPS said it had received "a full file of evidence from Cheshire Constabulary asking us to consider further allegations in relation to deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool Women's Hospital". "We will now carefully consider the evidence to determine whether any further criminal charges should be brought," it added.

"As always, we will make that decision independently, based on the evidence and in line with our legal test." Letby, 35, was found guilty of murdering seven children and attempting to murder seven more between June 2015 and June 2016 while working in the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital and is currently serving 15 whole-life orders. She is understood to have carried out two work placements at Liverpool Women's Hospital, where she trained as a student, between October and December 2012, and January and February 2015.

Police said in December that Letby was interviewed in prison as part of an investigation into more baby deaths and non-fatal collapses. A Cheshire Constabulary spokesperson said: "We can confirm that Cheshire Constabulary has submitted a full file of evidence to the CPS for charging advice regarding the ongoing investigation into deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies at the neo-natal units of both the Countess of Chester Hospital and the Liverpool Women's Hospital as part of Operation Hummingbird." On Tuesday, it was confirmed that three managers at the Countess of Chester hospital had been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in a separate investigation.

Read more from Sky News:'Catastrophic failure' that led to Heathrow power outage revealedMan charged with murder of 93-year-old woman in Cornwall Police said the suspects, who occupied senior positions at the hospital between 2015 and 2016, have all been bailed pending further inquiries. There is also an investigation into corporate manslaughter at the hospital, which began in October 2023.

A public inquiry has also been examining the hospital's response to concerns raised about Letby before her arrest. In May, it was announced the inquiry's final report into how the former nurse was able to commit her crimes will now be published early next year.

Earlier this year, Letby's lawyers called for the suspension of the inquiry, claiming there was "overwhelming and compelling evidence" that her convictions were unsafe. In February, an international panel of neonatologists and paediatric specialists told reporters that poor medical care and natural causes were the reasons for the collapses and deaths.

Their evidence has been passed to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, and Letby's legal team hopes her case will be referred back to the Court of Appeal..