Lucy Letby bombshell as more babies may have been harmed - and one 'poisoned'

Lab tests shared months pursuing the neonatal nurse's seventh attempted execution condemnation showed that 1 babe successful her attraction had sky-high insulin levels but debased C-peptides

Killer caregiver Lucy Letby whitethorn person harmed much babies than antecedently believed, according to caller grounds that besides suggests she whitethorn person poisoned 1 kid successful her attraction with insulin.

Neonatal caregiver Letby, 33, was sentenced to beingness successful situation with nary accidental of parole for the murders of 7 babies and attempted murders of a further six successful August 2023. She was recovered blameworthy of attempting to execution a seventh kid and handed a 15th whole-life situation condemnation pursuing different proceedings earlier this year.

The tribunal heard that Letby had tried to termination 2 of the babies by poisoning them with insulin. New documents person present emerged which suggest a 3rd babe whitethorn person been poisoned wrong hours of the caregiver taking implicit his care. The documents, aesculapian records seen by BBC One's Panorama team, amusement the infant's humor sweetener plummeted portion helium was successful her attraction astatine the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit, with laboratory results showing "suspiciously" precocious levels of insulin.

Blood tests from the babe lad - for whom Letby cared successful November 2015 - showed precocious levels of insulin and debased levels of C-peptide, a byproduct of earthy insulin accumulation usually contiguous successful overmuch higher levels than the hormone. Lab results shared by Panorama showed that the boy's insulin levels were unusually precocious - clocking successful astatine 6,945 picomoles per litre - portion the C-peptide level was conscionable 220.

The records amusement that the lad became poorly aft the caregiver came connected duty, with humor tests showing helium had mean humor sweetener of 3 millimoles per litre (mmol/L) astatine 6.56am. At 1.54pm, conscionable implicit 5 hours aft the caregiver started her displacement astatine 8am, the levels plummeted to a dangerously debased level of mmol/L – suggesting helium had excessively overmuch insulin. The level remained debased passim her shift, and the BBC reported that helium lone recovered aft she went disconnected displacement astatine 8pm.

If the insulin accumulation had been natural, the C-peptide levels should person risen to much than 10 times this astatine minimum - betwixt 5,000 and 70,000. At the time, consultants connected Letby's ward concluded that the higher readings were owed to congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) - a information whereby the assemblage overproduces the hormone - but experts speaking to Panorama said this would not explicate the higher insulin reading.

They person claimed that babies with CHI would ne'er nutrient that overmuch insulin. Mark McDonald, Letby's caller lawyer who is moving to instrumentality her lawsuit to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), disputed the evidence, saying his experts athletics a "contradictory view". He besides alleged that the insulin investigating method utilized to get the results for the babe - immunoassay - had produced an error.

He told the BBC: “It whitethorn beryllium said by 1 expert, but I person different experts that person a wholly contradictory view. I'm moving nighttime and time connected this case. If I thought for a infinitesimal that [ Lucy Letby ] was guilty, I wouldn't beryllium doing this.” He added: "It is accepted by each sides that there's an mistake standing [with the test], but it's the percent of the mistake standing that's not accepted."