The decision not to pursue further legal action against nurse Lucy Letby, a serial killer accused of harming six additional babies, has been confirmed. In January, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) concluded that there was insufficient evidence to bring new charges against Letby for potential crimes of attempted murder and murder involving nine children, including two fatalities.

Cheshire Constabulary submitted a dossier of evidence to the CPS for review regarding allegations stemming from incidents during Letby’s tenure at the Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool Women’s Hospital between 2012 and 2016. Following this, six families invoked the Victims’ Right to Review scheme to challenge the CPS’s decisions pertaining to their children.

An independent prosecutor conducted a thorough review, supporting the initial decision not to press additional charges, as stated by Malcolm McHaffie, head of the CPS’s special crime division. Despite reconsideration of six cases of attempted murder involving babies, the review upheld the original choice not to proceed with further legal actions.

Letby, aged 36 and hailing from Hereford, is currently serving 15 whole-life orders for murdering seven infants and attempting to harm seven others at the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital. Her appeals against convictions were rejected twice in 2024. The Criminal Cases Review Commission is assessing evidence presented by a group of international medical experts suggesting that inadequate medical care and natural causes led to the infants’ incidents.

A public inquiry, overseen by Lady Justice Thirlwall, is set to disclose its findings later this year regarding how Letby managed to carry out her offenses, with the exact publication date yet to be announced.