CPS rules out charges in further Lucy Letby allegations
The Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed it will not bring any further criminal charges against Lucy Letby following a review of additional allegations involving the deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies.
The decision was announced on Tuesday, 20 January 2026, after prosecutors reviewed files of evidence submitted by Cheshire Constabulary in July 2025.
The files related to incidents at the Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
The CPS said it considered offences of murder and attempted murder in relation to nine babies. This included two infants who died and seven who survived.
Prosecutors concluded that the evidential test required to bring criminal charges was not met in any of the cases reviewed.
Frank Ferguson, head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said the decision was made independently, based on the evidence, and in line with the CPS legal test. He said the CPS had written to the families involved and would offer meetings to explain the decision-making process.
In a statement issued following the announcement, Cheshire Constabulary said the outcome was not what investigators had anticipated.
The force said it had been confident that there was sufficient evidence to take to the CPS, having submitted files for charging decisions in relation to nine babies, covering nine offences of attempted murder and two of murder.
Cheshire Police said it believed the evidence submitted met the CPS charging standard, but acknowledged that prosecutors did not agree and that the force must respect the decision that has been made.
The statement said there would be some who might see the decision as something to celebrate, but added that the force did not share that view and asked that people respect the privacy and feelings of the families involved.
Cheshire Police also thanked the experts and witnesses who contributed to the investigation, saying their input had been invaluable in answering difficult questions on behalf of families.
The force stressed that the CPS decision does not affect or undermine Lucy Letby’s existing convictions for multiple murders and attempted murders of premature babies, which followed an extensive investigation and two criminal trials, including one of the longest-running murder trials in British criminal history, as well as two unsuccessful appeals.
Police also confirmed that the CPS decision will have no impact on Operation Duet, the ongoing investigation into corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter at the Countess of Chester Hospital, which remains a separate inquiry.
Lucy Letby, a former neonatal nurse, is already serving a whole life sentence after being convicted of multiple counts of murder and attempted murder relating to babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016.
Cheshire Police said its thoughts remain with the families affected.
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