Letby to face a retrial on outstanding charge of attempted murder

Convicted serial killer nurse Lucy Letby is set to face a retrial on an outstanding allegation of attempted murder.

The trial date has been provisionally set for 10 June 2024 at the Manchester Crown Court, the same court where Letby was previously convicted.

The decision was announced in an hour-long hearing today, which Letby attended via videolink from prison.

Letby, 33, had previously been handed a whole life order after her conviction for the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2015 and 2016.

The jury at her initial trial, however, could not reach verdicts on six counts of attempted murder.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) declared its intention to seek a retrial for one of the unresolved charges, namely the attempted murder of the infant referred to as Baby K in February 2016.

Nicholas Johnson KC, the prosecutor, stated that the Crown would not be pursuing a retrial for the other five outstanding allegations, which involve two baby girls and two baby boys.

Jonathan Storer, Chief Crown Prosecutor, CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said:

“These decisions on whether to seek retrials on the remaining counts of attempted murder were extremely complex and difficult.

“Before reaching our conclusions we listened carefully to the views of the families affected, police and prosecution counsel.

“Many competing factors were considered including the evidence heard by the court during the long trial and its impact on our legal test for proceeding with a prosecution.

“We have met with all the families affected by these decisions to explain how they were reached.”

• The Crown Prosecution Service said there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.