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After Lucy Letby was sentenced to 15 whole-life terms for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others, an inquiry was launched to ensure lessons were learnt.

The Thirlwall Inquiry is examining three broad themes – the experiences of all victims’ parents, how the concerns of clinicians were handled, and to ensure lessons are learnt from the case of the most prolific child serial killer in modern British history.

About 133 witnesses, including parents who lost their children, hospital executives, and Letby’s former colleagues at the Countess of Chester Hospital, have provided live evidence to the inquiry since September, with a further 396 giving written statements.

The closing statements this week come days after a police investigation into corporate manslaughter was widened to include gross negligence manslaughter.

The inquiry also heard that two baby deaths remain the subject of ongoing police investigation, which Letby has been interviewed in prison over.

Inquiry chair Lady Justice Thirlwall is expected to publish her official report in the autumn, outlining the detailed findings and recommendations based on the evidence that has been heard.

This week, the Thirlwall Inquiry is hearing closing submissions from the various interested parties. Here’s what has been said during the key testimonies so far.

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From September 2024: Letby public inquiry set to begin

Why is it called the Thirwall inquiry and why are there calls for it to be suspended?

Opening the inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall on 10 September last year, Lady Justice Thirlwall said the probe bears her surname so that the parents do not repeatedly see the name of the person convicted of harming their babies.

She said the babies who died or were injured would be at the “heart of the inquiry” and condemned comments at the time that questioned the validity of Letby’s convictions – which the nurse tried and failed to challenge at the Court of Appeal – and some of the evidence used at trial.

The inquiry also remains separate to a 14-member expert panel, led by retired neonatologist Dr Shoo Lee and senior Conservative MP David Davis, which in February said it had analysed medical evidence considered during Letby’s trial and claimed there was no medical evidence that the nurse murdered or attempted to murder 14 premature babies.

Letby’s lawyers have since applied for a review of her case as a “potential miscarriage of justice” by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) after two failed bids at the Court of Appeal.

On Monday, the judge said she had received a request last month from lawyers representing former executives at the Countess of Chester Hospital asking for the public inquiry to be suspended.

Lady Justice Thirlwall also said she had recently received a written request from solicitors representing Letby for her to pause the inquiry.

In the letter to the judge, which Sky News has seen, Letby’s lawyers warned Lady Justice Thirlwall that her final report would “not only be redundant but likely unreliable” if it was not put on hold until after the conclusion of the former nurse’s CCRC application.

Chair of the inquiry Lady Justice Thirlwall at Liverpool Town Hall, ahead of hearings into the murders and attempted murders of babies by nurse Lucy Letby. The inquiry will examine how the nurse was able to murder babies on the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit. Letby was convicted of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of seven others, with two attempts on one child, when she worked on the neonatal unit at the hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. Letby is servi
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Chair of the inquiry Lady Justice Thirlwall. Pic: PA

Letby couldn’t ‘wait to get first death out of the way’

One of the nurses who started as a newly qualified nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital on the same day as Letby told the inquiry that the serial killer had told her she “can’t wait for her first death to get it out the way”.

The nurse said she thought the comment was “strange” at the time, but she put it down to Letby just making conversation.

She also recalled Letby being “animated” when telling her she had been involved with resuscitation attempts of a child on the ward in 2012.

“It was kind of like she was excited to tell me about it,” the nurse said.

‘Likely’ Letby murdered or attacked more children

Neonatal clinical lead at the Countess of Chester Hospital, Dr Stephen Brearey, told the inquiry that he thought it was “likely” Letby murdered or started to harm babies prior to June 2015.

He agreed that “on reflection” several unexpected collapses and deaths before that date now “appear suspicious”.

Dr Brearey added he did not have concerns about those incidents at the time, saying that hospital staff “thought we were going through a busy or particularly difficult patch”.

The Countess of Chester Hospital after nurse Lucy Letby, 33, has been found guilty at Manchester Crown Court of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of six others at the hospital. Letby was accused of the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of another ten, between June 2015 and June 2016 while working on the neonatal unit of the hospital. Picture date: Friday August 18, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story COURTS Letby. Photo credit should read: Jacob King/PA Wire
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The Countess of Chester Hospital in 2023. Pic: PA

The inquiry was told that the dislodgement of breathing tubes, which was how Letby tried to kill Child K, generally occurs on less than 1% of shifts.

However, it happened on 40% of shifts that Letby worked when she was a trainee at Liverpool Women’s Hospital.

Newborn given potentially fatal morphine overdose

Two years before Letby carried out the murder of Child A, she and another nurse gave a potentially fatal dose of morphine to a newborn baby.

Neonatal unit ward deputy ward manager, Yvonne Griffiths, told the inquiry that the infant received 10 times the correct amount of the painkiller at the end of a night shift in July 2013.

Describing it as a “very serious error”, she said the infant could have died if colleagues had not spotted the error an hour later.

Letby was told she had to stop administering controlled drugs as a result of the error, a decision that she told management she was not happy about.

Letby offered ‘tips’ on how to get away with murder

In a WhatsApp exchange in 2017, Letby and union rep Hayley Griffiths discussed the US legal drama How To Get Away With Murder.

The discussion took place a year after the neonatal nurse was moved to clerical duties following concerns she may have been deliberately harming babies.

In a message to Letby, Ms Griffiths wrote: “I’m currently watching a programme called How To Get Away With Murder. I’m learning some good tips.”

To which Letby replied: “I could have given you some tips x.”

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From 2023: Former health secretary Steve Barclay on Letby inquiry

Ms Griffiths responded saying she needed “someone to practice on to see if [she] could get away with it”, and Letby replied: “I can think of two people you could practice on and will help you cover it up x.”

The union rep said: “I truly and deeply regret having started that conversation… this is completely unprofessional.”

No support or counselling given to parents

The parents of two triplet boys murdered by Letby told the inquiry they were given no support or counselling after the deaths of their children.

The children died on successive days in June 2016. Letby was their designated nurse and their deaths led to her being removed from the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit to a non-patient facing role.

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How the police caught Lucy Letby

The triplets’ father said: “Following the deaths of our children, we didn’t receive any support or counselling from anyone. Had we received some support, we might have been in a better position to try and act on what our instincts were telling us, which was that something had gone badly wrong.”

Senior consultant: ‘I should have been braver’

Letby’s trial in 2023 heard that senior paediatrician Dr Ravi Jayaram caught the serial killer “virtually red-handed” after an incident in a nursery room at the hospital in February 2016.

Addressing that incident while giving evidence at the inquiry, Dr Jayaram said he had walked into the nursery after feeling “significant discomfort” that Letby was alone with Child K.

Read more from Sky News:
Letby defence calls for miscarriage of justice investigation
Letby interviewed in prison over more baby deaths

After walking in, he said he saw “a baby clearly deteriorating” and the child’s endotracheal tube (ET) dislodged. Despite his concern over the incident, the consultant did not tell anyone at the hospital, or the police.

Explaining why he said nothing, Dr Jayaram said: “It’s the fear of not being believed. It’s the fear of ridicule. It’s the fear of accusations of bullying.

“I should have been braver and should have had more courage because it was not just an isolated thing. There was already a lot of other information.”

Pics: Rex/ITV/Shutterstock and PA
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Dr Ravi Jayaram. Pics: Rex/ITV/Shutterstock

Hospital boss: ‘I should’ve done better’

Tony Chambers, the former chief executive of the Countess of Chester Hospital, was a key witness to give evidence during the inquiry.

During his evidence, Mr Chambers offered an apology to the families who had fallen victim to Letby and said his language had been “clumsy” in telling the killer nurse the hospital had “her back”.

“I absolutely acknowledged that we hadn’t got that right. We could have done better, we should have done better. I should have done better,” he said.

When pressed on if he tried to “stall and obstruct the police being called or this being made public”, he added: “Had that been what I had done then it would be. But I think it’s an outrageous statement and I do not believe it represents my actions.”

Chair of the inquiry Lady Justice Thirlwall at Liverpool Town Hall, ahead of hearings into the murders and attempted murders of babies by nurse Lucy Letby. The inquiry will examine how the nurse was able to murder babies on the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit. Letby was convicted of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of seven others, with two attempts on one child, when she worked on the neonatal unit at the hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. Letby is servi
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Lady Justice Thirlwall at Liverpool Town Hall. Pic: PA

Jeremy Hunt: ‘Terrible tragedy happened on my watch’

Jeremy Hunt appeared at the inquiry in January where he apologised to the victims’ families, saying he was sorry “for anything that didn’t happen that could potentially have prevented such an appalling crime”.

Mr Hunt was health secretary at the time Letby committed her crimes in 2015 and 2016.

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt arrives at Liverpool Town Hall, to give evidence at the hearings into the murders and attempted murders of babies by nurse Lucy Letby. The inquiry is examining how the nurse was able to murder babies on the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit. Letby was convicted of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of seven others, with two attempts on one child, when she worked on the neonatal unit at the hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. Picture date: Thursday January 9, 2025. PA Photo. Letby is serving 15 whole-life orders - making her only the fourth woman in UK history to be told she will never be released from prison.  See PA story INQUIRY Letby. Photo credit should read: Peter Byrne/PA Wire
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Hunt arrives at Thirlwall Inquiry. Pic: PA

The MP told the inquiry the former nurse’s crimes were “a terrible tragedy” which “happened on my watch” and “although he doesn’t bear direct personal responsibility for everything that happens in every ward in the NHS” he does have “ultimate responsibility for the NHS”.

He recommended that medical examiners should be trained to see the signs or patterns of malicious harm in the work of a healthcare professional.

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The English town where almost a third of working-age people are economically inactive

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The English town where almost a third of working-age people are economically inactive

On a hilltop above Ashfield, a sculpture of a miner watches over the local towns.

In a part of Nottinghamshire with a proud mining heritage, almost a third of working-age people are now economically inactive.

It’s places like this where they’re bracing for the impact of welfare reform.

Holly, 17, who dropped out of college due to long term condition
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‘I practically live off’ personal independence payments, says Holly

A group of young people meet here in a local park. They’re among the UK’s almost a million so-called NEETS – people aged 16-24 not in employment, education or training.

Holly, 17, had to drop out of college for having too much time off and explained she has a long-term condition that makes her sick, as well as autism and ADHD.

“I’m still living with my parents but I’m also on PIP,” she says. She’s concerned that the government is expected to tighten eligibility for PIP – personal independence payments – as part of cuts to sickness and disability benefits.

“It shouldn’t happen because I practically live off of it,” she says. “I use it to get around – transport – because I struggle to get buses and trains and stuff so I get Ubers a lot which can be quite pricey.”

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A sculpture of a miner above Ashfield
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It’s places like Ashfield, in Nottinghamshire, that are bracing for the government’s welfare reforms

She accepts that as a PIP claimant, she can work and says she’s been looking for jobs. “I do want to work,” she insists.

“It’s just the fact that I don’t know if I could work full time with it, and because I’m off sick a lot, I just don’t know if I’d be able to hold a job.”

It’s that concern that’s led her to pursue another option.

“I’m working on getting a fit note at the moment,” she says, referring to a note from her doctor that could lead to her being signed off.

Holly, 17, who dropped out of college due to long term condition
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‘Because I’m off sick a lot, I just don’t know if I’d be able to hold a job’

It would mean she’d get more money in benefits – around double the amount a jobseeker receives with no condition to look for work – but she’d then risk losing it if she got a job, a situation she believes is perverse.

“If you have a fit note then it tells you that you cannot work ever – you shouldn’t be looking for a job – which I think is wrong,” she says.

Other young people who are looking for jobs here say when they apply for work they often don’t hear back.

Read more:
Sir Keir Starmer says welfare bill is ‘indefensible’

Big benefits cuts are imminent – here’s what to expect

Pippa Carter, the director of the Inspire and Achieve Foundation, which works with more than 200 young people a year, says: “Mental health is the largest barrier with our young people.

“And COVID was an impact as well. They’re just not really able to get out of their rooms. They haven’t got that social confidence.

“And then if you then layer on top of that the benefits and welfare system… if they are signed off sick, for example, with their struggling mental health, they’re then stopped from trying to get employment and take steps forward.”

Pippa Carter, the director of the Inspire and Achieve Foundation
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Pippa Carter tells Sky News young people ‘haven’t got that social confidence’

Many here would welcome a system that gives more help to young people taking their first steps into the workplace.

However, others worry that changes to health-related benefits will push some of society’s most vulnerable people deeper into poverty.

A sculpture of a miner above Ashfield
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It’s places like Ashfield, in Nottinghamshire, that are bracing for the government’s welfare reforms

In the centre of Sutton in Ashfield, former care assistant Allison leans on a Zimmer frame as she walks along the high street.

Now 59, she says she was signed off sick with a range of health conditions around 15 years ago and claims PIP.

Recently, life has become a struggle. “We did use a food bank the other day for the first time, so degrading,” she says.

Former care assistant Allison, in Sutton, Ashfield
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Allison, almost 60, is afraid a cut to benefits would force her to use food banks ‘every week’

But she’s afraid that cuts to benefits would force her to rely on it.

“I’d be going there every week, I’d have to because I wouldn’t be able to survive.”

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King and Queen set to meet Pope next month despite pontiff’s ill health

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King and Queen set to meet Pope next month despite pontiff's ill health

The King and Queen’s planned state visit to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis will go ahead despite his continuing ill health.

The palace confirmed that King Charles has written privately to the pontiff since he was admitted to hospital in February, and the historic gathering is still scheduled to take place in Rome in early April.

A Buckingham Palace source said they had shared “our hopes and prayers that Pope Francis’s health will enable the visit to go ahead”, although they signalled that alterations would be made to the visit if needed.

Pope Francis at an audience at the Vatican in February. Pic: REUTERS/Ciro De Luca
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Pope Francis at an audience at the Vatican in February. Pic: Reuters

Pope Francis in the chapel of the apartment on the tenth floor of the Policlinico Gemelli. Pic: Holy See Press Office
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Pope Francis in the first photo released since the pontiff was admitted to hospital. Pic: Holy See Press Office

Outlining details of the planned meeting, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “On Tuesday 8 April, and clearly subject to Pope Francis’s health, their majesties will visit the Holy See to join Pope Francis in celebrating the 2025 jubilee.

“Held traditionally once every 25 years, the jubilee is a special year for the Catholic Church; a year of reconciliation, prayer and walking together as ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, which is the jubilee’s theme.

“The King and Queen will have an audience with Pope Francis. Their Majesties will also attend a service in the Sistine Chapel, focused on the theme of ‘care for creation’, reflecting Pope Francis’s and His Majesty’s long-standing commitment to nature.”

The tour, from 7 to 10 April, will include two state visits to Rome and Ravenna in Italy, and the Holy See – the government of the Roman Catholic Church – in the Vatican.

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Behind the scenes at the Vatican

Charles will pass two milestones, becoming the first British monarch to visit the Papal Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, the resting place of St Paul since the reformation, and address both houses of Italy’s parliament.

The King will hold audiences with Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and the monarch and his wife will attend a black-tie state banquet at the Palazzo Quirinale.

At the weekend, the Vatican released the first photograph of the Pope since he was admitted to hospital on 14 February with a severe case of bronchitis, which developed into double pneumonia.

Medical staff said last week that the pontiff, 88, was no longer in a critical, life-threatening condition, but added that his condition remained complex due to his age, lack of mobility and the loss of part of a lung as a young man.

Other highlights of the April trip will see the UK and Italy’s defence co-operation recognised by a joint flypast over Rome by the Italian Air Force’s aerobatic team, Frecce Tricolori, and the RAF’s Red Arrows.

In Ravenna, near Bologna, Charles and Camilla will mark the 80th anniversary of the province’s liberation from Nazi occupation by Allied forces on 10 April 1945, during a town hall reception.

The couple will also mark their 20th wedding anniversary on 9 April.

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Big benefits cuts are imminent – here’s what to expect and why it could be just the start

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Big benefits cuts are imminent - here's what to expect and why it could be just the start

Those with “milder mental health” issues and “lower-level physical conditions” could see their disability benefits cut, as the government looks to shave £6bn off the welfare bill.

Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, is expected to target sickness and disability benefit payments for savings on Tuesday, which comes ahead of the spring statement next Wednesday.

Politics latest: Welfare reforms ‘imminent’

Her welfare reform green paper will arrive after Downing Street insisted there is a “moral and an economic case for fixing our broken system”.

Government figures argue the rising sickness and disability bill, which has ballooned since the pandemic, is unsustainable and will “leave the welfare state losing legitimacy” in the eyes of the wider public if not dealt with.

The cuts come as the chancellor eyes a hole in the public finances on the back of lower than expected growth and rising borrowing costs, with the £9.9bn headroom she had at the budget in October now wiped out.

Rachel Reeves’ self-imposed fiscal rules mean day-to-day government spending must be covered by tax revenue by 2029-30, which leaves her needing billions of pounds in spending cuts (after ruling out further tax rises, her other option).

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Welfare reforms will ensure ‘trust in system’

What changes should we expect?

Ms Kendall is expected to target personal independence payments (PIP) – one of the main forms of disability benefits for those with long-term illnesses or disabilities – amid a spike in claimants.

The PIP bill has grown from £13.7bn a year before the pandemic to £21.8bn in the current financial year, and is set to increase to £34.1bn by the end of the decade.

The number of people claiming this disability benefit is projected to more than double from two million to 4.3 million.

The work and pensions secretary will tell MPs that Labour will protect those who have a serious condition and can’t work, and the government’s rowed back from plans to freeze PIP payments after backlash from its backbench MPs.

These payments are now expected to rise in line with inflation, but the eligibility criteria will be tightened to whittle back the number of people eligible to claim.

One government figure told me it would result in some conditions, such as “milder mental health” or “lower-level physical conditions”, being ineligible for PIP.

But they stressed that those with more severe conditions and who are never going to be able to work would be protected and cared for.

Read more:
Which benefits could be cut?

Why Labour MPs are so uncomfortable

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Why is there a surge in youth unemployment?

The key principles driving reforms

The changes are likely to draw criticism from some MPs, though one senior Labour source said they didn’t think there would be any ministerial resignations over the benefit announcements.

Another Labour figure told me they would be “massively shocked” if there were resignations.

However, a number of Labour MPs have voiced their concerns, as has the Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.

In a bid to assuage MPs, the work and pensions secretary is also expected to earmark £1bn of savings into employment support programmes as she frames the reforms around three clear principles.

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The first will be to prevent people from falling into long-term economic inactivity with a better support offer to get people back into work quickly.

The second will be to change the incentive systems to move people away from welfare dependency.

This could see Ms Kendall slash the highest level of incapacity benefit for working age people who have an illness or disability that limits their ability to work, while increasing the basic rate of support for those out of work (universal credit).

This is because the lower level of unemployment benefit has led to more people claiming for additional incapacity and disability benefits, while disincentivising them to try to find work.

The government will also announce a “right to try” scheme, allowing those on incapacity benefits to try returning to work without the risk of losing their benefits, as happens in the current system.

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Will there be a backlash over benefits?

‘I don’t think they go far enough’

But with one in 10 working age people claiming sickness benefits, and one in eight young people not in education, employment or training, the reforms on Tuesday could be just the start of bigger changes – and potentially bigger political battles.

The cost of long-term sickness and disability benefits for working-age people has risen by about £20bn since the pandemic to about £48bn, and is forecast to hit almost £100bn by 2030.

“People are trapped on benefits and the bill is getting out of hand,” said one government figure.

“We are currently spending more than three times the annual policing bill on these benefits. It’s getting out of hand.

“I don’t think the reforms go far enough, and I don’t think people have clocked the size of the numbers going on here.”

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