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David Davis 'convinced' child-killer Lucy Letby is innocent - as documentary reveals explosive new evidence

By Ella Bennett

David Davis has told LBC he is "convinced" child-killer Lucy Letby is innocent - as he admits he continues to question the evidence used to convict her.

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The former Conservative Party Chairman told LBC he spent three months going through the court reports looking for a "slam dunk" that would say beyond reasonable doubt that she was guilty, but he admits he "just didn't find it".

"In fact, I came to a very firm conclusion that if they'd actually held any of the trials... for any of the individual cases independently, [they] wouldn't even have made it to court," Mr Davis told LBC on Sunday.

Speaking to LBC's Ben Kentish, he said: "I came to the conclusion that this was probably a tragedy of error."

Asked whether he believes Lucy Letby is innocent, Mr Davis said he wouldn't have taken the case up if he thought she was guilty of the crimes she was accused.

He said: "I wouldn't have picked it up unless I was pretty convinced, and I am pretty convinced she's innocent."

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Letby, 35, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted across two trials at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016.

Letby lost two bids last year to challenge her convictions at the Court of Appeal.

Lucy Letby, Undated handout issued by Cheshire Constabulary of nurse Lucy Letby. The British neonatal nurse has been found guilty of killing seven babies and trying to kill six others. (Handout Image: Cheshire Constabulary)
Lucy Letby, Undated handout issued by Cheshire Constabulary of nurse Lucy Letby. The British neonatal nurse has been found guilty of killing seven babies and trying to kill six others. (Handout Image: Cheshire Constabulary). Picture: Alamy

Mr Davis revealed he has not met with Letby personally, and said he does "not particular" want to.

"If she wants to see me, I'll see her," he said. "But I'm not one of these people who blame her."

He told LBC that he doesn't need to look her in the eye to determine that she is innocent, instead, his decision is based "on science and statistics and mathematics".

In April, the barrister representing the killer nurse handed over what he called 'fresh' evidence in the hope of clearing the nurse's name.

It comes as a documentary set to be broadcast on ITV could shed more doubt on the nurse's conviction.

Set to air on Sunday, the documentary, 'Lucy Letby: Beyond Reasonable Doubt?' highlights evidence submitted to the CCRC that allegedly refutes the case that the nurse deliberately killed two of the infants with insulin.

The show claims that the levels in the infants could have been produced by natural causes as per the evidence.

Letby, 35, remains behind bars as she continues to serve 15 whole life sentences.

David Davis speaks to LBC
David Davis speaks to LBC. Picture: LBC

Asked what Mr Davis' message would be to the families who are distressed by the questions of Letby's innocence, he urged them to consider the "truth".

Mr Davis said: "It's very hard for anybody to understand the pain of losing a child, so one has to recognise that and this obviously can't make it any easier.

"However, if I'd lost a child, one thing I would want to happen is to know the truth about it.

"Not simply for my own child but for any future children who may die as a result of mistake."

"It's painful but the truth sometimes is painful," he added.

The Countess of Chester Hospital. Three people who were part of the senior leadership team at the hospital where killer nurse Lucy Letby worked have been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
The Countess of Chester Hospital. Three people who were part of the senior leadership team at the hospital where killer nurse Lucy Letby worked have been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter. Picture: Alamy

Asked whether the prospect of freeing a convicted mass murderer worried him, he insisted that "what it does is it motivates me to work very hard at getting the facts straight".

"So that's why I spent literally, I mean, three months, it was the entire summer, immediately after the election, going through a day by day and it wasn't made easy."

"I'm a scientist by training, so I followed up the things like the forensic science behind the insulin tests and so on, and it's, you know, it blames the pikestaff to me that this is a miscarriage.

"And, you know, if I'd thought, as I said, if I thought one of them, even one of them she was guilty of, I would have dropped it."