No further criminal charges will be brought against convicted child killer Lucy Letby following a 2025 investigation into allegations of murder and attempted murder against nine children at the hospitals where she worked, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
Cheshire Constabulary passed additional evidence to prosecutors last year for consideration, linked to eight potential offences of attempted murder and one offence of murder at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Another two allegations of attempted murder and murder were linked to one child at Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
In a statement, Cheshire Constabulary said this was “not the outcome they had anticipated” and added that they were “confident” that they held enough evidence to secure charges.
The force said: “We believed the evidence submitted met the CPS charging standard. The CPS did not agree and despite our representations we must respect the decision that has been made.
“There will be some who will feel that this is news worth celebrating. We do not share this view and would ask that people respect the privacy and feelings of the families involved.”
The former nurse, 35, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted across two trials at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others between June 2015 and June 2016.
Frank Ferguson, head of the CPS’s Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: “We received a file of evidence from Cheshire Constabulary in July 2025 asking us to consider further allegations against Lucy Letby, 36, relating to deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
“Following a thorough review of that evidence, we have decided that no criminal charges should be brought in respect of those further allegations.
“The Crown Prosecution Service considered offences of murder and attempted murder in respect of two infants who died and attempted murder in respect of seven infants who survived.
“We concluded that the evidential test was not met in any of those cases. As always, this decision was made independently, based on the evidence and in line with our legal test.
“The CPS has written to the families involved and will offer meetings to explain our decision-making in further detail. Our thoughts remain with them.”
Lucy Letby’s barrister Mark McDonald said: “Lucy Letby has always maintained her innocence – she has never hurt a child and never would. It is vital that the case is now referred back to the Court of Appeal as a matter of urgency.
“Thirty-one reports have been submitted to the CCRC (Criminal Cases Review Commission) compiled by 26 internationally renowned experts, which provide overwhelming evidence that no babies were murdered.
“The reality is that a young innocent woman is in prison for crimes she has not committed.”
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