ARMED with signs and yelling “No babies were murdered”, hoards of Lucy Letby supporters gathered earlier this year to demand that the killer nurse be freed.
And they are not alone. Here, we reveal how Letby’s fans are doing their very best to make sure she doesn’t die behind bars.
Killer nurse Lucy Letby was convicted of ruthlessly murdering seven babies in her care[/caption]
Protesters outside the Thirlwall Inquiry in Liverpool on March 17[/caption]
Pro-Letby demonstrators were asked to leave The Captain Alexander pub in James Street, Liverpool, in March[/caption]
In one of the protests, Letby’s supporters rallied outside Liverpool’s Town Hall on March 17 – protesting as concluding statements were given at the Thirlwall Inquiry.
The inquiry looked into events that took place at the Countess of Chester Hospital where Letby committed her heartless crimes.
Supporters travelled from far and wide to show their support for the 35-year-old nurse – who is serving a life sentence for murdering seven babies and attempting to kill seven more.
They are just a few of the many die-hard fans insisting Letby is the victim of a “witch-hunt”.
It comes as her lawyer says he has new evidence that could clear her name.
This is giving the killer nurse “hope” after she became a “broken woman” behind bars, he said.
Her barrister Mark McDonald said he has 26 separate experts and 1,000 pages of fresh evidence to back up his claim, which he has passed on to the Criminal Cases Review Commission.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain last month he said: “There is obviously a concern here among experts that something is seriously wrong.
“A year ago when I went to see her she had lost everything and she said no one believed her, she was a broken woman.
“Now seeing these experts saying no crime was committed she has hope.”
Fans’ reasons for supporting Letby are often unclear, with many online claiming they’ve always known she was innocent but offering little by way of explanation.
Others have harboured a more warped fascination with the case and Letby herself which has led to odd declarations of love, sexual fantasies, themed speed dating – and talk of pilgrimages to her old home.
One demonstrator estimated at least 80 people had attended the last protest, and told The Sun: “It was an interesting experience, both joyful and disturbing.”
KILLER NURSE’S LIFE IN JAIL
Rumblings amongst the underground community were stirred after it was revealed Letby and the stepmother of murdered Sara Sharif have bonded in prison over family card game Uno.
Letby and Beinash Batool — who is serving 33 years over ten-year-old Sara’s death — are said to spend hours playing the game in their cushy jail unit.
The child killers — both inmates with “enhanced” privileges at HMP Bronzefield, Surrey — also spend time in each other’s cells and in the kitchen together.
But their love of the Uno game has sparked fury among staff and lags.
What’s more, staff check every 15 minutes to ensure Britain’s worst child murderer has not been attacked or harmed herself.
It comes amid claims Letby has become “deluded” about her chance of regaining her freedom as a campaign questioning her guilt grows.
CONSULTANT HOPES TO MEET LETBY
Letby sympathiser Professor Richard Gill, who lives in the Netherlands, likely travelled the furthest to attend the latest protest – and is one of those with the most clout in terms of a legitimate case for a potential appeal.
A statistical misrepresentation consultant who has helped free two other nurses wrongly convicted of murdering patients, Lucia de Berk and Daniela Poggiali, he has even explained how he believes he could get Letby’s convictions overturned.
And he revealed what her parents said in a letter to him amid his attempts to campaign for their daughter’s freedom.
He now hopes to meet Letby in person, as he did with nurse de Berk, who was jailed for life in 2003 after being found guilty of the murders of seven patients and the attempted murders of another three.
He also visited Poggiali, who was accused of killing 38 patients before being exonerated, and Ben Geen, a former Brit nurse who was convicted of killing two patients at a hospital in Banbury.
“They were all three extremely moving experiences,” he recalls.
“I treasured those experiences. They further confirmed my already strong suspicion they were innocent.”
WETHERSPOONS MEET-UP
At The Captain Alexander Wetherspoons pub on James Street earlier this year, one group of her supporters claim they were attacked by other punters who were clearly disturbed by their cause.
Pro-Letby demonstrator Cally Starforth, who was at the pub, claimed in her blog there were “undercover agents” – which she suggested could have been employed by the NHS – sent to “infiltrate” the demonstration and the pub.
She said she was “kicked”, verbally abused and told she should be “ashamed”.
A Wetherspoons spokesperson said the pub was busier than normal due to it being St Patrick’s Day, and the protesters were asked to clear space and move their placards, which led to an argument.
As a result, several were asked to leave.
They added: “Wetherspoon supports the right to peaceful protest, but visible signage of any type within a pub can be a sensitive issue and we would ask them not to bring their placards into the pub should they wish to visit again.”
A protester speaks outside Liverpool Town Hall[/caption]
A protester with a placard showing a doctored picture of Letby crying[/caption]
Prof Richard Gill speaking about the protest on his YouTube channel[/caption]
BIRTHDAY PARTY AND SPEED DATING
It wouldn’t be the first time a boozer has drawn a line when confronted with Letby fans.
Members arranged a birthday party for Letby in January after which bizarre suggestions were made for a Letby-themed speed dating event on Valentine’s Day.
The birthday party was held at the Windmill pub in Clapham Common and featured banners and a cake which had “Lucy 35” written in icing on top.
The speed dating was supposed to be held there too, but a spokesperson for Youngs, which operates the family boozer, told The Sun any attempts to book such an event would be blocked.
They added that staff were not aware of the nature of the birthday party when it was green lit.
PERVERTED FANTASIES
Sickeningly, other Facebook groups, including the now defunct ‘Pervert$ unite to support Lucy Letby’, previously saw members gushing over their love for her.
The sick group – which had 226 members in November 2023 before it was shut down – saw people speak openly about their infatuation for her.
It had devolved from a page simply called Lucy Letby Support Page.
The name itself appeared to be satirical – altered by an administrator who then distanced themselves from the page.
One member said: “I had a dream last night, Lucy used restraints on me & proceeded to abuse me, it was very pleasant.”
And another said: “In womens’ prisons are the inmates allowed to wear thongs…?
“Do the lady inmates have to wear paper knickers like the residents do in my mother’s nursing home?”
These dark obsessions with the murderer make it easy to see why many of her supporters are automatically met with disdain.
Letby fans appeared to be planning a speed dating event for Valentine’s Day[/caption]
The party involved glasses of prosecco, homemade banners and a giant ‘Lucy’ cake[/caption]
PILGRIMAGES TO LETBY’S HOME
In the meantime, Prof Gill has travelled to Letby’s former hometown of Chester.
He told The Sun: “I saw the town, I walked the city walls. You can see the mountains of Wales in the distance. It’s beautiful and interesting.”
He also plans to go back, this time to visit the street where Letby lived, and do the short 20-minute walk to the Countess of Chester Hospital where she worked in 2015 and 2016.
He says: “The next time I’m in Chester I’d like to visit the street where Lucy lived and walk from there to the hospital.
“I already visited the hospital. These are not pilgrimages. It’s about getting a feeling for the people involved in the story.”
He’s not the only one said to have a fascination with retracing Letby’s old life.
Previous reports have suggested other supporters of Letby have been organising ‘tours’ of her old haunts, including gathering outside her old home in Chester.
However, from speaking to neighbours, it appears if such pilgrimages are taking place they are not so widespread.
Prof Gill said: “These are not pilgrimages. It’s about getting a feeling for the people involved in the story.
“It’s about the biggest miscarriage in the UK since the Liverpool Six. I’ve been following it since 2017. Been deeply involved in it.”
He said Letby’s case, like those he has helped overturn, “follow the same playbook”.
“They all start with a failing hospital unit and a paranoid doctor.
“Then add bad statistics and confirmation bias. Moral outrage, emotion, suspension of critical facilities. Bounty hunter ‘experts’.”
The charges Letby was convicted on in full
Child A, allegation of murder. The Crown said Letby injected air intravenously into the bloodstream of the baby boy. COUNT 1 GUILTY.
Child B, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby attempted to murder the baby girl, the twin sister of Child A, by injecting air into her bloodstream. COUNT 2 GUILTY.
Child C, allegation of murder. Prosecutors said Letby forced air down a feeding tube and into the stomach of the baby boy. COUNT 3 GUILTY.
Child D, allegation of murder. The Crown said air was injected intravenously into the baby girl. COUNT 4 GUILTY.
Child E, allegation of murder. The Crown said Letby murdered the twin baby boy with an injection of air into the bloodstream and also deliberately caused bleeding to the infant. COUNT 5 GUILTY.
Child F, allegation of attempted murder. Letby was said by prosecutors to have poisoned the twin brother of Child E with insulin. COUNT 6 GUILTY.
Child G, three allegations of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby targeted the baby girl by overfeeding her with milk and pushing air down her feeding tube. COUNT 7 GUILTY, COUNT 8 GUILTY, COUNT 9 NOT GUILTY.
Child H, two allegations of attempted murder. Prosecutors said Letby sabotaged the care of the baby girl in some way which led to two profound oxygen desaturations. COUNT 10 NOT GUILTY, COUNT 11 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT.
Child I, allegation of murder. The prosecution said Letby killed the baby girl at the fourth attempt and had given her air and overfed her with milk. COUNT 12 GUILTY.
Child J, allegation of attempted murder. No specific form of harm was identified by the prosecution but they said Letby did something to cause the collapse of the baby girl. COUNT 13 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT.
Child K, allegation of attempted murder. The prosecution said Letby compromised the baby girl as she deliberately dislodged a breathing tube. COUNT 14 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT.
Child L, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said the nurse poisoned the twin baby boy with insulin. COUNT 15 GUILTY.
Child M, allegation of attempted murder. Prosecutors said Letby injected air into the bloodstream of Child L’s twin brother. COUNT 16 GUILTY.
Child N, three allegations of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby inflicted trauma in the baby boy’s throat and also injected him with air in the bloodstream. COUNT 17 GUILTY, COUNT 18 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT, COUNT 19 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT.
Child O, allegation of murder. Prosecutors say Letby attacked the triplet boy by injecting him with air, overfeeding him with milk and inflicting trauma to his liver with “severe force”. COUNT 20 GUILTY.
Child P, allegation of murder. Prosecutors said the nurse targeted the triplet brother of Child O by overfeeding him with milk, injecting air and dislodging his breathing tube. COUNT 21 GUILTY.
Child Q, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby injected the baby boy with liquid, and possibly air, down his feeding tube. COUNT 22 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT.
Lucy’s parents John and Susan Letby outside Manchester Crown Court during her trial[/caption]
The road in Chester where Letby previously lived[/caption]
Barrister Mark McDonald is leading Letby’s legal appeal[/caption]
Some insist Letby has been made a scapegoat for hospital failings[/caption]
Supporters of Letby demonstrate outside the High Court[/caption]
