Serial baby killer Lucy Letby loses bid to appeal murder convictions

Child serial killer Lucy Letby has lost a Court of Appeal bid to challenge her murder and attempted murder convictions.

The former nurse, who is Britain’s most prolific child killer, was sentenced to 14 whole-life orders in August for the murders of seven babies and six attempted killings.

Each of Letby’s offences took place in the neonatal unit where she worked at the Countess of Chester Hospital in Cheshire between June 2015 and June 2016.

She lodged an application to challenge all the counts in September.

A judge initially turned down the appeal, but Letby was later awarded the right to a full court hearing to argue the right to appeal.

In September last year it was announced that Letby, originally from Hereford, will face a retrial over one count of attempted murder of a newborn baby girl.

Nick Johnson KC, for the prosecution, told Manchester Crown Court that a decision had been made to pursue a retrial in the case of Baby K, a girl born in February 2016.

The prosecution is not pursuing a retrial on the five other charges of attempted murder, relating to four babies – two girls, Baby H and Baby J, and two boys, Baby N and Baby Q – after the jury in Letby’s trial was unable to reach verdicts.

Applications for permission to appeal against a crown court decision are typically considered by a judge looking at legal documents without a hearing.

If this is refused, people have 14 days to renew their bid for permission at a full court hearing before two or three judges.

In April it was revealed Letby will cost the taxpayers more than £100,000,000 as authorities began to compensate her victims and pay legal fees.

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