Evidence given by a Guernsey paediatrician has been criticised in a briefing document written by some of those supporting Lucy Letby’s appeal hopes.

The former neonatal nurse is serving a whole life sentence for the murder of seven infants and the attempted murder of seven more babies.

She is also facing the possibility of prosecution in relation to the deaths and non-fatal collapse of other babies at hospitals where she worked before moving to the Countess of Chester Hospital where the attacks she has already been convicted of occurred.

However, there is growing public support for her original case to be retried with medical experts joining the calls of those who say she is the victim of a miscarriage of justice.

A briefing document which examines some of the evidence around the Letby case was leaked to X this week.

The document references evidence given by Dr Sandie Bohin for the prosecution in Letby’s original trial. She has previously described the experience of giving evidence as “harrowing”.

During Letby’s trial, Dr Bohin affirmed evidence given by Dr Dewi Evans who said the nurse had killed the babies and tried to kill others by injecting air into their bloodstreams.

This has been called in to question by the authors of the briefing document, which includes doctors, professors, statisticians, and research fellows among others.

Sark based Dr Roger Norwich BA, MB, ChB, MSc, RD, is among those who have contributed to the briefing document.

Pictured: The co-authors of the briefing document.

The document references Dr Bohin just twice – while Dr Evans, as the lead prosecution witness, is referenced multiple times.

The document says much “hinges on the reliability of the evidence of Evans and Bohin”.

Focusing on that evidence, the briefing document says: “Whilst air embolism is a medically recognised diagnosis, the methodology employed by Dr Evans and Dr Bohin to identify the cause of death as venous air embolism is not a recognised, structured, and scientifically validated process.

“The theories adduced on causation of death by over-feeding or air injection via naso-gastric tube fail on all counts.”

Pictured: Page 11 of the 25 page briefing document.
Pictured: Page 16 of the 25 page briefing document.

The evidence given by Dr Evans and Dr Bohin has been repeatedly called into question since Letby was sentenced to a whole life prison term for the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of seven more.

Medical experts – including retired neonatal medical expert Dr Shoo Lee – have previously published a report stating that they believe all of the infants suffered from natural causes or errors in medical care.

Dr Lee co-authored an academic text in 1989 which was cited by the prosecution in Letby’s trial. However, Dr Lee has criticised the use of 1989 text by the prosecution.

At that time, Sark based Dr Norwich told Express that he and others felt fully vindicated in their view that Letby had not harmed the babies.

Dr Norwich has previously raised serious questions about the way the Letby case was handled.

He said the expert panel’s findings – led by Dr Lee – intensified scrutiny of the trial, with calls for a review of the evidence that led to Letby’s conviction. 

The UK’s Criminal Cases Review Commission has received an application to look at the Letby case again. If it approves, the case will go to the Court of Appeal.