Lucy Letby’s lawyer insists case has not been undermined after experts quit

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Coates, J. (2026, September 15). Lucy Letby’s lawyer insists case has not been undermined after experts quit. Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/lucy-letby-ccrc-bbc-newsnight-press-association-b1297002.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Evening Standard · collected 2026-09-15 · by Jessica Coates

Quick Summary

Lucy Letby’s lawyer asserts that her case remains strong despite two experts quitting her defense team, citing unresolved issues with some legal arguments. The former nurse is serving multiple life sentences for killing seven infants and attempting to murder seven others at the Countess of Chester hospital. Engineering expert Helen Shannon and bioengineering professor Geoff Chase withdrew from representing Letby’s case after expressing concerns about certain scientifically unsupported claims made by her defense team, but they still maintain that their previous report on two specific cases remains valid.

Written by AI on 2026-09-15, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Lucy Letby's barrister, Mark McDonald, faces criticism from two former defense experts who withdrew support due to concerns about scientific credibility and "unresolvable problems" in his strategy. Helen Shannon and Geoff Chase warned that McDonald’s approach is risking Letby's long-term interests and potentially harming the families of the affected babies. The public inquiry led by Lady Justice Thirlwall is set to publish its findings, assessing how Letby was able to harm multiple infants while working at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Despite experts' withdrawal, McDonald insists his case remains strong, with one expert group still backing Letby's innocence before the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).

Written for “Lucy Letby Public Inquiry” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Lucy Letby Public Inquiry

Crime & Law · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 7% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

Lucy Letby's barrister is damaging her chances of freedom, two experts who abandoned her innocence fight warn as public inquiry takes place today Same event

Daily Mail

Hedges 3 of 27 claims Outlet record 68/100

Explainer-Who is Lucy Letby and why is her case so controversial? Different event

The Straits Times

Hedges 3 of 37 claims Outlet record 66/100

“The articles discuss different aspects of Lucy Letby's case and do not describe the same specific incident or occurrence.”

Letby failings go beyond one hospital - the whole system has been found lacking Different event

BBC News

⚖️ Leans left Hedges 3 of 39 claims Outlet record 68/100

“Article A focuses on Lucy Letby's legal case and her lawyer's response to experts quitting her defense team. Article B discusses a public inquiry criticizing the wider NHS system in relation to Letby's case, not just one specific incident.”

Lucy Letby's 'boyfriend' fought to save her career and put her 'first' after she murdered babies, damning emails show Different event

Daily Mail

Hedges 2 of 27 claims Outlet record 68/100

“The articles cover different aspects of Lucy Letby's case: one focuses on her lawyer's response to experts quitting her defense team, while the other discusses a past email exchange between Letby and her 'boyfriend'.”

How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

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1 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

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65/100

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Evening Standard · 7906 article(s) · 65 correction(s) detected

Running correction rate · 65 correction(s)

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Who wrote this

Jessica Coates

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All 18 articles by Jessica Coates →

Topics

CCRC The Criminal Cases Review Commission The Guardian

Subjects

CCRC ORG · 4× Letby PERSON · 4× Geoff Chase PERSON · 1× Helen Shannon PERSON · 1× Lucy Letby PERSON · 1× Lucy Letby’s PERSON · 1× The Criminal Cases Review Commission ORG · 1× The Guardian ORG · 1×

Narrative

The letter added: “Whilst it is entirely legitimate for the defence to advance multiple arguments, some of the other arguments now being put forward we cannot support as scientifically credible and which have, in our view, fundamental unresolvable problems.” Letby was denied permission to appeal against her convictions in 2024. The findings of a public inquiry into how she was able to repeatedly kill and harm babies on the hospital’s neonatal unit are due to be published on Tuesday.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-15

🔮 So how on earth could they make that conclusion?” he said.

2026-09-15 · Evening Standard

Lucy Letby’s lawyer insists case has not been undermined after experts quit · assertive framing

Claims (15 extracted, 1 hedged)

Lucy Letby’s lawyer has insisted her case has not been undermined after two experts quit her defence team, saying some of its arguments have “unresolvable problems”. asserted

some → insist → problems

The former nurse, who maintains her innocence, is serving 15 whole-life terms for the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of seven others while working on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester hospital. asserted

who → maintain → hospital

Engineering expert Helen Shannon and bioengineering professor Geoff Chase withdrew from the team on Monday. asserted

Shannon → withdraw → Monday

The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, is considering evidence presented on her behalf by an international panel of medics. asserted

which → investigate → medics

Read More The group argued the babies died or collapsed as a result of poor medical care and natural causes. asserted

babies → read → care

“They don’t know what I put into the CCRC because I haven’t told them. asserted

I → know → them

So how on earth could they make that conclusion?” he said. uncertain

he → make → conclusion

“But really, it comes back to this. asserted

it → come → this

Both sets of experts say that Lucy Letby is innocent. asserted

Letby → say → experts

“One set of experts remains in the CCRC. asserted

set → remain → CCRC

One set of experts have withdrawn. asserted

set → withdraw → experts

But they both are of the same position that whatever happened at the trial, what took place at the trial, was wrong, that the jury was misled.” asserted

jury → happen → trial

In a letter to the CCRC and reported by The Guardian, the two experts raised concerns about legal arguments put forward by Letby’s team, adding that it was “placing the long-term interests of Ms Letby at serious, unnecessary and unacceptable risk”. asserted

it → report → risk

The pair continued to back their report on Letby’s convictions for attempting to murder two babies with insulin, maintaining it was “very unlikely” they had been poisoned. asserted

they → continue → insulin

she → add → Tuesday

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