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A coroner has formally opened inquests into the deaths of five newborn babies who Lucy Letby was convicted of murdering.
In a 20-minute hearing at Cheshire coroner’s court, the senior coroner Jacqueline Devonish heard brief details of the deaths before adjourning proceedings until September.
Det Insp Darren Reid of the coroner’s office, said an inquest was requested into the deaths of babies known as C, E, I, O and P as there was “reason to suspect an unnatural death” at the Countess of Chester hospital.
Letby, 36, is serving 15 whole-life prison terms after being convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others in the year to June 2016.
The former neonatal nurse, from Hereford, has insisted she is innocent and that babies died or became seriously unwell as a result of poor care and understaffing. Under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, the outcome of a coroner’s inquest must not be inconsistent with a murder conviction in criminal proceedings.
At a hearing in Warrington last week, Letby’s barrister, Mark McDonald, said the law meant the inquests were “not the forum to re-litigate the convictions”. However, he said it was important for the coroner to understand how each baby died and that there were “systemic failings” at the hospital.
Richard Baker KC, representing a number of the bereaved families, told the hearing last week the inquests must not be used as a “collateral attack on the convictions”.
He said the coroner was “bound by those convictions and cannot act in any way that is inconsistent with them”.
Devonish, the senior coroner for Cheshire, told the barristers: “At this point in time, how the babies died has been determined by the verdict of a criminal trial. If there’s an appeal we can revisit that question at this point.”
On Wednesday, the coroner said she would adjourn the five inquests until the outcome of a public inquiry by Lady Justice Kathryn Thirlwall, which examined the deaths and is due to publish its report in the coming months.
A provisional date for the full inquest hearings has been set for 14 to 25 September, with an internal review set for 5 May.
An inquest into the death of a sixth baby, Child D, which was originally opened and suspended in 2016 was further suspended on Wednesday.
An inquest into the death of a seventh newborn, Baby A, was held in October 2016 in which a narrative conclusion was recorded, saying it could not be determined what caused the child’s collapse and subsequent death or whether it was due to a natural or unnatural event. The family of Baby A do not want the inquest reopened.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, has been examining the convictions since February last year.
Letby has twice unsuccessfully attempted to overturn the convictions at the court of appeal in London.
Prosecutors announced last month Letby would not face further charges after considering a file of evidence from Cheshire constabulary.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had considered 11 new offences: two of murder and two of attempted murder in relation to two babies who died, and seven of attempted murder in relation to seven babies who survived.
The new allegations included the alleged murder of a baby at the Countess of Chester hospital and another at Liverpool Women’s hospital.
However, the CPS said the evidence did not meet the test required to bring fresh charges.
Cheshire constabulary is continuing an investigation into three former senior Countess of Chester bosses who were arrested last year on suspicion of alleged corporate manslaughter or gross negligence manslaughter.
