The mother of one of the infants killed during a string of incidents at a neonatal unit has spoken on camera about attending the trial of former nurse Lucy Letby.
Using the pseudonym “Sarah” in a new Netflix documentary, she described the years after her daughter’s death as “storm after storm, and it’s not over, but I want to make it through”. She also said she at one point felt she had “failed as a mum” because she could not protect her child.
Sarah recounted that her daughter, identified as “Baby D” at the trial and given the name “Zoe” by the documentary makers, had been born after 60 hours of labour and was taken to intensive care soon after delivery.
“It was hard looking at her in the incubator… She was so fragile, small and precious,” said Sarah. She added that doctors initially told the family Zoe “was responding very well, she was responding as expected and there were no concerns.”
Less than two days later Sarah was woken in the early hours and taken to find a scene of “panic”. “The doctor was trying everything to keep her heart pumping,” she said. “That was it,” said Sarah. “It was finished. It was over. I was just so angry and so sad and so confused.”
Cheshire Police led a lengthy inquiry that eventually brought charges in 2020. Letby was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others at the Countess of Chester hospital between 2015 and 2016 and is serving 15 whole life sentences.
The documentary was given access to the officers who worked on the investigation, including body-worn camera footage of Letby’s arrests and interviews. The filmmakers also spoke with paediatric consultants who first raised concerns internally.
Dr John Gibbs, one of the consultants who advised hospital management, said Letby had seemed “quiet” and nothing initially stood out. But as incidents continued the consultants noticed she frequently appeared to be on duty when babies deteriorated.
Gibbs said they had repeatedly raised their worries and that, when Letby was moved from night to day shifts, “the timings of the deaths and non-fatal collapses also changed.” He told the documentary: “At that stage, we as a consultant body realised that we could not delay any further. Lucy Letby had to be removed from the neonatal unit.”
Sarah said she attended the trial knowing it would be difficult and because “I knew Lucy Letby was going to take the stand, so I needed to face her”. She described sitting in court near Letby: “I sat three metres away from her. She looked at me a dozen times, staring. Every time she looked at me I’d have to look down.”
The prosecution argued, and the jury found, that Letby had caused death and serious harm to infants in the unit. Among other findings at trial, Letby was determined to have injected air into Baby D’s bloodstream.
Letby’s defence team has pursued reviews of the convictions. Her new legal representative, Mark MacDonald, who took over her case in late 2024, has expressed strong doubts about the evidence: “No-one saw her do anything wrong,” he said. “There is no CCTV. There is no motive – none.”
An international panel of medical experts convened by Letby’s defence held a press conference in early 2025 and said their review identified alternative explanations for the events. The panel, led by Canadian neonatal specialist Dr Shoo Lee, stated: “We did not find any murders. In all cases, death or injury were due to natural causes or just bad medical care.” He warned, “A young woman could be in jail for crimes that she did not commit.”
Gibbs rejected the panel’s conclusions, pointing to patterns at the unit and to changes in incident timing when Letby’s shifts changed. He also expressed frustration at online critics of the consultants, saying they had been accused of lying to cover up failings. “Where’s your evidence of that?” he asked. He added: “Blaming a colleague – which is a dreadful thing to do – for possibly murdering and attempting to murder babies is the worst way in the world to try and cover up problems and inadequacies on the neonatal unit.”
Gibbs also spoke about the personal burden he carries: “I live with two guilts. Guilt that we let the babies down. And tiny, tiny, tiny guilt – did we get the wrong person? Just in case – miscarriage of justice?” He said: “I don’t think there was a miscarriage of justice but you worry that no-one actually saw her do it.”
Det Supt Paul Hughes, who led the police investigation, said one central question remains: “The only person who knows truly why she did each of these awful events is Lucy Letby herself.”
Letby’s case is currently with the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which the defence hopes will lead to a fresh appeal.
An independent inquiry commissioned by the UK Government into broader circumstances at the Countess of Chester neonatal unit is expected to publish its findings in late spring.
Families of the victims are following developments while attempting to move forward. Sarah has since had a son and said: “He’s our reason for everything.” She also reflected on grief and resilience: “There’s no getting over any of this,” she said. “There’s the sorrow, but there’s the hope and the love we have for her. Ultimately, we’re still here and I want to count my blessings and appreciate what I have.”
The Investigation of Lucy Letby is available to watch on Netflix, where viewers can see interviews with parents, police and medical professionals involved in the case.
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