Streeting urges caution over 'clear Letby' campaign

Campaigners who believe former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby was wrongly convicted of murdering babies should stick to the established legal process, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said.

Letby is serving 15 whole-life sentences after she was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others at the Countess of Chester hospital - with two attempts on one of her victims - between June 2015 and June 2016.

The now 35-year-old, originally from Hereford, lost two bids last year to challenge her convictions at the Court of Appeal.

Earlier this month a panel of medical experts concluded that the babies either died from natural causes or following poor medical care.

Streeting was asked in an interview about his previous comments on the case, in which he criticised "crass and insensitive" speculation about the safety of Letby's convictions.

He told LBC: "Well, it is still the case that Lucy Letby is convicted of the crimes she was accused of.

"I know there is a campaign being waged, including by her legal team... and including some of my parliamentary colleagues."

Earlier this month the panel of 14 neonatologists and paediatric specialists, led by retired Canadian medic Dr Shoo Lee, presented what it called an "impartial evidence-based report".

Veteran Conservative MP Sir David Davis described Letby's convictions as "one of the major injustices of modern times".

In his LBC interview, Streeting urged campaigners and anyone involved in "the court of public opinion" to stick to the established legal process.

"I would ask people to consider those grieving parents who've lost their babies," he said.

"I still think that waging a campaign in this way in the wake of these convictions is not the right thing to do."

He added: "Until I'm told otherwise by the courts of this land, then I continue to stand by the view that there's been a fair conviction here until the courts determine otherwise."

The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, has started to assess Letby's case, which is said to involve a "significant volume of complicated evidence".