The Lucy Letby case faces fresh controversy after the lead prosecution expert’s evidence in the previous case was rejected by the judge as ‘worthless’

The key witness in the Lucy Letby trial is at the center of fresh controversy after it was revealed that a judge in an earlier trial had rejected her evidence as ‘worthless’.

Dewi Evans’ testimony was central to the nurse’s conviction last year for murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others, but the reliability of her evidence is being questioned by a growing number of eminent experts.

Earlier this month, following an investigation on Radio 4, Dr. Evans has changed his mind about how Ms Letby allegedly killed one of her victims after it was revealed the nurse was not even at the hospital where the baby died when a damning x-ray was taken. receipt.

He no longer claims that air was forced into the baby’s stomach and says Letby injected air into the baby’s bloodstream.

Lucy Letby was found guilty of murdering babies at the hospital where she worked as a neonatal nurse

Dewi Evans’ testimony (pictured) was central to the nurse’s conviction last year for murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six more.

Letby will face life imprisonment after being convicted of crimes

Last week, judges rejected Letby’s request to appeal her conviction at a retrial in July on an attempted murder charge, the last lead to be explored before a new legal team began working on her case.

As part of the new moves, Letby’s lawyers are focusing attention on Dr. He plans to frame Evans; this included a judge declaring in December 2022 that his report in a case regarding parents’ access to their children “made no effort to provide a balanced view.” ‘.

Describing his evidence as ‘worthless’, Court of Appeal judge Lord Justice Jackson said: ‘Either he knows and ignores the conclusions of his professional colleagues or he fails to take the necessary steps to learn their views.

‘Both approaches constitute a breach of appropriate professional conduct. No attempt has been made to deal with all of the medical information or strong conflicting indications. Instead, the report has the characteristics of an ‘explanation preparation’ exercise that exonerates the applicants.

‘This is Dr. It concludes with biased and partisan expressions of opinion that are beyond Evans’ professional competence and have no place in a reputable expert report.’

Lucy Letby’s parents John and Susan Letby appear at Manchester Crown Court for their daughter’s murder trial in 2022

Screenshot taken from body-worn camera footage released by Cheshire Constabulary of the arrest of Lucy Letby

Drawing of court artist Lucy Letby giving evidence during her trial at Manchester Crown Court.

Dr Evans said he was “very happy” to stand by his report. He insisted: ‘I prepared dozens of reports for the Family Court.

‘I am in great demand for opinions because of my background as a witness. This is a one-time thing for me.’

Experts are increasingly questioning how Letby was convicted on only circumstantial evidence and questionable statistical probabilities. The prosecution later admitted that the evidence about the knocking presented at trial was not true.

On Friday, the New York Times became the latest global media outlet to raise doubts about the safety of his conviction after questions were raised in a 13,000-word New Yorker article in May.

Dozens of statisticians and medical experts have since expressed concern about the case.

A total of 24 experts in statistics, forensic medicine and neonatology wrote to the British Government highlighting a number of worrying anomalies, including the exclusion from the prosecution’s analysis of some infant deaths that occurred in the unit where Letby was not present . .

Supporters of former nurse Lucy Letby demonstrate outside the High Court in London during her appeal hearing in April

Aerial view of the Countess of Chester Hospital, where Lucy Letby worked

Mugshot of child serial killer Lucy Letby released by Cheshire Constabulary