© Tom Blewitt & Zack Griffiths – Predator Awareness

A retired police officer who once helped catch child serial killer nurse Beverley Allitt has publicly declared his belief that Lucy Letby is innocent—arguing that the convicted neonatal nurse has likely fallen victim to a catastrophic failure of justice.

Retired Det Supt Stuart Clifton, formerly of Lincolnshire Police, has been conducting an independent review of the evidence against 36‑year‑old Lucy Letby, who is currently serving 15 whole‑life sentences for the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of seven others between 2015 and 2016.

After examining the case, Clifton says he has found no evidence that Letby caused deliberate harm to any infant.

He states:

“I am totally satisfied that Lucy Letby is innocent of all charges and that the evidence in relation to the causes of deaths and collapses put forward at trial is incorrect.”

He goes further, describing the situation as:

“The greatest miscarriage of justice this century – and that we have seen in a very long time.”

Medical Experts Also Raised Concerns

Clifton’s review aligns with concerns raised last year by a panel of 14 leading medical experts, who concluded that poor medical care and natural causes—not deliberate harm—were responsible for the babies’ deaths and collapses.

Among the panel was Dr Shoo Lee, a retired medic and co‑author of a 1989 academic paper on air embolism in babies. That paper played a significant role in Letby’s 10‑month trial.

In February 2024, Dr Lee said he was:

“Pretty certain” that Letby had not murdered or attempted to murder any babies.

Clifton Rejects Interpretation of Letby’s Notes as Confession

During the original investigation, police seized handwritten letters and Post‑it notes from Letby’s home—some of which prosecutors argued amounted to a confession.

Clifton rejects that interpretation entirely. He says he does not believe the notes constitute any form of admission of guilt, instead viewing them as the writings of a distressed young woman under immense pressure.

Letby, from Hereford, has maintained her innocence since her arrest. Clifton’s intervention adds to a growing chorus of medical professionals, legal commentators, and former investigators who argue that the convictions may rest on flawed assumptions, misinterpreted medical evidence, and systemic failures.

His conclusion is unequivocal:

“There is no evidence at all that children were murdered.”

As debate intensifies, the case is increasingly being described as one of the most contentious and consequential in modern British criminal history.