ARMED with signs yelling ‘no babies were murdered’, Lucy Letby fans stormed a Wetherspoons pub.
Convinced the killer nurse is innocent and the subject of a “witch-hunt” – they filed into the pub to share their conspiracy theories after a day on the street protesting against her convictions.
Killer nurse Lucy Letby was convicted of ruthlessly murdering seven babies in her care[/caption]
Protesters outside the Thirlwall Inquiry in Liverpool on March 17[/caption]
Demonstrators were asked to leave The Captain Alexander pub in James Street, Liverpool[/caption]
They had been at a rally outside Liverpool’s Town Hall on March 17 – protesting as concluding statements were given at the Thirlwall Inquiry.
The inquiry is looking into events that took place at the Countess of Chester Hospital where Letby committed her heartless crimes.
Supporters travelled from far and wide to show their support for the 35-year-old nurse – who is serving a life sentence for murdering seven babies and attempting to kill seven more.
The inquiry results are expected to be published in the autumn, with many of the convicted murderer’s fans – who met online via Facebook groups – believing it’ll prove to be a toothless box-ticking exercise.
Their reasons for supporting Letby are often unclear, with many online claiming they’ve always known she was innocent but offering little by way of explanation.
Others have harboured a more warped fascination with the case and Letby herself which has led to odd declarations of love, sexual fantasies, themed speed dating – and talk of pilgrimages to her old home.
One demonstrator estimated at least 80 people had attended the Liverpool protest, and told The Sun: “It was an interesting experience, both joyful and disturbing.”
WETHERSPOONS MEET-UP
At The Captain Alexander Wetherspoons pub on James Street, the group claim they were attacked by other punters who were clearly disturbed by their cause.
Pro-Letby demonstrator Cally Starforth, who was at the pub, claimed in her blog there were “undercover agents” – which she suggested could have been employed by the NHS – sent to “infiltrate” the demonstration and the pub.
She said she was “kicked”, verbally abused and told she should be “ashamed”.
Fellow Letby sympathiser Professor Richard Gill was also at the Spoons, and told The Sun: “Some big hefty guys started kicking the placards and shouting abuse.”
He said staff seemed to side with the aggressors and “forced several of us out of the pub”.
A Wetherspoons spokesperson said the pub was busier than normal due to it being St Patrick’s Day, and the protesters were asked to clear space and move their placards, which led to an argument.
As a result, several were asked to leave.
They added: “Wetherspoon supports the right to peaceful protest, but visible signage of any type within a pub can be a sensitive issue and we would ask them not to bring their placards into the pub should they wish to visit again.”
A protester speaks outside Liverpool Town Hall[/caption]
A protester with a placard showing a doctored picture of Letby crying[/caption]
Prof Richard Gill speaking about the protest last month on his YouTube channel[/caption]
BIRTHDAY PARTY AND SPEED DATING
It wouldn’t be the first time a boozer has drawn a line when confronted with Letby fans.
Members arranged a birthday party for Letby in January after which bizarre suggestions were made for a Letby-themed speed dating event on Valentine’s Day.
The birthday party was held at the Windmill pub in Clapham Common and featured banners and a cake which had “Lucy 35” written in icing on top.
The speed dating was supposed to be held there too, but a spokesperson for Youngs, which operates the family boozer, told The Sun any attempts to book such an event will be blocked.
They added that staff were not aware of the nature of the birthday party when it was green lit.
PERVERTED FANTASIES
Sickeningly, other Facebook groups, including the now defunct ‘Pervert$ unite to support Lucy Letby’, previously saw members gushing over their love for her.
The sick group – which had 226 members in November 2023, soon before it was shut down – saw people speak openly about their infatuation for her.
It had devolved from a page simply called Lucy Letby Support Page.
The name itself appeared to be satirical – altered by an administrator who then distanced themselves from the page.
The group bio was changed to: “She did it you dumb f***s so stop w****** over a baby killers pics.”
One member said: “I had a dream last night, Lucy used restraints on me & proceeded to abuse me, it was very pleasant.”
And another said: “In womens’ prisons are the inmates allowed to wear thongs…?
“Do the lady inmates have to wear paper knickers like the residents do in my mother’s nursing home?”
These dark obsessions with the murderer make it easy to see why many of her supporters are automatically met with disdain.
Letby fans appeared to be planning a speed dating event for Valentine’s Day[/caption]
The party involved glasses of prosecco, homemade banners and a giant ‘Lucy’ cake[/caption]
Prof Gill, who lives in the Netherlands, likely travelled the furthest to attend the protest last month – and is one of those with the most clout in terms of a legitimate case for a potential appeal.
A statistical misrepresentation consultant who has helped free two other nurses wrongly convicted of murdering patients, Lucia de Berk and Daniela Poggiali, he has even explained how he believes he could get Letby’s convictions overturned.
And last month revealed what her parents said in a letter to him amid his attempts to campaign for their daughter’s freedom.
He now hopes to meet Letby in person, as he did with nurse de Berk, who was jailed for life in 2003 after being found guilty of the murders of seven patients and the attempted murders of another three.
He also visited Poggiali, who was accused of killing 38 patients before being exonerated, and Ben Geen, a former Brit nurse who was convicted of killing two patients at a hospital in Banbury.
“They were all three extremely moving experiences,” he recalls.
“I treasured those experiences. They further confirmed my already strong suspicion they were innocent.”
PILGRIMAGES TO LETBY’S HOME
In the meantime, the professor has travelled to Letby’s former hometown of Chester.
He told The Sun: “I saw the town, I walked the city walls. You can see the mountains of Wales in the distance. It’s beautiful and interesting.”
He also plans to go back, this time to visit the street where Letby lived, and do the short 20-minute walk to the Countess of Chester Hospital where she worked in 2015 and 2016.
He says: “The next time I’m in Chester I’d like to visit the street where Lucy lived and walk from there to the hospital.
“I already visited the hospital. These are not pilgrimages. It’s about getting a feeling for the people involved in the story.”
He’s not the only one said to have a fascination with retracing Letby’s old life.
Previous reports have suggested other supporters of Letby have been organising ‘tours’ of her old haunts, including gathering outside her old home in Chester.
However, from speaking to neighbours, it appears if such pilgrimages are taking place they are not so widespread.
Prof Gill said: “These are not pilgrimages. It’s about getting a feeling for the people involved in the story.
“It’s about the biggest miscarriage in the UK since the Liverpool Six. I’ve been following it since 2017. Been deeply involved in it.”
He said Letby’s case, like those he has helped overturn, “follow the same playbook”.
“They all start with a failing hospital unit and a paranoid doctor.
“Then add bad statistics and confirmation bias. Moral outrage, emotion, suspension of critical facilities. Bounty hunter ‘experts’.”
And perhaps Letby’s fans just enjoy getting together with like-minded people.
Ms Starforth’s said in her blog: “It was great to meet some of the lovely people I have only interacted with online before.”
And later added: “I suppose I get fed up with always doing stuff alone, so I decided to go with the others to socialise a bit.”
The charges Letby was convicted on in full
Child A, allegation of murder. The Crown said Letby injected air intravenously into the bloodstream of the baby boy. COUNT 1 GUILTY.
Child B, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby attempted to murder the baby girl, the twin sister of Child A, by injecting air into her bloodstream. COUNT 2 GUILTY.
Child C, allegation of murder. Prosecutors said Letby forced air down a feeding tube and into the stomach of the baby boy. COUNT 3 GUILTY.
Child D, allegation of murder. The Crown said air was injected intravenously into the baby girl. COUNT 4 GUILTY.
Child E, allegation of murder. The Crown said Letby murdered the twin baby boy with an injection of air into the bloodstream and also deliberately caused bleeding to the infant. COUNT 5 GUILTY.
Child F, allegation of attempted murder. Letby was said by prosecutors to have poisoned the twin brother of Child E with insulin. COUNT 6 GUILTY.
Child G, three allegations of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby targeted the baby girl by overfeeding her with milk and pushing air down her feeding tube. COUNT 7 GUILTY, COUNT 8 GUILTY, COUNT 9 NOT GUILTY.
Child H, two allegations of attempted murder. Prosecutors said Letby sabotaged the care of the baby girl in some way which led to two profound oxygen desaturations. COUNT 10 NOT GUILTY, COUNT 11 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT.
Child I, allegation of murder. The prosecution said Letby killed the baby girl at the fourth attempt and had given her air and overfed her with milk. COUNT 12 GUILTY.
Child J, allegation of attempted murder. No specific form of harm was identified by the prosecution but they said Letby did something to cause the collapse of the baby girl. COUNT 13 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT.
Child K, allegation of attempted murder. The prosecution said Letby compromised the baby girl as she deliberately dislodged a breathing tube. COUNT 14 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT.
Child L, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said the nurse poisoned the twin baby boy with insulin. COUNT 15 GUILTY.
Child M, allegation of attempted murder. Prosecutors said Letby injected air into the bloodstream of Child L’s twin brother. COUNT 16 GUILTY.
Child N, three allegations of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby inflicted trauma in the baby boy’s throat and also injected him with air in the bloodstream. COUNT 17 GUILTY, COUNT 18 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT, COUNT 19 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT.
Child O, allegation of murder. Prosecutors say Letby attacked the triplet boy by injecting him with air, overfeeding him with milk and inflicting trauma to his liver with “severe force”. COUNT 20 GUILTY.
Child P, allegation of murder. Prosecutors said the nurse targeted the triplet brother of Child O by overfeeding him with milk, injecting air and dislodging his breathing tube. COUNT 21 GUILTY.
Child Q, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby injected the baby boy with liquid, and possibly air, down his feeding tube. COUNT 22 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT.
Lucy’s parents John and Susan Letby outside Manchester Crown Court during her trial[/caption]
The road in Chester where Letby previously lived[/caption]
Barrister Mark McDonald is leading Letby’s legal appeal[/caption]
Some insist Letby has been made a scapegoat for hospital failings[/caption]
Supporters of Letby demonstrate outside the High Court[/caption]
