Unmasking Lucy Letby - by Jonathan Coffey & Judith Moritz (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

'Diligent and absorbing' Gaby Hinsliff, Guardian

'Meticulous and unexpectedly gripping' Janice Turner, The Times

'An excellent and open-minded study of the case' Peter Hitchens

'Should become required reading for any hospital manager' Harry Wallop, The Times

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The untold story of the killer nurse.

Lucy Letby seemed like a totally ordinary young woman: fun-loving and popular. She had a happy childhood with devoted parents, and after university she landed her dream job as a nurse looking after sick babies. She even became a poster girl for the hospital where she worked.

And yet today, Lucy Letby is officially the most prolific child killer of the modern era. Following one of the longest murder trials in British legal history, she's been convicted of murdering seven babies, and attempting to murder a further seven. She is only the fourth British woman ever to receive a whole life prison sentence. Still only in her early thirties, Letby will die in prison. But although her journey from obscurity to infamy has made headlines across the world, very little is known about her. Meanwhile, her convictions have attracted unprecedented controversy with a growing number of critics arguing that she may in fact be innocent.

So who is the real Lucy Letby? What was she like according to those who knew her best? What happened at the hospital where she worked? And what convinced senior medics and the police that she was killing babies?

Despite trying and failing to appeal her convictions, Letby has maintained her innocence and no one ever saw her harming a baby - which is one reason why this case has become so controversial. Could Lucy Letby be the victim of a miscarriage of justice, as her supporters believe, or is she the cruel calculating killer who the jury found guilty?

Drawing on extensive interviews with people who knew and worked with her, as well as unrivalled access to sources and documents, this book traces the story of Lucy Letby from primary school to prison, and grapples with the truth about one of the most high-profile murder cases in living memory.

About the Author

Jonathan Coffey is one of BBC Panorama's most experienced senior journalists. He has produced and directed more than twenty-five Panoramas on some of the toughest stories and subjects, including Putin's secret wealth, Russia's police state, Trump's sex scandals, Russian oligarchs, and organised crime. In 2011, he helped the BBC obtain the 250,000 US embassy cables initially leaked to WikiLeaks, and in 2016, he was one of the winners of the Investigation of the Year category at the British Journalism Awards for his work on the series of revelations known as the Panama Papers. He has written for TheSpectator, Standpoint, and TheWagnerJournal. He has also presented several documentaries for BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4.

Jonathan led the BBC's investigative effort on the Letby case for Panorama, and produced and directed the documentary Lucy Letby: The Nurse Who Killed. It was the highest rated Panorama of recent years, watched by 3.3 million people in its first week.

Judith Moritz is the BBC's North of England Correspondent. She was one of the only reporters to be given access to the courtroom for the duration of Lucy Letby's trial and spent nearly a year observing her closely. She led all of the BBC's national and international coverage of the case. There have been over 26m 'page views' to the BBC content on the Letby trial; her first-person piece about what it was like covering the trial ranked as the 17th most engaging online story worldwide for 2023.

Judith comes to the story with many years of experience of reporting complex court cases in the North of England including proceedings relating to Harold Shipman, Ian Brady, the Morecambe Bay disaster, and the Rochdale and Rotherham grooming cases. She has specialised in the legal aftermath of Hillsborough and led the BBC's coverage of the Manchester Arena Inquiry.