Thirlwall Inquiry Report Into Lucy Letby Case Set for Publication Amid Delays

A long-awaited public inquiry report examining how former nurse Lucy Letby was able to murder babies at a neonatal unit in Chester over a two-year period is due to be published after repeated delays, according to The Guardian.

The Thirlwall Inquiry was established to investigate the circumstances that allowed Letby to harm infants at the Countess of Chester Hospital, and its findings have been anticipated after multiple postponements, the report said.

Ahead of the report's publication, two experts who had previously supported aspects of Letby's defence withdrew from her defence team on Monday, according to The Guardian.

Helen Shannon, a British chemical engineering expert, and Geoff Chase, a professor of bioengineering based in New Zealand, had produced a 100-page report last year that cast doubt on Letby's convictions for poisoning two babies with insulin, the report said.

In withdrawing, the pair said they continued to stand by their assessment that it was "very unlikely" the two babies in question had been poisoned, according to The Guardian. However, they said that some of the arguments being put forward on Letby's behalf were "inconsistent with the available evidence, science and established physiology," the report said.

Letby was convicted of murdering babies at the hospital, and her case, including the outcome of a second trial, has drawn sustained public and legal scrutiny, according to the report.

The Guardian indicated that further details on the specific findings of the Thirlwall Inquiry report were expected as coverage of its publication continued.