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Lucy Letby latest: Child-killer's team reveals 'new evidence' that 'undermines' murder convictions

Lucy Letby's lawyers and a doctor have told a news conference they have "new evidence" that "undermines" her convictions for the murder of seven babies and attempted murder of seven others.

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Lucy Letby's lawyer Mark McDonald announced he will seek permission to apply to reopen the appeal and review all her convictions.

A key prosecution witness, Dr Dewi Evans, had changed his mind on the cause of the deaths of three babies, referred to as C, I and P,  Mr McDonald said.

Dr Evans was no longer a reliable witness because he gave "one theory" to the jury and has not stood by it, claimed Mr McDonald.

He also read out a statement by two consultant neonatologists that said they found "no evidence of deliberate harm" to babies C and O after reviewing Dr Evans' reports as well as hospital notes, postmortem and witness statements.

Baby O died "due to issues relating to the resuscitation" and Baby C died due to "problems caused due to failing placental function at the end of the pregnancy", the statement read.

Mr McDonald compared Letby to the victims of the Post Office scandal, in which hundreds of sub-postmasters who used faulty Horizon IT software were wrongly convicted for theft, fraud and false accounting.

Medical expert Dr Richard Taylor told reporters Baby O died after they were put in an inappropriately high-pressure ventilator, which pushed their liver into the pelvis.

Separately, a doctor inserted a needle into the baby's distended abdomen on the right side to aspirate it, lacerating the liver and sending the baby into shock, he claimed.

He said he believed Lucy Letby, like all nurses, wanted to help other people.

Letby lawyer 'believes questions need to be put to Court of Appeal'

Mark McDonald believes there are questions that need to be put to the Court of Appeal about Lucy Letby's convictionsour chief north of England correspondent Greg Milam says.

He notes the Court of Appeal has already ruled twice that Lucy Letby cannot appeal her convictions but Mr McDonald has called for this to be revised.

"He says the expert evidence from Dr Dewi Evans - the lead prosecution witness during the course of Letby's first trial - has revised his opinion on the deaths of a number of babies," he says.

"Mr McDonald believes the Court of Appeal might now agree to reopen the appeal process."

Milam continues that there has been a lot of discussion online and also from Mr McDonald questioning Letby's convictions.

"The police are continuing to investigate Lucy Letby and have interviewed her about other allegations in prison," he adds.

But clearly Mr McDonald "believes there are questions that need to be put to the Court of Appeal about those previous convictions".

Letby lawyer compares her to wronged sub-postmasters

Letby's lawyer Mark McDonald says that she accepted evidence in court under cross-examination that her team has now found to be "unreliable".

"And if I can draw an analogy, it's probably not the best analogy, it's almost like a Post Office master pleading guilty to a crime they haven't committed because they got told the software was accurate, and now they're told it's not," he says.

He was referring to the Post Office scandal, in which hundreds of sub-postmasters who used faulty Horizon IT software were wrongly convicted for theft, fraud and false accounting. Many pleaded guilty when they were not to avoid more serious punishment.

That brings the news conference to an end.

Experts working on case 'feel something has gone wrong'

Consultant paediatrician Dr Roger Norwich says Lucy Letby's conviction was "astounding to many doctors and experts who've seen the evidence". 

"It's almost unprecedented that 50 or 60 or more experts have come out of the woodwork to defend somebody on the basis of what we regard as appalling and unsustainable medical evidence," he says. 

Letby's lawyer Mark McDonald steps in here, saying some are "working day and night" to draft reports. 

"Not one of them is being paid," he says. "They're doing it because they feel that something has gone wrong."

Doctor claims Letby wanted to 'help other people'

A member of Letby's team, medical expert Dr Richard Taylor, says he first heard about the Letby case during the trial and was "incredibly surprised" because nursing is an "altruistic profession".

Nurses go into the profession "to help other people", he says, "and I think that applies to her".

"She has no past history of any antisocial behaviour, any criminal behaviour, any psychiatric problems at all.

"There is no motive. Her friends are all... flabbergasted by the accusations." 

He claims the evidence is based on one witness.

Letby lawyer: 'When there are significant doubts, it doesn't go away'

Lucy Letby's lawyer Mark McDonald is back to answering questions now, and says the former nurse told him "she did not commit these crimes". 

"From my experience in miscarriages of justice, when there are significant doubts it doesn't go away," he says. 

He says the conversation will continue if the matter is "not properly reviewed".

Letby's team takes aim at doctor saying they should be 'unable to sleep at night'

Medical expert Dr Richard Taylor is speaking. 

He says he has read a report on Baby O, and the baby was "doing reasonably well" before an apnoea, when medical staff placed the baby in an incubator and gave them a ventilator.

"The baby was not unwell, particularly" but was put on "very high-pressure settings" in the ventilator which was "inappropriate".

The pressure settings "were so high that the liver was pushed right down into the pelvis", says Dr Taylor.

One of the doctors responded to concerns about the baby having a distended abdomen by "placing a needle into the abdomen" to aspirate it on the right side.

"The needle perforated the liver. The baby was still being ventilated with the needle in the liver. The liver was now being lacerated by the needle. This led to bleeding... into the abdomen. The baby went into shock."

Dr Taylor says: "They were unable to resuscitate the baby, partly because they didn't realise what they'd done."

He continues: "The doctor knows who they are. I have to say from a personal point of view that if this had happened to me, I would be unable to sleep at night knowing that what I had done had led to the death of a baby and now there is a nurse in jail convicted of murder."

Lawyer says he will apply to have case reviewed but it will 'take years'

Responding to a question from Sky News, Lucy Letby's lawyer Mark McDonald says he will also be applying to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). 

Mr McDonald says he will send the two reports he has mentioned to the CCRC at the same time as applying to the Court of Appeal. 

However, he says, the CCRC can "take years" to review evidence.

"This is a different route which I'm allowed to use and I'm going to try and use," he says.

Court of Appeal application 'unprecedented'

Lawyer Mark McDonald is asked if taking this to the Court of Appeal is unprecedented and how much confidence he has.

In response, he says, "it is unprecedented".

"We also have another remedy which is the Criminal Cases Review Commission, but my argument is the Criminal Cases Review Commission is there to look at fresh evidence," he says.

"This is not fresh evidence. This is the lead prosecution expert who has changed his mind and the Court of Appeal may not have been told the accurate picture as a result.

"That in itself makes it unique that they need to relook at what they have decided already."

He says the application he has made will then be decided by a judge and they will make a decision as to whether to allow the Court of Appeal to reopen the appeal.

Letby lawyer questions witness's reliability

Lucy Letby's lawyer Mark McDonald is taking questions.

He is asked to expand on why he thinks Dr Dewi Evans can no longer be considered a reliable expert.

Mr McDonald says Dr Evans has given a number of interviews to media after Letby's conviction, in which he has "said things that are inconsistent with some of the evidence that has been served and that I have seen".

He adds: "I think it is remarkable that an independent expert who gave evidence for the prosecution continues to speak to the media."

Dr Evans was the first person to examine the notes of the babies and give an initial report, says Mr McDonald.

He has now said that "the babies" did not die via air being injected down a nasal gastric tube, which is what the Court of Appeal was told, the lawyer says.

Mr McDonald appeared to be referring to babies C, I and P.

"You have a person who went before the jury, gave one theory and then has now said that is not the theory that [he stands by]."