Baby killer Lucy Letby comforted by negligent mum Constance Marten in priosn
Lucy Letby fears her bid to clear her name is beginning to unravel and has been spending lots of time with fellow inmate Constance Marten
Baby killer Lucy Letby has been sobbing in prison and is being comforted by Constance Marten
Baby killer Lucy Letby has been left sobbing in prison amid fears her bid to clear her name is beginning to unravel, a jail source has claimed.
The former neonatal nurse is now being comforted by fellow inmate Constance Marten, with the pair said to have been spending time together at HMP Bronzefield as Letby struggles with the latest setbacks to her case.
Letby, 36, who is serving 15 whole-life orders, is said to have suffered a dramatic change in mood following the publication of the Thirlwall Inquiry report and the departure of two experts who had been working with her defence team.
She had previously remained upbeat about her chances of eventually overturning her convictions and receives letters from supporters telling her not to give up, according to the source. But she is now said to be struggling to sleep and has been placed on 15-minute observations, with staff regularly checking on her welfare.
Lucy Letby has been left sobbing in prison amid fears her bid to clear her name is beginning to unravel,(Image: Countess of Chester Hospital)
The prison source said: “ Lucy had been quite positive. She was aware that she had the support of some MPs, celebrities who had voiced concern over her conviction and members of the public.
“She receives cards and letters every day from members of the public, mothers too, telling her not to give up hope and saying that one day she would be free. “But over the last few days there has been a change. She has been saying that she hasn’t been sleeping.”
The source said Marten, who is serving a 14-year sentence following the death of her newborn daughter Victoria, had become a source of support. The source said: “She has been befriended by Constance Marten, who is altogether a very different character, and over the last couple of days they have been spending a bit of time together.”
Letby had hoped the Thirlwall Inquiry might produce evidence that could assist her attempts to challenge her convictions. Instead, the inquiry concluded there had been a “complete failure” to protect babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital and said three babies might have survived if senior managers had acted earlier on doctors’ concerns about Letby. The source said prison staff had warned Letby before the report was released “not to get her hopes up”.
Letby, who is serving 15 whole-life orders, is said to have suffered a dramatic change in mood following the publication of the Thirlwall Inquiry report(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The source added: “Some of the staff thought she was massively overthinking what the inquiry might deliver, but obviously nothing positive emerged and she quickly spiralled into a bit of despair. “She was heard sobbing, but that is not a new or uncommon event with her.
“I think the enormity of the sentence hits them. How do you deal with someone with 15 full-life sentences? “There is absolutely nothing you can say that is going to change the way they view their life. “For her, the only hope she has is that she will one day be able to convince a court of her innocence.”
Letby was convicted across two trials of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.
She continues to maintain her innocence and her case is being considered by the Criminal Cases Review Commission.
The source claimed an even bigger setback had been the decision by two experts associated with her defence campaign to withdraw. The source said: “I think she felt that the whole of her case was beginning to unravel. “She has been on the phone to some of her defence team trying to find out what has happened and whether she still has a case.” The source also described Letby as something of a celebrity among staff inside Bronzefield. The source said: “When new staff arrive, the first question is: ‘What’s Lucy Letby like?’
Letby is now being comforted by fellow inmate Constance Marten(Image: Handout, Getty Images)
“Some people think she is a monster, but she is pretty much an ordinary, slightly dull person. “She is currently on a 15-minute watch, which means that someone is checking on her well-being quite regularly.” A spokesperson for Sodexo, which runs HMP Bronzefield said the company’s policy is not to don’t comment on individual prisoners.
