A doctor described as Lucy Letby’s ‘boyfriend’ blurred professional boundaries and put his desire to help the Countess of Chester Hospital nurse above his duties to patients, an inquiry has found
The doctor “boyfriend” of Lucy Letby crossed professional lines and prioritised his wish to support her over his responsibilities to his baby patients, an inquiry has determined.
Consultant paediatrician Dr Mark Deakin, 53, who passed away earlier this year, sent more than 1,300 Facebook messages to his Countess of Chester Hospital colleague Letby between June and September 2016, the Thirlwall Inquiry was told.
In her findings, released on Tuesday, Lady Justice Thirlwall revealed the doctor, who remains unnamed in the report due to reporting restrictions lifted earlier this month, had reached out to Letby following a mortality review for babies O and P in July 2016.
He instructed her to “keep it to herself” but reassured her: “If you have any doubt about how good you are at your job stop now, documentation was perfect.”
He also passed on an email from Dr Stephen Brearey informing him there would likely be an inquest.
When questioned at the inquiry about his actions, he explained he was attempting to comfort her and “give her some insight” but acknowledged, looking back, it was a mistake.
Lady Justice Thirlwall stated: “I agree with him. It is another example of the blurring of boundaries. Here, between his duties to his patients, and his desire to help and support a young nurse who had, as he did not realise, many people supporting her. He put her first.”
The report reveals that the doctor’s support for Letby, 36, persisted well into 2017 when he assisted her in observing theatre procedures at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.
During his testimony to the inquiry, he admitted that his support was given under the pretence of being “misled and maybe manipulated”. He stated: “I have a lot of regrets about how that period of time took place.”
During her trial, Letby became emotional and attempted to exit the dock when the married father-of-two took to the witness stand and answered questions from behind a screen.
The prosecution suggested her reaction was due to discomfort at hearing her “boyfriend” testify, to which she responded: “That’s unfair.”
His name featured prominently on handwritten notes discovered at Letby’s residence following her arrest, including several mentions of “love was all we needed”.
Some infants could have been spared death and injury at Lucy Letby’s hands if protective measures had been implemented sooner, the inquiry triggered by the child serial killer’s crimes concluded.
The Thirlwall Inquiry was established in 2023 following the former nurse’s multiple convictions for murdering and attempting to murder babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital. It also found that parents were “left in the dark” as the hospital carried out its own investigations into sick killer baby killer Letby.
Releasing her final report on Tuesday, Lady Justice Thirlwall declared: “There was a complete failure to protect babies on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital. This was because no-one seems to have understood that safeguarding action is required when a member of staff is suspected of causing deliberate harm and does not require colleagues to be sure of guilt.
“My report describes dysfunctional management and governance, a gulf between hospital leadership and clinicians, and failure to understand the fundamentals of safeguarding.” Read more here.
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