Where Is Lucy Letby Now? Life Behind Bars, Ongoing Inquiries and the Netflix Documentary

A renewed wave of attention on the Lucy Letby case — including a Netflix documentary — has prompted fresh reporting on the nurse convicted of killing infants at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Below is a clear, factual timeline of the investigation, trial, convictions, subsequent legal activity and where Letby is now.

Overview

Lucy Letby is a former neonatal nurse who was convicted in August 2023 of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder six others. The events that triggered concern occurred mainly in 2015–2016; police opened a formal investigation in May 2017 after senior clinicians noticed an unusual rise in collapses and deaths in the neonatal unit.

Investigation and Arrests

Letby began working on the unit in 2011. Clinicians reported an unusual cluster of catastrophic collapses and deaths in 2015–2016, prompting Cheshire Constabulary to launch an inquiry in May 2017. Letby was arrested three times—in 2018, 2019 and again in 2020—before being remanded into custody following the 2020 arrest.

Trial Evidence and Conviction

Prosecutors initially brought 22 counts against Letby, alleging she was responsible for a pattern of collapses affecting 17 children. The prosecution said infants had been harmed by excessive feeds, air, insulin or fluid and pointed to handwritten notes found at Letby’s home that contained conflicting statements. The jury convicted Letby in August 2023 on 14 counts: seven counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder.

Consultant pediatrician Stephen Brearey later told a public inquiry that he believed Letby’s harmful conduct may have begun before June 2015 and that earlier incidents had been misread as unusual but not malicious.

Sentencing, Appeals and Post-Conviction Developments

Following a retrial related to one child, Letby received a total of 15 life sentences in July 2024. She sought permission to appeal beginning in September 2023; the Court of Appeal refused permission in May 2024. In February 2025 Letby’s legal team said a panel of medical experts had identified what they described as "significant new evidence" suggesting some deaths could be explained by natural causes or medical error, and Letby applied to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) that month.

Ongoing Inquiries and Police Activity

The wider investigation into the Countess of Chester Hospital continued. In June 2025, Cheshire police arrested three former senior staff on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter as part of the ongoing probe. In January 2026, after police submitted evidence alleging Letby’s involvement in nine additional infant deaths, the Crown Prosecution Service said it would not bring further charges against her.

Where Is She Now?

Letby has been held at HMP Low Newton, a high-security women’s prison in County Durham, since her conviction. The facility houses other high-profile female offenders and is the current location of her incarceration while legal reviews and inquiries continue.

Public Reaction and Media

The case has caused deep distress among affected families and intense public scrutiny of neonatal care and hospital oversight. A Netflix documentary titled The Investigation of Lucy Letby (released Feb. 4) presents previously unseen footage and insider accounts; Letby’s parents said they were not informed that footage included scenes of their home and said they would not watch the documentary.

What Remains Unresolved

Key legal and institutional questions remain under review: Letby’s legal team continues to pursue post-conviction avenues such as the CCRC, the hospital’s practices and senior staff decisions have been the subject of separate investigations, and police and prosecutors continue to assess the full scope of deaths that occurred in the unit. The situation remains dynamic and subject to further official findings.

Note: This article summarizes public records, trial reporting and official statements through January 2026.