Expert refutes claim by Letby lawyers that he changed his mind on three deaths

An expert witness has described criticisms of his evidence by Lucy Letby's lawyers as "unsubstantiated, unfounded, inaccurate".

On Monday, the former neonatal nurse's legal team revealed they would ask the Court of Appeal to immediately review all of her convictions.

They alleged lead prosecution expert Dr Dewi Evans had altered his view about how three babies died at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016.

In a statement, Mr Evans said he had neither received any formal notification of the announcement nor any correspondence from Letby's barrister Mark McDonald or his team.

Letby is serving 15 whole-life jail terms for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others between June 2015 and June 2016.

Mr McDonald told a news conference in London on Monday that Dr Evans had altered his view about how babies had died.

He said: "Remarkably, Dr Evans has now changed his mind on the cause of death of three of the babies: Baby C, Baby I and Baby P."

Letby was convicted in August 2023 and has twice been refused permission to appeal against her convictions.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the court had previously rejected Letby's argument that expert witness evidence presented by the prosecution had been "flawed".

Dr Evans said: "The only place appropriate to deal with any potential appeal is the relevant court.

"If required I would be pleased to give evidence in the usual way; on oath, subject to cross examination, and where my evidence is placed in the public domain."

Dr Evans highlighted notes in a report from the three Appeal Court judges.

"They were supportive of my evidence," he said. "They supported the verdict of the Manchester trial unreservedly.

"I am not in receipt of any information that indicates that the Appeal Court judges were mistaken."

He added he was "mindful" of two ongoing events.

Firstly, the Thirlwall Inquiry, which is examining the circumstances surrounding Letby's crimes.

Hearings in Liverpool will resume in January, with the public inquiry's findings expected in the autumn of 2025.

Secondly, Cheshire Police revealed earlier this month that detectives had interviewed Letby under caution in prison as part of its investigation into more baby deaths.

Dr Evans said: "I believe we owe it to them also to complete their investigation without any distractions."