No evidence of murder, claims doctor - as he hits out at hospital
Retired neonatalogist Dr Shoo Lee is concluding his remarks at the news conference.
"In summary, ladies and gentlemen, we did not find any murders," he says.
"There was no medical evidence to support malfeasance causing death or injury in any of the 17 cases in the trial.
"Death or injury of all the affected infants were due either to natural causes or to errors in medical care.
"There were serious problems related to medical care of patients at this hospital."
He turns to the hospital, hitting out at a list of failures he perceives, including:
Incomplete medical histories
Failure to consider pregnancy and birth history
Disregard for warnings about bacteria
Misdiagnosis of diseases
Caring for babies that were "probably beyond their expected ability or designated level of care"
Unsafe delays in diagnosis and treatment
Poor skills in resuscitation and incubation
Poor supervision of junior doctors
Lack of understanding of respiratory physiology
Poor management of medical conditions
Lack of knowledge of the use of medical equipment
Lack of training and inadequate staffing
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59 minute ago
59m ago
11:06
'Infection' killed Baby Seven, doctor claims
Lucy Letby was convicted of murdering seven babies by injecting air into their bloodstream.
Going through the case of another baby, Dr Shoo Lee says: "Baby Seven in our opinion had vomiting and clinical deterioration because of infection which can cause these symptoms.
"There is no evidence of air injection into the stomach or overfeeding."
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1 hour ago
1h ago
11:06
Panel: 'Traumatic delivery' led to death of Baby 15
Dr Shoo Lee now turns to Baby 15.
He says it is "nothing but conjecture" to say air was injected through the baby's intravenous system or through a nasal gastric tube - as Letby was found guilty of doing at trial.
The baby collapsed after half of their blood was lost into the abdomen due to a rupture of a subcapsular haematoma, he says.
The haematoma was "highly likely" formed as a result of "extremely rapid delivery" during birth.
Subsequently ventilating the baby under high pressure was "a mistake", he says.
"Baby 15 died from a subcapsular liver haematoma, caused by traumatic delivery, resulting in haemorrhage into the peritoneal cavity and profound shock."
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1 hour ago
1h ago
10:44
'No proof' oxygen tube dislodged in baby - and consultant 'did not understand basics'
Lucy Letby killed several babies by dislodging their breathing tubes, which were providing them with oxygen. This in turn caused them to collapse.
Dr Shoo Lee, chair of the panel, is running through his findings in the case of Baby 11. He claims the team found there is "no proof the tube was dislodged".
"The clinical deterioration was caused by the use of an undersized tube," he says.
He claims: "The initial intubation was traumatic and poorly supervised.
"The consultant did not understand the basics of resuscitation, air leak, mechanical ventilation and how the equipment [they were] using actually worked."
Dr Shoo Lee
Dr Shoo Lee
PA
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1 hour ago
1h ago
10:42
Baby Nine's death was preventable, claims doctor
The death of Baby Nine was "preventable", says Dr Shoo Lee.
Lucy Letby was found guilty of killing the baby by injecting nasal gastric tube air and air through an IV causing an embolism, leading to respiratory arrest. But the doctor says the panel disagrees.
The baby had a number of problems with their lungs, including chronic lung disease and episodes of apnoea, he says.
An antibiotic-resistant pathogen was also present which could have compromised the baby's breathing, he adds.
The air found in the baby's system was likely introduced by resuscitation attempts when the baby had a severe episode of apnoea before their death, Lee says.
He says the panel concluded the baby "died of respiratory complications caused by respiratory distress syndrome and chronic lung disease" which was complicated by the bacteria.
"This was likely a preventable death."
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1 hour ago
1h ago
10:34
'No evidence of air embolism' in another baby
Dr Shoo Lee is running through specific cases of babies killed by Letby that have been analysed by the team of neonatal experts he assembled.
Next he discusses the case of Baby Four, who was born via an emergency caesarean section.
Letby was found guilty of killing this baby by injecting air into its bloodstream, which caused an air embolism.
But the doctor says the independent panel "did not find evidence of air embolism" when reviewing the baby's medical records. Instead, it found the baby died of systemic sepsis, pneumonia and disseminated intravascular coagulation.
He says the mother should have received antibiotics and there was a delay in recognising respiratory distress in the baby after birth.
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1 hour ago
1h ago
10:25
Thrombosis killed baby - not air embolism, claims former doctor
Letby was convicted for attacking and killing infants by various means while a nurse on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
One such method was injecting air into the bloodstream, which caused an air embolism that blocked the blood supply and led to sudden and unexpected collapses.
But Dr Shoo Lee says: "The notion that these cases are air embolisms because [the babies] collapse and because there were skin rashes has no basis in evidence. Let's be clear about that."
He runs through what the panel found during their review and concludes: "Baby One died from thrombosis. There was no evidence of air embolism."
Thrombosis is a condition where a blood clot forms in a blood vessel, blocking blood flow.
None of the babies in the Letby case has been named, which is why the doctor is referring to them by number. All 17 babies were granted anonymity through a strict reporting restriction during the trial, with an order also extending to their parents to protect their identity.
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1 hour ago
1h ago
10:17
Experts spent 'days and weeks' going through each case
Retired neonatologist Dr Shoo Lee says the panel examined the cases of all 17 babies in the Lucy Letby case.
He says he will discuss only a few cases today in brief: "If we have to go through all the details we will be here forever."
The independent analysis done by the panel of experts took "days and days and sometimes weeks" for each case, he says.
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1 hour ago
1h ago
10:11
'Very experienced and well-known experts' on panel
Dr Shoo Lee, chair of the panel, is explaining its purpose.
Its 14 members were asked to review the medical records in the case and determine each infant's cause of death, he says.
Each death was examined by two experts independently.
Then the experts reviewed and commented on the case's expert witness statements. Finally, they sent Lee an independent report.
The panel was made up of "very experienced and well-known experts" from six nations, he says.
It includes 10 neonatologists, a paediatric surgeon, a paediatric infectious disease specialist and a neonatal intensive care nurse.
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2 hour ago
2h ago
10:05
'We're here to tell the truth,' expert tells parents of Letby's victims
Dr Shoo Lee, who led the independent analysis of the medical evidence being presented this morning, is next to speak.
He first has a message for the parents of Lucy Letby's victims, saying his "work is not meant to cause more distress" but is meant to give "comfort and assurance in knowing the truth about what really happened", he says.
"We know that they want to know the truth, and that is why we are here. To tell the truth," he says.
Sir David Davis (centre) and Dr Shoo Lee (right)
Sir David Davis (centre) and Dr Shoo Lee (right)
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2 hour ago
2h ago
10:02
Senior Tory MP: Letby case is 'major injustice of modern times'
Senior Tory MP Sir David Davis is introducing the panel of experts at the news conference by Lucy Letby's lawyers.
He says retired neonatologist Dr Shoo Lee, who convened the 14-member panel, will speak to "put right what I think is one of the major injustices of modern times".
