Unmasking Lucy Letby - Jonathan Coffey

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Résumé :
'Diligent and absorbing' Gaby Hinsliff, Guardian

'Meticulous and unexpectedly gripping' Janice Turner, The Times

'An excellent and open-minded study of the case' Peter Hitchens

'Should become required reading for any hospital manager' Harry Wallop, The Times

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The untold story of the killer nurse.

Lucy Letby seemed like a totally ordinary young woman: fun-loving and popular. She had a happy childhood with devoted parents, and after university she landed her dream job as a nurse looking after sick babies. She even became a poster girl for the hospital where she worked.

And yet today, Lucy Letby is officially the most prolific child killer of the modern era. Following one of the longest murder trials in British legal history, she's been convicted of murdering seven babies, and attempting to murder a further seven. She is only the fourth British woman ever to receive a whole life prison sentence. Still only in her early thirties, Letby will die in prison. But although her journey from obscurity to infamy has made headlines across the world, very little is known about her. Meanwhile, her convictions have attracted unprecedented controversy with a growing number of critics arguing that she may in fact be innocent.

So who is the real Lucy Letby? What was she like according to those who knew her best? What happened at the hospital where she worked? And what convinced senior medics and the police that she was killing babies?

Despite trying and failing to appeal her convictions, Letby has maintained her innocence and no one ever saw her harming a baby - which is one reason why this case has become so controversial. Could Lucy Letby be the victim of a miscarriage of justice, as her supporters believe, or is she the cruel calculating killer who the jury found guilty?

Drawing on extensive interviews with people who knew and worked with her, as well as unrivalled access to sources and documents, this book traces the story of Lucy Letby from primary school to prison, and grapples with the truth about one of the most high-profile murder cases in living memory....

Biographie:
Jonathan Coffey is one of BBC Panorama's most experienced senior journalists. He has produced and directed more than twenty-five Panoramas on some of the toughest stories and subjects, including Putin's secret wealth, Russia's police state, Trump's sex scandals, Russian oligarchs, and organised crime. In 2011, he helped the BBC obtain the 250,000 US embassy cables initially leaked to WikiLeaks, and in 2016, he was one of the winners of the Investigation of the Year category at the British Journalism Awards for his work on the series of revelations known as the Panama Papers. He has written for TheSpectator, Standpoint, and TheWagnerJournal. He has also presented several documentaries for BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4.

Jonathan led the BBC's investigative effort on the Letby case for Panorama, and produced and directed the documentary Lucy Letby: The Nurse Who Killed. It was the highest rated Panorama of recent years, watched by 3.3 million people in its first week.

Judith Moritz is the BBC's North of England Correspondent. She was one of the only reporters to be given access to the courtroom for the duration of Lucy Letby's trial and spent nearly a year observing her closely. She led all of the BBC's national and international coverage of the case. There have been over 26m 'page views' to the BBC content on the Letby trial...

Sommaire:

Winner of BEST NEW AUTHOR at THE TRUE CRIME AWARDS 2025
Highly commended for BOOK OF THE YEAR at THE TRUE CRIME AWARDS 2025
Shortlisted for THE ALCS GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION at the 2025 CWA DAGGERS

'Diligent and absorbing' Gaby Hinsliff, Guardian
'Meticulous and unexpectedly gripping' Janice Turner, The Times

*AS SEEN ON BBC'S PANORAMA*

In June 2015 babies started dying unexpectedly on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital. As medics searched desperately for answers, lead consultant Dr Steve Brearey emailed the ward manager to say, 'We still need to talk about Lucy.'

Several years have passed since then and Letby is now in jail. And yet the doctor's words continue to hold true. Despite her convictions and an extensive public inquiry, there are more questions now about Letby than ever - and they aren't going away. So who is the real Lucy Letby? What convinced senior medics and the police that she was killing babies? And were they right - or could her convictions be a miscarriage of justice, as some now believe?

Drawing on extensive interviews with people who knew and worked with her, as well as unrivalled access to documents and key players in her case, this book traces the story of Letby from primary school to prison, and grapples with the truth about one of the most high-profile murder cases in living memory.

'An excellent and open-minded study of the case' Peter Hitchens
'An extraordinary piece of work, and one that should be essential reading for anyone thinking of voicing strong opinions on the subject' Tristan Kirk, The London Standard