I don’t feel like a hero, says doctor who raised alarm about serial killer Lucy Letby
One of the doctors whose concerns about Lucy Letby were ignored by senior managers has said he will not feel like a “hero” until reforms are put into effect.
Dr Ravi Jayaram was one of the clinicians who raised the alarm about Letby, who was on Monday sentenced to spend the rest of her life behind bars after murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six other infants at the Countess of Chester Hospital, where she was employed as a neonatal nurse.
Dr Jayaram, a consultant paediatrician who gave evidence in court that helped convict Letby, said “meaningful change” is now needed after managers ignored months of warnings about her actions.
After sentencing, he told ITV News: “I’m not a hero, I was just doing my job. It’s my job to look after babies and children, and it’s my job to do that to the best of my ability.
“As with all my colleagues, if any meaningful change about how the NHS reacts and responds to serious and even relatively minor patient safety concerns as a consequence of all of this, I might possibly consider I’ve done something heroic. Right now, I think I’ve just done what I should have done.”
He said more must be done to hold NHS bosses accountable for decisions they make, suggesting a “structure akin to the General Medical Council or the Nursing and Midwifery Council” to “monitor the integrity, competence, and conduct of senior NHS executives”.
The doctor added: “My aim isn’t punitive. Incarceration or exorbitant fines aren’t the goal. I seek a scenario where executives publicly acknowledge their actions, provide candid explanations, and sincerely apologize for their missteps. They should join forces to aid me, my colleagues, families, and the public in understanding their decision-making rationale.”
Dr Jayaram added: “I find solace in the justice system’s proper functioning and Letby’s conviction. Her life imprisonment, devoid of parole, fittingly matches her heinous crimes. However, this verdict can’t restore what the affected parents and families have lost.
“It’s disappointing that Letby lacks the courage to confront those she harmed.”
Lucy Letby will be sent copies of victim impact statements read out during her sentencing after refusing to appear in court.
The 33-year-old did not appear in the dock at Manchester Crown Court on Monday as she was given a whole-life order after being convicted of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of six more.
The judge, Mr Justice Goss, ordered that she be sent a transcript of his sentencing remarks and copies of the statements read out by the families of her victims.
He said: “The defendant, Lucy Letby, has refused to attend court for this sentence hearing. Accordingly, I have to sentence her in her absence.
“I shall deliver the sentencing remarks as if she was present to hear them. And I direct that she is provided with a transcript of my remarks and copies of the victim personal statements read to the court.”
The statement from the mother of twin boys Child E and Child F, who Letby was convicted of murdering and attempting to murder respectively, said her absence was “one final act of wickedness”.
She told the court: “Even in these final days of the trial she has tried to control things, the disrespect she has shown the families and the court show what type of person she is.
“We have attended court day in and day out, yet she decides she has had enough and stays in her cell – just one final act of wickedness from a coward.”
“Lucy Letby has destroyed our lives. The anger and the hatred I have towards her will never go away. It has destroyed me as a man and as a father,” said the father of two murdered babies.
Tamlin Bolton, a solicitor for law firm Switalskis, which is representing the families of seven of Letby’s victims, said: “The fact that Letby refused to attend her sentencing hearing is the final insult.
“By not facing the consequences of her actions, it speaks of her complete disregard not only for the damage she’s caused, but also to our judicial system.
“These verdicts don’t deliver answers to the further questions people have about what happened at The Countess of Chester NHS Hospital Trust and we’re looking to support our families and others who may be affected by the ongoing investigation through the inquiry and through any private civil claims they wish to bring.”
