Where is Lucy Letby now? Trial, sentencing and appeals explained

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Earlier this year, Netflix announced it would be releasing a documentary about Lucy Letby, the former neonatal nurse who is the UK’s most prolific child murderer in modern times.

The feature length documentary, now available to watch on Netflix, includes never-before-seen footage and exclusive access to those central to the story.

As per Netflix, the detectives who built the case, the families seeking answers, the hospital consultants who initially raised the alarm, as well as lawyers and medical experts who question the evidence, all feature in the documentary, "providing a comprehensive look at one of Britain's most notorious crimes".

Upon its release on Netflix, read on to learn more about Lucy Letby's convictions and updates on her appeal.

Did Lucy Letby plead guilty?

In October 2021, Lucy Letby pleaded not guilty to the murder of eight babies and the attempted murder of 10 others.

Letby repeated "not guilty" 18 times at Manchester Crown Court as the charges were read out, as per ITV News.

What was Lucy Letby convicted of?

CHESTER, ENGLAND - JULY 3: In this frame from a video provided by Cheshire Constabulary, Lucy Letby is questioned following her arrest on July 3, 2018 in Chester, England. Letby, a former nurse at Countess of Cheshire Hospital, was convicted on August 18, 2023 of murdering seven babies, and attempting to murder six more, in the hospital's neonatal ward between 2015 and 2016. She was found not guilty of two counts of attempted murder, while the jury did not reach verdicts on six further counts of attempted murder. (Handout photo by Cheshire Constabulary via Getty Images) — Lucy Letby is questioned following her arrest on 3 July, 2018. Handout photo by Cheshire Constabulary via Getty Images

In August 2023, Letby was found guilty of murdering seven newborn babies and the attempted murder of six.

The jury found Letby not guilty of two counts of attempted murder and couldn't reach the verdicts on six other charges.

She was given a whole life term for each offence and following a recent retrial, she was also handed another whole life term, totalling to 15 life sentences.

Will Lucy Letby's case be appealed?

Since her convictions in 2023, Letby has sought permission to file an appeal, the first of which was applied for in September 2023, but her permission to appeal was refused.

In February 2025, the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) confirmed it had received an application on behalf of Lucy Letby, though a decision is yet to be made.

A CCRC spokesperson said: "We are aware that there has been a great deal of speculation and commentary surrounding Lucy Letby's case, much of it from parties with only a partial view of the evidence. We ask that everyone remembers the families affected by events at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.

"We have received a preliminary application in relation to Ms Letby’s case, and work has begun to assess the application. We anticipate further submissions being made to us.

"It is not for the CCRC to determine innocence or guilt in a case, that’s a matter for the courts. It is for the CCRC to find, investigate and if appropriate, refer potential miscarriages of justice to the appellate courts when new evidence or new argument means there is a real possibility that a conviction will not be upheld, or a sentence reduced.

"At this stage it is not possible to determine how long it will take to review this application. A significant volume of complicated evidence was presented to the court in Ms Letby’s trials.

"The CCRC is independent. We do not work for the government, courts, police, the prosecution or for anyone applying for a review of their case. This helps us investigate alleged miscarriages of justice impartially."