Lucy Letby: Scapegoat will tonight revisit one of the UK’s most notorious criminal cases, with a new documentary taking another look at the evidence behind the neonatal nurse’s convictions.
The brand new Channel 5 programme promises “shocking and fresh revelations” as it re-examines the case against Letby.
Viewers will hear questions about whether alleged failures at the Countess of Chester Hospital could have contributed to the deaths and collapses of babies in its neonatal unit.
The documentary also features testimony from an anonymous senior consultant who worked at the hospital and claims the neonatal unit was seriously struggling at the time.
One grieving mum will also share her views.
Lucy Letby: Scapegoat? lands on Channel 5
Letby, 36, was convicted in 2023 of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others while working at the hospital between 2015 and 2016. She has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Lucy Letby: Scapegoat? has been made by The Sun in partnership with Channel 5 as it examines whether alleged failures at the hospital were overlooked.
Investigative journalist Rob Pattinson fronts the documentary as he examines claims that some evidence presented during Letby’s trial could have been interpreted differently.
Leading experts will also discuss their doubts over the prosecution’s claim that Letby injected six of the seven victims with air.
One consultant, who has not been named, says: “I’m extremely worried that an innocent woman is holed up in prison when the evidence is extremely poor that she actually did anything wrong.
“I personally wasn’t of the mind that there was a killer on the unit. I felt that there was probably a more simple explanation for what was going on.
“If you’ve got doctors that really want this unit to run and don’t want it to be closed down, then if there’s someone or something else on the horizon that could be blamed, it’s a natural human trait to blame that other person or factor.”
‘Plumbing and sewage problems’
The whistleblower consultant stresses in Lucy Letby: Scapegoat? that he does not believe anyone ‘intentionally engineered a criminal case’.
“There is an element of people saving their own backs. It’s entirely possible, in my view, that Lucy Letby was a scapegoat,” he explains.
Meanwhile, one mother tells the documentary that her son Archie collapsed and later died in December 2016. This happened several months after Letby had left the hospital.
She raises concerns about plumbing and sewage problems at the hospital. The grieving mum questions whether infection could have played a role.
Letby’s appeals have so far been unsuccessful, while the Criminal Cases Review Commission considers her case.
A spokesperson at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said in response to Lucy Letby: Scapegoat?: “We understand the significant public interest in these matters and recognise the importance of providing reassurance to our patients and the local communities we serve.
“However, it is equally as vital that we continue to recognise and cooperate with the ongoing legal processes and we are unable to comment on issues that remain subject to an ongoing investigation by Cheshire Police.
“When it is appropriate to do so, we will provide further information about the actions we have taken to strengthen patient safety and governance and about any further actions we take or have taken to address the Thirlwall Report’s findings and recommendations.”
When Lucy Letby: Scapegoat? is on
Lucy Letby: Scapegoat? airs on Channel 5 tonight (September 21, 2026). The documentary starts at 10pm and runs for 90 minutes. It will finish at 10.30pm.
Lucy Letby: Scapegoat? will also be available to stream on C5.
Will you be tuning in?
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