Lucy Letby given extra TV time and sweets as she mourns former colleague

Lucy Letby, the former neonatal nurse serving a whole-life order for the murder of seven babies, has been granted informal compassionate leave at HMP Bronzefield after the death of former colleague Mark Deakin. Deakin, a consultant who worked with Letby at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2016, was identified during her trial and later died following a car incident after being dismissed from Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

Prison staff have excused Letby from educational workshops, allowing her to remain in her cell for extended periods where she watches programmes such as Four in a Bed and Dinner Date while consuming chocolate treats like Galaxy Ripples and Kinder Buenos. Officers report she often declines calls to leave her cell, asking for "one more episode". To protect her mental state, staff have removed newspapers that might reference the case, and she now mostly interacts with Beinash Batool, the mother of Sara Sharif, with whom she plays chess and cards. The Criminal Cases Review Commission continues to examine new evidence that could challenge Letby's convictions.