Is Lucy Letby guilty? Netflix doc sparks calls for retrial but others say it's "really damning"
Did Lucy Letby do it? Viewers aren't sure after the new Netflix documentary
The Investigation of Lucy Letby, Netflix’s new documentary about the convicted child killer, has raised a big question: is she guilty?
Letby, now 36, is currently serving a whole life order behind bars for the murders of seven babies, and attempting to murder seven others.
She was a neonatal nurse at a Chester hospital. During her trial, prosecutors argued that she deliberately injected air into babies’ bloodstreams, as well as poisoning them with insulin. Letby has always denied not just murdering, but trying to harm any baby in her care.
Since her 2023 conviction, several experts have posited that Letby may be innocent. That possibility haunts the climax of the documentary, leaving viewers to wonder, “Did she do it?”
The Investigation of Lucy Letby questions if she could be innocent
The documentary recaps Letby’s arrests and how the police felt they had enough evidence to charge her with the murders.
This includes the expert testimony of Dr Dewi Evans (whose conclusions led police to question Letby), items gathered from Letby’s home (like a handwritten note that said, “I am evil, I did this”), and her involvement in the care of the babies who died.
It also hones in on Letby’s collection of handover notes regarding the babies, which were properly organised and dated. “Really damning stuff,” one user wrote on Reddit.
However, the back half of the doc pivots to Mark McDonald, a criminal barrister who believes there’s been a miscarriage of justice.
The @netflix documentary shows that Lucy Letby told the truth in court.
If @cheshirepolice thought that the making of this documentary was a genius PR exercise in an attempt to prevent a retrial … it’s blown up in their face.
Watch through the lens of misogyny – of a pack… https://t.co/fO6SdclaEs
— Rt Hon Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) February 4, 2026
For example, there is no CCTV footage of Letby committing the murders, and nobody saw her do anything. Also, Letby explained to the police during questioning that she felt “guilty” after she was removed from the neonatal unit.
That’s why she wrote such “concerning” things: she was given counselling and advised to write that stuff down as a form of therapy.
McDonald also accuses Evans of offering biased testimony to the police, which he denies.
That’s before we get to Dr Shoo Lee, whose study on air embolism was used by the prosecution during Letby’s trial. “I was worried, because if my paper had been misinterpreted, then we had a big problem,” he says in the film.
Lee eventually led an expert panel to create a detailed report about each death in Letby’s case. They concluded that there wasn’t any evidence of deliberate harm.
Netflix viewers call for Lucy Letby retrial after divisive doc
Reacting to the documentary, one user wrote on X: “I am convinced she isn’t guilty. There was no concrete evidence, just circumstances that got her convicted. It deserves a FAIR retrial.”
“At the very least Letby did not get a fair trial and the case for a retrial is overwhelming,” another argued.
“Watching the Lucy Letby doc and [there is] no way not one staff member didn’t catch her red-handed in harming these babies. That seems sus to me,” a third wrote.
Others have pointed to Dr John Gibbs, a retired consultant who worked at the same hospital as Letby. At the end of the documentary, he admits feeling a “tiny guilt” over the possibility that they “got the wrong person”.
Nadine Dorries, the former secretary of state, also backed calls for a retrial. “If @cheshirepolice thought that the making of this documentary was a genius PR exercise in an attempt to prevent a retrial… it’s blown up in their face,” she tweeted.
Others haven’t been swayed and maintain steadfast belief in Letby’s guilt.
“I heard this documentary would blow the case open and be damming in respect of a mistrial. The complete opposite happened as far as I can tell. She’s guilty as hell,” one user wrote on Reddit.
The documentary features unseen footage from her arrests. “Just on her behaviour alone during her arrests makes me believe she’s guilty,” another user observed.
One line has been highlighted as particularly relevant: “If this woman is innocent, then she is pretty unlucky.”
Will Lucy Letby get a retrial?
It remains unclear if Lucy Letby will get a retrial, but a public inquiry is ongoing into her conviction and the circumstances surrounding the babies’ deaths.
The final report of the Thirlwall Inquiry, which began in September 2024, is scheduled for around Easter this year.
There are key events worth noting and remembering. Firstly, Letby has already lost two appeals. However, the Criminal Cases Review Commission (an independent body that reviews potential miscarriages of justice) is considering her case.
The CCRC will also consider evidence given as part of the Thirlwall Inquiry. If her case is referred to the Court of Appeal, it could result in a retrial.
“If a case is referred, it is then for the appeal court to decide whether the conviction is unsafe,” the commission explained.
Notably, the Crown Prosecution Service also said in January that it wouldn’t be pursuing other charges against Letby. This came after Cheshire Constabulary submitted further allegations against her.
“The Crown Prosecution Service considered offences of murder and attempted murder in respect of two infants who died and attempted murder in respect of seven infants who survived,” it said.
“We concluded that the evidential test was not met in any of those cases.”
Cheshire Police said it was “not the outcome that we had anticipated”.
Read more: Lucy Letby Netflix documentary slammed for ‘AI’ interview with victim’s mum: ‘Abysmal’
