The former top executive of the hospital where nurse Lucy Letby carried out her horrific killing spree has apologized to victims’ families but denied discouraging police from investigating the shocking crimes, an official inquiry heard today.
Tony Chambers, who led the Countess of Chester Hospital during Letby’s tenure, told the Thirlwall inquiry he “wholeheartedly accepts” that safety systems failed and opportunities were missed to stop the rogue caregiver sooner. However, when pressed, Chambers declined to cite any specific personal failures that may have enabled the UK’s worst child-killing scandal since the infamous Beverly Allitt case.
Families still seeking answers amid ‘heartfelt’ apology
Chambers began his much-anticipated testimony by expressing his condolences to the grieving parents whose babies were murdered or harmed by Letby between 2015-2016 in what should have been a protected environment.
“I can only imagine – well, I can’t imagine – the impact this has had on your lives and I am truly sorry for the pain that may have been prolonged by any decisions or actions that I took in good faith,” the ex-CEO stated.
– Apology from Tony Chambers, former chief executive
Those words likely rang hollow for many families still desperate for a full accounting of how Letby, now 34, was able to prey on vulnerable infants for so long without intervention. The killer nurse is currently serving 15 whole-life prison terms for murdering seven babies and attempting to kill seven more.
Deflecting blame or rightfully deferring to process?
Under intense questioning from lead counsel Nicholas de la Poer, Chambers repeatedly sidestepped pinpointing his own missteps in the scandal. The ex-executive asserted it was “really, really difficult” for him to answer whether he bore any individual culpability.
“As a chief executive, as a board, you are very reliant on the processes that exist within the hospital that are being put in place, that have been assured by independent people, that they are robust and good,” he maintained.
– Tony Chambers on leadership responsibility
Chambers ultimately conceded he must “take some responsibility” as the hospital’s “accountable officer” when the counsel noted he had failed to cite any personal shortcomings. But victims’ advocates argue that top officials have a moral duty to go beyond hiding behind bureaucratic constructs when catastrophic failures occur on their watch.
Allegations of stifling police involvement
Perhaps the most explosive revelation from today’s testimony centered on Chambers’ May 2017 meeting with law enforcement about the mushrooming crisis. Inquiry records show he told officers at the time there was “no evidence other than coincidence” behind the surge of baby deaths and collapses.
By that stage, several medical reviews had pointedly declined to rule out intentional harm by the now-convicted murderer. Senior doctors and nurses were sounding the alarm and urging police intervention, even as Chambers’ team dubbed the tragic events “certainly not criminal”.
The former chief executive denied he was aiming to discourage a criminal probe, telling the inquiry: “What we were saying is we can’t find any evidence of criminality – you’re the experts, please help us.” However, the counsel asserted that Chambers had withheld crucial details about the allegations swirling around Letby.
Crucial weeks when ‘unstoppable’ Letby kept killing
As the painful inquest unfolds, a key focus remains on pinpointing the junctures when swifter, more decisive action could have thwarted the UK’s most prolific child killer of modern times. In June 2016 alone, as hospital executives debated their response, Letby murdered two more babies and tried to kill six others.
One grieving father, whose newborn succumbed during that ghastly stretch, voiced the unimaginable anguish haunting so many parents: “I will never forgive myself for leaving my baby in that hospital…I felt so guilty that I didn’t take him home when I had the chance.”
For those families, no public reckoning can resurrect their lost children. But many pray the Thirlwall inquiry will provide some solace by ensuring that more vigilant protocols, swifter escalation of safety concerns, and stronger leadership accountability steer maternity wards going forward.
As one victim’s mother pleaded through sobs: “We need things to change. We need to stop it from happening again…I don’t want any other family to go through this.” The hearings resume next week as a wounded community seeks healing – and systemic reforms – after unspeakable tragedy.
