Full Analysis Summary
Prosecution decision on Letby
The Crown Prosecution Service said it will not bring any further criminal charges against former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby after reviewing additional material submitted by Cheshire Constabulary in 2025.
The CPS said the evidential test was not met for two alleged murders and seven alleged attempted murders relating to incidents at the Countess of Chester and Liverpool Women’s hospitals.
It said the decision was made independently and in line with legal tests.
Letby is already serving whole‑life sentences after convictions for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others between June 2015 and June 2016.
The CPS has written to the families involved and offered to meet them to explain the decision.
Coverage Differences
Numerical discrepancy / scope
Sources differ on how they summarise the number and framing of charges under review. Some outlets describe the CPS decision as relating to nine infants (two deaths and seven non‑fatal collapses), while others report the CPS considered 11 criminal charges connected to nine babies, and some reports include slightly different breakdowns of suspected offences submitted by Cheshire Constabulary.
Tone / emphasis on legal independence
Mainstream outlets emphasise the CPS’s legal test and independence, quoting Frank Ferguson on the evidential threshold; some local outlets echo that legal framing but also emphasise the force’s surprise and disappointment.
CPS hospital review
The CPS statement, led in public comments by Frank Ferguson of the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, repeatedly cited the evidential threshold as the reason for not prosecuting further.
Several mainstream and local outlets quoted the CPS phrase that the material "did not meet the evidential test" and that the decision was made independently and "in line with legal tests."
The CPS review covered allegations spanning the Countess of Chester and Liverpool Women’s hospitals and concluded the evidence could not support charges of murder in two infant deaths or attempted murder in seven surviving infants.
Coverage Differences
Framing of CPS rationale
Most mainstream sources (BBC, Sky News, The Independent) directly quote the CPS formulation that the "evidential test" was not met; alternative or tabloid outlets (Daily Mail, Daily Express) also report that framing but add attribution to unnamed "sources" claiming the prosecution would be "untriable" or a "circus," presenting an interpretation of practical courtroom risks rather than the CPS’s legal wording.
Detail level on the review's scope
Some reports emphasise specific counts and hospital links (WION and Sky News list the two deaths and seven non-fatal collapses), while the ABC and several tabloids restate the total number of charges under consideration (11) and highlight the nine infants involved; this reflects small variations in how outlets translate the file submitted by Cheshire Constabulary into public figures.
Cheshire response to CPS decision
Cheshire Constabulary expressed surprise and disappointment at the Crown Prosecution Service's decision.
The force said it had submitted files in July 2025 and believed the material met the charging standard.
It added that it must respect the CPS decision and asked for privacy for affected families.
Mainstream outlets described the force's public response as unexpected or not the outcome they had anticipated.
Local media repeated those lines and noted the investigation's long history under Operation Hummingbird.
Coverage Differences
Emphasis on police reaction vs. CPS independence
Local and regional outlets (Roch Valley Radio, This is the Coast, London Evening Standard) amplify Cheshire Constabulary’s surprise and focus on the force's submission of evidence, whereas national mainstream outlets (BBC, Sky News) balance that reaction with the CPS’s independent legal reasoning; tabloids add emotional language about families’ devastation.
Mention of Operation Hummingbird and investigation timeline
Some sources (The Mirror and local press) explicitly remind readers the probe had been running for years under Operation Hummingbird, adding institutional context that national summaries sometimes omit.
Family reactions and procedures
Families affected were notified in writing and offered meetings by the CPS, and several outlets report that some relatives are seeking formal reviews of the charging decision or considering civil claims against the NHS.
Tabloid and some national reporting record strong emotional reactions, including words such as "absolutely devastated" and "shell-shocked" used by families in those pieces.
Mainstream reports emphasise the procedural avenues available, such as the victims' right to review.
Coverage Differences
Emotional emphasis vs. procedural focus
Tabloid sources (Daily Mail, Daily Express) foreground family anguish with quotes such as "absolutely devastated" and "shell‑shocked," while mainstream outlets (BBC, GB News, The Independent) focus on formal processes like the CPS's offers to meet families and the victims' right to review.
Mention of civil claims and legal next steps
Some reports spell out that the CPS decision does not prevent families pursuing civil claims against the NHS and that families are planning formal reviews of the CPS decision; others limit coverage to the criminal decision itself.
Media coverage differences
The wider context remains contested in some reporting.
All sources reiterate Letby’s convictions and sentence: she is serving 15 whole-life terms after convictions for seven murders and multiple attempted murders.
Some outlets (Daily Mail, Daily Express) also report additional claims and concerns raised by experts or witnesses, such as former prosecution witness Dr Dewi Evans, about further deaths and possible methods.
Those reports mention suspected insulin poisoning and tube displacement.
Other outlets avoid relaying those graphic details or label them as reported concerns rather than established facts.
This highlights variation in editorial choices about which allegations and background to emphasise.
Coverage Differences
Inclusion of contested allegations
Tabloid reports include detailed, quoted concerns from a former prosecution witness and unnamed sources on potential methods and extra incidents, whereas mainstream outlets largely stick to the CPS ruling and police response or explicitly frame extra claims as allegations or reports.
Potential impact on appeals and campaigns
Some tabloids (Daily Express) note the CPS outcome has "raised fresh hopes for Letby’s campaign to overturn her convictions," a narrative absent from many mainstream reports that focus on prosecution standards and family impact instead.