Private Eye's M.D. (Phil Hammond) is obsessed with the Lucy Letby case and has now published more than 30 lengthy (by Private Eye's standards) articles about it. They are getting rather repetitive so you'd think the magazine would be interested in some fresh content from someone who has an intimate knowledge of the case.
And yet when Dewi Evans, one of the key prosecution witnesses whom Hammond has bitterly attacked, wrote a letter to Private Eye, the editor chose not to publish it, although it did print a weird letter about the case from someone who inferred something from the way someone said something. Dr Evans has shared his letter with me and it is published below with his permission.
17 October 2025
Letters
Private Eye
The Editor
I am at a loss to understand Dr Phil Hammond’s excitable article in this week’s edition of The Eye, which relate to events surrounding the collapse and death of the infant known as Baby C.
The clinical facts are straightforward. Baby C was a tiny baby who was responding satisfactorily to treatment for pneumonia until his unexpected collapse. My preliminary report dated 7 Nov 2017 noted that “I have concerns regarding the unexpected collapse of [Baby C] at around 23.00 hr on 13 June 2015”. I added that “I would advise scrutinising the staffing present at the time”. Lucy Letby’s name as a ‘suspect’ was not known to me at the time, and there was no record of her presence in the infant’s clinical notes.
Cheshire Police’s attention to detail confirmed that the infant’s collapse occurred when in Lucy Letby’s presence, after the baby’s designated nurse had gone for a break. Lucy Letby’s involvement was noted in more detail in evidence given at the Thirlwall Inquiry [9 October 2024].
An x-ray taken 36 hours before the baby’s collapse noted a large ‘gas bubble’ in the stomach. The cause of the bubble has been the source of considerable discussion. Irrespective of its cause its presence cannot explain his collapse. Several clinical markers during the 36 hours after the x-ray was taken noted an encouraging improvement in his condition. His heart and breathing rates were within the normal range for a baby of his size. His oxygen saturations were in the high 90s. His oxygen requirements were falling, being just 25% just before his collapse. Encouragingly, he was deemed well enough to be taken out of his incubator for ‘skin to skin’ contact with his mother on the afternoon of his collapse and the day before.
An injection of air into the stomach would compromise the breathing of a tiny baby, quickly destabilising him. An injection of air directly into the bloodstream would be even more catastrophic. Whilst one cannot exclude the former the latter explanation is a more likely explanation for his collapse. One cannot rule out the possibility of his suffering from a combination of both. Either is indicative of inflicted injury, where the perpetrator would know that their action would place a vulnerable baby in harm’s way. This evidence led to the jury finding Lucy Letby guilty of the baby’s murder.
It's regrettable that Dr Hammond made no effort to get in touch with me prior to publishing his article. If he cares to get in touch with Cheshire Police, the CPS, or the Prosecution team, I am sure they would confirm the sequence of events I have described above, thus setting the record straight.
Sincerely
Dewi Evans
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