Serial killer Lucy Letby will spend the rest of her life as a 'target' in jail, an ex-prison officer has revealed.
The former NHS nurse was convicted of another newborn's attempted murder earlier this year after being found guilty of killing seven babies and trying to murder six between 2015 and 2016 at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Letby, 34, was sentenced on July 5 to her 15th whole-life term for attempting to kill a premature baby girl.
And now a fresh probe into her crimes will examine whether NHS bosses learned anything from Beverley Allitt and Harold Shipman's horrific killing sprees, after a string of recommendations were made to stop future serial killers operating in the NHS.
Letby's current situation behind bars will be just as dangerous as it was when she was first locked up in August 2023, according to retired prison governor Vanessa Frake, who spent nearly three decades inside jail observing the likes of child killer Beverley Allitt, Moors murderer Myra Hindley and serial killer Rose West.
Vanessa expects Letby to still be on suicide watch, continuously monitored by officers and targeted by inmates. She told the Mirror: "I think her regime will be the same after her latest conviction - she'll probably still be on suicide watch, away from the general population of the prison, with other like-minded prisoners. Anything Letby wants, with regard to education or leaving the wing, will have to be risk-assessed and all visitors will be scrutinised. They will be keeping an eye on her without a doubt."
It is believed Letby is currently locked up in the privately-run HMP Bronzefield in Surrey after spending time in HMP Low Newton in Durham. The killer nurse is expected to spend at least 22 hours a day inside her single cell. Due to her confinement, it was previously suggested that she would be encouraged by staff to be mentally stimulated to avoid extreme stress, anger, and frustration. Her life of solitude will be filled with reading stories about others - she will be able to read newspapers, books, and watch TV, but not much else. And for an hour a day, she will be able to exercise, walking the prison grounds.
She will, however, be able to speak to her family and receive visits, which will be vetted by police, though they will be few and far between. A convicted prisoner is usually allowed at least two one-hour visits every four weeks. Letby won't be able to receive emails directly, but she can receive messages through the Email a Prisoner service. These are printed out and delivered by prison staff, with each email costing 40p from Letby's prison cash card. There is no limit on the number of letters she can send and receive, however, although most are checked by prison staff. And when it comes to phone calls, she will only be able to speak to those named on her friends and family list.
As a Category A prisoner, Vanessa predicts there will be violent attempts on Letby's life by fellow inmates. "You've got the likes of serial killer Joanna Dennehy behind bars who murders for fun. She'd have no hesitation in trying to have a pop at Lucy Letby, or others for that matter," she said.
"Women who have had children, who are carers and nurturers, will see the likes of Letby as lower than low. You can bet they know she is in their jail - they may not know where, but they will have read papers and seen her on TV, and they will know exactly what she looks like. It will be the staff's job to protect her from that." Of Letby's future fate, Vanessa said: "I imagine she will be looking over her shoulder for the rest of her time."
It was reported that Letby had struck up a chilling bond with two dangerous inmates while on remand at Bronzefield - baby poisoner Michelle Smith and Shauna Hoare, who played a role in the tragic killing of schoolgirl Becky Watts in 2015. Vanessa said this close friendship isn't unusual - and won't likely be her last. She explained: "It is very common for like-minded prisoners, like child killers, to form friendships with each other. I've seen it many times. They have this pull towards each other."
But while Letby is expected to find friends behind bars, she will also be the target of attacks. "Prisoners are very good at making weapons out of just about anything," Vanessa said. "Worse than boiling water is boiling water with sugar (known as prison napalm) because that sticks to the skin and is very difficult to peel off. I've seen prisoners slashed with two razor blades melted into a toothbrush, stabbings with shanks made from plastic cutlery and pool balls and batteries in socks."
Vanessa, who had a 27-year prisons career and was head of security and operations at HMP Wormwood Scrubs, explained that inmates with the most power will control the prisoners in their wing and barter for the use of a mobile phone or protection. "Those that offer the protection create the price. When they could smoke in prison, they would name the price for what they wanted and what it entailed - whether it be half an ounce of tobacco or a Mars bar," she said.
Nowadays, there is half the amount of staff working to manage the same amount of prisoners, Vanessa explained, but "it's as safe as it can be". "There is quite a lot of violence these days in prison because we have quite a violent society. There seems to be a lot of stabbings, guns, shootings and gangs - and that spills into prison. If you have those people on the outside and they get arrested, you've got that violence inside," she said, explaining that violence around Letby will be inevitable.
When Letby does near the end of her sentence, she may be moved to a prison that specialises in older prisoners, and after the age of 66, she will not be required to work. Vanessa explained: "In prison, you have to work until you reach the legal pension age, then you don't have to work anymore." The ex-neonatal nurse's whole-life order means she will die behind bars and her death will not be notably marked by the prison service.
"If Letby's parents are still alive when she dies, they will have a say in her funeral," Vanessa said. "But it wouldn't be a big hoo-ha because the prison service wouldn't want that. Anybody who dies in prison, whether that be natural causes or suicide, goes through a post-mortem. The coroner will then release the body to the family." It will be the decision of her father John, now 73, and mother Susan, 63, or her next of kin what arrangements are made.
Up until then, Letby will be forced to go over her crimes every year of her life. "As a life sentence prisoner, every six to 12 months, she will have a report written about her by a member of staff. They will ask her about her offending behaviour and crimes," Vanessa explained. And as for her treatment by prison officers, Vanessa said they would hold back judgement and treat everyone with a conviction the same.
"My job was never to judge. Prisoners are judged by the courts and their peers. If they come into prison convicted with a warrant, that's good enough for me," Vanessa, author of The Governor, said. "I have never made assumptions about someone's innocence. That's not my job. I've seen some prisoners go through the appeal process and get released."
As for Letby, Vanessa believes the convicted serial killer will remain behind bars - and it is safest for society if she does. With the ex-neonatal nurse still denying attempting to hurt any baby in her care, and telling the court she is "not the sort of person that kills babies", Vanessa cannot see any hope of redemption.
"Letby has been found guilty and she is in prison to keep society safe. She will spend the rest of her days in jail and that will give some closure to the families of her victims. I presume they will try and understand why - but until Letby admits the guilt, and explains to those families why she did what she did, I can't see much redemption there," Vanessa added.
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