Serial killer nurse Lucy Letby costs the British taxpayer £100million: Fees for payouts, legal costs and public inquiry into the scandal soar - as baby murderer gets set for fresh court battle
Taxpayer-funded costs for compensating the victims of killer nurse Lucy Letby and the legal fees involved is set to top £100 million.
A combination of payouts, fees associated with the case and the public inquiry into the scandal will hit £100 million.
Sources have said legal investigators have found alleged examples of other potential misconduct which are now being pursued legally.
Letby murdered seven babies and tried to murder six others in the worst NHS scandal in a generation. Police fear she may have harmed dozens of other infants.
At the centre of the civil case will be questions as to how the nurse was able to get away with her crimes for so long - despite repeated warnings from whistleblowers at the Countess of Chester Hospital, where Letby was employed from 2012 until April 2018.
Police are also understood to be looking at 4,000 other cases at the hospital, as well as Liverpool Women's Hospital, where Letby worked on placement in 2012 and 2015.
Taxpayer-funded costs to compensate the victims of killer nurse Lucy Letby is set to top £100 million
The offences took place at the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit, where Letby worked as a nurse, between June 2015 and June 2016
As part of this huge review, further alleged issues are being looked at which she could be linked to.
A legal source said: 'What Lucy Letby did was on another scale of pure evil which is very difficult to comprehend.
'The civil process will need to be as thorough and forensic as the criminal case to ensure justice is done for all of those impacted and ultimately nothing like this can ever happen again.
'A figure of £100 million is being discussed when everything is taken into consideration. That's compensation for the criminal victims, those who claim she harmed their babies, the legal costs and the public inquiry.'
One lawyer said: 'A lot has come to light since the conclusion of the criminal case.
'It's clear there is wider alleged misconduct which could fall into the legal and civil claims.
'The big remaining question is how on earth was this allowed to happen for so long before it could be stopped?'
Letby, of Hereford, became Britain's most prolific child serial killer when she was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six more at the Countess of Chester Hospital, between June 2015 and June 2016.
The jury failed to reach verdicts on six attempted murder charges, relating to four infants, and last month prosecutors confirmed they were pursuing a re-trial on one of the counts, relating to a premature baby girl, Baby K.
A general view of the Women and Children's Building at the Countess of Chester Hospital
High Court Judge Mr Justice Goss sentenced Letby to 14 whole life orders for the seven murders and seven attempted murders, relating to six babies, and told her she would never be eligible for parole.
Letby is appealing against all of her convictions. The appeal will be heard in April.
If judges decline to give permission in April, it will mark the end of the appeal process for Letby. If she does receive permission, then the appeal will be heard at a separate hearing at a later date.
It comes after figures from the Legal Aid Agency revealed last year that the 33-year-old was awarded more than £1.5million in legal aid to fund her defence.
She will also face a re-trial in June on a single count that she attempted to murder a baby girl, known as Child K, in February 2016.
She could also be awarded more money from the public purse if she is granted leave to appeal her convictions and to pay for the re-trial.
In August, the Government announced a public inquiry into Letby's crimes, with another of the country's most senior judges slated to lead the probe.
Hearings may not happen until autumn this year but work has already started.
It was reported earlier this year that Letby was given a key to her own cell, according to a report, with a prison insider describing her cushy new life on the inside as being like a 'hotel - but you're surrounded by criminals'.
Having the key to her cell means that Letby can lock herself away from fellow inmates if she feels threatened by them.
It is believed that keys are handed to the residents of category A HMP Bronzefield as a reward for good behaviour on the inside.
The move caused significant upset for the grieving parents of Letby's victims.
