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Mike Lynch had questions about Lucy Letby's trial, says former minister investigating verdict

Former cabinet minister Sir David Davis said Mike Lynch, the technology magnate who died when his yacht sank off the coast of Sicily, wanted to review nurse Lucy Letby's murder conviction because of concerns about the yacht's safety.

Sir David Davis, the former Brexit minister, said earlier The Independent He plans to lead an investigation that will question Letby's conviction after several experts expressed doubts about her guilt.

Sir David said he hoped to visit Letby in prison to investigate whether the serial baby killer may have been the victim of a miscarriage of justice. Letby is serving 15 life sentences for seven murders and seven attempted murders of babies who were in her care at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016.

Writing in The Sunday TimesSir David said Mr Lynch, one of the seven people killed in the yacht tragedy, shared his concerns about Letby's conviction.

Hannah and Mike Lynch died after the luxury yacht Bayesian sank in a storm on Monday
Hannah and Mike Lynch died after the luxury yacht Bayesian sank in a storm on Monday (PA Media)

“[Mike Lynch] was planning to set up a British equivalent of the Innocence Project, a non-profit organisation working to rehabilitate people who have suffered miscarriages of justice. He mentioned the Lucy Letby trial case as one that had already caught his attention,” Sir David wrote.

“Mike was a world-class expert in probability theory and immediately saw through the statistical weaknesses underlying the Letby indictment. One of our first projects was to thoroughly investigate this trial.

“We were supposed to meet on Thursday 22 August to discuss the plans. But on Monday, just as I was about to text him to confirm lunch, the devastating news came that his superyacht had sunk in stormy weather near Palermo, Italy.”

Letby is serving 15 life sentences for seven murders and seven attempted murders of babies in her care at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016
Letby is serving 15 life sentences for seven murders and seven attempted murders of babies in her care at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016 (Cheshire Police)

Sir David said Mr Lynch wanted to investigate possible miscarriages of justice after his own experience in America fighting a fraud case against him.

Several medical professionals have expressed doubts about Letby's conviction. In a podcast, statistician Peter Elston and retired pediatrician Michael McConville claimed that the medical evidence presented during her trial was insufficient.

Despite her conviction, Letby continues to maintain her innocence and told jurors during the trial that she was “not the kind of person who would kill babies.”

This comes after Italian prosecutors have now opened a manslaughter investigation into the sinking of Lynch's Bayesian superyacht near Porticello at around 5am local time on Monday.

The yacht had been hit by a downburst, which are strong winds that originate from a thunderstorm and spread quickly after reaching the ground.

Lynch's 18-year-old daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley International Bank CEO Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, Clifford Chance attorney Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo were also rescued from the rubble.

The boat trip was a celebration of Mr Lynch's acquittal in a fraud trial in the United States.

The businessman, who founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, was acquitted in June of massive fraud charges related to the $11 billion (£8.64 billion) sale of the company to US firm Hewlett Packard.

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