Dr Mark Deakin can now be identified after the court anonymity order protecting him was lifted following his death in July, aged 53. He was the doctor described during Lucy Letby’s trial as her “boyfriend”.
His identity had been hidden while he gave evidence under special measures, including from behind a screen, so Letby, the public gallery and the media could not see him. That protection has now ended, and an inquest into the circumstances surrounding his death will be opened.
Countess of Chester Hospital
Deakin worked alongside Letby at the Countess of Chester Hospital during the period in which she murdered seven babies and attempted to murder six others in 2015 and 2016. He later worked as a consultant at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.
The Thirlwall inquiry heard that Deakin and Letby exchanged more than 1,000 Facebook messages. It also heard that he helped Letby secure a placement at Alder Hey hospital after she was suspected of murdering babies.
Lucy Letby and Deakin
At her criminal trial, Letby was forced to deny that Deakin was her boyfriend. She accepted that they had gone on a trip to London together, and Nick Johnson KC said Letby “tried to get out the back of the dock” when Deakin first came to the witness box. Letby replied: “Yes, because I felt unwell.”
Deakin later told the inquiry he had been “misled” and “maybe manipulated” by Letby. He said it “had been a massive mistake” to help her and said he had “a lot of regrets”.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission
Lucy Letby is serving 15 whole life prison terms, and The Criminal Cases Review Commission is reviewing her convictions. The Thirlwall inquiry is due to publish its findings on 15 September, with Deakin’s evidence remaining part of the record now that his name can be published.
