Serial killer Lucy Letby has been declared “irredeemable” and should remain a “target” in prison for life, according to a former prison guard. The former NHS nurse, who was recently convicted of attempted murder of a newborn baby, was sentenced to life in prison for the 15th time on July 5.
She had previously been convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others between 2015 and 2016 at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Now 34, Letby was jailed for the first time in August 2023. Vanessa Frake, a retired prison governor with nearly three decades of experience, including overseeing high-profile inmates such as Beverley Allitt, Myra Hindley and Rose West, commented on Letby’s current situation.
Ms Frake told the Mirror: “I think her regime will be the same after her latest conviction – she will probably still be on suicide watch, away from the general prison population, with other like-minded prisoners. Anything Letby wants, in terms of education or going out of the wing, will have to be risk assessed and all visitors will be scrutinised. They will no doubt be keeping an eye on her.”
Letby is currently in the private prison HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, having previously spent time at HMP Low Newton in Durham. Regardless of where she ends up serving her sentence, as a Category A prisoner, Ms Frake expects Letby to be the victim of violent attempts by her fellow inmates.
She said: “You have a serial killer like Joanna Dennehy behind bars, who kills for pleasure. She would not hesitate to try to take out Lucy Letby, or others for that matter. Women who have had children, who are carers and nurturers, will see people like Letby as less than they really are.”
“You can bet they know she’s in their prison. They may not know where, but they’ve read the papers and seen her on TV, and they know exactly what she looks like. It’ll be the staff’s job to protect her from that.”
Regarding Letby’s future, Ms Frake said: “I imagine she will look out for her for the rest of her sentence.” Reports suggest Letby formed a chilling bond with two dangerous inmates while on remand at Bronzefield – baby poisoner Michelle Smith and Shauna Hoare, who was implicated in the tragic murder of schoolgirl Becky Watts in 2015. Ms Frake said the close friendship is not unusual – and is unlikely to be her last.
She added: “It is very common for like-minded prisoners, such as child killers, to form friendships with each other. I have seen it many times. They feel an attraction to each other.”
Letby will no doubt find allies in prison, but she will also be the target of attacks. She said: “Prisoners are very good at making weapons out of almost anything. Worse than boiling water, boiling water with sugar (known as prison napalm) is worse than boiling water because it sticks to the skin and is very difficult to remove. I have seen prisoners slashed with two razor blades melted into a toothbrush, stabbed with plastic cutlery handles, billiard balls and batteries in socks.”
Ms Frake, who worked in prisons for 27 years and was head of security and operations at Wormwood Scrubs prison, said the most powerful prisoners controlled their wing and negotiated the use of a mobile phone or protection. She said: “Those who offer protection set the price. When they could smoke in prison, they set their price, whether it was half an ounce of tobacco or a Mars bar.”
Today, there are half as many staff managing the same number of inmates, but Frake said “it’s as safe as it can be.” She added: “There’s a lot of violence in prisons these days because we have a pretty violent society. There seems to be a lot of knife attacks, gun attacks, shootings and gangs – and that’s spilling over into prison.”
“If these people are outside and they’re arrested, the violence is inside,” suggesting that violence around Letby will be inevitable. As Letby nears the end of her sentence, she may be transferred to a prison that houses older inmates. After she turns 66, she will no longer be required to work.
Ms Frake said: “In prison you have to work until you reach the statutory retirement age, after which you don’t have to work anymore.” The former neonatal nurse’s life sentence means she will spend the rest of her life in prison, as her death has not been properly acknowledged by the prison service.
She said: “If Letby’s parents are still alive when he dies, they will have a say in his funeral arrangements. But it won’t be a big deal because the prison service doesn’t want it. Anyone who dies in prison, whether from natural causes or suicide, has a post mortem. The coroner will then release the body to the family.”
The decision on what action to take will be made by her father John, now 73, and mother Susan, 63, or her next of kin. Until then, Letby will have to reflect on her crimes every year. Ms Frake said: “As a lifer, every six to 12 months a member of staff will write a report on her. They will interview her about her offending behaviour and her crimes.”
Regarding her treatment by prison guards, Frake said they would refrain from passing judgment and would treat all inmates equally. She added: “My job has never been to judge. Prisoners are judged by the courts and their peers. If they come to prison with a warrant, that’s enough for me.”
Frake, author of “The Governor,” added: “I never make assumptions about anyone’s innocence. That’s not my job. I’ve seen prisoners go through the appeals process and be released.”
As for Letby, Frake believes the convicted serial killer should remain incarcerated for public safety reasons. Despite the former neonatal nurse’s denials in court that she is “not the type of person who kills babies,” Frake sees no prospect of redemption.
She said: “Letby has been convicted and she is in prison to keep society safe. She will spend the rest of her life in prison and that will give the families of her victims some closure. I suppose they will try to understand why, but until Letby admits her guilt and explains to those families why she did what she did, I don’t see much redemption.”
