Doctor identified after death
Dr Mark Deakin, the consultant referred to by prosecutors as Lucy Letby's "boyfriend" during her murder trial, has been named publicly for the first time since his death. The 53-year-old diabetes specialist and father of two was found collapsed in his car in June, the day after he was dismissed from Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, as reported by both The Daily Star and the Daily Express. He was admitted to intensive care but never regained consciousness and died nine days later on July 3 at Whiston Hospital in Merseyside, according to the Daily Express.
Reporting restrictions that had protected Dr Deakin's identity throughout Letby's trial and the subsequent public inquiry were lifted following his death, both outlets reported. He had worked with the former neonatal nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital during the period between June 2015 and June 2016 when she was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more, the Daily Express reported.
Relationship with Letby
During the trial at Manchester Crown Court, prosecutors repeatedly described Dr Deakin as Letby's boyfriend, suggesting she was so infatuated with him that she harmed infants knowing he would be among the doctors summoned to respond, both outlets reported. The pair exchanged more than 1,300 Facebook messages in three months of 2016, some late at night, discussing the condition of babies who had collapsed on their shifts, according to both The Daily Star and the Daily Express. They also met for walks, meals and day trips to London, The Daily Star reported.
Letby called Dr Deakin "sweetie" in messages and wrote notes referring to him as "love" alongside hearts, according to the Daily Express. She denied any romantic relationship, insisting they were simply "best friends," both outlets reported. The Daily Express also reported that Letby broke down in tears when Dr Deakin entered the courtroom to give evidence against her.
Disciplinary proceedings and dismissal
Dr Deakin was brought before a disciplinary hearing in June over a series of inappropriate messages he exchanged with Letby, The Daily Star reported. The messages at the heart of the case concerned Baby N, a premature boy with haemophilia whom Letby was later convicted of attempting to murder the day after his birth in June 2016, according to both outlets. Dr Deakin shared clinical details about Baby N's care, and Baby N's mother told the Thirlwall Inquiry that he had "blatantly" breached her son's confidentiality and lodged a formal complaint, the Daily Express reported.
Dr Deakin also organised up to six "observational visits" for Letby at Alder Hey in 2017, after she had been moved off the neonatal unit amid concerns about deaths linked to her shifts, according to both outlets. A disciplinary panel in June rejected his claim that he did not know she was under suspicion when he organised the visits, the Daily Express reported. He accepted breaching confidentiality but was dismissed for gross misconduct on 23 June, according to the same outlet. The following day relatives reported him missing, and he was found in an apparent diabetic coma at a retail park about 20 miles from his Cheshire home, the Daily Express reported.
Inquiry findings and aftermath
Giving evidence to the Thirlwall Inquiry last year, Dr Deakin said Letby had "misled and maybe manipulated" him into sharing information about babies she had attacked, both outlets reported. The inquiry in 2024 determined that he had been "misled" and "maybe manipulated" by Letby, according to The Daily Star.
The Daily Star also reported that Dr Deakin is said to have supported Letby's grievance claim against the Countess of Chester when she was moved from frontline care to an office role after suspicions emerged about babies dying on her ward.
His death has been referred to the Cheshire Coroner, who confirmed preliminary inquiries are under way, the Daily Express reported. Letby, 36, is serving 15 whole-life terms, according to the Daily Express.