Herefordshire Council is set to confirm an agreement with other English and Welsh local authorities at its next cabinet meeting, on Thursday 28 September.

A proposed Marches Forward Partnership would see Herefordshire Council work with Shropshire Council, Monmouthshire County Council and Powys County Council.  They would join forces to apply for funding from government on major projects that will benefit the Marches region, which covers 80 percent of the English / Welsh borderland.

Each authority would retain their own identity and independence.  They would continue to deliver services to residents and businesses as they do now but would work together, as partners, where there is mutual benefit and added value.  Areas of cross-border shared interests are likely to include transport, skills and housing alongside energy, climate change and digital connectivity – common issues for the area’s population of almost 750,000.

It is anticipated that the councils’ planned collaboration and willingness to work together will increase overall government investment, unlocking millions of pounds for identified initiatives that will support the Marches’ rural economy and green growth.

Councillor Jonathan Lester, Leader of Herefordshire Council, said: “This is a great opportunity to work with our neighbouring councils to address some of the big issues that are important to us all.

“I welcome the opportunity to forge greater cross-border links to help us all to focus on many issues collectively.

“This proposed partnership is a progression of the cross-border support that already exists across the Marches area. There are many commonalities between us, so working in this collaborative way with colleagues at Shropshire Council and Monmouthshire and Powys County Councils will have many advantages.

“We will be signing-up to an agreement that will confirm functional arrangements between the four councils in October.  However this move to create the partnership will not prevent us from working with other authorities and partners at any point now or in the future.” 

Hereford's Play Nightclub to undergo a major refurbishment thank's to new owners Epic Bars and Clubs, a national bar and club operator that invested over £600k, and plans to unveil their latest venture in Hereford in late 2023.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲, 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗿𝗯𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗰𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗯𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲-𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗯 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗵.

The new establishments are scheduled to open in time for the festive season and will feature a brand-new cocktail bar and varied-scene nightclub and will boast eye-catching features perfect for instagram, an impressive new clubroom, numerous plush reservation-only booths, an exceptional outdoor area, and the iconic Disco Disco party room equipped with a glowing dance floor. 🕺

The existing club will remain open on Saturday nights while preparations are finalised, according to an Epic spokesperson.

All employees will be retained, and more than 30 new employment will be created after the construction is completed.

The Council have secured a total of some £25m from various sources but they need someone to deliver it. So this is what they do:-

"To award a contract to AECOM Limited to provide professional services support for the design and delivery of the LUF programme at a forecast cost of £765,539 and to assign £154,000 of the LUF Programme Contingency and Risk allowance to this contract."

Link - https://councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/documents/s50112338/Professional Services Support for the Hereford Levelling Up Funding LUF Programme.pdf

The administrators of Wilko have said jobs are set to go and stores will close after it failed to find a buyer for the whole business.

However, PwC said parts of the group could still be bought.

Wilko announced earlier this month that it was going into administration, putting 12,500 jobs and its 400 stores at risk.

PwC was tasked with trying to look for a buyer for all or part of the business.

On Wednesday evening, trade union representatives warned that the bulk of Wilko's stores would likely close within weeks, raising fears for thousands of retail workers.

Hereford Voice understands that PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is in advanced talks to divide up parts of the 400-store business, with Poundland's owner, Pepco Group, in talks to acquire approximately 100 stores.

According to one insider, B&M European Retail, the London-listed discount giant, is also in talks to acquire between 40 and 50 stores.

Other value retailers, notably TOFS, which is owned by the private equity firm Duke Street, have made approaches to purchase smaller parcels containing approximately ten properties.

Hereford Voice previously shared the 'Positive News' that Peter Williamson completed the 100km Cotswold way in June for Sands and Hereford Hospital - https://hfd.news/GmmSF

At the weekend Pete went to the hospital and donated the big chunk of his funds from his 'Ultra Challenge'. £1800 has gone to the hospital, the remainder to Sands.

Following on from the successful Born Sleeping Appeal and working together with @Hereford Sands and Lola's Legacy the vision Hospital has a vision to create an area to allow families time and space outside of the hospital building to make memories with their babies.

The new memorial garden will provide a place to spend a quite moment for reflection or simply a place to visit and remember previous babies lost too soon.

This has been a dream for many years for bereaved families and this Autumn it will be come a reality.

Although the Born Sleeping Appeal closed in 2019, the ring-fenced charitable fund has continued and has been the funding source for many new initiatives within the maternity department such as a new online counselling service and a pram to allow parents the opportunity to push their baby out of the maternity department; the garden will provide a place to take babies to and spend time together outside of the main hospital building.

Born Sleeping Appeal https://bit.ly/3sseG1E

Nurse Lucy Letby

Cheshire Police Statement:

𝙊𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙃𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙙 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩

A neonatal nurse has been found guilty of murdering new-born babies that she should have been caring for.

Lucy Letby, from Hereford, has been found guilty of seven counts of murder.

The 33-year-old has also been found guilty of seven counts of attempted murder.

She has been remanded into custody and is due to be sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on Monday 21 August.

Following the verdict, Deputy Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Evans, said:

“𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲. “𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 – 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 – 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴. “𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 – 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁. 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆. 𝗪𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘀. “𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿. 𝗪𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱. “𝗠𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 – 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 – 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲.”

Letby, who qualified in September 2011 after graduating from university, used a variety of methods to target the victims – injecting the babies with air and poisoning them with insulin as well as over feeding them with milk.

In court the prosecution had claimed that Letby was a competent nurse who knew exactly what she was doing when she deliberately harmed the babies in her care.

The defence argued that there was no evidence to suggest Letby had inflicted harm on any baby citing ‘sub-optimal care’ by the hospital, issues with poor hygiene and a campaign of conspiracy against the defendant by a number of senior doctors as reasons for the deaths and non-fatal collapses.

After 10 months and 110 hours of deliberating the jury dismissed Letby’s version of events and agreed that she was responsible.

DCI Evans added:

“𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝘼 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙣𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙮, 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙚𝙨; 𝙖 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩, 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮. 

“𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨.”

In early May 2017, The Countess of Chester Hospital Foundation Trust contacted Cheshire Constabulary regarding neonatal services at the hospital. This was in relation to a greater number of baby deaths and non-fatal collapses than normally expected during the period of June 2015 and June 2016.

As a result, Cheshire Constabulary launched an investigation called Operation Hummingbird. This initially focused on the deaths of eight babies between June 2015 and June 2016 where medical practitioners at the hospital had expressed concern.

In addition, the investigation also conducted a review of a further seven baby deaths and six non-fatal collapses during the same period.

As time went on and further information came to light the scope of the investigation widened and further cases were reviewed.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent Paul Hughes, said:

“𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙖 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙭 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙞𝙭 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨. 𝙒𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙤 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩, 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙬 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙪𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙣-𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙥𝙨𝙚𝙨. 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜, 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙬𝙣-𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙣𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙. 𝙒𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 – 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙝 𝙞𝙩. 

“𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 – 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙚, 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚. 𝙒𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙨 17 𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 – 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙚. 

“𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙, 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 70 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 – 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙙. 

“𝙏𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙥 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙖 𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙮, 𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 – 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙠. 

“𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 – 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮.”

Over the past six years the investigation team has been building a strong case for court – and this has been a huge task. 32,000 pages of evidence were gathered and medical records running into thousands of pages were sifted through.

Around 2,000 people were spoken to in order to gather as much information as possible – this has included staff at the Countess of Chester Hospital who worked with Letby. Almost 250 were identified as witnesses by the prosecution to potentially give evidence during the trial – although not all were needed in the end.

Strategic Lead for the investigation, Detective Superintendent Simon Blackwell, said:

“𝘼𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙙, 𝙬𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙, 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨, 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙨, 𝙨𝙤 𝙬𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙢𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙠 𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 8,000-𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙨. 

“𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙠𝙚𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 

“𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙖 𝙣𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙠𝙚𝙮 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚, 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙡, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝘾𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝘼𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙜𝙪𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙨.”

As work continued behind the scenes to gather evidence, a suspect was formally identified and on 3 July 2018 Letby was arrested at her home in Chester. She was taken into custody and interviewed by detectives and was subsequently bailed pending further enquiries.

This was followed by two further arrests – one in June 2019 and another in November 2020 – in total she was arrested three times in the space of just over two years.

During those arrests around 30 hours of video interviews were captured as Letby was asked to give her recollection of each event.

Enquiries continued during this time and on 10 November 2020 Letby was rearrested in Hereford.

One day later, she was charged with eight counts of murder and 10 of attempted murder between June 2015 and June 2016.

Letby pleaded not guilty to all charges at a hearing at Manchester Crown Court in October 2021.

In June 2022, Letby had one not guilty verdict recorded for one of the murder charges. It meant that when she went on trial last year, she faced seven murder charges and 10 attempted murder charges.

The trial has been a lengthy and complex experience for all involved – with months of evidence for the jury to sit through.

During the trial each baby case has been discussed in detail starting with emotional statements from each of the parents followed by a sequence of events, expertly prepared by two of Cheshire Constabulary’s intelligence analysts. This set the scene and focused on the story of each baby from their birth to their journey through the Neonatal Unit.

The sequence captured what happened and when in terms of staff movements on the ward, where each baby was on the unit at the time, how they were monitored and the treatment they received.

It also captured conversations during this time between Letby and other staff members via WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger – this spanned hundreds of messages – and Facebook searches that Letby carried out on parents of the babies – sometimes months after they had been on the unit.

At the end of each sequence of events the relevant prosecution witnesses were called – these were mainly staff at the Countess of Chester who were working with Letby at the time each baby was on the ward.

They were followed by medical experts specialising in areas of paediatric radiology, paediatric pathology, haematology, paediatric neurology and paediatric endocrinology with two main medical experts (consultant paediatricians) giving their opinions on each baby case and the probable cause of their death or collapse.

Summing up the feeling after verdict, Det Supt Hughes, said:

“𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙈𝙖𝙮 2017, 𝙬𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙗𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 – 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙘. 

“𝙒𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙣𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙖 𝙣𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙠𝙚𝙥𝙩 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙪𝙥𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨.

“𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙨 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 – 𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙥 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨. 

“𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 – 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙩 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙥 𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙩, 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙩, 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙩𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙖 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙖 𝙝𝙪𝙜𝙚 𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙭 𝙖𝙣𝙙, 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨, 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙥𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩.

“𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙚 𝙤𝙬𝙚 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙗𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙡.”

If you have any information that you would like to pass onto the investigation team please get in touch via the Operation Hummingbird mailbox at Operation.Hummingbird.Public.Contact@cheshire.police.uk

The popular chippy in St Owen Street Hereford is re opening Thursday 24th August 2023 at 4:30pm.

The owners contacted Hereford Voice to tell us the good news.

The business has remained closed after a lorry hit their wall back in April which also severed their gas supply.

Hereford Voice - Good Luck guys! It's good to have you back!

'Sadistic' Letby completely refused to leave cells to appear in court today for sentencing and to face the families of her victims as they read our their powerful impact statements.

Justice James Goss handed down the most severe sentence possible under British law to Letby after she was found guilty last week of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six more at the Countess of Chester's neonatal unit between June 2015 and June 2016.

The judge said before he passed sentence;

"The defendant has refused to attend court for this sentencing hearing. Accordingly, I have to sentence her in her absence," 

He said he will deliver his remarks "as if she was present to hear them".

"You acted in a way that was completely contrary to the normal human instincts of nurturing and caring for babies," he says, adding that it was a "gross breach" of trust.

He said she deliberately harmed them, "intending to kill them".

"You relished being in the intensive care nursery," Mr Goss said.

"There was premeditation, calculation and cunning in your actions," he adds, telling the court that Letby particularly targeted twins and triplets.

Victims, he said, suffered "acute pain" and "all fought for survival". 

"You took opportunities to harm babies when staff were in breaks or away from babies," he said, telling the court how she falsified medical records.

"The last thing anyone working in the unit would think is that someone caring for babies would deliberately harm them."

The moment Lucy Letby was arrested.

Leominster town centre is starting to see the impact of funding that seeks to breathe new life into high streets that are rich in heritage and potential.

Work to restore heritage features on properties in Leominster town centre is now complete, with improvements to building structure and facades to reflect the original detail and character of key historic buildings in the town.

Improvements to these properties will contribute towards restoring the distinctive and unique character of Leominster, enhancing the town for retailers and visitors.

The improvements are thanks to the Leominster High Street Heritage Action Zone funding – a multi-million pound regeneration initiative supported by Historic England, delivered through Herefordshire Council and Leominster Town Council.

This major investment in the market town looks to transform buildings, restore local historic character and improve public spaces, creating a vibrant place to live, work and visit.

Historic building restoration

Work has now been completed on three properties that received grant funding towards their restoration:

Parry’s, a traditional style fruit & veg shop in Leominster High Street has received a facelift, with the replacement of cast iron guttering and timber facias and soffits, pointing and window repair.

The roof was replaced at the Rankin Club in Corn Square along with repairs to the sash windows, chimneys and the stucco façade. During initial work some older window openings were found, which have now been reinstated and the whole building has been painted heritage paint colours to highlight the original row of terraced buildings.

Both 26 and 26a Broad Street have seen their external features transformed with the reinstatement of carved stone mouldings, repairs to the pediment to retain lost detailing and works to the stone decorative cornice and associated parapet. The chimney was also repaired and three windows replaced with more historically accurate style.

Councillor Philip Price, Herefordshire Council’s cabinet member for infrastructure and transport, said:

“We’re fortunate to have so many buildings of importance in Leominster town centre, and have been delighted to work with a number of local business owners and residents regarding a range of projects. The funding available has only covered a very small proportion of these, however those chosen have real heritage value. It’s exciting to see how these building renovations, as well public space enhancements, will impact on the look and feel of the town."

Councillor Trish Marsh, chair of communications & events committee Leominster Town Council, said:

“Our historic buildings are home to many independent shops and eateries, and are at the heart of our wonderful town. We’re proud to continue to welcome people from near and far to Leominster, as we seek to provide an attractive place where people want to linger and meet, and an environment that encourages us all to explore our many local businesses.”

Historic England’s Head of Region for the Midlands, Deborah Williams said:

“It’s great to see the plans for the work in Leominster taking shape as part of its heritage led regeneration. The works will help to give the public spaces a new lease of life, support local businesses and provide a destination for visitors. I am delighted to see the Leominster High Street Heritage Action Zone now having a real effect on the ground, in this and other projects, and helping the town to move forward.”

More about the Leominster High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) programme

The Leominster HSHAZ is a multi-million pound regeneration initiative supported by Historic England, delivered through Herefordshire Council and Leominster Town Council – with £1.3m from Historic England, match funded with £1.8m from Herefordshire Council. Property owners also provide a percentage contribution towards grant funded renovation.  

This major investment in the market town until March 2024 is delivering schemes that will transform buildings, restoring local historic character and improving public spaces. The project will see street scene improvements in the High Street, Corn Square and the wider conservation area, creating a vibrant place to live, work and visit.

The programme is being led by a steering group with representatives from Leominster Town Council, Herefordshire Council, Historic England, and local business and community groups.

About Heritage Action Zones

The High Streets Heritage Action Zone is a UK-wide initiative funded with £40million from the Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport’s Heritage High Street Fund and £52million from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Future High Street Fund. A further £3million will be provided by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to support a cultural programme.

More than 60 high streets have been offered funding to give them a new lease of life. Historic England is working with local people and partners through grant funding and sharing skills to help breathe new life into high streets that are rich in heritage and full of promise - unlocking their potential and making them more attractive to residents, businesses, tourists and investors.

Some years ago there were some posts about dogging in the local area, well it is alive and well in Hinton, stark naked , interior lights on and weed to follow, and all on his drive way.

Between approximately 2250hrs and 2315hrs a black Range Rover Evoque was stolen from a house in Withington.

It is believed that the 2 offenders found a way to gain access to the keys through the letter box of the property and they were able to drive the vehicle away.

It is suspected from viewing some CCTV close by that the stolen vehicle and the offending vehicle have travelled from Withington towards the Burley Gate area after this time.

If anyone has any information about the vehicle that the offenders travelled to and from the location in then please get in contact with us on herefordrn.snt@westmercia.police.uk and quote crime reference number 00063_I_10082023.

A murder investigation has been launched following the death of a 58-year-old woman in Kingstone, Hereford.

Emergency services attended an address on Cotton Meadows around 5.10pm yesterday evening (Saturday 5 August).

The woman was taken to hospital where she subsequently died.

A 58-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Lougher said : "Our thoughts are with the family of the woman who sadly lost her life.

“I understand that incidents of this nature can be alarming but would like to reassure the local community that there is no wider risk to the public.  

“Our officers remain at the scene, and you may see an increased police presence in the area over the coming days as our investigation continues.”

West Mercia Police Statement

A body has been discovered this evening (Wednesday 9 August) in the River Wye in Hereford.

West Mercia Search and Rescue discovered the body, which is believed to be that of 29-year-old Sean Day, who was last seen on Saturday 29 July.

A recovery operation is now underway and a large police presence is expected to be in the area for some time.

Formal identification is yet to take place, however Sean’s family have been informed.

Findings of second Ofsted monitoring visit published

Ofsted inspectors say improvements continue to be made at Herefordshire Children’s Services – but more still needs to be done to ensure progress is consistent.

Inspectors visited the council’s service in June to review progress in the way the service cares for children in need of support and protection. They have published their findings today in a letter to the council’s Corporate Director for Children and Young people, Darryl Freeman.

Darryl Freeman said:

“The inspectors say that ‘practice is starting to improve and positive progress is being made with some families’ but add that the quality of practice in this area remains variable.

“That is a fair assessment and very much reflects our own analysis of the improvements to date. We know we are on the right path but that the pace of change needs to be quicker and improvements more consistently embedded.

“Our new partnership with colleagues from Leeds City Council will be a huge help in this regard. The experience and insight they bring – having been on this journey themselves and helped other children’s services too – will be invaluable in building the service we all want to see.

“I am encouraged that the inspectors report that some real improvements are under way, such as in management oversight and supervision and our audit processes, and that inspectors recognise that senior managers are proactive and open to learning from external organisations.

“I am also pleased that the inspectors recognise that social workers like working in Herefordshire and feel well supported. But I also accept that we need to do more to ensure that the quality of practice is consistent, that we reduce turnover of staff, cut down the number of re-referrals by ensuring sustained change has been made and improve the way we handle children’s plans.

Issues with housing and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children identified by the inspectors are also being addressed.”

Children’s Services were judged to be inadequate during an Ofsted inspection last July. When this happens Ofsted carries out regular monitoring visits which focus on areas which need most improvement. Today’s report follows a second monitoring visit by inspectors.

Council leader, Councillor Jonathan Lester, added:

“It is encouraging to note that the service is improving. The findings show that there is still much to do but they also highlight a significant step forward. The improvement of Children’s Services remains the top priority for the council and we are determined to work with Ofsted and our improvement partners to secure a better service.”

A full copy of the Ofsted letter can be read here.

Police are appealing for witnesses following an incident where a man has been attacked with a hammer in Hereford.

The incident took place on Friday 28 July around 9.30pm outside the Stables Pub on West Street, Hereford.

A 26-year-old victim suffered head injuries and required hospital treatment.

Two people were arrested in connection with the incident.

Officers carrying out enquiries into the incident are appealing for witnesses who may have been in the area at the time and saw the attack take place.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Constable Phil Harvey on 01432347176 or by email philip.harvey@westmercia.police.uk quoting 530i from the 28 July.

Alternatively information can be shared anonymously with the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or by visiting www.crimestoppers-org.uk

Detectives investigating after a man went into the River Wye in the early hours of Saturday morning is named as Sean Day aged 29.

Searches of the river continue with assistance from West Mercia Search and Rescue and Hereford and Worcestershire Fire Service.

Police received a call at 12.05am on Saturday 29th July that a man had fallen into the river near to the Victoria Bridge in Hereford.

Three men have been arrested on suspicion of murder and have been released on police bail whilst enquires continue.

Officers are appealing for anyone who was in the Quay Street/Castle Green area of Hereford between the hours of 10:30pm on Friday 28th July and 12:30am on Saturday 29th July who may have seen or heard a disturbance or person in distress near to the riverside to get in contact.

Detective Inspector Mark Walters said: ‘‘As our enquiries continue, we are keen to hear from anyone who was in the area late on Friday night and shortly after midnight on Saturday morning, in particular anyone who may have witnessed or heard a disturbance near to the riverbank''.

Anyone who has any information about the incident is asked to provide it via the attached link https://mipp.police.uk/operation/22HQ22E43-PO1 or by contacting 101 and quoting incident 5_I_29072023 . Alternatively, information can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Further to our article here

Officers investigating a report a man had fallen into the river near to the Victoria Bridge in Hereford in the early hours of this morning (Saturday 29 July) have arrested three men.

Police received a call at 12.05am from a man who said his friend, a man in his 20’s, had fallen down the embankment into the river.

Police search trained officers, along with the police helicopter and blue light colleagues from Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service and West Midlands Ambulance Service were all immediately deployed to the area to search for the missing man.

Following enquiries by officers it is now believed that the missing man was involved in an altercation prior to the incident.

The missing man’s family have been made aware of this development.

A scene guard remains in place along the river and searches are likely to continue for some time with specialist support.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Tony Garner said: “Teams have continued to search the river today but unfortunately have so far been unable to find the missing man. Our enquiries are still in the initial stages, however, following new information that the missing man was involved in an altercation, we have now arrested three men on suspicion of murder. They are currently in police custody while our enquiries continue into the circumstances leading up to the time the man is believed to have entered the river.

“If anyone has any information that could help with our enquiries, we urge them to get in contact with us as the information they provide could be crucial in piecing together what happened in this tragic incident.”

Any witnesses who may have seen an altercation in Hereford city centre late last night are asked to please contact West Mercia Police quoting incident 5i of July 29, 2023. Alternatively, information can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Emergency services are currently searching the river after a man fell into the water near to the Victoria Bridge in Hereford just after midnight on Friday 28 July 2023.

Police received a call at 00.05am on Saturday 29 July from a man who said his friend, a man in his 20’s, had fallen down the embankment into the river.

Police search trained officers, along with the police helicopter and blue light colleagues Hereford and Worcester fire and rescue service and West Midlands ambulance service were all immediately deployed to the area to search for the missing man.

The search will continue this morning.

Chief Detective Inspector Ross Jones said: “Our search of the river will carry on this morning, and our officers will continue to support the family as the search continues.

“Our officers are out speaking to the local community in Hereford city centre this morning and we would like to thank them for their support and offers of help.”