Fresh scrutiny is surrounding the Lucy Letby case after former cabinet minister Sir David Davis accused police of working with key witness Dr Ravi Jayaram to “reshape” testimony after investigators discovered a problem with hospital door-swipe data.

The allegations have added another controversial chapter to a case in which Letby remains convicted of seven mu#ders and seven attempted mu#ders. Her legal team is seeking further review of the convictions, while authorities continue to defend the original investigation and prosecution.

THE SWIPE-CARD DATA CONTROVERSY

The dispute centres on records showing when staff entered and left the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

During Letby’s original trial, prosecutors relied on swipe-card data when presenting the timeline surrounding Baby K. The prosecution case was that Dr Jayaram encountered Letby at the incubator during the early hours of February 17, 2016.

However, the data was later found to have been mislabelled. During the retrial, the corrected information showed that another nurse had returned to the unit at the relevant time — meaning Letby was not alone with Baby K in the way originally presented.

The Crown Prosecution Service acknowledged the error and said accurate swipe-card data was presented at the retrial.

WHAT DOES SIR DAVID DAVIS CLAIM?

According to reporting published in July 2026, Davis released interview notes that he says raise questions about discussions between investigators and Dr Jayaram after the discrepancy was discovered.

Davis alleges that police and the witness worked together to “reshape” the evidence so that the revised timeline could still support the prosecution case. Those are Davis’s allegations, not an established finding of misconduct.

The controversy is particularly significant because Dr Jayaram was an important prosecution witness in relation to Baby K.

The Thirlwall Inquiry also examined inconsistencies between Dr Jayaram’s trial evidence and earlier contemporaneous records. Its report noted that a 2017 email from Jayaram said Letby had called him to the room — differing from aspects of his later evidence. The Inquiry noted that the Court of Appeal had previously identified legitimate criticism that could be made of his evidence, including inconsistencies and the delay in reporting the event.

POLICE STRONGLY REJECT THE ACCUSATIONS

Cheshire Constabulary has rejected Davis’s wider criticisms of the investigation, saying that no impropriety has been established and that it remains confident in the integrity of the investigation, prosecution and court decisions.

The CPS has likewise maintained that the swipe-card mistake was corrected for the retrial and said it was confident the error did not have a meaningful impact on the prosecution, which involved multiple strands of evidence.

THE CASE IS STILL LEGALLY OPEN TO REVIEW

Letby continues to challenge her convictions. The Criminal Cases Review Commission confirmed in February 2026 that it is reviewing her application and additional expert material.

Importantly, the CCRC has stressed that it does not decide whether someone is guilty or innocent. Its role is to investigate potential miscarriages of justice and, where appropriate, refer a case back to the appellate courts.

So while the newly highlighted documents may raise serious questions about how evidence was handled, they do not by themselves establish that police or Dr Jayaram fabricated evidence or that Letby was wrongly convicted.

For now, her convictions remain in force — but the continuing examination of the medical evidence, witness testimony and investigative process means the Lucy Letby case remains under intense scrutiny.

Source: The Independent, The Guardian, CPS, Thirlwall Inquiry and Criminal Cases Review Commission.