Lucy Letby's dad made 'angry calls demanding sacking of doctors who branded daughter a killer'

Lucy Letby's dad wanted the 'instant dismissal' of two consultants who raised concerns that she was deliberately harming babies, a public inquiry has heard. John Letby was said to have 'exerted pressure' via phone calls to members of staff at the Countess of Chester Hospital, where his daughter worked.

He spoke to the hospital's then-HR director Sue Hodkinson who said it was the only time she had spoken to a relative of an employee about an employment issue. His calls to her came weeks after a meeting in December 2016 when Mr Letby and his wife Susan told hospital executives their daughter 'had been to hell and back' after she was moved from the neonatal unit five months earlier following concerns.

Letby was said to have felt Drs Stephen Brearey and Ravi Jayaram had 'orchestrated a campaign' to have her removed amid claims some doctors on the unit referred to her publicly as 'angel of death' and 'murderer on the unit'. Today, Tuesday, November 26, the Thirlwall Inquiry into events surrounding Letby's crimes heard Mr Letby told hospital bosses: "The behaviour of those two people, they should be instantly dismissed."

READ MORE: Robbie Williams says 'she didn't deserve that' as he admits moment of 'shame' on BBC The One Show

Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the BirminghamLive newsletter here.

He also wanted to know what 'severity of actions' would be taken against the two doctors after medical director Ian Harvey was noted to say it was 'inappropriate behaviour'. Mr Letby made numerous phone calls to occupational health nurse Kathryn de Beger, who was assigned to support Letby following her redeployment.

Giving evidence, Ms Hodkinson said: "She described to me how Mr Letby was getting agitated on the phone with her, that it was becoming increasingly difficult to manage and she felt very uncomfortable. I felt I needed to support her through this situation.

"In fact I don't think I had ever spoken to a member of a family in relation to an employment issue. That was the only time. And then having the conversation with Mr Letby it was very clear it was a very difficult set of conversations.

"In my view he wanted to express his anger towards the ongoing situation with Letby. John was placing Kathryn under significant pressure to have the calls escalated to a more senior level.

"In normal circumstances I would not have dealt with a call of this nature or spoken to a staff member's parent. These were however exceptional circumstances and I felt I needed to step in and support other members of staff who were struggling with the amount of pressure being exerted."

Chief executive Tony Chambers asked the consultants to apologise to Letby for the apparent derogatory remarks. Days later, the nurse emailed colleagues to say she would be returning to the unit after she had been 'fully exonerated' of allegations made against her.

But Letby never returned as the hospital called police in May 2017 after previously opting to commission a series of reviews into the increased numbers of deaths in 2015 and 2016. Ms Hodkinson said there was a 'real turning point' on March 15, 2017.

This was when Dr Jayaram told her about an incident in February 2016 when he claimed he had seen Letby at a baby's cot and a valve had moved to a different setting. Ms Hodkinson said it made her feel 'really, really uncomfortable' and she was 'stunned'.

She said: "I didn't think we had really looked into some of the aspects enough clinically and I have to take his concerns seriously. I remember going home at night and I was in tears about it."

She told the inquiry she believed Dr Jayaram and informed fellow executives the next day. Letby, 34, from Hereford, is serving a whole life order after being convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others between June 2015 and June 2016.

The inquiry, sitting at Liverpool Town Hall before Lady Justice Thirlwall, is expected to last until early 2025, with findings published by late autumn.