Doctor named as Lucy Letby's 'boyfriend' after his death
Dr Mark Deakin, a paediatrician who had lifelong anonymity for evidence against Lucy Letby, has been named after his death.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A doctor previously referred to in court as the boyfriend of convicted child serial killer Lucy Letby has been publicly identified following his death. Dr Mark Deakin, aged 53, was a consultant paediatrician who had been granted lifelong anonymity in return for giving evidence at Letby's trial.
Deakin died in July. He was found unconscious in his car at a retail park a day after being dismissed from his job at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool. A disciplinary panel found he had breached patient confidentiality by exchanging messages with Letby. He died nine days after being found.
Letby, a former nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital, was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others between 2015 and 2016. Deakin worked at the same hospital during that period. Before the trial, he applied for anonymity, telling the court that Letby had shown an extreme obsession with him. It later emerged that he had also shown her affection.
The pair exchanged more than 1,300 Facebook messages, often late at night or in the early hours. In one exchange, after Letby told him she was worried, Deakin wrote: "No more doubt, it's not you, it's the babies." Letby replied: "Thanks, really appreciate you saying that. So relieved that it's you who's been there throughout." Deakin responded: "You are one of a few nurses across the region that I would trust with my own children."
In 2017, while Letby was already under suspicion and had been removed from nursing duties, Deakin arranged for her to make observational visits at Alder Hey, where he had moved to work. Letby has always maintained her innocence, and the Criminal Cases Review Commission is currently reviewing her case.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One | ITV |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Mark Deakin died in July after being found unconscious in his car. | ||
| Deakin was granted lifelong anonymity in exchange for giving evidence at Letby's trial. | · | |
| Dr Mark Deakin exchanged more than 1300 messages with Lucy Letby. | · | |
| Dr Mark Deakin was named as the doctor referred to as Lucy Letby's boyfriend. | · | |
| The misconduct involved exchanging messages about a baby Letby was planning to kill. | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The BBC report, presented by Judith Moritz, provided a detailed account of the relationship between Dr Deakin and Lucy Letby, including specific message exchanges and the timeline of events. It emphasised the breach of patient confidentiality, the extent of their communication (more than 1,300 messages), and the fact that Deakin arranged observational visits for Letby while she was under suspicion. The tone was factual and thorough, focusing on the narrative of how the doctor and nurse became close.
- “A doctor who was referred to as the boyfriend of the child serial killer Lucy Letby has been named following his death”
- “This is one of the exchanges which shows how close they'd become”
- “He was found to have breached patient confidentiality when sending messages to Letby”
ITV's coverage was more concise, focusing on the death and the circumstances around it. It highlighted that Deakin was dismissed for gross misconduct and found unconscious the next day, dying nine days later. The report referred to Letby as a 'convicted child killer' and framed the story as a 'terrible story'. ITV also noted the misconduct was related to exchanging messages about a baby she was planning to kill, which added a stronger direct connection to the murders.
- “Terrible story now, a hospital consultant who became friends with the nurse and convicted child killer Lucy Letby has finally been named now that he has died.”
- “He was dismissed from a second hospital for gross misconduct in June and was then found unconscious in his car the next day. He died nine days later.”
- “The misconduct was related to exchanging messages with nurse Letby about one of the babies she was planning to kill.”
Broadcast Timeline
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