An online fundraiser has been launched to support Lucy Letby if she decides to appeal against her conviction.
The nurse is serving a whole life order for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six more, including one whom she tried to kill twice.
The campaign is being run by a California-based individual, Sarrita Adams, who claims Letby’s conviction ‘may represent the greatest miscarriage of justice the UK has ever witnessed’.
A website set up for the campaign, calling itself Science on Trial, attacks the medical evidence used in Letby’s trial and claims her defence was ‘not adequate’.
‘Through fundraising, researching, and legal assistance, we aim to ensure that Lucy Letby can have a fair trial where evidence is reliable,’ it states.
‘We are currently working to form a group of scientists, lawyers, and activists to aid in the upcoming appeal for Lucy Letby.’
The campaign quickly drew criticism on social media, with people calling it an ‘absolute disgrace’ that would only bring ‘more pain to the families’ of the victims.
One user wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: ‘What is wrong with these people with their belief that she is innocent. I can understand why people are angry about this.’
A long statement posted on the website also questioned whether Dr Dewi Evans, the retired consultant pediatrician who was tasked to look into the deaths by detectives, was qualified to do so.
Ms Adams describes herself as ‘a scientist with rare expertise in rare pediatric diseases’.
She gained a PhD in biochemistry from Cambridge University in 2017 but, according to her LinkedIn profile, has not worked in scientific research since.
In her profile, she also claims to have ‘produced deep research and proven results in life sciences’.
Her name appears on two published research papers discoverable through the PubMed biomedical research database as well as Google Scholar, which searches across a number of similar databases.
They were published in 2012 and 2013 on topics in the neuroscience of developmental disabilities.
The Science on Trial website does not specify how scientists and activists organised by Ms Adams would help in a potential appeal by Letby.
Appeals are typically led by barristers appointed by the defendant and focus on evidence and witnesses with strong ties to the case in question.
The campaign website’s donation function is not currently open, though the ‘donate’ button displays a ‘coming soon’ note.
