Court Lifts Dr Mark Deakin Anonymity After 53-Year-Old Letby Witness Dies

3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 2

Mark Deakin, the doctor described at Lucy Letby’s trial as her “boyfriend,” can now be identified after a court lifted the anonymity order that had shielded him until his death in July at 53.
More than 1,000 Facebook messages between Deakin and Letby were examined at the Thirlwall inquiry, which heard he helped her secure an Alder Hey placement and later said he had been misled into sharing information about babies.
Reports said Deakin died shortly after learning he had been sacked for breaching patient confidentiality in text exchanges with Letby; an inquest into his death will now be opened.
Deakin gave evidence under special measures during Letby’s murder trial, but his testimony was one part of a broader prosecution case and did not alone underpin any conviction.
The inquiry into how Letby murdered seven babies and attempted to murder six others is due to report on Sept. 15, while the CCRC continues reviewing her convictions.