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Convicted serial killer Lucy Letby will spend the Christmas period without any gifts or family visits and will not receive special treatment behind bars, a former prison officer says
Lucy Letby will spend Christmas alone without any jail privileges, a former prison officer tells The Mirror.
The former NHS nurse, 34, was convicted of murdering seven babies and trying to kill seven more between 2015 and 2016 at the Countess of Chester Hospital. She was handed her 15th whole-life term in July for attempting to murder a premature baby girl, meaning she will spend the rest of her time behind bars until she dies.
It is believed Letby is currently incarcerated at privately-run HMP Bronzefield in Surrey. As a Category A prisoner with a ‘target on her head’, the killer nurse is likely to have a lonely and sheltered festive period with little outside contact, according to retired prison governor Vanessa Frake, who spent nearly three decades working inside jail.
Vanessa expects Letby to still be on suicide watch, continuously monitored by officers and targeted by inmates, as she spends her second Christmas serving a whole-life sentence. Vanessa told The Mirror: “My own thoughts are that it’s too early in her sentence to take her off suicide watch yet.”
The former warden, who observed the likes of child killer Beverley Allitt, Moors murderer Myra Hindley and serial killer Rose West over her 27-year career, believes Letby will not be treated differently to other inmates this Christmas, despite previous reports of her receiving privileges, including watching television and dying her hair.
“I don’t believe Letby has any more or any less than other prisoners. Her privileges would have to be earned,” Vanessa, who was head of security and operations at HMP Wormwood Scrubs, said. “Letby is no different from any other prisoner serving a whole-life sentence, and she will not receive special treatment, that is for certain.”
The ex-prison officer also said Letby will not see her parents or friends on Christmas Day and will not receive any personal gifts from her mother, Susan, and father, John. “There are usually no social or legal visits on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Good Friday,” Vanessa said. “Her parents will not be allowed to buy her Christmas gifts.”
She explained that visitors can generally send money to prisoners and order newspapers and magazines, and some prisons allow personal belongings to be sent or exchanged every six months or so. But, she added: “You cannot just send random items to any prisoner, particularly Letby.”
If Letby does get to see her parents across the festive period, the meetings will not be held in private, according to Vanessa, because “the rules state social visits must be in sight and sound of prison officers”. She said: “Letby will be on a unit of prisoners with similar crimes and will not be in the general population of the prison.”
While Letby may be used to drinking bubbly and tucking into treats at Christmas, her dinner in the prison will be back to basics. “They may eat together or in their cells. Christmas dinner will not be served with alcohol,” Vanessa said, explaining that in male prisons, it is common for inmates to attempt to brew their own, called ‘hooch’.
“It’s very dangerous stuff and can make you go blind or, in some cases, kill you,” she said, adding: “The various religious services will run, and the churches will play a part in helping prisoners to deal with this period in custody. At HMP Holloway, we used to have the Salvation Army come onto the grounds to play Christmas carols.”
“But prison can be a very lonely place at Christmas and the festive period is a difficult time for all those connected with prisons,” Vanessa said. “Instances of self-harm can increase over this period too.”
Vanessa previously told The Mirror it’s “very common for like-minded prisoners, like child killers, to form friendships with each other”. She said: “I’ve seen it many times. They have this pull towards each other.” Letby previously struck up a chilling bond with two dangerous inmates while on remand at Bronzefield – baby poisoner Michelle Smith and Shauna Hoare, who played a role in the tragic killing of schoolgirl Becky Watts in 2015.
In recent weeks, it’s been reported that Sara Sharif’s evil stepmother, Beinash Batool, has struck up a prison friendship with Letby. A source said: “Beinash and Lucy live on the same wing with all the other lifers. They hang out on the landing together most days, playing cards and chatting. The child killers always stick together because they want to protect themselves, so it doesn’t surprise me in the least that they get along so well.”
But while Letby may have allies, Vanessa predicts there will be violent attempts on her life. “You’ve got the likes of serial killer Joanna Dennehy behind bars who murders for fun. She’d have no hesitation in trying to have a pop at Lucy Letby, or others for that matter,” she said.
“Women who have had children, who are carers and nurturers, will see the likes of Letby as lower than low. You can bet they know she is in their jail – they may not know where, but they will have read papers and seen her on TV, and they will know exactly what she looks like. It will be the staff’s job to protect her from that.”
“Prisoners are very good at making weapons out of just about anything. Worse than boiling water is boiling water with sugar (known as prison napalm) because that sticks to the skin and is very difficult to peel off,” Vanessa went on. “I’ve seen prisoners slashed with two razor blades melted into a toothbrush, stabbings with shanks made from plastic cutlery and pool balls and batteries in socks.”
Of Letby’s future fate, Vanessa said: “I imagine she will be looking over her shoulder for the rest of her time.” She added: “Anything Letby wants, with regard to education or leaving the wing, will have to be risk-assessed and all visitors will be scrutinised. They will be keeping an eye on her without a doubt.”
