Inside Lucy Letby’s dangerous prison life: targeted attacks and strict surveillance

Serial killer Lucy Letby has been branded “beyond redemption” and is expected to remain a “target” in prison for life, according to a former prison officer. The former NHS nurse, who was recently convicted of the attempted murder of another newborn, was given her 15th life term on July 5.

She had previously been found guilty of killing seven babies and attempting to kill six others between 2015 and 2016 at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Now 34, Letby was first imprisoned in August 2023. Retired prison governor Vanessa Frake, with almost three decades of experience, including watching notorious inmates such as Beverley Allitt, Myra Hindley and Rose West, commented on Letby’s current predicament.

Ms Frake told The Mirror: “I think her regime will be the same after her latest sentence – she will probably still be on suicide watch, away from the general prison population, with other like-minded prisoners. Whatever Letby wants, In terms of education or leaving the wing, will have to be risk assessed and all visitors will be supervised without a doubt.

It is understood Letby is currently in privately run HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, having previously spent time in HMP Low Newton in Durham. Regardless of where he serves his sentence, as a Category A prisoner, Ms. Frake anticipates violent attempts on Letby’s life by fellow inmates.

She said: “You have people like serial killer Joanna Dennehy behind bars, killing for fun. She wouldn’t hesitate to try to make a pop at Lucy Letby or others. Women who have had children, who are caretakers and carers, will see the likes of Letby as less than low.

“You can bet they know she’s in their prison – maybe they don’t know where, but they’ll have read the papers and seen her on TV and they’ll know exactly what she looks like. It will be the staff’s job to protect her from that.”

As for Letby’s future, Ms Frake said: “I imagine he’ll be looking over his shoulder for the rest of the time.” Reports suggest Letby formed a chilling bond with two dangerous inmates while on remand at Bronzefield – baby poisoner Michelle Smith and Shauna Hoare, who was involved in the tragic killing of schoolgirl Becky Watts in 2015. Ms Frake said that this close friendship is not unusual – and probably won’t be her last.

She added: “It is very common for like-minded prisoners, such as child killers, to befriend each other. I have seen it many times. They have this attraction to each other.”

While Letby will likely find allies in prison, she will also be a target for attacks. She said: “Prisoners are very good at making weapons out of almost anything. Worse than boiling water is boiling water with sugar (known as prison napalm) because it sticks to the skin and is very difficult to peel off. I’ve seen prisoners cut with two razor blades melted into a toothbrush, poked with sticks from plastic cutlery and pool balls and batteries in socks.”

Ms Frake, who spent 27 years working in prisons and was head of security and operations at HMP Wormwood Scrubs, said the most powerful inmates control their wing and negotiate for the use of a mobile phone or protection. She said: “Those who provide protection set the price. When they could smoke in prison, they will name their price – whether it’s half an ounce of tobacco or a Mars bar.”

Today, there are half the number of staff managing the same number of prisoners, but Ms Frake said “it’s as safe as it gets”. She added: “There is quite a lot of violence these days in prison because we have quite a violent society. Apparently there’s a lot of stabbings, guns, shootings and gangs – and that spills over into the prison.

“If you have those people outside and they get arrested, you have that violence inside,” suggesting that violence around Letby will be inevitable. When Letby nears the end of her sentence, she may be transferred to a prison that houses older inmates. After she turns 66, she will no longer be required to work.

Ms Frake said: “In prison you have to work until you reach the legal retirement age, then you don’t have to work.” The former neonatal nurse’s life order means she will spend the rest of her life in prison, with her death largely unrecognized by the prison service.

She said: “If Letby’s parents are still alive when she dies, they will be involved in her funeral arrangements. But it wouldn’t be a big deal as the prison service wouldn’t want that. Anyone who dies in prison, whether of natural causes or suicide, undergoes an autopsy, the medical examiner will then release the body to the family.”

The decision on the arrangements made will rest with her father John, now 73, and mother Susan, 63, or her next of kin. Until then, Letby will be forced to reflect on her crimes annually. Ms Frake said: “As a lifer, every six to 12 months she will have a report written on her by a member of staff. They will question her about her offending behavior and her crimes.”

As for the treatment given by prison officers, Ms Frake said they would refrain from judgment and treat all convicts equally, she added: “It was never my job to judge. Prisoners are judged by courts and their peers. mandate, that’s good enough for me.”

Ms Frake, author of ‘The Governor’, added: ‘I have never made assumptions about anyone’s innocence. This is not my business. I have seen some prisoners go through the appeal process and be released.”

As for Letby, Ms. Frake believes the convicted serial killer should remain incarcerated for public safety. Despite the former neonatal nurse’s denials in court that she is “not the kind of person to kill babies”, Ms Frake sees no possibility of redemption.

She said: “Letby has been found guilty and she is in prison to keep society safe. She will spend the rest of her days in prison and that will bring closure to the families of her victims. I suppose they will try to understand why. – but until Letby admits guilt and explains to those families why he did what he did, I can’t see much redemption there.