**Lucy Letby Attended Friend’s Wedding While On Bail Amid Murder Probe, Reveals New ITV Documentary**
Lucy Letby, now infamous as the UK’s most prolific child serial killer, features in a newly-released ITV documentary that throws light on her life during the escalating investigation into her shocking crimes. Disturbingly, the programme unveils that the former neonatal nurse attended a close friend’s wedding and appeared to enjoy the celebration while she was out on bail, following her first arrest in connection with a string of baby deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
The documentary, titled *Lucy Letby: Beyond Reasonable Doubt?*, offers fresh insight into Letby’s life during the police investigation. Among those interviewed is Dawn Howe, a childhood friend from Aylestone Secondary School in Hereford. Howe revealed she was surprised to find photographs of Letby smiling, laughing, and even dancing at her wedding while Letby was released on bail, awaiting a charging decision. The photos, now poignant, depict Letby sharing in the festivities—including tossing confetti and joining others on the dance floor—despite the fact that she was under the intense scrutiny of Cheshire Police.
Letby, who was originally arrested in July 2018 on suspicion of murdering eight infants, was permitted special dispensation by police to attend her friend’s wedding. This fact was highlighted by Dawn in the documentary, who recalled the moment: “There is Lucy at my wedding. I am just so glad she could be there because it was while she was on bail, she had to get special permission to be allowed to come.” It’s a striking image of normality set against the backdrop of an unfolding tragedy, with Letby dressed in a red blouse and grey skirt, surrounded by unsuspecting well-wishers.
The documentary not only revisits these unsettling photographs, but also delves into Howe’s ongoing struggle to reconcile the Letby she knew as a teenager with the reality of her criminal convictions. For Howe, the wedding snaps have become a bittersweet reminder of a life before the criminal allegations surfaced. “Shortly after this she was held in custody so… I don’t think Lucy has seen these,” she reflected. The surreal experience left Howe in disbelief, unable to come to terms with the severity of the accusations against someone she saw as an ambitious, caring friend.
ITV’s cameras follow Howe as she returns to her old secondary school, reminiscing about their shared past. She recalled that Letby had always dreamt of becoming a nurse, hoping to work with vulnerable and seriously ill newborns. The emotional impact of Letby’s arrest and subsequent conviction has clearly left deep scars. Howe shared, “We were here and then university and then a few years after university is when she is supposed to have gone off on this killing spree… It was beyond belief that this could be happening.”
Letby’s trial concluded in August 2023, with the nurse convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more. The verdict stunned those who knew her personally, and Howe described feeling “dumbfounded” when the news broke while she was at work. The ramifications for Letby’s friends remain profound, as they grapple with the knowledge that the woman they once knew is now serving 15 whole-life sentences.
Despite the verdict and failed appeals, Letby’s legal representatives have pursued further avenues to challenge her conviction. Her defence team, led by barrister Mark McDonald, submitted new evidence from international experts to the Criminal Cases Review Commission in April, seeking to overturn the decision. Nonetheless, Letby remains incarcerated as the legal process continues.
Howe, who has publicly continued to support Letby throughout the investigation and subsequent trial, spoke candidly of her own emotional turmoil. She admitted to feeling enduring guilt, stating, “I am living a life Lucy should be living beside me in parallel. We should both be having families and we both bought our houses and we were looking forward to the next chapter of our lives and then all this happened.” Her perspective adds a rarely-heard voice to the ongoing coverage of this case, highlighting the ripple effects Letby’s actions have had on the community around her.
At the time of reporting, Cheshire Police have declined to provide additional comment on the circumstances surrounding Letby’s bail and attendance at social events during the investigation. As the Thirlwall Inquiry continues its work examining how Letby was able to evade detection for so long, public interest in the case and its impact on both victims’ families and those who knew Letby personally remains acute.
The ITV documentary is the latest in an ongoing series of media explorations into the Letby case, which continues to raise painful and unsettling questions about trust, justice, and how ordinary lives can intersect with the darkest of tragedies.