Child murderer Lucy Letby will have her birthday cards checked by dogs for drugs as she marks her first birthday behind bars, according to a former prison officer. This will be a stark contrast to previous birthdays for Letby, who was arrested and convicted for the murder of newborn babies while working as a nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Letby was found guilty of killing seven infants and attempting to kill seven more between 2015 and 2016. In July, she received her 15th life sentence for trying to murder a premature baby girl, meaning she will spend the rest of her life in prison.
She will celebrate her 35th birthday on January 4, after a festive period that is treated like any other time of the year for her and other inmates at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, where she is believed to be held. There will be no celebrations for her birthday; in fact, she will need to “watch her back” says retired prison governor Vanessa Frake, who spent 27 years in the service often dealing with notorious and celebrity criminals.
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“The long and the short of it is that her birthday will be like any other day in prison! She will not be allowed birthday presents or a cake, candles etc. So it will be like any other day in jail for Letby,” she told The Mirror.
Vanessa revealed that the prison routine for her daughter remains unchanged even on her birthday, with strict security measures in place. She said: “Nothing takes place, it’s just another day in prison. She will be allowed cards sent in, but they will be censored and the drug dog will be sent to sniff out any drugs in the mail.”, reports the Mirror.
The HMP Bronzefield website details the daily life of the 572 women inmates, explaining: “Each wing has a servery unit for women to collect their food which they can choose to eat together on the wing or take back to their cells. We provide telephones in each room which is integral in helping women to maintain their family ties.”
It outlines the schedule: “They will break for lunch at 12:00hrs for two hours. In the afternoon they will return to their work location. At 16:30hrs the women will return to their houseblocks for association and dinner before lock up at 18:45hrs.”
Vanessa also touched on the dangers faced by high-profile inmates like Letby, stating: “She will be with other like minded criminals on the vulnerable prisoner unit. She will always have to look over shoulder, she’s a high profile child murderer, doesn’t go down well with the rest of the population.”
Discussing the protocol about suicide watch, she said: “She will be risk assessed and it will be decided by a multi disciplinary team whether she’s on a suicide watch or not. These are nothing to do with any threats from other prisoners, they are based solely on the risk she poses to herself! ”
Regarding Christmas in custody, Letby wouldn’t have received personal gifts from her parents, Susan and John. “There are usually no social or legal visits on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Good Friday,” Vanessa remarked. “Her parents will not be allowed to buy her Christmas gifts.”
Vanessa clarified that while visitors can send money and order newspapers and magazines for inmates, and some prisons permit the exchange of personal items every six months, specific rules apply. “You cannot just send random items to any prisoner, particularly Letby.”
If there were visits from her parents during the festive season, they would not have been private. Vanessa pointed out, “the rules state social visits must be in sight and sound of prison officers”.