Lucy Letby could face more charges despite trial being over

The trial and sentencing of serial baby killer Lucy Letby may now be over, but many questions still remain as the dust settles from this horrific case.

In particular, serious questions must now be answered over the possible failure in management to follow up on warnings and concerns from consultants about Letby at the Countess of Chester hospital.

But even this crucial examination of the environment in which Letby was able to murder seven babies and attempt to kill six others is just one part of the picture going forward.

There is also the question of the two counts of attempted murder that Letby was cleared of, with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) potentially seeking a retrial on those counts.

Police are now carrying out an investigation involving up to 4,000 children who may have been impacted by Letby's prolific offending between 2015 and 2016.

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In addition to the seven babies who Letby killed, there are others who survived but whose lives have been severely impacted by her attempt on their lives.

One child survived the attempt on their life but has been left with a lifelong condition that requires round the clock care.

There may well be other children whose health and wellbeing was impacted by Letby who have not come to light yet due to the sheer scale of her offending.

The charges which were brought against Letby represented the offences where the CPS felt it had a strong enough case to bring to court. These are only the ones which a jury was satisfied were true beyond reasonable doubt.

There are likely to still be many other threads in the investigation where evidence is incomplete or insufficient to bring a charge at present, but where further evidence may come to light as the investigation proceeds.

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This means that despite having already been given a whole life order, it's possible that Letby will face further charges in the coming months and years as more evidence is analysed.

The government has also confirmed it is opening an enquiry, with the Department of Health saying that this will answer questions from victims' families and investigate how clinicians' concerns were handled.

There is also the possible introduction of a reform to compel those convicted to appear in the dock for sentencing - something the disgraced nurse refused to do during her sentencing.

But seeing as Letby was given a whole life order, you might think - why bother charging her further if she's already in prison for the rest of her life?

While it's true that the whole life order does satisfy the court's duty to protect the public, that doesn't mean its work is done.

Cheshire Constabulary

From a legal perspective, investigating further is important because it will allow the courts to have a clearer picture of Letby's offending.

That will be crucial to understanding any failures at the hospital and in creating stronger safeguards for the future.

More importantly, there will be many families out there right now who might have been affected by Letby, and who deserve answers.

It might seem like the case is now over and done, but if anything the establishment of Letby's guilt in court is only the first chapter in this horrific story.