KILLER nurse Lucy Letby’s alleged boyfriend who died suddenly after being sacked has been identified as a married dad-of-two.
Consultant Mark Deakin, 53, was found in his car the day after he was fired from his job at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, in Liverpool, in June.
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He was rushed to hospital and put in intensive care but sadly passed away nine days later.
Deakin was granted anonymity during Letby’s trial but can now be identified with reporting restrictions lifted following his death.
The married dad-of-two was brought before a disciplinary hearing in June regarding a series of inappropriate texts he exchanged with Letby when they worked together.
Their exchanges included confidential information regarding details of the care given to a premature baby boy, known as Baby N.
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Letby, 36, was convicted of trying to kill Baby N the day after he was born in 2016.
Currently held at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, she had called Deakin her “best friend” and “love” in notes found at her home, and the pair swapped more than 1,300 Facebook messages.
It is understood the doctor struggled with work issues following Letby’s August 2023 convictions.
He worked with Letby at the Countess of Chester Hospital at the time of her killing spree between June 2015 and June 2016 and supported her after she was moved from the neonatal unit amid fears over infant deaths.
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Prosecutors referred to the medic as her “boyfriend” and said she was infatuated with him – suggesting he had provided a level of motivation for her crimes.
They alleged she created crisis situations by attacking babies, knowing he would be bleeped and dash to attend.
The charges Letby has been convicted of in full
Child A, allegation of murder. The Crown said Letby injected air intravenously into the bloodstream of the baby boy. COUNT 1 GUILTY.
Child B, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby attempted to murder the baby girl, the twin sister of Child A, by injecting air into her bloodstream. COUNT 2 GUILTY.
Child C, allegation of murder. Prosecutors said Letby forced air down a feeding tube and into the stomach of the baby boy. COUNT 3 GUILTY.
Child D, allegation of murder. The Crown said air was injected intravenously into the baby girl. COUNT 4 GUILTY.
Child E, allegation of murder. The Crown said Letby murdered the twin baby boy with an injection of air into the bloodstream and also deliberately caused bleeding to the infant. COUNT 5 GUILTY.
Child F, allegation of attempted murder. Letby was said by prosecutors to have poisoned the twin brother of Child E with insulin. COUNT 6 GUILTY.
Child I, allegation of murder. The prosecution said Letby killed the baby girl at the fourth attempt and had given her air and overfed her with milk. COUNT 12 GUILTY.
Child K, allegation of attempted murder. The prosecution said Letby compromised the baby girl as she deliberately dislodged a breathing tube. COUNT 14 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT AT ORIGINAL TRIAL, NOW GUILTY AFTER RETRIAL
Child L, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said the nurse poisoned the twin baby boy with insulin. COUNT 15 GUILTY.
Child M, allegation of attempted murder. Prosecutors said Letby injected air into the bloodstream of Child L’s twin brother. COUNT 16 GUILTY.
Child N, three allegations of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby inflicted trauma in the baby boy’s throat and also injected him with air in the bloodstream. COUNT 17 GUILTY, COUNT 18 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT, COUNT 19 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT.
Child O, allegation of murder. Prosecutors say Letby attacked the triplet boy by injecting him with air, overfeeding him with milk and inflicting trauma to his liver with “severe force”. COUNT 20 GUILTY.
Child P, allegation of murder. Prosecutors said the nurse targeted the triplet brother of Child O by overfeeding him with milk, injecting air and dislodging his breathing tube. COUNT 21 GUILTY.
Child Q, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby injected the baby boy with liquid, and possibly air, down his feeding tube. COUNT 22 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT
Letby denied being “in love” with the doctor and insisted they were “trusted” friends.
But she called him “sweetie” in messages and broke down in tears when he entered the dock to give evidence against her.
When he gave evidence, Deakin did so from behind a screen to protect his anonymity.
At a later Thirlwall Inquiry in 2024, the dad-of-two said he had been “misled” and “maybe manipulated” by Letby.
He said he had been tricked by her into giving her information about babies she had attacked.
Deakin was found in his car on the eighth anniversary of Letby’s first arrest on July 3, 2018.
He had been appointed as a specialist diabetes consultant at Alder Hey in July 2018.
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In January 2024 he was informed by bosses at the NHS Trust that they had launched an investigation into his conduct, five months after Letby was found guilty.
It was found that Deakin likely knew that concerns had been raised about Letby by his colleagues about her link to the spike in deaths.