LONDON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - British prosecutors said on Tuesday they would not bring any new charges of murder or attempted murder against convicted baby killer Lucy Letby, who is already serving a life sentence for the deaths of seven infants.
Letby, 36, was convicted of killing the newborns and attempting to murder seven others between June 2015 and June 2016 while working in the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital in northern England, making her Britain's most prolific serial child killer in modern times.
After she was jailed, police questioned her over further possible offences at the hospital and at another facility in Liverpool where she trained.
NO FURTHER CHARGES
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it had reviewed additional allegations of murder and attempted murder relating to two infants who died and the attempted murder of seven others, but decided not to pursue further charges.
"We concluded that the evidential test was not met in any of those cases," said Frank Ferguson, the head of the CPS's Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division.
Letby, who was told she will never be released, has always denied any wrongdoing but has been refused permission to appeal against her convictions.
Some lawmakers, medical experts and other specialists have publicly questioned elements of the prosecution's evidence, and the Criminal Cases Review Commission is considering an application from her legal team.
"Lucy Letby has always maintained her innocence - she has never hurt a child and never would. It is vital that the case is now referred back to the Court of Appeal as a matter of urgency," her lawyer Mark McDonald said in a statement.
Police expressed disappointment at the CPS decision.
"This is not the outcome that we had anticipated throughout our investigation; we were confident that we held enough evidence to take to the CPS," Cheshire Police said in a statement.
Police said their investigation into possible corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter at the Countess of Chester Hospital is continuing. Three senior hospital managers were arrested last year and released on bail pending further inquiries.
A public inquiry into events at the hospital and Letby's crimes is due to publish its findings later this year.
(Reporting by Michael Holden, Sarah Young and Catarina Demony. Editing by Mark Potter)
