In an opinion column, Peter Hitchens argues it is absurd that King Charles issued a posthumous pardon for Ruth Ellis, executed in 1955, while Lucy Letby remains imprisoned despite what he characterises as a conviction built on flawed evidence. Hitchens contends there was no direct proof against Letby, only contested theories, and notes that the Crown Prosecution Service recently declined to pursue further charges against her, arguing public confidence in the case is eroding.

The piece cites recent reporting that Letby had in fact helped save a baby, Jessica, at the Countess of Chester Hospital, and a BBC Radio 4 File on Four investigation detailing other parents' complaints about care unrelated to her. It also references neonatal expert Dr Shoo Lee's view that the unit would have been shut down in Canada, and a 2015 email from paediatrician Dr Alison Timmis to the hospital's then chief executive Tony Chambers warning that the unit was chronically overworked, unsafe and "at breaking point" two years before Letby's suspension. Hitchens uses this to argue systemic hospital failings, not a "serial killer," better explain the deaths, and calls for Letby's case to be reheard.