CHILLING POLICE TAPE: Lucy Letby makes ‘unsettling’ move as she confronts ‘I AM EVIL’ notes in sh0cking footage
The Investigation of Lucy Letby includes previously unseen footage of the convicted nurse during police interviews where she discusses confession notes
The Investigation of Lucy Letby. (Image: Courtesy of Netflix)
A body language expert has pointed out an “unsettling” change in Lucy Letby’s demeanour during previously unseen police interview footage featured in a new Netflix documentary about her case following conviction.
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The Investigation of Lucy Letby, which premiered globally on Wednesday, February 4, offers fresh insight into the former neonatal nurse’s arrest and questioning. It includes commentary from investigators and the mother of one of the victims, revisiting the worldwide media frenzy surrounding her trial, the heated social media debate it sparked and ongoing discussion about her conviction.
Letby, a 36-year-old from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life sentences after being found guilty of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others — including two attempts on one child — between June 2015 and June 2016 while employed at the Countess of Chester Hospital. On Tuesday, police confirmed she will not face any additional charges relating to further deaths and collapses that had been under investigation.
Among the documentary’s most discussed moments are excerpts from Letby’s police interviews, particularly her explanation of handwritten notes later described in court as “confession notes”.
During questioning, Letby said: “I just wrote it because everything had got on top of me, it was when I had not long found out I’d been removed from the unit, I felt like they were blaming my practice, that I might have hurt them without knowing, through my practice, and that made me feel guilty.”
Lucy Letby during questioning (Image: Courtesy of Netflix)
She continued: “I was blaming myself, but not because I’d done something, because of the way people were making me feel. I felt like I’d only ever done my best for those babies and then people were trying to say that my practice wasn’t good or that I’d done something and I just couldn’t cope with it. And I did just not want to be here anymore.”
Letby added: “I just felt like it was all just spiralling out of control. I just didn’t know how to feel about it or what was going to happen or what to do. I just felt that the trust and the team were trying to imply that it was something that I’d done. It crossed my mind at times whether they [some of the consultants] were trying to put the blame on me for something that somebody else had done.”
The handwritten notes proved crucial evidence during her trial. Scrawled across Post-it notes and a torn sheet of paper, they contained phrases including “I am evil I did this”, “I killed them on purpose because I am not good enough to care for them and I am a horrible evil person,” and “hate.”
The Investigation of Lucy Letby (Image: PA)
Prosecutors centred their case on the writings, repeatedly highlighting the phrase “I am evil I did this.”
Yet the same pages also featured statements such as “Not good enough”, “Why me?”, “I haven’t done anything wrong”, alongside references to isolation, fear and suicidal thoughts.
Following the documentary’s broadcast, body language expert Dr Beth Dawson analysed Letby’s behaviour during questioning.
She stressed that her assessment makes no determination regarding Letby’s innocence or guilt — acknowledging that the courts have reached their verdict — and clarified that her role is limited to identifying observable behaviours and their potential meaning.
Dr Dawson suggested viewers may notice an inconsistency between Letby’s words and delivery. “In the extended police interview recordings, many viewers might perceive that something feels ‘off’. One of the main reasons for this is her vocal tone and range,” she said.
“When she talks about emotional or shocking events, her voice often remains calm and almost monotone. When the subject matter is emotional but the voice is not, people can feel uncomfortable because the words and the delivery do not seem to match. That mismatch is present here, even though we cannot say why it occurs.”
Dr Dawson also highlighted what she described as “linguistic distancing” in Letby’s language. “This sense of distance is also evident in her language. When she says, ‘It crossed my mind at times whether they were trying to put the blame on me for something someone else had done,’ the phrasing is emotionally distanced.
“Phrases like ‘it crossed my mind’ create a separation between the speaker and the emotion rather than conveying how it felt at the time. This is referred to as linguistic distancing, where thoughts are described but the individual appears detached.”
Lucy Letby at police station (Image: Netflix)
She added that such phrasing does not necessarily indicate deception but may shape audience perception. “There is also distancing in how she refers to the victims. At one point, she uses the term ‘them’ instead of ‘the babies’ or ‘the little ones’. Ambiguous language like this feels less personal. In behaviour analysis, this is another form of linguistic distancing. It doesn’t automatically signify deception or intent; it can also reflect emotional overload, coping mechanisms or ingrained communication patterns. Without a long-term baseline, it’s impossible to draw definitive conclusions.”
The expert noted a sudden tonal shift during one exchange as potentially the most jarring moment for viewers. “When she says, ‘I didn’t know how to feel about it or what was going to happen,’ her voice lowers and becomes calmer. Instead of sounding uncertain or shaken, it becomes flatter and more controlled.
“The abrupt transition from crying to a steady, almost monotone delivery is something many viewers will likely find unsettling. This could indicate an attempt to regain control or regulate emotion, but for listeners the swift change might feel jarring because the emotional content and vocal delivery don’t seem to align.”
Lucy Letby during a police interview (Image: NETFLIX)
The documentary also revisits the intense public interest surrounding Letby’s trial and the continuing online debate. It captures the moment of her arrest at home, sitting in bed as officers inform her she is being detained on suspicion of murder and attempted murder before she leaves the house in a dressing gown.
The programme additionally features input from officers involved in the investigation and fresh testimony from a victim’s mother — marking the first time a prosecution-side family member has appeared in a documentary about the case.
Separately, Lady Justice Thirlwall’s inquiry into how Letby was able to carry out her crimes within a hospital neonatal unit is expected to publish its findings later this year, examining systemic failings and the actions of healthcare leadership.
