There is one cell in HMP Bronzefield’s Unit Four which is unlike all the others.
Amid the chaos and squalor of the 527-inmate prison, it is immaculately clean and tidy with a neatly made bed at all times.
‘So many of the prisoners here don’t even know how to do the basics like change their sheets or keep things clean, but her cell is always spotless,’ a prison source said.
‘There isn’t a thing out of place or a speck of dust, it feels eerily clean. It almost reminds me of a hospital ward.
‘But that doesn’t feel right to say, for obvious reasons.’
The occupant of the most pristine cell in Europe’s largest women-only prison is, of course, no average inmate.
One of only four females in British history to be given a whole life order after being convicted of killing seven babies and attempting to murder seven more, Lucy Letby’s case is extraordinary by any measure.
Last week, the Mail revealed that the former neo-natal nurse had been fast-tracked to ‘enhanced’ prisoner status when she arrived, largely for her own protection.
Lucy Letby was fast-tracked to ‘enhanced’ prisoner status when she arrived at HMP Bronzefield, largely for her own protection
And for the first time, the mundane, tragic and bizarre details of her life behind bars can be told in full.
Letby, 35, has been in custody since November 2020 but was given the whole life order in August 2023.
Since then, her day has begun with an 8am wake-up call from a prison officer. As one might expect, most inmates resent being shaken from their slumber – but Letby is an outlier in this respect.
‘By the time her door is unlocked, she is dressed, clean and ready to start her day,’ an HMP Bronzefield source said.
Letby and the other ‘enhanced’ prisoners are given an hour to have their breakfast, then have the option to attend an educational workshop from 9am.
‘For our enhanced prisoners, we have a lot to offer here,’ the source added. ‘A beauty salon, barista training, various other educational workshops. Lucy can’t always go for her own protection – she can’t mix with some of the more dangerous inmates – but when she can, she does take advantage of the programmes.’
Prison life is one of rigid routine – and Bronzefield, on the outskirts of Ashford in Surrey and run by Sodexo Justice Services, is no different.
Lunch at the jail, which was opened in 2004, is at midday on the dot, dinner is served at 4.30pm and Letby will be expected back in her cell by 7pm.
A cell at HMP Bronzefield. Inside hers, Letby has access to a television with Freeview channels and a DVD player, as well as a books and films she can order from the library
HMP Bronzefield, which opened in 2004, is Europe’s largest women-only prison. It houses 527 inmates
But unlike many inmates, her enhanced status means she will have plenty to occupy her throughout the long and lonely evenings.
Inside her quarters, Letby has access to a television with Freeview channels and a DVD player, along with books and films she can order from the library. Her privileged position has also helped her to secure a paid cleaning job which allows extra time out of her cell to scrub the rest of the unit, including the food servery.
Although a coveted position inside a jail, the job is a difficult one, given the cleaning products permitted for use are cheap, off-brand chemicals which have been heavily watered down. ‘We can’t provide any substances that could cause issues for staff if someone throws it in your face,’ a source said.
‘Plus it needs to be less poisonous in case anyone tries to swallow it. You can’t just hand out bleach in a prison.’
Letby is paid a small wage for her work, but the hours she can clean are limited because she cannot mix with any other prisoners deigned by staff to represent a threat to her safety.
‘She still probably averages about eight hours a day out of her cell,’ the source said.
‘And when you compare that to parts of the overcrowded adult prison estate, where bang-up is 23 hours a day, she’s doing very well.’
One inmate whom staff are comfortable allowing near Letby is Beinash Batool, who is serving a 33-year sentence for the murder of her ten-year-old stepdaughter, Sara Sharif. The two women, both jailed for the most deplorable acts against children, have formed an uneasy alliance and are said to have been spotted playing cards together.
Letby has been spotted playing cards with Beinash Batool, serving a 33-year sentence for the murder of Sara Sharif
Former prison officer Linda De Sousa Abreu, 31, was also on the unit until her recent release after she was filmed having sex with an inmate
A Bronzefield source said: ‘I wouldn’t call them friends – I don’t think Lucy has any friends – but they mix a lot together.
‘There is a bit of unspoken solidarity between them, given they are both in for such horrific crimes. Who else would mix with them?
‘They both have cushy jobs with Beinash being in charge of the unit library and Lucy doing the cleaning – though this causes a bit of friction with other inmates.’
Another inmate on Letby’s unit – until her recent release – was a married former prison officer who was jailed after she was filmed having sex with an inmate. Linda De Sousa Abreu, 31, was sentenced to 15 months after admitting misconduct in public office as it emerged the burglar she had sex with had a heavily pregnant partner at the time.
Like Letby, she was also fast-tracked straight to the enhanced unit for her own protection.
Given she was a former guard at HMP Wandsworth in south-west London, she had an even larger target on her back than the former neo-natal nurse convicted of killing babies, the source said.
The risk of attack from other inmates is a serious one.
From January to September 2024, there were 243 assaults at Bronzefield alone, with 16 classed as ‘serious’.
‘The three of them didn’t really communicate much but they would come out and mix at the same time. Batool, De Sousa and Letby together – such a trio of misfits,’ the source said. ‘You’ve got a nurse in there for murdering babies, another child killer, then a prison officer there because she made a porn video in a prison cell, all shuffling about in a Category A prison together. Utterly bizarre.’
Letby spends as much time as possible at the prison library and is said to have an insatiable appetite for books.
And in addition to her entertainment perks, her privileged status allows her a visit every week – twice as many as granted for standard prisoners – allowing her to spend more time with her parents John and Susan Letby.
‘She also spends a lot of her money on credit for the phone she is permitted in her cell, which she uses to check in with her parents regularly,’ the source said. Mr and Mrs Letby remain staunchly convinced of their daughter’s innocence. The couple, who have become increasingly reclusive since Letby’s conviction, barely leave their home in Hereford apart from to make the 130-mile round trip to HMP Bronzefield.
Convinced that their only child has been the victim of an enormous miscarriage of justice, it cannot be easy for them to see her housed with some of the most dangerous and high-profile female offenders in the UK.
But they can perhaps take some comfort from the fact that Letby’s enhanced status allows her more perks, including £33 a week for the canteen, whereas standard prisoners have £19.80 and those who are placed on ‘basic’ as a punishment are allowed just £5.50.
‘Compared to the usual prisoner, Lucy is a breeze. She does everything asked of her and never has to be asked twice,’ according to a prison source
The canteen menu is standardised across Britain’s prisons and one for HMP Chelmsford in Essex from 2023 shows Kinder Bueno chocolate available for 60p, Snickers bars for 80p and 59p for a can of Pepsi.
Also available from the prison store is a 400ml bottle of Herbal Essences shampoo for £3.79, a box of 20 Earl Grey teabags for £1.59 and a burgundy pillow cover at £2.89.
A Bronzefield source said that the only people they have seen visit Letby in the prison, aside from her parents, are members of her legal team, who were in more often than for any other inmate.
‘She still has a lot of legal visits, which is unusual for a convicted prisoner,’ they added.
‘Obviously staff can’t be part of those meetings, but there is a lot of talk about what might go on in them.’
The frequency of these visits leaves little doubt that Letby is orchestrating the ongoing battle to clear her name from her prison cell.
Despite the fact that she has twice had applications to challenge her convictions rejected by the Court of Appeal, Letby appointed a new legal team in September last year.
Led by barrister Mark McDonald, the new team submitted evidence from a panel of international experts to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) – the organisation which examines miscarriages of justice – in April this year in a bid to have her convictions overturned.
The experts claim that no murders took place and instead assert that the babies died or collapsed because of natural causes or poor care.
The flurry of recent visits by her team might now be explained by revelations this week that police have sent a further file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service relating to baby deaths and collapses at other hospitals where Letby was employed.
This followed the news that three members of the senior leadership team at the Countess of Chester hospital – where Letby murdered seven babies and attempted to kill another seven –had been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
The trio, who have not been named, were questioned by detectives at separate police stations last Monday as part of the investigation into the actions of leaders at the hospital in Cheshire.
Following the announcement of the arrests, Mr McDonald said: ‘Yet another press release from the police at a very sensitive time when the CCRC are looking at the case of Lucy Letby.
‘Despite this, the concerns many have raised will not go away and we will continue to publicly discuss them.
‘The reality is that 26 internationally renowned experts have looked at this case and the lead expert has concluded that no crime was committed, no babies were murdered.
‘What is needed is a proper and full public inquiry into the failings of the neonatal and paediatric medical care unit at the Countess of Chester hospital.’
Meanwhile, a growing number of high-profile figures, including former health secretary Jeremy Hunt, have called for Letby’s case to be re-examined.
But what do the staff who guard her round the clock think of the cleanliness-obsessed nurse in their charge?
‘Lucy is in many ways a model prisoner, but there is something off about her. She is almost emotionless, it’s very strange,’ a prison source said.
‘Staff at the prison are used to dealing with the worst of the worst – crackheads, suicidal women with mental health problems and murderous psychopaths.
‘So compared to the usual prisoner, Lucy is a breeze. She does everything asked of her and never has to be asked twice.
‘But then when you consider her crimes, this is not unusual in the slightest.
‘Most prisoners who are in for crimes against children will be as good as gold with staff – because they know that given any opportunity lots of prisoners would love to get hold of them.
‘And the staff are their only protection against that. So in that sense, Lucy’s only option is to be on her best behaviour at all times.’
