Parents Condemn Netflix Letby Documentary as Complete Invasion of Privacy

Netflix released The Investigation of Lucy Letby on Feb. 4, a feature-length documentary produced by ITN Productions that promises "unseen footage and unheard insider accounts." The programme’s trailer includes police footage of an arrest inside the Letby family home in Hereford in June 2019, showing officers entering a bedroom, Lucy Letby sitting up in bed looking confused, being led away in a dressing gown or pyjamas, and saying goodbye to a pet cat.

Susan and John Letby have issued their first public comments since their daughter’s conviction, condemning the documentary and demanding answers about how private-home footage reached the filmmakers. "It is a complete invasion of privacy," the parents said, adding that they "would have known nothing if Lucy’s barrister had not told us." They said they "will not watch it - it would likely kill us if we did." The couple described the footage as especially distressing because it captures events in the house where they have lived for 40 years in a small cul-de-sac in a small town.

The background to the case is well established: Lucy Letby, a neonatal nurse, was convicted in August 2023 of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others. She was arrested multiple times during the investigation, including the bedroom arrest filmed in 2019 and a final arrest in November 2020. Prosecutors reviewed additional material last year, and the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed last month that Letby will face no further charges. Her defence team has argued that pursuing new trials could have exposed flaws in the original convictions.

The parents also singled out Detective Superintendent Paul Hughes, questioning why footage from their house was "allowed to show the world" and accusing him of having "a deep hatred of us," while noting that they had previously gone to Blacon police station in March 2017 to raise concerns about hospital consultants. The family said they only discovered the existence of the arrest pictures after being informed by Lucy’s legal team.

For the True Crime community, the row raises practical and ethical questions about how police material is shared and reused by broadcasters and streaming services. Viewers who follow criminal cases will want clarity about consent, chain of custody for sensitive footage, and the legal basis for releasing images filmed inside private homes. The controversy also underlines the emotional stakes for families who are repeatedly exposed in public accounts of high-profile cases.

What comes next is likely to hinge on responses from Netflix, ITN Productions, and Cheshire Constabulary about how the footage was sourced and cleared, and any comment from the CPS clarifying its review. For readers interested in media ethics and criminal justice, expect scrutiny of documentary clearance processes and possible calls for stricter controls on the use of images filmed in private residences.