A neonatal doctor who raised concerns about nurse Lucy Letby at Countess of Chester Hospital says he regrets not going to police sooner. Dr Stephen Brearey, a lead neonatal consultant at the time, tells reporters he should have taken his worries to law enforcement earlier rather than raising them through internal channels.

The remarks come after the Thirlwall Inquiry report into events at the hospital was published. Across outlets, Brearey is presented as explaining that his warnings were repeatedly ignored or not acted upon as he expected. The BBC and other coverage focus on his personal reflection and regret, while the Daily Mail frames the comments as coming for the first time since the report.

The accounts align on what Brearey is saying—he believes he should have gone to the police earlier and that his concerns did not receive sufficient response—while differing slightly in emphasis on his timing and framing of events. None of the sources provided here dispute the inquiry’s core background about the hospital period in question.