A consultant paediatrician, Dr Mark Deakin, has been publicly identified as the doctor accused of being the subject of a "crush" by child serial killer nurse Lucy Letby. This revelation came after reporting restrictions that had kept Dr Deakin anonymous for life were lifted by Lord Justice Singh following an application by Associated Newspapers. Dr Deakin, who was 53 at the time of his death, gave evidence during Letby’s trial and later told a public inquiry into her crimes that she had misled and manipulated him into sharing confidential details about her victims. He was reportedly dismissed for gross misconduct shortly before his death, and his death has been referred to the Cheshire Coroner's Court. Lucy Letby, 36, was convicted in 2017 of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill seven more at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. During her trial, she became emotional and tried to leave the courtroom when Dr Deakin, then a junior doctor, entered as a witness and answered questions from behind a screen. Dr Deakin and Letby had exchanged numerous messages while working together at the hospital. A fellow nurse reportedly joked that Letby was "flirting" with him, and Letby referred to him as "sweetie" in their text exchanges. His name appeared on notes found at her home after her arrest, including references to "love was all we needed." Prosecutors suggested that Letby had a "crush" on Dr Deakin and may have attacked some of her victims to gain his attention. During the public inquiry into how Letby was able to commit her crimes, Dr Deakin stated that Letby had "misled and maybe manipulated" him into providing information about her victims. He exchanged over 1,350 Facebook messages with Letby between June 2016 and September 2016. In one message, Letby asked about the condition of a baby she attempted to murder and whether she had done anything wrong. Dr Deakin responded with sympathy, stating, "Oh Lucy, poor little thing. I am sure he has had the best care possible and you will have done everything you could for him." Dr Deakin also supported Letby’s grievance case against her removal from the neonatal unit to non-patient duties in 2016 and arranged observational visits to Liverpool’s Alder Hey Children's Hospital the following year. The mother of one of the infants Letby attempted to murder later filed a complaint against Dr Deakin with Alder Hey, alleging he had shared confidential information about her son with Letby. Alder Hey investigated Dr Deakin regarding what he knew about Letby during her visits to their hospital. Dr Deakin was reportedly dismissed for gross misconduct in June of this year and was found collapsed in his car near a retail park in Cheshire. He was taken to the hospital but died on July 3. His death has been referred to the Cheshire Coroner's Court. Letby, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life terms for her crimes and has been denied permission to appeal twice. The Criminal Cases Review Commission is currently considering evidence from an international panel of medics who argue that poor medical care and natural causes may have contributed to the babies’ deaths.