- Author, Judith Moritz & PA Media
- Role, BBC News
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Former nurse Lucy Letby has been found guilty of trying to kill a premature baby girl.
The 34-year-old was convicted by a jury at Manchester Crown Court of attempting to murder a child referred to in court as Baby K.
Last August, the 34-year-old was convicted by a different jury of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neo-natal unit between June 2015 and June 2016.
However, a verdict on the allegation relating to Baby K could not be reached, and a retrial was ordered on the single count.
The retrial jury found her guilty of trying to murder the “very premature” infant by dislodging her breathing tube in the early hours of 17 February 2016.
The parents of Baby K gasped and then cried as the jury foreman read out the verdict following three-and-a-half hours of deliberation.
Letby showed no emotion in the dock.
The court heard how Letby targeted Baby K after the infant was moved from the delivery room to the neo-natal unit shortly after her premature birth.
‘Took pleasure’
The jury agreed that the former nurse dislodged the baby’s breathing tube and stood by her incubator watching her blood oxygen levels drop, without intervening.
Consultant paediatrician Dr Ravi Jayaram had caught her “virtually red-handed” as he entered the unit’s intensive care room at about 3.45am.
Dr Jayaram, who intervened to resuscitate the child, told jurors he saw “no evidence” that Letby had done anything to help the deteriorating baby.
He said he heard no call for help from Letby, or alarms sounding as Baby K’s blood oxygen levels suddenly dropped.
Letby told the jury of six women and six men she had no recollection of any such event.
She denied she did anything harmful to Baby K and added that she had not committed any of the offences of which she had been convicted.
Baby K was transferred to a specialist hospital later on 17 February because of her extreme prematurity and died there three days later, with the cause of death certified as extreme prematurity and severe respiratory distress syndrome.
More than two years later in April 2018, Letby searched on Facebook for Baby K’s surname.
Prosecutor Nick Johnson KC said it was part of a pattern of similar Facebook searches, telling the jury: “The truth is that Lucy Letby had a fascination with the babies she had murdered and attempted to murder, and with their families.
“She took pleasure in her murderous handiwork.”
‘Sorry’
Dr Nigel Scawn, medical director at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said he was “extremely sorry that these awful crimes happened at our hospital”.
He added: “Since Lucy Letby worked at our hospital, we have made significant changes to our services and remain committed to providing high quality safe care to our local communities.
Dr Scawn acknowledged the impact that the Letby case continued to have on everyone involved adding he was “grateful for the unwavering cooperation and professionalism of our staff, some of whom returned to court to repeat evidence and relive events”.
Letby was initially charged with the murder of Baby K but the charge was dropped in June 2022 because the prosecution offered no evidence.
In May, Letby lost her Court of Appeal bid to challenge her convictions.
She will be sentenced for the attempted murder of Baby K on 5 July.
A public inquiry into how Letby was able to commit her crimes on the neo-natal unit is set to begin at Liverpool Town Hall on 10 September.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
