A 33-year-old nurse in the UK has left the world shocked after she was found guilty of murdering newborn babies at the hospital where she worked.
Lucy Letby used a variety of methods to secretly attack a total of 13 babies on the neonatal ward at the Countess of Chester hospital between 2015 and 2016, read a statement issued by Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service.
Seven babies died as a result and the jury found Letby guilty of their murder.
She was also found guilty of seven counts of attempted murder relating to six other babies.
She will be sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on Monday (August 21).
During the trial, which began in October last year, Manchester Crown Court heard that doctors at the hospital began to notice a significant rise in the number of babies who were dying or were unexpectedly collapsing.
When they were unable to find a medical explanation, police were alerted and an investigation followed.
Letby, now aged 33, was first arrested in July 2018 and subsequently charged in November 2020.
How did she commit the crime?
The prosecution was able to present evidence of Letby using various methods to attack babies, including: the injection of air and insulin into their bloodstream; the infusion of air into their gastrointestinal tract; force feeding an overdose of milk or fluids; impact-type trauma. Her intention was to kill the babies while deceiving her colleagues into believing there was a natural cause.
Reactions:
Pascale Jones of the CPS said: "Lucy Letby sought to deceive her colleagues and pass off the harm she caused as nothing more than a worsening of each baby’s existing vulnerability."
“In her hands, innocuous substances like air, milk, fluids – or medication like insulin – would become lethal. She perverted her learning and weaponised her craft to inflict harm, grief and death," Jones said.
“Time and again, she harmed babies, in an environment which should have been safe for them and their families," said Jones.
Jonathan Storer, Chief Crown Prosecutor, CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: “This is an utterly horrifying case. Like everyone who followed the trial, I have been appalled by Letby’s callous crimes."
Meanwhile, the British government has ordered an independent inquiry into the circumstances behind the horrific murders and attempted murders of babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital, following the guilty verdict in the trial of former neonatal nurse, Lucy Letby.
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: "This inquiry will seek to ensure the parents and families impacted get the answers they need. I am determined their voices are heard, and they are involved in shaping the scope of the inquiry should they wish to do so."
