Ben Myers KC, defending Lucy Letby, said she was a “dedicated nurse” who “in no way” intended to harm the babies she was caring for. Instead, he told Manchester Crown Court it was a “theory of guilt based firmly on coincidence,” with premature babies collapsing when she wasn’t on duty. The nurse used a ‘effective’ method of killing newborns because it left no traces. “These are allegations of attacks, poisonings, and sabotage,” he said. Powerful words that are likely to have a strong emotional impact on you.” “The fact that Lucy Letby was present at the time of a child’s deterioration has itself become the explanation for that deterioration,” he continued. Despite the fact that there is no evidence that she caused that to happen.” The 32-year-old nurse, originally from Hereford, is accused of deliberately attacking newborn children in a variety of ways, including poisoning, between June 2015 and June 2016 on the neonatal unit at Countess of Chester Hospital. He referred to a Post-it note mentioned in the prosecution’s opening, on which Letby had written in capital letters, “I am evil, I did this.” “This is the anguished outpouring of a young woman in fear and despair as she realises the enormity of what is being said about her in the moment to herself,” Mr Myers explained. He added that Letby was dealing with employment issues at the time the article was written, including a grievance procedure with the NHS trust. The words “Not good enough,” which were enlarged and shown to the jury on screens, were written on the Post-it note. I’m a terrible person. I will never marry or have children. “Desperation,” and “I’ve done nothing wrong.” Mr Myers stated that the paperwork and notes discovered in Letby’s possession demonstrated she was the type of person who scribbles things down and keeps bits of paper, and “nothing more extraordinary than that.” Mr Myers told the jury that he couldn’t think of any allegations that were “more upsetting than these.” “It’s difficult to imagine allegations that are more damaging to our desire to protect than these allegations,” he added. “And it’s difficult to think of any allegations that would be more difficult to consider fairly in light of the evidence than these.” “Everyone’s sympathies will be with the families of all those involved in this case, those children.” Mr. Myers acknowledged the allegations’ uproar and the “very great loss and sadness of the families involved.” “Anything I do or say during this trial is not intended in any way to diminish that,” he said. He told jurors that convicting someone without a single piece of evidence would be “staggeringly unfair.” “There is a real danger that people will simply accept the prosecution theory of guilt, and that’s all we’ve got so far, ladies and gentlemen, a theory of guilt based firmly on coincidence – if anything can be firmly based on coincidence,” Mr Myers said. It is important to be careful that blame is not heaped on that woman when there may be others who have made mistakes or a system that has failed,” Ben Myers KC told jurors, pointing to Letby in the dock. According to the defence, in some cases, no one could explain why a specific child deteriorated or died. “The defence says Lucy Letby was a dedicated nurse,” Mr Myers told jurors. She worked hard to become a neonatal nurse because she wanted to care for the babies she looked after. She had no intention of hurting them. According to the defence, she is not guilty of causing intentional harm to any baby or killing any baby. She was passionate about her work. She was deeply concerned about the babies and their families. She had a fulfilling life, friends, and a life outside of work. You’re not going to get answers to this case by looking at this woman in the dock right now. “You can imagine that must be utterly gruelling for anyone,” she says of how she is and where she is six years after beginning to face allegations like this. This is a critical aspect of her case. The need to remember context and distinguish between how she was when events were said to have occurred and how she is now. We’re dealing with a real person who is where she is now with these allegations.” Anyone who approaches this as if it were a done deal is completely wrong.” Letby denies the charges. The trial is still ongoing.
