Baby Among Seven Dead as Nurse Lucy Letby Faces Murder Trial
Lucy Letby, 32, stands accused of killing seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit. She is also charged with attempting to murder ten more infants between June 2015 and 2016. Letby denies all allegations.
‘Extreme’ Baby Death Detailed in Court
The death of a baby girl dubbed Child I was dubbed an “extreme example even by the standards of this overall case” during the opening of the trial at manchester-crown-court/" title="Manchester Crown Court" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked" data-wpil-monitor-id="821">Manchester Crown Court.
Prosecutor Nick Johnson KC told jurors: “This is a case where we allege Lucy Letby attempted to kill her four times. (Child I) was tenacious, but on the fourth attempt, Lucy Letby succeeded and killed her.”
Letby is accused of deliberately injecting large amounts of air into Child I’s stomach via a nasogastric tube—one of several sinister methods she allegedly used to harm babies under her care.
Night Shifts, Distress, and Suspicious Acts
- The first incident reportedly happened on September 30, 2015, just 30 minutes after Letby fed Child I, days after an earlier attempted murder of another baby.
- On October 13, a night-shift nurse saw Letby standing by a darkened room, remarking Child I looked pale. When entering, the nurse found the baby nearly lifeless and not breathing.
- Despite the scare, Child I recovered, and Letby ironically became her designated nurse.
- On October 23, Child I collapsed again but was successfully resuscitated. Less than an hour later, the baby’s monitor alarm sounded with Letby present at the incubator.
- Letby reportedly told a colleague they “would be able to sort it out,” even as the distressed baby’s condition worsened.
- Tragically, Child I died shortly after, with her mother later allowed to bathe her “recently deceased” daughter—a moment Letby described with a chilling smile, boasting she was present at the “first bath” and how much Child I “loved it.”
Experts Point to Deliberate Harm
Medical experts told the court that Child I’s multiple collapses matched patterns of deliberate air injection into her stomach and bloodstream, causing severe trauma. The last attack reportedly caused the baby to scream before collapsing.
Police questioned Letby about a sympathy card she sent Child I’s parents. She said such gestures were rare but claimed nurses sometimes became close to families. However, Letby could not recall searching for the parents of Child I or three other babies on Facebook during off-duty hours.
Chilling Pattern of Calculated Attacks
Mr Johnson said: “(Child I) was born very early and very small but made it through the first two months and was doing well when Lucy Letby cared for her. What happened followed a pattern seen before and after—persistent, calculated, and cold-blooded.”
A court order bans releasing the names of surviving or deceased babies, parents, or witnesses. Letby, originally from Hereford, continues to deny all charges. The trial is ongoing.
