Nurse Lucy Letby convicted of killing 7 infants

Lucy Letby, a 33-year-old neonatal nurse in a British medical facility, was pronounced guilty on Friday for the murder of seven infants and the attempted murder of an additional six.

Operating out of the Countess of Chester Hospital in northwest England from 2015 to 2016, Letby was indicted for the deaths of five male infants and two females. Additionally, she was tried for the attempted murder of six more. The prosecution’s evidence detailed how Letby intentionally harmed the infants using various methods, such as introducing air into their bloodstream or dispensing air or milk through nasogastric tubes.

Reuters/Cheshire Constabulary shared Lucy Letby’s arrest image. Prosecutor Pascale Jones remarked, “Lucy Letby manipulated her professional knowledge to produce lethal outcomes. By using seemingly harmless substances like air or milk, she caused death and anguish.” Jones further highlighted that Letby’s actions defied the very premise of a hospital being a sanctuary of safety for both children and their families.

Further allegations against Letby included tampering with infants’ breathing tubes and adding insulin to their intravenous feeds. Throughout the trial, Letby consistently denied all accusations. Naming the involved infants is prohibited by British law.

After 22 days of intense deliberation, the jury, consisting of seven women and four men, arrived at their verdict. Due to personal circumstances, one juror was dismissed during deliberations. Consequently, the judge permitted a verdict based on the consensus of 10 out of the remaining 11 jurors.

Letby was acquitted on one count of attempted murder, while the jury remained indecisive on several other counts.

The trial unveiled that in 2015, the hospital noted an unusual spike in infant mortality and unexpected health deteriorations. Despite this, some babies were rescued due to prompt medical interventions. The prosecution alleged a consistent link between these incidents and Letby’s presence in the neonatal unit. They dubbed her a pervasive harmful influence and claimed she masked the signs of her malevolence, convincing colleagues that such incidents were natural.

The first reported incident involved a prematurely born boy who succumbed a day after birth in June 2015, allegedly due to Letby injecting air into his bloodstream.

Authorities initiated a probe into the hospital’s infant deaths in May 2017. Prior to being charged in November 2020, Letby faced arrest on three separate occasions. One piece of evidence from the prosecution was a note from Letby’s residence, written in 2018, stating “I am evil, I did this,” which they interpreted as a confession.

In her defense, Letby’s lawyer portrayed her as a dedicated professional, suggesting the infants’ deaths could be attributed to natural causes or other external factors, including hospital understaffing or care negligence. The defense also insinuated that senior doctors might have shifted blame onto Letby to conceal the unit’s shortcomings.

During her 14-day testimony, Letby refuted all claims of intentional harm, stating her sole aim was to provide the best care. Documents from her residence, including self-deprecating notes, were defended by her lawyer as introspective expressions of a distraught individual, not admissions of guilt.