Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Lucy Letby trial: Nurse accused of murder 'cared deeply about babies'

Lucy Letby trial: Nurse accused of murder 'cared deeply about babies'

A nurse accused of murdering babies on a neonatal ward "cared deeply" for those she had to look after, a court has heard.

Lucy Letby is charged with killing seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others at Countess of Chester Hospital in 2015 and 2016.

Outlining Ms Letby's defence, Ben Myers KC, said she was a "dedicated nurse" and in "no way did she want to harm them".

Ms Letby, 32, denies 22 charges.

Mr Myers told the court: "She trained hard to be a neonatal nurse and what she wanted was to care for babies she looked after.

"The defence say she is not guilty of causing intentional harm to any baby or to killing any baby.

"She loved her job. She cared deeply about the babies and also cared for their families.

"She had a fulfilling life, had friends, a life outside work."

Manchester Crown Court earlier heard how she had penned passages including "I am evil" and "I killed them on purpose because I'm not good enough to care for them".

The notes were among other papers and post-it notes which also contained "many protestations of innocence", the jury was told.

The nurse's tightly-written notes were shown to the jury during the trial


But Mr Myers said "anyone with an ounce of human understanding" would see the notes as "the anguished outpouring of a young woman in fear and despair when she realises the enormity of what is being said about her".

He continued: "We recognise the sadness and the stress, and even the anger, that comes with allegations like these.

"I start on behalf of the defence by acknowledging how upsetting the allegations will be and acknowledging the very great loss and sadness of the families involved.

"Anything that I do, or say, during this trial is not intended to diminish that in any way."

But he told jurors it would be "staggeringly unfair" to convict a person without a word of evidence.

He said there was "a real danger" people will simply accept the prosecution theory of guilt "based firmly on coincidence".

Pointing to Ms Letby, of Hereford, sitting in the dock, he told jurors: "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 which has failed."

In some cases, he said, no-one could say why a particular child deteriorated or died.

Lucy Letby denies attacking newborn children in a variety of ways including poisoning


Mr Myers said the jury had been shown Ms Letby's text messages, her Facebook searches on the families of babies she was alleged to have harmed and "pieces of paper" and mentioned "amateur psychology".

But he said the "foundation" of the case was medical evidence.

Mr Myers said causes of a baby's deterioration or death were not always clear.

He added in this case the babies were "clinically fragile" and in conditions that could change "very swiftly and deteriorate very rapidly".

Mr Myers said: "Ms Letby is adamant she's done nothing intentionally to harm these babies."

With Child A, the first murder count, Ms Letby was said to have injected air into the child, but he said the defence does not accept an air embolus - or air bubble - was the cause of death.

Mr Myers said the "polite" way of describing the care of Child A on the unit was "sub-optimal".

Lucy Letby worked on the neonatal ward at the Countess of Chester Hospital


With Child B, who was Child A's twin sister, who Ms Letby is accused of trying to kill, it was a "good example" of the "assumption of guilt" and experts had been "influenced by the theory of harm".

Mr Myers said Child C, who Ms Letby is also alleged to have murdered by injecting him with air, was a "very premature" baby, born at 30 weeks.

He said such babies were vulnerable, especially to infection, and Child C should have been at a specialist children's hospital.

Mr Myers said the hospital failed to provide adequate care for Child D, who Ms Letby was alleged to have murdered with air.

He said it was "beyond dispute" Child D should have been given antibiotics hours before she was treated with them, and there was more evidence infection played a part in her death.

He said the prosecution alleged Ms Letby injected Child E with a fatal amount of air and attacked him in front of his mother.

He said: "We say there is no clear explanation in his case for what happened.

"That being so, it is not right to rely on the assumption of guilt."

He next turned to allegations that Ms Letby attempted to murder Child F - the twin brother of Child E - and Child L by poisoning them with insulin.

The barrister said there was "nothing in fact" to establish this.

Child G, who Ms Letby is accused of attempting to murder on three occasions, was an "extremely premature" baby who was "high risk", he said.

Lucy Letby was described as a "dedicated nurse" by her defence


The defence did not accept Ms Letby did anything to contribute to Child's G health problems in the neonatal unit.

Child H, who Ms Letby is alleged to have attacked twice, was another example of "sub-optimal care" by the hospital and "nothing to do with Lucy Letby", he said.

Mr Myers said the defence did not accept Ms Letby caused any harm to Child I, who she is said to have tried to kill on three occasions before succeeding on the fourth attempt.

He said: "We will say her collapses and ultimately death were part of a series of clinical problems which may well have been inevitable given her extreme prematurity."

Mr Myers said the hospital was "well out of its depth" with Child J, who Ms Letby is said to have tried to murder, and knowing how to treat her.

He said an assumption of deliberate harm had been made rather than an alternative explanation of a baby receiving inadequate care.

Ben Myers KC said Ms Letby "in no way wanted to harm" babies in her care


Child K, who is subject of another count of attempted murder, was said to have been harmed with the deliberate dislodging of a breathing tube.

But Mr Myers said the probable cause was the child inadvertently moving the tube herself.

Her case was another example of "sub-optimal care" in that she should have been treated at a more specialist unit.

Mr Myers said the defense did not accept that Child M, who is the twin brother of Child L, was harmed by an injection of excessive air or airway obstruction.

The defence's insisted there was no obvious cause of his collapse.

Mr Myers said: "We are back in the territory of blame being put on Lucy Letby because there is no obvious alternative."

Addressing the allegation that Child N was deliberately harmed by a nasogastric tube being pushed into his throat which caused him to scream, Mr Myers said: "The defence observe there are many reasons why a baby will shout or scream.

Lucy Letby denies the 22 charges against her


"We say it is more far more likely to be hunger. That may sound banal but sometimes it can be true."

Mr Myers said Child N was another baby who received "sub-optimal care" - not from Ms Letby - and should have been treated elsewhere.

The barrister said there was no evidence that Ms Letby inflicted harm to either Child O or Child P - two of three triplets - who she is said to have murdered, or to Child Q, who she allegedly attempted to murder.

Finally, Mr Myers said there were problems with the way the neonatal unit was run, suggesting it was overstretched and understaffed.

He added: "This whole case is complicated.

"Sat in that dock is a young woman who says this is not her fault, so we need to look at the evidence."

The trial was adjourned until Friday morning.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
×