Lucy Letby, just the name is enough to send shivers down our spine. She killed seven newborn babies admitted to the neonatal unit of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016 and attempted to murder six more. The extent of the emotional damage the case caused could be understood from the fact the judge hearing the case excused the jury from serving on the panel in the future.
Who is Lucy Letby, the “evil” UK nurse?
Born on 4 January 1990 in Hereford in central England, Lucy Letby was a neonatal nurse in the city’s Countess of Chester Hospital. She studied nursing at Chester University in northwest England. She killed seven babies and attempted to kill six more between June 2015 and July 2016.
How did she kill the babies?
According to the prosecutors, Lucy poisoned some babies with insulin. While others were injected air into their bloodstream. She would change her methods and kill others by giving them excessive milk leading to sudden and unexplained collapse.
Doctors were alerted after a sudden rise in infant deaths during the 11 months period between June 2015 and July 2016. However, Lucy was too clever to be caught and initial inquiry, according to reports, resulted in the doctor who raised the alarm about Lucy apologizing to her.
Dr Ravi Jayaram, an Indian-origin consultant pediatrician at the hospital, said that many lives could have been saved had the hospital authorities acted on time. In a social media post, Dr Jayaram, also questioned “people in highly-paid positions of responsibility in healthcare” as it was their job to ensure patient safety.
The lawyers defending Lucy argued in the court that the deaths were a result of failure in care in which the hospital failed and put the blame on her. The Manchester Crown Court will pronounce the quantum of the sentence on Monday, August 21, 2023.