Lucy Letby (Jail Whole Life)

Lucy Letby was convicted of the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of six babies.

On 2 July 2024 she was further convicted of the attempted murder of another child.

She had been a nurse on a neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital in Cheshire.

It wasn't known why she murdered them.

She killed them using a variety of methods, including injecting them with air, force feeding them milk and injecting them with insualin. They babies she was convicted of murderering were:

1. Baby A: 8 June 2015, injection of air into bloodstream.
2. Baby C: 14 June 2015, air inserted into his stomach via a nasogastric tube.
3. Baby D: 21 June 2015, injection of air.
4. Baby E: 4 August 2015, injection of air. Baby E and F were twins.
5. Baby I: October 2015, injection of air.
6. Baby O: 23 June 2016, impact injury to liver and air injection. Ther doctor described the injury to the liver as similar to that of a found in a road traffic collision. Baby O and Baby P were brothers.
7. Baby P: 24 June 2016, injection of air. Baby O and Baby P were brothers.

The babies she was convicted of attempting to murder were:

1. Baby B: June 2015, possible injection of air resulting from some form of sabotage.
2. Baby F: 4 August 2015, insulin added to childs intravenous line. Baby E and F were twins.
3. Baby G: 21 September 2015, overfeeding of milk through a nasogastric tube or injected air into the same tube resulting in the child being left with quadriplegic cerebral palsy and requiring round-the-clock care.
4. Baby L: April 2016, insulin injection.
5. Baby M: April 2016, injection of air.
6. Baby N: June 2016, some kind of inflicted injury or an injection of air.

The jury were unabale to return verdicts on a number of ther charges:

1. Baby H: September 2015, not guilty on a first count of attemtepd murder but a hung jury on a second count. Lucy Letby was claimed to have first attacked the child on the morning of 26 September and then again the following morning
2. Baby J: October 2015, possible smothering.
3. Baby K: February 2016, possible removal of breathing tube.
4. Baby Q: June 2016, injection of air and fluid into stomach via nasogastric tube.

In evidence notes were found at her home and her text messages were examined.

Following the murder of Baby A on 8 June 2015, Lucy Letby sent a text message asking to be assigned to work with another baby:

And then two days later asking for more shifts in the neonatal unit:

However, she was told to take a break, but was back on the ward on 13 June 2015, minutes after which Baby C fell critically ill, dying later on 14 June 2015.

Following the murder of Baby C, Lucy Letby had the following text exchange:

Shortly after on 21 June 2015 Baby D was murdered. The following messages were then exchanged:

Lucy Letby: We lost Baby D

Colleague: What!!!! But she was improving. What happened.

Colleague: Wanna chat? I can't believe you were on again. You having such a tough time.

The conversation later continued:

However, Lucy Letby declined the invitation to see a counsellor, saying, 'I can't talk about it now, I can't stop crying. I just need to get it out of my system'.

On 30 June 2015 the following messages were exchanged:

Nurse: There's something odd about that night and the other 3 that went so suddenly.

Lucy Letby: Well Baby C was tiny, obviously compromised in utero. Baby D septic. It's Baby A I can't get my head around.

Following the murder of Baby E, the following messages were exchanged:

Lucy Letby: News travels fast. Who told you?

Lucy Letby: Yeah I had them both. Was horrible.

Nurse: I just really feel for his parents but for you too. You've had some really tough times recently.

Later, on 5 August the following messages were exchanged:

Lucy Letby: I said goodbye to Baby F's parents as Baby F might go tomorrow. They both cried & hugged me saying they will never be able to thank me for the love & care I gave to Baby F & for the precious memories I've given them. It's heartbreaking.

Nurse: It is heartbreaking but you've done your job to the highest standard with compassion and professionalism.

Lucy Letby: I just feel sad that they are thanking me when they have lost him & for something that any of us would have done. But it's really nice to know that I got it right for them. That's all I want.

Later, on 26 September 2015, five days after attempting to murder Baby G, the following text exchange was made:

Lucy Letby later sent the following messages:

Lucy Letby: It's all just so rubbish lately isn't it. And always seems to happen at night when less people.

Lucy Letby: This is what we do, as sad and as hard as it can be.

After Baby I fell critically ill Lucy Letby sent a message to ask a colleague who was taking over her care and then later sent a text message to the shift leader saying, 'I'd like to keep her please' and the shift leader agrees but an hour later sent her another text saying that the beby was being reallocated to another nurse. When Lucy Letby asked whether anything had happened, the shift leader replied, 'No. Was just asked to reallocate so no one has her for more than 1 night at a time'.

However, Baby I died a week later whilst Lucy Letby was on an overnight shift.

Several months then passed during which she attempted to murder Babies L and M.

She then murdered Baby O on 23 June 2016 and his brother, Baby P the following day.

After a consultant paediatricians aske dcertain questions, Lucy Letby messages another doctor:

Letby: Do I need to be worried about what Dr Gibbs was asking?

Doctor: No

Doctor: He was asking to make sure that normal procedures were being carried out.

The following was then exchanged:

The doctor then messages her with, 'You are one of a few nurses across the region (I've worked pretty much everywhere) that I would trust with my own children'.

On 6 July 2016 there was a meeting that reviewed the deaths of Babies O and P and the doctor sent the following exchange was made:

Doctor: You need to keep this to yourself.

Doctor: There is absolutely nothing for you to worry about. Please don't.

He also shared an email with her in which it stated that an inquest was to be held over the deaths of Baby O and Baby P, which was followed by:

Doctor: I know you won't say anything - this email has to stay between us, is that ok?

Lucy Letby: Of course, 100%.

On 15 July 2016 the staff were emailed to say they would have to undergo a period of clinical supervision in preparation for an external review for which Lucy Letby agreed to go first. She then sent a message to a colleague saying, 'done a timeline of the year to analyse her cases', followed by:

Lucy Letby was arrested two years later in July 2018 and convicted five years later on 18 August 2023.