Children’s nurse Lucy Letby (pictured) appeared in court today accused of multiple baby murders

Lucy Letby ‘tried to kill one girl three times and a boy on three separate occasions’, court hears as children’s nurse, 32, denies murdering seven babies and trying to kill 10 more premature infants

  • Lucy Letby, 32, allegedly murdered five boys and two girls in Chester hospital
  • Nurse also accused of trying to kill ten other children between 2015 and 2016 
  • One boy had three attempts on his life – including two in one day, it’s alleged
  • Letby denies all 22 charges. Her Manchester trial will last up to six months 

A children’s nurse today denied murdering seven babies and trying to kill ten more premature infants in 12 months while working in a NHS neonatal unit. 

Lucy Letby, 32, allegedly tried to kill one baby girl three times and a baby boy three times – including two attempts in one day – while working at the Countess of Chester Hospital in Cheshire. 

The nurse stands accused of murdering five boys and two girls, and attempting to murder five boys and five girls, between June 8 2015 and June 25 2016.

Letby, of Hereford, is said to have gone on a year-long killing spree while working in the neonatal unit. 

This morning she was brought into the dock at Manchester Crown Court, wearing a dark blue suit with a black blouse.  She is facing 22 charges concerning 17 babies, some of whom she allegedly attempted to murder multiple times. She pleaded not guilty to each charge.

Family members of some of her alleged child victims sat in the public gallery listening as the names of the children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were read out. 

Three members of security staff surrounded her as stood up to enter her pleas as her parents John and Susan watched on. Her trial, which is due to begin this afternoon,  will last up to six months. 

Children’s nurse Lucy Letby (pictured) appeared in court today accused of multiple baby murders

Children’s nurse Lucy Letby (pictured) appeared in court today accused of multiple baby murders

Children’s nurse Lucy Letby (pictured) will go on trial today accused of seven baby murders

Letby, 32, quietly repeated the words ‘Not guilty’ as each of the charges was read out to her by a clerk at Manchester Crown Court.

She was standing stock still in the glass-panelled dock of Court 7, her once blonde hair, now darkened, let down over her shoulders.

Fourteen jurors were sworn in to hear the trial. However, two of them will act as substitutes while the prosecution opening is being heard. Once that point has been reached the trial will continue with 12 jurors.

The trial judge, Mr Justice Goss, told the empanelled jurors that all the charges relate to babies.

‘Any anxiety or apprehension you may have about your role as jurors in this case. You will have apprehensions about what is to follow, but in relation to the nature of the case and your role’.

Other juries up and down the country were trying very serious cases, so they should not to be anxious. They would soon become familiar with the details of the case.

The judge added: ‘The case is bound to provoke an instinctive reaction of horror. It is part of our characteristics as a human being.

‘Whilst retaining your knowledge and understanding of human behaviour, you must put your emotions to one side and consider the evidence calmly, rationally, fairly and dispassionately’.

According to the indictment she tried to kill one baby girl three times and another twice. And she tried to claim the life of a baby boy on three separate occasions – two of them on the same day.

In addition to the seven murder charges, Letby faces a further 15 charges of attempted murder relating to 10 premature babies being cared for in the hospital’s neonatal unit.

All of the alleged murders and attempted murders took place in a 12-month period between June 2015 and June 2016.

Letby’s parents, John, 76, and Susan, 62, watched as proceedings were relayed to annexe courtrooms attended by families of the children involved and members of the press and broadcast media.

John and Susan Letby, parents of Lucy Letby, are at Manchester Crown Court for their daughter's murder trial (pictured last week)

John and Susan Letby, parents of Lucy Letby, are at Manchester Crown Court for their daughter’s murder trial (pictured last week)

A court order prohibits the media from reporting the identities of either the surviving infants or those who died.

A court order prohibits reporting of the identities of surviving and deceased children allegedly attacked by Letby, and prohibits identifying the parents or witnesses connected with the children.

The children will be referred to as Baby or Child A to Q. 

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