Killer nurse Lucy Letby sentenced to new life in prison for attempted murder of baby

Letby was found guilty by another jury last August of the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.

She is already serving 14 life sentences for each of the offences committed in the neonatal unit during that period.

A retrial was ordered on an allegation relating to child K after the first jury failed to reach a verdict. However, a second jury took just three and a half hours to convict Letby.

The 34-year-old was caught “virtually red-handed” trying to dislodge the breathing tube from the “very premature” baby who was being ventilated with air and oxygen on February 17, 2016.

Consultant paediatrician Dr Ravi Jayaram noticed this as he entered the nursery and intervened to save the child. He told the jury he saw “no evidence” that Letby had done anything to help the sick baby, with the 34-year-old simply standing next to the incubator.

The baby, who weighed just 682g, recovered despite having his tube moved twice during the night.

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However, three days later she died after being transferred to a specialist unit.

Letby denied the event took place and told jurors she had no memory of it.

She also disputed the prosecution's allegations that she deliberately interfered with the infant's breathing tube, suggesting instead that it was done accidentally.

The 34-year-old was originally charged with the infant's murder, but the charge was dropped in June 2022 after the prosecution provided no evidence.

However, senior crown prosecutor Nicola Wyn Williams, from CPS Mersey-Cheshire's complex case unit, said after the verdict that Letby had committed the actions of a “cold-blooded and calculated killer” when she attempted to murder the infant.

Williams said in a statement after the verdict: “This is an incredibly difficult, complex and disturbing case. A trained nurse charged with caring for the most vulnerable babies used her skills and expertise to become a killer.

“She stood by the parents of the babies she had killed or attempted to kill, crying and pretending to try to comfort them, knowing full well that she was the one responsible.

“The savagery of his actions was difficult for the prosecution team to comprehend and devastated the lives of these babies' families.

“We still don't know why she committed these crimes.”

The public inquiry into how Letby was able to commit his crimes within the unit is due to begin at Liverpool City Hall on September 10.