Lucy Letby: 4 key details from trial of 'baby killer' nurse heard on Tuesday

Nurse Lucy Letby is on trial accused of the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of 10 others.

Letby, 32, from Hereford, denies murdering five boys and two girls, and attempting to murder another five boys and five girls, between June 2015 and June 2016.

She worked in the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital in Chester at the time.

On the seventh day of her trial, jurors at Manchester Crown Court were shown a series of messages the defendant exchanged with other staff members, along with activity on her social media accounts.

Here are four key developments from her trial on Tuesday.

“The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do”

Letby messaged a colleague about the death of her first alleged victim at the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit in June 2015, the court heard.

She is said to have murdered Child A on the evening of 8 June by injecting air into his bloodstream and then allegedly attempted to murder his twin sister, Child B, by the same method the following night.

On 9 June, before her next shift started, she replied to a fellow nurse who asked: “Hi Lucy. Hope you are OK?”

Letby responded: “I think we all did everything we possibly could under very difficult and sad circumstances. Haven’t had much sleep. Don’t really want to see parents but it’s got to be done.

“I said to (another nurse) that I can’t look after (Child B) because I just don’t know how I’m going to feel seeing parents.

“Dad was on the floor crying saying ‘please don’t take our baby away’ when we took him to the mortuary. It’s just heart-breaking.

“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Hopefully have a more positive one tonight.”

Hours later, Child B collapsed while Letby was on duty before the youngster later stabilised and was eventually discharged the following month, the court was told.

Text conversation about the death of Child A

On 12 June 2015, the defendant texted a nurse who had looked after Child A when he was born.

Letby wrote: “It was awful. He died very suddenly and unexpectedly just after handover.

“Waiting for post-mortem results. Hopefully they can get to the bottom of it.”

Her colleague replied: “It’s so terrible.

“You are not having a great run at the moment. Hopefully we will find out soon.”

Letby replied: “I was not supposed to be in either.

“I took pictures, hand and footprints etc. They are besides themselves worried that they will lose (Child B) too.”

The Crown say Letby went on to murder Child C on 14 June and Child D on 22 June 2015.

Social media activity and text messages regarding Child A and B

Less than two hours after Letby finished the shift during which Child A died she made a Facebook search for Child A’s mother, the court heard.

Another online search for Child A and B’s mother was made on Letby’s Facebook account on the late evening of 10 June 2015, jurors were told.

On 25 June, a third Facebook search for the twins’ mother was made by Letby.

On 9 September, Letby again searched for Child A and B’s mother on Facebook.

Ten days later, she asked a colleague about the twins’ parents.

The colleague said: “They seem good. (The father) seems to be a little less anxious. Loving having (Child B) home.”

Letby replied: “That’s great. She looks like (the mother)!!”

Text conversation with a colleague about other baby deaths

On 30 June 2015, Letby messaged a colleague to say that Child B had moved to a recovery room in the unit following her collapse earlier in the month, the court heard.

Her colleague said: “There’s something odd about that night and the other three that went so suddenly.”

Letby asked: “What do you mean? Odd that we lost three and in different circumstances?”

The colleague replied: “Were they that different? Ignore me, I’m speculating.”

Letby said: “Well (Child C) was tiny, obviously compromised in utero. (Child D) septic. It’s (Child A) I can’t get my head round.”

A staff debrief into the death of Child A was held on 30 July 2015, the court heard.

Letby is alleged to have murdered Child E on 4 August and then tried to kill his twin brother, Child F, the next day.

The trial continues.