Lucy Letby denies murdering triplet to get attention of doctor 'she had a crush on'
As the trial continues, Yahoo News UK sets out who Letby is, her background and what she has been charged with.
Nurse Lucy Letby has denied attacking a baby boy to get the attention of a doctor who prosecutors have suggested she “had a crush on”.
The 33-year-old nurse from Hereford is accused of murdering seven babies and the attempted murder of 10 others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. Letby denies all charges.
The prosecution has alleged Letby had a crush on a doctor who worked at the same hospital, but the nurse has insisted they were just friends.
On Thursday the prosecution focused on the death of newborn triplet, Child O, on her first shift back following a holiday in Ibiza.
Both were on shift on 23 June 2016 when Letby called for assistance at about 1.15pm after Child O vomited following a milk feed.
Medical entries showed Letby signed for the feed but, giving her 13th day of evidence, the defendant told the court that the child was actually fed by a student nurse she was mentoring.
Prosecutor Nick Johnson KC asked Letby if she overfed Child O, which she denied.
90 minutes after Child O became unwell Letby called for the doctor's assistance - who cannot be named for legal reasons.
Letby told the court "I wanted him to be with (Child O)" but denied she requested his presence for personal reasons when pressed by Johnson.
Child O continued to decline throughout the afternoon and was pronounced dead at 5.47pm.
Johnson accused Letby of then turning her attention to Child O’s brother Child P who was also in her care.
The trial continues.
Latest updates on the Lucy Letby trial:
Lucy Letby tells court she kept baby's medical notes under her bed because she 'collects paper' (Sky News, 3 min)
Lucy Letby 'one of only two nurses on duty when babies poisoned eight months apart' (Sky News, 3 min)
Lucy Letby ‘attacked babies just after their parents left their cotsides’ (Hereford Times, 4 min)
Who is Lucy Letby and where is she from?
Letby's address has been given in court as Arran Avenue, Hereford, but the 33-year-old is known to have lived in the Blacon area of Chester.
She worked at the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit.
In a 2013 interview with the Chester and District Standard newspaper, the nurse said she cared for babies requiring various levels of support.
She had worked at the unit as a student nurse during three years of training before qualifying as a children's nurse at the University of Chester in 2011.
Letby said she started working at the unit after graduating.
When was Lucy Letby arrested and what is she charged with?
Letby was arrested three times over the space of two years during an investigation into baby deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit.
The first arrest was in July 2018, on suspicion of the murder of eight babies and the attempted murder of six babies. She was bailed.
Letby was then rearrested in June 2019, again on suspicion of the murder of eight babies and the attempted murder of six babies. This time, she was also arrested on suspicion of the attempted murder of three additional babies. She was bailed.
Finally, in November 2020, Letby was rearrested on suspicion of the murder of eight babies and the attempted murder of nine babies.
One day later, police charged Letby with eight counts of murder and 10 of attempted murder. The charges related to a period between June 2015 and June 2016.
She pleaded not guilty to the charges at a hearing at Manchester Crown Court in October 2021.
In June last year, Letby had one not guilty verdict recorded for one of the murder charges.
It meant that when she went on trial in October last year, she faced seven murder charges (five boys and two girls) and 10 attempted murder charges (five boys and five girls).
Letby denies the alleged offences. The trial continues.