Lucy Letby's chilling three words after being told she'll die in jail

Lucy Letby said "I am innocent" as she was led away after being told she will die behind bars.

Letby, 34, made the outburst after the mum of her latest victim made an emotional statement in court. Letby had already been found guilty of murdering seven babies and the attempted murder of six others following a previous trial.

Earlier this week, she was found guilty of attempting to murder another infant, known as Child K. Letby was handed another whole life order at Manchester Crown Court this morning (Friday), meaning she is now serving 15 whole-life orders in total, the MEN reports.

As she was sent down to continue her sentence, Letby said: "I am innocent." Moments earlier, the judge, Mr Justice Goss, told her: "Only you know the reason or reasons for your murderous campaign."

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"The impact of your crimes has been immense. You acted in a way that was completely contrary to the normal human instincts of nurturing and caring for babies and in gross breach of the trust that all citizens place in those who work in the medical and caring professions. You will spend the rest of your life in prison."

Earlier, Letby's barrister Ben Myers KC told the judge: "Ms Letby's position remains that she is not guilty of this offence." She attended this morning's sentencing hearing, after refusing to attend her previous sentencing.

The mother of Child K gave a statement in court, addressing Letby and speaking of her devastation at her loss. Earlier this week, Letby was unanimously found guilty of attempting to murder Child K.

She tried to murder the "very premature" infant by dislodging her breathing tube in the early hours of February 17, 2016. Letby targeted Child K after the infant was moved from the delivery room to the neo-natal unit shortly after her premature birth.

The youngster, born at 25 weeks' gestation and weighing just 692g, was described by the prosecution to be the 'epitome of fragility'. About 90 minutes after her birth, Letby deliberately dislodged Child K's breathing tube through which she was being ventilated with air and oxygen.

Consultant paediatrician Dr Ravi Jayaram caught her 'virtually red-handed' as he entered the unit's intensive care room at about 3.45am and he then went on to intervene and resuscitate Child K.

Dr Jayaram told jurors he saw 'no evidence' that she had done anything to help the deteriorating baby as he walked in and saw her standing next to the infant's incubator. He said he heard no call for help from Letby or alarms sounding as Child K's blood oxygen levels suddenly dropped.

Letby told the jury at her re-trial that she had no recollection of any such event. She denied she did anything harmful to Child K and maintained that she had not committed any of the offences she had been convicted of.

After the hearing, Senior Crown Prosecutor Nicola Wyn Williams, of CPS Mersey Cheshire's Complex Casework Unit, said: "Lucy Letby has now been sentenced for another dreadful crime - the attempted murder of yet another baby."

"This has been an incredibly difficult, complex and disturbing case. A trained nurse tasked with looking after the most vulnerable babies used her craft and her skills to become a killer."

"She stood by as the parents of the babies she had killed or tried to kill, grieved and pretended to try and comfort them, all along knowing she was the person responsible. The savagery of her actions has been difficult for the prosecution team to comprehend and has devastated the lives of the families of these babies."

"We still have no idea why she committed these crimes. But the Crown Prosecution Service does not have to prove a motive, we simply need to prove that the defendant committed the crime. Two separate juries have now found her guilty and the sentence passed means she will never be released from prison."

"We know that is little comfort to the families, and our thoughts are with all of them again today."

Deputy Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Evans from Cheshire Police added: "Today, Lucy Letby has been handed another whole life order for attempting to murder a tiny, premature baby."

"This sentence once again reflects the true scale and gravity of her horrific crimes. It also highlights the torturous journey that Baby K's parents have had to endure at court sitting and listening to extremely upsetting and distressing evidence about their newborn daughter against constant denials from Letby. They have had to do this not once, but twice."

"Nothing will take away the pain and suffering that they have had to experience but I hope that the significant sentence and the fact that Letby will spend the rest of her life behind bars will bring some comfort in their darkest hours."

"Baby K's mum showed unbelievable strength and courage today as she read out her victim impact statement to a packed court room and in front of Letby. It was truly heartbreaking to listen to and is a stark reminder of the pain and suffering that she has had to endure along with her husband over a very long period of time."

"I would like to thank them for putting their trust in us and supporting this investigation you are truly remarkable and will always have a place in our hearts."

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