Nurse Lucy Letby has been declared guilty of the murder of seven infants on a neonatal unit, solidifying her as the most prolific child serial killer in modern UK history.
The 33-year-old has also been convicted of attempting to kill six other infants at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.
Letby intentionally administered air injections to some babies, force-fed others milk, and poisoned two infants with insulin.
She chose not to appear in the dock for the recent verdicts, which were delivered over several hearings but kept confidential until jurors were discharged.
Upon hearing the guilty verdicts, Letby broke down in tears, while her mother expressed disbelief, saying, “this can’t be right – you can’t be serious.” Families of the affected babies also reacted with tears and gasps.
Notably, Letby was found not guilty of two counts of attempted murder, and the jury couldn’t reach verdicts on six additional attempted murder charges.
Prosecutor Nicholas Johnson KC requested 28 days to consider whether a retrial would be pursued for the remaining six counts.
Described as a “calculating and devious” opportunist by the prosecution, Letby was accused of “gaslighting” colleagues to conceal her “murderous assaults” during the trial.
The conviction follows a lengthy investigation by Cheshire Police into the alarming increase in deaths and near-fatal collapses of premature babies at the hospital.
Letby’s defense argued that the deaths and collapses were due to “serial failures in care” and that she was a victim of a “system that wanted to apportion blame when it failed.”
The trial, which began in October 2022, lasted over 10 months, making it one of the longest murder trials in the UK.
A family member of one of the babies left the courtroom upon hearing that the jury couldn’t return verdicts on the remaining six counts. Some jurors appeared visibly upset.
As the judge discharged the jury, he acknowledged the distressing nature of the case, excusing the panel from future jury service.
Letby is scheduled to be sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on August 21. She has indicated, through her legal team, that she does not wish to attend the sentencing hearing or follow proceedings via a videolink from prison.
