Lucy Letby Compelled to Hear Sentencing Remarks She Previously Avoided After Attempted Murder Conviction

Lucy Letby had to face a judge's sentencing remarks she had previously avoided after being found guilty of trying to kill a baby at the neo-natal unit of Countess of Chester Hospital.

The 34-year-old nurse was caught in the act by a consultant pediatrician in a nursery room in February 2016, intentionally moving the baby girl's breathing tube. 

The baby was swiftly transferred to a specialist hospital the same day and passed away three days later, although her death was not directly caused by Letby's actions, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.

During a retrial on Tuesday, a jury convicted Letby of attempted murder, despite her reluctance to listen to sentencing remarks she had declined to hear last year. 

Nearly a year ago, Letby, from Hereford, was found guilty by another jury of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others at the hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. 

She had refused to attend her sentencing and hear the judge's comments. 

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak criticized Letby's absence, suggesting potential changes in the law to ensure criminals attend their sentencing hearings.

In the retrial, following the previous jury's inability to reach a verdict on the attempted murder charge, prosecutor Nick Johnson KC read a section of the remarks for seven minutes while Letby mostly looked down in the dock.

During the retrial, the jury learned that Letby targeted the baby, known as Child K, shortly after she was moved from the delivery room to the neo-natal unit, just after her premature birth. 

Prosecutors described the baby, born at 25 weeks and weighing only 692g, as extremely fragile. 

About 90 minutes after birth, Letby allegedly removed the baby's breathing tube, which was supplying air and oxygen.

Letby claimed not to remember being in the nursery during her shift that day, but the prosecution alleged she was caught in the act by consultant pediatrician Dr. Ravi Jayaram. 

He testified to finding her beside the infant's incubator, with no signs of assistance as the baby's condition worsened. 

There were no calls for help from Letby nor alarms indicating Child K's sudden drop in blood oxygen levels. 

A post-mortem was not conducted, and the cause of death was attributed to extreme prematurity and severe respiratory distress syndrome.

In April 2018, more than two years later, Letby searched for Child K's surname on Facebook late one Friday night. 

Mr. Johnson KC cited this as part of a pattern of similar searches, asserting that Letby had a disturbing interest in the babies she had allegedly harmed and their families, taking pleasure in what he described as her "murderous handiwork."

A public inquiry into how Letby was able to commit these acts on the neo-natal unit is scheduled to begin at Liverpool Town Hall on September 10th.

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