The 34-year-old, already convicted for the murder of seven infants and the attempted murder of six others, was found guilty of attempting to murder Baby K. This verdict brings relief to the baby’s parents after an earlier jury failed to reach a decision in August.
Letby, who was sentenced to 14 whole-life orders at Manchester Crown Court for her previous crimes at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016, was found guilty on Tuesday, July 2, of trying to murder Baby K by dislodging her breathing tube just 90 minutes after her birth.
The jury took nearly four hours to deliver their verdict following a four-week retrial. Letby reportedly showed no emotion as the guilty verdict was read out.
Baby K, a very premature infant, was targeted by Letby after being moved from the delivery room to the neonatal unit. The prosecution stated that Letby interfered with Baby K’s breathing tube on two more occasions during the same shift to create the impression that the baby was displacing her own tube.
Consultant paediatrician Dr. Ravi Jayaram testified that he caught Letby ‘virtually red-handed’ when he entered the neonatal unit at 3:45 am on February 17, 2016. He observed Letby standing by Baby K’s incubator, taking no action to help as the baby’s oxygen levels dropped, with no call for help or alarms sounding.
Baby K was subsequently moved to a specialist hospital due to her premature birth but died three days later. The cause of death was listed as extreme prematurity and severe respiratory distress syndrome, but no post-mortem examination was conducted.
Letby claimed to have no recollection of the events and denied the offenses. However, she was found to have searched for Baby K’s surname on Facebook in April 2018, almost two years later. Prosecutor Nick Johnson KC argued that Letby had a pattern of fascination with the babies she harmed and their families, taking pleasure in her actions.
Senior Crown Prosecutor Nicola Wyn Williams stated, “Lucy Letby has continually denied that she tried to kill this baby or any of the babies she has been convicted of murdering or attempting to murder. The jury has heard all of the detailed evidence including from her in her own defense and formed its own view.”
Williams described how Letby was caught in the act by a doctor who found a very premature baby desaturating while Letby stood by, taking no action to help or raise the alarm. Letby had deliberately dislodged the breathing tube in an attempt to kill the baby, then dislodged it two more times over the following hours to cover her tracks.
Letby will be sentenced for the attempted murder of Baby K on July 5 at Manchester Crown Court. Additionally, a public inquiry is set to begin in September to investigate how Letby was able to commit her crimes.
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