The Lucy Letby sentencing is still the leading news story in the UK. To imagine a killer stalking the corridors of a hospital neonatal unit is an unthinkable evil. That a young, smiling woman in blue NHS scrubs could carry out these crimes is somehow even worse. 33-year-old Nurse Lucy Letby has cemented herself as one of Britain’s worst serial killers.
Following a nine-month trial and over three weeks of deliberations, a jury found Lucy Letby guilty of 14 of the 22 counts she faced, after she embarked on a campaign of horror at the Countess of Chester Hospital. And on 22 August, Lucy Letby was given a whole life term sentence, with no chance of parole, for the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of six more.
What did Lucy Letby do?
Lucy Letby was found guilty on Friday of murdering seven premature infants and attempting to murder six others when she was working on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. The jury heard how she deliberately injected newborns with air, force-fed others milk, or poisoned them with insulin.
Despite claiming she had been the victim of a 'conspiracy' Lucy's account was rejected by the jury and she was found guilty, making her one of the country’s most prolific child killers. Letby was cleared of two counts of attempted murder and the jury was unable to reach verdicts on six further attempted murder counts relating to five babies.
Two of the babies who survived - a girl, now eight, and a boy, now seven, sustained brain damage as a result of her attacks. The girl, who was born 15 weeks early and given just a 5% chance of survival, has since been diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy. She is nil by mouth and requires 24-hour care.
An independent inquiryhas also been set up to understand how Letby was able to carry out the killings and attempt six others before being reported to the police.
How was Lucy Letby caught?
Thousands of pieces of evidence were gathered for the trial against Lucy Letby, detailing her "cruel, calculated and cynical campaign" of murder and attempted murder of babies at the Countess of Chester hospital.
Among other things, notes inside her diary were found with disturbing messages that provide an insight into her frame of mind. One post-It note found inside a 2016 diary, said: 'I AM EVIL I DID THIS.'
It also said, 'I killed them on purpose because I'm not good enough' and another note said, 'I'm sorry you couldn't have a chance at life'.
She also had a bag of hospital documents at home and her defence was that she liked to 'collect paper'. Letby was also accused of potential sadism by the judge for sending letters of condolences to the bereaved parents of the babies she killed. One such card read, 'Thinking of you today and always - sorry I cannot be there to say goodbye.'
What is Lucy Letby's sentence?
Lucy Letby was sentenced to a whole-life order by judge Mr Justice Goss, with no chance of parole. This means she will spend the rest of her life in prison.
What is a whole life term sentence?
A whole life order means you will never be released from prison, except in exceptional compassionate circumstances. They are the most severe punishment available in England's criminal justice system and are reserved for those who commit the most heinous crimes.
Prisoners given a whole-life order are only considered for release if there are exceptional compassionate grounds. Under the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill, which passed through parliament last year, the government has expanded the use of whole-life orders for premeditated murder of a child.
Will Lucy Letby appeal her sentence?
No, Letby has been sentenced to life imprisonment with no chance of ever being released.
What prison is Lucy Letby in now?
Lucy Letby has been placed in HMP Low Newton, a maximum security prison that is home to many of the worst female serial killers in recent history. Located in the village of Brasside near Durham, the prison accepts female inmates from across the north of England and holds a number of lifers and juvenile prisoners.
Read the judge's statement in the Lucy Letby sentencing
Judge Mr Justice Goss said that for the offence of murder, Lucy Letby's sentence is fixed by law and is imprisonment for life. 'You are now 33... I have to determine whether the seriousness of the offences is sufficiently high that I should not make a minimum term,' he said. 'These are offences of very exceptional seriousness. This was a cruel, calculated and cynical campaign of child murder involving the smallest and most vulnerable of children... you created situations so that collapses and causes of collapses could not be obvious.
'You checked up on parents... there was a deep malevolence bordering on sadism... you have no remorse... there are no mitigating factors... the offences are of sufficient severity to require a whole life order,' he continued. 'I sentence you to prison for life. I direct that the early release provisions do not apply. A whole life order on every offence and you will spend the rest of your life in prison.'
Ahead of Lucy Letby's sentencing, the judge had also said the following:
'Lucy Letby... when employed as a nurse... you murdered seven babies and attempted to murder 6 others, in the case of one of them trying on occasions two weeks apart. You acted in a way that was completely contrary to normal human instincts. You deliberately harmed them intending to kill them... in your evidence you said that hurting a baby is completely against everything that being a nurse is. There is no doubt that you are intelligent and outwardly were a very conscientious and professional nurse which enabled you to repeatedly harm babies on the unit without arousing suspicion.'
Why did Lucy Letby not attend her sentencing?
Letby refused to attend court and the judge said 'accordingly I have to sentence her in her absence. I shall deliver the remarks as if she is present to hear them and I direct that she shall receive a copy of them and the victim impact statements.' Last week, Letby indicated to her legal team that she will not take any part in the hearing. The judge said the court has no power to force a defendant to attend a sentencing hearing but a government source suggested 'lawful enforcement' could be used as a last resort to ensure Letby attends if it is considered necessary, reasonable and proportionate.
What did the family of Lucy Letby's victims say in their statements?
T_he Guardian_ reports the family statements from court. A statement by the mother of Child N, a baby boy born with haemophilia, was read to the court. Letby tried to murder the newborn by injecting him with air and thrusting a nasogastric tube down his throat. It was an 'utterly catastrophic' scene as doctors tried to save their little boy, she says, and has left a 'lasting imprint' on their lives.
Were Lucy Letby's parents at her sentencing?
Letby's parents John and Susan Letby were also not present at sentencing. They have both been present every day at court but have chosen not to attend the sententcing.