Lucy Letby was convicted of murder and attempted murder while working as a neonatal nurse
By Judith Moritz & Daniel O’Donoghue & Lauren Hirst & Monica Rimmer
BBC News
The parents of a baby boy killed by nurse Lucy Letby says she is “horrified that someone so evil exists”.
The 33-year-old was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016.
Her conviction makes her the UK’s most prolific child serial killer in modern British history.
Letby has refused to appear in the dock for her sentencing.
The public gallery is full of parents of the babies – some cried quietly as the victim impact statements were read.
Some of the jury members also appeared upset as they heard the statements.
The mother of Baby C told the court that knowing his murderer was watching over them was like “something out of a horror story”.
Image source, Cheshire Police
Lucy Letby pictured during her first interview in police custody in 2018
“I will always remember the overwhelming wave of emotion I felt when I first held [Baby C],” she said.
“It was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. My tiny feisty boy. My first born. My son.
“The trauma of that night will live with us forever.
“Knowing his murderer was watching us was like something out of a horror story.”
The parents of Baby A and B said “what should have been the happiest time of our lives became our worst nightmare”.
They said perhaps Letby imagined she would be remembered for her crimes but they told the court: “My family will never think of you again – from this day, you are nothing.”
‘Evil disguised’
The mother of Baby D said Letby’s “wicked sense of entitlement and abuse of her role as a trusted nurse” was a “scandal”.
“You failed God and the plans he had for [Baby D]. You even called it fate,” she said.
“You were clearly disconnected with God.”
Watch the moment police arrest Lucy Letby at her home
The mother of Baby E and F described Letby as a “coward” for failing to attend the sentencing hearing, adding: “Our world was shattered when we encountered evil disguised as a caring nurse.”
“Even in these final days of the trial she has tried to control things,” she said.
“The disrespect she has shown the families and the court show what type of person she is.
“We have attended court day in and day out, yet she decides she has had enough, and stays in her cell, just one final act of wickedness from a coward.”
Baby serial killer Lucy Letby
The father of Baby G said she had been left severely disabled as a result of Letby’s attacks.
“What if she outlives us? Who will care for her then?
“Her condition affects every aspect of our lives,” he said.
In a statement, read out on behalf of Baby I’s mother, she said: “When they told us they were arresting someone for [Baby I’s] murder, I remember my whole body shaking.
“We were both absolutely broken that some one could do something so evil to our precious little girl and this has had a massive effect on our family even until this day.
“We dug for years trying to get answers for what had happened and over the years we have been in some very dark places mentally.”
Image source, Cheshire Police
Inside the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital
The father of Baby L and Baby M said: “Initially doctors told us that the whole events that took place in 2016 surrounding my children was normal for premature babies and we believed what the doctors were telling us at the time.
“Little did we know that a year or so after their birth the police would come knocking on the door and break the news that this could be an attempted murder case.”
He said he had been prescribed anti-depressants.
“Even though they have helped they can never take away the feelings I have as a parent knowing now what had truly happened at the Countess of Chester in 2016 and it doesn’t make it any easier to cope with over time,” he said.
Nicholas Johnson KC, prosecuting, told the court Letby’s offending was a “very, very clear case” for a whole-life tariff to be imposed.
He said the murders qualified on a number of grounds, including they were premeditated and they involved an elements of “sadistic conduct”.
Mr Johnson said there was also more than one victim and those victims were children.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also said it was “cowardly” for convicted criminals not to face victims or their families in court.
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