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Lucy Letby cried when telling police about deaths of two triplets, court hears | Lucy Letby cried when telling police about deaths of two triplets, court hears |
(32 minutes later) | |
Neonatal nurse in tears when being questioned about babies she allegedly murdered on return from holiday, jury told | Neonatal nurse in tears when being questioned about babies she allegedly murdered on return from holiday, jury told |
Lucy Letby cried as she described the “devastating” deaths of two babies from a set of triplets she allegedly murdered a day apart before being removed from frontline nursing, a court has heard. | |
The neonatal nurse broke down in tears as she was questioned by police about the babies she allegedly killed immediately after returning from a holiday to Ibiza, Manchester crown court was told on Tuesday. | |
Letby, 33, denies murdering seven babies and attempting to kill another 10 between June 2015 and June 2016 at the Countess of Chester hospital. She is accused of murdering 48-hour-old Child O by injecting his nasogastric tube with air before fatally attacking his brother, Child P, the same way a day later. | |
Jurors were told on Tuesday how Letby cried as she told police of the “panic” in the neo natal unit when Child P suddenly deteriorated a day after the death of his brother. | |
Asked by police how she felt when Child P unexpectedly died, Letby broke down and said: “It was just devastating for us all and then to have them both … ” | |
The nurse said she dressed the dead brothers and took photographs of them in their Moses basket at the request of their parents. Asked whether it was normal for a nurse to do this, she told officers: “If that is what they wanted me to do, I wanted to do it. As I said, they wanted me to dress them as well.” | |
The brothers were allegedly the sixth and seventh babies murdered by Letby in 12 months before she was removed from frontline nursing in June 2016. | The brothers were allegedly the sixth and seventh babies murdered by Letby in 12 months before she was removed from frontline nursing in June 2016. |
The trial has been told that Letby was placed on non-clerical duties in the hospital’s risk and patient safety office after consultants raised concerns about her “common link” to numerous patient collapses on the unit. | |
The jury heard on Thursday how Letby had been told about the birth of the triplets in a text message shortly before she was due to return from a holiday in Ibiza. She replied that she would be “back in with a bang lol”. | The jury heard on Thursday how Letby had been told about the birth of the triplets in a text message shortly before she was due to return from a holiday in Ibiza. She replied that she would be “back in with a bang lol”. |
Philip Astbury, prosecuting, told the court that following their deaths, Letby messaged a colleague to say she was “worried in case there was a bug on the unit”. The nurse, originally from Hereford, denied in a police interview that she was trying to create an alternative explanation for the unexpected deaths in an attempt to deflect suspicion. | |
She told officers: “There had been discussions on the unit about whether there might be something wrong with the unit in itself, a bug or with the equipment, that might have affected the boys themselves.” | She told officers: “There had been discussions on the unit about whether there might be something wrong with the unit in itself, a bug or with the equipment, that might have affected the boys themselves.” |
Earlier, Letby was asked why she had taken a photograph of a sympathy card she sent to the parents of a baby girl she allegedly murdered on her fourth attempt. | Earlier, Letby was asked why she had taken a photograph of a sympathy card she sent to the parents of a baby girl she allegedly murdered on her fourth attempt. |
The nurse said she often took pictures of cards, and added: “It was upsetting losing [Child I] and I think it was nice to remember the kind words that I hoped I’d shared with that family.” | The nurse said she often took pictures of cards, and added: “It was upsetting losing [Child I] and I think it was nice to remember the kind words that I hoped I’d shared with that family.” |
The trial continues. | The trial continues. |