UK - Nurse Lucy Letby Faces 22 Charges - 7 Murder/15 Attempted Murder of Babies #3

[Legally Bland]

12:19pm

The assumption is "The worse it sounds, the more guilty she must be."

12:22pm

Mr Myers outlines the 'key issues' for the defence, in what he says will assist the jury and will place everything into context.
He said his speech, at this stage, will take about a couple of hours, and will break down the defence into three general areas: Letby and the general area of her defence, coincidence, and the medical evidence.

12:23pm

He tells the court the medical evidence is a key area, and there are 'key issues' for each count.

12:24pm

Letby was a "dedicated nurse" "who did her best" to care for infants and did not intentionally cause "any harm" to any baby, My Myers said.
"She loved her job...and cared for the babies' families."

Lucy Letby trial recap: Prosecution finishes outlining case, defence gives statement

THE prosecution in the trial of Lucy Letby, accused of murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit and attempting to…

www.chesterstandard.co.uk

 

[Legally Bland]

12:26pm

"You won't get your answers [to what Letby is like] through seeing her in thed dock.
"This is what she is like six years after the allegations started. That, as you can imagine, is gruelling for anyone.
"You may want to keep that in mind as we go through the evidence in this case."

12:27pm

"A young woman who trained hard to be a nurse...and looked after many vulnerable babies for years.
"A young woman who loved what she did, and found she was being blamed for the deaths of the babies she cared for.
"We are dealing with a real person dealing with...a litany of allegations...not one of which has been proved."

Lucy Letby trial recap: Prosecution finishes outlining case, defence gives statement

THE prosecution in the trial of Lucy Letby, accused of murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit and attempting to…

www.chesterstandard.co.uk

 

[Music2022]

"What we are left with is coincidence.

"In the events that happened. Sometimes what happened was the result of deterioration in a baby.

"Sometimes, no-one can say what caused a deterioration.

"Sometimes, things have gone wrong, or the necessary standards of care have not been met, irrespective of anything to do with Lucy Letby. For that, she should not get the blame."

Exactly as I said previously, defence going down the route of ‘coincidence’.

I’ll repeat…I’m finding it very difficult to buy into the ‘coincidence’ theory/reasoning (that I’m sure the defence will use). in cases of isolated incidents, absolutely. However, for 7 deaths and 15 near-deaths to occur in little over a years period under the care/eye of one staff member (who in a large number of the instances wasn’t even their designated nurse) is damning (IMO). Especially when in some instances these were infants who had been otherwise ‘well’ then suddenly deteriorated with no known cause. Additionally, many of these infants ‘collapsed’ in similar manners and presented with similar symptoms (mottling/vomiting/air in abdomen etc). Also, in the attempted murder charges - these infants made remarkable recoveries when removed from LL’s care.

That to me is no coincidence. (Again, MOO).

Also strange coincidence how babies in her care got too much insulin out of nowhere (at least twice? I don't remember). Would like to see the defence tell how many other babies on the ward got so much phantom insulin in their blood in the care of other nurses?

 

[kittythehare]

12:26pm

"You won't get your answers [to what Letby is like] through seeing her in thed dock.
"This is what she is like six years after the allegations started. That, as you can imagine, is gruelling for anyone.
"You may want to keep that in mind as we go through the evidence in this case."

12:27pm

"A young woman who trained hard to be a nurse...and looked after many vulnerable babies for years.
"A young woman who loved what she did, and found she was being blamed for the deaths of the babies she cared for.
"We are dealing with a real person dealing with...a litany of allegations...not one of which has been proved."

Lucy Letby trial recap: Prosecution finishes outlining case, defence gives statement

THE prosecution in the trial of Lucy Letby, accused of murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit and attempting to…

www.chesterstandard.co.uk

'trained hard' is something I might apply to an athlete.
Nurse training is standard.
( stopping myself now)

 

[Legally Bland]

12:32pm

Mr Myers refers back to the note shown to the court just before the break.
He said it is a note written in anguish and despair.
She was "going through a grievance procedure" with the NHS at the time, the court hears, and knew what was being said about her before her arrest.
The allegations were "destructive", the court hears.
The note is headed 'not good enough'. The defence notes it does not say 'guilty'.
The note adds: "I will never have children or marry".
Another part of the note says "I haven't done anything wrong".
Mr Myers: "We say people can pour feelings on to paper.
"This [paper] represents the anguished state of mind Letby felt when accused of killing children she had cared for.
"We say this paper represents 'anguish' and not 'guilt'."

Lucy Letby trial recap: Prosecution finishes outlining case, defence gives statement

THE prosecution in the trial of Lucy Letby, accused of murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit and attempting to…

www.chesterstandard.co.uk

 

[Whitehall 1212]

The only other explanations are mental breakdown or it was a record of harassing comments by others, either online, over the phone or in person.

Absolutely,

It sounds absolutely damning and it may well be. There is certainly an element of timing and no doubt Mr Johnson has been delivering the last few lines in the mirror for weeks.

When considered dispassionately there could be a number of explanations for that piece of paper, with those words, which could totally alter the context of how they came to be.

As you would expect Mr Johnson KC had the jury and the rest of us in the palm of his hand!

 

[Legally Bland]

12:33pm

There was further paperwork the police took from Letby's address at the time of her arrest.
The defence say the paperwork was "nothing more extraordinary" that Letby being someone who scribbles a lot of work down, and keeps hold of it.

Lucy Letby trial recap: Prosecution finishes outlining case, defence gives statement

THE prosecution in the trial of Lucy Letby, accused of murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit and attempting to…

www.chesterstandard.co.uk

 

[Eloise]

"What we are left with is coincidence.

"In the events that happened. Sometimes what happened was the result of deterioration in a baby.

"Sometimes, no-one can say what caused a deterioration.

"Sometimes, things have gone wrong, or the necessary standards of care have not been met, irrespective of anything to do with Lucy Letby. For that, she should not get the blame."

Exactly as I said previously, defence going down the route of ‘coincidence’.

I’ll repeat…I’m finding it very difficult to buy into the ‘coincidence’ theory/reasoning (that I’m sure the defence will use). in cases of isolated incidents, absolutely. However, for 7 deaths and 15 near-deaths to occur in little over a years period under the care/eye of one staff member (who in a large number of the instances wasn’t even their designated nurse) is damning (IMO). Especially when in some instances these were infants who had been otherwise ‘well’ then suddenly deteriorated with no known cause. Additionally, many of these infants ‘collapsed’ in similar manners and presented with similar symptoms (mottling/vomiting/air in abdomen etc). Also, in the attempted murder charges - these infants made remarkable recoveries when removed from LL’s care.

That to me is no coincidence. (Again, MOO).

I feel like the prosecution have already done a good job of preempting the "it's a coincidence" defense. Like they knew that's what they'd be leaning on, and painstakingly already have said how 'It's a coincidence" isn't good enough and it's beyond that and have already started to show that even before actually giving the evidence. I feel like the defence are definitely going to need a lot more than that. JMO

Maybe pedantic of me but patient notes are written in a continuation..
The nurse writing subsequent notes would have raised an alarm at the missing notes..
unless there were duplications created for some reason?
She had overheard the consultant querying matters
'should I be worried?'
Were they originals or copies?

Not sure what system was in use there at the time.

I guess these more granular details will come out when we actually see the evidence.

 

[Legally Bland]

12:34pm

The defence say the prosecution case is "driven by the assumption of someone doing deliberate harm combined by the coincidence of Letby's presence."

Lucy Letby trial recap: Prosecution finishes outlining case, defence gives statement

THE prosecution in the trial of Lucy Letby, accused of murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit and attempting to…

www.chesterstandard.co.uk

 

[Tortoise]

1m ago12:32

'You won't get the answers simply looking at the woman in the dock'​

Ben Myers tells the jury he is "barely touching" on the detail involved in this case today.
He says the defence's opening statement will not be as detailed as the four-day opening the prosecution has put forward. More detail will come later in the trial.
He says he will touch on "failings at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit that have nothing to do with Lucy Letby".
Letby was a "dedicated nurse", Mr Myers says, who "trained hard" to look after the babies at the unit and "in no way did she want to hurt them".
Letby "loved her job... cared deeply about the babies she looked after, and cared deeply for their families", the court is told.
"You won't get the answers to this case simply by looking at the woman in the dock now," he says.
"This is where she is six years after starting to face allegations like this. As you can imagine, that must be utterly gruelling for anyone."
Mr Myers says the jury "might want to keep the effect of that in mind" when they examine evidence in the case.
"Anybody who is approaching this as if it is any kind of done deal has got it very badly wrong," the court is told.
In the dock, Letby continues staring straight ahead.

1m ago12:34

Letby wrote 'I'll never have children or marry' in 'confession' note​

The court is once again shown what - the prosecution says - was Letby's confession note.
But Mr Myers says these are the writings of an "anguished woman in despair" who is realising the enormity of what is facing her.
A line on the note, which is being shown to the court, says Letby has an "overwhelming fear... I'll never have children or marry... I will never know what it's like to have a family... despair."
He says the note does not "accurately reflect" what has happened, but was written by Letby while upset, who "poured her feelings onto paper as a way of coping".

Lucy Letby trial - latest: Nurse 'took photo of baby brothers in cot after murdering them'

 

[Legally Bland]

12:37pm

That is, Mr Myers said, combined with Letby "not doing" what is alleged against her.
"You will find, from what we have heard, no evidence of her actually doing harm to a child.
"These allegations are of attacks. You will have heard words of poisoning, sabotage - words likely to have had an emotional impact on you.
"You will have to refer to whether Letby is engaged in any of the attacks alleged.
"Using syringes to inject air? No. Tampering with bags of fluid - or poisoning them? No. Physically assaulting children? Smothering them?
"We are dealing with 24 events and we say there is nothing [to suggest that]."

Lucy Letby trial recap: Prosecution finishes outlining case, defence gives statement

THE prosecution in the trial of Lucy Letby, accused of murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit and attempting to…

www.chesterstandard.co.uk

 

[merrypason]

There we go, he says the note means 'anguish' and not 'guilt'. Not questioning the veracity of it.

I personally can't see the spin that the person who was charged with the babies' health and safety is more anguished than the parents' she was stalking. Unless he has evidence that she was as anguished about the unexplained deaths of so many of her patients, and was doing her utmost to figure it out and change things BEFORE being investigated - I see this as taking zero accountability for the gravity of the role she was tasked with.

Working hard to be a nurse is easy. It's how much responsibility you take for the damage mistakes and not following protocol cause that's harder.

But this feels like he doesn't think LL had any personal responsibility to the babies in ensuring their safety/welfare.

 

[Legally Bland]

12:39pm

"The time of Letby's presence has itself become an explanation for the deterioration."

Lucy Letby trial recap: Prosecution finishes outlining case, defence gives statement

THE prosecution in the trial of Lucy Letby, accused of murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit and attempting to…

www.chesterstandard.co.uk

 

[WhoIsThatGuy]

I guarantee you one thing. Some serious cheddar is being spent by LL and her parents on her defence. 6 month trial? Jeez

 

[Powermjp]

In my opinion the note doesn't even show guilt or she feels bad.

Rather she is admitting she is evil, and if this note is true maybe people like that cannot feel sympathy, it feels to me like the true inners of her

 

[cuecard]

The defence taking the approach to the note that I think we all expected.

 

[Sarahlou]

I guarantee you one thing. Some serious cheddar is being spent by LL and her parents on her defence. 6 month trial? Jeez

I honestly don't know how it can go on that long when she admitted what she had done in a note. I mean i understand they still have to go through everything but it seems a complete waste of everyone's time.

 

[kittythehare]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1580521853684428801

 

[Legally Bland]

12:43pm

The list on nursing staff on duty for all the fatal and non-fatal collapses, with Letby on duty for all events, is shown again to the court.
"This table exists because the prosecution created it, and was put together for the purpose of the prosecution."It was to show what were declared to be key events.
"This is a self-serving document. What we have here is because the prosecution have chosen to present it this way."
The defence says it does not show the 'individual health of the children concerned, or any problems they had from birth, or the risks, or the course of treatment and/or problems encountered by said treatment'.
The chart does not show 'other collapses or desaturations' for the children when Letby is not present.

Lucy Letby trial recap: Prosecution finishes outlining case, defence gives statement

THE prosecution in the trial of Lucy Letby, accused of murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit and attempting to…

www.chesterstandard.co.uk

 

[Legally Bland]

12:44pm

The table does not show 'shortcomnigs in care' which 'could have impacted the health of the baby', or 'how busy the unit was', or 'what Letby was actually doing at the time of the event', My Myers tells the court.

Lucy Letby trial recap: Prosecution finishes outlining case, defence gives statement

THE prosecution in the trial of Lucy Letby, accused of murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit and attempting to…

www.chesterstandard.co.uk