UK - Nurse Lucy Letby Faces 22 Charges - 7 Murder/15 Attempted Murder of Babies #9

[Tortoise]

A very condensed timeline for baby H. It excludes some medical history just for the purpose of shortening it up and because of unclear facts about times in the reporting. It is also a summary of the evidence put into my own words, so do not take texts etc as verbatim.


22 Sep 2015, Tue

Baby H was born at 34 weeks weighing 5lb 2oz. She had breathing difficulties shortly after birth. The case is complicated by “sub-optimal” treatment.


24 Sep 2015, Thu

morning - LL texted a colleague ‘it’s completely unsafe’ at the end of her night shift (reference to the unit being full and busy)


8pm – LL was designated nurse for H – no allegations this shift.

Evening - Registrar Dr Alison Ventress inserted a needle in the chest to withdraw air, and inserted a first (pigtail) chest drain to prevent air accumulating in the chest.


25 Sep 2015, Fri

Early morning

In the early hours H desaturated and it was because her chest drain had stopped functioning. Dr Ventress aspirated air from the chest. More air accumulated and Dr Ventress called in consultant Dr Jayaram. Dr Jayaram inserted a second (straight) chest drain, and sutured it in. Defence says it wasn’t in the optimal position and could interfere with the heart, if it moves. An x-ray at some point showed that the drain worked and a lot of the air had disappeared. Dr Jayaram testified he didn’t insert the drain in the optimal position because there was already a drain there and the x-ray showed the air was accumulating lower down where he did insert the drain.


--


Evening

8pm – LL was designated nurse for baby H and was alone with her in room 1. No other babies in there. This shift is the first attempted murder allegation.

At 11pm a blood transfusion was started.


26 Sep 2015, Sat

1.30am – LL administered a morphine bolus.

2am – blood transfusion complete.

2.15am – Consultant Dr John Gibbs inserted a third chest drain. Dr Gibbs says child H was stable and in good condition (about an hour before H’s collapse).

2.50am – LL administered a dose of saline to run for 20 mins.

3.05am – an unsigned piece of paper says the blood transfusion ended at 3.05am.

3.22am – Baby H’s collapse, cardiac arrest, required resuscitation. 1st attempted murder charge. Registrar Dr Ventress recorded “no trigger identified”. 3 doses of adrenaline administered. Consultant Dr John Gibbs was summoned back from home. CPR lasted for 22 minutes. Dr Gibbs had wondered if it was caused by chest drains against the heart but subsequent ultrasounds showed that had not happened. The mother was woken up and taken to the unit. The parents were worried about brain damage and Dr Gibbs offered to give baby H a blessing.


When LL came off shift manager Yvonne Griffiths texted her and commended her for her work. LL thanked her and said it was nice to hear, after other recent not so positive comments about her role.



--


Evening

8pm – LL’s night shift designated two babies in room 2. Nurse Shelley Tomlins was H’s designated nurse in room 1, the only baby in room 1 that night. Nurse Christopher Booth was shift-leader. This shift is the 2nd attempted murder allegation.

Just before 9pm - H desaturated. Registrar Dr Matthew Neame attended. Baby H’s breathing tube was blocked with secretions.

Abt 9.30pm - LL messaged a colleague to say H had a stable day and she was helping Shelley with H “so at least still involved but haven’t got the responsibility”. She also messaged Dr Ventress to tell her about the blocked tube, and they had removed the original (1st) drain.

Just before 11pm - LL texted a colleague about forgetting to record Strictly.

11pm – Baby H’s parents left the unit to go to bed in a room nearby.


27 Sep 2015, Sun

12.45-12.46am – LL was on Facebook liking a post and a photo.

12.55pm – 2nd attempted murder charge - Designated nurse Shelley Tomlins may have been on a break or out of the room and LL was treating H & her signatures on medicine administrations when H had a profound desaturation. Staff were crash called. LL gave the history to the attending doctor, registrar Dr Neame. This time there were no secretions in the breathing tube. CPR was carried out for 6 minutes and adrenaline administered. Parents were woken again.

Abt 5am H was transferred to Arrowe Park hospital. Dr Neame wrote in the transfer letter that she had respiratory problems but no precipitating factors could be found for the two crashes requiring CPR & adrenaline.



After coming off shift LL texted her colleague saying none of us had breaks and this always seems to happen at night with less people. She also texted about thinking about the Liverpool Women’s hospital if it were closer.

 

[Tortoise]

Its pecked my head what's written under the HATE circle.

In my opinion those words are -

How will things ever be like they used to.

'they used' is overwritten by the heavy black circle
'to' is overwritten by the word FEAR on the right edge.

Underneath that line, just before IDID THIS are the two words 'they won't'

I believe it was an answer to the question

How will things ever be like they used to - they won't

 

[Tortoise]

Maybe she was clarifying for whomever would read her note?

Maybe she contemplated possibly ending her life ?

Yes, total speculation, but I think she was contemplating suicide, (world is better off without me/I don't deserve to live) because she couldn't see a future she wanted to live for.

She specifically mentions fear and other references to the future. (what does the future hold/how can I get through it/how will things ever be like they used to - they won't/I'll never have children or marry/I'll never know what it's like to have a family)

I think it may have been notes for a letter she was going to write.

 

[ColourPurple]

Maybe she was clarifying for whomever would read her note?

Maybe she contemplated possibly ending her life ?

Yes, total speculation, but I think she was contemplating suicide, (world is better off without me/I don't deserve to live) because she couldn't see a future she wanted to live for.

She specifically mentions fear and other references to the future. (what does the future hold/how can I get through it/how will things ever be like they used to - they won't/I'll never have children or marry/I'll never know what it's like to have a family)

I think it may have been notes for a letter she was going to write.

And the "Kill myself right now". I hadn't contemplated that this could have been a suicide note, or ended up as one ( after she started putting all her thoughts down on paper) but that would actually fit.

 

[Sweeper2000]

Its pecked my head what's written under the HATE circle.

that gap in between is too large, I’m not sure of what precedes and comes after but I would guess the last three letters are “sed”. Looking at the way she writes the letter s it would seem so.

 

[Tortoise]

Trial's started. Looks like chester standard is absent again

Manchester Crown Court​	7​	T20217088​	Lucy Letby​
Details: Trial (Part Heard) - 10:30

https://www.thelawpages.com/court-hearings-lists/Manchester-Crown-Court.php

 

[Sweeper2000]

But she is not asking a question. She is making a statement.

" I Killed them on purpose..." is not a question

To who?

 

[Sweeper2000]

If she had written "I killed them because I'm not good enough," it might suggest the babies died because she made tragic mistakes or from negligence.

But instead she wrote, "I killed them on purpose," which leaves little doubt that she meant purposely opposed to accidentally.

Even if she knew perfectly well her actions were intentional, it doesn't change the meaning of the words, "I did it on purpose."

im totally with everyone in regards to the meaning of the words but my point is the presence of the words may well have been implicative that it was designed for reception to an external audience. It’s a statement plus a reason. Both IMO implicative.

 

[Sweeper2000]

Just looking at the way the note is written, i would agree it shows progression of thought and emotion. We certainly IMO see strong emotion towards the end. I would guess it was written all in one go but a very different degree of feeling between the start and end and the different passages in the note. It starts quite lucid and finishes with what seems to be a cascade of emotion with elevating degree of emotion.

 

[katydid23]

To who?

Good question. She never threw it away or destroyed it, so maybe she expected it might be found at some point?

 

[Tortoise]

3.05am – an unsigned piece of paper says the blood transfusion ended at 3.05am.

I'm curious about the implication that this was perhaps a false record.

This was the electronic evidence about this -

"A morphine bolus is administered to Child H at 1.30am on September 26, and the blood transfusion is recorded by Letby as being completed at 2am.
However, a separate, handwritten paper record shows the blood transfusion having been completed at 3.05am. This separate record is not signed by anyone.
Letby records 'poor blood gas and 100% oxygen requirement' and a third chest drain was inserted around this time, the court hears.
Dr John Gibbs records this as being about 2.15am, as the chest x-ray showed a re-accumulation of Child H's left-sided pneumothorax. A further, third chest drain was inserted to relieve the pressure."

https://www.chesterstandard.co.uk/news/23258396.recap-lucy-letby-trial-wednesday-january-18/


I'm wondering if it's :

1.30am morphine
2am - blood transfusion completed
2am / 2.15am - blood gas problem recorded by Dr Gibbs
2.15am - Dr Gibbs inserted third drain because x-ray showed collection of air in left lung
3.05am?? - LL records poor blood gas/3rd drain inserted? Also records with no sig. blood transfusion completed at 3.05am?
3.22am - Baby H collapse & then cardiac arrest

So did LL move the air in chest problem/chest drain insertion to 3.05am in her notes, and fill in a sheet saying blood transfusion ended at this time too but never signed it, about 15 mins before the collapse, because consultant Dr Gibbs had gone back home?? If so, we're missing a big part of the prosecutions allegations around the 1st collapse, or it's just not coming through in the reporting.

JMO

 

[Sweeper2000]

Good question. She never threw it away or destroyed it, so maybe she expected it might be found at some point?

i‘m confident there was no attempt to hide this note which would imply it wasn’t seen as significant by the writer. The police certainly would have mentioned if it was deliberately hidden for instance found in the middle of a closed book, placed deliberately in a hard to find spot like under a book shelf any attempt to hide it would have been mentioned because it suggests it was important and is useful to the prosecution as well as suggests that the writer knew when writing it the implications if found and as is alleged in other aspects of the trial was trying to hide it. as I said before as well the fact it was found is suggestive that it wasn’t important and or seen as something to hide by someone who is genuinely feeling guilty or trying to hide from consequences. I doubt it was meant to be found and or supposed to be taken as earnestly written, That would also be in line with someone who has pled “not guilty”.

just the way the note reads with increasing emotion, especially after the middle section or after “how will things be”. It’s obviously IMO written under duress or very pressing emotion, perhaps not written in a serious and ordered frame of mind after that sentence.

I might take a guess and say the anxiety present in not knowing what the future holds is the point at which the doors open so to speak and we see elevating emotions and an increase in unordered vocabulary. Everything before that sentence seems to be written in the present whereas everything after seems to be loaded with torrents of emotion and revolving around an uncertain future.

if it was a serious confession we would see the same straight forward, relatively cold and more mature language we see at the beginning of the letter Which would imply it was written in earnest much the same as the beginning of the letter.

Think of a child saying “I’m going to run away forever” as a kind of relative but extreme example.

that’s just my opinion but it makes sense To me.

 

[Becci]

I think all her notes should be shown.
Will the jury have access to these?
Also thanks for the daily updates

 

[Sweeper2000]

Incidentally the fact she clarifies doubt about it being or not being intentional may if in fact it was written for an external audience suggest she is aware that she has covered her tracks and created doubt and so is clearing that up. My point remains that to answer to an accusation with the words ”on purpose“ is to clarify doubt that it was done intentionally, the presence of the words must have at least some reason for being present.

I think all her notes should be shown.
Will the jury have access to these?
Also thanks for the daily updates

I would think it would rest on the defence to provide information that goes against the idea this note was written seriously. They could provide examples of her writing in a more serious and lucid manner, I would take a guess that they will. If that was one note amongst others with the others having “many protestations of innocence“ then it will rest on mr Myers to create doubt about the earnestness of this particular note.

“Day four of the trial at Manchester crown court heard how police recovered notes that included “many protestations of innocence” when they arrested Letby at home in Chester on 3 July 2018.”

Lucy Letby: police found note saying ‘I killed them on purpose’, court hears

Nurse accused of murdering seven babies on neonatal ward also wrote ‘I am a horrible evil person’, jury told

www.theguardian.com

 

[Dotta]

i‘m confident there was no attempt to hide this note which would imply it wasn’t seen as significant by the writer. The police certainly would have mentioned if it was deliberately hidden for instance found in the middle of a closed book, placed deliberately in a hard to find spot like under a book shelf any attempt to hide it would have been mentioned because it suggests it was important and is useful to the prosecution as well as suggests that the writer knew when writing it the implications if found and as is alleged in other aspects of the trial was trying to hide it. as I said before as well the fact it was found is suggestive that it wasn’t important and or seen as something to hide by someone who is genuinely feeling guilty or trying to hide from consequences. I doubt it was meant to be found and or supposed to be taken as earnestly written, That would also be in line with someone who has pled “not guilty”.

just the way the note reads with increasing emotion, especially after the middle section or after “how will things be”. It’s obviously IMO written under duress or very pressing emotion, perhaps not written in a serious and ordered frame of mind after that sentence.

I might take a guess and say the anxiety present in not knowing what the future holds is the point at which the doors open so to speak and we see elevating emotions and an increase in unordered vocabulary. Everything before that sentence seems to be written in the present whereas everything after seems to be loaded with torrents of emotion and revolving around an uncertain future.

if it was a serious confession we would see the same straight forward, relatively cold and more mature language we see at the beginning of the letter Which would imply it was written in earnest much the same as the beginning of the letter.

Think of a child saying “I’m going to run away forever” as a kind of relative but extreme example.

that’s just my opinion but it makes sense To me.

Now, you really aroused my interest Re places to hide things!

Those you mentioned are TOO obvious for Police (book, under the shelf).
What about making a "time capsule" (a jar, bottle) and bury it under a cherry tree in the garden???
I have so many ideas
My imagination is running rampant!

 

[Sweeper2000]

Now, you really aroused my interest Re places to hide things!

Those you mentioned are TOO obvious for Police (book, under the shelf).
What about making a "time capsule" (a jar, bottle) and bury it under a cherry tree in the garden???
I have so many ideas
My imagination is running rampant!

To be honest I think she’s the type to give it to her solicitor along with her will under the title “to be opened in the event of my passing“ not “not good enough”.

 

[bbsaz]

She's talking about beng tired and burnt out but she volunteered to do the extra shift didnt she?

Interesting that she was considering moving to the women's hospital. Liverpool I assume, where she did her training and also the hospital where series 7-10 (aired 2015-2017) of the TV documentary series "One Born Ever Minute" was filmed.

Series 7 aired 10th March 2015 - 21 April 2015
Series 8 aired 22 July 2015 - 2nd September 2015
Series 9 aired 22nd March 2016 - 18 May 2016
Series 10 aired 4th April 2017 - 27th June 2017

www.thetvdb.com/series/one-born-every-minute/allseasons/official

One Born Every Minute​

Every minute of every day, a baby is born in Britain. One Born Every Minute celebrates what it really feels like to become a parent, by taking a bustling maternity hospital and filling it with forty cameras. Filming from the reception desk to the neo-natal ward; from the operating theatre to the birthing pool, this ground-breaking and tender new series observes the dramatic, emotional and often funny moments that go hand in hand with bringing a new life into the world, from the perspective of the soon-to-be parents and family, as well as the hospital staf

Apologies if you've duscussed this, Im a few days behind. This was filmed from Oct 14. However it is solely filmed in the maternity ward, with midwives. She is a neonatal nurse. Yes, the womens have a neonatal unit, but OBEM doesnt film in that part.

 

[ColourPurple]

i‘m confident there was no attempt to hide this note which would imply it wasn’t seen as significant by the writer. The police certainly would have mentioned if it was deliberately hidden for instance found in the middle of a closed book, placed deliberately in a hard to find spot like under a book shelf any attempt to hide it would have been mentioned because it suggests it was important and is useful to the prosecution as well as suggests that the writer knew when writing it the implications if found and as is alleged in other aspects of the trial was trying to hide it. as I said before as well the fact it was found is suggestive that it wasn’t important and or seen as something to hide by someone who is genuinely feeling guilty or trying to hide from consequences. I doubt it was meant to be found and or supposed to be taken as earnestly written, That would also be in line with someone who has pled “not guilty”.

How can you be "confident" of that? We have no idea where the police found any of the notes. Police may well have mentioned it and the prosecution and defence may well be aware of it but we aren't privvy to that info so nobody can conifidently say whether it was hidden or not. Plus as was pointed out before we don't know when it was written and it could have been written at any point from when the police investigation was announced in May 2017 right up until the day she was arrested in 2018. So if written near the time of arrest she may not have had time to hide it. Alternatively she may have written it in a distressed state, put in a draw or a pocket or in with other papers and then completely forgotten about it. There are so many possibilities I don't think anybody can be confident of whether she hid it or not.

just the way the note reads with increasing emotion, especially after the middle section or after “how will things be”. It’s obviously IMO written under duress or very pressing emotion, perhaps not written in a serious and ordered frame of mind after that sentence.

I might take a guess and say the anxiety present in not knowing what the future holds is the point at which the doors open so to speak and we see elevating emotions and an increase in unordered vocabulary. Everything before that sentence seems to be written in the present whereas everything after seems to be loaded with torrents of emotion and revolving around an uncertain future.

I think either build up of emotion on one day, or written whilst drinking and getting more and more drunk or both, or just a build up emotion and stress over several days. The apparent progression from full sentences in lower case to random words and short sentences in upper case could suggest any of those things.. It could have been written in one go but I do think more likely to have been written in stages either over one day/night or over several days. And she does appear to have possibly changed pens to a darker colour for the words written in upper case and the circling (though she could just be writing with more force)

if it was a serious confession we would see the same straight forward, relatively cold and more mature language we see at the beginning of the letter Which would imply it was written in earnest much the same as the beginning of the letter.

Think of a child saying “I’m going to run away forever” as a kind of relative but extreme example.

that’s just my opinion but it makes sense To me.

Again I don't think we can say "we would see" . If guilty, if she didn't set out to write a confession but then after writing down her thoughts the build up of emotion led to her doing so , then it would make sense for it to be written the way it is. Likewise if she really was so worked up that she was thinking of killing herself by the time she wrote the "confession" parts.

ETA what we're seeing as her becoming more emotional and wriitng in caps and single words or short sentences etc could actually be her becoming more decisive, clear minded and direct.

 

[ColourPurple]

Apologies if you've duscussed this, Im a few days behind. This was filmed from Oct 14. However it is solely filmed in the maternity ward, with midwives. She is a neonatal nurse. Yes, the womens have a neonatal unit, but OBEM doesnt film in that part.

They do if the birth they're following involves a baby that needs neonatal care.

 

[Tortoise]

Actually I don't think the note says what we've been saying it does all along.

I've magnified it and I cannot see the word "to" after the words "good enough". I believe our minds have filled in what we expect it to say before "care". In fact, I also now think it might not say care either, that could be another one that has been filled in by an expectation, and not looking closely at the letter formation.

I now think it might say -

"I killed them on purpose because I'm not good enough +no cure for them + I am a horrible evil person"

It might be +no or (capitalised) +NO, with the + sign squashed next to the n.

Or it could be care, as in "+NO care for them".


Lucy Letby trial - latest: Nurse 'adamant' she's done nothing to harm any of the babies in the case as defence begins

MOO